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paratory religion, and alfo with feveral paffages of the New Teftament, as well as with his Lordship's Sermons and Difcourses on Prophecy.

His Lordship's great principle, concerning the end of the Law, is, that the Jewish church was founded to preferve, and to adminifter the hopes, which had been revealed to the Patriarchs; and thefe, according to the Bifhop, were the hopes of eternal life, to be procured by the Redeemer of mankind. As it is agreed on all hands, that the law was inftituted to preserve the doctrines which had been the foundation of the Patriarchal religion, the queftion to be debated with his Lordship is, whether the law was given to adminifter and preferve the doctrine of Redemption and a future State, which, according to him, was one of thofe doctrines. The Bishop, who follows the common opinion, fuppofes that the Patriarchal and the Chriftian religion were, indeed, one and the fame. The point, therefore, to be confidered is, whether the law was appointed to adminifter and difpenfe the fundamental articles of the Gospel. And here, our Author fays, he has the pleasure to obferve, that the bare ftating of the queftion feems fufficient to expofe the groffnefs and extravagance of the fyftem he is going to confute. He goes on, however, to fhew, that his Lordship's fuppofition is inconfiftent with the nature of the law, confidered as a preparatory or introductory difpenfation.

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If we confider,' fays he, the ftate of religion under the Mofaic difpenfation, we fall find, that both in its nature • and end'it bears all the marks of a preparatory system. And can we infer from the nature of fuch an inftitution, that it was given to adminifter and difpenfe the great hopes and promises of the final and ultimate religion? The contrary ⚫ cannot but be the truth. But let us confider the cafe a little more diftinctly.

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The author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews has informed us, that the law contained only a fhadow, or nothing more • than the bare rudiments and elements of the Gofpel. But is • it natural or reasonable to imagine, that infants and pupils, • trained and disciplined under the mere elements and rudiments of the Gofpel, were ripe for its more fublime and perfect • doctrines. And yet this must have been the case, if the law was appointed to preferve and adminifter the hopes and promifes attached to the fpiritual covenant. The paffing thro' this previous difcipline of mere carnal elements, could ferve · no other purpose than to mifpend their time, and retard their progrefs towards greater and better things, if, indeed, these things were due to their difpenfation,

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It is unaccountable his Lordship fhould fuppofe, that the Jews were the proper objects of two fuch different methods of difcipline, and inftruction, at the fame time. There • must have been fomething very fingular and uncommon in the character of this people, if they were fo dull and cloudy ⚫ in one quarter of their heads, as to need the mere carnal • rudiments of an introductory fyftem, and yet so spiritual ⚫ and enlightned in the other, as to be qualified to receive the • fublime truths of a final and ultimate religion. All this is just as natural as it would be to teach children their bornbook, and the Effay on Human Understanding, at the same

⚫ time.

The abfurdity will rife ftill higher, if we confider the argument in another light. According to his Lordship, the • principal branches of the Chriftian religion had been reveal⚫ed in the Patriarchal covenant; and yet the rudiments and ⚫ elements of this religion were delivered afterwards in the

law. But is it poffible, that perfons previously inftructed in ⚫ the more fublime parts of fcience, fhould after this be taught ⚫ their elements; or that their time could be usefully employ<ed in learning them over again? It is directly inverting the • natural order of things, to fuppofe, that the more fublime • brances of science were delivered first, and the mere rudi⚫ments and elements taught afterwards. At least, his Lordfhip will own, that the method of teaching divine wisdom was just the reverse of that employed by the mafters of human. For it is ufual with these to begin with the rudiments, and to afcend gradually to the more perfect and fublime principles. But here the more perfect and fublime are taught firft, and the study of the elements referved for a more ma• ture and advanced age.

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His Lordfhip aften speaks of the law, as being a preparatory fyftem. And fuch it would properly and strictly be, if it contained nothing more than the bare rudiments of the • Chriftian Faith. But if you fay, it likewife taught the fu⚫blime doctrines of the final and ultimate religion, you will < unavoidably make it fomething more than a mere preparatory fyftem. On this fuppofition it might as well be called the Gospel as the Law.'

Our Author advances a great deal more on this fubject, but we must not enlarge. The laft chapter contains an enquiry, how far the doctrine advanced in his Lordship's fixth Sermon, affects the argument of the Divine Legation; how far it tends to establish the credit of Mofes and the Prophets; and how far it is confiftent with the other parts of his Lordship's

fhip's theological fyftem. But our Readers most excufe our not giving any abftract of this part of the performance, as we have already dwelt fo long upon the other parts of it. We fhall conclude, therefore, with observing, that fuch as are de firous of being thoroughly acquainted with the nature of the Jewish and Chriftian difpenfations, and with the controversy between Dr. Warburton and his opponents, will find their account in reading what our Author has advanced; as he seems carefully to have studied his fubject, and writes in a clear, fenfible, and fpirited manner.

Poems facred to Religion and Virtue. By Thomas Drummond, LL. D. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Wilfon and Durham.

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HAT the divine language of poetry' (fays the Doc

tor in his preface) was firft employed in honour of religion and virtue, is a truth well known, and eftablished • from the testimony of all ages, as well as from those re'mains of poetical antiquity that have been handed down 6 among all the nations of the known world. How far it has degenerated from its original purity; how far it has been corrupted, by an inundation more fatal than that of the Goths and Vandals to the language of Rome; how far im⚫ piety and profaneness have ftole the facred fire, and have prostituted it to the worst and vileft purposes; are truths generally known, and generally lamented, by all who have any regard to the facred mufe, and thofe hallowed purposes to which, in her primeval innocence, fhe was principally • intended.

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He then proceeds, with as little argument, and more flowers, to fhew, that mufic, painting, ftatuary, and architecture, were likewife defigned, in their first inftitution, to serve the same noble purpose. The moft capital works,' fays he, of all the great mafters in the fine arts, are dedicated to religion,' excepting poetry alone. 'Tis but here and there we find a Bard that tunes the facred lyre. How many noble fubje&ts remain unfung? What glorious themes might be drawn from numberless places of the Holy Scriptures, for all the different branches of that divine art. Had the poets imitated the painters, what inftruction might have been conveyed! what grand and folemn defcriptions given !-But I amafraid,” laments the Doctor, there is but small reason to expect that poetry can ever be brought to draw her ftrength from fuch

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pure and uncorrupted fprings; while the tafte of the generality of mankind is fo tainted; while infidelity, and impiety go hand in hand, openly in the face of the fun, and a contempt of every thing that is religious, is a distinguishing mark of politenefs, and the Holy Scriptures a certain fund of ridicule; while the flowing and well-turned period of a Shaftsbury, the frothy writings of the Independent Whig, and the ftupid conclufions of a Tindal, outweigh the acute• nefs of a Locke, the folidity of a Boyle, and the demonftra⚫tions of a Newton; it is no furprize if the loose strains in

Charles the fecond's reign, and others of the fame ftamp, 'fhould attract more attention than the serious numbers of a • Prior or a Young.'

O tempora! O mores! But is all this strictly true?

'Notwithstanding the poor reception any thing upon facred fubjects meets with from the world, I have ventured,' continues the Doctor, to throw in the following pages, as a mite into the treasury of religion and virtue.' This, however, he generously propofes to make a talent in a future poetical entertainment for the Sundays and Holidays throughout the year, either taken from the season, or the fubject of the epiftle or gospel for the day; which he presumes may produce 'no irrati⚫onal amusement, especially to young perfons, as it is calculat⚫ed to promote the intereft of true religion; to paint it in all its own native beauty of colouring, divefted of that gloom ⚫ with which dark minds have obfcured it; to draw the focial duties in the most amiable view, and diffuse universal benevolence to the human mind.'

How far the Doctor has done this, in the prefent work, better than his predeceffors, Herbert and Norris, or his cotemporaries, the gentlemen who write hymns and spiritual fongs for the Methodists and Moravians, the reader will presently be enabled to judge.

The leaft that we expect from any fon, or pretended fon, of Apollo, is, Harmony of verfification: whether this gentleman's performances may boaft much of that excellence, the following lines will fhew; and first, from page 38.

To fay that Beauty's frail, will feem more odd,
Than doubt of Providence, or difbelieve a God.

From his Grotto of Calypfa, defcribed in, what he deems, blank verfe.

And now appears the portal of Calypfo's grot. Others the crooked Meander wind, and roll. Severest pain, and can with indignation fpurn.REVIEW, Aug. 1756.

K

From

Page 78. Morning Adoration.

Hail Thou! whofe forming hand to Being rais'd
That work ftupenduous of skill divine,
The human frame, body and foul; distant-

Page 114. To the Memory of a Lady.

'Tis these that blaze in every grace of thine,
And brighten a mortal beauty to divine.

We fhall not entertain our Readers with any more proofs of the Doctor's mufical ear, but shall inform them, that he is equally to be admired for his use of the Pleonasm; a figure in which fome of the present tribe of poetical gentlemen feem greatly to delight: wifely and learnedly, no doubt, confidering that the Greek poets had not only a great advantage over us, in their number of fyllables in a line, but also in their practice of introducing words, which, tho' they added not to the thought, were yet of ufe to fill up the measure. They alfo, doubtless, knew, that the Bards of Italy are ftill in poffeffion of fome of these fupplemental expreffions; and therefore refolved, for the benefit of their rhiming countrymen, by ringing changes on the fame thought, to improve upon the Greeks and Italians. Accordingly, we have had feveral very eminent profeffors of this art. Indeed, from time to time, fome Critics have arose, who, maliciously bent on making Authors think when they write, have been deadly foes to this notable embellishment. Of this number was Pope; who not only wholly banished the pleonasm from his writings, but unluckily influenced others who afpired to poetical fame, to discard it likewife. But we have reafon to congratulate ourselves, that in these our days, many are beginning to repoffefs themselves of this old immunity, and instead of making one thought suffice for one heroic line, have determined not to admit a fingle thought into a poem. Some fuch we have lately had occafion to celebrate.

Our Author, indeed, does not by any means go fo far as thefe, but contents himself with the antient use of the figure: as the following inftances will fhew. The firft couplet is found in page 51.

Defire of glory throbs in

every part,

Swells in the vein, and rushes to the heart.

Page 55.

Thy works, tho' yet unknown, the future age
Shall read with wonder, and admire thy page,

Page

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