and public fpirited Reader. In regard to the dignitaries of our church, they would do well to reflect, that every work of this kind must create and ftrengthen prejudices against them; and that the time may come, when, in order to fecure their temporalities, (if that be their great object) they will be glad to favour the views and wishes of the friends of REFORMATION.

But how much rather were it to be defired, that they would bear in mind the falutary hint from our Author, already quoted; viz. "That the church will not get half fo much CREDIT by a REFORMATION into which he is COMPELLED by an unwelcome NECESSITY, as would attend her undertaking it FREELY and of her own BOUNTY.".

Fourteen Sermons preached on feveral Occafions. By Thomas Secker, L. D, now Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. 8vo. 5s. Rivington.

HESE Sermons, half of which have appeared separately before; are on the following occafions.

TH

Sermon I. Preached before the Univerfity of Oxford on A& Sunday, July 8, 1733..

II. On the 30th of January, 1733-4.

III. On the death of Queen Caroline, 1737.

IV. Before the Lord Mayor on Eafter Monday, 1737. V. Before the House of Lords, on the 29th of May, 1739. VI. Before the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 1740.

VII. At the Anniversary Meeting of the Charity Schools, 1743.

VIII. On Occafion of the Earthquake, 1750.

IX. On refigning the Rectory of St. James's Weftminster, 1750.

X. Before the Governors of the London Hofpital, 1754.

XI. At the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Societies, 1754.

XII. Before the Society for promoting English Proteftant working Schools in Ireland, 1757.

XIII. On the fifth of November, 1758.

XIV. On the Anniversary of his Majefty's Acceffion, 1761. The 1ft, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 10th and 12th of thefe fermons have been published before; the reft are now, for the first time, communicated to the public. From the 8th fermon, as it is one of thofe that had not hitherto been printed, we fhall felect a specimen of the most Reverend Author's pulpit compofitions. This dif courfe is on the fubject of the earthquake, and the text is Pfalm

ii. II.

i. 11. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice unto him with reverence.- -Thus it opens- The paffion of fear is an extremely neceffary one for all creatures, whofe good or evil depends on their behaviour: for it prompts them inftantly to avoid whatever would harm them: and accordingly God hath given it a ftrong and deep root in human nature. But as our frame is difordered throughout, we are liable, in this refpect, as well as many more, now to exceed, now to be deficient: and fear ing too little, on fome occafions, is the cause of our fearing, on others, much more, than elfe we should need. Religion, if we permit it, will regulate all our inward feelings to our present and eternal advantage: and is particularly ferviceable, not only in exciting, but directing, and moderating this. Without religion, there may be endless alarms. Were not the world governed by infinite juftice and goodness; every perfon, that would, might, in multitudes of cafes, do any hurt to others, with impunity and all mischief of all kinds befall us, however innocent, fingly or jointly, through the whole course of life, unalleviated by a profpect of recompence after death. Nay indeed, as nothing hinders, but that, if it were poffible for us to exift without God here, it might be poffible hereafter too: there could be no certainty, that death itself would end our fufferings, or even would not increase them. But the knowledge of a gracious and wife providence entirely fecures us, if we believe it as we ought, not only against all imaginations of inexorable fate and blind chance, but all real detriment from the worst efforts of men or devils. For if God be for us, who can be against us? It is very true, religion banishes these objects of apprehenfion by fubftituting in their room another, unfpeakably more formidable than them all. I fay unto you, my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body; and after that, have no more, that they can do. But I will forwarn you, whom you shall fear. Fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to caft into hell: yea, I fay unto you, fear him. And did not reafon afford us hope; and fcripture, affurance, of his accepting and rewarding us, on moft equitable terms: our condition under the divine government would be furrounded with incomparably greater terrors, than any other poffibly could. But fince we know the means of obtaining his Favour, in this life and the next: if we will but use them confcientiously, the Awe, which we cannot but feel, of an Almighty arm, will be fweetly mixe ed with faithful truft and thankful love: and thofe things, which give others the moft grievous difturbance, will not need to give us the leaft. Fear ye not their fear, neither be afraid: but fanctify the Lord of hofts, and let him be your fear, and let him your dread: and he shall be a fanctuary: Firft therefore lear REV. May, 1765.

be

A a

to ferve the Lord with fear: and then you will be intitled to rejoice unto him with reverence.

The word of God, far from encouraging groundless and fuperftitious horrors, cautions against them ftrongly. In all ages and nations, men have been terrified with eclipfes of the fun and moon: in many, with conjunctions, oppofitions and afpects of the ftars, and other celeftial appearances: Things altogether harmless. Therefore fuch frights the prophet exprefly condemns. Thus faith the Lord: learn not the way of the heathen, and be not difmayed at the figns of heaven, because the heathen are difmayed at them: for the customs of the people are vain. But whatfoever things are real inftruments of our maker's will, we are to confider as fuch; and respect all that is wrought by them, as proceeding from his appointment. Were we fure of living ever fo long on earth; we are abfolutely in his hands all the time we live; and ought to be deeply fenfible, that our happiness or mifery, even here, depends continually upon him. But he hath paffed a fentence of death on us all, to be executed, at furtheft in a few years: and this furnishes a new motive to ferioufnefs of heart, which we should be recollecting daily and hourly. But instead of that, we contrive all poffible means never to think of it; and we fucceed too well. Therefore to awaken us from this lethargy, he hath ordained befides, that the whole of life fhall be full of difeafes and accidents, to cut it short on a sudden, often when there was leaft caufe to expect them: and here is a more preffing call to confider our latter end. But however furprising each of these may be, when it happens very near us; yet, as one or another of them happens pretty frequently; for that very reafon, though they ought to affect us the more, they scarce affect us at all. Therefore he alfo brings on, from time to time, the lefs common, and more widely deftructive events, of wars and peftilences. Of the former we have for feveral years, not long past, had heavy experience. And what we fee and hear to this day of the latter amongst our cattle, tells us, one fhould think, in a very interefting manner, to what we are fubject ourselves. But if all thefe things fail of the good effects, which he propofes by them, as it is notorious they do with us moft lamentably: he hath in referve more alarming methods of admonition ftill: one in particular, by which he thakes whole cities, whole countries and nations, fometimes to the extent of many hundred leagues at once, notwithstanding the intervention of large and deep feas; and hath frequently taken away the lives of thoufands in a moment, by a ruin, which no wifdom can forefee, no caution prevent, no ftrength withiland, no art evade.

You have often read and heard of fuch threatnings and devaftations elsewhere: but did not look on them, as having

the

the leaft relation to your felves. Poffibly fome of you imagined, that this part of the world was exempt from them. But indeed your ancestors have felt them, many times recorded in hiftory, probably many more. However, that, you might think, was long ago; and would be long enough, before it happened again. Yet not a few perfons, now alive, remember one earthquake in this city and that you may not dream of being fafer than they, Providence hath taken care, that you fhall feel another. Still, when you had escaped one fhock, perhaps you thought the danger was over. Therefore you have felt a ftronger. And which of you can be fure, that this will prove the laft?

But you will fay, neither thefe nor the former have done. any harm and therefore why fhould we fear it from future ones? But let me tell you, earthquakes have done harm in this kingdom, in this town overturned many private houses, many churches, not without the lofs of many lives. But if that were otherwife, have we any reafon to doubt, but the caufes of earthquakes are the fame here, as in other places? Why then may not the effects be the fame in our days, though formerly they have been lefs? Who can look into the bowels of the earth and affign a reafon? Place the caufe, if you will, contrary, I think, to plain evidence, not in the earth, but the air, what will you gain by it? Would not a very little more force, nay a few moments longer continuance of the fame force, that shook our houfes the other morning, have buried many or most of us under them, whencefoever it came? And if it had, let us afk ourselves, were we in due readiness to have appeared before God?'

This fpecimen may fuffice to give fome idea of the archbifhop's talents as a preacher, which if they are not of the brighteft or moft perfuafive, are at leaft of the ferious and ufe

ful kind.

Letters Religious and Moral, defigned particularly for the Entertainment of young Perfons. By Daniel Turner. 8vo. 3s. Johnfon and Co.

EVERAL of thefe letters were addreffed to a young gentleman abroad, and the reft to the Author's juvenile friends at home; but tho' intended originally for the entertainment and inftruction of youth, they may be read with profit by persons at every period of life. They do not treat fo much of moral as of religious fubjects, which the Writer piously yet rationally enforces; wifely avoiding fpeculative difputes, and recommending

a practical devotion to his young correfpondents.-He does write with fuperior abilities, but with competent parts a knowledge; and what must principally recommend him to th who judge with candour and rectitude of fentiment, is the tention he pays to reafon in all religious inquiries. ( reafon, fays he, is particularly concerned in the affairs of r gion. However weak and impaired, it does not follow t it must not be used in humble dependence on the gracious fiftance promised us. A fyftem of religion inconfiftent with r fon, is not the fyftem of the Bible, nor any way adapted to human nature. The paffions, indeed, must have their f here, (for we are fentimental as well as rational beings) bu is only in proportion to the hold that divine truth has of understanding, and the subjection of the paffions to that fluence, that we can ever act regularly and confiftently in gion; fix upon right objects of faith and worship; and b forth the folid fruits of evangelical righteousness.—The violent zeal for theological opinions, and the moft raptu fervours of devotion, without a rational conviction in the n to fupport them, deferve not the name of religion; and are far from that" reasonable service," as the apoftle ftiles it, w the bleffed God requires of us.

It must be allowed, indeed, that the reasoning faculti many of the common people, not only of the illiterate, b those who have been driven through a course of education out a literary genius, are extremely low and limited; and were it not for fome religious oddity, as I may call it, or party abfurdity under a religious appearance, ftrongly imp upon their imaginations (which, with them, is generall ruling power) they would have no religion at all. Were y laugh, or to reafon them out of these conceits, unless, at the time, you could reafon them into fome ferious truths of influence and authority over them, you would deprive th the chief fupport of their moral character and conduct; an pose them in a very dangerous degree to the attacks of the phane and vicious. It is better for them, and for fociety, them alone in their mistakes, than attempt with fuch haza rectify them.

It is alfo poffible, that even facred truth itself, in fome Aitutions, may operate more fenfibly upon the imagination. the reafon; which will naturally give their religion an ai appearance of abfurdity, to people of more rational difcern even though it may be real and fincere in the main. fon weakly, but they feel ftrongly; feel what leads them practice of a lower and lefs perfect kind of piety and And, therefore, though too much of their own weakness many mistakes and contradictions, mix with their religio

I

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