parison as their manners are much the fame, fo is their fate. The poor profligate is feeble, and fick, for want of regular or fufficient fubfiftence; the opu lent, by excess, and abuse of superfluity. The poor drone is meagre, pale, and ragged; the rich one, overgrown, bloated, and flovenly. In their lives they are equally naufeous, defpifed, and unhappy; and their end is generally untimely and miferable. Lectures on the univerfal principles and du ties of Religion and Morality, as they have been read in Margaret Street, Cavendish Square, in the years 1776 and 1777. By the Rev. David Williams. Printed for the Author. 2 vols 410. I l. 16. Dodsley, London. [38. 526.] Quitted the customary offices of the profeflion to which I was educated, [fays Mr Williams], for reafons which have been already affigned, [viz. in the appendix [35. 197.; -36. 369. to the fecond edition of Effays on public worfhip]. 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 flatter ing encouragement. But on feeing my plan extended beyond the limits of the Chriftian church, [i. e. feeing the plan was purely a Deiftical one, fhould have faid in plain language], they were withdrawn, and my papers were put up: for I had none of the views of Reformers and Apostles; and it was my intention, not to engage, until it appeared to be for the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." Of admitting strangers, and of character.] in every growing fociety, especially if ftrangers are encouraged to fettle, bad men, as well as good, will arise, or find admiffion. No induftrious community" can be well advanced where strangers are excluded, or even difcouraged. If good men, they are the most valuable acquifition to your fociety; if bad, they cannot long fubfift among you: and their example ought not to feduce; for the vifible miferies of vice are the strongest in citements to virtue.-These general characters of Virtue and Vice are not precifely applicable to the individuals of mankind. There is a ftrange diverfity and mixture of Vice and Virtue, Wif dom and Folly, in the natural compofitions and formed characters of men; and ftill these characters are changeable. By fits the wife man may play the fool, and the fool may act a wife part. Neverthelefs this truth stands unalterable, That men are profperous or unhappy, in proportion to the various degrees of Virtue or Vice prevailing in the total courfe of their lives. In real life there is a kind of intermediate character between Virtue and Vice; a flat mediocrity, which perhaps abounds more in the world than either. These men are juft in their dealings, diligent in their vocations, and regular in their conduct; yet they cherish not thofe gracious affections which form the characters of Virtue; the publicfpirited citizen, the bountiful mafter, the tender father, or chief of a family; the obliging friend, the charitable or generous man, the kind and obliging neigh bour, &c. It is true, that although they fhine not in thofe graces of Virtue, they are not branded with any fcandalous vices. They are a numerous clafs of mankind in all ranks. As they are generally ferious, dull men, and always felfish, they thrive, and make money, without knowing any real ufe of it; and without any intention of public good, are, after all, useful drudges in fociety, as the author 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 foul-faving (as Ld Shaftesbury ironically termed it) mingled not with his principles, and had no thare at all in "the inftitution in Margaret ftreet." Aos u sw-"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 inftruments. I have not the wings of the Apoftles. I cannot work by their faith, nor live on their hopes." After reprobating the defigns of fanatics and miffionaries in their attempts to reform churches and kingdoms, he tells E 2 his his readers, that his "bufinefs hath not any thing in common with fuch defigns. The liturgy on the universal principles of Religion and Morality, was first intended as a gratification and pleasure to a fmall number of perfons who could worfhip 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 circumftances, and bring me fome recompence for my, trouble in ufing it. ers and politicians. The principal use arifes from the freedom of communication, which, as he observes, "conftitutes the bonds by which all affociations, all clubs, and all parties, are held together.” In the illuftration 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 prefent fcience of politics, have not understood him.” For our parts, we fee nothing very ex. traordinary 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 cause it may arise, we presume not to determine; but we must acknow 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, that we cannot see the great utililedge, and may be used without offence even to fectaries and bigots, it would deferve confideration and respect. Abifhop quitting his diocese, and attended by both Houses of Parliament, in the fame experiment, might have given it more eciat, but not more certainty. In the prefcut cafe, it is a difcovery made by a private man, at some risk, 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 raife their thoughts from the elementary to the intellectual world; and the benefits which may be enjoyed in future by perfons 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 difcovery for the benefit of preach ty of this project (confeffedly a Utopian one) of uniting the molt heterogeneous parties, from the orthodox Believer down to the fpeculative Atheist. No plan of worship, however vague, equivocal, or comprehensive, can afford a link to join fuch hostile extremes; or provide them with "a loop or hinge to hang their doubts on," while they repair, in all the nakednefs of pure nature, to offer their united facrifices at the fame altar, and make their refponfes to the fame priest. It is contrary to the nature of man, it is contrary to the exprefs defignation both of the Jewish and Christian religion; and, notwithstanding our author's experiments and difcoveries, we are at length fully convinced, after mature ob fervation, that his project is a trial of mere curiofity, and chiefly affects as a novelty. Mr Williams's capital mistake lies in fuppofing, that what holds good in fociety at large, holds equally good in a religious community; and that nothing ought to bound the one which doth not limit the other: but he concludes too haftily, from premifes that will be granted by very few, whether believers or infidels. In the fupport of civil life, the most oppofite profeffions of religion may be united for the common good by univerfal principles. Here even the Atheist may be a ufeful member. He may be fuch on the the ground of felf-love. Society hath no farther claims on him, than it may poflibly be for his own intereft to obey. The laws of civil life ought then to be as comprehenfive as the good of society will admit: and government acts a wife, as well as a benevolent part, when it applies all its members to the best use, and makes even the most diffimilar profeffions adminifter to the general welfare and peace of the community. These maxims of policy were unknown to, or even unheeded by our forefathers. They imagined, that toleration, instead of leffening, would increase diffenfions in the state; — that good fubjects and good churchmen meant the fame thing, and could not be difunited without the ruin of both characters. To preferve their alliance, the Act of Uniformity was paffed. A fair trial was made of this project: We know how it fucceeded. As to Mr Williams's project, which he hath now extended, by a fingular act of grace, to the utmost extreme of infidelity, we do not, on the most serious reflection we can form of it, fee its abfolute neceffity, or even its fingular utility, on the broad ground of civil polity. The ftate hath saved all the trouble; and by mutual indulgence, dependence, and obligation, allowed and firengthened by government, all the ends of political life are fufficiently fecured and provided for: now thefe, we apprehend, are Mr Williams's fole objects. Religion, that derives its capital motives from the omniscience of the Deity, and ends not in a momentary glow of admiration, excited by a view of the works of nature, but looks forwards to a future ftate, can be no part of an inftitution which includes Atheists in the number of its votaries. Mr Williams acknowledges, that "it is not material to his purpofe, whether the Atheist exclude the word God from his religious dialect, and afcribe all we fee to nature, neceffity, or chance: -it is the character only of neceffity, of chance, or of the deified forms of human imagination, which can affect us.” Undoubtedly words, in themselves, are of little confequence. It is the ideas they excite that are principally to be attended to. Now, we ask, what idea the moft Speculative and metaphyfical Atheist can be fuppofed to affociate with the word CHANCE? or on what ground it can be imagined he should pay any adoration to the character of Chance? or what effect "Now this is worshipful fociety,"- "The first good, first perfect, and first "fair;" We have thus, without rafhnefs, and on the grounds of observation and experience, given our free fentiments on "the inftitution in Margaret ftreet:" and if we were inclined to appeal to any authority to countenance our freedom, it should be to Mr Williams himself, who tells us, that "all thoughts, wrong as well as right, fhould be freely communicated." -We hope, our freedom hath been tempered with moderation and decency though if we were inclined to be abufive, we might plead his example to give a fanction to calumny; for he fays, with out fcruple or referve, that preaching keeps up an order of men who are under a neceflity of diffembling their failings and faults, and, confequently, of taint ing their own minds, and those of their hearers, with hypocrify;—a vice almoft infeparable from an affembly under the direction of a prieft, whether called religious, moral, or sentimental.” r The clergy were first indebted to the politeness of Mr Hume for this reflection on the character of their order. Mr Williams bears his teftimony to the juftnefs of the reflection. This must give it double credit; for having been of the order himself-and "ftill not fatisfied (he tells us out of his employment," he must be a competent judge of the vice which naturally taints the mind of a priest. As we have now done juftice to our impartiality, we proceed to discharge another obligation; and that is, to do juftice to the fingular merit of this lively and moft ingenious Moralift. We do not fay, that the excellencies of these Lectures will atone for their errors and defects; but this we must fay, that these excellencies are fo various and ftriking, that they must appear in fpite of every thing that tends to obfcure them. Mr Williams begins his feries of lec. tures with a difcourfe on public worship. It is a defultory, but an ingenious and fpirited effay. He doth not reafon according to the forms of logic; nor doth he declaim according to the rules of the pulpit: but he frequently doth better than the mere man of logic, or the mere man of the pulpit, is capable of doing. -We know we fhall pleafe all readers of tafte and candour by the following extract. "The great principle which animated our brave and virtuous ancestors, which tinctured with fublimity the favagenefs of their virtues, impelled them to actions of difinterested patriotism, and gave wifdom to their legiflation and policy, at which we are aftonifhed,—was religion. Their defcendents, improved in all the arts of life, intelligent in the principles and interefts of fociety, with characters and names which science and philosophy will hand down to eternity,-are advanving to a political decrepitude and deftruction,-from a puerile and wretched irreligion.-Religion hath been laid hold of by the State as an expedient to serve its purposes; not generally and nobly countenanced as the means of making men happy, by making them virtuous. A variety of fects have fprung up, who have not only relinquifhed the advantages held out by the State, but have withfood its power. Here genuine and virtuous Free-thinkers might have hoped for fhelter, if they had not spirit enough to affert their own rights. No. All denominations of Diffenters have founded their claims on the nature of their faith; and no fect hath afferted the indisputable right of man, not only to think for himfelf, but to difturb the facred repose of the public, fo far as to attempt its improvement and advantage. All religious contentions have been on the comparative excellence of theological tenets. An Arian or a Socinian might venture fome inconvenience from a Calvinift or an Arminian: not merely because he felt himfelf intitled to a common right of human nature; but because his faith was more rational, or more fcriptural; more worthy to be the established belief, and to receive the dignities and emoluments of the church. Let any of these denominations be put into power, and we only exchange tyrants; and have new names and tenets to which we must facrifice our integrity and liberty. The warfare of religious fects has had one effect, however, in producing what they never intended,-a fpirit of universal toleration." Thefe reflections are not unfupported by fact,-or at least ftrong analogy. We know how the Arians became perfecntors, in their turn, when the power of the State gave them an advantage over the Athanafians; and that Socinus difcovered more a want of power than a want of inclination to crush the fects which tended to weaken his intereft. His conduct toward Francis Davidis hath met with apologifts, who, like the apologifts for Calvin in the matter of Servetus, have ftretched their ingenuity to foften and colour it [33.647.]. But whatever refpect we owe to the goodness of their defign, we are not infenfible of the weakness of its execution. The great heads of fects always have historians among their difciples, who are ever ready to glofs over what cannot be vindicated. Hence we are teafed and difgufted with a fophiftical apology, where we ought to have been informed by a fimple narrative. But it is become a fashion to give to history the dress of philofophy; it is not confined to facts, it ranges for motives. And when the hero of the tale is the favourite of the author, motives will be created for him that he little thought of; and excufes will be formed for what he never meant to ask an indulgence, or to make an apology for. [The Reviewers employ upwards of twenty pages on this book ;-and]-conclude by obferving, that the Moral Lectures contain many valuable obfervations; and that, however we difapprove of his theological principles, we cannot help acknowledging the elegance and fpirit of the writer. M. [41.266.] "It carries," fays he, in his correspondence with Dr Priestley, p. 175. the appearance of a contradiction: it is indeed a difficulty, and I do not pretend to be capable of removing it." Mr Palmer, however, in his zeal for liberty, more boldly gives up, in fact, the divine prefcience; and endeavours to fhew, that the facrifice is not very great; for that, by giving up fuch a notion of prefciof liberty, or agency in man, "we only deence as is directly inconfittent with the idea that to belong to the fupreme mind which is in truth no perfection at all." M. ny Two differtations. 1. On the preface to St John's Gospel. 2. On praying to Jefus Chrift. By Theophilus Lindfey, A. M. With a fhort poftfcript by Dr Jebb. 2s. 6d. Johnfon. However different Mr Lindley's fentiments may be from those of many of his fellow Chriftians, it should be obferved, that he has a high veneration for the fcriptures, that he diligently and modeftly investigates feripture-truth, and appears fincerely defithould awaken and increase mutual candour and benevolence. M. rous to embrace it: A confideration which America. The detail and conduct of the American war, under Gen' Gage, Howe, Burgoyne, and Vice-Adm. Lord Howe: With a very full state of the evidence, as given before the Religion, Metaphyfics, Controversy, &c. House of Commons; and the celebrated fuThe evidence of reafon in proof of the gitive pieces which are faid to have given rife immortality of the foul, independent on the to that important inquiry. Exhibiting a more abftrafe inquiry into the nature of mat complete hiftory of the caufes, rife, progrefs, ter and spirit. Collected from the manu- and prefent state of the American rebellion. fcripts of Mr Baxter, author of the Inquiry The third edition. 8vo. Richardson and Co. into the nature of the human foul, and of The author is rather violent in expreffMatho. To which is prefixed, a letter from ing his refentment against the revolted Amethe editor [Dr Duncan] to the Rev. Dr ricans, the minority at home, and some of Priestley. 7s. Cadell. This perform our commanders, particularly the Howes: ance carries the most convincing inter- but we cannot fay, that his zeal is withont nal evidence of its being the production of knowledge; for he appears to be a very wellthe ingenious and worthy author of the In- informed writer, as well as a judicious comquiry into the nature of the human soul. M. piler. M. Mr Baxter's letter to Mr Wilkes [15. 170.] is annexed. - Obfervations in defence of the liberty of man, as a moral agent; in aufwer to Dr Priestley's Illuftrations of philofophical neceffity. By John Palmer, Minifter of New Broad Street 3 s. fewed. Johnson.And A letter to the Rev. Mr John Palmer, in defence of the Illuftrations of philofophical neceflity. By Jofeph Priestley. LL. D. I S. 6d. Johnson.- -The main queftion is ably difcuffed by both the parties; but the caufe of liberty is more pertinaciously defended by Mr Palmer, than by Dr Pricftley's former amicable antagonist, Dr Price. For inftance, the latter owns, that he cannot fee how a contingent event can be the object of forcknowledge, even to the Deity himself. Cool thoughts, on the confequences to G. Britain of American independence, on the expence of G. Britain in the fettlement and defence of the American colonies, and on the value and importance of the American colonies and the West Indies to the British empire. 1s. Wilkie. The independence of America has been recommended by Dean Tucker as beneficial to G. Britain. To prove that propofition ill founded is the main bufinefs of this performance. The author difcuffes his fubjects in a decent and difpa fiunate, though very earnest and serious strain: in which the Americans are not abused as rebels, nor is government traduced with accufations of defpotifm. The question indeed, as to the grounds of our quarrel with the colonies, is totally avoided." M. NEW |