Their actions, if deferving praise or blame,
Ask not our judgment, nor our censure claim ;
If right or wrong we cenfure or commend,
Sure foes we gain, uncertain is the friend;
Thofe in their turn will defp'rate flander bring,
With pois'nous teeth, and ever-darting fting;
Our fortitude gives ground, and we renew,
Or raise a scene of troubles to fubdue.

This favours of effeminacy and languor at least; or if it has any merit, is worthier of a hermit than a man in the world. Yet to remove or qualify any objections to this reserved, uncommunicating fyftem, he immediately fubjoins.

But Oh! awake to virtue's early call!

Can't thou do good? communicate to all:
To all thy fuccour lend, thy aid impart ;

When grief invades, the thought fball eafe thy heart:

;

Each joy fhall brighten, and fhall make thy day
Of gladness fhine in one unclouded ray :
In time of fickness fhall thy pain beguile,
And give the languid cheek the chearful fmile
Shall cafe thy throbs, revive thy aching head,
With hope refresh thee, and fhall fmooth thy bed.
But yet keep firm thy pow'r, nor others truft;
The world's deceitful, treach'rous, and unjust;
Part with thy pow'r, tho' endless were the ftore,
Like life, once gone, 'twill be retriev'd no more
Say at what point fhall his benev❜lence reft,
Who, as he bleffes, ftill the more is bleft?
Far as the fun, it shall its beams difplay, &c. &c.

To take little notice of much verbofity here to exprefs a fingle fentiment, generous and elevated indeed, and beautifully amplified by Mr. Pope, in his fourth epiftle of the effay on man, we may ask, how it confifts with the author's general fyftem? How are we to exert beneficence to the species we are to entertain a perpetual diftrust of, and to preferve as little connection with as poffible! In fhort, this inflated declamation on diffufion and beneficence, feems preffed in partly to qualify what had been premifed, and partly to adorn the poem, as it is not strictly reconcileable with the general narrow scope of this prefcription for happiness. Mr. Pape juftly fays-Virtue alone is happiness below-Now befides the many good qualities and habitudes, to which the general term of virtue is applicable, it has been especially fuppofed to consist in that strength and extenfion of mind, which difpofes us to furmount af flictions ourselves, and to prevent or mitigate the oppreflion of others: the former feeming effential to fuch a degree of hap

X 4

piness,

pinefs, as is attainable in this mixed ftate; and the latter conftituting a divine virtue, that is, indeed, an admirable ingredient towards the beatitude of a good mind, by its diffufing felicity to others.

After all, not to be more fevere than the error requires, there feems to be little danger in a promulgation of such philofophical opinions or reveries as gentlemen may amuse themfelves with, from a particular difpofition, or a gloom, that may perhaps be only temporary. Perfons the most capable of friendship and beneficence will not exert them the lefs, for this gentleman's extreme reserve and contraction: and the eternal purposes of nature will talk a little more emphatically than himself, on the article of her happiness, to his fair infpirer.

With regard to the performance as a poem, there is nothing fufficiently native or excellent in it, to denominate the author a poet; tho' in refpect of feveral cotemporary productions, both in rhyme and blank verfe, it may be called decent, and his tafte poetical. He has carefully marked one line, as an imitation from Milton, and another, as alluding to a line of Shakespeare's. Had he been equally fcrupulous in his acknowledgements to Mr. Pope, he might have diftinguished the better part of his poem in the fame manner; notwithstanding fome verbal alterations, which are not always advantageous ones: the works of that poet being probably fome of the laft a good critic would recommend to his friend, for an improvement and melioration of them. Some paffages already cited will confiderably juftify this remark; but the third paragraph of the first epiftle will exemplify it more particularly. The following illustration of the preference of virtue and merit to beauty, in the choice of a wife, however trite the obfervation, is more of the author's own, and not the least deserving part of his performance.

The debt that's owing to Clitander pay;
The money gold; and let Citander weigh;
Sterling's the gold; the guineas hold their weight;
The number's juft; what now fhall be their fate?
Shall he refufe, and give them back again,
For lo! the mould has form'd a pointed chin:
The neck is faulty, forehead is too high,
The cheek not dimpled, or too fmall an eye?
No; he obferves fuch blemish not implies
Lofs of that worth or value that we prize;
And tho' the artist may have mifs'd his aim,
Th' intrinfic worth and value is the fame;
On this he refts: and not on charms fo gay,
That ufe will injure; time must wear away i

Pleas'd

Pleas'd he accepts them, as they are not light:
And all confets Clitander's in the right.

Let him that loves encounters and alarms,
For life, take blooming beauty to his arms;
A path more peaceful would you with to find,
Be wedded to the beauties of the mind.

K

MONTHLY CATALOGUE for October, 1754.

1. A

RELIGIOUS.

N Earneft Addrefs to his Parishioners, by a minifter of the church of England, concerning the neceffity, nature, means, and marks of true faith in Chrift Jefus. 12mo. price 2d. or Is. 6d. per dozen. Printed for W. Faden, in Wine-office-court, Fleetftreet.

II. A Word of Advice to Sureties in Baptifm; being a fhort extract from a fermon on that fubject. 12mo. Id. Faden.

III. The Church Catechifm explained, after a new method, with proofs from fcripture fubjoined to every article. Folio, a broad fheet, in a tabular way. Price 2d. or 1s. 6d. a dozen to those who give them away. Faden.

The three foregoing pious and well-intended tracts, are all defigned principally for the poor; the laft article is the work of that eminent and orthodox divine, the reverend Mr. William Dodd, of Weftham; the others have no name affixed to them.

IV. A New Call to the Unconverted. 12mo. Is. Bourn.

This little piece confifts of four plain, practical fermons upon these words, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Say unto them, as I live, faith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O boufe of Ifrael.

The author addreffes himself to the confciences of his readers, in a clear and forcible manner, without any studied elegance of language, but in a plain familiar way, like one fincerely defirous of doing good.

V. An Efay on the Proper Lessons appointed by the liturgy of the church of England to be read on Sundays and chief festivals throughout the year, as they are directed by her table of proper leffons. To which are prefixed, Prefaces, pointing out the defign of their refpective leffons. Together with fuch reflections on the feveral paffages contained therein, as may ferve to enforce the doctrines or duties propounded to our faith and practice. And also fome explanatory notes. With an introduction to the whole; wherein fome advices are humbly offered to the readers of our leffons. The whole intended for

affift

affifting the judgment and devotion of the ferious members of our church in hearing and reading the faid leffons. 8vo. 4 vol. 20s. bound. Rivington.

See Review, vol. X. p. 76.

CONTROVERSIAL.

VI Two Difputations concerning the Meffiah; one between a Papift and a few, the other between a Proteftant and a Jew contained in two letters from a merchant in Amsterdam. 8vo. IS. Keith.

The first appearance of this tract was in the year 1678, when each letter was published feparate in quarto. The imprimatur prefixed to the firft bears date, Jan. 9, 1677; the other May 28, 1678. Soon after the publication of the fecond letter, they were collected into one pamphlet, with the following title: "Two conferences, one betwixt a papist and "a Jew, the other betwixt a proteftant and a Jew, in two letters from a merchant in London to his correfpondent in "Amfterdam, London, printed for Thomas Parkhurst, 1678.” In the year 1737, a new edition was published in octavo, on a good paper and type; fome of the copies of this date have the fecond edition exprefied in the title-page; printed for E. Gardner, in Coleman Street. Upon collating the feveral editions, we cannot perceive any material variations, befides fuch as may probably arife from the press,

The principal point intended to be proved in thefe conferences or difputations is, that the Meffiah, who was foretold by the prophets, and promised to the fathers, was come, and that Jefus of Nazareth was he.'

The papift chiefly infifts upon this argument, as decifive in the debate, viz. That many miracles were wrought by Jefus Chrift, and by his followers in his name, which were fufficient to convince the world that he came from God, and that he was that prophet whem God had promifed. His notion of miracles is, that they are fuch wonderful works as are contrary to the course of nature, above and beyond the reach of any mere creature, and are the product of an almighty power. From which he draws two conclufions, firft, that none but God, and fuch as are affifted by him, can work real miracles. Secondly, that God never did, or ever will, communicate to any this power of working miracles to confirm a falfehood. He next confiders the evidence and testimony arifing from the miracles wrought by Jefus Chrift in general, and his refurrection from the dead in particular. The principal objections to the witnesles of the refurrection of Chrift, as to their capacity and integrity, are here clearly stated and briefly obviated;

and feveral juft obfervations offered upon the miracles which were wrought by the apoftles and others in the name of Chrift.

The Jew, in oppofition to the reafoning and conclufions of the papift, affigns this as his principal reafon for his disbelieving the miracles faid to be done by Jefus and his followers, that they appear to him to be equally fabulous and ridiculous with thofe which have been declared to have been wrought in confirmation of popery; of which he gives a diverting narrative.

Hereupon the proteftant interpofes, and reprefents the remarkable differences between the chriftian and popifh miracles, and by various just diftinctions fufficiently fhews the credibility of the former, and the abfurdity of the latter.

In the fecond conference the proteftant confiders the argument from prophecy, and attempts to make good these two affertions: First, that the promifed Meffiah is long fince come; and fecondly, that Jefus of Nazareth is he.'

The arguments which are advanced for this purpose are founded on the following texts of fcripture, Gen. xlix. 9, 10. Dan. ix. 24, 25, 26, 27. Hag. ii. 9. and Malachi iii. 1. In this scheme of reasoning we find various fpecimens of a critical genius and folid judgment, interfperfed with a well digested narrative of occurrences in hiftory, tending to confirm and illuftrate his pofitions and arguments; the whole worthy of an attentive perufal. It may not be improper to acquaint our readers, that the author of this compofition was the rev. Mr. Richard Maye, concerning whom the late Dr. Calamy hath obferved that after his ejection at Kington, he had a large congregation in London, and that he died Sept. 8, 1695. He left two fons, one, Mr. Richard Maya, a conformilt, who was minister at St. Thomas's, in Southwark, and chaplain of that hofpital; the other, Mr. Daniel Mayo, a diffenting minifter at King fton, in Surry, where the father, in August 1662, was ejected and filenced.

F

VII. Spicilegium Shuckfordianum; or, a nofegay for the critics. Being fome choice flowers of modern theology and criticism, gathered out of Dr. Shuckford's fupplemental difcourse on the creation and fall of man. Not forgetting Bifhop Garnet's Vatikra. 8vo. 6d. Withers.

The late Dr. Shuckford is here ludicroufly attacked by fome harlequin Hutchinsenian, probably the famous Mr. R. But as the worthy doctor is now no more, and as no controverfy feems likely to arife from the appearance of this publication, which happened fome months ago, we gladly acquiefce in the little regard paid to it by the public; and proceed to fomething more important, viz.

Calamy's abridgement, . vol. II. page 668. 2d edition