18. Thorns alfo and thiftles fhall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.

19. "In the fweat of thy face fhalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the ground: for out of it waft thou taken; for duft thou art, and unto duft thou shalt return."

Our readers must be referred to the book itself for a learned and rational difcuffion of the feveral important matters prefented in these verses, that we may have room to take notice of the remaining Differtations.

Differtation III. Of the Pofterity of the one Man Adam, 'as deriving Exiftence from Him, not in his innocent but lapfed State.

Two things, with refpect to the ftate of mankind, fince the lapfe of the one man Adam, and in confequence of it, appear very obvious to an attentive unprejudiced mind, upon reading the New Teftament books, especially the Epiftles of St. Paul. One relates to their fubjection univerfally to a life of vanity and forrow, ending in death. The others, to fuch imperfection. of nature as renders it impoffible, upon the foot of mere law, that they should attain to a righteoufnefs that could avail to their juftification before God. The eight first chapters of the Epistle to the Romans are effentially grounded on this reprefentation of the state of Adam's pofterity fince the lapfe. The thread of reafoning is not only perplexed, but its ftrength deftroyed, upon any other fuppofition; it being the main defign of the apostle to thew, that the grace of God, through Jefus Chrift, is as truly intended for the help of our nature, brought into a disadvantageous flate in confequence of the lapfe, as to affect our deliverance from the vanity and mortality to which we have been fubjećted. And it is this thought, and this only, that will give connection to his difcourfe, and force to the arguments he has largely infifted on; as we may afterwards have occafion to make abundantly evident.

In order, therefore, to our entertaining a juft idea of the true state of mankind since the lapfe, we thall be diftinct in confidering both the mortality and imperfection of nature, to which we are univerfally fubjected: endeavouring, at the fame time, to give fuch an account of each as may fit eafy on the mind, and filence the objections that would reprefent either of them as unreasonable and abfurd, difhonorary to God, or unjust

to man.

Only before I proceed, I would interpofe an important thought, which it would be highly expedient we should heedfully attend to, through the whole of what may follow. It is this the moment Adam eat of the forbidden tree, he became liable to the threatened death, and had it not been for the dif play of grace, he would immediately have been deprived of life; in which cafe he could not have had pofterity. And can it be imagined, that grace would have fufpended the operation of the threatening, and continued him in life fo as to have VOL. LX. Dec. 1785. G g pofterity,

pofterity, unless it had been the intention of God, that they hould be dealt with, as he himself was, in a way, not of rigorous justice, but of gracious mercy. It ought not to be fuppofed; nor will the fuppofition at all confift with the express declarations of Scripture upon the point.'

This previous confideration dispatched, Dr. Chauncy returns to the first thing he had propofed to examine, viz. The univerfal fubjection of mankind to death, through the lapfe of our first father Adam.'

There is no room, fays he, for difpute as to the fact itself, the fubjection of the whole human race to the ftroke of death: nor will it be difputed by thofe who pay regard to the books of facred Scripture, that this fubjection to death is owing to a divine conftitution, occafioned by the lapfe of the one man Adam. This is an effential article in the apostle Paul's argument, in Rom. v. from the 12th to the 20th verfe; and again in chap. viii. from the 23d to the 29th verfe. And yet again in his firft Epifle to the Corinthians, chap. xv. the 26th and 27th verses.

But what are we to understand by this death? and how do Adam's pofterity, through his lapfe, become univerfally fub, jected to it? Thefe are the only proper queftions here, and they are too important not to be particularly and diftinctly anfwered.*

A very laboured folation of these queries obliges the author to take a large compass, in which it is impoffible to follow him by any abridgment.

This head finished, he proceeds to the fecond, which he flates thus:

11. The other thing mankind univerfally are fübjected to, fince the lapfe, and in confequence of it, is a ftate of nature fefs perfect, than it might otherwife have been, rendering it morally impoffible that they fhould, upon the foot of strict rigorous law, attain to the juftification of life.'

After having ably, but fomewhat diffufely, examined the topics fuggefted by his fecond head, the learned author comes to the following conclufive reflection.

• Upon the whole of what has been offered, it appears, that our nature, as tranfmitted from Adam, is neither morally corrupt, or devoid of thofe faculties or principies, in the exercife of which we may, under the means, helps, and advantages we are favoured with, become the fubjects of thofe qualities, which will prepare us for honour and immortality in God's kingdom that is above: but ftill, it would be greatly befide the truth to fay, that it is as perfect as our first father received from the creating hand of God, and that we are as able, notwithstanding any difadvantage that has happened to us, by reason of his lapfe, to obey our Maker, as he was in paradife.

This,

This, I am fenfible, is the opinion of fome; but it appears to me a great mistake. And I cannot but wonder, that thofe fhould fall into it, who have been much converfant in the apoftle Paul's writings. His Epiftles, in general, and his Epiftle to the Romans in particular, cannot, as I imagine, be underflood upon any other fuppofition than this, that mankind, in confequence of the lapfe of the one man Adam, came into the world under a difadvantageous ftate of nature; infomuch that it is immorally impoffible they fhould, upon the terms of law, law disjoined from grace, obtain either the juftification of life, or that meetnefs for heaven, without which they cannot have admiffion into that bleffed place: and this I fhall now endeavour to confirm with all the clearness and brevity I cans'

The establishment of this doctrine, comprehenfively confidered, takes up the remaining part of this Differtation.

Differtation IV. Of the Difference between the one Man, Adam, in bis innocent State, ana bis Pofterity defcending from him in his lapfed State.

'No one can read the foregoing pages, and not perceive that there was a difference (important in fome refpects) between the one man, Adam, in innocency, and his pofterity as deriving exiftence from him, after his fall from God. It may not be improper to be particular and diftinct in pointing out this difference, as it will enable us to take in, at once, a clear and full idea of the true ftate of our first father before. his lapfe, and of ours in confequence of it.'

In order to give our readers an idea of this fhort Differtation, we fhall point out the fubjects of the difference alledged, observing that they are not all capable of being demonstrated with equal clearness.

1. Adam was brought into being by an immediate exertion of creating power. The pofterity of Adam came into existence not immediately, but by the intervention of an established course of nature.

2. Adam was created a man at once. We are born infants in regard to our mind as well as bodies.

3. Adam, upon his being brought into exiftence, was placed by his Creator in Paradife, where he was in want of nothing to make him as happy as a creature of his rank could be, in a world, with reference to which, God faw that it was good.'We, his pofterity, fince the lapfe, come into being in a world, the ground of which has been curfed, fo as that it is in forrow, by the fweat of our faces, and the toil of our hands, we must eat of its produce all our days; befides which, we are born to trouble in innumerable inftances.

4. Another difference between innocent Adam and his pofterity is this: he, though formed of corruptible waterials,

Ggz

might,

might, in virtue of the tree of life, have lived for ever, had he not eaten of the forbidden tree.—We come into being not only corruptible mortal creatures by nature, as he was, but 'under fuch circumftances, that death muft inevitably pafs upon us.

5. According to the rule of trial under which our first father was placed in innocency, there was no room for repentance in cafe of tranfgreffion -We, upon the foot of the new difpenfation, may, if we repent of our tranfgreffions, be admitted to mercy.

6. Lastly, the reward promised to Adam, though naturally mortal, in case of perfevering obedience to his Maker, was perpetual life here on earth.-We, notwithstanding the fall, and any confequences of it, come into existence absolutely fure, in virtue of the promise of God, of a refurrection to life after death, and, if we behave well in our fate of trial, of an happy immortality, in heaven.

The Differtation concludes with the author's obfervations on the abundant effects of God's grace, imparted to the poftesity of Adam, through the mediation of Jefus Christ.

6

Differtation V. On Romans, chap. v. from the 12th to the 20th verfe, more especially on thefe words- For that all have finned, and by one man's disobedience many were made finners, This Differtation is learned, but extremely dry; and, were not our author's opinion, on a point of fome moment, maintained in it with confiderable fuccefs, we fhould add, that it is extremely tedious

The following paffage will convey the author's fubject, and his opinion upon it. His arguments in fupport of it can only be learned by perusing the Differtation.

The learned men, whofe words he mentions having quoted, are Mr. Locke, Dr. Taylor, Mr. Grove, and Dr. Shuckford.

It is impoffible to be true, that men's fubjection to death fhould be owing to their own perfonal fins, if their fubjection hereto is grounded on the lapfe of the one man, Adam. And that this is the true rife of that mortality we come into exiftence unavoidably liable to, is fo often, and fo peremptorily affirmed, and argued from, by the apostle Paul, as a certain truth in this portion of Scripture, that I cannot but wonder, any, who have been at the pains attentively to read what he has wrote, fhould not perceive that they directly contradict him, while they afcribe it to the fins men have been actually guilty of in their own perfons, that death paffes upon them." And it is matter of ftill greater wonder, that fuch fenfible and learned men as thofe, whofe words I have quoted, fhould not have had it in remembrance, that a very great part (fome think

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the

the greateft) of thofe who are born into the world, die out of it before they become capable of moral action. Surely, it will not be faid of any of thefe, that their dying was owing to any actual fins they had themfelves perfonally committed. It mult be afcribed to fome other caufe. And if we may believe the apostle Paul, it was in confequence of a divine conftitution, occafioned by the "one offence" of their firft father.'

Dr. Chauncy's difplay of erudition, upon the prepofition and relative a, borders upon oftentation. It is ufing a lever to lift a feather.

Upon the whole, these Five Differtations are liberal, candid, and judicious, and merit the attention of the public.

Boethius's Confolation of Philofophy. Tranflated from the Latin, with Notes and Illuftrations, by the Rev. Mr Philip Ridpath. 8vo. 5s. in Boards. Dilly.

B

Oethius was very early distinguished after the refloration of letters. His remaining works were foon printed, tranflated, and commented on, an honour which he probably thèn owed to his being a follower of Aristotle, and a Christian in fome refpecs, perhaps, as a Trinitarian martyr. The work before us was tranflated into the Saxon language by Alfred; into English, by the poet Chaucer, by George Colville, by queen Elizabeth, and lord Prefton, fecretary to James the Second. The last was published in 1695. A metrical verfion was alfo found in the monaftery of Tavestock, in Devonshire; and is now, we are informed, in the Bodleian library. The tranflation by lord Preston, is a nervous energetic performance, with numerous explanatory notes; but we fufpect that Mr. Ridpath has not had an opportunity of perufing it. In some inftances, however, it is incorrect.

Works much prized, are sometimes in their turns too much neglected. Boethius has funk with Ariftotle; and the best of his compofitions, the Confolations of Philofophy,' have been only the refource of the mind difeafed,' the comfort of the afflicted, and the balm of the disappointed. It is, however, in other respects, a valuable treatise: it difplays a found judgment, a collected mind, and a steady refolution. There is an air of pleafing fadnefs fcattered over it, which, in some dispofitions, is wonderfully captivating; in thofe ftates of mind, when we feel it better to go into the houfe of mourning, than that of feafting;' with which Milton wrote his il Penferofo, and Burton has called the pleafing melancholy.'

The tranflation is executed with great accuracy and clearnefs, and with fufficient elegance. The metra, interspersed,