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writers, that I have read, in any language.

When I apply (says he) the term grace to compositions of genius, I would resemble it to that easy air, which so remarkably distinguishes persons of a genteel and liberal cast. It consists, not only in the particular beauty of single parts, but it aris es from the general symmetry and construction of the whole. An author may be just in his sentiments, lively in his figures, and clear in his expression; yet may have no claim to be admitted into the rank of finished writers. Those several members must be so agreeably united, as mutually to reflect beauty upon each other. Their arrangement must be so happily disposed, as not to admit of the least transposition, without manifest prejudice to the entire piece. The thoughts, the metaphors, the allusions, and the diction should appear easy and natural, and seem to arise like so many spontaneous productions, rather than as the effects of art or labour.

Whatever, therefore, is forced, or affected in the sentiments, whatever is pompous or pedantick in the expression, is the very reverse of grace. Her mein is neither that of a prude nor a coquette. She is regular without formality, and sprightly without being fantastical. Grace, in short, is to good writing what a proper light is to a fine picture; it not only shows all the figures in their several proportions and relations, but shows them in the most advantageous manner.

As gentility, to resume my former illustration, appears in the minutest action, and improves the most inconsiderable gesture, so grace is discovered in the placing even of a single word, or the turn of a mere expletive. Neither is this inexpressible quality confined to one species of composition only, but extends to all the various kinds; to the humble pastoral as well as to the lofty epick from the slightest letter to the most solemn discourses.

I know not whether Sir William Temple may be considered as the first of our prose authors, who introduced a graceful manner into our language. At least that quality does not seem to have appeared early, or spread far amongst us. But wheresoever we may look for its or igin, it is certaiuly to be found in its highest perfection, in the essays of a gentleman, whose writings will be distinguished so long as politeness and good sense have any admirers. That becoming air, which I realy esteemed the criterion of fine composition, and which, every reader, he says, imagines so easy to be imitated, yet will find so difficult to attain, is the prevailing characteristick of all that excellent author's most excellent performances. In a word, one may justly apply to him what Plato, in his allegorical language, says of Aristophanes; that the graces, having searched all the world round, for a temple, wherein they might forever dwell, settled at last in the breast of Mr. Addison !

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THE BOSTON REVIEW.

FOR

NOVEMBER, 1808.

Librum tuum legi 5 quam diligentissime potui annotavi, quæ commutanda, que eximenda, arbitrarer. Nam ega dicere verum assuevi. Neque ulli patientius reprehenduntur, quam qui maxime laudari merentur.

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The essential and practical tenets of
our religion too have been explain-
ed and illustrated by a long line of
as able, and amiable, and sincerely
pious men, as, considering the cir

cumstances of
our country, the world
has ever seen. But in that depart-
ment of Theology, which is called
critical and exegetical, which has for
its object, the investigation of the
origin and state of the sacred text,
and which brings to the illustration
of its meaning, all the multiplied and
important lights, which are thrown
on it by Christian, Jewish, and even
Pagan antiquities, we have been, to
speak very moderately, a century
behind the theologians of Europe.
Of late years indeed the spirit of in-
quiry has been awakened among us,
and the first advance towards im-

WE consider the establishment of the Institution in Andover as the most important event, which has occurred in the ecclesiastical history of our country. The ingenuity and activity of our Divines have been hitherto almost exclusively directed to what may be called the Metaphysicks of theology; and this field has been explored by them with an acuteness and penetration, which has never been surpassed, and perhaps never equalled. It was the labours of Jonathan Ed-provement, has been made by a pret wards, which first gave a plausible, or even intelligible statement of the distinguishing doctrines of Calvinism; and the school of divines, who take their denomination from the late Dr. Hopkins, in defending his opinions and carrying them to their proper consequences, have displayed a subtlety of disquisition, which would not have disgraced the most eminent of the followers of Aquinas.

ty general discovery of the extent of
our ignorance. Whether the in-
stitution of which we speak had
its origin in this discovery,
not venture to say. But as such an
institution, if conducted with only
tolerable ability, must ultimately
tend to, lessen the evil under which
we suffer, we heard of its establish-
ment with the greatest and most u
affected delight. The question,

whether the principles of those, who founded it, were, in our opinion, free from errour, was to us of comparative unimportance. Although we are at least as confident as we ought to be, of the general correctness of the principles, we have embraced, we are far from believing, that we have such a complete exemption from errour, as to wish that they should universally prevail, without further inquiry and scrutiny. We believe, that it is among the most important reasons for the permission of the existence of so much division of sentiment among christians, to nourish a perpetual spirit of investi gation and activity on the subject of religion; and of consequence we believe it even criminal for any man to repose in the opinion, that he has arrived at the acquisition of all truth, to wrap himself up in consciousness of complete infallibility, and never to allow his quiet to be disturbed by discussion or doubt. We endeavour to keep all our sentiments open to improvement and modification from the discoveries of learning and investigation, and if it were the only tendency of this iustitution, to promote learning and investigation, under the influence of piety, we would join with the directors in laying the first stone of their seminary, and, from the bottom of our hearts, would pray, felix faustumque sit. We profess then, before we commence the review of this pamphlet, that we rejoice in the foundation of a Theological Academy at Andover; we do not lament that it is directed by men, whose opinions differ from ours, and our only inquiry will be, whether the principles, on which it is established, are such, as, in any degree to impair or destroy the good, which such an institution is calcu Iated to effect.

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"Historick Sketch," which, from the title page, we presumed would give us a complete account of the rise and progress of the seminary. We find, however, it gives us only an account of the " connexion between Phillips Academy and the Institution." It contains a very deserved eulogy of the munificence of the Phillips family, in which we very cordially concur. On such a subject it was scarcely possible that praise should be too extravagant. We cannot conceal our surprize, however, that in a tract, which professes so much, we should find no explanation of the appearance of a coalition between two distinct bodies of men, which the statutes disclose. The nature and grounds of it are certainly not so obvious, as to be discerned without comment, and why none is given, is to us perfectly inexplicable. We will endeavour to supply the defect for our readers, in the best manner we are able; but as we are left without a guide, we are not secure from errour. We shall found cur conjectures only on what we can collect from the pamphlet before us, and make use of no information, which we may have derived from any other quarter. With private report, when we write for the publick, we can have nothing to do.

It appears that the original design of the founders of Phillips Acadenry extended to affording assistance to indigent students in Divini ty, and even contemplated the future establishment of a professor of the alogy. The liberality of the relict of the late lieutenant governour Phillips, qf, his son, John Phillips, of Esq. and of Samuel Abbot, Esq., has carried this excellent design into full effect; and to their donations, united to the original fund, we owe We are first presented with a the actual establishment of the sem

inary. To the "Historick Sketch" succeeds the "Constitution," as established under the names of these persons. From this constitution we learn that it was the intention of the Founders to endow an institution for the support and dissemination of principles strictly Calvinistick, as they are contained in the "Assembly's Shorter Catechism."

William Bartlet, Moses Brown and John Norris Esqs influenced by the same honourable spirit with the Phillips family and Mr. Abbot, have likewise devoted a most munificent sum to a similar object. To this second instance of splendid liberality we again give our ready and sincere culogy Whether their donation was originally intended for the institution in Andover, we find nothing in the pamphlet to inform us. We however presume not; since, as we shall attempt to show, it is given to support very different principles, and guarded from perversion by the most jealous restrictions. It is, in short,evidently intended to establish principles, as purely Hopkinsian,as the other donation was to establish principles purely Calvinistic. We do not mean to say, that the very respectable persons who gave these donations had any other intention, than to contribute to the diffusion of pure and unmixed Christianity. It cannot be imagined, that we mean the slightest disrespect to either of them, when we suppose, that the points of distinction between these sects or perhaps of any others, have never occupied a very great share of their studies It has so happened we presume, that the management of the donations of the one has been committed to those, who call themselves Calvinists; and. of the other to those, who consider themselves Hopkinsians. We hold these Gentle men therefore, as standing clear of

any of the defects which this estab lishment may contain, and towards them we feel no other sentiments, than those of admiration of their generosity, and reverence of their piety. We leave them entirely out of the question in the observations we are about to make, and shall speak in future of the two funds under the convenient denominations of the Cal. vinistick and Hopkinsian.

It might perhaps be supposed, at "the Associate Statutes" make it necessary that the Professors on that foundation shall be " orthodox and consistent Calvinists," (page 51) that either the distinction we have made does not exist, or that the peculiarities of the Hopkir sians had been given up to promote the gener al design of the Institution. But a

nearer examination of these Statutes

will disabuse us of this error. We do not see that the "Associate Founders" have yielded a single inch of important ground. Every pecu liar and distinguishing feature of Hopkinsianism is visible we think in their creed, though indeed concealed under a studied latitude and ambiguity of phraseology, which seems designed to adopt it to the different dimensions of the consciences of either party. These are as sertions which we are aware convey a very unpleasant insinuation, and require to be supported by very indisputable proofs. We shall endeavour then to show that almost every peculiar principle of the Hopkinsians may be discerned in this creed, which both Hopkinsians and Calvinists have united in signing

We shall first of all quote this creed at length, and beg our readers to compare the loose and indeterminate expressions, in which those parts which appear to touch on the differences between the Calvinists and Hopkinsians are clothed, with

the precise and unqualified decisions on the points, in which those sects differ from other Christians.

I believe that there is one and but one living and true God; that the word of God, contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, is the only perfect rule of faith and practice; that agreeably to those Scriptures God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangea ble in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth; that in the Godhead are three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and that these Three are One God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory; that God created man after his own image in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness; that the glory of God is man's chief end, and the enjoyment of God his supreme happiness; that this enjoyment is derived solely from conformity of heart to the moral character and will of God; that Adam, the federal head and representative of the human race, was placed in a state of probation, and that in consequence of his disobedience all his descendants were constituted sinners; that by nature every man is personally depraved, destitute of holiness, unlike and opposed to God, and that previously to the renewing agency of the Divine Spirit all his moral actions are adverse to the character and glory of God; that, being merally incapable of recovering the image of his Creator, which was lost in Adam, every man is justly exposed to eternal damnation; so that, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God; that God, of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity elected some to everlasting life, and that he entered into a covernant of grace to deliver them out of this state of sin and misery by a Redeemer; that the only Redeemer of the elect is the eternal Son of God, who for this purpose became nan, and continues to be God and man in two distinct natures and one person forever; that Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the office of a Prophet, Priest, and King; that, agreeably to the covenaut of redemption, the Son of God, and he alone, by his suffering and death, has made atonement for the sins of all men; that repentance, faith, and holiness, are the personal requisites in the Gospel scheme of salvation; that the righteonsness of Christ is the only ground of a sin

ner's jutsification; that this righteous-
ness is received through faith; and that
this faith is the gift of God; so that our
salvation is wholly of grace; that no
nicans whatever can change the heart of
a sinner and make it holy; that regene-
ration and sanctification are effects of
the creating and renewing agency of the
Holy Spirit, and that supreme love to
God constitutes the essential difference
between saints and sinuers; that by
convincing us of our sin and misery,
enlightening our minds, working faith
in vs, and renewing our wills, the Holy
Spirit makes us partakers of the benefits
of redemption; and that the ordinary
means, by which these benefits are com-
municated to us, are the word, sacta-
ments, and prayer; that repentance un
to life, faith to feed upon Christ, love to
God, and new obedience, are the appro
priate qualifications for the Lord's sup-
per; and that a christian church ought
to admit no person to its holy commu-
nion, before he exhibit credible evi-
dence of his godly sincerity; that per-
severance in holiness is the only method
of making our calling and election sure;
and that the final perseverance of saints,
though it is the effect of the special op
eration of God on their hearts, neces
sarily implies their own watchful dili-
gence; that they, who are effectually
called, do in this life partake of justifica-
tion, adoption, and sanctification, and
the several benefits, which do either ac
company or flow from them; that the
souls of believers are at their death
made perfect in holiness, and do immedi-
ately pass into glory; that their bodies,
being still united to Christ, will at the
resurrection be raised up to glory, and
that the saints will be inade perfectly
blessed in the full enjoyment of God to
all eternity; but that the wicked will
awake to shame and everlasting conte: t
and with devils, he plunged into the lake
that burneth with fire and brimstone for-

ever and ever. 1 morcover believe that
God, according to the counsel of his own
will, and for his own glory, hath forcor-
dained whatsoever, comes to pass, and
that all beings, actions, and events, both
in the natural and moral world, are uns
der his providential direction; that God's
decrees perfectly consist with human
liberty; God's universal agency with the
agency of man; and mans dependence
with his accountability;
has understanding and corporeal strength to

that man

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