includes many Editions of the Claffics; Books magnificently printed on Vellum, with illuminated Paintings; Manufcripts on Vellum, embellished with rich Miniatures; Books of Natural Hiftory, with the Subjects coloured in the best Manner, or with the original Drawings; and Books of the greatest Splendor and Rareness in the different Claffes of Literature. To thefe are added, from another GRAND COLLECTION, felected Articles of high Value. They will be fold by Auction in London, on March 25, 1791, and the five Days following. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Boards. Edwards. 1790.

Although we obferve in this very uncommon catalogue, a profufe difplay of the beauty, the elegance, and the rarity of the articles which it contains, yet, as far as we can judge without feeing the books, (which cannot be viewed till about the middle of March,) we think that Mr. Edwards is by no means chargeable with exaggeration on that account: for, indeed, this appears to be a collection of most uncommon value-perhaps, as the preface obferves, the richest, by far, for its number, that has been offered to the public.'

The Catalogue itfelf if not unworthy of efteem, and prefervation in the libraries of the curious,-whether we confider the beauty of the impreffion, or the variety of the notes and anecdotes that are interfperfed in it, for the information of its readers, with respect to the fcarcity, or the value, of the printed books and manufcripts. Art. 41. Curious Facts and Anecdotes, not contained in the Memoirs of Philip Thicknesse, Efq.-Dedicated to that Gentleman, by Benjamin Goofequill, and Peter Paragraph; and now confiderably enlarged by another Hand. 8vo. 2s. Ridgway. 1790. Dr. Adair follows his blow, as the phrafe is, and drives his old antagonist, (formerly his good friend,) Capt. Th, beadlong o'er the field, as Virgil defcribes the unfortunate Dares, fuffering under the thick form of blows poured on him by the victorious Entellus. Have mercy on him, good Dr. A.-and, at the fame time, do not forget the poor public.-An unfavourable likeness of Captain This given by way of copper-plate frontispiece. Art. 42. Elegant Epiftles; or, a copious Collection of familiar and amufing Letters, felected for the Improvement of young Perfons, and for general Entertainment. 8vo. pp. 8oo. 8s. Boards. Dilly. 1790.

This large collection of valuable letters cannot fail of being generally acceptable, efpecially to thofe readers who are not already in poffeffion of the books in which they originally made their public appearance. The volume is divided into four parts. The first contains ancient letters, which are thofe of Cicero and Pliny, translated by Melmoth. The fecond confifts of modern letters of an early date, in which we find the names of Sydney, Bacon, Raleigh, Howel, Ruffel, Clarendon, Temple, Locke, Shaftesbury. The third and fourth, being modern letters of later date, prefent us with the well-known names of Pope, Swift, Addifon, Steele, Arbuthnot, Gay, Atterbury, Tillotson, Herring, Rundle, Secker, Watts, Shenitone, Somerfet, Gray, Weft, Sterne, Johnson.

From this account, the reader will be able to form fome judgment as to what he may expect from this collection, and will probably conclude that the epiftles merit the epithets bestowed on them in the title-page, being, indeed, both elegant and amusing: we may add, inftructive. The number of letters is confiderably more than one thoufand. Obfervations on letter writing, by Dr. Johnfon, finish the volume. There is also a prefatory account of the art of letter-writing. For our part, we think that the less appearance of art, in fuch compofitions, the better. Nature, and the heart, are here the only proper dictators.

THEOLOGY and POLEMICS.

Art. 43. A Charge delivered to the Clergy of the Diocefe of London, at the primary Vifitation in 1790. By Beilby Lord Bishop of London. 8vo. pp. 28. 15. Rivingtons.

This truly apoftolic exhortation does great credit to the good fenfe and piety of the Right Rev. Author. With the plainness, freedom, and seriousness belonging to the character of a Chriftian Bishop, he urges his clergy to refidence, to a regular discharge of the Sunday duty, to attend to the improvement of parochial pfalmody, and to make a liberal allowance to the curates. Every friend to virtue and religion will experience much fatisfaction in reading this folema addrefs to the clergy, on the article of refidence on their livings:

You will yourselves feel more forcibly than I can represent to you the propriety, the decency, the duty of living in the midst of your parishioners, and of making that your principal home, where the fcene of your principal business lies; and you will not, I perfuade myfelf, allow yourfelves to be prevailed on by any temptations of eafe, of pleasure, or of mere convenience, to abandon those of whofe falvation you have moft folemnly taken the charge, and bound it by the most facred ties upon your own fouls. You will feel that the care of a parish is a moft ferious and important truft, and that it is not without the most indifpenfible neceflity to be devolved on any other but the incumbent himself. You will undoubtedly recollect that when you are inftituted to a benefice you do not fay that you will execute the office by yourfelves, or by your fufficient deputy. No. The bishop does in the most express terms commit to you, and to you only, the cure of the fouls of that parith, and you must in your own perfons be anfwerable for their falvation. STEWARDS, WATCHMEN, SHEPHERDS, LABOURERS, Thefe, and every other expreffion that implies perfonal attention, unremitted affiduity, vigilance and fidelity, are applied to you in fcripture. "You are commanded before God and the Lord Jefus Chrift to be instant in season, and out of feason, to reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-fuffering and doctrine; to watch in all things; to do the work of an evangelift, and make full proof of your ministry." And the Ordination Office enjoins" that you never cease your labour, your care and diligence until you have done all that lieth in you according to your bounden duty to bring all fuch as are, or shall be committed to your charge, unto that agreement in the faith and knowledge of God, and that ripenefs and perfe&tnefs of age in Chrift, that there be no place left among you, either for error in religion, or for vicioufnefs in life,"

Thefe

These are all of them moft evidently perfonal duties; and it is to my conception utterly impoffible for any man who feriously believes that he must give an account of his ftewardship at the last day, to read fuch injunctions as these, and then render himfelf incapable of fulfilling them, by abfenting himfelf from his cure, feeking amufement or employment elsewhere, and trufting to another for the difcharge of duties, which belong folely and entirely to himfelf." Art. 44. A Paraphrafe, Notes, and Obfervations, upon the Revelation of St. John, the Divine, Apoftle, and Evangelift. Part I. containing Introduction. 8vo. pp. 500. 6s. Boards. Robinsons. 1790. In this volume, are fix Introductions to the Revelation of St. John. They confit of extracts from Lowman on the Revelations, Brachmair, Lardner's Credibility of the Gospel Hiftory, Bishop Newton's Differtations on the Prophecies, Machiavel's Hiftory of Florence, Bengelius on the Apocalypfe, Whifton's Theory of the Earth, concerning the year days of the prophets, and Dr. Henry More's modeft Inquiry into the Mystery of Iniquity.

This compilation, if it has no other merit, will enable thofe who have not an opportunity to confult the original authors, to accommodate them felves at a fmall expence. What we are to expect, when the author indulges us with his own expofitions, in the next volume, (not yet published,) we will leave our readers to judge, in fome measure, from the following very fhort extract: This volume is only preparatory to the work propofed in the title page. Whatever merit the whole, or any part of it, may have, the publication of it is owing entirely to a lady, who feeing the compiler amufing himfelf a great deal at intervals, in reading and collecting from Authors and Commentators upon the Revelation, voluntarily, (of her own free will and accord,) offered a fum towards the printing of it; and whofe character is thus written upon the ftars, fincerely, just, and pious; the real words were, I believe, juft, honeft, and religious." (Preface.) This is far too fublime for our comprehenfions. Had the foregoing words been written on the moon, our college punfters would have pronounced them lunatic: but as they were written on the ftars, their meaning muft remain a myftery, till unfolded by the author's oracular pen.

Art. 45.

SINGLE SERMON.

On the Abufe of Reafon, as applied to the myfterious Doctrines of Revelation. Preached at the primary Vifitation of the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of London, held at Colchester, May 17, 1790. By Thomas Twining, M. A. Rector of St. Mary's, Colchester, and Chaplain to the Countefs Dowager of Clarendon. 4to. pp. 19. IS. Cadell.

We take up the pen on the prefent occafion, not to criticize, for this fermon is not open to criticifm, but to make our acknowlegements to Mr. Twining, for the great pleasure which we have received from the perufal of his truly excellent difcourfe. Had all divines reafoned like him, Chriftianity would have had no plea for complaining, which he may now justly do, of the abuse of reason in religion. He obferves that reafon, though a guide which in all things must be followed, is a guide which in all things may mislead us; on which he maintains the neceflity of the caution in his text,

(Luke

(Luke xi. 35.) of taking heed, left this light which is in us, be not, darkness.

The errors to which human reafon has fhewn itfelf to be liable, when employed about the myfterious doctrines of revealed religion, are sketched with a masterly hand. Nothing is more true than the following remark, that from the earlieft ages of the church to the reformation, the principal wounds, which Chriftianity received, it received from the abuse of reafon in its friends; and the most ftriking and fatal inftance of that abufe was the attempt to comprehend myfteries, and the fubfequent prefumption of explaining them, drawing inferences from them, and erecting thofe explanations and inferences into doctrines of fcripture and articles of faith.'

In this short extract, Mr. Twining has accounted for the various herefies and perfecutions which have infefted the Chriftian church; nor has he only pointed out the cause of these evils, but he has prescribed, like an able moral phyfician, the method of prevention and cure.

Thefe mifchiefs might have been, in a great measure, prevented, by the observance of this rule, which common fenfe feems to fuggeft-never to draw any inferences from myfterious doctrines *, which are plainly not fully comprehenfible by us, as they ftand revealed in fcripture; and therefore never, in fuch cafes, to depart from the very expreffions of fcripture; for this obvious reafon, that, where the meaning is, confeffedly, above our reach, we can never be fure that we fay the fame thing, any longer than while we fay the fame words. If we depart from this rule, we interpret, we infer, we fubftitute, for ought we know, our own conjectural explanations and conclufions for the word of God. We do little more than translate at a venture from a language we do not understand.'

Should our common-prayer book ever undergo a revifion, those who might be employed in that work, would do well to attend to Mr. Twining's hints.

We could easily make other extracts, but the above are fufficient to prove that our commendation is juftly bestowed. Our readers would do themselves a kindness, by purchafing the fermon, and reviewing it for themselves.

CORRESPONDENCE.

Our thanks are due to An Old Correfpondent,' for his intelligence concerning Lord Santry, of whofe fate we expreffed our ignorance, p. 248, of our laft Number. He informs us, that the fentence paffed on Lord S. was perpetual banishment; and that as no place of exile was fpecified, he retired to England, where he spent the remainder of his days.

We will farther thank this Correfpondent for his information of the two faults which he humourously mentions to have perceived in our work for the conviction of a fault is the first step toward the amendment of it.—From a circumstance which he will recollect to have mentioned in his P. S. we should have been glad to have seen a real name figned to his letter.

*+* We are obliged to T. C. for his polite communication.

* Mr. T. does not confound a mystery with an unintelligible propofition. See p. 12.

+*+ X. Y.

+*+ X. Y. is referred to our 28th Vol. (Jan. 1763.) P. 73.— Vol. xliii. (Aug. 1770.) p. 129.-Vol. xlviii. (Jan. 1773.) p. 75. -Vol. Ixix. (Nov. 1783.) p. 446.-Our General Index would have given him thefe references.

* We cannot give R. W. any information refpecting the Bishop of St. David's charge to his clergy. We do not know whether it is printed.

+++ The favour of Mr. Champion's polite letter is acknowleged: but we must confefs that we cannot altogether impute to the prefs, thofe errors in grammar and orthography, which we ob ferved in his fon's tranflation of the poems of Ferdofi: see Rev. for Auguft laft, p. 375.

* W. D.'s communication is fent to the Gentleman to whofe care the work mentioned in it was entrusted.

$55 The letter from Duo Calfonienfes is received.

* A Correspondent having fent us the following information, we gladly prefent it to the public, and to our agricultural readers in particular: not doubting that they will be happy in an opportunity of affording any affiftance to a gentleman, whose labours fo well deferve the attention and encouragement that they have hitherto received.

Mr. MARSHALL having extended his SURVEY of PROVINCIAL PRACTICE fo far as to enable him to go through his intended REVIEW of Books on Rural Subjects, and being defirous of rendering complete a felection of their ufeful ideas, more particularly of faving from oblivion whatever may be worth preferving of the EARLY WRITERS, folicits the favour of Gentlemen who are in poffeffion of literary productions written profefledly on the Rural Economy of Great Britain, or of Works containing natural or fcientific knowlege immediately relating to Agriculture, Planting, or the Management of Landed Eftates in this Ifland, and published prior to the prefent Century, to oblige him with Catalogues of them, noting the fize, edition, and date,-addreffed to Mr. NICOL, Bookfeller to his Majesty, Pall-Mall.

And in order to render his SURVEY the more complete, he folicits a temporary refidence on a landed eftate, in a district whose practice yet remains unregistered.'

Our Review of the Bishop of Waterford's learned " Attempt toward an improved Verfion, a metrical Arrangement, and an Explanation of the Prophet Ezekiel," which has, from various accidents, been too long delayed, will appear, in our Number for the next month.

In the Review for October last, p. 161, 1. 26, 27, read, with the un-inflammable vapour of water.'

In the Review for November, p. 319, 1. 22, read, as well as their monarch.'-p. 326, 1. 26, for Heliogabalus,' read, "Heliogabalus.'