ART. 27. Chriftian Righteousness: a Sermon, preached in Trinity College Chapel, on Sunday, March 24, 1811. By the Rev. T. Young, A. M. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 8vo. 25 PP. Is. Deighton, Cambridge; Cadell and Davies, Lon don; Parker, Oxford. 1811.

A foundly argumentative and very inftrutive difcourfe: fhowing, I. that the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees," here intended, is not what they practifed; on which point there can be no doubt; but, what they taught. The conclufion is, "That although Chriftians are not under the law, but under grace, yet fo far are they from being releafed from the obligation of the moral law, as a rule of duty, that it is bound upon them by fti ftronger ties, and greater and more perfect righteousness required of Chriftians by the Gofpel, than of Jews by the law." P. 7. II. The preacher confirms and illuftrates "from other parts of the Chriftian Scriptures, this much-neglected, and fomewhat difparaged truth, that Chriftians are to be a holy nation, a pecu liar people, diftinguished from all other people by the holinefs and purity of their lives and converfation." P. 8. III. An objection is anfwered; that "this is a very formidable reprefentation of that which is called the Covenant of Grace; if there be so much of difficulty, and fo much of danger, in the profeffion and ftate of a Chriftian." P. 13. Another objection is then answered: "But if these things be fo, if a greater degree of righteousness be required in the Chriftian than in the Jew; and fo required as to be made a condition of our entering into the kingdom of heaven; how then is the cafe of the Christian under the Gospel better than that of the Jew under the law." P. 16.

The conclufion of this difcourfe (and indeed every part of it) may be recommended to the attention of our countrymen, in thefe days; when fo many men are wandering about, decrying the importance of the practice of chriftian duties: "No one furely will fuppofe, that, in thus prefling the neceffity of good works, we are leading men to place their hopes of falvation on their own righteoufnefs. We have heard much of felf-righteous Chriftians; but for our own parts we have met with no one that thought to merit heaven by his own righteousnefs; and we hope that very few are to be found, fo utterly ignorant of chriftianity, and of themselves. Not all the merits of all the fons of men are able to raise one brother to heaven. That all we have to hope for is mercy, all we have to cry for is mercy, we feel and profefs. Yet are we anxious for this above all things, to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God **, left after calling Christ our Lord in this world, we should in that day be rejected by him, with that terrible but

* 2 Cor. vii. 1.
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T. CRIT. VOL, XXXVIII. DEC. 1811.

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just fentence, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity *.'

1

"Both Jew and Chriftian are required to work: yet works are not in the fame fort a condition of the new covenant as of the old. The Jew was to work, that he might merit the rewards of the law the Chriftian is to work, not that he may merit, (Chrift alone has merited) the rewards of heaven; but that he may by his obedience approve himself a fit object of the riches of God's mercy, and obtain those rewards which Chrift has merited for him. That the Jew might merit, the law would accept of no lefs than perfect, abfolute, and uninterrupted obedience; and therefore by the law, without reference to the Saviour who was to come, juftification was impoffible. Upon the Chriftian, as foon as he embraces the faith of Chrift, juftification is bestowed as a free gift; and his fincere, though imperfect, obedience for the future is through the mercy of God accepted, and for the merits of Chrift will be everlaftingly rewarded, with a happiness, infinitely furpaffing the defert of his labour, yet ftill in measure proportioned to the degree in which he has abounded in the work of the Lord." P. 19.

In another edition of this Sermon, which we hope will be called for, we wish to fee the words "enter into, the kingdom of heaven," more diftinctly explained; for the ufe of readers in general.

ART. 28.

Chrift's Refurrection, the Caufe and the Pattern of Our's. A Sermon, preached in Trinity College Chapel, April 14, 1811, being Eafter-Day: by the Rev. T. Young, A. M. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 8vo. 25 pp. Is. Deighton, Cambridge; Cadell and Davies, London; Parker, Oxford.

1811.

The preacher shows ift, that "The refurrection of Christ is the cause of our refurrection; because, by rifing from the dead, he obtained the right and the power to raise the dead." P. 7. 2dly, "How the refurrection of Chrift is the pattern of our re furrection." P. 10. An important diftinction is made, under this head. "Chrift's refurrection, as we have endeavoured to explain, is both the cause and the pattern of our's; but as it is the cause, and as it is the pattern, it is of very different extent. As the caufe, it extends to the refurrection of all, both good and bad, juft and unjust as the pattern, it extends to the refur. rection of the just only. In confequence of Chrift's refurrection all fhall come forth from their graves, both they that have done good, and they that have done evil; but they only that have done good thall come forth to the refurrection of life, and be con formed to the fimilitude of Chrift's refurrection." P. 11.

*Matt. vii. 23.

W.

We concur with the preacher, in ftrongly recommending to attention the 15th chapter of the first Epifte to the Corinthians; which is very remarkable: "Remarkable, not only as giving the moft particular and circumftantial account of the refurrection of any that we meet with in the whole Bible, but for the occafion to which it is applied by our church. Whatever other leffon of the Scriptures may be heard with indifference, this will hardly fail to arreft the attention, connected as it is with fo many occafions of the tenderet concern, and affociated with ideas the moft folemn and affecting. To fome of us, in all probability, the hearing of this chapter has conveyed no fmall confolation; and there can be no doubt but that for this very reafon it was felected by the Church, as peculiarly calculated to adminifter confolation, where confolation was moft wanted. There are glo rious things revealed in it concerning the refurrection; things which, if fully believed, and felt as they ought to be, will difarm death of its terrors, and enable the Chriftian to meet it, not only with decent fortitude, as a heathen might do, but with that heavenly joy and bleffed ferenity which belongs only to the departure of a Chriftian.

But then, whilft we perceive and acknowledge thofe glorious hopes, it is of great moment that we remember for whom they were intended, to what fort of perfons they apply. For it will appear, on examining the chapter of the text, that the refurrection of the dead there contemplated by St. Paul, is the refurrection of the juft, and of the just only; it is that refur rection which our Saviour called the refurrection of life, in oppofition to the resurrection of damnation*; it is that refurrection after which St. Paul, in another place, reprefents himself afpiring with the moft ardent affection, and moft earnest endeavours, if by any means he might attain unto the refurrection of the dead +.” Now to the refurrection of the dead, taken in a general fenfe, he could not help attaining: if he had ftriven to be wicked, as much as he ftrove to be righteous, he would nevertheless have attained to it, against his will. But the refurrection at which he was aiming, as the prize of the high calling of God in Chrift Jefus, was the refurrection of the juft; and this is the refurrection which alone is defcribed in this chapter." P. 12.

The conclufion of this difcourfe, from p. 16, is truly inftructive, and would be heard with great advantage, we trust, by any attentive congregation.

ART. 29.
Commentaries on the Corruptions and erroneous Doctrines
of the Roman Catholic Religion. By the Rev. James Lovell
Moore, Vicar of Bengeo, and Curate of the perpetual Curacy of

Denham, Suffolk. 12mo. 110 pp. Sold by the Author at Bengeo. 1810.

The Vicar of Bengeo combats our Romish opponents with zeal, but not with that precifion or knowledge of the arts of contro verfy which are neceffary in fuch a conteft. The outline of his tract is not amifs, but we could wish that the filling up of it had been committed to some other hand. His Commentaries indeed, if fuch they must be called, are too brief and jejune for the illuftration of fo vaft a variety of fubjects as are comprifed in his twelve chapters. We with that we could fpeak more favourably of a work well fuited in its defign to the neceffities of the times.

ART. 30. Gataker's bort Catechism, in forty Questions and Anfavers; first published in 1637. Republished, with Alterations, for the Ufe of Schools. By Edward Pearson, D.D. 12mo. 8 pp. 2d. Hatchard. 1810.

The late excellent and justly lamented Mafter of Sidney had been long indefatigable in printing fuch fhort tracts for circulation as were likely to confirm good principles. Gataker's Catechifm he certainly did not mean to recommend in preference to that of the Church; but, from its extreme concifenefs, he probably thought that it might be taught with advantage either before or after the other.

ART. 31. The Fafts and Festivals of the Church of England, abridged from the Works of the excellent and pious Mr. Nelson: interfperfed with Dialogues, adapted to the Capacity of Youth. By Elizabeth Belfon. 8vo. 372 PP. 75. Newman and Co. 1810.

"Dia

This little work would perhaps be better defcribed as logues adapted to the Capacity of Youth, in which are interwoven Mr. Nelfon's Explanations of the Fafts and Festivals," for the whole has the form of dialogue. It would have been a strong recommendation to the book, if the paffages quoted from Nelfon, in his own words, had been diftinguished by inverted commas, which, perhaps, was intended; but, by fome inadvertence, the inverted commas appear every where, and confequently make no diftinction at all. The work, however, is pious and ufeful, and deferves an honourable place among the very numerous publications calculated for the inftruction of young perfons. In our opinion, the Dialogues would be improved, in another edition, if the au- · thor would omit a large proportion of the dears and loves addressed by the good mother to her children; which, though they may be very natural, are rather tiresome in the perufal. The book has certainly confiderable merit, and we can, without hesitation, recommend it.

ART. 32. An Inquiry into the Moral Tendency of Methodism and
Evangelical Preaching: including fome Remarks on the Hints of a
Barrister. By William Burns. Part the First.
8vo. 141 pp.

45. Johnfon. 1810.

This tract confifts of feven letters, addreffed to the author of the "Hints." They are evidently the work of an acute and fenfible writer. He fhows very clearly that the barrister formed his conclufions much too haftily, when he attributed the increase of profligacy to the apparently antinomian doctrines of certain preachers; but he alfo points out, in many other inftances, wherein thofe teachers deviate from the truth. The Barrister is evidently a Socinian or Unitarian. His correfpondent does not here completely declare himself, but we conceive him to be rather an Arian. Be this as it may, he is a man of confiderable powers; he argues closely, and writes with perfpicuity, and fixes attention by deferving it. The following remarks on the means of acquiring popularity as a teacher are fagacious, and account for much of the fuccefs of the Sectarian minifters :

"There is only one requifite in a religious doctrine to make it popular, befides the manner of preaching it. Chriftians of every age and country, have generally been of opinion, that fomething more than plain fincerity, honefly, and truth, is required in the Chriftian character. In the early ages, this other thing was fuppofed to confift in bodily mortifications, and folitary contempla. tion; afterwards, devotion to the clergy fupplied all defects; and, in later ages, certain metaphyfical opinions, myftic feelings, or formalities about church government and worship, are gene rally understood to be the most precious and rare ingredients of true Chriftianity.

"It matters not on which of thefe, or any thing like them, a preacher fixes the effence of religion, provided it be an uncom mon thing, by the attainment of which the devotee may be fignalized from the reft of the world. This gratifies the propenfity. for extraordinary fanctity; and if the preacher himself is duly careful to excel in the fuppofed attainment, it recommends him to his hearers, as a favourite of heaven. When a man thus appears as a favourite of God, and is fuppofed capable of teaching others how to arrive at the fame diftinction, he is poffeffed of one of the moft effential qualities of a popular preacher; and if he has natural eloquence, and an earnest manner, he will not fail of producing a powerful impreffion." P. 23.

This claim of fuperior fanctity, derived, as is pretended, from the immediate gift of God, is affuredly the great charm which draws multitudes to the conventicle, where they figh and suffer tortures till they feel or fancy the fame gifts which are pretended by their orators. Without agreeing in every thing with the author of thefe Letters, we have been much pleafed, on the whole, with the style and substance of his Letters, which we shall be glad U u 3

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