purpose, his labours abound with luminous details and expofitions from original documents. The hiftorian has generally an opinion of his own, and a pretty ftrong one too, nor is he backward in difcovering it; but, he is ever anxious to put his reader in poffeffion of the evidence on which it is founded; to lay before him all, which, he thinks, is authentic, and connected with the fubject;—and so, to give him a fair opportunity of judging for himself. He fubmits to him a chain of reafoning and obfervation; but it is accompained with a regular body of collective hiftorical proofs; which, when the Author's plan* is confidered, diftinguishes this publication from every other which has yet appeared.

§ 3. On the contrary, the hafty performance of Dr. H. is characterized throughout, by paucity of facts, by deficiency of evidence, and by pofitive and declamatory affertions.-The readers, who love to fee ecclefiaftical ranks, dignities and eftablishments degraded and vilified with indifcriminating averfion, will here meet with plenty of gratification for the four parts of their tempers, and for inveterate prejudices; though even of thefe readers-fuch as are the more experienced and

• For an account of the author's plan fee the Introduction by himself. - Vol. 1.

"It is certain," fays he," that from our Saviour's time to the prefent, there have ever been perfons, whose difpofitions and lives have been formed by the rules of the New Teftament: men, who have been REAL, not merely NOMINAL Chriftians; who believed the doctrines of the Gospel, loved them because of their divine excellency, and fuffered gladly

THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS, THAT THEY MIGHT

WIN

CHRIST, AND BE FOUND IN HIM. It is the history of these men, which I propofe to write."-INTRODUCTION.

Philip. iii. 8, 9.

and judicious in the arts of lowering and difparaging, will be apt to think that their author has overfhot his mark by an excefs of anxiety to produce the effect he has in view.-Pride, ambition, and immoralities of every kind, are, no doubt, peculiarly odious in dignified ecclefiaftics, yet it thould be remembered that, in endeavouring to excite our diflike and abhorrence of these vices, the mind may be fatigued and even rendered callous by being battered with inceffant repetitions; and particularly, when the harsh language derives its fupport from manifeft perverfions and exaggerations of hiftory.-Nor fhould it be forgotten, that even in ftating fimple events, the MANNER of doing it may difcover very different feelings and tempers.-One does not expect that a narrative of the frauds, follies, hypocricy, and ambitious exceffes of ecclefiaftical dignitaries, by a Clergyman of the Church of England, should, in any degree, refemble the profane and malevolent reprefentations of the most insulting and reprobate infidels: Many perfons will rather look for the wounded fpirit of a humble Christian and of a faithful hiftorian forrowfully recording the

truth.

§ 4. As Mr. M. is constantly in queft of the true followers of Jefus Chrift; he is on all occafions delighted to find them; whether they be in caves, or monafteries,-in papal or in any other communion,-in great cities, or in the vallies of Piedmont,-in established churches, or in diffenting congregations. With him the character is decided, whenever it appears that the conduct is practically influenced by the effentials of Chriftianity; and, hence, he is often induced to make candid and large allowances for trying circumftances and feafons of darknefs, corruption, and prejudice.

prejudice.-The Reader is to decide whether he allows too much; but whatever be his decifion, he will own that his author is remarkably confcientious in furnishing him with materials to direct his opinion.

. The Editor knows that serious perfons of moderation and judgment, of all perfuafions,-IN the establishment and our of it,-fubfcribe to this ftatement;-but it is not to be expected, that thofe, who approve of Dr. H.'s methods of eftimating Chriftian worth and excellence should agree in the fame determination. This writer is feldom warm or energetic, but when he is exhibiting charges of prelatical ufurpation or encroachment and one cannot but lament, that not only no candid ingenuity of difcrimination is difplayed in feparating real from imaginary charges, but even common hiftorical and argumentative juftice is continually violated by this peremptory judge. Before his tribunal a bishop or dignitary of any kind has little chance of acquittal: Even the veracity of the venerable Cyprian is fufpected, though he fpeak moft explicitly and pofitively to particular facts. In ecclefiaftical matters the exercife of any fort of authority, not immediately derived from the multitude, feems to be among the greatest crimes a man can commit, whether he be an emperor or a prelate. The commiffion of this crime inftantly converts virtues into vices: The mildeft government becomes oppreffion or tyranny; and the most exemplary piety is accused of fraud, hypocrify and bigotry. The moft refpectable ancient hiftorians, when they contradict thefe views, are difmiffed not only without ceremony, but with unspeakable contempt; and the most valuable compofitions in divinity, becaufe not dreffed in a modern

A 4.

modern garb, or becaufe tinctured with fome weakneffes of the times, are treated with a mercilefs and indecent criticifm, which often betrays want of information in the highest degree.Astonishment is frequently expreffed that others fhould be of a contrary fentiment: but, generally, and almoft univerfally, little or no reason is given for the opinion.-Inftances we have without number of pert and fummary decifion;-none of inftructive and fatisfactory difcuffion.

The rules, by which Dr. H. appears to judge of evidences and of characters, feem to be all reversed when

* Dr. H. is wonderfully apt to be astonished, and sometimes fhocked, when he speaks of those who prefume to differ from his fentiments, not only on Church Government, but even on the doctrines of Christianity.

Mr. Milner, in Vol. ii. p. 506, of his Church Hiftory, fays, "The notion of particular redemption was unknown to the ancients; and I wish it had remained equally unknown to the moderns."

Dr. Haweis on this occafion, in Vol. ii. p. 18, of his Impartial history, expreffes himself "fhocked that the Scriptures of truth fhould be treated thus flightly; or the greatest and best of men be laid under fo unbecoming a cenfure."-But he does not inform his reader that Mr. M. in the very page quoted by Dr. H. refers to the Scriptures of truth in proof of his pofition. I Tim. ii.

In which Chapter are these words:

Of God our Saviour, who will have ALL men to be faved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus, Who gave himself a ransom for ALL.”

One would think that any plain man might be allowed to infer from this " Scripture of truth," that Chrift died for ALL without fhocking the niceft feelings.

So very different a fpirit pervades the hiftories of Dr. H. and of Mr. M. that the Editor is much inclined to believe that the Authors did not agree fo nearly in their practical principles as Dr. H. feems to think.-In one place he fays, "I am forry to differ from a man I revere, and with whom I am generally one in fentiment and heart," p. 351. Vol. i.-And in feveral places he ufes expreffions of fimilar import.

when democratical and turbulent fchifmatics are to be defended: nor does it follow that he is, therefore, to be inftantly accused of inconfiftency or contradiction.-It fhould be recollected, that if Chriftian excellencies be fullied and debafed by an efteem for ecclefiaftical order, authority, and eftablishment, they will, probably, be embellished and exalted by the oppofite difpofition. The fame fpirit,: which renders a man exceffively and even abfurdly jealous of admitting evidence in favour of an accufed dignitary, is likely enough to produce extreme candour and abundant credulity in fupport of factious fectarians.-The judge has not changed his fentiments: he has different characters before him: In one cafe, he is inclined to doubt,-to fufpect, -and to trample on authentic records, because he knows beforehand the man is guilty of the unpardonable fin of fupporting Church Government: In the other, he feels himself authorized to hope,-conjecture,-go any lengths, against probabilities, in mitigation of vice; for the man has a virtue that compenfates all defects;-he owns no authority but what is derived from the congregations; and thefe may fplit and separate into endless factions, and each of them elect its own RESPECTABLE bishop.

According to this plan a man has only, first to obtain the confent of a few difcontented members of a congregation, and then to procure ordination by fome weak, irregular, or immoral bifhop, who perhaps arrived at the Epifcopal dignity in a fimilar way; and he becomes at once a bithop truly chofen and ordained.

§ 5. With fuch a writer there can be no place, for argumentative controverfy: Arguments are misplaced, either where the mind is not in the habit of reafoning, or where there is a want of agreenient on fundamental principles.

On