opened in the first, and continued through seven succeeding sermons. Saurin is avowedly our author's model, and his discourses on the same subject our author's text book. There is one of the discourses, however, of the "Pasteur a la Haye," which he does not appear to have read, and which might have been of more service to him, than his study of all the rest: it occurs in his fourth volume, and is entitled "Sur la Manière d'êtudier la Religion." Had he founded himself upon the excellent system here developed, we should not have had to lament an equal want of the force of originality, and of the fidelity of translation.

"Sermons on several subjects from the Old Testament. By John Hampson, M.A. rector of Sunderland, &c." 8vo. This respectable writer informs us, in his preface, that his appearance before the public is "not from an itch for scribbling, nor for the vapour of popular applause, but from a desire of doing good, by stemming the torrent of impiety and infidelity, and by assailing with lawful weapons, and rebuking with just severity, by arguments from reason and revelation, the licentiousness that so deplorably prevails. It is my object, on this occasion, to join my efforts to those of my more able and experienced brethren in the best of all causes, the cause of piety and virtue; and to leave some testimony behind me, of my unalterable conviction of the truth and authenticity of the GosPEL; which, however disregarded by many, is "the power of God unto salvation to them that believe." Now all this is excellent, and especially from a venerable pastor, who has been uniformly labouring among his flock, as he informs us in another place, for "nearly twenty-three

years:" but how queerly does such a declaration sound, when compared with the title-page?--- how truly extraordinary is it, that in the whole range of the sermons delivered by this conscientious and zealous priest, during a period of nearly twentythree years, be should only be able to select a certain set, devoted to subjects belonging to the Old Testament, as a "proof of his unalterable conviction of the truth and authenticity of the GOSPEL!" For the rest we cannot speak very highly of them: they are neat and regular; but they are equally deficient in the form of originality, the fire of genius, and the pathos of impression.

"Twenty-four Select Discourses, from the works of eminent divines of the Church of England, and of others, never before published. By a Curate in the archdeaconry of Coventry." The discourses "never before published" are but few, and we are not informed of the authors' names to whom they belong; several of them possess something more than common merit. The rest are selected from the labours of Hubbard, Porteus, Bishop Bull, E. Weston, Farquhar, Hervey, Dr. James, Bishop Horne, Jortin, and Jones.

"Discourses on various Subjects, by Jeremy Taylor. D.D. chaplain in ordinary to King Charles I. &c. &c." 3 vols. 8vo. The taste for the antique, which even theologians, as well as poets, painters, musicians, medalists, and a thousand other professions, have lately evinced, is well worthy of being indulged, when such a gem of inestimable value is offered to our hands, as the writings of the Bishop of Down and Caron, all whose compositions, as well in style as in matter, are truly "apples of gold in pictures of silver." We congratulate the world, therefore, on this republication; as we do alsó,

that

that independently of these discourses, we have likewise been favoured with a republication of those two choice productions of Bishop Taylor, his Rule and Exercise of Holy Living and Dying," and his "Golden Grove, a chosen Manual, containing what is to be believed, practised, and prayed for."

Of the single sermons, we can only give a catalogue of those that have attracted most attention, or appear to possess most merit. Dr. Buchanan's, preached before the Society for Missions to Africa and the East; the text, Matt. v.14. "Ye are the light of the world." Dr. Middleton's, entitled, "Christ divided;" preached at the Triennial Visitation of the Lord Bishop of Lincoln, at Grantbam, in June 1809; being an appeal to dissenters, with a view of reclaiming them into the pale of the established church. Mr. Wrangham's sermon, preached at Scarborough, July 28, 1810, at the primary visitation of the most reverend Edward, Lord Archbishop of York, entitled "Earnest Contention for the true Faith," accompanied with an ample body of notes, many of which are equally pertinent and classical. Mr. Wilson's (vice-prin. cipal of St. Edmund's Hall, Oxford,) preached before the university, and entitled, "Obedience the Path to Religious Knowledge;" the text, John vii. 16, 17. Mr. Bathurst's visitation sermon, preached at Great Yarmouth, and entitled, "A Sketch of the Ecclesiastical Establishment." The Rev. Sir Henry Moncrieff Willwood's, preached before the Society in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge; the text, Col. iii. 9, 10, 11. Mr. Hall's, preached at Herveylane, Leicester, for the benefit of a Sunday School, entitled, "The Advantages of Knowledge to the Lower Classes." Mr. Clayton's, preached

at a monthly association of congregational ministers and churches, at the Meeting-house, Peckham, entitled, "The Traveller's Directory.'

Among the theological controversies of the year, we regret exceedingly the disputation that has taken place between the supporters of those two valuable institutions, the

Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge," and the "British and Foreign Bible Society" and which has already given birth to two publications from Dr. Wordsworth, and one from Mr. Spry, against the Bible Society, at least as at present constituted; in reality, we may call Dr. Wordsworth's publications three, with more propriety than two, the second edition of his "Reasons for declining to become a Subscriber to the British and Foreign Bible Society," being so considerably enlarged, and remodelled, as to be almost a new work. The defence of the Bible Society has been conducted chiefly by Lord Teignmouth, in a "Letter to Dr. Wordsworth," and by Mr. Dealtry, in two distinct letters to the same person, forming two distinct. publications. The Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge commenced, in fact, though under another name, as early as 109s. Its object was, and has continued to be, to distribute Bibles, Commonprayer books, and religious tracts consonant with the doctrines and discipline of the established church. Its efforts have also been directed to the promotion of charity-schools at home, to the support of the Danish Missions in India, and to the assistance of the Greek church at Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Arabia, and Egypt. It only admits within its pale of contributors, members of the established church of England. From some cause or other, this

Society has been progressively growing languid in its exertions, and consequently decreasing in its funds, which are chiefly supported by annual subscriptions; and, in 1804, the British and Foreign Bible Society was instituted upon a more extensive scale, and regulated by a plan which appeared likely to carry into effect the high and common object of diffusing a knowledge of the Scriptures, almost infinitely be yond what the elder society could have any expectation of doing. By the new society, the Bible alone is circulated, and intended to be circulated, in every tongue and dialect of human speech; and membership is open to every one who chuses to subscribe, and thus shews his anxiety to promote the important end in view. The Bible Society has flourished to an extent beyond what could possibly have been conceived by the most sanguine of its promoters; it has received the countenance and active support of many of the most zealous prelates of the establishment, and its activity has been ardent and unintermitting. The elder society has felt some degree of jealousy, in consequence of the growing power and influence of this junior institution; and a variety of objections have been started against it by Dr. Wordsworth, who is the champion for the elder cause. He accuses it of infringing upon the object and efforts of the society to which he belongs, and of concealing certain sectarian views, under the pretence of Christian liberality. The defence consists in exposing the fallacy of these accusations: and the defendants appear to have the best of the argument.

The other controversies of the year are of subordinate consequence. Attempts to convert the Jews are prosecuting with great

zeal, and apparently some encou ragement, by two distinct societies for this purpose, the one founded by the established church, the other by the different persuasions of dissenters. The synagogue appears to be indignant at these benevolent efforts, and with a most intolerant spirit, and highly incongruous with the liberty which itself possesses by mere toleration, has fulminated anathemas against every Israelite who may attend on any religious service of the kind before us. We lament to see, however, that a little sort of animosity has broken out between the two proselyting societies, concerning the converted Jew, Mr. Frey; who, after having assumed the Christian faith, was first prepared and introduced into notice among the dissenting society, which he has now quitted for that of the church, under the idea that, the establishment being upon a larger scale, he can here employ his services more successfully. The chief works published upon this subject in the course of the present year, are "Remarks upon David Levi's Dissertations on the Prophecies relative to the Jews, and upon the Evidence of the Divine Character of Jesus Christ, addressed to the Consideration of the Jews, by an Inquirer." Mr. Fuller's Jesus the true Messiah, a sermon delivered in the Jews' Chapel, Spitalfields." "Narrative of the Rev. S. C. F. Frey, Minister of the Gospel to the Jews." Mr. Witherby's" Vindication of the Jews;" and "The Obligations of Christians to attempt the Conversion of the Jews: by a Presbyter of the Church of England."

We have next to glance at a variety of pamphlets which have lately appeared, upon a cause of some considerable importance, lately deter

mined by Sir John Nicholl, knight, &c. official principal of the Arches Court of Canterbury, upon the compulsory duty of clergymen of the established church to bury protestant dissenters. This last act of Christian charity was refused by Mr. Wicks, rector of Wardley cum Belton, in Rutlandshire, upon an application to him to inter an infant and baptized daughter of John and Martha Swingler. There was a degree of obstinacy on the part of the

rector of Wardley, that we are astonished at; he pleaded his conscience against performing the ceremony, but this same conscience, it seems, had no scruple in receiving. the fees for a rite actually refused to be performed. The judgment of Sir John Nicholl is a master-piece of legal argument, and Christian liberality: it was unreservedly in favour of the promoter, or plaintiff, as he would be called in the King's Bench.

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