feveral individuals of the fame fpecies, that thus they may exercise their good affections in beneficent offices?

If thus the most perfect goodness would determine the author of nature to create different orders of Beings, and fome • of them subject to many evils and imperfections, the fame goodness must require, that this plan of creation be continued down to the loweft fpecies, in which a fuperiority of good to the evils in its lot can be preferved, while the creation of fuch inferior fpecies obftructs not the existence of as many of the fuperior, as the most perfect universe can admit. The lot therefore of great imperfection muft fall somewhere: mankind can no more justly complain, that they 6 were not in an higher order, than the brutes, that they were not made inen.

'Do not we fee this confirmed in experience? We have "no ground to believe, that this earth could nourish an higher order than mankind. A globe of this kind may be neceflary in the fyftem: it must have fuch inhabitants, or be defolate. Befides all the men it could maintain, there yet is room for other lower orders, fubordinate and fubfervient to their fub'fiftence. We find all places peopled with fuch orders of life and fenfe as they can fupport; the inferior occupying what is not fit for the fuperior, or what is neglected by them.

In like manner, let us afcend to higher orders: there may be as many fuch as the beft fyftem of the universe admits; and yet in this great house of our Father there are many manfions unfit for the higher orders, but too good to be defolate; and they are occupied by men and lower animals. This was their place, or they must not have existed in the fyftem. This earth, perhaps, could not furnish bodies in'capable of decay, and as this decay comes on, we lose our keen appetites and fenfes of the goods of life. The scene cloys; we quit it, and give place to new spectators, whose livelier fenfes and appetites, and more vigorous powers, make it a greater bleffing to them.'

Our author, in further treating of this fubject, shews the abfurdity of the Manichean scheme; endeavours to prove, that happiness is far fuperior to mifery, even in this prefent world; and confiders the evidences of a future ftate. As the afcertaining the goodnels of God is the grand foundation of our happiness, and the main pillar of virtue, he dwells long on the fubject, but rather points out the fources of evidence, than difplays it fully..

He briefly touches likewife on the other attributes of the Deity, and then proceeds, in the tenth chapter of the first

book,

book, to confider the affections, duty, and worship to be exercised towards him; after which he concludes the book with a fhort chapter, fhewing the way to the fupreme happiness of

our nature.

[To be concluded in our next.]

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ART. XII. Twenty Sermons on the most serious and practical Subjects of the Chriftian Religion. Fitted for the ufe of private families. By the late rev. Mr. Samuel Bourn, of Birmingham. 8vo. 6s. Waugh.

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O thefe fermons is prefixed a fhort account of the life of their worthy author; and as fuch accounts, how brief and imperfect foever, are agreeable to the generality of readers, we fhall, for the fake of gratifying a natural and laudable curiofity, give the fubftance of the memoirs now before us; the defign of which is not to exhibit a diftinct account of Mr. Bourn's private life, or of his conduct in the public character which he suftained; but merely a short narrative of fome incidents, about which perfons are generally inquifitive on fuch occafions.

Mr. Samuel Bourn, was born in the year 1689, at Calne, in Wiltshire; where his father was then paftor of a congregation of proteftant diffenters. In 1698 the family removed to Bolton, in Lancashire, where he received the rudiments of claffical learning. His academical ftudies were carried on at Manchefter, but under great difadvantages, it is faid, which he often afterwards lamented. When he had completed his courfe he entered upon the miniftry, and in the year 1711 accepted an invitation from a fmall fociety at Crook, near Kendal, in Weftmorland, in which retired fituation he endeavoured, by a clofe application to his ftudies, during the fpace of nine years, to redeem the time he thought he had, in fome measure, loft before. Whilft he was here employed in a diligent pursuit of truth, he first felt the unhappy effects of prejudices, and a mifguided zeal, from fome of his brethren, who were strongly attached to favourite and prevailing fyftems. For being reftrained by the dictates of confcience, and a regard to the principles of Chriftian liberty, from fubfcribing to the affembly's catechifm, many neighbouring minifters abfolutely refused to

concur in his ordination.

In 1719, when the controverfy concerning the doctrine of the trinity, and fubfcription to human articles of faith, was

agitated with great warmth and animofity, in the weft of England, Mr. Bourn determined to enter into a thorough difcufion of the points in debate. In the execution of which defign, he not only carefully perufed Dr. Clarke's Scripture-doctrine, Reply, &c. on the one hand; and the arguments Dr. Waterland, and other celebrated defenders of the Athanafian hypothefis, had advanced on the other; but, above all, closely examined the difcoveries of divine revelation upon the fubject of controverfy. When he entered upon this enquiry, he was a profeffed Athanafian; but the weight of evidence was fo ftrong, and the convictions of truth fo forcible, that his fentiments of that scheme were entirely altered: and he never faw reafon to retract the judgment he formed, but by repeated reviews of the arguments, was more firmly established therein.

From Crook, Mr. Bourn removed, in the year 1720, to Tunley, a fmall place, near Wigan, in Lancashire; where he refided for eight years, and faithfully difcharged the duties of his pastoral charge. His next fettlement was at Chorly, in the fame county; where, after four years fervice, he accepted, in 1732, a call from Birmingham, and Cafeley. In thefe places he refided two and twenty years, being the laft period of his life; during which he applied himself, with unabated diligence, to the duties of the miniftry, zealously promoting the interefts of true religion and unfeigned piety. He enjoyed,

in

high degree, we are told, the affection of both his congregations; often receiving from them marks of their esteem: particularly when, a few years before his deceafe, he had an invitation to remove to Bolton, in Lancashire, they all concurred, as with one voice, to intreat him to continue with them; and eagerly ftrove to fhew their regard for him, by perfuafions, petitions, and every other means, to engage him to ftay amongst them.

He continued in this ftation of eminent ufefulness, devoted to the interests of ferious and practical religion, until he was fuddenly attacked, whilft in his pulpit, on Sunday afternoon, March 17, 1754, with a paralytic diforder, which, in a few days, terminated in his death. His voice was obferved to alter in his prayer before fermon; which part of the fervice he purpofely contracted with great decency and compofure. But being deprived of the ufe of one fide of his body, he could not get into the veftry, without the affiftance of his friends; to whom he intimated, as well as he was able, that he would fpeak to his people; but through the increasing preffure of his diftemper, he was difabled: his fpeech faltered, and he was only understood, and that in broREVIEW, Aug. 1755.

ken

ken accents, to utter fome few unconnected words, fuch as Love-Charity-Glory.-Then finding his work was finished, he calmly fubmitted to his difcharge, and remained fpeechlefs until Friday the 22d; when, about ten o'clock in the forenoon, he finished the scenes of mortal life.-The memoirs conclude in the following manner.

• Our author was not more remarkable for his plain, nerC vous, and well-ftudied difcourfes, than for the warm and fpirited manner in which he delivered them. His address

was lively and animated; and he had a peculiar art of engaging the attention of his audience. He convinced their 6 judgments by laying the principles of the Chriftian religion plain before them, and then won them over to a love of those virtues and graces which adorn the mind, and are taught in the gospel, by dreffing them in their native fimple, but lovelieft, garb. An expreffive fmile upon his counte•nance fhewed him delighted, when he was expatiating upon the beauties of holiness, and the happiness that accrues from a religious life; and it never failed to have the fame effect upon his hearers. He had, in his prayers, an inexhauftible variety of fentiment, with great propriety of ex· preffion; and his addrefs to God was fervent and devout. He was particularly fond of, and took indefatigable pains in, the inftruction of youth: infusing into them juft and clear ideas of God, and religion, and giving them a ferious, virtuous turn of mind. When engaged in controverfial debate, he managed it, on all occafions, with that warmth and fpirit, which he imagined the importance of the fubject required. He would fometimes indulge a vein of fatyrical humour, ridiculing, with great pleasantry, the foibles of his acquaintance; but would carry it no farther than that they ⚫ might perceive it was defigned for their good. He was a • ftrenuous defender of gofpel faith, an undaunted affertor of Christian liberty, and a zealous promoter of rational, pure, and undefiled religion. His precepts from the pulpit received a double force, from the example he fet to others in private life; in an humble, becoming deportment; in areadinefs to vifit the fick, to fympathize with, and comfort, • mourners, and those who were afflicted; by a charitable diftribution of food, money, and cloaths to the poor; by compaffionating and relieving the diftreffed; by reconciling jarring neighbours, and uniting them in cordial friendship. He kept a ftrict difcipline in his family, and was folicitoufly careful about the eternal welfare of every individual in it.

་

All

All who knew him, friends and enemies, experienced the univerfal goodnefs and candour of his heart.'

This is the fubftance of what is contained in the memoirs ; as for the fermons, it is fufficient to fay, in general, that they are plain and useful difcourfes, bearing ftrong and evident marks of unaffected piety in the preacher, and of his hearty concern for promoting the purposes of practical religion. The fubjects are principally thefe following-The religious education of children; the nature, obligations, and peculiar advantages of early piety; the great end and defign of Chriftianity; the state of the dead, and the neceffity of dying, and of dying but once; the certainty, the univerfality, the folemnitie, the properties, and the improvement of a future judgment; the progreffive nature of true religion; and the perfection of the juft man's day.

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ART. XIII. Efays on important Subjects, by the late John Trenchard, eq; never before published. 12mo. Is. 6d.

Millar.

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HESE effavs, we are told, in an advertisement prefixed to them, were found in the ftudy of the late John Milner, efq; and were communicated to the editor, at his earnest requeft: they are, for the moft part, written in that fenfible, clear, and forcible manner, which appears in Mr. Trenchard's other pieces.

In the firft effay he treats of miracles, not indeed with great accuracy, or at great length, but in a fuperficial manner: his defign in it, is to fhew the nature of miracles, that none have been performed fince the first ages of Chrifiianity, and that they can be a proof of nothing which is againft virtue and the good of mankind. Under the great uncertainty of what is a miracle, and what not, he thinks there can be no way in nature to put mankind enough upon their guard against the humerous frauds, impofitions, delufions, and pretences of enthufiaftical impoftors and pretenders to infpiration, and the power of doing miracles, but to convince them that they all, ceafed at the establishment of the Christian religion: and that all the extraordinary and uncommon phænomena of nature are the productions of that order and difpofition which God gave to it at the beginning.

In the fecond effay he fhews briefly, but with great force and clearness, that a free people ought to be parties to all treaties which concern their happine's and fecurity. Trea⚫ties,'

I 2