be traced even among the Heathen nations-among thofe efpecially which were more polifhed; and perhaps among all, if we were more intimately acquainted with them and as this fhews either a great harmony between reason and revelation, or, that thefe preparatory notices originated immediately from the Deity, it always appeared to him an argument (he fays) which carried great conviction. If these notices are fupposed to have been wholly of Jewish origin, ftill the unforced adoption of them (he thinks) fhews their agreement with reafon; and therefore ftrongly opposes the endeavours of those who labour to fet reafon and revelation at variance.

In preffing moral rules, Mr. Gilpin fometimes prefers a quotation from Horace to a text from fcripture, obferving, and, in our opinion, very juftly, that Horace is, in one fenfe, better authority than an apoftle. If his unenlightened mind, fays he, had fuch just and noble sentiments, what may be expected from a Chriftian?'

He introduces his firft lecture with a fhort hiftory of the Catechifm, which may not be unacceptable to the generality of our Readers:

It was among the earliest cares, fays he, of the first promoters of the Reformation, to provide a Catechifm for the instruction of youth. But the fame caution, with regard to the prejudices of men, was neceffarily to be used in this matter, as had been used in all the other religious transactions of thofe times. At first, it was thought fufficient to begin with fuch common things, as were acknowledged both by Papists and Proteftants. The firft Catechifm therefore confifted fimply of the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer: and it was no easy matter to bring even thefe into general ufe. They were received by the people, in the midft of that profound ignorance, which then reigned, as a fpecies of incantation; and it was long before the groffness of vulgar conception was even enlightened enough to apprehend, that the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer, meant fimply to direct their faith, their practice, and their devotion.

This was all the progrefs that was made in catechetical inftruction from the beginning of the Reformation, till fo late a period as the year 1549. About that time a farther attempt was made by Archbishop Cranmer, as it is commonly fuppofed. He ventured to add a few cautious explanatory paffages; which was all the prejudices of men would yet bear. The great prudence, indeed, of that wife and good man, appeared in nothing more than in the easy movements, with which he introduced every change.

In the year 1553, a farther attempt was hazarded. A Catechifm was published by authority, in which not only the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer were more fully expounded; but a brief explanation alfo of the Sacraments was added. This bold work, however, was not ventured in the English tongue; but was published in Latin, for the ufe of fchools. Archbishop Wake, whofe authority I chiefly follow, fuppofes this Catechifm to be the first model of that, which is now in ufe.

REV. Sept. 1779.

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Thus

Thus the matter rested, till the reign of Elizabeth. In the mean time, the violent meatures of her predeceffor had tended greatly to open an inquifitive temper in the age; and to abolish its prejudices. Men began to have fome notion of thinking for themselves; and it was no longer neceffary to obferve that extreme caution, which had hitherto been obferved, in addreffing them on religious fubjects. The Catechifm therefore was now improved on a more liberal plan; and having undergone feveral reviews, was at length published by authority, nearly in its prefent form, in the year 1563. It ought to be mentioned, that the perfon principally concerned in this work, was Nowel, dean of St. Paul's.

From this fhort hiftory of the Catechifm, the various forms it underwent, and the care and caution employed in compofing it, we need not wonder at finding it, what it really appears to be, a very. accurate, judicious, and comprehenfive fummary of the principles. and doctrines of the Chriftian religion.'

Our Readers will not expect many extracts from a work of this nature; it is fufficient to acquaint them that the doctrinal and practical parts of religion are elucidated in a plain, easy, and judicious manner; that there is a neatness and perfpicuity in the Author's style; and that he appears, through the whole of his performance, to be more defirous of being useful to those for whom he writes, than of displaying his learning and abi lities.

Part of his twenty-first lecture, wherein he fhews the great danger of keeping bad company, may ferve as a fpecimen of his manner of writing:

Before we consider the danger of keeping bad company, let us, fays he, first fee the meaning of the phrafe.-In the phrafe of the world, good company means fashionable people. Their ftations in life, not their morals are confidered: and he, who affociates withfuch, though they fet him the example of breaking every commandment of the decalogue, is ftill faid to keep good company.-I should: with you to fix another meaning to the expreffion; and to confider vice in the fame deteftable light, in whatever company it is found; nay, to confider all company in which it is found, be their station what it will, as bad company.

The three following claffes will perhaps include the greatest part of thofe who deferve this appellation.

In the first, I fhould rank all who endeavour to deftroy the prin ciples of Christianity-who jeft upon fcripture-talk blafphemyand treat revelation with contempt.

A fecond class of bad company are those who have a tendency to deftroy in us the principles of common honesty and integrity. Under this head, we may rank gamesters of every denomination; and the low, and infamous characters of every profeffion.

A third clafs of bad company, and fuch as are commonly most dangerous to youth, includes the long catalogue of men of pleasure. In whatever way they follow the call of appetite, they have equally a tendency to corrupt the purity of the mind.

Befides

Befides these three claffes, whom we may call bad company, there are others who come under the denomination of ill-chofen company trifling, infipid characters of every kind; who follow no bufinefs-are led by no ideas of improvement-but spend their time in diffipation and folly-whofe highest praise it is, that they are only not vicious. With none of thefe, a ferious man would wish his fon to keep company.

It may be asked what is meant by keeping bad company? The world abounds with characters of this kind: they meet us in every place; and if we keep company at all, it is impoffible to avoid keeping company with fuch perfons.

It is true, if we were determined never to have any commerce with bad men, we muft, as the apofle remarks," altogether go out of the world." By keeping bad company, therefore, is not meant a casual intercourfe with them, on occafion of business; or as they accidentally fall in our way; but having an inclination to confort with them-complying with that inclination-feeking their company, when we might avoid it-entering into their parties-and making them the companions of our choice. Mixing with them occafionally, cannot be avoided.

The danger of keeping bad company, arifes principally from our aptnefs to imitate and catch the manners and fentiments of othersfrom the power of cuftom-from our own bad inclinations-and from the pains taken by the bad to corrupt us.

In our earliest youth, the contagion of manners is obfervable. In the boy, yet incapable of having any thing inftilled into him, we eafily difcover from his first actions, and rude attempts at language, the kind of perfons, with whom he has been brought up: we fee the early spring of a civilized education; or the firft wild fhoots of rufticity.

As he enters farther into life, his behaviour, manners, and converfation, all take their caft from the company he keeps. Obferve the peasant, and the man of education; the difference is ftriking. And yet God hath bestowed equal talents on each. The only difference is, they have been thrown into different fcenes of life; and have had commerce with perfons of different ftations.

Nor are manners and behaviour more eafily caught, than opinions, and principles. In childhood and youth, we naturally adopt the fentiments of those about us. And as we advance in life, how few of us think for ourselves? How many of us are fatisfied with taking our opinions at fecond hand?

The great power, and force of cuflom forms another argument against keeping bad company. However feriously difpofed we may be; and however shocked at the first approaches of vice; this fhocking appearance goes off, upon an intimacy with it. Cuftom will foon render the most disgustful thing familiar. And this is indeed a kind provifion of nature, to render labour, and toil, and danger, which are the lot of man, more easy to him. The raw foldier, who trembles at the first encounter, becomes a hardy veteran in a few campaigns. Habit renders danger familiar, and of course indifferent to him.

But habit, which is intended for our good, may, like other kind appointments of nature, be converted into a mischief. The welldifpofed youth, entering first into bad company, is fhocked at what he hears, and what he fees. The good principles, which he had imbibed, ring in his ears an alarming leffon against the wickedness of his companions. But, alas! this fenfibility is but of a day's continuance. The next jovial meeting makes the horrid picture of yefterday more eafily endured. Virtue is foon thought a fevere rule; the gospel, an inconvenient reftraint: a few pangs of confcience now and then interrupt his pleafures; and whifper to him, that he once had better thoughts: but even thefe by degrees die away; and he who at firft was fhocked even at the appearance of vice, is formed by cuftom, into a profligate leader of vicious pleasures-perhaps into an abandoned tempter to vice.-So carefully fhould we oppofe the first approaches of fin! fo vigilant fhould we be against fo infidious an enemy!

Our own bad inclinations form another argument against bad company. We have fo many paffions and appetites to govern; fo many bad propenfities of different kinds to watch, that, amidst fuch a variety of enemies within, we ought at least to be on our guard against those without. The breaft even of a good man is represented in fcripture, and experienced in fact, to be in a state of warfare. His vicious inclinations are continually drawing him one way; while his virtue is making efforts another. And if the fcriptures reprefent this as the cafe even of a good man, whofe paflions, it may be imagined, are become in fome degree cool, and temperate, and who has made fome progrefs in a virtuous courfe; what may we suppose to be the danger of a raw unexperienced youth, whofe paffions and appetites are violent and feducing, and whofe mind is in a ftill lefs confirmed ftate? It is his part furely to keep out of the way of temptation; and to give his bad inclinations as little room as poffible, to acquire new strength.'

The fame fubject is continued in the twenty-fecond lecture, which Mr. Gilpin introduces with obferving, that bad men take more pains to corrupt their own species, than virtuous men do to reform them.

Hence thofe fpecious arts, fays he, that fhow of friendship, that appearance of difinterclled nefs, with which the profligate feducer endeavours to lure the unwary youth; and at the fame time, yielding to his inclinations, feems to follow rather than to lead him. Many are the arts of thefe corrupters; but their principal art is ridicule. By this they endeavour to laugh out of countenance all the better principles of their wavering profelyte; and make him think contemptibly of thofe, whom he formerly refpected: by this they flife the ingenuous blush; and finally deftroy all fenfe of fhame. Their caufe is below argument. They aim not therefore at reafoning. Raillery is the weapon they employ; and who is there, that hath the fleadiness to hear perfons and things, whatever reverence he may have had for them, the fubject of continual ridicule, without lofing that reverence by degrees ?

• Having

• Having thus confidered what principally makes bad company dangerous, I fhall just add, that even were your own morals in no danger from fuch intercourse, your characters would infallibly fuffer. The world will always judge of you by your companions and nobody will fuppofe, that a youth of virtuous principles himself, can poffibly form a connection with a profligate.

In reply to the danger fuppofed to arife from bad company, perhaps the youth may fay, he is fo firm in his own opinions, fo fteady in his principles, that he thinks himself fecure; and need not refrain himself from the moft unreferved conversation.

Alas! this fecurity is the very brink of the precipice: nor hath vice in her whole train a more dangerous enemy to you, than prefumption. Caution, ever awake to danger, is a guard against it. But fecurity lays every guard asleep. "Let him who thinketh he ftandeth," faith the apostle, "take heed left he fall." Even an apoftle himself did fall, by thinking that he flood fecure. "Though I should die with thee," said St. Peter to his master, “ yet will I not deny thee." That very night, notwithstanding this boafted fecurity, he repeated the crime three feveral times. And can we fuppofe, that prefumption, which occafioned an apostle's fall, fhall not ruin an unexperienced youth? The story is recorded for our inftruction; and fhould be a standing leffon against prefuming upon our own ftrength.

In conclufion, fuch as the dangers are, which arise from bad company, fuch are the advantages, which accrue from good. We imitate, and catch the manners, and fentiments of good men, as we do of bad. Custom, which renders vice lefs a deformity, renders virtue more lovely. Good examples have a force beyond inftruction, and warm us into emulation beyond precept: while the countenance and converfation of virtuous men encourage, and draw out into action every kindred difpofition of our hearts.

Befides, as a fenfe of fhame often prevents our doing a right thing in bad company; it operates in the fame way in preventing our doing a wrong one in good. Our character becomes a pledge; and we cannot, without a kind of dishonour, draw back.

It is not poffible, indeed, for a youth, yet unfurnished with knowledge (which fits him for good company), to chufe his companions as he pleafes. A youth muft have fomething peculiarly attractive, to qualify him for the acquaintance of men of established. reputation. What he has to do, is, at all events, to avoid bad company; and to endeavour, by improving his mind and morals, to qualify himself for the best.

Happy is that youth, who, upon his entrance into the world, can chufe his company with difcretion. There is often in vice, a gaiety, an unreserve, a freedom of manners, which are apt at fight to engage the unwary: while virtue, on the other hand, is often modelt, referved, diffident, backward, and eafily difconcerted. That freedom of manners, however engaging, may cover a very corrupt heart: and this aukwardness, however unpleafing, may veil a thoufand virtues. Suffer not your mind, therefore, to be eafily either engaged, or disgusted at first fight. Form your intimacies with rereferve and if drawn unawares into an acquaintance you disapprove, immediately

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