that if genius has declined, tafte has improved; and that if they imitate more, they choose better models to copy after. That THOMSON'S SEASONS is the original whence our modern defcriptive poets have derived that more elegant and correct ftyle of painting natural objects which diftinguishes them from their immediate predeceffors, will, I think, appear evident to one who examines their feveral cats and manners. That none of them, however, have yet equalled their mafter; and that his performance is an exquifite piece, replete with beauties of the most engaging and delightful kind; will be fenfibly felt by all of congenial tafte:-and perhaps no poem was ever compofed which addreffed itfelf to the feelings of a greater number of readers. It is, therefore, on every account an object well worthy the attention of criticifm; and an enquiry into the peculiar nature of its plan and the manner of its execution may be an agreeable introduction to a re-perusal of it in the elegant edition now offered to the public.' After fhewing, that the principal and favourite occupation of poetry has at all times been, to defcribe fuch natural objects, as by their beauty, grandeur, or novelty, agreeably impress the imagination, he obferves that, Thus intermixed as they are with almost all, and effential to fome fpecies of poetry, it was, however, thought that they could not legitimately conftitute the whole, or even the principal part, of a capital piece Something of a more folid nature was required as the ground-work of a poetical fabric; pure defcription was oppofed to fenfe; and binding together the wild flowers which grew obvious to common fight and touch, was deemed a trifling and unprofitable amufement. Such was the state of critical opinion, when Thomfon published, in fucceffion, but not in their prefent order*, the pieces which compofe his Seafons; the firft capital work in which natural defcription was profeffedly the principal object. To paint the face of nature as changing through the changing feafons; to mark the approaches, and trace the progrefs of thefe viciffitudes, in a series of landskips all formed upon images of grandeur or beauty; and to give animation and variety to the whole by interfperfing manners and incidents fuitable to the fcenery; appears to be the general defign of this Poem. Effentially different from a didactic piece, its business is to defcribe, and the occupation of its leifure to teach. And as in the Georgies, whenever the poet has, for a while, borne away by the warmth of fancy, wandeled through the flowery wilds of defcription, he fuddenly checks himself, and returns to the toils of the husbandman; fo Thomfon, in the midst of his delightful leffons of morality, and affecting relations, recurs to a view of that flate of the feafon which introduced the digreffion.' The plan and conduct of the Poem are next examined. There are unfolded with great judgment and perfpicuity: But, They appeared in the following order; Winter, Summer, Spring, Autumn, for for the particular manner in which this part of the work is executed, we muft refer our Readers to the effay itfelf. We could have wifhed, that Mr. Aikin had devoted a few pages to the examination of Thomson's verfification and language. Though it be a fubject on which the critics are divided, we do not know that it has been, hitherto, critically difcuffed. As a fchool book, there is, perhaps, no poem that can stand in competition with Thomfon's feafons. While the richness and luxuriance of his imagery captivate the imagination, the warmth and fidelity with which he copies from truth and nature, imperceptibly infufe a love of nature and truth into his readers: The variety of learning that he difplays, at the fame time. that it informs, awakens curiofity: And the precepts, both moral and religious, with which his poem fupereminently abounds, and which are fet off with all the allurements of poetry, cannot fail to have great influence on the heart. On every account, therefore, this poem is excellently calculated for the study of youth. To fuch Readers, whose taste is not yet directed and informed, the prefent Effay will be of considerable ufe. Should this elegant edition be reprinted, we would recommend it to the editor, to confider whether it might not be advifeable, to omit, as is done in other editions, the burlefque episode of The Return from the Fox-chace, which he has inferted as it originally stood in the third book. Though not without its merit, yet, by being incorporated into a ferious and philofophical poem, it evidently offends against that uniformity which is expected in every regular performance, ART. VIII. Sermons on various Subjects. By Zachary Pearce, D. D. late Lord Bishop of Rochefter. Published from the original Manufcripts, by John Derby, M. A. his Lordship's Chaplain, Rector of Southfleet and Longfield, and one of the Six Preachers in the Cathedral Church of Canterbury. In four Volumes. 8vo. 11. is. Boards. Robinson. 1778, TH HE character of the late pious and worthy Bishop Pearce, both as a divine and a general fcholar, hath been too fully established by his various excellent publications, to require any fresh encomiums. His editions of Longinus, Cicero de Oratore, and Cicero de Officiis, have clearly proved, that he was a found and judicious critic. His obfervations on Milton have manifefted, that he was not unequal to the task of repreffing the temerity of a Bentley. His vindication of fome of our Saviour's Miracles, in answer to Woolfton, have shewn, that he was a masterly fupporter of chriftianity against the attacks of infidelity. And his Commentary and Notes on the Four Evangelifts, I 4 and and the Acts of the Apoftles, with the Tracts annexed, have ranked him with thofe capital illuftrators of fcripture, whofe names and works will be tranfmitted, with peculiar honour, to pofterity. Such being the esteem which Dr. Pearce had fo juftly ac quired by his writings, it was reasonable to expect that his fermons would not be totally with-held from the public. Accordingly, a felection of them is here made; in doing which, it hath been the defign of the Editor, to arrange a competent number of fuch as treat of the principal objects of a Protestant-christian's faith and practice. Of the Sermons now printed, fome were intended by the Author himfelf for publication; particularly, a Series of Difcourfes on natural and revealed Religion, in the first volume, and thofe on Popery in the fourth. In the Difcourfes on natural and revealed Religion, the Bishop states, with great perfpicuity, the evidences in favour of both; and removes, in an able manner, the objections of unbelievers. It is, however, with concern, that we find fo judicious a divine, as Dr. Pearce, ranking the opinion of eternal punishments (by which he means an eternal exiftence in mifery) among the doctrines of christianity. Being perfuaded that this doctrine is true, our good Prelate endeavours to folve the difficulty arifing from it, in the following manner: I proceed now to the fecond objection, which I mentioned as having been made by fome against the divine authority of our holy religion, viz. that eternal punishments are in the New Teftament reprefented as the wages of fin: whereas the objectors think, that there would have been more of grace and of truth too in the Chriftian fcheme, if thele had been wholly left out of it. But it hath been ufual with the enemies of Christianity to deny, that an eternity of punishments is revealed in the New Teftament. They would explain the word eternal to mean only a long space of time; and they will not allow, that it is ever to be neceffarily undertood in the frict and proper fenfe of the word, when applied to puniments in the fcriptures, Why then should they make this objection, which they affirm to have no foundation in the word of God? The objection might be made more confiftently, though not more truly by a profeffed Chritian, who, though he would be mistaken in this Joint, would yet go upon a right fuppoful, that the fcriptures contain a divine revelation. But the doctrine of eternal punishments, to be inflicted upon impenitent finners, cannot be at the fame time no part of the gofpel, and yet an objection against the grace and benefit of the gofpel. But the objection ought to be anfwered more dire@ly, as it is of great importance to religion, that the matter thould be rightly underflood; for in proportion as men's fears of what may befal them hereafter are offened, their vices and corruptions will improve and when we fee, that a full bel ef of an eternity of punishments is not able to rellrain fome men, we may be fure, that the world would be infinitely infinitely worfe if this bridle was taken off from their paffions and. appetites. I hope therefore to be able to fhew you in the clearest manner, that (fuppofing this doctrine to be true, as I am perfuaded it is,) the revelation of the gofpel through our blessed Saviour ought not to be thought, on this account, deficient in kindness and advantage to mankind. For This, if true at all, was true before the gospel revealed it; and therefore is not to be laid to the charge of the gospel. The New Teftament hath more fully and more forceably explained it, but it hath not made it to be the finner's portion. Under natural religion, as well as under the Chriftian, the wages of all fin was death, spiritual death, or the death of the foul, that is punishment of equal duration with the foul which is immortal. This the heathens, who lived before Christ came into the flesh, and who had only the light of nature to guide their fleps, appear to have had a belief of, though the truth was not fo clear and visible to them, as it is to us Christians, who are taught by that man, whom God hath appointed to be the judge at the last day, that the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment. And many paffages might be produced both from their poets and philofophers, in which they taught the fame doctrine, and allowed no period or change of fufferings to impenitent finners of the blackett dye and the most heinous guilt 1. Christianity therefore is not to be charged with being the author of that punishment, which it is only the proclaimer of: for furely to forewarn any man of a danger, is not the fame as to bring that danger upon him. He that gives his neighbour notice of his houfe's being on fire, may as well be charged with being the incendiary, as the New Testament with being the caufe of eternal mifery to finners because it reveals to them in exprefs words, that there is fuch a punishment referved for the impenitent. Again, let it be confidered, in answer to this objection, that, upon the whole view of the matter, it appears to be fo far from not being a grace, that it is one ftrong proof of its being a grace and favour to mankind, that God hath in this world declared himself fo fully on this important head. If the punishment is to be eternal, the truth of which I am not endeavouring to prove at prefent, though it may be proved to be very probable from reafon, and very certain from fcripture; but now I argue only upon a fuppofition, that it is true: and the confequence will be, that it is very happy for mankind, that they have fuch a clear and folemn warning given them. For this terrour of the Lord, thus forceably applied, has made many a man ftop fhort in the ways Itaque ut aliqua in vitâ formido improbis effet polita, apud inferos ejufmoni quædam illi antiqui fupplicia imptis conftituta efle voluerant; quòd videlicet intelligebant, his remotis, non effe mortem ipfam pertime cendam. Cir. Or. in Catal. iv. 4. Matth. xxv. 46. I --fedit, æternumque fedebit Infelix Thefeus. Virg. En. vi. 617. See Warburton's Div. Leg. vol. i. p. 171, and 204. 1st edition. of fin, and turn out of the path, which leads to hell and destruction. Many a man, thus awfully forewarned, hath repented betimes and changed his behaviour: and thus changed he hath fteered his course towards heaven, where he would never have arrived, if the found of everlasting mifery had not reached his ears, and worked upon his ftubborn heart. Such a one then will have great reafon, when he is a faint in happiness, to cry out, that all thofe terrors were mercies, that Chriftianity is as tender-hearted in its threatnings, as in its promifes; and, in a word, that the grace which came by Jesus Christ, would not have difplayed itself fo effectually, if it had not driven us by our fears, as well as allured us by our hopes. It hath been ufual indeed with thofe, who declaim against an eternity of punishment, to call in the arts of infinuation to their aid, and to reprefent the maintainers of the true doctrine, as men of no bowels and compaffion; of minds too rigid and fevere: as if, when we pleaded for what we fee fo plainly revealed in the fcriptures, we were mixing our own temper with our inftructions; and as if fome degree of ill-nature in the teacher contributed to the lesson which he was delivering. But furely no one can think, when he thinks coolly of the matter, that it is owing to morofenefs or illnature, that any man teaches that for a doctrine, the confequences of which he fo frequently warns men of, and earnestly endeavours to deter them from. . For fo good an effect, as a finner's amendment, which the denouncing of eternal mifery aims at, feems to be one of the bestnatured ends that the wit of man can conceive. If not only the goodness of God, but his vengeance thus declared before hand, means to lead us to repentance, and by that wholfome change of the heart to lead us to eternal happiness, welcome, may a wife man fay, welcome any doétrine which has a tendency fo much to our advantage; and welcome, Chriftianity, which, by revealing the wrath of God from beaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, bath taught us to live Jaberly and righteously in this prefent world, looking forwards toawards the high prize of our calling, which is in Chrift Jesus our Lord. Thefe are the reflections, my brethren, which will help us to anfwer the objection, that fome men have made to Chriftianity, as if it was no gracious inftitution, becaufe it so often mentions, and lays fo much firefs upon eternal punishments.' Allowing that what is advanced above, by the Bishop, is ingenious, and even, in fome measure, new, we can by no means confider it as fatisfactory. The doctrine of eternal torments militates with every rational idea of the divine perfections, It is as contrary to the juftice as it is to the mercy of God: for there is no manner of proportion between crimes and punishments, if mifery for ever is to be adjudged to offences which, though highly inexcufable and heinous, muft neceffarily be temporary and limited. This notion, as well as the horrid abfurdities of rigid Calvinifm, would long fince have been exploded by moderate divines, if men had not been afraid of thinking freely upon it, and of calling it in queftion. While it is fo Contrary |