votion; and especially under peculiar circumftances, when particular exigencies dictate it, when new fcenes and views for them in life open, then to recommend their fpecial neceflities to the great difpofer of our lot, and to implore for them from the only wife God fuch affiftance and guidance, fuch communications and allotments, from the author of every good gift, as their state and condition may require. This direction of devotion is a na tural and useful exercife of parental affection.-- -They are our other felves. Our hearts cannot tafte joy and happiness, but what is doubled and heightened by being fhared with, or by flowing from them. From their conduct and happinefs our old age derives its honour and felicity. The firft with of our hearts is, that it may be well with our children. Piety will form this wish into a fervent prayer, and give it a holy direction. It will inftruct us earnestly to pray, not that they may be rich, and great,' and learned, but that they may be holy and good; that truth may enlighten their understandings, religion may fanctify their hearts, all the virtues adorn their conduct, and wifdom in every feafon direct their fteps.It is God that hath formed the mind and tongue, and teacheth man knowledge. It is He from whom after ye have planted the flowers that grow around you with fkill, and watered them with care, ye muft expect the increase. It is He who opens the ear to difcipline, and bows the heart to understanding." We could with pleafure add to this extract did our limits admit, or were it neceffary in proof of Dr. Toulmin's abilities as a writer, but conceiving the latter to be a point well known to many, we haflen to the laft remarks we have to make in the character of reviewers. The concluding difcourfe in this volume, bears the following title. A Diffent from the Church of England vindicated. Giving Dr. Toulmin due credit for the temper he evinces in the difcuffion of this important topic, and not wishing to reftrain him or others in following the bent of their own inclinations, or rather the dictates of their own confciences, we cannot avoid noticing, in defence of the Church, certain miftakes and mifreprefentations. What the unitarians fee, and what they do not fee, in the New Teftament, is the main point in all our controverfies with each other; that they fhould keep aloof from us, therefore, because they do not fee in the New Teftament the things which the Church members think they do fee, may be a reasonable ground of feparation, but can amount to no pofitive proof that the things are not really to be found there after all. Some, however, of the things enumerated are by the Church itself. confidered only as matters of expediency or church govern. ment, ment, deducible rather from the conduct of the Apoftles, than the exprefs words of fcripture. Such are not matters of faith, nor flrictly effential, except to fuch as acknowledge their propriety and apoftolical authority. As to doctrines, to fay that they find nothing in the New Teftament of afcription of glory to one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, is a mifeprefentation of matters; for no Church member pretends to find this, totidem verbis. But that afcription of glory to Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, is to be found in the New Teftament, they do maintain; and one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, are but the terms they have chofen, whereby to fet forth the myflery which they judge to be communicated among the revelations contained in the facred volume; among other paffages, in " many praifes, many doxologies, and many devout afpirations," but principally in the prefcribed form of baptifm. But the moft miftaken part of this difcourfe feems to us to be where Dr. Toulmin takes notice of the profecution and deprivation of Mr. Stone. He appears to have regarded that gentleman not only as the object of perfecution in the fentence paffed on him, but as having been one of an oppreffed clergy, while he continued in the miniftry of a church whofe creeds and whofe articles he difbelieved and defpifed. We muft maintain, that he had no business to be of that miniftry. The emoluments of the Church, and the appointment to the miniftry, were by him dif honeftly taken, under falfe pretences. Benefices are, in fact, trufts reposed in the hands of particular perfons, for particular purposes. The qualifications upon which they are to be taken, are not prefcribed to any who afk to be admitted and preferred, in the way of compulfion, force, or oppreffion. They are matters of notoriety, capable of being examined, confidered, and comprehended, before any steps are taken towards admiffion into the miniftry. If the candidate judges them to be confiftent with fcripture, he voluntarily folicits to be admitted as a member, upon thofe grounds. If he does not in his heart and conscience believe them so to be, he acts most bafely and hypocritically in feigning an affent for worldly purpofes. If after admiffion his opinion changes, he is free to depart, but upon no principle what foever can we discover that he has any right to fay, "because I can no longer conform to your way of thinking, you ought, and are bound to conform to mine." Yet, in our estimation, this is precifely the language held by thofe, who, continuing in the miniftry of the Church, folicit a repeal of our articles of communion, as a falvo for their own private confciences, In fubmitting to the legal enactments by which the Church is is regulated, we do not acknowledge any legiflator paramount to Jefus Chrift, but we leave it open to every one to judge whether our doctrines, rules, and difcipline are actually founded on his word, or the practices of his Apoftles; whoever thinks fo may join us; whoever thinks otherwife, may follow their own confciences. This we affert to be the precife cafe. Mr. Stone was not restrained in the affertion of his opinions by any measure of oppreffion, but he was reftrained by the laws of a particular fociety, of which he profeffed to be a true member, from giving offence and fcandal to that fociety in a particular place, where he could not claim to be heard, but upon certain conditions to which he had himself voluntarily fubfcribed. We are forry to find any refpectable unitarians pretend to juflify fuch acts of intrufion; but what muft we think of the horrible reflection thrown on others of the clergy by the following paffage. « Our brethren in the church," fays the doctor, "If pure Christianity be dear to them, muft applaud our views, and be ready to congratulate our advantages. They with pleasure muft. behold a body of Chriftians difpofed and able to carry on that laudable defign, in which they themselves are engaged! with an efficacy and fuccefs, which their own fituation, as a late cafe has moft clearly fhewn, doth not permit them to enjoy," It seems then that Dr. T. thinks, (we dare not fay knows) that there are other Mr. Stones in the miniftry of the Church not yet found out; if there be, we can only fay, that for their own fakes we wish them carefully to perufe and confider the weighty paffage of Scripture contained in Rev. xviii. 4. If they think fo ill of the Church, let them withdraw themselves from her miniftry. We must not difmifs this article without obferving, that in the fermons are to be found many apt references to the claffics, and to fome, of the most eminent of our Church divines, which proves the author to be a man of extensive and general reading. 1 ART. XI. Philemon; or the Progrefs of Virtue a Poem In two Volumes. By William Lawrence Brown, D. D. D.D. Principal of Marifchal College and Univerfity of Aberdeen, r. 12mo. 14s. Edinb. printed; Longman and Co. London. 1809. IN N every part of our career, we have been gratified with the works of Dr. Brown, whofe admirable effay, the Natural Equality of Men," noticed in our firft volume (p. 394), 1 (p. 394), ftamped upon our minds an idea of his merits, which we have never fince found occafion to change. He appears here in a new light, that of a moral and religious poet, and he appears with advantage; and though accident has made us fomewhat tardy in our notice of the work, it has not diminished our defire to give it juft commenda tion. He draws, in this poem, a Chriftian hero, whom he attends from his birth to his death-bed, and defcribes in all the various fituations of life. So long a narrative, continued through ten fucceffive books, undoubtedly required great powers to fuflain its vigour, and preferve the intereft requifite to carry the reader to its conclufion. Thefe powers have not been wanting; and though the compofition may fail to place its author in the first clafs of British Poets," it will certainly occafion him to be recorded among our moft elegantly inflructive writers. Dr. Brown is clearly a man of a poetical mind, and of poetical knowledge; he enlivens his fubject, where it admits of fuch decoration, with pictures and images of the nobleft kind; but his plan is not always poetical; and he yields, at fuch times, to the influence of his fubject. Philemon is a native of Scotland, the fon of a Clergyman, educated in the univerfity of St. Andrew's, and, after due preparation, making choice of the clerical profeffion for himfelf. For thefe particulars the author fufficiently ac "He is," he fays, "a Caledonian, becaufe experience ren. dered me more capable of drawing the moral character of an individual, born, educated, and acting in Scotland, than that to which any other national features might be afcribed."--------"Philemon makes choice of the clerical profeffion, because it is, in my opinion, best calculated to form the mind to virtuous hábits, and infpire dignity of fentiment and conduct.I wished, befides, to give due importance to a profeffion, which, however exalted in itfelf, is but too frequently undervalued in a corrupt, wealthy, and irreligious age." P. x, . These are excellent reafons; and fo are others which the author affigns, for other parts of his plan. The action is placed early in the 18th century, and embraces, before its clofe, the æra of the battle of Culloden. The hero travels and fees Europe as it then was, and we have only poetical intimation of the changes it has fince undergone. Nine books are em ployed in forming and completing the character of Philemon, and it is fully developed in the last, which is, in fome re Spects more interefting than any of the preceding. In the early books there is too little action; and the fketch of hiftory facred and profane which they exhibit, with other particulars of the education of Philemon, are rather too minute to produce a vigorous effect. We proceed, however, to give our readers fome notion of the execution of the work. The author thus opens his fubject. "The man, who, burning with Ambition's fires, And reigns while orphans weep his cruel fway. The crafty ftatefman, who, with fpecious wiles, And veils th' oppreffor with a patriot's guife; "But he, who, foon as dawning reafon fhow'd In every grace majestic and benign, Felt all his foul infpired with facred awe, Maintain'd, through humble life, a loyal mind, Shall fuch unnoted, fink into the dust, Nor one bold ftrain commemorate the JUST! "Forbid it, Truth! who bafenefs canft defcry And speaks God's image in the foul of man." Vol. I. p. 1. The birth-place of Philemon is described in very poetical ftrains. "A vale there is, where Grampian mountains rife, Their fnow-clad fummits mingling with the skies; Whofe |