taining, as it does, a most excellent and judicions abstract of the principal contents of all Dr. Waterland's works, to the complete collection of which this volume forms a most appropriate introduction.

ART. IX.

Observations on the History and Doctrine of Christianity, and, as historically connected, on the primeval Religion, on the Judaic, and on the Heathen, Public, Mystical, and Philosophical; the latter proposed as an Appendix to the Political and Military History of Greece. By William Mitford, Esq. 2 Vols. 8vo. 9s. Rodwell. 1823.

WE entertain such sincere respect for the venerable author of this little volume, that it is seldom we have met with a work which has given us more pain. In spite of his many eccentricities as a writer, the works of Mr. Mitford have done good service to the cause of truth as well as of literature. His history of Greece is one which will never cease to be a standard in our language; it contains so many new and original views; is so replete with sound and unaffected learning; it is so completely the production of a man who has formed his conclusions from the study of authentic writers, without any regard to mere traditional opinions, that its value can never be superseded; not even by the appearance of a history which might happen to be more free from errors and imperfections. Mr. Mitford's opinions on the subject to which he has devoted so many years of his life, are and always will be considered as an authority. It is not as a compiler of facts, but as a judge and a critic, that his fame will endure; and in this point of view, although the faults of his style may detract much from the splendour of his reputation, yet after all, they interfere but little with the true merit that belongs to him. Even his faults offend only against critical taste; there is in them no taint of vulgarity, of flippancy, or affeetation; and in this respect we do not hesitate to say, that taking the word taste in a large sense, as a moral attribute of the mind, and not as a mere critical attainment, we have been shocked and disgusted a hundred times while reading the historian "Of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," for once that we have been made peevish and out of humour by the thousand foolish heresies, with which Mr. Mitford is so perverse as to amuse himself.

But in this little work before us, we are sorry to say, that our excellent and venerable historian, does not confine his disposition to differ from received opinions within the innocent bounds to which they have heretofore been limited. His ancient quarrel with the genius of the English language appears indeed to be as violent as it ever was-even if it be not somewhat more acrimonious. The reader of his present publication is still, as heretofore, obliged to translate his sentences into Latin, and then re-translate them into English, or the ingenuity which is displayed in the style, and the labours which it must have cost the author of it, will be totally unperceived; but this is an old story; our present complaints against Mr. Mitford are of a more grave kind. The work before us is opened with the following apologetical remarks.

"The variety of opinions among professors of Christianity con cerning many articles of both faith and practice, beginning even with the apostles, chosen by the Divine Author of the religion to be, first, as his assistants, and, after his removal from earth, with supreme authority, its propagators, cannot but be striking to all who have any information on the subject, and matter of most sen rious consideration for all who feel interested in it. Among not a few that consideration may have tended to infuse the doubts, and nourish the indifference, observable among many bred to the profession of that religion, and, before the French revolution, enough manifesting its rapid growth, in open avowal, Europe over; more especially among the higher orders, and most where the Roman is the religion of the state; checked then by the enormities practised in the name of philosophy; but, as the horror of these, with time, producing gradual oblivion, has faded, it may be feared growing again.

"To solve such doubts, to obviate such indifference, to awaken piety, to cultivate morality, generally through Christendom, has been made the peculiar duty of an order of men, dedicated, ac cording to the several rules of several churches, to that called the clerical profession; one sect only, I believe, reckoning it, indif ferently the office of all Christians. Nevertheless I have observed that some of the most respected clerical writers of the church of England have acknowledged the value of the assistance of laymen, who have published their thoughts on religious subjects; some of whom, indeed, have been of talents and reputation to make them powerful allies in any cause. But, for assisting in that, to the service of which the ecclesiastical order is dedicated, it has been remarked as an important farther advantage, that they are not, like ecclesiastics, open to the imputation which allurement of worldly interest, or impulse of professional engagements, might stimulate them to labour in it. Sharing in this advantage, without presum

ing upon any other, not till after much doubting, and, at length, not without fearfulness, I have resolved to follow in their train, so› far as to offer some of my thoughts to the world; hoping that, if any are right, some good may follow; and, if any are wrong, that,, by exciting refutation, and so promoting consideration of the highly important subject, still they may produce some good; or that, rejected as unworthy of notice, they will be harmless." Vol. I. p. 1.

Mr. Mitford then proceeds to make some comments upon the intolerant spirit, with which the Roman Catholics excludefrom the pale of the church all who do not acknowledge the authority of the see of Rome. He adds some remarks upon the impolicy of permitting persons holding this tenet to possess any political power in a state essentially Protestant, and

then continues.

"I wish I could avoid all offence to those of our Protestant brethren whom we call sectaries, but that also, I fear, is impossible. Beyond this, moreover, claiming to be a member of the Church of England, yet considering the Church of England, though of heavenly materials, yet a human fabric, the best of its kind that I know, but still, as human, liable to imperfection; I farther fear I must displease some, and even many, of the Church of England, especially ecclesiastics. These, however, if any may be my readers, I desire to apprise, that, being wholly unlearned in the science of divinity, and of little reading in ecclesiastical history, I may be open to correction from them; which, under claim still to use my own judgment, I shall be glad to receive; and, moreover, that among opinions I may offer, new, as far as my knowledge goes, many may within theirs, approved by them or otherwise, be old and familiar.

"With all these considerations I think it proper to declare, in my outset, the principles of my faith, that if these be offensive to any, they may avoid farther offence by laying aside my book; desiring all, however, to be assured, that of any thing in which I may be wrong, I most earnestly desire correction; and that I can be of nothing more satisfied than that it belongs not to me, nor to any man, or to any set of men, though the subject so becomes and commands consideration, to be on that subject, always assuredly, and with complete decision, right." Vol. I. p. 6.

It is not necessary that we should direct the attention of our readers to the peculiarities which the above extracts exhibit, in the matter of style. A grave examination of such fantastical notions concerning the true excellency of English composition, as seem to have been embraced by Mr. Mitford, is a labour which we would willingly spare ourselves. It is evident that he expresses himself in a manner thus different from other people, not from ignorance of

2

what is the common way of speaking and writing, but from principle. On this subject we cannot hope to change his opinions; and it is now too late to do so, even if we could. There is no fear lest they should be adopted by others; or even if there were, we should be sorry, in a case where our venerable author was concerned, to hazard any criticisins which were not grave and serious. Passing over this part of our duty therefore, we wish to make a few remarks upon the inconsistency of his professions. of attachment to the Church of England, and of a desire to join with the clergy of the Establishment, in furthering the great interests of piety and religion, with the production of a work in which every page teems with doubts and demurs, as to the extent of their authority in questions of divinity; or with objections to the creeds and to the articles of faith which not the Church of England only, but which Christians, in all ages, have concurred in believing. It may be very true, that many "respected clerical writers of the Church of England have acknowledged the value of the assistance of laymen, who have published their thoughts on religious subjects;" but we shall be surprised if Mr. Mitford can name any respected clerical writer" of our Church who has praised the published thoughts of those laymen, who at different times have put forth to the world, new theories of divinity, in opposition to established opinions; or who upon the sole plea of being "wholly unlearned in the science of divinity, and of little reading in ecclesiastical history," have presumed to call in question all the conclusions to which, those had arrived who were confessedly learned and well read in both. We should have been very glad to have had Mr. Mitford's opinions concerning the writings of our great divines; and would have listened with much respect to his criticisms upon their learning, or even to his doubts as to the justness of their reasoning on any particular points. But as Mr. Mitford is entirely ignorant of the language of the Old Testament, has no critical knowledge of the text of the New; as he has read neither the fathers of the Greek or Latin Churches, nor a single divine of any original authority even in' our own Church; as he does not appear to have steadily consulted, or at least to have fairly studied even a single commentator of any repute, either concerning particular passages, or the general body of Scripture; we must confess that we are quite unable to understand any possible value which remarks such as those which he has presented to the public can possess, upon the several desultory points of divinity, Tt

VOL. XXI, JUNE, 1824.

which appear to have suggested themselves to his mind, in the course probably of a few weeks reading, which, now that he has done with Grecian History, he has found time to devote to the study of the Bible.

Without being at all aware of the general argument for the divine institution of sacrifices; or at least being very imperfectly so; apparently quite ignorant of the object for which they must necessarily have been instituted, supposing their origin to be divine; seeing not at all the important place which this institution occupies in the general argument of Christianity, Mr. Mitford comes forward with a theory of his own upon the subject, which we do not discuss with him, because no man's crude imaginations upon a question of this magnitude are entitled to consideration; not even those of a person whom otherwise we so much respect as our excellent author. We shall extract his theory in justification of our remark. Those who have studied the subject will readily understand why we do not think that it requires comment; as a specimen of divinity it is however curious and characteristic.

66 Presently, then, after the account of the fall, a matter is related altogether strongly commanding observation, but, in part, of questioned import. Sacrifice, without any previous notice of such a rite, is mentioned in clear terms, as an established duty of man, and as the means still graciously afforded by the Creator for immediate communication with himself. Together with the condemnation to mortality it had been declared that the spontaneous productions of the earth should no longer suffice for man's subsistence; by his labour he was thenceforward to earn his bread. It seems to me then enough implied that, with the institution of the rite of sacrifice, the grant, in a following part of scripture distinctly stated, of every inferior animal as lawful food for man, was made to Adam on his removal from Paradise; thenceforward wanted, not only as of quality best supplying the failure of the life-preserving fruit, but also, as the world, into which he was turned, is constituted, farther necessary for maintaining the multitudes to be born in it. Man's constitution however remaining, as far as holy writ informs us, unaltered, animal flesh in its natural state, was not suited to his power of digestion, as to that of the inferior carnivorous animals: the agency of fire, which man was indowed with ability to produce and use, with art of preparation, easy to him, but not within their capacity, were requisite.

"The combination here then is eminently remarkable. When man, sinful and perishable, was suddenly turned from the ready plenty of Eden into the wide world; not to be led, as the inferior animals, by instinct, but indowed with reason, yet reason unin formed and unexperienced, he would often want instruction, both