6

This fyftem of liberty Dr. Tatham would perfuade us to be the fyftem of Ariftotle: but his quotations from the Stagyrite do not convince us of what he would have us believe. As the motto to his fecond letter, he has chofen these words, 'Ou yap δει διεθαι δέλειαν είναι το ζην προς την πολίειαν, αλλα σωτηριαν. Ariftot. Polit. lib. v. cap. 9. In page 71, he repeats them, with this verfion, To live in fubjection to the state should not be deemed flavery, but fafety.' As we understand the words, they convey a very different meaning. "A ftate of civil polity," fays Ariftotle, " ought not to be deemed a state of servitude, but a state of fecurity:" that is, "Civil government is not neceffarily incompatible with liberty. On the contrary, it may be fo framed and administered as to become its beft fecurity." To fay that government does not neceffarily imply flavery, or that a government may be fo conftituted as not to infringe liberty, is one thing. To maintain, as a general propofition, that fubjection to the ftate-to the powers that becannot be flavery, is another thing. Ariftotle afferts that civil government is not fervitude. Dr. Tatham, in page 83, exprefsly affirms, that it is a feries of fervitude.'

A paffage is cited in page 70, in which the Peripatetic fays, "Where the laws do not govern as fupreme, men will; and then comes tyranny." He adds, "There is no proper polity, no true government, where the laws are not paramount." That there can be no true liberty, unless the law be fupreme, is a pofition which we believe no modern advocate for liberty will deny; notwithstanding Dr. Tatham affirms, that ancient is totally different from modern liberty.' The French Jegiflators have exprefsly faid, in their new conftitution, "There is no authority in France fuperior to that of the law: the king reigns only by it." Dr. Tatham argues as if Ariftotle had placed the eflence of liberty in the fixed and general operation of established law;' and had faid, "wherever the law is fupreme, there must be liberty." To this pofition we believe no friend of truth will give an unlimited affent.

As these are not the only places in Dr. Tatham's book, where it appears that Ariftotle fays one thing for himself in the margin, and the Doctor fays another for him in the text, fome readers may poffibly be inclined to conftrue what is faid in page 17, more literally than the Doctor intended: It feems," fays he, that I have drudged in vain in this long untrodden walk of politics through many a chapter of dufky Greek.'

However this may be, whether the Doctor be really convinced from experience that all labour after learning is no better than vain drudgery, and would therefore difluade others from wafting their time in literary pursuits-whether he thinks

it a profanation, a cafting of pearls before fwine, to offer learning to the vulgar-whether he fuppofes that the lower ranks of the community, when poffeffed of a little rational inftruction, will not gaze with fuch admiration as they have been wont to do, on those who know a little more than themfelves; or will not be fo ready to receive with implicit faith all that is told them by their fuperiors about the mysteries of religion and politics-or whether he dreads the mifchief of being enlightened, from what he beholds across the channel --whatever be his motive-certain it is, that he is for keeping those beneath him in as much darknefs and ignorance as poflible. He therefore declaims against the inftitution of Sunday fchools as a national evil, and fays it is a very fad thing that all the lowest people should be taught to read.'

As the Doctor thus ftoops to make war on the horn-book and the catechifm, it is not aftonishing that he should condefcend to be-note us Reviewers. He brings a most terrible accufation against us, viz. that we are of the Diffenting party; and he has no doubt that fuch a charge will excite our indignation.' The Doctor is doubly mistaken. He is wrong as to the fact, and wrong as to the manner in which he fuppofes we fhall be affected by the mention of it. A charge which refts on a mere ipfe dixit, it is as eafy to repel, as to make. We feel ourselves more difpofed to fmile, than to be angry, at fuch gratuitous and unfupported affertions. Heavy as the load is, we do not cry out on its weight; because, as there are no ftraps to keep it on our fhoulders, a fingle shrug relieves us. "Mafters, it is proved already that you are little better than falfe knaves, and it will go near to be thought fo fhortly: How anfwer you for yourselves?"-Marry, Sir, we fay we are none *.”

6

If the Doctor ufes the words Diffenting party' in their ordinary acceptation, and means to fay, that we fhew any partiality, or undue favour, to the works of fectaries,-" Marry, Sir, we fay we are none :"-but if the Doctor means only to rank us with his phalanx of literati,' whom he ftyles Diffenters na εoxn,' a title, (or, as Mr. Paine would fay, a nick-name,) by which he feems defirous of ftigmatizing all fuch impudent fellows as prefume to think for themselves on every fubject-Marry! then must we be "written down" of the

Diffenting party,' and are in no fmall peril of being "condemned into everlafting redemption:"-for it is most certain, that, on important queftions, we do take the liberty of diffenting at times from any author of any party, when such author

* Much ado about Nothing, A&t iv. Sc. 2.

appears

appears to us to diffent from truth. It is this, perhaps, which induces many gentlemen, of whofe writings we do not deem fo highly as they do themfelves, to call us by fuch hard names occationally; and to fay that we are of this party, or of the oppolite, juft as fuits their fancy; and it is precifely this which makes us fay, we are of no party.

Perhaps the Doctor will fay that he can prove it on us, that we are Diffenters indeed; and can point out the very pages of our work, in which we have exprefsly protefted against two laudable practices of our church, viz. that of exacting fubfcription to articles of faith, even from boys of fixteen or feventeen, at matriculation; and that of treating the liturgy as an inspired compofition, which must remain juft as it is, world without end:-but if to wifh for reformation in thefe matters, be fufficient to make Dillenters of those who are churchmen in other refpe&s; then we believe it would be a hard thing to find a complete churchman in the kingdom. Were the Doctor to go round to every individual of the established church, clergy as well as laity, and to obtain from each his genuine fentiments; would he find us alone of the whole body ftanding by ourfelves as advocates for reformation? So far are we from believing this would be the cafe, that we are verily perfuaded he would not find one in a thoufand, who could digeft every thing contained in the articles and liturgy. Perhaps there is fcarcely an individual, who would not turn out to be more or lefs of a Diflenter. If Dr. Tatham were closely to examine his own breaft, we much doubt whether he would not difcover himself to be of the diffenting party. It is perhaps not too much to fay of our church, that we are a church of Diffenters. When we fay this, we fpeak of thofe only who have thought and reflected on the fubject. That there are many affociated with us as churchmen, men of no fmall zeal when they are told that the church is in danger to be fet at nought, who would affemble and fhout for days together, " fome crying one thing and fome another," we well know: but then of thefe, the most part, like their predeceffors at Ephefus, would "not know wherefore they were come together." Such can no more be faid to affent, than to diffent. Properly speaking, they are neuters; and they would be neutral in their conduct, if there were no Demetrius, no modern filverfmith, to rouse them occafionally into action.

Is the good Doctor grieved that matters fhould ftand thus? We will tell him how he may help to mend them. Let him join us and the reft of his brethren in the call for reformation. That, he may be aflured, is the only infallible specific-the only "fort way with the Diffenters" either in or out of the church.

ART.

ART. IV. Memoirs of the late Rev. John Wesley, A. M. with a Review of his Life and Writings, and a History of Methodifm, from its Commencement in 1729 to the prefent Time. By John Hampfon, A. B. Pp. 220. in each. fewed. Johnfon. 1791.

SPIR

12mo.

3 Vols.

95.

PIRITS are touched to very different iffues. Genius and virtue combine their currents in fuch a variety of channels, as to cause eminent characters to be formed in fituations little expected to produce them, and under circumftances the most diffimilar. Howard, in the gloomy cells of prifons, found glory, and made the peftilential effluvia of dungeons perfume and preserve his name; while John Wefley, by erecting the altar of religion amid the collieries of Kingfwoed, once the feat of unufual vice and profaneness, has raifed a monument to his own praife. The exertions of the latter, it is evident, were not of fo fingular a nature as thofe of the former: but they were fuch as must entitle him to peculiar notice in the catalogue of extraordinary men. It will be faid that he was urged on by enthusiasm: but it was the enthufiafm of no vulgar mind; an enthufiafm which, however undefirable, ferved to bring out and to fix the diftinguishing features of his character. With his memoirs, the hiftory of Methodism is almoft neceffarily blended; which, in the picture of the religion of the 18th century, must occupy no inconfiderable portion of the canvas. His failings, as well as his virtues, contributed to make it what it is; and when the philofopher confiders its origin, its rapid progrefs, its vaft extent, and the influence which it has had on the ftate of morals among the common people, he will be defirous of inveftigating the abilities and mental qualities of its author. He will therefore thank Mr. Hampfon for the work before us; who has taken pains to furnifh himself with materials for the life of John Wefley, and who, by a proper attention to arrangement and language, has ferved up on the table of public curiofity an acceptable biographical morfel. Mr. H. has attempted, he tells us, in these volumes to draw a likeness, not flatteringly dif gufting, nor exaggerated to deformity, but, as near as poflible, a juft tranfcript of truth and nature.' He does not, however, endeavour to amufe his readers with the promife of abfolute impar tiality, but modeftly confeffes that fuch is the force of particular prepoffeffions, and fo few writers of hiftory or biography have fucceeded in this moft effential circumftance, that he trembles for himself, and is checked by a juft anxiety, left he fhould fall into a too general error, and become fubject to the common condemnation.'

Poffibly, the very partial friends and warm admirers of the Apoftle of Methodifm may, in fome places, be difpleafed with the contents of thefe memoirs; though, in general, they will

look

look on them as doing juftice to the character attempted to be delineated. Confiderable ufe has been made by Mr. H. of the Wefleian Letters publifhed by Dr. Priestley; and though he introduces the history of his Hero with miscellaneous articles relative to the family, and with accounts of Samuel and Charles Wesley, (brothers of John,) he has taken no notice whatever of the ftrange noifes in the house of old Mr. Wefley at Epworth, which were fuch matter of alarm and astonishment to the family. His reafon for this we fhall not ftay to investigate. Connected with old Mr. Wefley's preaching against cunning men, they might have ferved to fhew the ftrong faith of the family in witchcraft :-but we muft leave the old gentleman with Jeffery, (for fo the fpirit that was fuppofed to haunt the house at Epworth was called,) to attend John in his religious career; who, according to thefe memoirs, was born June 21, 1703. When fix years old, he was, with difficulty, refcued from the flames which deftroyed the parfonage house at Epworth. After receiving the first rudiments of learning from his mother, who was a moft valuable woman, he was fent at an early age to the Charter-house, and thence to Chrift-church; whence, having taken his first degree, he was elected Fellow of Lincoln College in 1724, and proceeded to the degree of A. M. in 1726. At the University, he applied himfelf not only to the claffics and the arts of difputation, but even courted the Mufes with fuccefs :—but not in Fancy's maze he wandered long.-He entered into holy orders. with high ideas of the facred and important nature of the minifterial office, and was ordained in the year 1725. During his refidence at the college, where he officiated as Greek lecturer and moderator, he became particularly ferious and religious; and feveral of his friends and pupils having the fame difpofitions, they formed a kind of fociety, which at firft, in November 1729, confifted of the two Mr. Wefleys, Mr. Morgan of Chrift-church, and one more; to which were admitted, fome time after, Mr. Clayton of Brazen-noze, Mr. Harvey, Mr. Whitefield, and feveral others. At first they read the claffics every evening but Sunday, and on that day fome book in divinity, but in a little time it is probable their religious meetings were more frequent.' In this fociety, the name and fect of Methodists had its origin. Its members, on account of the ftrictness of their piety and morals, were noticed and foon diftinguished by the appellations of Methodists, Sacramentarians, and the Godly Club.

Mr. Wefley's deportment became deeply tinctured with aufterity; and his notions, respecting his usefulness and salvation, prevented his fettlement as a parish prieft. He conceived

*See our laft Review, p. 320.

the