Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

We have only to add farther concerning this publication, that if any profit fhould arife from its fale, we are informed in a note, it will be applied folely to the ufe of the children for whom it was drawn up.'

Art. 61. The Importance of Truth and the Danger of Moderation, particularly with refpect to the Doctrine of the Trinity: Inveftigated in three Conferences between an orthodox Christian and a moderate Man. Infcribed to the Rev. Sir Harry Trelawny, Bart. and occafioned by his late Sermon at the Exeter Affembly. 8vo. Is. Exeter, printed. London, fold by Buckland, &c.

From the title of this work, which is we fuppofe intentionally ambiguous, the Reader may perhaps conclude that he is to find what is termed orthodoxy of fentiment warmly and highly exalted, while moderation is depreffed and trampled under foot. But a perufal of the pamphlet will produce a conclufion intirely different. The work is liberal and candid, pleading for the rights of private judgment and the fole authority of Scripture in oppofition to human explications and decifions. While it has this direction, it does not, as hath been too often the case, tend to deftroy or weaken that piety which is the true fource of other good difpofitions, and of good conduct.

SERMON S.

I. The Principles and Duty of Proteftant Diffenters confidered-At the Ordination of the Rev. John Prior Eftlin, at Lewin's Mead, Briftol, Aug. 5, 1778, by the Rev. William Enfield, LL. D. With an Addrefs on the Defign of Ordination, by the Rev Thomas Wright; Mr. Eftlin's Anfwers to the Questions proposed to him; and a Charge by the Rev. Nathaniel White. 8vo. .1 s. 6 d.

Johnson.

Dr. Enfield fhews that Proteftant Diffenters have two grand objects of attention, viz. the fupport of the right of private judgment, and. the advancement of moral and religious knowledge in the world. Amidst all the diverfity of their opinions on fubjects of fpeculation, thefe important objects, he says, ought to form an infeparable bond of union amongst them, and engage them to a zealous attention to their common interefts, and a warm attachment to each other as bre thren. His fentiments on the fubject are candid and judicious ;—the Addrefs, the Anfwers to the Queftions, and the Charge, breathe a liberal and manly fpirit.

II. Unity and Charity recommended-Before the Friendly Society at Cockermouth, Cumberland; at their Anniversary Meeting, Jan. 1, 1779. By Jofeph Gilbank, junior, Minifter of the Gospel at Cockermouth. 4to. 6d. Ware, &c. Whitehaven.

A plain, fenfible discourse, from, "We are members one of another." After fhewing in what refpects we are members one of another, and pointing out the duties which we owe to each other, as fellow-crea tures and fellow-chriftians, the Preacher concludes with an addrefs to the Society-a Society inftituted for the exprefs purposes of benevolence ;-benevolence in one of its moft neceffary and utefti branches; the relief of the honest and industrious artificer, when la bouring under the double weight of poverty and fickness.

4

III. The

III. The Doctrine of Toleration, applied to the prefext Times-Preached in the Wynd Church of Glasgow, 10th Dec. 1778. Being a public Faft, appointed by the Provincial Synod of Glasgow and Ayr. By William Porteous, one of the Minifters of Glasgow. 8vo. Printed at Glasgow.

In this fermon, from Luke ix. 55, 56, Mr. Porteous inquires into the extent of toleration, according to the religion of Jefus, and obferves, that every religion which now exifts, from the rifing to the fetting fun, is tolerated by the Chriftian religion, provided it teaches no opinions which are deftructive to the ftate, or dangerous to the particular members of it. He proceeds to inquire, whether Popery ought to be tolerated in a Proteftant ftate-Popery, he fays, may be confidered in three views, -as a falfe religion-as a faction in the ftate-and as a fyftem of immorality. He confines himself entirely to the third view of Popery, and endeavours to fhew that, confidered as a fyftem of immorality, it ought not to be tolerated.

IV. Popery a fpiritual Tyranny-Preached Nov. 5, 1712, by the late Rev. Mr. Matthew Henry. A new Edition. 12mo. 6 d. Buckland. 1779.

The editor of this fermon apprehends that there are Papifts in this kingdom, who, fenfible of the want of argument to fupport their fyftem of civil and religious tyranny, would fain perfuade us, that the principles of their religion are altered, and that the fpirit of Popery, which heretofore made fuch dreadful havock, is now totally evaporated:-It is eafy, fays he, to fee what has caufed their pretended change of fentiments, namely, a real change of circumstances; they have no power to propagate their religion in the manner their ancestors had; they must therefore try other methods: but let us never forget that," Nature chained, is not Nature changed." The moft refined fophiftry in the world cannot perfuade us, that the real principles of Popery are in the leaft altered.' On these and other confiderations, this difcourfe, preached fo many years ago, is republished. The name of its author, even at this distance of time, will recommend it to numbers. The fermon is well worthy of regard. It breathes that good spirit for which its author was eminent: and while it gives, in a small compass, a view of the errors of the church of Rome, the preacher, in a very fenfible manner, urges it on Protestants to be conftantly on their guard left they indulge any thing of a bigotted, uncharitable difpofition toward those who may differ from themselves in matters of faith and opinion.

V. An old Difciple-Occafioned by the Death of the late Mr. John Mudge; who departed this Life, Jan. 6, 1779, in the 70th Year of his Age. By N. Hill. 8vo. 6d. Buckland.

This is a plain, fenfible exhortation to a pious life; but the title does not exprefs where this fermon was delivered, whether in England, Scotland, or Ireland; nor does this publication either in the fermon or notes give us any perfonal account of the deceafed party, who he was, or where he lived: we only learn that his name was John Mudge. We were the rather led to remark these deficiencies, as we imagined that this old Difciple might have been brother to the ingenious Mr. Mudge the watchmaker, and a furgeon at Ply

--

mouth.

inouth. Poffibly this may be a mistake; but it is ufual, in a funeral fermon, to identify the party commemorated.

VI. Preached at St. George's, Bloomsbury, March 28, for the Benefit of the Humane Society, inftituted for the Recovery of Perfons apparently dead by drowning. By Thomas Francklin, D. D. Chaplain to his Majesty, and Rector of Brafted, Kent. 4to. Cadell, &c. 1779.

I S.

The benevolent and laudable endeavours of the Humane Society are here recommended to the public attention and affiftance in an elegant, pathetic, and fenfible difcourfe. The Preacher has been happy in the choice of his text, which is from 1 Sam. xx. 3. There is but a step between me and death. This fentiment, truly applicable to human life in general, is peculiarly fo to our Author's immediate fubject, which he profecutes with a pious and charitable zeal that does honour to himfelf, while it demands the beft attention of his Readers.

VII. At the Anniverfary Meeting of the Sons of the Clergy, in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, May 14, 1778. By John Warren, D. D. Prebendary of Ely, and Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majelly. 4to. I s. Bathurst, &c.

To this fermon, as ufual, are annexed, the lifts of ftewards for the feaft of the fons of the clergy, and of the preachers; together with the annual fums collected fince the inftitution of the charity in 1721. VIII. At the Visitation held in the Cathedral Church of Lincoln, Aug. 24, 1778. By Roger Watkins, M. A. late Fellow of Baliol College, Oxon. 6 d. Crowder, &c.

SERMONS preached on the late GENERAL FAST, Feb. 10, continued: See our laft Month's Review.

IX. Preached at Reading, Berks, by Edward Armstrong, M. A. 8vo. 6 d. Buckland.

A rational and judicious expofition of the nature and obligations of a General national Fat; with a proper application, &c. X. A Sermon on the late Fat, Feb. 10, 1779. Wherein the National Calamities are manifefted, and a Remedy prescribed. 8vo. 6d. Exeter printed; fold by Dilly in London.

Our national calamities are here derived, as in other Fast Sermons, from our national fins; and the remedy prefcribed' is the eftablished remedy, as it ftands in the Church Difpenfatory, repentance and amendment.-Though this difcourfe is nothing out of the common road, in point of doctrine, the arguments are justly enforced, and the language is animated.-Neither the name of the preacher, nor of the place where the fermon was delivered, are mentioned.

*

A BRITON's Favour is received; and the hints fo obligingly offered by the Writer will be duly attended to.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

ART. I. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS of the Royal Society of

London. Vol. LXVIII.

10 s. 6 d. fewed. Davis.

For the Year 1778. Part 1. 4to. 1779.

PAPERS relating to A 1R.

Article 13. Experiments upon Air, and the Effects of different Kinds of Effluvia upon it; made at York. By W. White, M. D.

F. S. A.

T

THESE experiments, which contain several very remarkable particulars, highly interefting both to the philofopher and the phyfician, were undertaken with a view to afcertain how far the air which we breathe is affected, with respect to its falubrity, by the vapours or effluvia that arife from various subftances to which it is expofed. In afcertaining the purity or falubrity of the different specimens of air which he examined, the Author appears to have depended folely on the indications furnifhed by nitrous air, or the quantity of diminution attending its admixture with the common air under examination.

The apparatus which he employed for this purpose confifted of a barometer tube, graduated by inches and decimals, and of fuch a bore that an ounce vial of the air intended to be examined being thrown up into it, through a small glafs funnel (after it had been filled with water, and inverted into a veffel of the same fluid) occupied about 134 decimal parts of an inch, or 13 inches nearly. On adding half an ounce of nitrous air, the mixture is faid, at firft, to have generally occupied about 205 of the abovementioned decimal parts. At the end of half an hour, when the whole diminution may be fupposed to have taken place, he notes the space, or the number of decimal parts, then occupied by the two airs; and, substracting it from 205, confiders the remainder as the number indicating the ftate of purity in the particular air that he has examined. E &

VOL. LX.

Thus,

Thus, for example, on mixing the air in his garden, wit nitrous air, in the proportion above indicated; the space occ pied by the mixture, at the end of half an hour, was found be only 145, which being deducted from 205, gives 60, th the ftate of the common atmospherical air that day. C the other hand, had he, instead of the air in his garden, Lie the fame quantity of perfectly noxious air, as there would bare been no diminution, or, in other words, as the mixture wod still have stood at 205, 0 would express the state or condition of that particular air. The extent of his fcale is accordingl from o, which indicates the most noxious or mortal air, 1 60 or 61°; which was found to be the mean state of the atmosphere in upwards of 200 experiments: though he has, at two different times, found the latter to rife to 64; and, ia three inftances only, to 63 (in the Article, erroneously printed 68). In the worst ftate, he observed it as low as 583.—An account of fome of the Author's obfervations will probably be acceptable to our philofophical readers; to whofe and the Author's confideration we fhall fubmit a few reflections that have occurred to us on this fubject.

Dr. White found a difference, that was perceptibly enough indicated by this apparatus, between the air in the city of York, and that of the country, at a small distance from the city walls. When the former was 59°, the latter was 62°.-The air too of his bed which, on entering it at night, was 62°, was, in numerous trials, found to be reduced the next morning to 58; though the bed-curtains were always open, except on one fide, and the room large and airy. This experiment leads to another which exhibits a more confiderable difference, proceeding from the fame cause. He breathed the fame air as long as he could without manifeft inconvenience; and it was thereby reduced from 62° to 40°.-Further, the air contained in an 8 ounce vial, in which a small piece of fresh veal was included 48 hours, was reduced from 64° to 10°: and yet the flesh was not putrid, but only smelled somewhat faint and musty.

The refults of the next fet of experiments will appear very extraordinary. They were made on the dead flowers and leaves of vegetables, each put into common air contained in an 8 ounce vial, immediately after they had been gathered out of his garden. Confidering 60 or 61° as indicating the state of the wholesome or refpirable air originally contained in the vial; it was reduced to 9°, when fome leaves of fage had remained in it 16 hours. In the vial in which flowers of ulmaria had been included, during the fame time, it was diminished to 2°; and in that containing fome ten-weeks flocks, the diminution was only 10.-In other words, the air was indicated to be almost perfectly nox

« AnteriorContinuar »