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preffed in the course of the previous debates, and confirmed by fubfequent practice, and common acceptation, by the tenor of their liturgies, catechism ad parochos, and fuch like authentic documents. Upon the whole I conceive, that nothing more is wanted toward the full confutation of this corrupt fyftem, than a true state of it clearly reprefented. This is what I attempt to do: and if the common apprehenfion of the daily increase of popery be well founded, the attempt will be thought not lefs feafonable than important; and be ferviceable to the cause of genuine Christianity, by pointing out the corruptions brought in by the church of Rome, and furnish our people with arms offenfive and defenfive, against a common enemy.

My thoughts on this fubject I purpose in due time to communicate to the public: in the mean while, till this attack be made in form against the head-quarters of the Romanifts, I fend out this small performance by way of prelude, or flight skirmish, velitatio pro caftris, in order to explore their fituation, difpofition, and force, and perhaps provoke some petty hoftilities.

'Tis obfervable, that our biographer in the course of hiftory, acts out of character, and becomes rather a controverfial writer; and takes much pains to drefs out his fcheme of popery in the fairest colours, with all the wanton fancy of a painter: we see it recommended by the incommunicable high character of catholicifm, primitive antiquity, apoftolical tradition, and every circumftance which may give it an air of dignity and veneration. On the other hand I fhall take the liberty, by way of contraft, to confider this admired fyftem in a very different point of view, and fet forth a different reprefentation of popery, and fhew the Romanifts to themselves in a true light, fhew that their boasted antiquity is really no other than a pious fraud, and an innovation on the original Christian plan-that their apoftolical traditions are no other than the inventions of fallible, fallacious men, which have made God's commandments of none effect. In a word, I confider popery, as fuch, in no other view, than as the corruptions of Chriftianity digefted into an artificial fystem: corruptions fimilar in kind and degree to those which our Saviour condemned in the fcribes and pharifees. Accordingly I have drawn out a parallel, and confidered the character of these fcribes and pharifees, Chriftian and Jewish, in a comparative view I have pointed out their agreement in principle and practice, their agreement in the finifter motives of proceedings, and wicked manner of conducting them, and withal, the like mifchievous effects from thence redounding to the common cause of true religion and virtue: and in confequence, by parity of reafon, I confider them both as involved in one common cenfure.' The portion of fcripture, from which our Author discourses, contains copious matter, both hiftorical and doctrinal. It relates REV. June, 1766.

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to a fect of perfons, who made the most confiderable figure in the Jewish church, but were condemned by our Saviour, as the great corrupters of the true religion; as the authors of grofs errors in doctrine and depravity in manners: they tranfgreffed the commandment of God by their traditions. The Doctor directs the views of his readers to a fect of a fimilar character, the fcribes and pharifees of the church of Rome; the authors of many gross corruptions of Chriftianity; who alfo tranfgrefs the commandment of God by their traditions. To them, he fays, our Saviour's cenfure and expoftulation may be directly applied; accordingly he endeavours to justify this application, and to fhew the parity of reafon, which involves them in the like condemnation.

With this view he confiders the character of the pharifees, both Jewish and Christian, in a comparative view; points out their agreement in principles and practices, in doctrine and worfhip; errors multiplied upon errors, and all fpringing from one common caufe, an authority merely human; yet obtruded on the people, as divine; and thus marked by our Saviour's cenfure they taught for doctrines the commandments of men. And, in confequence of this, they made the commandments of God of none effect through their traditions.

We fhall not attempt to give an abstract of what the Doctor has advanced, but refer our Readers to the discourse itself. There is one curious paffage, however, which we cannot help inferting. Speaking of the ufurped titles and pompous prerogatives of the fupreme head of the church univerfal, he fays; But here I cannot omit making a remark, which to fome perhaps may feem paradoxical, viz. that popery, as fuch, is an antiepifcopal scheme, and that prefbyterianifm is really founded in popish principles. For the affertion of the pope's fupremacy virtually annihilates the diftinction of orders in the church upon the apoftolical plan. And, upon this fuppofition, the original equality of bifhops, as fuch, no longer fubfifts: but the diftinction of orders is induftriously confounded, and the epifcopate is virtually abforbed in the prefbyterate. And that this is really fo is fufficiently apparent from a book of undeniable authority, the Catechifmus ad Parochos, where this queftion is put in form, " Quot funt ordines in ecclefia? Refp. Septem." And pray now in the enumeration of these seven, do you find that epifcopacy is named at all?—No: there is no mention at all made of it as a distinct order, but only of the prefbyterate, in which it was fuppofed to be involved. And to what and was all this? that all fpiritual jurifdiction might appear, not inherent in the order of bifhops, as fuch, but, as derived from the pope, and conveyed in the delivery of the pall. Whoever reads father Paul's hiftory of the council of Trent will plainly perceive

perceive the uneafy perplexity and diftrefs of the court of Rome on this interesting point; and may from hence account for the variety of artifices used to elude or over-rule the debate on this head. I fay then, on the whole, that popery, as fuch, being a levelling or degrading scheme, and all in order to aggrandize one man above all others in the Chriftian church, is fo far antiepifcopal and virtually presbyterian. And, on the other hand, the affertion of epifcopacy, with its inherent rights and powers, is the most effectual defence of the proteftant caufe, and bulwark against popery.'

We need make no reflections on this paffage, which, probably, will provoke fome petty hoftilities from a different quarter than that of the Roman catholics.

R.

A Paraphrafe upon the Fifteenth Chapter of the First Epifle to the Corinthians, with critical Notes and Obfervations, and a Preliminary Differtation.A Commentary, with critical Remarks upon the fixth, feventh, and Part of the eighth Chapters of the Romans. To which is added a Sermon on Ecclefiaftes ix. 10. compofed by the Author the Day preceding his Death. By John Alexander. 4to. 3s. 6d. Johnfon.

WE

E cannot enter upon the examination of this work without dropping one tributary tear to the memory of its deceased Author; and joining our lamentations with those of many others, for the lofs which the world has fuftained in the early, we had almost faid premature, death of fo amiable and (in refpect of his literary attainments) so accomplished a person; from whofe uncommon abilities, and virtues, the greatest expectations had been formed. Mr. Alexander was remarked, by all who knew him, for clearness of perception and folidity of judgment: the intenfenefs of his application was equal to the native ftrength of his mind; and by the united force of both, though he had not compleated his thirtieth year, he had made fuch advances in learning, efpecially in facred literature, as would have done honour to a more mature age-But our province is not that of a panegyrift: we therefore decline all farther encomium on the Author, and proceed to give our Readers fome account of the work before us; a work which, we apprehend, will prove a better and more lafting monument of the Writer's abilities, than any thing we could offer in his praise.

The general defign of the preliminary dissertation is to ascertain the fcripture doctrine relating to the refurrection: and our ingenious Author having examined the fubject with great accuracy, and much in the truc fpirit of criticism, modeftly propofes

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his own opinion as the refult of his inquiries, viz. that the scriptures never speak of the bodies of men being raised and united again to their fouls in the day of Chrift: that they frequently and strongly affert the doctrine of a returrection from the dead, yet that the appearance of their Lord and Saviour, when he fhall come to be glorified in his faints, and to be admired by them that believe, was the grand object which was prefented before the minds of the Christians: and that the coming of Chrift, his raising the dead to life, and conferring upon all the righteous the reward of immortality, are the objects to which we are continually referred for our expectation and comfort. But what his fentiments are, and what his manner of writing, will appear to greater advantage from a few paffages which we shall now exta fom the latter part of the differtation.

I think there needs little to prove, that if the resurrection of the body be a doctrine of fcripture, it is at least very ambiguously revealed, and expreffed in fuch a manner, as to leave room for drawing very different conclufions from the paffages which are fuppofed to affert it. And I further recommend to thofe, who confider the refurrection taught in the New Teftament, as a mere appendage to the happinefs and reward of good men in another ftate, (which is indeed compleated by this, but begins many ages before) wherever a refurrection is mentioned, to add to it these words," of the body;" and confider the per-fons then faid to be raised, as enjoying beforehand the blissful prefence of their Saviour, and the crown of life, which we hope and wait for here; and they will fee, how much this idea deftroys the force and beauty of fo many fublime paffages, written for the encouragement and comfort of the Chriftian world. Indeed if the refcuing an animal body from corruption and the grave, be all that is meant in the promifes of fcripture, concerning a refurrection to life; and it be, as they fay, at the fame time taught, that the fouls of good men enter upon happinefs long before this period, and at the inftant of death;-one would not be unthankful for any information relative to the circumftances of a future life:-yet it feems to be the least interefting part of the Chriftian doctrine; the least important as a fanction to its laws; and the leaft neceflary to the comfort and hope of fuch as embrace it.

I know it is generally faid, that when the body is raised and united again to the foul, the happiness of the faints is quite complete; and that for this reafon, Chriftians are so often referred to this event for their encouragement and hope; and the time of imperfect beatitude, between death and the refurrection, is fo feldom mentioned. I will not be fo unreasonable as to infift upon any proof, that the re-union of a foul to its former body, is fo neceflary to its perfection and joy, that, all other

things continuing in the fame ftate, this alone should be such a vaft acceffion of blifs, as quite to obfcure the fplendor of its former happiness, and entitle the latter only to the name of a reward, and to be the continual fubject of the gofpel-promifes. I will only remark thefe two things; firft, that it is a fuppofition evidently made for the purpose, " that the heavenly happiness is neither compleated at once, nor gradually increases; but is given at first in fome low degrees, and afterwards arrives in an inftant, at its height and perfection, when the body is raised;" and fecondly, that it must always be a confiderable difficulty with thinking minds to conceive, why the honour and reward of a future ftate fhould be reprefented as depending more upon the revival of a body long fince mouldered away, than upon the prefence of God and of Chrift, the fociety of angels and bleffed fpirits, and the exercise and improvement of all divine and focial virtues; all which enjoyments, upon these principles, are prior to the refurrection of the flesh, and, for any thing we know, capable of rifing in infinite progreffion without it. And I think, that the advocates for an immediate tranflation of the foul into heaven, are left under a difagreeable dilemma; either of being constrained to draw very faint pictures of the enjoyment of a ftate preceeding the refurrection, and much below the ufual ftrain of declamation on thefe fubjects; or to part with the only plaufible argument to fhew, why the New Teftament, on a fuppofition that this fcheme is true, has fixed the reward and happiness of good men to the refurrection, and fo uniformly directs them to look forward to this diftant period.

And let them fhew, if they can, fome good reafon, why St. Paul, when comforting the Theffalonians concerning their departed friends, has miffed so fair an occafion of telling them, that the dead in Chrift were now in glory, enjoying the blissful prefence of their mafter; that they were rather to be envied than lamented, because they were gone before us to the poffeffion of so much happinefs; and enjoyed the pleafing expectation of being joined to us again for ever. Let us examine what he has faid, and fee how well it agrees with the common topics of confolation upon fuch mournful occafions. I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are afleep; that ye may not forrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jefus died and rofe again, so also we believe, that those who fleep in Jefus, God will bring together with him. For this we fay unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, fhall not be beforehand with them that are afleep; because when the Lord fhall defcend from heaven, the dead in Chrift fhall be raised in the first place: then they who remain fhall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. I had almoft faid how flat and infipid but I correct myfelf: how far fhort of the force and

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