trates his heart, and fcans his very foul. He is not under the fatal neceffity of mixing with the giddy crowd in the mad career of tranfitory pleature, to forget thofe duties, or the neglect of them, which he owes to God, mankind, or himself. He knows that no true friendship can be formed, where men engage in purfuíts that lower the very defires of happiness, contract all the generous feelings of the foul, and destroy each other's real felicity, and their own. He does not call mankind to witness his acts of charity; as he is fenfible that many imperfections cleave to him, which others may not be able to difcern; he mourns thefe in the humility of his foul, and is therefore unwilling that his virtues fhould be blazoned in every eye, while his faults lie concealed. He doth not endeavour to impofe upon mankind by any counterfeit virtue, or a feigned felf-enjoyment.-Hypocrify is as hateful to his foul, as the moft hiccous deformity to his eye.- What fatisfactions the good man enjoys, are always the lefs known to the world, by how much the more fincere they are in themselves.-The joy that vents itself in noify mirth, is but the tumultuous ravishment of a moment: it is rather the disease of a vacant mind, than the fign of a heart calmly ferene and happy.-There is in the righteous man, a goodly deportment, free from fervile fubmiffion, bafe flattery, or arrogant pride.-He knows mankind fufficiently to difcover, that their approbation is not worth the expence of one fingle vice-though candid and tender, refpecting the faults of others, he is fevere in the fentence he passes on himfelf-he does not make the common frailties of nature an excufe for the commiffion of vice, or an omiffion of duty-hẹ guards against every temptation, and thus is ever ready to oppofe any that prefent themfelves-he retires from the world to converfe with his Maker, and contemplate the fupreme happinefs he is formed capable of enjoying; and from this divine communion with God, and himself, he brings back into the world, a heart difpofed to obey the laws of his God, and devote all its powers to the promotion of virtue among men.Talk to him of the world, its profits, and pleasures-he knows its true interefts well-he has the best ftandard imaginable by which to judge of the world-it is this-to love none of its pleasures, but in proportion to their duration, and defire no ether of its emoluments, than what virtue will authorize him to procure and enjoy.-No man ever yet made a right estimate of this world, till he had learned properly to value the next: to understand earth, and its true interefts aright, we ought to know fomething of heaven, and our interefts there.-Thefe are fome of the leading characters of the man of wisdom, or religion. & Ere Ere we proceed in the inquiry where this fon of wisdom is to be found, it will be neceffary to confider, that, generally fpeaking, the fame caufes in human life produce like effects; that the fame conditions and circumstances form fimilar characters. For instance-Riches and honours are generally accompanied with pride, difdain, arrogance and conceit.--I fay generally, because there are exceptions to this rule.-There are fome to whom these things do not prove curfes by their abuse, but bleffings, as they are made the means of bleffing others: but for the most part, we are juftified when we fay, that in fuch and fuch conditions and circumftances, men will fo act, and be fo affected. • Where then shall the man of wisdom be found? I. Not in the cell of the vifionary and reclufe.-Not that religion flies retirement-No !-here all its divine confolations are found, and its beft comforts relifhed.-Nor does it difdain the world as if it were not made for enjoyment.-Let others feclude themselves from the world, and dream over all its joys, till they fancy all is delufion and unfubftantial appearance of good, and reject the various favours of heaven with a fullen difdain, and counterfeit fuperiority; the son of wisdom takes his portion of bleffing with a joyful heart, and an easy gratitude: he does not cast such a reflection upon the defign of his benevo lent Creator, as to fuppofe fnares to his virtue are concealed in every bleffing; or that this world will infallibly prevent him from practifing thofe virtues, that will fit him for the enjoyments of the future ftate.-How can religion, that delights to take up its abode in the expanded breaft of benevolence, find room for its reception in the contracted bofom of felf-love? What! are we to live for, and to ourselves alone?—Are the facred ties of humanity nothing?-Have our fellow-creatures no claim upon our example, no demand upon our virtues ?It is the part of cowardice to retire intirely from the world, for fear our virtue fhould be overcome.-Virtue is not virtue, unless it be tried. It is only the infubftantial fhadow of it, that is found within the walls of convents, and religious houses, as they are falfely called-bring forth virtue and religion to the light-they will bear the penetrating beam of heaven itself-they fear no discovery, for none can be made to their difadvantage. Go thou pufillanimous wretch! hide thy dejected head in fome gloomy fequeftered cell, and fay the world is too broad a theatre, that the fpectators are too numerous before whom thou art, by the appointment of heaven, to perform thy allotted part -fay that it is ornamented with fuch pleafing fcenes that virtue cannot refift its follicitations-keep all thy folitary virtues, if fuch there be, to thyfelf-deny mankind all thine aid-punish thy body, instead of fubduing the irregular affections of thy foul; foul; and fee if all this will fit thee for the affembly of faints, the company of angels, the focial joys and friendship of happy fpirits, who unite in thefe folemn religious employments in heaven.-Let us quit the cell of the vifionary and reclufe, fince: here the man of wisdom is not to be found: And, II. Seek for him abroad in the world. Perhaps we fhall fcarcely find him, where his example would be of the most fovereign advantage; I mean in the courts of princes, and palaces of kings.-Religion has feldom found an hearty welcome, or kind reception here. Where is its introducer HUMILITY?-Where its attendants INNOCENCE, and. SIMPLICITY -All here is pageantry and fhew.-Men are taken up with ambitious views; and their minds are distracted by emulation and pride.-The bafeft defigns, the most contemptible hypocrify, poffefs their hearts, and cover over the moft fraudulent intentions.-This world is all that is, earnestly defired, and therefore it is purfued at the expence of innocence,: fidelity, honour, and integrity.-Men here engage in those vain amufements that unfit them for any exalted virtue.-Men who. live upon the fmiles of princes, have but little ambition to de-. ferve the approbation of God.-Let us not feek for divine wif dom, where vice and folly range it at large, and in an air in-: fectious to virtue, probity and honour. The fubjects of Mr. Webb's fermons are,-Man and the providence of God.-The ftate of man in this world.-The Chriftian courfe.-No fecurity against greater, if we have yielded to lefs temptations.-Difinterested and univerfal charity. -Confcience. The ftory of Naaman the leper.-The keeper of the prifon, converted by Paul and Silas.-Acquaintance with God. The character of Jefus as the Meffiah God manifefted in the flesh. The propriety of the humble ftate in which the Meffiah appeared.-The hope and falvation of true Chrif.. tians.-Indifference in religion.-The importance, and duty of public worship.- Zeal.-Our Lord's rebuke of his difciples James and John, for their unjustifiable zeal.-Enquiry after wisdom. R.. A Letter to the Reverend Do&or Lowth, occafioned by his late Let ter to the Right Reverend Author of the Divine Legation of Mofes. By the Author of Effays on the Characteristics. 8vo. 1 S. Davis and Reymers. TH HIS letter does not refer to the literary part of the controverfy between the Bishop of Gloucefter and Dr.' Lowth; the Letter-Writer only endeavours to vindicate his own character from the injurious infinuations which, he tells us, Dr. * See Review for November 1765. Lowth Lowth has clearly though indirectly thrown out against him, in his late Letter to the Author of the Divine Legation of Mofes. Dr. Brown complains loudly of the injuftice done him in publickly reprefenting him, as a man ready to facrifice the interefts of truth to the opinions of a mafter, and is at great pains to fhew that he is not a fervile follower, or obfequious deputy, of the Bishop of Gloucefter. He lays before his Readers the chief paffages in his writings, on which fuch accusations can poffibly be founded, together with thofe in Dr. Lowth's letter, wherein he imagines he is pointed out as one of the honourable tribe of the Bishop's beadles and footmen, and then labours to vindicate himself from fuch groundless imputations. He acknowleges that he has expreffed himself warmly in regard to the Bifhop's character in feveral parts of his Writings, and tells us that his expreffions flowed from his heart, and were dictated by friendship and gratitude. Dr. Warburton's generous zeal, he fays, affifted in introducing him to the world, and the only return of gratitude he was capable of making, was to vindicate his [Dr. W.'s] fame from the fcurrilous infults of his enemies, by all the warmth of public and fincere approbation that hecould bestow.. Nor had he the leaft fufpicion, at that time, he fays, that this zeal (even fuppofing it to have arifen into an ill-judged prodigality of praife) could poffibly be conftrued by honeft men, into any thing else than the overflowings of gratitude and friendShip. Confcious that he has ftrong prejudices to contend with, which he thinks it incumbent on him to remove, the Doctor proceeds to give, what he calls the most ample and unanfwerable teftimony, that he is neither beadle, bravo, nor minif ter to any Mock-Monarch in literature upon earth. I will now produce, fays he, a variety of inconteftible vouchers; which will demonftrate, that while I was thus publicly vindicating the injured character of my friend, I was in fact difputing his particular opinions; and firmly refufmg my affent, and declaring my right to diffent, in the most unreferved manner. The firft of these evidences I fhall draw from my own writings already published: and particularly from the Effays on the Characteristics. On the fubject of the first effay, that "on ridicule confidered as a teft of truth," Dr. Warburton had pub lifhed his thoughts, long before mine were written. Yet, whoever fhall take the trouble of comparing my thoughts with His, will find them not only often different, but fometimes incompatible. Again, on the fubject of moral obligation, whoever fhall compare our fentiments, will find mine not only written in a train of thought entirely independent of His, but in fome material points diametrically oppofite. And thus, fo far have I been from from referring all mankind to the Divine Legation, "as to an infallible oracle, for the resolution of every question in literature ;" that I have written and published my fentiments in full and clear contradiction to fome of its principles. Let me add, that Dr. Warburton well knew, from the time of the first publication of these Essays, that I had thus publicly diffented from him in opinion: nor did this known oppofition of fentiment ever occafion any breach of friendship be tween us. The next vouchers I fhall produce, are my own letters, written feveral years ago to fome of my friends on fubjects of literature: did I think myfelf privileged to publifh without leave, the letters of my correfpondents, written to me on these occafions in confidence of fecrefy, I could give additional proofs of the wrong you have done me and fuch proofs, as would be far from difhonouring either my friends or Me. There are certain facts referred to even in these my own letters, relative to other fubjects, which I do not think myself at liberty to divulge and fhall therefore only publifh, what can effentially affect the prefent point in queftion. Nor fhould I have taken even this fep, had not the publication of these paragraphs been of the laft confequence to the full vindication of my moral character which I regard as an extreme neceffity, equal to That, when life or liberty are at stake. The firft of these evidences is the fubftance of a letter containing fome general thoughts on what I judged to be the true medium, in departing or not departing PUBLICLY from the opirions of a friend, in literary researches. It was communicated by me to feveral of my friends, in the year 1759. It runs thus. Dear Sir, "Horkefly (in Effex) October 30, 1759. "There is a kind of petulance, founded in felfifh vanity, which confifts in picking quarrels, fearching out fmall and incidental mistakes, either in reasoning, philology, or facts. I know of nothing more contemptible than this, in the whole tour of literary folly, which (between friends) is a very large This filly and ungenerous conduct we faw an inftance of in a certain ** with refpect to one of our Friends. The one. circumstances of the fact were fomewhat notorious in that inftance: but the thing itself is common; and makes the chief employment of that dirty modern tribe, who call themselves critics. Of this folly, if I know myself aright, I am incapable. But with regard to the investigation of truth in a more inlarged fenfe; here, I confefs, I fee no room for favour or friend " I have |