each skeleton: the primary and more important parts are distin guished from those which are secondary and subordinate; the latter being printed in a smaller type, and placed between brackets.

We judge it wholly unnecessary to give any specimen of this publication; for, though we think it very important that great attention should be paid to methodical arrangement in the composition of sermons, we cannot say that we should think it any improvement on the present mode of preaching, if the plans here proposed were generally adopted; nor do we conceive that the usual strain of moral instruction, which has prevailed among our more intelligent and liberal divines, both in the church of England and among dissenters, would be advantageously superseded by discourses completely filled up from the matter provided in these skeletons. Such an alteration would rather tend to bring back the days of fanaticism, than to carry forwards the great design of rendering public instruction more informing and useful. If any reader should find his curiosity so far excited, with respect to this publication, as to wish for farther particulars, he may be gratified at an easy expence by purchasing the specimen which is the subject of the next article.

Art. 38. The Gospel Message. A Sermon preached before the University, Nov. 13, 1796; to which are annexed four Skeletons of Sermons upon the same Text, treated in four different Ways, with a View to illustrate Mr. Claude's Rules of Composition and Topics of Discourse. By the Rev.. Charles Simeon, M. A. Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. The Fifth Edition. Large 8vo. pp. 24. One Shilling. Mathews. 1796. This sermon, &c. is intended as an Appendix to the volume noticed in the preceding article, and is well suited to explain and illustrate the author's plan. The text is Mark xvi. 15, 16.

Art. 39. A Vindication of the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and of the Doctrines contained in them; being an Answer to the two Parts of Mr.T. Paine's Age of Reason. By Thomas Scott, Chaplain to the Lock Hospital. Small 8vo. IS. Mathews. 1796. This is one of the most full and detailed replies to the Age of Reason that has yet come before us, and by its plainness it is suited for the generality of readers. We cannot but admire the good intention with which it is written. Mr. Scott is not only a warm but an able advocate for revelation: he has, in a variety of instances, detected the mistakes into which Mr. Paine has fallen; exposed the futility of his objections to the scriptures; and proved how very superficially he must have read them. As a specimen of Mr. S.'s ability we shall transcribe his observations on Mr. Paine's strictures on the Books of Kings and Chronicles:

The attention he has paid to his subject appears from his asserting, that the genealogy from Adam to Saul takes up the first nine chapters of Chronicles: when in fact the descendants of David to four generations after Zerubbabel are found in the third chapter; and the succession of the high priests till the captivity in the sixth chapter, besides other matters of the same kind! This would be unworthy of notice, did it not shew that the author is not so com

petent

petent to his undertaking, as many of his readers, who have not studied the subject, may suppose him. He considers the books of Chronicles as a repetition of the books of Kings; and others I find speak of them in the same manner. But an attentive examination of them will convince any man, that this is erroneous: for the second book of Chronicles contains the history of Judah only, and of the kings that succeeded David till the captivity; and it gives a more copious and methodical account of them, than is found in the books of Kings. These latter, from the division of the nation into two kingdoms, resemble an history of France and England' carried on together, with continual transitions from one to the other. The former is like the history of England apart, in which the affairs of France are only mentioned, when they are connected with those of England.

What then shall we think of a man, who charges two historians with being impostors and liars, because they do not exactly relate the same events? Had they written the history of the same kingdom: they might surely have had the liberty to select, according to their different views, the peculiar facts which they would record: for no historian can record every thing that happens. But their histories relate to distinct subjects, and the writer of Chronicles had nothing immediately to do with the affairs of Israel. He, who undertakes to write the annals of England, is not bound to relate the extraordinary measures and edicts of the French convention: and should some author in future times on this ground assert, that the historians of England and France did not believe one another, they knew each other too well:' the observation would not, I suppose, greatly recommend his candour and penetration.'

After having patiently attended Mr. P. through the several books of the Old and New Testament, Mr. Scott proceeds in the second part of his performance to discuss the subjects of—Revelation-Miracles-Prophecy-the Canon of Scripture-Mystery-Redemption -the Insufficiency of Deism-and the Nature and Tendency of Christianity.

On the subject of Miracles, he reasons well, and has shewn that Mr. P. has mistaken the meaning of the word: but we must confess that Mr. Scott does not appear to us equally fortunate on every topic. We think that he attempts too much when he contends for the inspiration of the historical parts of Scripture, and that his conceit of the victories of Joshua being typical is unfounded. We were surprised, also, to find him declaring his firm belief of the Song of Solomon being a very useful part of the word of God, and asserting our Saviour to have made his quotations from the Septuagint. The quotations in the Gospels from the O. T. do for the most part agree with the 70, and may induce a belief that in the time of Christ these were the readings of the Hebrew text: but certainly he did not quote Greek to his Palestine hearers.

Mr. Scott is also in an error when he says that there is no sober student of the Bible who will find a single passage, in which the idea of a divine super-natural impulse is not connected with the word prophesying. What will he say as to the meaning of this word

7

1 Kings

Kings xviii. 29? Here it cannot mean either predicting, or speaking under a divine or supposed divine impulse.

Art. 40. The Manner pointed out in which the COMMON PRAYER was read in Private by the late Mr. Garrick, for the Instruction of a young Clergyman: from whose MS. this Publication is composed. By J. W. Anderson, A. M. 8vo. 2s. Rivingtons.

1797.

The incorrect elocution and the unanimated delivery of many of our divines are more efficient causes of the want of piety, in the greater part of all congregations, than may appear on a slight consideration of this important subject.-Though every clergyman cannot, through defective powers of enunciation, or from other impediments, strongly impress his audience with the sympathy of devotional fervor, nor be able to rouse a languid mind into devotional energy, yet the most imperfect orator should endeavour to avoid the more common faults of careless utterance, or undignified attitudes and gestures; and to this end he may certainly be assisted in his endeavours by the attentive perusal of some points of instruction contained in the pamphlet before us: yet we would not wish him to be too servile in his observance of the directions here said to have been given by the accomplished David Garrick, lest he should unfortunately be considered rather as a stage performer, than a pulpit orator.

Art. 41. A Defence of the Mosaic, or Revealed Creation : proving the Authenticity of the Pentateuch; the Consistency of Moses's Description with the Principles of Natural Philosophy now current; and the Truth of Scripture Chronology. *Humbly offered to the Perusal of Philosophic Infidels. By John Jones, Яvo. pp. 29. IS. Griffiths. 1796.

This pamphlet is intended as an answer to a Refutation of revealed Chronology by John East, Esq. of Mile-End.-It was read some time ago before the Mathematical Society, and is now published verbatim ; with the small addition of a page, which the printer required to compicte two sheets: but to the destruction of the author's pamphlet, by an inuendo en priesthood. I concluded (says he) my performance with a

curse! *

Although we are decidedly of opinion that this tract will not afford great support to the system which it is designed to prop, we give the author full credit for his zeal and orthodoxy. We only wish that he had reasoned a little more mathematically.

MEDICAL and CHEMICAL, &c.

Art. 42. A Treatise on the Yellow Fever, as it appeared in the Island of Dominica, in the Years 1793-4-5-6: to which are added, Observations on the Bilious Remittent Fever, on the Intermittents, Dysentery, and some other West India Diseases; also, the Chemical Analysis and Medical Properties of the Hot Mineral Waters in the same Island. By James Clark, M. D. F.R.S. E. 8vo. pp. 168. 38. 6d. Boards. Murray and Co. 1797.

* We learn this from his own letter, addressed to us.

A history

A history and description of the yellow fever form the introduc tion of this work; after which Dr. Clark recommends the free use of mercury, both as a remedy and a preventive. The officers of his Majesty's army and navy, who have leisure and can be prevailed upon, on their arrival (in the West Indies) to undergo one or two gentle courses of mercury, taking a few laxative medicines after, confining themselves to the moderate use of wine, and living chiefly on vegetables and fruits for the first two months, may rely almost to a certainty on escaping this fever.' To others, a few brisk calomel purges are recommended, with bark, during the time of service. The author speaks unfavourably of bleeding. There was not a single instance of an emigrant recovering who had been bled:' but, in a few instances of robust new-comers, bleeding was employed with advantages.

Dr. Clark asserts that, according to Scheele's eudiometer, the atmosphere appeared, during the prevalence of the disease, to contain but one fifth of vital air; whereas, by the same test, it contained one fourth at other times. The reduced state of the atmosphere he believes to have first excited the disease. On this head, however, he expresses himself like one who is confused, and in consequence confuses his readers, with inaccurate ideas :

This derangement of the component parts of the atmosphere, was probably effected by the strong light and intense heat of the sun having disengaged, or formed some combination with its vital part, or a certain portion of it, which being so united and rarified would rise far above that stratum of air, in which we, in lower situations, breathe, leaving the mephitic or heavier part near to the surface of the earth. The loss of a small portion of vital air would render this lower stratum very unfit for respiration, and of course very unwholesome to live in.'

The causes to which this reduction of the standard of the atmosphere is ascribed are, in our estimation, utterly inadequate to the effect. The author talks as if the still moving air' were as stationary as the lands which it sweeps; and we imagine that it would be quite as philosophical to ascribe the plague of London to the Lord Mayor's kitchen fire, as a depravation of the whole Caribbeean atmosphere to any phlogistic processes that may be going on in the Islands. The remote causes of the yellow fever are matter of deeper research, and must perhaps be deduced from principles not yet to be found in our philosophy.

The principal points in the remainder of this volume are a recommendation of bark, as early as possible in the remission of the bilious remittent fever-of the cinchona brachycarpa in some intermittentsof a watery infusion of ipecacuanha in dysentery-a_distinction of tetanus into idiopathic and symptomatic, the first of which is said to be cured and the latter prevented by mercurials-and a reference of the jaw-fall of infants to wood smoke. Some observations and experiments in the hot mineral waters of Dominica close the author's part of the volume. Mr. Brande has contributed a small appendix of experiments on the Cinchona Brachycarpa.

Art.

Art. 43. An Account of the Yellow Fever, with a successful Method of Cure. By James Bryce, Surgeon, late of the Busbridge East Indiaman. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Robinsons.

This essay treats on a subject which has employed and deserves to employ many pens, and it contains some curious particulars. The disease broke out 40 days after the vessel had ceased to have communication either with ship or port. It is remarkable, though suffici ently conformable to analogy, that it should have immediately succeeded the ceremony of ducking those who had never before crossed the line. The small proportion of deaths is absolutely unprecedented. Out of 250 cases, (300, if we reckon relapses,) three only terminated fatally. The author's success seems to have been owing to the free use of calomel with gamboge, jalap, and other drastic substances. The disease raged on board the Busbridge during the summer of 1792; Mr. Bryce, therefore, could not avail himself of any of the recent publications on the similar treatment of this most formidable complaint.

Whether the contagion was carried out or generated on board appears altogether uncertain; and the identity of the disorder with those which have depopulated America and the West Indies is a question of some nicety. We, who can judge only from the reports of medical men, are obliged to acknowlege a striking similarity in many circumstances,-the mortality excepted.

From the year 1793 to the present moment, books professing to furnish"successful methods of treatment" have come to our hands: yet during the whole of this period, accounts (we fear, too authentic) of the unabated ravages of the yellow fever have been transmitted to us. How is this difficulty to be explained? Do not the books reach our army surgeons? Do these gentlemen not follow the methods? or are these methods less successful in the hands of others than in those of the first proposers?

Art. 44. A Treatise on the Disorders incident to Horned Cattle, &c. &c. By J. Downing. To which are added Receipts for curing the Gripes, Staggers, and Worms in Horses, and an Appendix, containing Instructions for the extracting of Calves. 8vo. pp. 131. 10s. 6d. Printed at Stourbridge. London, Longman. 1797. From the extraordinary price set on this little volume, we imagine that the author has gained reputation for his practical skill in his neighbourhood, and has been supposed to be possessed of some valuable secrets in the treatment of diseased cattle. We do not wish to lessen his credit in his profession: but we cannot say much in favour of his book, which shews neither the knowlege of the animal economy, nor the acquaintance with medicine, that are necessary for reducing practice to rational principles. Some of his receipts are an inconsistent jumble, and appear to us very ill adapted to the case in which they are prescribed. We fear, indeed, that several of them would be mischievous. very Art. 45. Observations concerning the Diet of the Common People, recommending a Method of living less expensive, and more conducive to Health than the present. By William Buchan, M. D. &c. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Cadell jun. and Davies. 1797.

Few