cracy, which a celebrated diffenting minifter has prepofterously gone out of his way to bring in queftion: whose reasoning, therefore, is examined and expofed.

2. This theocracy, thus proved to be neceffary, was likewife, of the most easy introduction, as I have fhewn from the notions and opinions of those times, concerning tutelary deities. And here, speaking of the method of divine providence, in applying the prejudices and manners of men to the great ends of his difpenfations, I obferve, that he is always accuftomed to impress on his inftitution, fome characteristic note of difference, to mark it for his own: which leading me to give inftances in fome of these notes, I infift chiefly upon this, "that the Mofaic religion was built upon a former, namely, the patriarchal whereas the various religions of the pagan, world were all unrelated to, and independent of one another." As this was a circumstance neceffary to be well attended to, by all who would fully comprehend the nature of the Mofaic policy, I took the advantage, which the celebrated author of the Grounds and Reason of the Chriftian Religion had afforded me, to fup port this characteristic note, against his idle attempt to prove, that the pagans, likewife, were accustomed to build one pretended revelation on another.

3. I proceed, in the next place, to fhew, that thofe prejudices which made the introduction of a theocracy so easy, occafioned as eafy a defection from it. In which, I had occafion to explain the nature of the worship of tutelary gods; and of that idolatry wherewith the Ifraelites were fo obftinately befotted.

Both of which difcourfes ferve these future purposes: the former, to fupport and explain what hath been faid in the fecond book concerning the pagan intercommunity of worship: and the latter, (befides a peculiar ufe to be made of it in the third volume) to obviate a popular objection of unbelievers; who, from this circumftance, of the perpetual defection of the Ifraelites into idolatry, would infer, that God's difpenfation to them could never have been fo convictive as their history reprefents it; the objectors having taken it for granted, on the allowance of believers, that this idolatry confifted in renouncing the law of Mofes, and renouncing it as diflatisfied with its truth. Both which fuppofitions are here fhewn to be falfe. This af fords an occafion to confute the falfe reafoning of lord Bolingbroke; who, from this frequent lapfe into idolatry, infers fuch a defect and political inability in the law, as fhews its pretence to a divine original to be an imposture.

4. The nature of the theocracy, and the circumstances attending its erection being thus explained, we come next to inquire concerning its duration. Here we fhew, that, in ftrict

truth and propriety, it fubfifted throughout the whole period of the Jewish economy, even to the coming of Chrift: in which difcourfe, the contrary opinions, of an earlier abolition, are al confidered and confuted, and the above truth fupported and eftablished. In the courfe of this reafoning, it is fhewn, that the famous prophecy of Jacob, of the fceptre's not departing from Judah till the coming of Shiloh, is a promise or declaration of the existence of the theocracy till the coming of Chrift. And as the truth of this interpretation is of the higheft importance to revelation, all the different fenfes given to this prophecy are examined, and fhewn to be erroneous. And the laft of them being one borrowed by Dr. Sherlock, bishop of London, and received into his book of the use and intent of prophecy, is particularly difcuffed.

The ufe to be hereafter made of the duration of the theocracy to the coming of Chrift, is to inforce, by this circumftance, amongst many others, the connexion between the two religions: a truth, though too much neglected, yet incumbent on every rational defender of revelation to fupport.

• The argument then proceeds to a confideration of the peculiar confequences attending the adminiftration of a theocracy, which brings us yet nearer to our point. Here it is shewn, that one neceffary confequence was an extraordinary providence. And agreeably to this deduction from the nature of things, we find, that the holy Scripture does, in fact, exhibit this very representation of God's government of Judea; and that there are many favourable circumstances in the character of the Hebrew people, to induce us to believe the representation to be true. Here, many cloudy cavils of the three doctors, Sykes, Stebbing, and Rutherford, are occafionally removed and difperfed. But the attentive reader will obferve, that my argument does not require me to prove more in this place, than that holy scripture reprefents an extraordinary providence to have been adminiftered. The proof of its real administration is established by the medium of my thefis, the omiffion of the doctrine of a future state of rewards and punishments. Which answers all objections as to our inadequate conceptions of fuch an adminiftration; as well as to certain paffages of fcripture that seem to clash with its general reprefentation of it, Yet both these fort of objections are, however, confidered ex abundanti.

Ás important as the fact is, to our present purpose of an extraordinary providence thus reprefented, it has ftill a further ufe, when employed amongst thofe diftinguifhing marks of the truth of Mofes's divine miflion in general: for it fhews us, the unneceffary trouble and hazard to which he expofed himself had that miffion been feigned. Had he, like the reft of the anci

2

ent

ent lawgivers, only pretended to inspiration, he had then no occafion to propagate the belief of an extraordinary providence ; a difpenfation fo eafy to be confuted. But by deviating from their practice, and announcing to his people, that their tutelary God was become their king, he laid himself under a neceffity of teaching an extraordinary providence; a dead weight upon an impoftor, which nothing but downright folly could have brought him to undergo..

To proceed. After having laid this ftrong and neceffary foundation, we come at length directly to the point in question. If the Jewish government were a theocracy, administered, as it must be, by an extraordinary providence, the next confequence is, that temporal rewards and punishments, and not future, were the fanction of their law and religion. Thus far, therefore, have our confiderations on the nature alone of the Jewish government conducted us: and it is almoft to our journey's end for it fairly brings us up to the proof of our two minor propofitions. So neceffary, as the reader now fees, is the long difcourfe of the nature of the Jewish government.'

:

We shall conclude the recapitulation of this work, in our next, with observations.

نية

VI. The Sermons of Mr. Yorick. Vol. III. 8vo. Pr. 2s. 6d.

T'

Becket:

HE author of Triftram Shandy is difcernible in every page of thefe difcourfes. They who have read the former will find in the latter the fame acute remarks on the manners of mankind, the fame ftriking characters, the same accurate investigation of the paffions, the fame delicate ftrokes of fatire, and the fame art in moving the tender affections of nature. But the author fometimes forgets the dignity of his charácter, and the folemnity of a chriftian congregation, and condefcends, on the mcft interefting topics of religion, to excite a jocular idea, or difplay a frivolous turn of wit.

We shall not attempt to give the reader an abridgment of these discourses; as they chiefly consist of unconnected obfervations, they cannot easily be exhibited in one compendious view. The fubject of the firft fermon is the character of Shimei ; which the author delineates with a masterly hand.

In all David's profperity, there is no mention made of Shimei-He thruft himself forward into the circle, and poffibly was numbered amongst friends and well wishers.

When the scene changes, and David's troubles force him to leave his houfe in despair,-Shimei is the firft man we hear of, who comes out against him.

VOL. XXI. January, 1766.

The wheel turns round once more; Abfalom is caft down and David returns in peace-Shimei fuits his behaviour to the occafion, and is the first man alfo who haftes to greet him— and had the wheel turned round a hundred times, Shimei, I dare fay, in every period of its rotation, would have been uppermoft.'

Having obferved that the family of Shimei infefts the court, the camp, the cabinet, and the church, the author thus wittily goes on

ever

-Hafte, Shimei!-hafte; or thou wilt be undone for -Shimei girdeth up his loins and speedeth after him— behold the hand which governs every thing,-takes the wheels from off his chariot, fo that he who driveth, driveth on heavily- -Shimei doubles his fpeed-but 'tis the contrary way; he flies like the wind o'er a fandy defart, and the place thereof hall know it no more- -ftay, Shimei! 'tis your patronyour friend—your benefactor ;-'tis the man who has raised you from the dunghill-'tis all one to Shimei: Shimei is the barometer of every man's fortune; marks the rife and fall of it, with all the variations from fcorching hot to freezing cold upon his countenance, that the fimile will admit of---Is a cloud "upon thy affairs?-fee-it hangs over Shimei's brow-haft thou been spoken for to the king or the captain of the hoft without fuccefs?. -look not into the court-kalendar- -the vacancy is filled up in Shimei's face--art thou in debt? tho' not to Shimei

no matter- -the worst officer of the law fhall not be more infolent.'

The fecond difcourfe contains reflections on the cafe of Hezekiah, and the meffengers.

In all trials of adverfity, Hezekiah behaves well; nothing unmans him but when profperity returns upon him, and the meflengers from a distant country come to pay the flattering homage due to his greatnefs, and the extraordinary felicity of his life; he turns giddy, finks under the weight of his good fortone, and, with a tranfport unbecoming a wife man, fhews them. all the magnificence of his court, and the ftrength of his domiriions. In a course of years that opulence which was the fource of his pride, becomes the inftrument of his punishment. This incident gives our author occafion to examine the ordinary motives and difguifes of the human heart. His portrait of mankind is juft and ftriking.

VANITY bids all her fons to be generous and brave, and her daughters to be chafte and courteous.- -But why do we want her inftructions ?- -Afk the comedian who is taught a part he feels not

Is it that the principles of religion want ftrength, or that

the

the real paffion for what is good and worthy will not carry us High enough? -God! thou knoweft they carry us too high

we want not to be but to seem

Look out of your door,-take notice of that man; see what difquieting, intriguing and fhifting, he is content to go through, merely to be thought a man of plain dealing: three grains of honesty would fave him all this trouble:alas! he has them not.

Behold a f.cond, under a fhew of piety hiding the impurities of a debauched life:he is juft entering the house of God:would he was more pure-or less pious :-but then he could not gain his point.

• Obferve a third going almost in the fame track,——————with what an inflexible fanctity of deportment, he fuftains himself ås he advances :-every line in his face writes abftinence; every ftride looks like a check upon his defires: fee, I befeech you, how he is cloak'd up with fermons, prayers and facraments; and fo bemuffled with the externals of religion, that he has not a hand to spare for a worldly purpose ;-he has armour at least—Why does he put it on? Is there no ferving God without all this? Muft the garb of religion be extended fo wide to the danger of it's rending ?—Yes, truly, or it will not hide the fecret-and, What is that?

That the faint has no religion at all. But here comes GENEROSITY; giving- -not to a decayed artift-but to the arts and fciences themselves.-See,he builds not a chamber in the wall apart for the prophet; but whole fchools and colleges for those who come after. LORD! how they will magnify his name!-'tis in capitals already; the firft-the higheft, in the gilded rent-roll of every hospital and afylum

One honeft tear fhed in private over the unfortunate, is worth it all.

• What a problematic fet of creatures does fimulation make us! Who would divine that all the anxiety and concern fo vifible in the airs of one half of that great affembly should arise from nothing else, but that the other half of it may think them to be men of confequence, penetration, parts and conduct?What a noife amongst the claimants about it? Behold Humility, out of mere pride,—and honefty almost out of knavery :— Chastity, never once in harm's way,- -and courage, like a Spanifh foldier upon an Italian ftage-a bladder full ofwind.

--- Hark! that, the found of that trumpet,——let not my foldier run,'- -tis fome good Chriftian giving alms. O Piry, thou gentlest of human paffions! foft and tender are thy notes, and ill accord they with fo loud an inftrument.'