delivery. By this means, they find themselves inwardly affected and warmed; and that heating of their fancy, they esteem and call spiritual edification; but when any point of doctrine is handled in a clofe and argumentative manner, it appears flat and unfavoury to them; hath nothing in it of the life and power of godliness, and is all mere human reafoning. But herein they are widely mistaken, for it is a far greater and more useful work, to inform the understandings, and convince the judgments of men, than to raise their paffions; and that difcourse which is most instructive, and beft fupported by reafon, is certainly (if men attend to it as they ought) moft edifying too. A vehement and voluble tongue-a languishing tone of voice-a fet of pious phrafes, and the like, will very powerfully move the affections of fome forts of bearers; but the warmth by that means raised is momentary and vanifhing, without any true, found, lafting fpiritual improvement. To compafs that, the way we find which the mighty and fuccefsful preacher, St. Paul, took, was to reafon. Though he was divinely inspired, and fpake therefore, as the oracles of God, with an uncountrable authority, yet, in compliance with the way in which human nature and reasonable creatures are ufually wrought upon -" He reafoned." Acts, chap. xvii. verfe. 3.

Needs there a ftronger or more powerful argument for the ufe of reafon in inculcating the duties of religion, than the example of this great apoftle of the Gentiles? A powerful, ftrong, and eloquent reajoner, must of confequence move the paffions; and to confirm this, we have the evidence of St. Luke in

the Acts, chap. xxiv. verfe 25. that when Paul reafoned of the moral obligations, and the future judgement, the guilty governor trembled. When we are thoroughly convinced in our own minds of the truth, it is not easy to make refiftance; we are, as it were, infenfibly moved: our hearts are touched when our understanding is opened.

Can it be faid, with any colour of truth, that our Bleffed Lord addreffes himself to the paffions only, without ever appealing to the reafon, convincing the understandings, and informing the judgments of his audience?

Is not his moft incomparable fermon on the mount (not to mention his feveral occafional discourses and private conferences) a ftriking proof to the contrary?

What else can that noble confef fion made by the difciples—“ did not our hearts burn within us?" Luke xxiv. 30. be fuppofed to arife from, but the ftrength of argument, and the powers of a rational conviction?

Doubtless that teftimony (fo much to the honour of the faviour of the world)-" never man fpake like this man," was not merely the effe&t of rhetorick and found. The powers of reafon and folid argument joined their efforts, and confpired to extort this extraordinary acknowledgement in favour of one whom prejudice had biaffed their natural judgements againft!

Is there any fhadow of probability to prefume, that the 3000 pro felytes which were gained over to the chriftian faith by the fermon of St. Peter, were captivated merely by fpecious found, artificial colourings, and flowers of rhetorick?

Muft we not much rather impute

their fudden converfion to the ftrength of argument, and force of reasoning difplayed in his difcourfe, by which their prepoffeffions were fhaken, and their prejudices loof

ened?

What could extort that confeffion from the mouth of king Agrippa, "Almost thou perfuadeft me to be a chriftian," but the powers of reason and folid argument. The very word perfuade implies, that he was wrought upon by the force and energy of a rational conviction.

Very apparent it is, that reafon was far from being difclaimed by the facred writers. The ruling faculty of the human mind is the underftanding the principle of reafon, which is given as a guide or meafure, by the help of which we are to proportion our esteem of every thing according to the degrees of perfection and goodnefs which we find therein.

Reafon bids us be obedient to God. His protection and our allegiance are (or should be) reciprocal.

Enforce the practical duties, e. g. temperance, juftice, &c. our reafon must be applied to. It is a juft re

mark that there is nothing that can pretend to judge of reafon but itfelf; and therefore, they that fuppofe they can fay most against it, are forced (like jewellers, who beat true diamonds to powder, to cut and polifh falfe ones with their duft) to make use of it against itself, if they will ever fay any thing against it that can pretend to be to any purpofe; but in this they cheat themfelves as well as others, for if they that can say most against reason, do it without reafon, they deferve to be neglected; and if they do it with reafon (as they can never do it with any thing elfe) they difprove themfelves, for they use it whilft they difclaim it, and act with as much inconfiftency and contradiction, as if a man fhould fay he cannot speak.

It is by this noble faculty, that man is raised above all other fublunary beings, and is only a little lower than the angels. It is by this, that we are enabled to weigh the confequences of a virtuous and vicious courfe, and to perform to God what is required at our hand," A reafonable service." Rom. xii. v. I. Chart Kent. E. WATKINSON.

IT

T has been often remarked, that the life of an hero could never be written with candour till envy or adulation flept with him in the grave; and that thofe actions only become the object of hiftory, which it was not in the power of fucceeding misconduct to tarnish.

Mr. Charles Churchill was the fon of the Rev. Mr. Charles Churchill, curate and lecturer of St. John's in Westminster; he was alfo educated in Weftminfter-fchool, and re

ceived fome applaufe for his abilities. from his tutors in that famous feminary. His capacity, however, was far greater than his application, fo that he acquired the character of a boy who could do good if he would. As the flighteft accounts of perfons fo noted are agreeable, it may not be amifs to obferve, that having one day got an exercife to make, and from idleness, or inattention, having failed to bring it at the time appointed, his mafter thought proper

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to chaftife him with fome feverity, and even reproach his ftupidity: what the fear of ftripes could not effect, the fear of fhame foon produced, and he brought his exercife the next day finished in fuch a manner, that he received the public thanks of all the matters.

Still, however, it is to be fuppofed that his progrefs in the learned languages was but flow, nor is it to be wondered at, if we confider how difficult it was for a strong imagination, fuch as he was poffeffed of, to conform and walk tamely forward in the trammels of a fchool education: minds like his are ever ftarting afide after new purfuits, defirons of embracing a multiplicity of amuf. ing objects, eager to come at the end without the painful inveftigation of the means; and, if we may borrow a term from the mercantile world, a genius like his, difdaining the painful affiduity of earning knowledge by retail, aimed at being a wholesale dealer in the treasures of literature. This much was neceffary to premife, in order to palliate his being refused admittance into the university of Oxford, to which he was fent by his father, for want of proper skill in the learned languages. He has often mentioned his repulfe upon that occafion; but whether his juftification of himself is to be admitted, we will not undertake to determine. Certain it is, that both he and his companions have often afferted, that he could have anfwered the college-examination had he thought proper; but he fo much defpifed the trifling queftions that were put to him, that inftead of making the proper replies, he only launched out in fatyrical reflections upon the abilities of the gentleman whofe office it was to be judge of his.

Be this as it will, Mr. Churchill was rejected at Oxford, and probably this might have given occafion to the frequent invectives we find in his works against that moft respectable university. Upon his returning from Oxford, he again applied to his ftudies at Weflmiafterfchool; and there, at the age of feventeen, contracted an intimacy with the lady to whom he was married, and who ftill furvives him. This was one of thofe imprudent matches which generally begin in paffion and end in difguft. However, the beginning of this young couple's regards for each other were mutual and fincere, and so continued for feveral years after. At the ufual age of going into orders, Mr. Churchill was ordained by the late bishop of London, notwithstanding he had taken no degree, nor fiudied in either of our universities; and the firft place he had in the church was a fmall curacy of thirty pounds a year in Wales. To this remote part of the kingdom he brought his wife; they took a little houfe, and he went through the duties of his ftation with chearfulness and affiduity. Happy had it been for him in this life, perhaps more happy in that to which he has been called, if he had fill continued here in piety, fimplicity, and peace. His parithjoners all loved and efteemed him; his fermons, though rather raifed above the level of his audience, were however commended and followed. In order to eke out his feanty finances, he entered into a branch of trade which he thought might end in riches, but which involved him in debts that preffed him for fome years after; this was no other than keeping a cyder-cellar, and dealing in this liquor through that part of

the

the country. A poet is but ill qualified for merchandize, where fmall gains are patiently to be expected, and carefully accumulated. He had neither patience for the one, nor œconomy for the other; and a fort of rural bankruptcy was the confequence of his attempt.

Upon leaving Wales, he came up to London, and his father foon after dying, he ftept into the church in which he had officiated. In order to improve his income, which in this fituation did not produce full an hundred pounds yearly, he undertook to teach young ladies to read and write English, and was employed for this purpofe in the boarding-school of Mrs. Dennis, where he behaved with that decency and piety which became his profeffion: nor fhould we here omit paying proper deference to a mode of female education, which feems new amongst us; for while in other fchools our young miffes are taught the arts of perfonal allurements only, this fenfible governess pays the ftricteft at tention to the minds of her young pupils, and endeavours to fit them for the domestic duties of life, with as much affiduity as they are elfewhere formed to levity and fplendor.

While Mr. Churchill was in this fituation, his method of living bearing no preportion to his income, feveral debts were contracted in the city, which he was not in a capacity of paying; and a gaol, the continual terror of indigent genius, feemed now ready to close upon his miferies. From this wretched ftate of uneasiness, he was relieved by the benevolence of Mr. Lloyd, father to the poet of that name, who paid his debts, or at least fatisfied his creditors.

December 1764.

In the mean time, while Mr. Lloyd, the father, was thus relieving Churchill by his bounty, Mr. Lloyd, the fon, began to excite him by his example. The Ador, a poetical epiftle, written by this gentleman, and addreffed to Mr. Bonnel Thornton, was read and relished by all the judges of poetical merit, and gave the author a diftinguished place among the writers of his age. Mr. Churchill foon undertook to write the Rofciad, a work, though upon a more confined plan, yet was more adapted to engage the public attention. It first came out without the name of the author; but the juftnefs of its remark, and particularly the feverity of the fatire, foon excited public curiofity. Though he never difowned his having written this piece, and even openly gloried in it; yet the public, unwilling to give fo much merit to one alone, afcribed it to a combination of wits; nor were Mefirs. Lloyd, Thornton, or Colman, left unnamed upon this occafion. This misplaced praife fcon induced Mr. Churchill to throw off the mask, and the fecond edition appeared with his name at length; and now the fame, which before was diffused upon many obje&s, became centered to a point.

As the Refeiad was the firft of this poet's performances, fo many are of opinion that it is his beft; and, indeed, I am inclined to concur in the fame fentiment. In it we find a very close and minute difcuffion of the particular merit of each performer; their defects pointed out with candour, and their merits praifed without adulation. This poem, however, feems to be one of thofe few works which are injured by fucceeding editions: when he became popular, his judgment began to grow 40

drunk