is at one time combating Locke, and at another making a catechifm for children in their fourth year. A voluntary defcent from the dignity of science is perhaps the hardest lesfon that humility can teach.

As his mind was capacious, his curiofity excurfive, and his induftry continual, his writings are very numerous, and his fubjects various. With his theological works I am only enough acquainted to admire the meeknefs of his oppofition, and the mildness of his cenfures. It was not only in his book but in his mind that orthodoxy was united with charity.

Of his philofophical pieces, his Logick has been received into the univerfities, and therefore wants no private recommendation: if he owes part of it to Le Clerc, it must be confidered that no man who undertakes merely to methodise or illuftrate a fyftem, pretends to be its author.

In his metaphyfical difquifitions, it was obferved by the late learned Mr. Dyer, that he confounded the idea of space with that of empty

empty space, and did not consider that though space might be without matter, yet matter, being extended, could not be without space.

Few books have been perused by me with greater pleasure than his Improvement of the Mind, of which the radical principles may indeed be found in Locke's Conduct of the Underftanding, but they are fo expanded and ramified by Watts, as to confer upon him. the merit of a work in the highest degree useful and pleasing. Whoever has the care of inftructing others, may be charged with deficience in his duty if this book is not recommended.

: I have mentioned his treatifes of Theology as diftinct from his other productions; but the truth is, that whatever he took in hand was, by his inceffant folicitude for fouls, converted to Theology. As piety predominated in his mind, it is diffufed over his works: under his direction it may be truly faid, Theologia Philofophia ancillatur, philosophy is fubfervient to evangelical inftruction; it is difficult to read a page without learning, or at least wishing, to be better. The attention

is caught by indirect instruction, and he that fat down only to reafon is on a fudden compelled to pray.

It was therefore with great propriety that, in 1728, he received from Edinburgh and Aberdeen an unfolicited diploma, by which he became a Doctor of Divinity. Academical honours would have more value, if they were always bestowed with equal judgement.

He continued many years to study and to preach, and to do good by his inftruction and example; till at last the infirmities of age difabled him from the more laborious part of his minifterial functions, and, being no longer capable of publick duty, he offered to remit the falary appendant to it; but his congregation would not accept the refignation.

By degrees his weakness increased, and at laft confined him to his chamber and his bed; where he was worn gradually away without pain, till he expired Nov. 25, 1748, in the feventy-fifth year of his aget

VOL. IV.

Few

Few men have left behind fuch purity character, or fuch monuments of laboric piety. He has provided inftruction for ages, from those who are lifping their fi leffons, to the enlightened readers of Ma branche and Locke; he has left neither cor poreal nor fpiritual nature unexamined; h has taught the art of reasoning, and the sci ence of the stars.

His character, therefore, must be formed from the multiplicity and diversity of his attainments, rather than from any fingle per formance; for it would not be fafe to clain for him the highest rank in any single denomination of literary dignity; yet perhaps there was nothing in which he would not have excelled, if he had not divided his powers to different purfuits.

As a poet, had he been only a poet, hẹ would probably have stood high among the authors with whom he is now affociated. For his judgement was exact, and he noted beauties and faults with very nice difcernment; his imagination, as the Dacian Battle proves,

I

roves, was vigorous and active, and the ores of knowledge were large by which his nagination was to be fupplied. His ear was ell-tuned, and his diction was elegant and >pious. But his devotional poetry is, like lat of others, unfatisfactory. The paucity f its topicks enforces perpetual repetition, nd the fanctity of the matter rejects the ornaments of figurative diction. It is fufficient for Watts to have done better than others what no man has done well.

His poems on other fubjects feldom rise higher than might be expected from the amufements of a Man of Letters, and have different degrees of value as they are more or lefs laboured, or as the occafion was more or lefs favourable to invention.

He writes too often without regular meafures, and too often in blank verfe; the rhymes are not always fufficiently correfpondent. He is particularly unhappy in coining names expressive of characters. His lines are commonly fmooth and eafy, and his thoughts always religioufly pure; but who is there that, to so much piety and innocence,