then had been in the habit of drinking freely; fourteen only had good teeth; one half had very imperfeét vifion, and one fifth had their hearing impaired. Of 2500 out-penfioners, it appears, that there are only 23 above 80, fo that the comparifon is much in favour of the attention paid to the health of the in-penfioners. Of thefe, one in fifteen has a hernia, of the out-penfioners, one in forty. In Kilmainham Hofpital, out of 31 above 80 years of age, two only were above 90; about half were defcended from long-lived families; almost all had been above 20 years in the fervice; all had been married, fome above 50 years; all but one used tobacco; most of them called themfelves but moderate drink. ers; about one third had their fight; but only feven their hearing impaired; and two thirds had their mental faculties and organs in a good state.

From a very extenfive table of the fate of 471 aged perfons in the different workhouses in London, procured by the affiftance of Mr. Colquhoun, it appears that more than threefourths of these are females; 420 have been married; four. fifths have been temperate; more than a third have used tobacco; and more than half have become very infirm, and have loft the ufe of their faculties. Hence the author concludes, that" on the whole, this table does not furnish any trong inducements to afpire to great longevity;" and it may deferve his confideration, whether or no it would not be better to burn his book, left mankind thould be burdened with too long lives.

The remaining feventeen papers, contained in this volume, confift principally of accounts of feveral other perfons who have attained a great age, chiefly refiding in Scotland; and of a variety of mifcellaneous hints, which do not require particular notice.

The account of authors, and the extracts from their works, begun in the fecond volume, is continued in the third, which is devoted to foreign authors, who have written in modern times; beginning with the Schola Salernitana, in Latin and in English, and going on with Cornaro and his cotempo raries and followers, to the time of San&torius, whofe Medicina Statica is inferted at large, with additions. A variety of later authors, little known, are then enumerated, the lait of whom is Ramazzini; and an account is given of the art of medicine among the Chinese. We have next an essay on the means of preventing difeafes by the well-known Profeffor Kant, and a tranflation of the article Hygiène in the Encyclopédie Méthodique, by Hallé, which, although very copious, has been hitherto extended to the literary history of

the fubject only. An effay on longevity, by Lucian,, “in his worft manner," clofes this heterogeneous compilation.

Nor would the fame of the three luminaries of science, the Bacons and Boyle, whofe works occupy the greateft part of the fourth volume, be by any means injured, if no other copy of this part of their works remained, than that which is here prefented to the public; and if all were prohibited from reading them, but the very few who will have the patience. to labour through the preceding volumes. Sir William Temple's remarks are in general more entertaining, at leaft, if not more inftructive. The extracts from Mead and Heberden, are valuable as far as they go; and Dr. Macnab's letter on a confumptive habit, is a very proper remonftrance with a diffolute young man, although not generally applicable to the fubject of confumption. Dr. Rufh's account of the ftate of the body and mind in old age, and Dr. Waterhoufe's lecture on health, are better written, and show more knowledge of the subject, than almoft any article in the whole collection; although Dr. Watherhoufe's audience might think that the report from Greenwich would furnish them with a tolerably fatisfactory anfwer to his Philippic against tobacco; and at the fame time the profeffor might urge, with fufficient juftice, that this mechanical mode of inventing arguments by wholefale on medical fubjects, is too little calculated to admit of proper diftinétions and refinements, to be employed with advantage for the improvement of practical knowledge.

ART. VIII. Sermons on feveral Subjects; by the late Rev. W. Paley, D.D. Sub-Dean of Lincoln, Prebendary of St. Paul's, and Rector of Bishop-Wearmouth. 8vo. 533 pp. Sunderland; printed. 1806.

PREFIXED to this volume is an extract from the Wili of the excellent author, in the following words:

"If my life had been continued, it was my intention to print at Sunderland a collection of Sermons--five hundred copies to be diftributed gratis in the parifh-- to deliver them to Mr. Stephenfon, to print and diftribute one copy in a family-firft to thofe who frequent church, then to farmers' families in the coun try, then to fuch poorer families as have a perfon who can read, or are likely to read them.-I would not have the faid Sermons printed for fale."

Having received a copy fome time ago, by favour of a very kind friend, and finding, on examination, that the dif courses are truly worthy of the character and talents of the author, we applied to the perfon to whom we were indebted, for leave to give a public account of them. By fome accident this letter received no anfwer, and we remained in fufpence, between our unwillingness to withhold from our readers the excellent inftruction we might thus give them, and the point of honour, with refpect to the executors of the author; who for fome reafon, not eafily to be gueffed, forbad them to be printed for fale. At length, feeing them advertised as published, our fcruples were at an end; but now again a doubt feems to be thrown upon the publication*. Finally, however, we adhere to our laft refolution; for published they must be at fome time or other, and nothing but good can he produced by encouraging the ardour of the public to haften that event. If this be in the fmalleft degree contrary to the with of the friend who fent them, the fault muft reft with him, for leaving our queftion unanswered, but in the effect we muft cordially rejoice; for to have been enjoined filence, on fuch a fubject, would have been very painful.

We have very carefully read the difcourfes, and are clearly of opinion that they are, on the whole, not inferior in value and importance to any prior work of the learned and acute author. The flyte, it is true, has not received all the polish which he was capable of beftowing on it, and this, perhaps, was the principal reafon why he determined to reftri&t the diftribution of the volume; it has indeed a plainnefs, apparently ftudied, to affift the comprehenfion of the clafs in which he intended the volume to be diftributed. There is a merit, however, far above that of ftyle, which fome of these difcourfes poffefs in the highest degree, that of elucidating difficult points in a manner, clear, original, and convincing. The talent to perform this was poffeffed by Dr. Paley, in fo very eminent a way, that no person who knows his other works will be furprised at the fact; yet, even they who efti mate his powers at the highest, would not, perhaps, have expected fo much light, as he has been enabled to throw upon that most important as well as difficult fubject, the ordinary

In

We are told that it has been stopped by the executors. compliance with the duty of that office they are doubtlessly obliged to do fo; but it is a misfortune to the public that fuch was the determination of the author.

operations

operations of the Holy Spirit. This doctrine being fo momentous to every Chriftian, and fo decifive, when rightly understood, against the vain pretenfions of enthusiasts, shall take the lead in our account of the volume: after we have merely premised that the whole number of fermons is thirtyfive, and that they are all inftructive, and not only pious, but calculated to infpire the zeal and fervour of true piety.

The Sermons which we fhall particularly notice, for the reasons above mentioned are properly two only, but they are divided into fix, each having three parts. They begin with the twenty-third, as p. 352; which, with the two following, is on 1 Cor. iii. 16. The very accurate author begins at once with a statement which shows the nature and neceflity of his whole defign. "There are ways," he says, "of confidering the subject of SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE, as well as a want of confidering it, which lay it open to difficulties and to misconceptions." Nothing can be more true than this position; nor any thing, certainly, more wretched or more dangerous, than fome of the misconceptions, which are the refult of falle ways of confidering it. But, as he immediately adds, neither thefe, nor the difficulties which arife from a want of confideration, ought to be regarded as objections to the doctrine. "I know of no doctrine which is not liable to the faine: nor any which has not, in fact, been loaded at times with great mistakes." There is certainly no doctrine more firmly founded on fcriptural authority than that of SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE, both the difficulties and the mifconceptions of which, may be, in our opinion, effectually removed by an attentive perufal of thefe fix difcourfes.

The first objection which Dr. P. notices, is that of its being what is called an arbitrary fyftem; that is, that it makes our falvation to depend, not upon ourselves or any exertion of our own, but upon the gift of the Spirit. To this he replies firft generally, that a free gift is not to be canvaffed like a debt; and that, as fuch it might be arbitrary, without being unjuft. But fecondly, that it is not arbitrary, 1ft. In its origin, for it is promifed to prayer, which depends upon our endeavours, But, it may be afked, is it not given sometimes prior to our praying for it? It may be fo, he replies, and yet not be arbitrarily given, and his explanation of this point is clear and folid.

"The religious ftate of the human foul is exceedingly various. Amongst others, there is a ftate, in which there may be good la tent difpofitions, fuitable faculties for religion, yet no religion. In fuch a ftate the fpark alone is wanting. To fuch a state the

elementary

elementary principle of religion may be communicated, though not prayed for. Nor can this be faid to be arbitrary. The Spirit of God is given where it was wanted; where, when given, it would produce its effect; but that ftate of heart and mind, upon which the effect was to be produced, might fill be the refult of moral qualification, improvement, and voluntary endea, vour." P. 356.

2d. It is not, arbitrary in its degree; for it has a rule, which is this, "Whofoever hath, to him fhall be given, and he fhall have more abundance; and whofoever hath not, from him fhall be taken away, even that which he hath.' This rule expreffed, with no great difference of phrase, in the three firft Gofpels, is then clearly explained and justified; particularly by allufion to the parable of the talents.

3d. It is not arbitrary in its final fuccefs. For the Spirit may be grieved, refifted, and even loft; fo that our cooperation and endeavours are in every ftep required. Thus is the first objection difpofed of, in a manner the most fatisfactory.

The fecond objection comes, Dr. P. fays, from an oppofite quarter: and it is this; "that if the influence of the Spirit depend, after all, upon our endeavours, the doctrine is nugatory." To this he replies, that it is not fo. It is not the fame as if our falvation was put upon ourselves, either in reality, in opinion, or in the confequences of that opinion. ift. It is not the fame in reality, because it is one thing to perform a work by our own ftrength, another by means of help. 2d. Not in opinion; because it carries with it a fenfe of obligation to the divine benefactor, by whose allistance our endeavours are made fufficient and fuccessful; and without which they could not be fo. 3d. Not as to the effects of that opinion, which are humility, as to ourselves; affection, and gratitude, as to God. Both the objections therefore are invalid, and the author is at liberty to purfue his fubject, without further regard to them.

This he does in the fecond part of this difcourfe, p. 366. -He begins by flating a difficulty, which many Chriftians have felt.

"It is undoubtedly a difficulty, in the doctrine of SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE, that we do not fo perceive the action of the Spirit, as to diftinguish it from the fuggeftions of our own minds. Many good men acknowledge that they are not confcious of fuch imme diate perceptions. They, who lay claim to them, cannot advance, like the apoftles, fuch proofs of their claim, as must neceffarily fatisfy others; or, perhaps, fecure themselves from delufion.”