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thence drawn., Bp. Horne, accordingly, addreffes himself more to the heart than is commonly done, in the prefent day, by our argumentative preachers; and, confequently, his difcourfes are more calcu lated to answer the end of preaching than others, which might, perhaps, be confidered as fuperior in ftyle and compofition; although, even in this inferior refpect, thefe fermons are far from being deficient. His fentiments throughout, although he enters into no controverfial points, appear to be what is generally termed orthodox.—In 1784, he published, in 12mo, Letters on Infidelity.' Thefe letters contain ftrictures on the nature, tendency, principles, and reasonings of fome modern productions on the fide of infidelity. They are well calculated to fuit the taste and turn of the prefent age, which is not fond of long and elaborate differtations on religious fubjects; being written in a concife, lively, and entertaining manner, and with a due mixture of ferious argument, good humour, and pleasantry. The opinions of Hume, Voltaire, and other modern infidels, he often combats, very fuccefsfully, in their own way, by placing their arguments in a ludicrous point of view, and turning the laugh against themselves. As a specimen of his ferious reasoning, we fhall quote what he fays in answer to the boast of Mr Hume's friends, that • few of the profeffors of Christianity ever equalled him in morality, humanity, and the government of their paffions-To this Bp. Horne anfwers very justly and fenfibly: Thousands in the firfl ages of the gofpel, gave all their goods to feed the poor; renounced, in deed as well as word, the world and the flesh; and joyfully met death, in its moft horrid forms, for the love of their Redeemer. On the

the fame principle, unnumbered multitudes, in e- ́ very fucceeding age, have manfully fuftained the heaviest calamities of human life, and with faith unfeigned, and hope that maketh not afhamed, yielded up their fouls into the hands of their Creator. Scenes of this kind are daily and hourly paffing in the chambers of the fick and dying, as they, whofe office it is to visit thofe chambers, well know. To others they must remain unknown, for want of biographers to record them. Every Christian that lives in piety and charity, does not favour the public with "His own life." Every Christian who expires in peace and hope, has not the happiness of a Dr Smith to pen the story of his own death.'—In 1787, Bp. Horne published a Vifitation Sermon, entitled, The Duty of contending for the Faith;" to which is fubjoined, A Difcourfe on the Trinity in Unity.'-In these two Difcourfes he zealoufly maintained the Athanafian doctrine, as adopted by the church of England, and confequently drew upon himself the animadverfions of an equally zealous champion on the oppofite fide of the queftion, Dr Prieftly, in a pamphlet entitled, Letters to Dr Horne, Dean of Canterbury; to the young Men who are in a courfe of Education for the Chriftian Miniftry at the Univerfity of Oxford and Cambridge; to Dr Price; and to Mr Parkhurst, on the Subject of the Perfon of Chrift.-Bp. Horne's last publication was, Charity recommended on its. true motive: a fermon, preached in the church of St George the Martyr, Bloomsbury, before the Governors of the benevolent Institution for the delivery of poor married women at their own habitations, on Sunday, March 30th, 1788.—

In this fermon our truly benevolent divine diftinguishes charity from vain, oftentatious donation,

and

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and from those fine feelings which, in fome perfons, prompt a kind of inftinctive benevolence. This, he obferves, is not Chriftian charity, which has a religious motive for its object. If God fo loved us, we ought alfo to love one another;' a. motive, at once rational, pure, and permanent..

The Text, I-John iv, 11.

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PREFA C E.

HAVING been prevented, for a time, by the discharge of a laborious, but highly honourable office, from performing the more immediate duties of my profeffion, I was yet defirous, that I might not feem to lofe the clergyman in the magiftrate, of still continuing to do fomething towards promoting the great end and purpose of life. And though the frequent returns of bufinefs gave little hopes of compofing fresh difcourfes, its intervals, I thought, might fuffice to digeft and publifh fome, which had been already compofed.

This form of publication is generally fuppofed lefs advantageous, at prefent, than any other. But it may be queftioned, whether the fuppofition does justice to the age, when we confider only the respect which has fo recently been paid to the fermons of the learned and elegant Dr BLAIR. And greater refpect cannot be paid them, than they de ferve.

The multitude of old fermons affords no argu ment against the publication of new ones; fince new ones will be read, when old ones are neglected; and almost all mankind are, in this refpect, Athenians.

Befides, there is a tafte in moral and religious, as well as in other compofitions, which varies in different ages, and may very lawfully and innocently be indulged. Thoufands received instruction and confolation formerly from fermons, which would not now be endured. The preachers of them ferved their generation, and are bleffed for evermore. But becaufe provifion was made for the wants of the last century in one way, there is no

reafon

reason why it should not be made for the wants of this, in another. The next will behold a set of writers of a fashion suited to it, when our discourfes fhall, in their turn, be antiquated and forgotten among men; though, if any good be wrought by them in this their day, our hope is, with that of faithful Nehemiah, that our God will remember us concerning them!

But as the productions of every author, who adds to the number, are expected to contain fomething new, either in matter, or manner, it will naturally be asked, what are my pretenfions? I will beg leave to deliver my fentiments on the fubject in the words of the excellent and amiable FENelon, extracted from the last of his moft admirable Dialogues on the Eloquence of the Pulpit.

I would have a preacher explain the whole plan of religion, and unfold every part of it in the moft intelligible manner, by fhewing the origin and establishment, the tradition and connection of its principles, its facraments and institutions.

"For every thing in Scripture is connected; and this connection is, perhaps, the moft extraordinary and wonderful thing to be feen in the facred writings.

"An audience of perfons, who had heard the chief points of the Mofaic history and law well explained, would be able to receive far more benefit from an explication of the truths of the Gospel, than the generality of Christians are now.

"Preachers speak every day to the people of the Scriptures, the Church, the Patriarchs, the Law, the Gospel; of Sacrifice, of Moses, and Aaron, and Melchifedek; of Chrift, the Prophets, and Apoftles; but there is not fufficient care taken to instruct men in the meaning of these things, and the character of thefe holy perfons.

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