pofe the general inefficacy of the Heathen worship. They afcended to the origin of the Roman deities, and proved them to have been equally helpless in Afia and in Italy: they described the miferies which ambition had inflicted on the world amid the acknowledgement of fo corrupt a mythology, and concluded, that the dominion of Rome had been derived from other causes, and conferred for other purpofes. Of this part of the literary war. fare with idolatry, fome fpecimens fhall therefore be given.

"The criticifm of our own days may indeed deem fuch contention unimportant, and the ftatement of it fuperfluous. But our researches into the tranfactions of other ages, must be rega lated by the circumstances of the times to which they belong. We do not want to be convinced of the folly of polytheifm. But, in a contest between two great parties of Chriftians and Pagans, the queftion was juftly regarded as of great moment. To fupprefs it, therefore, would be to mutilate hiftoric truth, and to caft away one great feature from the portrait of the age which we delineate." P. 116.

It is one important circumflance in the value of this work that it is calculated to introduce the young hearer and reader to the knowledge of several ancient authors, of whom pro bably they might not otherwife have heard any thing for many years. Among these almost the first introduced are Orofius and St. Auguftin. The hiftory of the former, and the great work of the latter, " De Civitate Dei," are both diftinctly characterized. The hiftory written at the injunc tion, and according to the views of Auguftin, and the treatife compofed as a complete anfwer to all the calumnies of the Heathens, who attributed the misfortunes of the empire to the prevalence of Chriflianity. The account of both may with advantage be placed before our readers.

6

"In public refutation, therefore, of the falfe and blafphemous accufations promoted, by thefe and other caufes, against the Gofpel, the zeal of Auguftin planned the memorable treatife Of the City of God' one of the most valuable works which the piety and literature of the early Chriftian writers have tranf mitted to us. He had now published the first ten books, when, judging the Prefbyter Orofius a fit afiftant in his purpose, he en. joined him to form his collection of History against the Pagans. The object of this work was to compile from all former hiftories and annals, whatever calamities, common or extraordinary, natural or civil, were recorded in the experience of mankind. Nor was this undertaken through the melancholy love of contemplating a mafs of human evils; but for the fake of convincing the Roman people, that the difafters, of which they complained, as unexampled in their nature, or brought upon their own age or na

tion by the malignant influence of Chriftianity, were long fince familiar, not only to the rest of the world, but to themselves.

"One circumftance attending this work muft have ftruck the Pagans with novelty and furprife. The Gentile writers had commonly begun their hiftories from Ninus, as if the earlier ftate of man were unknown to them, or were utterly unworthy of refearch or record; as if the human race had no difcoverable origin, or had hitherto lived on an equality with the brutes of the field, and had not attained civilization fufficient for notice, till Ninus prefented to the world the firft fpecimen of orderly and rational government.

"Orofius detects the fallacy of thefe opinions, points out the comparatively recent establishment of the too celebrated Affyrian empire, the long lapfe of time previous to it, and the nature of the more ancient governments. He carries the minds of his Pagan readers to the Divine creation of man, and endeavours to imprefs upon them the fall of Adam, as the point from which began to flow the miferies of the world; the firft chastisements of fin. Hence he infers the continual fuperintendance of a Pro vidence which acts by judgments as well as mercies, and executes its everlasting purposes on the fons of men, under all the circumftances of life. Finally, he turns their attention to Chrift, the Saviour of the world, and exhorts them to look by faith towards him, in whom alone the fin of Adam could find its remedy; and to repent of the evils which the impious perfecution of his church upon earth had brought upon the Roman empire, through the righteous vengeance of Heaven.

"Auguftin is a writer of an higher order. While he reverts to the former hiftory of Rome, and of the world at large, he encounters the Pagans with an animated and interefting difcuffion of the radical meannefs and vicioufnefs of poly theifm; the equal folly of the popular mythology, and the philofophic religion of the Romans. This he accomplishes, with perfect fuccefs, in the firft ten books. In the twelve which follow, he proceeds to raife his Chriftian fuperftructure on the ruins of Paganifm. Be. ginning, therefore, from the fituation of man in Paradife, he traces the progrefs of Revelation through the fucceeding ages, its continued exiflence, notwithstanding occafional reftrictions of its extent, till the appearance of Chrift, in whom the world was to believe.

"From the accomplishment of the purpofes of God upon earth, he paffes to the final judgment of mankind at the last day; defcribes the condemnation and punishment of the enemies of God, and expatiates on the everlasting happiness of the bleffed; when Christ hall have given up the kingdom of his mediator. fhip to the Father, and God fhall be all in all.'

"But it is only the first part of the work which applies to the fubject before us. And, without entering into any of thofe opinions which narrow or degrade the Chriftian fyftem of Au

Nn3

gustin,

gustin, in no writer can we find a more copious, or more intereft. ing account of the state of Paganifm in the age in which he lived.

"This account is the more curious, as it fhows us the opinions and practices of polytheifm after the civil eftablishment of Chrißianity in Rome; and holds up to our eyes a picture of idolatry, when now declining, and indeed fast verging to its ex tinction.” P. 73

From the copious flores of this elaborate work of Au guftin, Dr. Ireland draws with freedom in the prefent voJume, nor can he with justice be cenfured for fo doing. The matter thus collected would not otherwife have been fought or known by his hearers; and his own extensive and accurate reading is thus turned to excellent account, by being digefted and prepared for the ufe of thofe who are not yet qualified to follow him though the works themselves, It must indeed be confeffed, that after all the care of the lecturer, the views of the Platonic theology, and of the doctrines of the ancient feats refpecting the Chief Good, are unavoidably abftrufe; but if they are lefs fo than they would be found, either in the original works from which they are drawn, or in other reprefentations of them, the chief objea of his endeavour may be confidered as attained. He will have opened to young ftudents a track, which they may afterwards fuccefsfully purue. The manner in which the contemplation of ancient opinions is here applied to prefent ufe, may be exemplified by the conclufion of the fifth chap ter, in which the author had examined the theology of Varro, with the aid of his admirable guide, Augustin,

"From the fubject thus represented, a few general inferences may be inftructively drawn.

1. In its religious inftitutions, Paganifin looked to no object beyond political convenience, On this ground alone, Varra fupported the civil theology of his country; and, in the divifion of his work, profeffedly treated of Rome before its gods, the latter having derived all their worthip from the will of the former. Revelation is independent of the establishments of men, Through

"Varronis igitur confitentis ideò se priùs de rebus humanis fcripfiffe, poftea de divinis, quia divinæ ita ab hominibus infti. tuta funt, hæc ratio eft:fic ut prior eft, inquit, pictor, quàm tabula picta; prior faber, quam ædificium; ita priores funt civitates, quàm ea quæ à civitatibus funt inftituta. Civ. Dei, fi vi. c 4. He fays indeed, that if he were to write of the entire nature of the gods, he would place the gods first. Bot

we

Through the Divine bleffing, indeed, it is eminently applicable to the civil condition of the world; and thofe nations are the happiest which admit most of its influence into the direction of their policy. Our own country exhibits a glorious example of true religion allied with the ftate, and of the benefits refulting to both; the ftate hallowed by religion, religion defended by the ftate. But whatever be the views of human governments, whether they admit or refufe a civil connection with it, the Gofpel maintains its own character. The everlafting word of God is not altered by any authority of man; and Jefus Chrift is the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever*.'

2. The only theology to which Varro gave a genuine approbation, he confined to the philofophical part of his country

Hence it is evident, that he had difcovered in it nothing which tended to the common benefit of the world, nothing which ultimately affected the foul of man. It might amufe curiofity, but did not lead to happinefs. How different the religion of Christ! Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature t.' The common intereft is proved by the neceffity of a common knowledge. Every foul is the object of God's gracious call; and it is the characteristic of Chriftianity, not that it addresses only the wife man after the flesh;' not that it is confined to the mighty,' or the noble ;' but that the poor have the Gofpel preached to them §.'

3. From the manner in which Varro treats his fubject, it is evident that he regarded the gods with no vulgar eye. He did not worship them, as others did, for the fake of the temporal benefits which they were popularly fuppofed to confer. Yet it is obfervable, that neither does he look forward to future bleffings from their hands. In his whole difcuffion, mention is no where made of eternal life ! What may we infer from this? That thofe Romans who profeffed the hope of future happiness from their gods, fpoke from no fettled conviction, but from the ob vious difappointment of prefent expectations. Varro, the great mafter of Roman theology, had held out no promife to the foul, had made no difcovery of eternity; nor can he be fuppofed to have entertained a hope, of which he gives no fign. Here then is the great triumph of the Gofpel. Its characteristic is

we have feen enough of his fentiments to be perfuaded, that this was only a convenient fhelter from the imputation of difrefpect to the gods, or a fecret preference of his own natural theology to. the civil."

66 Hebrews, xiii. 8. "I Cor. i. 26.

+ St. Mark, xvi. 15." St. Matthew, xi. 5."

In hâc totâ ferie pulcherrimæ ac fubtiliffime diftributi. onis, et diftinétionis, vitam æternam fruftra quæri et fperari, fa cillimè apparet. Civ. Dei, lib. v. c. 3.”

the promise of the life which is to come,' of eternal happiness through faith in Chrift, and obedience to his commands. I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, ye may be alfo *.* And He who gave this promife to the world, fhall appear once again for the confummation of it, The Son of Man fhall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him. He shall fit upon the throne of his glory, and before him fhall be gathered all nations, and he fhall feparate the one from the other. The wicked fhall go away into everlafting punishment, but the righ teous into life eternal +'." P. 206.

A work fo learned and inftructive, compiled for fuch a purpose, reflects the highest honour on the difpofition as well as the qualifications of the author; and we give him full credit for the fincerity of the expreffions with which he concludes his preface, expreffions which we repeat not only with pleasure, but with fimilar feelings and withes. "Such as the work is, I offer it to the School, with a zealous attachment to its welfare, a fincere admiration of its literature and difcipline, and a fervent prayer, that it may always preferve the union of Religion and Learning."

ART. II. Efays on the Sources of the Pleafures_received from literary Compofitions. 8vo. 378 pp. 8s. Johnson,

1809.

THE

HE author of thefe Eff ys informs us, that it is his object to examine certain principles of tafte in literary compofition, which either have not been, fo far as he knows, fufficiently explained, or which fill appear to be fubjects of controverfy. He is modeft enough to be apprehensive, that his inveftigations may not be deemed inftructive by the adept in criticifm; but is not without hopes that they may prove acceptable to thofe who are but imperfectly initiated into enquiries of this nature; that they may affift in forming the tafte of fuch perfons; and introduce them to ftudies" which are not only amufing and elegant, but also highly favourable, when properly directed, for cherishing the fentiments of religion and virtue."

The departments of criticifm to which this author has directed his invefligations, are among those which have been found moft perplexing to the philofophical enquirer; and which have given rife to a greater diverfity of fentiment, than was to have been expected on fubjects where it might be + St, Matthew, xxv. 46.” fuppofed

"St. John, xiv. 2, 3,