Lectures on the Exercife of the facred Miniftry. By the late T. F. OL· tervald. Tranflated from the French, with a Preface and occafional Notes, by Tho Stevens, M. A. Lond. 1781. The Theological Works of the moft Rev. Dr. John Potter, late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: containing his Sermons, Charges, Difcourfes of Church Government and Prælectiones Theologica. Oxf. 1753, 3 vol. The miscellaneous Works of the late reverend and learned Conyers Mid. dleton, D. D. Lond. 1755, 5 vol. 2d. Ed. Opufcula Mifcellanea Theologica Joan. Burton S. T. P. and his Sermons, &c. in all 6 vol. Oxford, 1744-71. The Works of Tho. Sharp, D.D. late Archdeacon of Northumberland, containing occafional Sermons; Tracts on various Subjects; Confiderations on the Rubric and Canons; Differtations on Elohim and Berith; a Defence of the Differtations, in three Parts; Difcourses touching the Antiquity of the Hebrew Tongue and Character; an Examination of Mr. Hutchinfon's Expofition of Cherubim. Lond. 1763, 6 vol. Four Diflertations. 1. On Providence. 2. On Prayer. 3. On the Reasons for expecting that virtuous Men fhall meet after Death in a State of Happinefs. 4. On the Importance of Chriftianity, the Nature of historical Evidence and Miracles. By R. Price, F. R. S. Lond. 1767, Difcourfes on various Subjects, by W. S. Powell, D.D. Lond. 1776. The editor, Dr. Balguy, obferves that thefe difcourfes were chiefly intended for the benefit of the younger ftudents in divinity. They are written with great acutenefs and knowledge of the feveral fubjects. A rational Illuftration of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. By C.Wheatley. Lond. 1722, 4th. Ed. This is one of the moft ufeful works on the fubject, as it comprehends the fubftance of Comber's Companion to the Temple, of Nichols' Commentary on the Common Prayer, and of other fimilar treatifes. A Vindication of the Government, Doctrine, and Worship of the Church of England, eftablished in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, against the injurious Reflections of Mr. Neale in his late Hiftory of the Puritans. Together with a Detection of many falfe Quotations and Miftakes in that Peformance. Lond. 1740. By Bp. Maddox. An impartial Examination of the 2d, 3d, and 4th vol. (8vo.) of Daniel Neal's Hiftory of the Puritans. By Zach, Grey, LL.D. Lond. 1736-9, 2 vol. Free and candid Difquifitions relating to the Church of England, and the Means of advancing Religion therein. Lond. 1750, 2d. Ed.-In 1677, the third Ed, of a book was published, intitled, - A Difcourfe vindicating the Lawfulness of thofe Things which are chiefly excepted againft in the Church of England, especially in its Liturgy and Worfhip, by W. Falkener. The Book of Common Prayer reformed according to the Plan of the - late Dr. Sam. Clarke; together with the Pfalter or Pfalms of David. Lond. 1774. The Confeffional or a full and free Inquiry into the Right, Utility, Edification Edification and Success of establishing fyftematical Confeffions of Faith and Doctrine in Proteftant Churches. Lond. 1770, 3d. Ed. author of this work, who is well known to be a very learned ClergyThe man of the Church of England, takes fo much notice of all the writers who oppofed his fentiments, that there is no need to give a particular enumeration of the feveral pamphlets which were written against it. The controverfy is ftill unfettled; it is ftill a queftion, whether any Chriftian Church has a right to require from its public teachers any other Profeffion of Faith, than that of a belief in the Bible, as containing a revelation from God?-It is ftill a queftion, whether, granting the Abstract Right, the Ufe of it be expedient in any degree, and to what degree, in the prefent condition of the Church of England? Ons of the latest and best tracts on this fubject, is that by the author of Ben. Mordecai's Apology, intitled, Farther Thoughts on the Nature of the grand Apoftacy of the Chriftian Church foretold by the Apoftles: with Obfervations on the Laws against Hereticks, the Subscription to Articles of human Compofition, &c. Lond. 1783. The Errors of the Church of Rome detected, in ten Dialogues, between Benevolus and Sincerus. To which another is added, containing a brief Vindication of the Revolution, and fubfequent Settlement of the Crown upon the illuftrious House of Hanover. By the Rev. James Smith. Lond. 1778, 2d. Ed. The author left the communion of the Church of Rome, in which he had been educated, in 1764. He obferves, that he lived for fome years in the College for Parish Priefts at Lifbon, and that he there took the College Oath, which is always adminiftered to ftudents, a part of which is, that, whenever the president of the college fhould think proper, he would return to England as a Miffionary, and bring over as many Proteftants as he could, to the Communion of the Church of Rome. He by chance met with Bennet's Confutation of Popery, and that book, together with the ecclefiaftical History of M. Jean Le Seur, principally contributed to make him renonunce the Errors of the Church of Rome. This is an useful book for those who wifh to have a concife view of the corruptions of Christianity as practifed in the Church of Rome. An Hiftory of the Corruptions of Chriftianity. By Jof. Priestley, LL.D. 2 vol. Some parts of this work have been animadverted on, in a very able manner, by Dr. Horfley, and others; nor has Dr. Prieftley been backward in his replies; the curious reader will furnish himself with all the tracts which have been already published on each fide of the queftion; and will expect with impatience the larger Hiftory of the State of Opinions concerning Chrift in the primitive Times; in the compofing of which Dr. Priestley is now engaged. Bibliotheca Sacra, feu Syllabus omnium ferme Editionum facræ Scrip- The Preacher's Affiftant (after the Manner of Mr. Letfome), contain- the the Diffenting Clergy, fince the Reftoration to the prefent Time, fpecifying alfo the feveral Authors alphabetically arranged under each Text; with the Size, Date, Occafion, or fubject Matter of each Sermon or Difcourfe. By J. Cooke, M. A. Oxford, 1783, 2 vol.-There are fome errors in this compilation; but it is rather to be wondered at that there are not more, than that there fhould be fome; I refer the reader to it as to an ufeful catalogue, from which he may felect fuch writers of fermons as he may think fit to have in his library; for where almost all are equally good, it would be a prefumption in me to attempt to particularize the beft. If, in addition to the fermons contained in the three volumes of Boyle's Lecture, and in the works of Barrow, Clarke, Tillotson, Hoadley, &c. I was to mention the names of Sherock, Secker, Jortin, Fofter, Abernethy, Seed, South, Ogden, Rogers, Whichcote, &c. and omit noticing Brady, Fiddes, Mofs, Atterbury, Bellamy, Fleetwood, Pyle, Orr, Pearce, Warburton, &c. I might be accused of appearing to give a preference where I had no intention of doing it, and where better judges than myself might think that none was due. If any enumeration, moreover, of books of this kind was made, the names of many living authors ought to be inferted in the lift, for they are in no refpect inferior to their predeceffors in this fpecies of compofition. There are fome fine difcourfes alfo in the French language, by Bafnage, Croufaz, Saurin, Boffuet, Bourdaloue, &c. fome of which have been tranflated into English: but no church in Christendom was ever bleffed with a greater variety of excellent pulpit Compofitions than our own is; and as they conftitute one of the most ufeful parts of a theological Library, it ought to be the ftudy of every Clergyman to procure as large a collection of them, as his circumftances will admit. -- It is unneceffary to give any directions, as to the manner of using the books which are here pointed out, fince every man will naturally confult fuch of them as treat of the particular fubjects on which he is defirous of obtaining information, and no one will have inclination to perufe them all. Theological learning is the profeffion of the Clergy, and it may justly be faid to every ignorant minifter of the Gofpel, "Thou which teachest another, teacheft thou not thyfelf?" Yet, on the other hand, mere abftract learning, how profound and various foever it may be, is not an acquifition much to be valued by them; it is its application to the useful purposes of their profeffion, to the bringing men from the dominion of fin to gospel perfection, which will render it of any eftimation in the fight of God. I mean not here to speak in difparagement of theological learning; but I do mean to fay, that practice is better than fpeculation, and that He who, in promoting the falvation of his flock by a fedulous performance of his paftoral duties, finds not leifure to be learned, inftead of our cenfure, deferves our warmeft approbation; it may honourably be faid of fuch a man,-contemnebat potius literas, quam nefciebat. I take my leave of the reader with freely expreffing a general with, That we may all of us, in our refpective ftations, become more difpofed to provoke provoke one another unto Love and to Goodworks, and less difpofed to backbite and devour one another for our Opinions; that Chriftianity may have its root in our hearts, rather than in our heads; that it may fhew forth its fruit in the purity and integrity of our lives, rather than in the vehemence and fubtilty of our difputes; in a word, that the time may at length come, when every individual in the Church, and out of the Church, Trinitarian, and Unitarian, may love his own Herefy less than Golpel Charity. |