haft the words of eternal life. The chief defign of which, is, to fhew, that the Chriftian doctrine of eternal life, is well fitted to answer every important purpose of a divine Revelation, viz. to encourage men to ftedfaft and refolute virtue, to furnifh them with an effectual anfwer to every prefent temptation, to fupport them under the most diftreifing changes and forrows of life, and render them fuperior to the dread of dying.'

Having difpatched the evidence of the truth of Christianity, arifing from the doctrines themfelves, our Author proceeds to the confideration of that which arifeth from the following particulars, viz. the teftimony of John, and the miracles of Jefus ; the refurrection of Jefus; the credibility of the Apoftle's witnefs; the teftimonies of the ancient prophecies to Jefus; the accomplishment of our Lord's own predictions; the furprizing propagation of the Gofpel; the efficacy and powerful influence of the Gofpel.

The second part of this work contains fix Sermons on the principal things objected to Chriftianity; all from (Matt. xi. 6.) Bleffed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. The whole concludes with two Sermons of a more practical nature, from Matt. v. 47.-What do ye more than others? In the former of these are confidered, the fpecial advantages of Chrif tians for an eminent piety; and in the latter, the peculiar obligations of Chriftians.

The following epitome of the feventh Sermon, on the refurrection of Jefus, with the extract from the fame, will ferve to give our Readers a juft idea of the merit of this performance, and of the Author's manner of writing and compoting.

Acts ii. 24. Whom God hath raised up, having loofed the pains (or the bands) of death; because it was not poffible that he should be bolden of it. In treating of which it is propofed, 1. To reprefent the evidence on which we believe Jefus our Lord to have been raised from the dead. 2. To enquire into the reatons, which rendered it neceflary, or, in the Apoftle's language, prove it not poffible he should have been always held under the pow er of death. 3. Make a fuitable improvement of this great doctrine.

With regard to the firft, our Author appeals to these three things, 1. To what is actually allowed as certain on all fides; what could not be denied, nor was ever difputed, by his enemies themselves; as, his crucifixion without the gate of Jerufalem, to which thoufands were witne fles; his being really dead before he was taken from the crofs; his interment in a fepul

chre,

chre, new, and known to his enemies as well as his friends; the utmost precaution to prevent any fraud or impofture of his friends; notwithstanding this, the removal of the ftone that had been fealed, and fhut the entrance into the tomb; and the body's being gone. 2. To the account given us by those who declare they faw and converfed with him alive, after his paffion here a fummary is given of what the Apoftles related concerning this fact; and an answer to the objection that might be made to the witneffes being the friends of Jefus; which answer we fhall extract, as a fpecimen of the Author's manner of writing, after we have finished the account of this Sermon. 3. To the wonderful manner in which this teftimony of the Apostles was confirmed by God himfelf, in the miraculous gift of the holy Spirit, with which they were foon after found to be endowed.

But St. Peter doth not content himself with afferting the refurrection of Jesus as a certain fact; he speaks of it as what was neceffary too, and could not have been otherwife.-It was propofed therefore,

II. To enquire into reafons which rendered his refurrection neceffary. It was neceffary, 1. On account of the truth of God, who had promifed it. 2. On account of the righteoufnefs and juftice of God; as it would have been inconsistent with thefe perfections, to have fuffered an holy perfon, who was under no obligation to death from fin, but only from his own voluntary engagement, to have been for ever subject to it; nothing but his rifing again too, could have vindicated his character from the afperfions of his enemies, who reprefented him as fuffering death for blafphemy, impofture and fedition; nor could it be just to detain him a prifoner in the grave, when by dying he had fulfilled all that was required of him as our Saviour and Sacrifice. 3. On account of the wifdom of God; and, lastly, on account of the original dignity of his perfon, as to his divine nature, his nearness to the Father, and the intereft he had in his affections, as his Son, his own Son, his only begotten and beloved Son, to fpeak of him in the language of holy fcripture.

But more

The principal ufe made of what hath been faid on this argument, is to fix men in a more stedfaft conviction, that the Gofpel and Religion of Jefus is, indeed, divine. particularly it is inferred, 1. How fecurely may we rely on this rifen Jefus as a compleat, and all-fufficient Saviour. 2. How certain are our expectations of a future refurrection. 3. How ftrong, therefore, must be our obligations to the most chearful, unreferved devotedness to Chrift our Lord and Saviour.

We fhall now conclude with giving the above mentioned ex-. trast, which will be acceptable to our Readers, and fhew the Author to be no mean Defender of Chriftianity. • Only

Only it may not be improper, before we difmifs this head, to take notice of one exception that may be made to this their witnefs, and endeavour to obviate it.

We fhall, perhaps be asked here, "Who were the perfons "who give us thefe accounts? Were they not all of them "friends of this Jefus, his Difciples and Followers? And may "not the teftimony of friends with reafon be demurred to, "efpecially in fo extraordinary an affair ?"

Yes: they were his friends, who gave this public witness to the rifen Jefus. It is allowed they were-But what then? May they not be credible witneffes ftill? Are no friends perfons of that capacity or integrity, that they may be fafely depended on? Surely, if there be no evidence of impofture in other refpects chargeable upon them, if no other juft ground of fufpicion lie against them; if they appear otherwife men of truth and fidelity, and to have no private interest to serve, it is not their being known to have been his friends, that can, in reafon, fet afide their witness,

Were they his friends? They were-But who fo proper as friends to be witneffes here? At least in one view of the cafe, thefe appear the most unexceptionable witneffes; they who having been longeft intimate with him, were the leaft capable of being impofed upon; who must have the fullest affurance themselves, and be moft fit to affure others, that it was the fame Jefus who died, whom they afterwards faw alive.

Were they his friends?-But who but friends would have been ready to bear their teftimony to his refurrection? Had he appeared to his enemies, to the Jewish council, and they had ftill retained their enmity to him, (which is far from being an impoffible fuppofition) they would never have owned. that they had feen him alive after his paffion; they would have ⚫ fupprefled and buried it in filence.

Were they friends to Jefus? They were.-But whence were they fo? They had, indeed, been fuch before: but how continued they fuch after his public, ignominious exe⚫cution? after that death of his, which had deftroyed, at once, all thofe fond hopes they had entertained from him, as one day to appear that triumphant Prince they looked for in their Meffiah? A full affurance of his being rifen, will easily and naturally account for it ftill. But if they knew he never did rife, what could they have to hope for from him? Or what poffible reason for their attachment to him, by whom they had ⚫ found themfelves fo wretchedly deceived?

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• Were

• Were they his friends? They were.-But were then the foldiers his friends too? And they went and told the council what they had feen, the glorious appearance of fome fuperior Being removing the ftone from the mouth of the tomb: which, • if once admitted, the refurrection of Jefus can have nothing incredible in it.-Or were the Chief-Priests his friends too? And they bribed the foldiers to fupprefs this truth, and publish • a senseless lie in the room of it; and inftead of calling them to an account for their neglect of duty, (which they would not have failed to have done, had that been the true cafe) promifed to bear them harmless, even though they owned it. So that < we have somewhat more than the evidence of friends to the • truth of the refurrection of Jefus.'

D

Eight Sermons preached in the Parish Church of St. Saviour, Southwark, by John Green, Curate of the faid parish, and Lecturer of St. John's, Wapping. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Fuller, &c.

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R. Green, whatever other talents he wants, feems by his preface to this performance, to have a tolerable knack at ranting against the modern revilers, and the deluded oppofers of the regular and orthodox preachers of the church. The fol-

lowing.fermons,' fays he, which were delivered from the pulpit with a defign to check the infolent and fhameless mifreprefentations which a fet of modern revilers have fastened on the body of the clergy, are for the fame caufe now delivered from the prefs. When they fcatter about their firebrands from every pulpit where they can get admittance, in order to kindle in their deluded followers a furious zeal against the regular and • orthodox preachers of the church, and charge all indiscriminately, who differ from them with advancing too near to the inclofures of Popery, and maintaining the abfolute merit of good works, it is furely time to wipe off the groundless afperfion, by an examination of their doctrines, and a defence of our own, left from their confident affertions, and our criminal filence, the weak, or unwary, may be led into their fnare.

I have long fince waited with impatience to fee fome digni⚫fied veteran, armed with authority to fupport, with courage to maintain, and with learning to eftablifh our caufe, enter the lifts against thefe daring champions: but fince my earnest expectations have not been answered, naked, and unarmed, I have entered the field, knowing that a fling and a ftone, though in

the

the hands of a ftripling, may filence thefe vain-glorious boasters, who defy the armies of the living God.'

May the earnest expectations of this reverend zealot for the church be forever unanswered! May Heaven never grant him id the defire of his heart, to fee fome dignified veteran, by armed When authority, fupport the cause of the church against these daring wheen's champions! Nor may ecclefiaftical dignity ever put into his warning. own hands those deftructive weapons which he regrets the want of! Be he for ever naked and unarmed in this field of religious. contention! And may his humble ftations in the Borough and Wapping keep him, if not humble, yet harmless.

We must own, however, that this furious zeal of the Author, though ever unjustifiable in a Christian Minifter, is vented upon fuch objects as naturally raise the indignation of every fenfible and judicious person. A set of men, who are not merely enthufiafts, and grofly ignorant, (as such they could only be pitied) but are befides intolerably vain and petulant, feeking praise in the ruins of those religious focieties into which they can gain admittance, and ufing every low art to difturb the peace of the church, and to tempt her power to exert itself against her adversaries, to her own deftruction. But furely Mr. Green's method of armed authority interpofing, is by no means calculated for healing these wounds; and the bare fuggeftion of fuch a method being waited for with great impatience, will be enough to prevent any good effect from the arguments he ufes in fupport of his religious tenets, in oppofition to certain enthufiafts and defamers of the church.

As for the fermons themselves, they are moft of them very indifferent performances. He has chofen for the fubjects, the common topics of religious controversy, viz. 1. The ftate of Adam in innocence. 2. The cause and effects of his fall. 3. His fall occafioned by the abuse of his own free will. 4. Of original fin. 5. Of the means and univerfality of our redemption. 6 Of regeneration. 7. Of juftification. 8. Immediate and fenfible revelations from the fpirit, affuring us that we cannot fall, proved to be needlets and groundless.

The four laft are treated of in a much more rational manner than the former, and we fhall give our Readers the following fpecimen of his bet er manner of reafoning. In fpeaking of the proper interpretation of metaphorical expreffions in fcripture, from G I. vi. 15. For in Chrift Jefus neither circumcifion noru.circumcifion availeth any thing, but a new creature, he lays,

• Let