conceited wretch. But why this pride in a rejection of felf, as a low principle of action? If the bodies of lords and kings were not made and fed out of the earth, by a method fimilar to the Chriftian culture of their minds, fomething might be faid for the pride and the airy caftle-building of our difinterested moralifts. The fubftance of the ground, dunged, dug, and ploughed, is by vegetation refined in greens, fallades, and fruits, and then by concoction and digestion in the human bowels, exalted into blood, fpirits, and nerves of exquifite fineness. Until our moralifts, turned naturalifts, can fhew their majesties how to diet themselves on animal spirits and nerves, already prepared to refort to, and affume the places of their destination in the human body, and there, without farther ado, to perform their refpective functions, they had better themselves go to Chrift, to be taught humility and morality. An argument that proves too much, proves nothing; and a moral fyftem, too high pitched, flies over the heads and hearts of its groveling difciples.

Above is a fhort and imperfect sketch of the Christian morality, which he, who would willingly fee at full length, may find in the fermons of Walker. In the ten commandments, and other fcriptural precepts, we fee the rules of duty; but the motives to perform that duty are found in the creed, and the hiftory of Chrift and the Holy Spirit,

The commandments are the body, and the creed the foul of Chriftian morality. The prefent mode of preaching up an independent morab 2

lity,

lity, howfoever fpecious and ingenious, carries the hearers wide of the aforefaid powerful motives, in the place whereof the man in the pulpit does nothing elfe but preach up himself, and the little futil motives, fuggefted by a vain philofophy. The heathen philofophers knew no religion whereon they could fafely ground their fyftems of morality, and were therefore forced to draw every thing from within themselves. But a Chriftian teacher fhould be afhamed, in this broad day-light of true religion, to ftir the puddle of this fink, equally futil and fetid. Is God the Judge? Is Chrift the Saviour? Is the Holy Ghoft the Sanctifier? Are Heaven and Hell before us? Is the gospel put into our hands? Why, in the name of wonder, are our preachers fo care. ful to keep them all out of fight? With these our most excellent liturgy is filled from end to end; but our pulpits affect to pass them by in filence. What! can the fame man pray like a Christian, and preach like a Deist?

If there are two fpecies of arguments, one in comparably ftronger than the other, for the converfion of a finner from the error and wickedness of his ways, why fhould the preacher omit the former, as if diffident of its truth or folidity, and dwell only on the latter, as if afraid to make better men of others than he is willing to be himself? It cannot be denied, nay, nor even doubted, that reformation of manners, or virtue, is the grand and ultimate end of the Chriftian revelation. As little can it be doubted, where faith, or even experience hath taken place, whether reformation or virtue is to be hoped for, but upon Chriftian principles

principles and the influence of Christian motives. Yet of late, we hear of little else but morality, of morality independent of those principles and motives; infomuch that we may almoft as fuccessfully look for reformation and virtue in a Pagan country, as here where Chriftianity is univerfally profeffed. This is using a straw for a lever to raise a rock of many tons, where an engine at hand, fully adequate to the purpose, is unemployed. This is pouring a spoonful of water on a town, all on fire, when the Nile, in flood, is induftriously banked out from it.

Hence it is that the Bible is no longer bought and read; that the Old Whole Duty of Man is out of print; that Chesterfield's letters are in every one's hand; that five editions of Abbe Raynal's Hiftory, confifting of fix infidel volumes, have been published here in Dublin.And hence it is, that infidelity in principle, and profligacy of manners, have become, within these forty years, openly rampant among us. Nay, it is fome time fince Atheism itself hath found its public, and even its ecclefiaftical abettors.

Let me take it for granted, that you, my dear brother in Christ, a conftant gueft in his house, and at his table, cannot look on, a cool fpectator of enormities fo flagrant; that you will stand forth for him who bought you with his blood; and that you will, through the canal of your prefs, give the worthy Walker leave to pour the balfam of true religion into the wounds of Chrift's mangled body.

These fermons are fo purely Chriftian, that it is very difficult to find in them a clear proof of

their author's particular fect, or mode of profeffion. The most bigotted member therefore of any other mode will find nothing here to offend his prejudices, unless it is Walker's close attachment to the reformation; and, notwithstanding this, he so seldom turns his eye towards the church of Rome, and every where fo well fupports his doctrine by the plain word of God, that, fure I am, the Romanift, who believes in this word, can hardly find a book better qualified to make him a real Catholic, unless it is the Bible itself.

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Howfoever lightly my opnion in other matters may be thought of, in the present case, it may derive fome additional credit from this confideration, that I have been long a fincere member of, and a warm preacher in, a church different from that of Walker; that these férmons come forth with an high character from Doctor Blair, a writer highly and defervedly honoured in Ireland; and that, in the space of two years, five editions of them have been taken off by the readers of Great Britain.These are no trifling encouragements to you, as a bookfeller, for your giving them a fixth, perhaps eventually, a feventh edition. That however, you have yet higher motives for this undertaking is well known to,

Dear Sir, your real Friend,

PHIL. SKELTON.

A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE

REV. ROBERT WALKER.

THOUGH there were neither ftriking incidents, nor much variety in the life of the Author, the following facts will not be unacceptable to his Friends.

HE was born in Canongate, where his father was minifter, in 1716. He received a regular education at the University of Edinburgh. Happening to refide for a few months in 1737 with a clergyman in Galloway, he was licensed to preach the gofpel by the Prefbytery of Kirkcudbright. In 1738, in confequence of an unanimous call, he was ordained minifter of Straiton, within the bounds of the Presbytery of Ayr. He always mentioned this fituation with particular fatisfaction, and confidered the years which he spent at Straiton as among the happiest years of his life. In 1746, he was tranflated to the fecond charge of South Leith. He was then in the prime of life; and never appeared to greater advantage than while he remained in this ftation, either in his public labours, or in his private intercourfe with his friends.

In 1754, he was called to be one of the minif ters of Edinburgh; and as there were at that time three vacancies in the city, and he was the Jenior minifter among those who were called to fupply them, he was immediately fixed in one of the collegiate charges of the High Church. The diftinguished