Amidst the paffions' roar, a clam'rous hoft,
Oft is the gentle voice of reafon lost!

How try' thou, butcher-like, to carve my work,
And treat each fweet-foul'd stanza like a Turk!
From fuch fad readers Heav'n the Mufe protect,
Proud to find fault, and raptur'd with defect!
Yet tho' thou frownft on Peter's every line,
Behold the difference, John !he smiles on thine.
Say not I hate each man of verfe and profe;
I rev'rence genius, John, where'er it grows:
Whene'er it beams through ignorance's night
I mark the stranger with as keen delight,
As looks the Pilgrim on Baffora's tow'rs
Her streams, ambrofial blooms, and myrtle bow'rs ;
Who long denied of Hope's fweet cup to tafte,
Had figh'd amidst the folitary wafte.

Blame not the Bard, thou man of letter'd pride,
Who, taking not dame Prudence for thy guide,
Did'it ftone the poet's mantion like an ass,
Forgetting that thy own was made of glass.
Know, John, that paffion maketh man a fwine:
Know this, and bid thy conduct copy mine.
When deeming me a Saracen in heart,
Why, fimple John, attempt my road athwart ?
Amidst thy walks fhould bullies meet thine
eye,
Compos'dly let those bullies pass thee by..
To bustling bravoes, for my eafe and pride,
I give the wall, and fmiling turn afide.
Thus if a rock or log the ftream oppose,
That fweetly lambent from its fountain flows
No foamy turbulence the rills betray,
But, eafy yielding, wind in peace away.'

Peter proceeds to his expoftulations, of which he feems to have borrowed the manner from his Supplicating Epistle;* and, with great apparent mildnefs, vents. the fevereft farcafms on the object of his addrefs, who seems, from this account, to have treated him and his works with uniform severity. But, as we have faid that we were unable to decide on the merits of the difpute, we ought not to diffeminate its lang guage. We can only fay with Claudio- If this were fo, fo were it uttered."

The Elegy to Apollo contains Peter's complaints of the cruelty of authors, authoreffes, and the Blue Stocking Club. After enumerating the fuppofed farcaftic remarks of different tribes of poets and poeteffes, Peter concludes,

• Thus with dread voice my enemies exclaim!
Thus am I doom'd to gulp the bitter pill!
Themselves," fair traders of the mount," they name;
But me a fmuggler on thy facred hill!

'God

God of us Lyrics, fhall I rouze my rhyme,
Confound the gang, and vindicate my lay;
Or calmly leave them to devouring time,

Who dines upon fuch witlings every day?

Sir Jofeph Banks and the boiled Fleas is an humorous ode. The prefident is fuppofed to have fufpected fleas to be Jobfters, from their fhape, and to have brought his hypothefis to the teft of experiment by boiling, expecting them to turn red. The colour, however, unfortunately continued unchanged-In this ode-But the Reviewer of natural hiftory is just come in, and we must haften this article to the prefs, left, as on a former occafion, our whole corps fhould be in confufion from his oppofition: we have only time to add, that in every part of this pamphlet Peter feems to have exerted the whole force of his arch feverity, and has interspersed several strains of a higher mood,' as well as fome highly polished lines.

Sermons by William Leechmay, D. D. late Principal of the Col lege of Glafgon. To which is prefixed, fome Account of the Author's Life, and of his Lectures, by James Wodrow, D. D. 2 Vols. 8vo. 125. Boards. Cadell.

THE

THE account of the truly excellent and pious author, prefixed to thefe Sermons, is an acceptable prefent to the public. The abilities and virtues of Dr. Leechman, exhibited during a long and useful life, in the employments of a tutor, a minifter, an academical teacher, and, laftly, as the head of a learned and refpectable fociety, have rendered him well known and highly esteemed by his own countrymen, and must enfure no less favourable teftimonies in his behalf from us, who, though living under a different establishment, are, we truft, united by the fame fundamental principles of belief, and by the fame love and reverence for piety and virtue. His example, indeed, deferves to be commemorated, not only for the excellence of his religious character, but for the amiable candour and gentleness of his difpofition. He appears to have poffeffed a mind eminently formed for the profeffion which he exercifed. He had a happy foftnefs and fufceptibility of heart, which admitted early, and preferved ever frong and unimpaired, the impreffions of piety and devotion, and enabled him to act from them as his principal and leading impulfe through life. With abilities rather folid than ornamental, he rofe from an humble to a fuperior station, and obtained a diftinguifhed eminence in his profeffion, if we may be allowed to conjecture, by the rare but happy art of always attending to what was useful, and keeping the one object of his purfuit continually in view. In

this he was affifted without doubt by a strong and confcientious principle of duty, and by native habits of industry; and not lefs fo perhaps by his refidence in a country where diligence and perfeverance may be confidered as a part of national character. The university of Glasgow conftantly enjoyed the benefit of his public inftructions for the fpace of feventeen years, in which he was profeffor of divinity, and afterwards occafionally till the end of his life, during twenty-four years that he was principal of the college; an office which he filled with great dignity and refpectability. A short sketch of the plan of his lectures is given by the writer of his life. That on the Evidences of Chriftianity,' is new and well worthy attention, as is that on The Compofition of Sermons.' Many useful hints might be derived from hence for ftudents in divinity. The writer of this life compares him, in candour and abilities, with Lardner, but acknowledges him to have been his inferior in learning. The account of the death of this excellent man deferves to be read by all; it affords another example of the dying fentiment of one, the laft fcene of whofe life is affectingly related by Dr. Young, in his Effay on Original Compofition; See in what peace a Christian can die!'

Of the Sermons, four, or, as they are here divided, nine were published by the author during his life, and have paffed through feveral editions; the reft are now firft prefented to the public by the editor. They are written in a ftyle fimple, perfpicuous, and often elegant. Ornament, however, is what they never appear to aim at, and the language is principally ftriking from the animation and energy of the thought. Their great characteristic is the inward conviction and force of mind which they discover. Of the beauty and excellence of virtue, of the perfections of the Deity, and our endeavours to obtain a moral resemblance with him, and of the pleasures and advantages of devotion, the author appears to have had the most exalted ideas, and to have felt the most forcible impreffions. On this fubject he frequently enlarges in a train of very pleafing and expreffive oratory.

The Sermon on the Character and Duty of a Minister,' contains many valuable obfervations and directions concerning this important office. On this, as on every other fubject of duty, little new can perhaps be expected. Thofe points which are of the greateft confequence are brought forward into view, are powerfully enforced, and engagingly recommended. With the excellent Mr. Oftervald, in his Lectures on the Ministry, of whom he appears to have been a great admirer, he lays down as the principal qualification, and as the foundation and fource of all others, a fervent piety and a feeling conviction of

the

the truths of the Gofpel. He ftrongly enforces the attainment of that elevation of foul, which fets us above worldly objects, and enables us to look down with contempt on worldly plea fures and pursuits; he recommends human learning and science, not only as an aid to theology, but as a fource of rational amusement, and as it fecures us from seeking for diverfion, in our leifure hours, from lighter occupations; he approves of the ftoring our minds with moral and virtuous fentiments from heathen as well as facred authors; he enjoins the neceffity in a minister of difplaying a high standard of morals in his doctrine, as men in their practice generally come below the model that is prefented for their imitation; he feelingly and beautifully defcribes the fpiritual joy arifing from our advancement in virtue and holinefs, and from our nearer refemblance of the perfections of the Deity; and he inculcates a warmth of affection and concern in ministers towards their people, by the tenderest and most powerful arguments. As the author's principal and peculiar faculty feems to lie in felecting proper motives for every duty, in reprefenting them after a new manner, and in preffing them with an earnest and perfuafive tenderness, we felect the following fpecimens for our readers, on the motives for Chriftian charity, and the care of fouls, especially as they serve at the fame time to fhew the amiableness and benevolence of the writer's mind.

For this purpose let us confider mankind in all those tender views which may contribute to endear them to us, not only as children of the fame great parent of all, and as partakers of the fame nature, but as creatures fallen and degraded, in the fame ftate of ignorance, corruption, and guilt; as exiles in the fame place of banishment from our native country; as fellow fufferers in the fame fcenc of mifery and diftrefs; as being equally liable to all the pains and calamities of this life, and equally fubject to the ftroke of death; as fellow travellers towards the fame unfeen world; as followers of the fame great leader; and as having all the difficulties and hardships of our Struggling state of pilgrimage, fweetened with hopes which depend on the fame great friend and benefactor of human kind, even the hopes of mingling with the divine affembly above, and there triumphing for ever over all the miferies of this mortal fate. And if we lay open our fouls to the full power of these interefting views of our fellow-creatures, we hall foon feel our hearts ftreaming out towards them in fuch a strong flow of tenderness and benevolence, as will extinguish the pride and vanity that are apt to arife from the little accidental advantages one man has above another.'

Since the foul of man is the most excellent piece of the divine workmanship in this lower world; fince it far furpaffes in dignity and excellence the whole fabric of the visible crea

Gg 4

tion;

tion; it must undoubtedly be a moft glorious employment to promote its worth, its welfare, and eternal profperity. It is impoffible to conceive a more divine employment, than to maintain a command and power over the minds of men by the force of truth and virtue; for this is in fome degree to resemble God himfelf, the author and infpirer of every good and perfect gift; to be inftrumental in making reafon and virtue to prevail in the hearts and lives of mankind, is an office no less honourable than that of being a fellow-worker with God in his grand defign of eftablishing the happinefs of his creation. Befides the dignity of the work itself, let us lift up our thoughts to the everlasting honour and reward that attends it in the other world; for they that be wife shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness, as the ftars for ever and ever." In this collection is a Sermon on the Reasonableness and Advantages of Prayer,' which on its first publication drew upon the author the fevere cenfures of the prefbytery of Glas gow, and a profecution was commenced against him with a warm and rather intemperate zeal. They alledged that too little ftrefs was laid on the merit of the fatisfaction and interceffion of our bleffed Saviour, as the fole ground of our acceptance with God in prayer.' This controverfy was decided by the fentence of a fuperior court, and the author fully acquitted of the charges brought against him. After this it is fuperfluous to fay any thing, except that at this time it is difficult to conceive what but the deepest prejudices could have given rise to fo violent a procefs. The author in his defence, the substance of which is given in a note inferted with his life, alledges that the fermon was written on the occafion of a pamphlet published against prayer, and that it was principally intended to answer objections. It may be here obferved, that the directions for our belief and practice are in general laid down by our Lord in the Gofpel with great concifenefs, and with few endeavours to explain them to the reafon of mankind. Pofitive com mands are given for our practice, and pofitive promises as the inducements and rewards of our obedience; and we may prefume that in thofe cafes where reafon is capable of judging, they are purposely left as objects of our fpeculation and enquiry, and where reafon would be infufficient, our affent is there required to them in fubmiffion to the high authority from which they are derived. To every fincere Chriftian probably the command of Christ, and the promife of acceptance for his fake and through bis interceffion, together with the natural impulfe of his own mind, would be a fufficient inducement for the practice of deBut when arguments are required by the unbelieving. it is both a justifiable and commendable attempt, to proceed -with them on their own ground, and to employ the aid of rea

votion.