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unto him, fuffer it to be fo now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteoufnefs. Then he suffered him.

2. What were the very remarkable circumstances that attended the baptifm of our Saviour?

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A. Jefus, when he was baptized, went up ftraightway out of the water and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he faw the spirit of God defcending like a dove, and lighting, upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven, faying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

2. Did John the Baptift make any exprefs déclaration of Jefus being the Meffiah?

A. The next day John feeth Jefus coming unto him, and faith, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the fin of the world. And I faw the Spirit defcending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I faw, and bear record, that this is the fon of God.

2. When Nicodemus, a Jewish ruler, came and told Jefus that he was convinced, by his miracles, he was a teacher fent from God; what was the reply our Lord made?

A. Jefus answered and faid unto him, Verily, verily, I fay unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot fee the kingdom of God.

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2. When Nicodemus, taking what our Lord faid in a natural fenfe, expreffed his furprize how a man could be born a fecond time, what faid our Lord to him?

A. I fay unto thee, except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is fpirit.

2. What inftance, in the natural world, did our Lord condefcend to give Nicodemus that was above his power to explain, to leffen his furprize at things being fo, that were fpiritual?

A. The wind bloweth where it lifteth, and thou hearest the found thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: fo is every one that is born of the Spirit.

2. When Nicodemus continued to exprefs his wonder, what did our Lord farther fay unto him?

A. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not; how fhall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly thiugs? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man, which is in heaven.

2. What was the intimation given to Nicodemus by our Lord of what he himself fhould one day fuffer; and what did he declare concerning those that should hereafter believe on him?

A. As Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wilderness, even fo must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whofoever believeth in him fhould not perish, but have eternal life.

2 Was Nicodemus affured by our Lord that it was God's

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love to the human race that was the caufe of his coming into the world; and that with the merciful intention of faving it?

A. God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him fhould not perish, but have everlasting lite. For God fent not his fon into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be faved.

2. Did our Lord fay wherein would lie the guilt of the wicked and unbelieving part of mankind?

A. This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, left his deeds fhould be reproved.

2. What faid our Lord concerning those perfons who came to him with good intentions, and with a fincere defire to be inftructed?

A. He that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds might be made manifeft, that they are wrought in God.

2. What was the anfwer our Lord gave unto the woman of Samaria, when the asked him if he was greater than their father Jacob, which gave them the well at which he fat?

A. Jefus answered and faid unto her, Whofoever drinketh of this water fhall thirft again; but whofoever drinketh of the water that I fhall give him, fhall never thirst; but the water that I fhall give him, fhall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

2. What was part of the reply which our Lord made unto the woman of Samaria, when he told him that their fathers worshipped in this monntain; whilft the Jews fay that in Jerufalem is the place where men ought to werfhip?

A. The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worfhippers fhall worfhip the Father in fpirit and in truth; for the Father feeketh fuch to worship him. God is a Spirit, and they that worship him, muft worship him in fpirit and in truth.

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2. When the woman of Samaria told Jefus that the Meffias was expected, which was called Chrift, what said he unto her?

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A. I that fpeak unto thee am he.

2. When the disciples (who had left our Lord) returned and requested him to take fome refreshment, what was his reply?

A. I have meat to eat that ye know not of. My meat is to do the will of him that fent me, and to finish his work.'

It is pity the author fhould have been induced to add a couple of poems at the end of his work, as they are far from giving an advantageous idea of his talent for compofitions, in verfe. We hope he will omit them, fhould his book appear in a fecond edition.

A School

A School for Greybeards; or, the Mourning Bride: a Comedy, in Five Acts. As performed at the Theatre-Royal, DruryLane. By Mrs. Cowley. 8vo. s. 6d. Robinsons. WE have, at different times, given accounts of Mrs. Cow ley's dramatic productions. This 'wren, the youngest of the nine,' does not greatly differ from her fifters. The fame easy, fprightly dialogue, the quick fucceffion of different perfons, engage the imagination, and supply the place of more regular plots, interesting fituations, and uncommon characters.

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Mrs. Cowley acknowledges that the principal part of the plot is taken from an old play; but the fcene is transferred from London to Portugal, and the whole fo much altered, that the idea only remains. We have not looked at Mr. Behn's comedy; but it seems to have required fome ingenuity to have made a play from the materials. Don Henry, contracted to Antonia, kills his antagonist in a duel, and escapes. Don Gafper, a greybeard,' pays his addreffes to Antonia, forges a letter, containing the death of Don Henry, and buys his pardon, which he purposes to keep fecret, left any other perfon fhould procure it. In the interval, on the day of the marriage, Don Henry appears; and the ftory is unfolded with an addrefs which shows the author to be well acquainted with the bufinefs of the stage. He introduces himself to Gafper as Julio, his nephew, whom he had never feen. This is probable; but it is not fo, that Gafper should not know his rival, or that Antonia fhould be only ftruck with a resemblance between him and Henry, without recognizing him. There seems, at the first opening, that nothing ftands in his way but the want of a pardon. He might have claimed his mistress, and urged his prior contract; for, at laft, his pardon appears to be ow ing to the royal clemency. In short, there is not even an artificial intricacy in the plot, to excite the attention, and render the play, on that account, interefting in its conduct. In the progrefs, the event appears still more easy as Julio, he is told by Gafper, that Henry's pardon is procured. Every impediment is now removed; but Gafper is fent out of the way, the space between two acts intervenes, a long converfa. tion between the two Greybeards, and Henry has not yet escaped with Antonia, which was the profeffed purpose of the contrivance. They are intercepted by Gafper, for no other reason than to add some scenes to the play, already fufficiently long.

In short, much of this confufion arises from the alteration refpecting the marriage. The ceremony, at first, was fuppofed to be over between Antonia and Gafper; but this appeared

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improbable, and it was changed to a contract only. In that ftate the objections were leffened, but they are not removed.

The second plot, with the innocent coquetry of Seraphina, the attachment of Viola and Sebastian, is pleasant, and well conducted; yet we would not advife every young woman, every wife of a Greybeard,' to trust herself with a young man, at night, in a garden, on the credit of a few fine fentiments. We can trust much to female virtue, and think highly of it; but there are moments when the most firm refolves will fail, and prudence should have hinted that thefe moments are to be avoided. Let us quote, on this occafion, the words of a lady, whofe work we have read with pleasure. The frequency of thofe who fall, but too plainly evinces the imprudence of the trial, which to tempt is folly the most dangerous, and which not to fear, is unpardonable prefumption.'

Mrs. Cowley was accufed, on the first night of representation, of indecent expreffions. In her Preface she contends very properly for the liberty of an author to fuit the language to the character; but he has restored every paffage objected to, and we can truly fay, that to the plain, fimple, and obvious meaning of the words, we cannot fee the flightest objection. Her lovers talk with a warmth that is fomewhat more reprehenfible. We have preferved the following scene as a fpecimen of this kind, yet it is one of the best in the play. Henry is reclined on a bank, feemingly afleep, and in such a fituation as not to be feen immediately.

Enter Antonia and Clara,

Cla, This is the ftrangeft whim! feeking fhades and folitude, instead of company and mirth, What will Don Gafper fay?

Ant. Oh name him not; the arrival of the young ftranger his nephew, has renewed all my miferies. But here my forrows have a fhort ceffation, Oh, how thofe lonely fhades will footh fadness! Each day I'll feek the foft recefs, and opening all the treafures of remembrance, live on my Henry's image,

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Cla. Come, come, that's a fort of image-worship we don't allow, It would be more catholic to live in lonely fhades with himfelf. This foft recefs" would be at leaft more poetical, my dear, with a handfome young man in it, even tho' he should be uncivilly afleep. (Pointing to Henry,)

Ant. (Not regarding her.) Oh, I'll call back each facred hour which bleft our wedded fouls; trace each fond fcene that chaften'd love made pure, and in the dear review, forget that I'm a wretch,

Cla, Ay, do forget it pray, and look behind those shrubsthere's a youth as much like Don Henry, as ever one impudent rogue was like another,

Ant.

Ant. Hah! 'tis Don Julio-let us retire before he wakes. And yet-Oh Clara! I could with his fleep lengthen'd to eternity; and myfelf immortal to stand thus and gaze on him!

Cla. One might almoft fancy it Don Henry himself; only unhappily 'tis not the cuftom for people to leave their family manfions in the church-yard, to repofe on violets for their mif treffes to gaze on them.

Ant. The refemblance is ftronger now he fleeps. When awake, this ftranger has a fcorn-a feverity in his eye-fomething that made me fear; but Henry's eye talk'd only love! Oh, I have feen a volume in a single glance;-one look has faid, what eloquence and learning might try to imitate in vain. [Sings. ]

Sweet rofy fleep! Oh do not fly,
Bind thy foft fillet on his eye,

That o'er each grace my own may rove,
And feast my hapless, joylefs love!
For when he lifts thofe thading lids,
His chilling glance fuch blifs forbids-
Then rofy fleep on do not fly,
But bind thy fillet on his eye!

Cla. I fay on the contrary open your eyes! Who knows but they may by this time have acquired a fofter expreffion?

Ant. Fie, Clara! let us go this inftant-you will furely wake him. (going haftily.) [Exit Clara. Henry. (ftarting up.) Yes, he is awakened indeed! Oh my Antonia, turn! Turn fweet traitrefs, and look upon the map you've injured!

• Ant. (fbricking.) Oh, I fhall fink! What art thou? Is Henry then alive in Julio? Oh tell me whilft I yet can breathe -Say, art thou both, or nothing?

Henry. Convince thyfelf. (embracing her.) Oh, my Antonia! Ant. No! 'tis not air-my arms return not empty to my bofom, but meet a folid treasure !

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Henry. A treasure you have lightly priz'd.

Ant. Alas, my Henry, I believ'd thee dead! Oh let me touch thee yet again! (taking his hand.) Thele veins are warm with life! health blushes on thy cheeks; and this foft preffure darts through my nerves, and is new life to me. Oh my Henry! it is it is thyfelf!'

In the firft copy of the play, Gafper feems to have been called Don Philip. The name ftill occurs in p. 31; and frequently in p. 42: it creates fome confufion, and the error fhould be corrected. We may alfo obferve, that the acts are not properly divided. In general, there is fome interval fuppofed to elapfe between each act: in this play, the business fometimes proceeds without any interruption; and, in one place, the fame time cannot be confiftently allowed to two parties. On the whole, this is a pleafing comedy: it attracts in fpite of faults; and fets all critic rules at defiance, by show ing that they are not effential to our entertainment.

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