was lafhed below the entry door, broke loofe and was washed away. Alfo, on the 13th, there was fo violent a storm of wind, that he thought the house would overfet; and, at midnight, the fea broke one pane of glafs in the lantern. They had a very melancholy time of it; having also had a great deal of thunder and lightning. The ftorms, obferves Mr. SMEATON, 'which the building has now fuftained without material damage, convinced us, and every one, of the ftability of the ftone light-house; except thofe (who were not a few) who had taken the notion, that nothing but wood could refift the fea upon the Edystone rocks; who faid, that though they allowed it was built very ftrong, yet if fuch a ftorm as had deftroyed WINSTANLEY'S light-houfe was again to happen, they doubted not but it must fhare the fame fate.-The year 1762 was ushered in with ftormy weather, and indeed produced a TEMPEST of the first magnitude, the rage of which was fo great, that one of those who had been used to predict its downfall, was heard to fay, if the Edyftone light-house is standing now, it will fland till the day of judgment: and, in reality, from this time, its existence has been fo entirely laid out of men's minds, that whatever ftorms have happened fince, no enquiry has ever been made concerning it.'

Having entered fo much in detail into the conftruction of the Edyftone light-house, which forms the fubject of the present fplendid work, we shall be excufed if we but flightly notice the appendix, which contains an account of the prefent lights on the Spurn point, near the mouth of the river Humber. The lights which are exhibited there, are two; both having been erected under the inspection of Mr. SMEATON. The high light-boufe is a brick building, 90 feet high, from the furface of the ground to the centre of the light; with an inclofed lantern for a fire light. The low light is raised on what is called a fwape, (for the conftruction of which we must refer to the plate,) which exhibits the light from a coal-fire, at the height of 56 feet. Originally, there was a low light-house of brick, which was deftroyed by the fhifting of the fands on which it was erected.

We must now, though with fome regret, take leave of a work, in the perufal of which we have been highly entertained, as well as informed. The fubject, indeed, is fingularly uncommon; and the detail is fo peculiarly interefting, that it may be difficult for imagination itself to fay, whether the very ingenious author will be moft famed for a building, which feems to rife by 'enchantment from the boisterous waves, and by which the mercantile world is fo greatly benefited,—or, for E 2

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the written account and description of a wonderful and beau tiful ftructure, by which Mr. SMEATON has made an invaluable addition to the public ftock of this important branch of the architectural art.

ÁRT. IX. Moral and Philofophical Suggestions on various Subjects, relative to Human Perfection and Happiness. Didactic Lectures. Crown 8vo. 4 Vols. 165. Boards. White and Son. 1790.

THIS publication nearly refembles, in many particulars, a

work (probably by the fame author,) which, fome time ago, paffed under our infpection, entitled, Moral and Philofophical Eftimates of the State and Faculties of Man +. Like that work, the prefent confifts of a series of Difcourfes, or SERMONS, to each of which is prefixed, on a feparate leaf, the title and text; and which, though they have little pretenfion to the character of philofophical difquifitions, are plain and familiar addresses on important topics, moral and religious. The author' does not pretend to engage in metaphyfical investigations, to discuss doctrines more adapted to beget doubt than faith and certainty, or to demonftrate matters which are already plain to every man of found intellect: but he treats of fubjects interefting to all mankind; with fome degree of negligence, indeed, with refpect to ftyle, but with great and very commendable fimplicity and ferioufnefs.

Among other important fubjects, treated in thefe difcourfes, are the following: Vindication of Divine Providence; Prejudices against Christianity obviated; Education; Diverfions; Religion every Man's firft Concern; the Duty of Brotherly Reprehenfion; Love to God; A future Judgment; Vanity; Voluptuous Indulgence; the Principles and Benefits of the Reformation. The difcourfes on this latter fubject deferve particular attention: from one of thefe we thall felect the following paffage :

The first advantage for which we are indebted to the Reformation, is a confiderable diminution of the fuperftition which formerly prevailed in the whole Chriftian Church, and which even still prevails in by far too great a part of it. I fay diminution, and not abolition, not eradication, of fuperftition. For even we, Proteftants, are not free from all fuperfition; even among us, powers and efficacies are fill attributed to many things, which they have not, and cannot have. But what a glorious advantage is even this diminution and limitation of fuperftition! How feverely did

The plates, too, which, it must be remembered, merit much commendation, will greatly aflit the reader in judging of fo fingular an edifice as the Edyftore Light-houfe.

+ See Rev. New Series, vol. ii. p. 147 and 148.

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the yoke of it prefs upon our fathers! Tranfport yourselves in imagination to the times anterior to the Reformation; turn over the hiftories of hundreds, nay, of thousands of years that went before; or, if you cannot do this, then vifit the Christian realms or regions, where light and liberty do not in the leaft prevail, and compare their condition with ours.

Only, for example, reflect upon the worship of God in fpirit and in truth, almoft totally fuppreffed by the adoration of fuch a number of faints. Think on the painful, the expenfive vifits to their celebrated temples and images; on the reverence in which the pretended relics, the bones and tatters of martyrs, or of other holy departed perfons, were held, and on the miraculous powers attributed to them; on the heavy fafts; on the cruel mortifications and penances; on the gloomy, mifanthropical life of the monks and nuns, to which the fupreme degree of holiness was afcribed; on the flavish dread of evil fpirits, and the arts of forcery; on the ridiculous prefervatives from their influence and their power; on the various kinds of conjuration and benediction; on the enormous catalogue of feaft-days and holidays, which men were compelled to obferve, to the prejudice of their bufinefs and affairs, and to the manifeft detriment of the civil welfare; on the foreign and unintelligible language in which the moft awful part of worship was performed: do but think, I fay, on all this, and confider that we are in a great meafure free from all thefe and still more fuperftitious opinions, rites, and practices, which are an affront to the human, the Chriftian character, and that it is merely our own fault if we do not entirely difmifs whatever yet remains of the old fuperftition among us; and you will certainly, not without a real fenfible joy, acknowledge how much we are indebted to the Reformation in all thefe refpects.

Another no lefs important advantage of the Reformation, is the weakening of human regards in religious concerns, and the limita tion of the furreptitious and formerly fo much abused authority, not only of the fuperior, but alfo of the lower clergy. How extenfive formerly was the authority of bifhops in general, and of the bishop of Rome in particular! And how much did they abuse it, to the gratifying of their paffions, to the profecution of worldly and political projects and defigns, to the violation of the moft facred rights of humanity and confcience; in fhort, to purposes for which it could not poffibly have been given them! How oft was the paftoral ftaff, which should have tended the people, and led them befide the "waters of comfort," turned into a rod of iron, to rule them like flaves! How extravagant, how degrading to the men who were called Laics, was the idea which then obtained of whatever in any way related to the perfons, the prerogatives, the inftitutions, of the priesthood! How feverely was every trefpafs against it punished, though often involuntary, often infignificant, and often arifing from a generous zeal for liberty and truth! Who, without fhuddering, can barely think of that most terrible of all human tribunals, the Inquifition! Does any authority, however, which is unlawful, and which is abused, seem grievous to men with whom any fentiment

of freedom remains; then must that be the moft intolerable which takes upon it to controul their confciences, their faith, their fentiments, and perceptions. And this authority, under the yoke whereof the Chriftians fo long groaned, is limited by the Reformation. From this authority has it entirely delivered us, and many other Proteftant Communions.-We honour the teachers of Religion and Chriftianity; we fet a high value on the pains they employ in our inftruction, to improve us, and render us happy; but we need not blindly believe, not blindly follow, even the worthieft among them; we need not hold them for men without human infirmities and failings, not for inimitable patterns of wisdom and fanctity. And how great alfo is this advantage! What more exalts the mind, what more enlarges the heart of a man, than the consciousness that he is no flave, that he is a free being, and that the way to the knowledge of truth, and to the higheft human perfection, ftands open to him as well as to his brethren!

'A third advantage for which we are indebted to the Reformation, is the free, unmolefted use of the Holy Scriptures. Ignorance and fuperftition had fhut up this fource of knowledge and comfort from the people at large, and from most of their teachers; and an obfcure fophiftical philofophy prevented even the learned from drawing correcter perceptions from it. Only a very few could flake their thirst after truth and repofe from the fource itself; the reft must content themfelves with taking from muddy channels an unpleafant and unwholesome draught. The Bible was the least known of all books, the leaft efteemed, the leaft ufed! Difgraceful as thefe truths are to thofe times, fo certain and undeniable are they.

And here the merit of the Reformers fhines in the moft refplendent luftre. To draw the Holy Scriptures from obfcurity, to tranflate them into the vernacular tongues, to put them into the hands of the people, to facilitate the use of them in various ways, was their first and principal concern; and in this refpect they performed what their times and circumftances would allow. To them, therefore, are we chiefly indebted for our understanding of these pure and abundant fources of the knowledge of GoD and Religion, for the free ufe of them, for the light, and comfort, and power in goodness, we daily acquire from them, and that we can do all this in calm fecurity and confidence. What an advantage! How many others does it comprite! To how many others has it prepared the way! And how dearly then must we efteem the memory of the Reformers, if we had nothing more to thank them for than the free and easy ufe of the Bible!

In fine, we owe to the Reformation the greater liberty of inquiry, the fettled and acknowledged right of private judgment in religious matters. We are free; it is our duty to fee with our own eyes, to judge from our own perceptions, to follow our own conviction; and this, incredible as it may appear, our ancestors dared not do! Indeed, this liberty, which displayed itself in its full vigour during the first periods of the Reformation, was afterwards, by the too great value that was fet upon fymbolical books and confeffions of Faith, and by falfe notions of the unity of the church, which does

not confist in a fameness of opinions, but in fameness of temper, again circumfcribed. However, this noble liberty is ftill perfectly adequate to the principles and the fpirit of the Reformation; it is far greater and more univerfal in Proteftant countries, than in those which are not fo. It is there the fafeguard of divine and human rights; men may make use of it boldly and in open day; it maintains its own authority; it ever operates, and is ever enlarging its fphere; and all this, but for the Reformation, either would not have happened at all, or not till after a great and tedious length of time.'

The benevolent and pious fpirit which animates these difcourses, cannot fail to render them acceptable to all the friends of virtue and religion.

ART. X.

Hints on producing Genius. By J. W. Parfons, A. B. Vicar of Wellington in the County of Hereford. 12mo. PP. 134. 29. Sewed. Cadell. 1790.

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'HERE is a quaintnefs in the title, which Mr. Parfons has given to his book, that attracted our notice as soon as we faw it but there is likewife fuch a degree of turgidity in the contents of the volume, as for a confiderable time retarded our progrefs in perufing it;-and now that we have read it, we are more perplexed with its abrupt manner, its obfcure ftyle, and its affected phrafeology, than we are enlightened or improved by the few ideas, which we have been able to feparate from the confufed mafs.-The fubject is divided into four parts: the first treats of the difproportionate ftate of genius to science :" this is not very intelligible, nor can we give any infight into the author's meaning, farther than what may be collected from the following paffage :

The arts and sciences, by the accumulated labors of preceding times, are increased in number and magnitude. When almost fingly they engrofs a life of application; they have not refpectively to their use and importance, an equal and proper fhare of attention. All levelled to the fame degree of novelty, curiofity is no longer excited; ambition dies; and the mind indolently reverts to thofe inquiries that are most obvious and agreeable, not folely the useful and proper. Instead of taking advantage from the labors, and the way marked out by a Bacon or a Newton, appalled at the diftance already traced, men never aspire to reach beyond it. So declines the philofophy of the ancient fchools, that intimated the very change of human nature; and fuch in general is the fate of many branches of experimental philofophy. Genius, unless touched with more fire and perfeverance, than belongs to the common rate of intellect, falls far fhort of the prefent altitude of science, and is wholly incapable of progreffive flight and improvement.'

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