when it is considered that moral feeling, which possesses the principal influence in the regulation of the conduct, will be formed and modelled by the views of the understanding, it will be confessed that our conceptions of moral principle and obligation cannot be too clear and exact." I. 388. Mr. Cogan cannot be charged with having preached mere morality. His moral sermons are all Christian. And young preachers may see in his discourses how fitly and powerfully the great doctrine of the gospel, the certainty of a future state of retribution, comes in aid of every moral principle. We may refer particularly to Ser. VI. Vol. 1.," On Benevolence," a sermon which will be read with pleasure, even by such as are familiar with Dr. Jebb's beautiful sermon on the same subject, one of the finest pieces of declamation in the English language. Towards the conclusion of his sermon, Mr. Cogan describes the pleasures of Benevolence, all which are enhanced by Christian considerations aud feelings, and he throws out a conjecture, which is a little out of his usual manner, but which is as rational as it is delightful : "But the pleasures of the benevolent, having inexhaustible sources, are perpetually at hand. Opportunities of doing good present themselves every day and every hour, and with them,-opportunities of exquisite and refined enjoyment. Could that secret be discovered by which other metals could be transmuted into gold, how invaluable would it be thought by the man who should possess it! But how much more valuable is the secret of converting the happiness of others into a source of enjoyment to ourselves,-the art of making the good of the universe our own! The man who lives to others, and not merely to himself, enjoys also the consciousness of moral worth and usefulness; a satisfaction of more value than all the solitary pleasures of the sensual and selfish. He farther has reason to indulge a cheerful persuasion, that he is the object of approbation to that great Being, whose conduct be imitates, who doeth good to all, and whose tender mercies are over all his works.' But a Christian should view every moral obligation in connexion with precepts and prospects of the gospel. And in the Christian Scriptures the great stress is laid, and if I have not been reasoning in vain, is wisely laid on the cultivation of benevolence. Now there remaineth these three-faith, hope and charity, and the greatest of these is charity. May I the hazard a conjecture, a harmless one at least, that the superior happiness of a future world will principally consist in a completer emancipation from the selfish affections; and that the inhabitants of that happy country will enjoy each other's good as being truly and properly their own, till at length all consideration of self shall be lost in the feeling of universal love?" I. 133-135. The Sermon." On the Vices of the Tongue" (Ser. X. Vol. II.), is spirited and eloquent: and the same character in the same volume, (Ser. XVIII.) may be given of the kindred Sermon It may be remarked, that our lan"On the Misapplication of Words." discourses and treatises on these toguage is singularly rich in excellent pics: the Essay on the Government of the Tongue, by the Author of the Whole Duty of Man, stands at the head of our books of practical morals, and Tillotson on this subject, are and the sermons of Barrow, South amongst the best specimens of pulpit eloquence. Without any assistance, guished writers, Mr. Cogan has writas far as appears, from these distinten some passages which will bear a comparison with the best of theirs. He is earnest in impressing the maxim cates, contributes to form the inward "that the conversation, while it indicharacter;" and he observes, with equal vivacity and justness, Words, it is true, are only breath, but by this breath the fair fruits of virtue may be blasted, the flame of Christian love may be extinguished." II. 218. He urges (pp. 214, 215) that the spirit of pride is peculiarly cherished by the medium of language, and reprobates the making of human misery the subject of a jest. And, on licentious conversation, he says, 66 "If it be the object of Christianity to inculcate sobriety of heart and conduct, it must be dangerous to infringe upon its pure and holy precepts, not in action merely, but in language. Human nature is expert at uniting inconsistences, but it cannot easily combine the life of a saint with the conversation of a voluptuary. And even if licentious conversation does not lead to acts of criminal indulgence, it leaves a stain upon the inward man of a character similar to that which would be contracted by the actual gratification of licentious propensities." II. 206. In the latter of these two Sermous on the moral use of language, the preacher denounces, with eloquent indignation, the custom of duelling and the slave trade. In the former, flattery might perhaps have been included in the "Vices of the Tongue." The exordium of Ser. III. in Vol. II., "On the Exercise of Ambitious and Malignant Passions," is an instance of our remark on this part of Mr. Cogan's Sermons. We quote a few sentences: "But what, in fact, are the objects which call forth the busy labours of mankind, which kindle their passions into a fury, which excite the fiercest contentions among the children of mortality, and which so often lead man to violate the rights, and interrupt the happiness of man?-Objects which bear inscribed upon them the character of Vanity! Some idle distinction, which, if attained, will only feed desires which can never be satisfied. Some possession, which, if secured, will leave its owner as far from true enjoyment as before. What excites the ardour, and directs the pursuits of the ambitious?-A phantom to which they have given the name of honour. What calls forth the unwearied efforts of the sons of avarice? Is it any solid and durable good, any thing that they can properly call their own, any thing that will profit them beyond the narrow limit of the present life? Is it not what owes its value to the arbitrary pleasure of man, and what is only important where opinion has made it so? What is it, it might be asked, that has led the hero to spread devastation around him like a pestilence?-What he has chosen to dignify with the name of glory. And what is glory, in this application of the term?-A possession, if a possession it can be called, which is fleeting as a dream, and unsubstantial as a shadow a mere creature of the imagination; and which is so far from being the companion of merit, that it is obtained by the most outrageous violations of the natural rights of man-by violence, rapine and murder." II. 48, 49. The following passage from Ser. VII. in Vol. II., " On the Instrumental Duties of Religion," contains a successful and pleasing application of an obviously just, but not commonplace moral truth: "Virtue in human beings never reaches its ultimate point, but is to the last a principle both liable to decline, and capable of improvement. Happy the man who, from a wish to arrive at the highest excellence of character, is diligent and serious in the use of all those means with which Divine Providence has furnished him. Happy he who, with unremitting perse verance, employs the instrumental duties of religion, keeping his views at the same time steadily fixed on the great object rity of affection, and integrity of conduct. which they are intended to promote-puSuch an one will go on from strength to strength, and though he may not in the present state of infirmity and trial appear perfect before God, he will be making gradual advances towards perfection. He will perpetually rise more and more above the attraction of present objects; his affecand heavenly; he will experience a joy tions will gradually become more spiritual and peace in believing, which will communicate what has been, and not altogether improperly, called-a foretaste of future blessedness." II. 151, 152. Pertinent and forcible observations occur in several of the sermons on the subject of bigotry and intolerance. For example, "Men grow furious only for error and absurdity." II. 44. And again, "A concern for virtue has never yet shewn itself in deeds of violence; it has never made any inroads on the peace of society; it has never trampled on the rights of con science, or wielded the sword of persecution. It may have wept in silence at the corruption and depravity of mankind, but it has never burst forth into acts of hostility, even against the corrupt and depraved." II. 109, 110. Mr. Cogan rarely introduces into these volumes criticisms on the sacred text, as has been before stated, but there are two or three expository passages which excite our regret that he should have so much sunk the scholar in the preacher. We have in view, particularly, the introductions to Sermons IV. and VI. of Vol. II. ; in the former of which occur some excellent remarks upon the apostolic sense of "a new creature," and in the latter, on Paul's doctrine of election as contradistinguished from the Calvinistic doctrine. Quoting Phil. ii. 6, in Ser. XI. Vol. II. p. 285, Mr. Cogan reads the verse, but without justifying the amended version, Who being in a divine form did not eagerly affect to be like God. Mr. Cogan entirely drops the old plan of formal division in his Sermons, which on that account resemble essays. The disuse of an announced division of the sermon is become fashionable, favoured no doubt by the growing impatience of our congregations under long sermons. Yet the old custom had its advantages: it facilitated the full discussion of every subject, it was some security against repetitions, and it was a great help to the memory of the hearer. It was often carried to a fanciful excess, but in the sermons of our more elegant British preachers, Atterbury, Sherlock, Snape, Hurd, Coney and Farquhar, so far from being a blemish it is often a striking beauty. Another modern custom is adopted by Mr. Cogan: his texts are often mere mottoes. This is better than preaching upon words; but Mr. Cogan has himself shewn that well-selected texts furnish the best opening and the strongest recommendation of a subject. The Scriptures are rather sparingly quoted in the Sermons, and some of the quotations that are made are verbally incorrect, at least, according to the English version, which, we presume, was meant to be employed. Unity of subject is exemplarily observed in most of these Sermons. It appears to us, however, to be somewhat violated in the very interesting Sermon, XI. of Vol. II., "On the Example of Christ," where the moral doctrines of Christianity are mingled with the example of its Founder, which is a distinct subject, and of itself ample enough for the longest discourse. The texts and the subjects do not always correspond, and some disappointment is in consequence felt by the reader. The solemn language of John xix. 30, It is finished, for instance, would seem to lead to a different, and may we say a higher subject, than "The Termination of a Christian Course;" and the conclusion of the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke x. 39, Go and do thou likewise, hardly appears to be made the most of, when it is applied generally to the "Obligation to imitate Good Examples." Some inaccuracies and inelegancies of style occur here and there: e. g. "the condition of their future prospects," I. 153; "love to God and man constitutes the essentials of duty," I. 387; "certain fits and starts of religious affection," II. 159; "miss of happiness," II. 243, and again, II. 248; our hearts will ascend to him in a constant tribute of praise and submis sion," II. 348. The word "characters" is sometimes used for persons bearing particular characters; "It would profit all these characters," &c., II. 58; "Deity," (Godhead,) is frequently put for God, "the character of Deity," II. 204; "what" occurs frequently in the sense of which as well as of that which. "But what particularly deserves our attention, &c., or what is the same thing," &c., II. 189, 190. The awkward term "matter," for affair, business, subject, &c., is of perpetual recurrence; thus "the Pharisees upon hearing the matter," II. 197; "This is a matter," II. 201; " it will not be a matter of indifference," II. 202. "Here below" is a common phrase, and the epithet "admirably,” strikes the reader by its repetition. Our duty, as critics, enforces upon us the unpleasant task of pointing out these supposed improprieties, in a work which will be consulted as an authority by the student; but they detract little from its value. Its excellencies are great and uniform; its defects small and occasional. And our shewing that we are sensible of the latter, will give weight, we trust, to our sincere and cordial praise of the former. To sum up our opinion in a few words: Mr. Cogan's style is easy, perspicuous and marked by a dignified simplicity. He adopts few figures; his metaphors are never long sus tained; but they are invariably correct, often elegant. He writes for superior minds, though without any ostentation, we were going to say without a consciousness, of pre-eminent intellect. His arguments have a philosophic character; and he is in all cases a fair reasoner: when he means to answer an objection, he states it in the clearest and strongest manner, apparently despising the artifice, so common in the pulpit, of accommodating a hostile argument to the answer which is prepared for it. Above all, he shews in every sermon that he esteems the character of Christian "the highest style of man," and that he prizes Christianity on account of its glorious discovery of a life to come, which infinitely exalts the character of the Creator in the apprehension of his creatures, and raises intelligent and moral beings to a state ART. III.-An Essay on Election and Reprobation: including Observations on the Sovereignty and Decrees of God. By Richard Wright, Unitarian Missionary. 12mo. pp. 72, 1s. 6d. 1818. ART. IV.-An Essay on the Duty of Free Inquiry in Matters of Religion. By the Same, 12mo. pp. 12. 3d. 1819. ART. V.-The Deity of Jesus Christ subversive of his Sonship and Mediation; and Inconsistent with the com mon Faith of Christians. By the Same. 12mo. pp. 12. 3d. 1819. Eaton. IN N the first of these Tracts, Mr. Wright calls the attention of Calvinists to their peculiar doctrine of Election and Reprobation, (the one includes the other,) which they are generally disposed to overlook. He brings it to the light of reason and Scripture, and shews that it is as inconsistent with both as it is shocking to every good feeling of the human heart. Calvin had before pronounced the condemnation of his own doctrine when he characterized it as the Decretum horribile. We heartily wish that intelligent Calvinists could be brought to consider Mr. Wright's arguments. The second Tract is designed to shew, that as Free Inquiry is a right, so also is it a duty. Many, we suspect, disregard the latter, even while they admit the former. The third Tract is on a less common subject. Its object is to shew, that if Jesus Christ be truly and properly God, he cannot be the Son of God, or the Mediator between God and men. It is ingenious, and we think conclusive. The cheapness of these Tracts fits them for circulation; and we shall rejoice to hear that a wide diffusion of them fulfils the design of the pious and benevolent Author. ART. VI.-An Attempt to support the Diversity of Future Rewards. 8vo. pp. 62. Button and Son. 1817. THE Author of this tract appears to be a Calvinist; he is certainly a serious Christian. His " Attempt" is modest aud ably-argued and wellwritten. The hypothesis which he undertakes to support is embarrassed by the Calvinistic doctrine of salvation by the merits of Christ, but he very freely replies to the objection, in a strain of argument which some of his brethren will not approve: "The merit of Christ is not the merit of his people; neither can it be. It is not transferred; nor is it in the nature of things capable of being transferred. They are rewarded through, rather than for, his merit; or, in other words, they are rewarded for the sake [of, which is precisely the same as through, the worthiness of the Saviour, which worthiness or merit sively his own." Pp. 18, 19. remains, and must for ever remain exclu The Diversity of Future Rewards is argued from the analogy of the Divine proceedings, the great diversity of Christian experience, the vast variety of natural capacity, the different degrees of moral excellence in the heavenly state, the superior tendency of this procedure to advance the hap piness of the whole society of the redeemed and the testimony of Scrip ture. The scantiness of the last and best class of proofs ought not to bring the doctrine, which the Author has shewn to be highly reasonable, into suspi cion; but it may suffice to humble us by shewing how little the Divine Wisdom deems us at present capable of learning, with regard to our future existence. Two texts, 1 Cor. xv. 41 and 2 Cor. ix. 6, sometimes alleged in proof of the Author's proposition, he candidly abandons as not conclusive. The passages which he relies upon are Matt. xx. 21-23, compared with Mark x. 37-40; Luke xix. 13—26; xxii. 28-30; 1 Cor. iii. 8; 1 Cor. xv. 23; 2 Cor. iv. 17; 1 Thess. xi. [ii.] 19, 20; and 1 Cor. iii. 15, compared with 2 Pet. i. 11. To some of these references exceptions might be made, but others appear to us to be conclu sive; and, indeed, the point which they are adduced to establish is, in tion. our judgment, a direct consequence gious without bigotry, he well knows from the leading doctrines of Scrip- that men can adore God, each after ture, namely, man's moral responsi- his own manner, without ceasing on bility and future righteous retribu- that account to be good and faithful citizens." "Such is his patriotism that his whole time and thoughts are devoted to the welfare of his people and kingdom." In short, the Haytian nobleman does not fear to compare King Henry with any legitimate momarch of ancient or modern times; and, indeed, if his catalogue of his prince's excellences be correct, he may justly ask, We cordially recommend this little treatise to all that desire satisfaction on the interesting subject of which it treats. There are few of the Author's arguments, or even expressions, which will be objectionable to any serious inquirers after truth. In going over his pages, we have been prompted to wish again and again that eulightened men of every communion would more frequently devote their minds to the study and illustration of those truths which are common to all Christians. ART. VI.-Reflections on the Blacks and Whites. Remarks upon α Letter addressed by M. Mazeres, a French Ex-colonist, to J. C. L. Sismonde De Sismondi, containing Observations on the Blacks and Whites, the Civilization of Africa, the Kingdom of Hayti, &c. Translated from the French of the Baron de Vastey, Knight of the Royal and Military order of St. Henry, Secretary to the King, Member of the Privy Council, &c. By W. H. M. B. 12mo. pp. 84. Liverpool, printed; sold by Hatchard, London. 1s. 6d. "Can Bourbon or Nassau go higher?" The object of "the Baron de Vastey" is to shew, that the Negroes are not inferior by nature to the rest of mankind, and in this point of view to refute the arguments of an ex-colonist of St. Domingo, M. Mazeres. He shews great ability and dexterity, and no mean portion of literature, in this part of his work; but we are most pleased with his expression of indignation at having such a task to perform: "I am a man, I feel it in the whole of my being; I possess the faculties, mental and corporeal, which mark my affinity to a divine original, and I feel humbled at finding myself compelled to enter into a serious refutation of such puerilities, such TE have here a great curiosity, that I am their fellow." P. 22. idle sophisms, to convince men like myself We have cation of Negroes by a Negroe. "The Author is one of the Black Proprietors in Hayti; of the number of those Whom Christophe, now dignified with the title of King Henry, has raised to the rank of his nobility. The Translator is an Englishman, of a liberal profession, resident in the island; who appears to have engaged in the task solely with the view of promoting a cause so dear to the interests of freedom and humanity.”—Advert. The black Baron is a loyal subject of his Majesty Henry I., King of Hayti, whom he eulogizes for many princely virtues. He says (p. 69) that the monarch was "placed upon his throne by the unanimous choice and love of his people," that he "has constantly fought for their liberty and independence," has vanquished his foes, and reigns with wisdom and glory." He is a model for soldiers, frank, generous, temperate, active, indefatigable and intrepid." VOL. XIV. The reader will be at once amused and delighted with the Author's animated patriotism, his estimate of the priesthood, his boast of Hay tian science and greatness, and his predictions of the future glory of both Hayti and Africa. But no one can peruse without emotions of horror the history of the atrocities perpetrated in St. Domingo by the old French colonists, or having perused it can wonder at or complain of the terrible retribution which followed. The French are objects of detestation to the Haytians, who, says our Author, (p. 81,) wish to renounce their very language; while the English are, on the contrary, admired and imitated, and their alliance eagerly courted. For the sake of both countries, but especially of the black people, we hope and trust that the intercourse will be kept up and increase in the spirit of real friend "Reli- ship. 2 Y |
