delufion refulting from this jargon-especially as employed "in their clafs meetings," or " bands," as they are called; and fhows that fuch doctrines and practices receive no countenance from fcriptare, or the articles and homilies of our Church. Among the wonderful inftances of what they call conviction for fin, extracted from their own records, and published in the notes at the end of this admirable fermon, we fhall lay the following fpecimen before our readers, and then take leave of Mr. Le Mefurier for the prefent, affuring him that we fhall be happy to meet with him foon again, la bouring thus usefully in our great Master's vineyard.

"Mr. Charles Kyte's cafe was fomewhat more extraordinary (than those which had just been ftated), for, he fays, I was only four years of age, when God first influenced my heart by his Holy Spirit, and when I was between five and fix, about seven o'clock on Saturday morning, I was deeply convinced of fin, while God fpake in awful Majefty by thunder and lightning. (The Methodift's Magazine, January, 1804). Yet notwithstanding this great ftep, he continued thirteen years after that in a wretched and deplorable ftate, though with very good difpofitions. For, though ⚫ he had made it a rule to go to Church on the Sabbath day, at - least once, yet, till he was twenty years of age, he never heard one gofpel fermon from any true Minister of Jefus Chrift!' This is their charitable way of treating the regular Clergy! However, then, it seems, he went to hear the Methodist Preachers, at Mr. Ward's, in Oxhill. Of course things went on better. But what fhall we fay of Mrs. Eliza Byron? She,' as her husband tells us, had from her early years the fear of God before her eyes, and an earnest defire to ferve the Lord to the best of her knowledge. This, with the preventing grace of God, faved her from running into thofe fins and follies which enfnare many. But it was not until she was fourteen years that she was deeply convinced of the finfulness of her heart and life," (and life too!) and of the need of a new birth. It is true, he had not a fingle fin, in the eye of the world, to be convinced of, nevertheless the was made truly fenfible that mankind are fallen creatures, unholy and unhappy, and that nothing short of Divine power can restore them to either the favour or the image of God. But how to attain this she knew not. She had regularly attended Divine worship with the family in the Church of England. Befides hearing, she had atten tively perused the facred volume; had ufed frequent and fervent prayer, and retirement from the buftle and vanity of her young companions,' One would think that by fuch endeavours the Grace of God might have been obtained; but no!-Her friends too were unable to help her. It was all as yet to little purpose. The good he fought was not to be gained by thefe things; that is, by going to Church, by reading the Scriptures, by fervent prayer and

medita

meditation; In this diftrefs the was at a lofs where to go and what to do. At length it pleafed God to direct her steps to the Me shodist chapel, in St. John's, near Helfton, &c." (Idem. 58.)

M. Le Mefurier has furnifhed us with many other inftances of Methodistical conviction for fin, and fudden converfion from darkness to light, more extravagant even than these; and in the accounts which are given of fuch convictions and converfions, by those who have experienced them, it is always infinuated, and often exprefsly faid, that the Gospel is not preached in the Church; that the Methodist teachers are men of God; and that the Methodifts themfelves are people of the Lord! Though we have the higheft authority for faying, that if a prophet "bear witnefs of himself, his witnefs is not true," yet fuch is the credulity of the good people of England, that they fuffer the falfe witnefs thus borne by the Methodistteachers in their own favour, and against the regular Clergy, to alienate their minds from the pureft Church at this day eltablished in any country under Heaven. In vain are our ears tunned, as the ears of the prefent writer frequently are, by exaggerated accounts of the profligacy and lukewarm indif ference of a few individual Clergy men. In a numerous body of men, whether clerical or lay; there will always be found. Some individuals, whofe conduct is reprehenfible; but the conduct of the National Clergy at large may challenge a compaiifon with that of any other body of men equally, nume rous on the face of the earth; the doctrines and worship of the Church is not ftained by the profligacy of a few of her individual Minifters; where fuch profligate Minifters are really found, let their conduct be fairly reprefented to their refpective Diocefans; and if due attention be not paid to fuch representations, it will then, but not before, be time to confider of the expediency of deferting our parish-churches for the conventicles of Methodifm.

ART. VII. The London Medical Dictionary; including, under diftinct Heads, every Branch of Medicine; viz. Anatomy, Phyfiology, and Pathology, the Practice of Phyfic and Surgery, Therapeutics, and Materia Medicu; with whatever relates to Medicine in Natural Philofophy, Chemistry, and Natural Hiftory. By Bartholomew Parr, M. D. Fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Edinburgh, and Senior Physician of the Devon and Exeter Hofpitals. 4to. 2 Vols. 1686 pp. 61. Johnson, Rivingtons, &c. London.

ART

ART. VIII. The Edinburgh Medical and Phyfical Dictionary, containing an Explanation of the Terms of Art in Anatomy, Phyfiology, Pathology, Therapeutics, Surgery, Midwifery, Pharmacy, Materia Medica, Botany, Chemistry, Natural Hif tory, c. c. as employed in the prefent improved State of Medical Science: and alfo, a copious Account of Difeafes, and their Treatment, agreeably to the Doctrines of Cullen, Monro, Hunter, Fordyce, Gregory, Denham, Saunders, Home, and other modern Teachers in Edinburgh and London. To which is added, a copious Gloffary of obfolete Terms, calculated to affift those who have occafion to refer to the Writings of the Ancients. In two Volumes, with many Plates. By Robert Morris, M. D. James Kendrick, Surgeon, F. L. S. and others. 4to. 41. 4s. Bell and Bradfute, Edinburgh; Oftell, London.

As S both thefe Dictionaries include the two great branches of Medical Science, Phyfic, and Surgery, we have thought it neceffary to give them a feparate confideration as to each object. The former we fhall difcufs in the present article, the furgical part will be confidered next month.

To readers who have the command of extenfive libraries, a ponderous dictionary, which profeffes to embrace feveral fciences, can offer few attractions. The leading articles treated of in thefe volumes, have already been collected and atranged in diftin&t fyftems, and we cannot hope to derive additional inftruction from their prefent combination. Who would now think of fearching in a Medical Dictionary for information on Chemistry, when he can confult the scientific works of Murray, of Thompfon, and of Fourcroy; who would look into a Medical Dictionary for inftruction in Surgery and Anatomy, when the fyftems of Bell and of Cooper are open t him; or who would neglect the many excellent fyftems of Botany, and treatifes on Materia Medica, which are within the reach of every ftudent? Before a large dic tionary, like this before us, can be compofed, before it is fairly out of the printer's hands, in the prefent progreffive ftate of medical, and more efpecially of chemical fcience, new works on the fubjects of which it treats, will have rendered fome of its contents ufelefs. The fcience of Medicine cannot remain ftationary; new facts are continually brought to light, more correct deductions formed, and erroneous opinions refuted. Scarcely twenty years have elapfed fince the laft edition of Motherby's dictionary, which forms the bafis of the prefent publications, iffued from the prefs; and in this fhort fpace of time, the improvements which have taken place

in every branch of medicine, have rendered that work valu able from the weight, rather than the worth of its contents. Even fince Dr. Parr commenced his labour, important changes have occurred, in confequence of which he has added an ap pendix, or, what he terms," Curæ Pofleriores;" containing 156 pages; and we are confident he might annually publish an additional volume of equal bulk; for already his " Cura Pofteriores" are pofterior to the ftate of Chemiftry and of Pharmacy. Formerly, whilft elementary treatifes were few, when fcarcely any fyftems of medicine, or its collateral branches, were formed, when infulated facts were detailed in the tranfactions of Philofophical and Medical Societies; when the materials of Natural Hiftory, of Botany, and of Materia Medica, were to be fought for in the narratives of travellers, and felected from a variety of publications, whoever undertook to collect and arrange all these particulars in the convenient form of a dictionary, conferred an essential obligation on the public, and fuccefs was commenfurate with the labour and ability that were employed. We need not enumerate the various lexicons and dictionaries on medical fubjects, which appeared on the continent during the two last centuries; none of which are in much efteem in this country. Dr. James's valuable and erudite work, publifhed about fifty years ago, obtained great and merited fuccefs, till fuper feded by the more modern publications of Motherby and Wallis ; which, in its turn, will give place to that of Dr. Parr, or its rival, the Edinburgh Dictionary. But for the reasons before flated, we do not anticipate that thefe recent volumes, though, as we fhall prefently fhow, executed with ability, will obtain a fimilar degree of reputation.

Having offered thefe objections to the general utility of fuch publications in the present ftate of medical fcience, we fhall quote Dr. Parr's arguments in their favour; and further we are willing to admit, that many perfons, efpecially practitioners in the country, and all thofe who wish to know fomething of medicine, without having the opportunity of confulting many books, may derive confiderable information from the Dictionaries before us.

"If," fays this author, "a dictionary be fometimes the refuge of indolence, it is an ufeful refource in circumftances of emergence. It offers a collection of opinions at cne view, and within moderate limits, fuggefts hints from fources beyond the reach of common acquirements, beyond the extent of a common library, and leads the inquiring mind into paths of which he might not have fufpected the existence, or been unable to pursue the intrica cies. If thefe be the general advantages of a dictionary, this form

is

is peculiarly applicable to a fcience where emergencies frequently occur, where the time for reflection is fhort, and the practitioner, from anxiety and diftrefs, unfitted for cool confideration. A man of fenfibility is, in fuch. circumftances, obliged to conceal his pangs under the appearance of compofure, and to cover doubt and hefitation by a feeming calmnefs and confident decifion. His fitu ation alfo is often little adapted for deriving affiftance from numer ous authors in different languages, nor is his mind always fo carefully regulated by education as to purfue a chain of reasoning strictly inductive, or to detect error under the femblance of plau fible improvement. To bring before him, therefore, the opinions of diftant eras and countries, to offer what the ableft profeffors have thought, to defcribe how they have acted, must be a valu able acquifition to one clafs, while to the intelligent and experienced it may be no ufelefs remembrancer; an index to thofe fources of information which may be more minutely, and therefore more advantageously, followed. It is not the leaft of the advan tages of the following pages, that they detect many reputed difco veries of modern times in the neglected authors of former periods; and the fanguine admirer of what is new, may learn, from the reception which any propofal has formerly experienced, to appreciate with greater accuracy its value.". Pref. p. v.

We shall now ftate our opinion of the manner in which this author has executed his tafk. It were too much to expect that he should fucceed alike in each department, or that he fhould difplay an equal degree of knowledge upon every fubject of which he treats. Few men, deeply verfed in chemical fcience, are practically converfant with Pathology; the fkilful furgeon, and accurate anatomist, seldom know much of Materia Medica and Pharmacy; or regard Botany with affection. We conceive that Dr. Parr is too found a practitioner to be offended at our not ranking him amongst the "admirable Creightons," when we pronounce that his. work, though very refpectable as the production of one individual, would have been more valuable had he affociated with him other labourers, who had devoted their attention to particular branches of the profeffion. His account of diseases, their history, caufes, fymptoms, and cure, is, in general, accurate and perfpicuous; he has confulted moft publications of importance; has contributed much original matter, from the refult of his own obfervations, and the effects of his practice in a variety of cafes; and has given references to the beft authorities. The chief defects in this portion of the work, are a blind attachment to the doctrines and opinions of Dr. Cullen, and an adherence to the principles and routine of practice imbibed in former days, by which most practi

tioners