widence, however, appears to have purpofely counteracted the deffons of our lordly tutor, in this pious plan of education, by giving his pupil neither head nor heart, fo good or fo bad as to profit by his inftructions. There is no doubt alfo that it is providential, and perfectly confiftent with that infinite wisdom difplayed in the moral government of the world, that the death of this young man, and the confequent publication of his father's letters, fhould in time expofe that dreadful fyftem of po litical morality, which the modern great have fo generally a dopted in private; as the many flagrant effects, retulting from it, fufficiently demonftrate in public.

That our opinion of his fordfhip's fuperficiality is well founded, we may gather even from Mr. Hunter's own reflections on the famous letters in question.

"His four volumes, fays he, may be entitled, An entire Code of Hypocrify and Diffimulation; containing the fine, the artifice, the craft, the virtue, or the femblance of virtue, with all the external accomplishments neceffary to form the character of the complete courtier. The chriftian, or, in other words, the fincere moralist, will look upon the noble lord, with all his wit, his genius, his elegance and penetration, as a little, a frivolous and superficial man; engroffed by felfishness, vanity and ambition; and in order to gratify thefe paffions, a devout conformift to the world, its fashions and follies;-regardless of the interests or miseries of mortality, but fo far as he may reap advantage from them, and profit by the follies or frailties of mankind.

"The virtue of the ancients was a fublime and fplendid form, a beauty that captivated, and was made to captivate all hearts,—a divinity that challenged univerfal homage. The Roman virtue, in particular, was of a robuft' and mafculine form, affected exercife more than cafe, and vigour more than delicacy. It confifted in refitting pleafure and pain, in conquering paffion, in embracing cr honouring honest poverty, in defpifing riches and nominal honours; -in an obftinate adherence to truth and duty, in oppofition to every terror or temptation. Roman virtue, the primitive, genuine, Roman virtue, the parent of liberty, of empire and glory, was undone by the graces and delicacies recommended by Lord Chefterfield; and degenerated to a fribble, fhuddering at every blast, and bending to every ruder affault from domestic tyranny and foreign invafion.

"Cato would have exclaimed against the manners and maxims of our British peer, as big with more certain and fatal ruin to the state, than a Cataline or a Cæfar. In Lord Chesterfield, the graces are to fupply the place of the virtues. Real, fincere, fubftantial virtue, makes no part of his moral fyftem; or where fomething like it is recommended, it lofes all its worth and luftre by being directed to mere selfish and mercenary ends and fimulation and diffimulation, or a well-conducted hypocrify, is preferited as a fuc cedaneum,

cedaneum, equally or more effectual to captivate and enfnare mankind, than fimple virtue, which a courtier might think too prudish and pedantic a quality to make any figure in the character and com pofition of a fine gentleman.-You may fight your man, or debauch your woman, if he is but of quility; and nothing in all this amif, while you conform to the fashion and taste of the world. Friendship is little more than a name, rarely to be found, and, therefore, not worth cultivating. The good opinion of the world is all that you have to confult: by fome means moft men are to be caught, all, women almoft by any means Therefore, you are to affect the confidence of every man, and the love of every woman you meet with, though you have no manner of respect for the one, or for the other. Study above all things to be well with both, and make use of them as helps to ferve your intereft, and favour your ambition. Converfe with all, and watch their unguarded moments: domefticate with all, that you may hunt out the fecrets of families affect the friendship of all, that you may take the advantage of their confidence: apply all you know, and fee, and hear, to your own profit."

Ought not the wretch, capable of putting fuch inftructions into practice, to be turned out of focicty and hunted down as a common enemy to mankind! What then fhould be faid of the inftructor! What, indeed, when we reflect it is a nobleman, and a father instructing a fon!

"A failure in virtue is a forfeiture of title: a character debafed and inverted is more confpicuously infamous; and the nobleman defcending to the low arts, the vile practices, and corrupt manners of bafe and vulgar fouls, in departing from his proper character, forfeits his dignity and title in life, and renders himself an object of fuperior fcorn, and more deferved contempt. Great names and illustrious titles, diftinguithed by corruption, by degeneracy and licentioufnefs, in principle and practice, exhibit a peculiar malignity; as the fun and ftars converted into blood would ftrike us only as more fignal and horrible portents. When princes commence tyJants, and nobles degenerate into fervile fycophants, or modif debauchces, virtue razes their names from the records of time, or damns them with immortal infamy.2

22.

What a noble character is this, that, loaded with the moft approbrious and abufive terms, our language affords, may be faid, after all, in the language of Sir John Falftaff, to have fuf fered " no abuse, no abute in the world!"-But we are tired of purfuing the theme and weary of attending to the painter, who, in laying on the darkest fhades of obloquy, cannot find a crayon fo black as the real fkin of this moral thiop. We fhall therefore, take our leave of thefe reflections with an exIract or to from the worthy author's addrefs to the public, who have received them with, fo much approbation and applaufe.

VOL. III,

دي

« Leid

"Lord Cheferfield," fays he, " ftands chargeable, in the eve of every competent judge of propriety, with this fpirit and thefe principles; and as fuch deferves our deteftation, as one of the worst enemies to his country that Britain ever produced, a Mandeville not excepted: and were I at liberty to with ill to my country, I could not with it worse, than that its interefts and affairs, at home and abroad, might be conducted by counfellors and heroes, by fenators and statefmen, formed on the plan and principles of lord Chesterfield.

"But, this notwithstanding, thefe letters have met with an uncommon degree of attention and applaufe from the world, have been, and are still read with much avidity and delight. Yet let me divert for a moment the candid reader's eye from the page of lord Chesterfield, while I afk him these few questions.

"Do you find your heart bettered by the perufal? Are your morals improved? Are your paffions reftrained or conquered? Are the vices of nature corrected? Are the forrows and troubles of life affuaged or foftened; or the terrors of death smoothed and fmiling with peace and comfort? Does the noble lord give you fo much as a philofophical grandeur of fentiment, by opening to your profpect the immensity of the prefent fyftem, or the indefinite progreffion of the future ?-Does his lordship's knowledge of human nature fhew you wherein its meannefs, and wherein its greatnefs confilts;-how to correct and raife the one, or to culti vate, improve and enlarge the other? Has the noble lord explained or enforced the focial, the moral, or religious duties; inflamed your love to your neighbour, your country or your GOD?"

After many other queftions, equally pertinent, the author replies to them thus.

What is it then that charms you in the page of lord Chefterfield? Acknowledge and blufh, whilft you acknowledge it. It is his vanity fooping to, and corresponding with your vanity; his nobility condefcending to be your caterer and pimp of pleasure: his easy and pliant virtue affuming any stamp, which the fashion of the world is pleafed to imprefs upon it; flattering your paffions, countenancing your follies, and indulgent to every corrupt propenfity of your nature."

Upon the whole," fays Mr. Hunter, "what do these letters prefent us with, but the picture of a parent without true natural affection; of a man devoted to animal paffions; of a wit without decency; of a moralift without virtue, of a fenator without re verence to the laws; of a patrician without love to his country of a flatefman without integrity and public affection; of a practical infidel and epicurean; plaufible rather than refpectable; fpecious rather than virtuous gracious than beneficent; complaifant not benevolent; eafy not happy; gay and joyous, not ferene or philofophical; vain and oftentatious, not great or elevated; a licentious wit, a wanton buffoon, not the dignified and fober ftatesman; fadied in the frailties and imperfections, but unacquainted with

the

the enlarged capacities and fublimer endowments of human nature; a flave to fenfe and paffion, but dead to the truth and comforts of the intellectual and fpiritual world; alive to every vanity of life, but ignorant or infenfible of the prefent GOD, and all immortal hope; eagerly grafping at feathers, at ribbons, at firings, at pebbles and fhadows, but careless of the most important, of moral, of divine, of effential and eternal realities.

"If, after all, it be faid in defence of lord Chesterfield, that be wrote not for the public, and that as if afhamed of his principles or precepts he employed or enjoined, that they fhould be preferved in inviolable fecrecy, and that if he dealt in poifon, it is only for his own and his fon's ufe; this we acknowledge had been a fufficient excufe and the strongest argument for the non-publication of this collection; but now that they are fent into the world, and have all the influence and authority which the name, the character and example of lord Chesterfield can give them, no apology need be made for any attempt to counterwork their mischievous. effects and operations, and to awaken the world out of that delufive and immoral lethargy into which they are thrown by thefe fafcinating letters."

And yet, though our author thinks no apology neceffary, he is for ever making apologies; with the laft, therefore, which may ferve both for him and ourselves, we conclude.

"If it fhould still be objected that we have ufed the noble lord with too little ceremony, and have not paid him the refpect due to his title and quality, we reply that truth, virtue and religion, the interefts, the liberties and happiness of mankind are great and momentous realities; în afférting which had we ufed a cautious re ferve, fervility, or flattery, we had avowed our fear of man, we had betrayed the cause we profefs to defend, and had given encouragement to vice, by complimenting the vicious. A fycophant to the impious and immoral, whatever name or title they may bear, is a traitor to his king, his country, and his God."

ART. VI. A Comparative View of the feveral Methods of promoting Religious Inftruction, from the earliest down to the prefent Time; from which the fuperior Excellence of that recommended, in the Chriftian Institutes, particularly from the Illuftration of Scripture Hiftory and Characters, is evinced and demonftrated. By Duncan Shaw, D. D. Minifter at Rafford. 2 Vols. 8vo. Richardfon and Urquhart.

(Continued from Page 118.)

The fubject of the third part of this comparative view, is the recommendation of virtue, from the illuftration of feripture history and characters.

Sz

"I'n

"In entering upon this part of my defign, I'am fenfible with what delicacy it becomes me to fuggeft, much more to propose, aty material alteration in the plan of Preaching commonly followed. The reafons which fupport it, are laid before the Reader, and he has a right to judge of their importance.

That the manner of the Sacred Writers, confidered as Teachers of Religion, has been obferved by others, the Author is far from difputing. He does not pretend to the honour of being the first who has difcovered this fecret, if it could ever be called one; but he does not remember any who have taken the trouble to illuftrate the propriety and importance of it, in the view in which he means at prefent to confider it, and for this reafon perhaps it has been fo littie followed.

"To engage, therefore, the attention of those who are employed in the public offices of Teaching, to the Scripture plan, and to encourage them in modelling their effays in imitation of it, from an exhibition of the advantages which would attend it, is the humble defign of the Author in this part;, happy if he shall be found to have fuggefted any hints, that may contribute to the improvement of the Preaching art, or roufe up others of more abilities to attempt it."

We cannot purfue the detail, in which this judicious and fenfible writer illuftrates and enforces the mode of inftruction propofed; fuffice it, therefore, to fay we think his argu ment on the whole, well displayed and fupported.

The last part, or the conclufion, contains four diftinct addreffes; the first to the abettors of fcepticism and infidelity; in which the author gives a kind of abstract of the many reasonable remonftrances that have, of late years, been made, in favour of christianity.

The fecond to thofe who admit the peculiar excellence of the christian religion, and profefs a regard for it, and yet feldom honour the public inftitutions of it, by an attendance on them. In this addrefs the writer particularly confiders the exceptions made to our prefent pulpit oratory, on account of its barienness of entertainment. On which head we expreffed ourfelves, perhaps, rather too ftrongly in our former article. Dr. Shaw, gives nearly our opinion, both refpecting the preachers and hcarers, in milder terins.

"When the arguments thrown out against the expediency of preaching are found to be untenable, the next excufe pleaded for the neglect of an attendance upon it, is the want of entertainment from thofe difcourfes, by which the preacher would convey his inftruc tions. "To fit and hear him drawl out a jejune and tedious lecture upon fome point of morality, or Religion, with which they are already well enough acquainted, is," (fay the fashionable contemners of this mean of instruction) a mortification, which, though

See page 116, and feq.

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