Plung'd many a hero's valiant foul; his corse • Which of the Gods fow'd fuch destructive jars? 1 : Hear, Atreus' fons, Greeks, all well-fenc'd with greaves! • So may the Gods who grace th' Olympian domes Give Priam's city to your hands to raze, And grant a fortunate return! but deign Jove's fon Apollo, the far-shooting God. Shouted the Greeks applause, and all agreed The priest was to be rev'renc'd, and his gifts Hence in contempt, old man! left I chastise 'He spoke; the sage rever'd his stern command, D4 2 E'or E'er burn'd fat thighs of flaughter'd bulls and goats • He spoke in pray'r; Apollo Phœbus heard, We shall conclude this article in the words of the author. The reader has at present one book only to peruse, contrary to what I at first proposed, thus swelled exuberantly with preface and notes; my best excuse for both which is, and particularly for the notes, that this prolixity here is intended to occafion brevity hereafter; for by opening my mind so freely at first, the less need shall I have to exclaim on every passage in the progrefs of this work. As formal civility and tedious compliment among strangers very often terminate in cordial familiarity and hearty friendship. It will be my glory, if ever I can apply this. But as to the notes so bloated in dimension, which have given me a thousand times more perplexity than the verfion, having wove and unwove, like Penelope's web, for years before I stood determined (which at last was to trust chiefly to my own bottom), they are mostly new, and on a new plan, of rather an old one revived almost antiquated, and long disused, being calculated to render the graces of Homer's poetry more confpicuous and obvious to all, meaning to all perfons endued with a tolerable degree of taste (for the blind can never be made to judge of colours), which was the scheme of that elegant critic Dionyfius of Halicarnassus. The tranfiator is preparing to follow up this book, purpofing all convenient expedition, with the version of the whole Iliad, which has already lain long finished by him. But in fact, I have as yet compiled only one third part of the notes; in other words, for eight books; the whole work waiting for a fair copying out, and for a few heightening touches, as at the last sitting. 1 * But perhaps some barking critic, that must needs be meddling, will forbid the banns this first time of publishing, swearing I deserve no nearer connexion with any of the muses. I must lament then the ill fate of this introductory piece to a large sett of history paintings it belongs to, being so imperfect of itself, and seen singly; for they would look all better, as designed, surveyed in one light, and in company together; and Mould fuch censure be confirmed at the court of Parnassus (for every cur hits not off the true scent), I am even reduced to submit to the no less ravenous worms, that must devour this specimen at their leisure in my old trunk stuffed with voluminous heaps of fuch like poetical lumber.' VII. An Attempt to explain the Words Reason, Substance, Perfon, Creeds, Orthodoxy, Catholic-Church, Subscription, and Index Expurgatorius. To which are added, some Reflections, Mifcellaneous Obfervations, Quotations, and Queries, on the fame Subjects. By a Presbyter of the Church of England. 12mo. Pr. 35. Johnston. THIS writer is an advocate for reason, moderation, and free enquiry in matters of religion; and though he given us very little which is properly new, he has shewn himself a man of learning and sense. His design in this treatise is to represent the evils which have been occasioned by disputes among churchmen, about the use and meaning of certain words, hard to be understood, and almost impossible to be explained; and thence to perfuade men, if he can, to be more moderate in the use of these uncertain terms, or, at least not to be fo furious, as many have been, in compelling others to use them. In the first section, having explained the various acceptations of the word reason, he thus proceeds: Every thing, from the bowels of the earth to the most distant stars, employs our reason. All the duties which flow from the various relations we bear to the great variety of beings around us, all come under the cognizance and examination of our reason. Yea the existence and attributes of the Supreme Being himself are found out and judged of by it. So extensive, so universal is human reason. It is, or ought to be, to every man, the test of truth and proper guide of life. But some will fay, the particular revelation which God hath made of his will in the Holy Scriptures is the only criterion or standard of truth, and therefore must be our guide in all cases, whether it be agreeable to our reason or not. This objection seems to suppose that Divine Revelation may not be agreeable to reason, which is but a bad compliment to any revelation. Now this argument argument put into form frands thus, Whatever God hath beer pleased to give us as the criterion or ftandard by which we are to judge of truth should be our guide in all cafes. But God hath been pleased to give us the Holy Scriptures as the criterion or standard of truth. Therefore they should be our guide in all cases. Very true. Let us now apply the fame argument to the faculty of reafon. Whatever God hath been pleased to give us as the criterion or standard by which we are to judge of truth should be our guide in all cafes. But God hath been pleased to give us our reason as the criterion or standard of truth. Therefore it should be our guide in all cafes. It is certain that our gracious Creator hath given us reason as well as revelation, and great part of the business of this faculty is to judge concerning revelation itself. For befide the true revelation, we fee in the world a great many writings or fcriptures, produced at several times, by confident people, as, revelations coming from God, which have most certainly been the impoftures of men. We might give many instances in the heathen world, in the grand Coran of Mahomet; the decrees of many councils, the Rosary of St. Dominic, and a thousand legendary tales, amongst some who call themselves Christians. Now in this great variety and oppofition of revelations how shall we diftinguish the right one? They cannot all be true, because they contradict one another. We ought not to be impofed upon, and our reason alone is what can prevent it. Do not all parties pretend to argue in favour of their own fystem? And what shall determine concerning the force of their feveral arguments? Is not the appeal universally made to reafon? Do not all agree in making that the dernier refort in all their difputes? And yet notwithstanding this, fome people are so inconsistent as to argue against the use of reason itself, and bring arguments to prove that arguments should have no force in matters of religion. But such people do religion no service. They rather expose than defend it by such a conduct. We should be greatly disgusted at the absurdity of a man who would feriously advise us to close our ears in order to judge of a fine piece of music, or shut our eyes to behold a fine picture. No less absurd is the enthusiast who charges us not to use our reason in confidering all points of religion, which are certainly the most reasonable fubjects in the world for confideration. As the fight and hear ing are faculties given us by our gracious Creator to perceive objects respectively suited to them, our reason, which is by far our most excellent faculty, must have its objects too. And therefore men have always reasoned not only concerning the objects of sense, but concerning the morality of actions, the world of spirits, yea concerning the being and perfections of the bleffed blessed God himself. By reason we perceive him in our own wondrous frame, and in the wife constitution of the universe. By this we see him and feel him on our right hand and on our left, and find ourselves encompassed every moment by his immediate prefence. Since God hath then blessed us with this excellent faculty, shall we disdain his gift, refuse to use it, and even pretend to give as a reason for this refusal, that it is extremely weak and liable to be imposed upon. But this is a great mistake; for there is scarce a common tradesman, though little versed in the artificial rules of logic, but has sense enough to discover the fallacy of a fophifm or inconclusive argument. But here lies the great evil, that in exercising this faculty of reason, men often impose upon themselves, by pretending to understand things which they do not, and by proceeding in their difputations upon wrong principles; for in all reasoning it is neceffary, there should be fome data, some acknowledged truths to build upon. If then through the prejudice of education, which is prejudging things before we have examined them, or through an unhappy obstinacy of temper, we take certain propofitions for felf-evident or fufficiently proved, which are really false, and argue upon them, the fault is not in our reason but in our prejudice or obstinacy. A person of the church of Rome will argue thus-We ought to submit to the authority of God in matters of religion. -But the authority of a council of bishops is the authority of God-therefore we ought to submit to the authority of a council of bishops in matters of religion. This is just reasoning. The conclufion necessarily follows from these premises. Taking this conclusion then for granted they will build upon it, as upon a fure foundation, fuch a fuperftructure of argumentation as will demonstrate any thing they please. Nay they will prove that we are not to use our understanding, sense or reason, at all in matters of religion. And this is no idle speculation, but what they have actually reduced to positive practice. For thus they address God in their daily devotions; Lord, I believe plainly and fincerely whatever thy Holy Catholic, Apoftolic, and Roman church teacheth me touching any of thy most divine mysteries and doctrines. Herein I utterly renounce the judgment of my fenfes and all human understanding, and depend only on thy divine and inexplicable Omnipotence." Prayers in the manual before mass. And I heartily wish that such language had been used only by them, who thus acknowledge to the world that their mysteries and doctrines are not the objects of common sense, understanding, or reason; and boldly charge God with what proteftants think absurdity and nonsense. The receiving this one pofition as a truth, that we are to give up our sense, understanding, or reafon, |