-That the Creator and Governor of the univerfe, whom it is my firft duty to worship and adore, being the God of truth, it must be difagreeable to him to profefs, fubfcribe, or declare, in any matter re lating to his worship and fervice, what is not believed frilly and fimply to be true"

From this account of himself, it appears that Mr. Lindsey has acted with a circumfpection, and delay, which fhew him to be not only an upright, but a candid, judicious, and foberminded man.

The Doctrinal part of the Apology, will be confidered in our next Review.

ART. XIV. Three Difcourfes. I. Upon the Man after God's own Heart. II. The Faith of Abraham. III. The Seal of the Foundation of God. By Edward Evanfon, M. A. 8vo. 1 s. 6d. Law 1773

TH

HE firft of thefe difcourfes is founded on Acts xiii. 22: in which text, according to the interpretation generally received, David, King of Ifrael, is denoted, by the phrase, the man after God's own Heart. Mr. Evanson, among others, diflikes this explication, and thinks it attended with very great, if not infuperable difficulties. Reafon, he apprehends, fuggefts that the life of him who hath any claim to the above title, fhould be unftained with any one vice, at least of a heinous kind, if not abfolutely perfect. He proposes therefore to examine whether the writers of the Old or New Testament, in the paffages where this phrafe occurs, were really speaking of the perfon of King David: And I perfuade myself, he says, that fuch an enquiry will very fully convince us, that had not this part of the facred hiftory been, in general, imperfectly under ftood, the common objections of unbelievers, far from feeming to gain ftrength, as I fear they have done, from the unfatisfactory, evafive answers ufually made to them, would have appeared to be utterly without foundation.'

In fupport of that interpretation which this Writer has to offer, he remarks, that in the writings of the Old Testament, what is spoken of the father, especially regarding future events, is scarce ever meant of the father's own perfon, but is almost al ways prophetic of the will of Providence with respect to the whole or fome particular part of his posterity.' He produces some inftances of this kind, and proceeds, by this rule, to examine the declaration of the Prophet Samuel, concerning David, which is repeated by St. Paul in the words of our Author's text. He obferves that what is faid of fettling the kingdom on David, is

* Attempt to explain the words reason, substance, &c. p. 241. 6

evidently

evidently put in contraft to the denunciation of God's rejecting Saul from being King. It is clear that this rejection was not to be understood literally of the perfon of Saul, fince he reigned fome years afterwards, and was in poffeffion of the regal dignity to the day of his death. This part of the prediction muft therefore be explained as refpecting the pofterity of Saul, who were excluded from the throne of Ifrael. Since then, fays our Author, it is evident that the rejecting Saul from being King, is only prophetic of the rejection of Saul's family, God's having found in David a man after his own heart, which is mentioned in the very fame breath of the holy prophet, may very reasonably be regarded only as prophetic likewife of God's finding that character in the family of David.

To these reflections Mr. Evanfon adds a farther argument, drawn from the laft claufe of the verfe under examination, viz. which fhall fulfil all my will; a declaration which, he thinks, by no means accords with David's moral and private conduct; nor can he confider it as applicable to him in his public capacity, because he did not build the Temple at Jerufalem, without which the ritual and worship of the Jews was incomplete. But, it may be asked in refpect to the laft article, might not David be faid, in his public character, to have accomplished the will of Providence, although he did not erect the Temple, which it was plainly the Divine intention fhould be effected by another hand? However, from thefe and fome other confiderations, Mr. E. draws his conclufion, that no man but the Meffiab could poffibly fulfil all the will of God, and therefore nothing more could be meant by the divine teftimony which was given of David, than a prophecy, that this Saviour of the world should be one of his offspring. Thus, he adds, I think it appears that the whole charge of inconfiftency in the holy Scriptures, with all the impious fcoff and ridicule of unbelievers, on David's account, is founded only in their own mifapprehenfion of the writings they undertake to criticife. And indeed, I am fatisfied, it will be ever found, when matters are brought fairly to an issue, that the doctrines of revealed religion (as they are really contained in thofe facred books) are founded on the ftedfast and immutable rock of truth, and will abide for ever.'

The two difcourfes which follow are fenfible and practical. The fecond is on the faith of Abraham, from Rom. iv. 22. Its tenor will appear by the fhort paffage we here infert. ‹ We fee then that the faith preached up to us and recommended by the great Apostle, does not fignify the profeffion of our belief in any propofition refpecting the nature of God; nor in declaring our approbation of any form of words whatever, intelligible or unintelligible; but in a full affurance that the things which God hath spoken, he will infallibly perform, in a firm trust and

reliance on the goodness and providence of our Almighty Creator, and a ready and exact obedience to all his plain commands. Happy had it been for mankind, if this doctrine of the Apoftle had been at all times preached by the teachers of the Chriftian church! we should not now lament the fad perversion of our holy religion, which at present prevails in every country of Christendom.'

The third difcourfe is intitled, The Seal of the Foundation of God, from 2 Tim. ii. 19. In this, as well as in the foregoing difcourfe, the Author appears to be a zealous advocate for the liberty of private judgment, and he writes in a fpirited train against creeds, fubfcriptions and impofitions. When religious faith, fays he, is founded on the opinions of men, it must be an inexhaufted fource of ftrife, contention, and dispute; becaufe fo long as there are different men, there must be different opinions in the world. The first evil consequence therefore, which followed the preferring human interpretations of the Word of God before that infallible Word itself, was to root out all that brotherly love and univerfal benevolence, which our bleffed Saviour hath made the only diftinguishing mark of his true difciples; to fplit the members of Chrift's body into numerous fects and factions; and make them defpife, hate, perfecute, and even destroy their brethren who differed from them.'

Again, in another place, fpeaking of creeds, he fays; Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, and from whom no fecret is hid, well knows how right and ftedfaft our faith is in him and his Anointed, without our standing up fo many times a-day, or fo many times a week to acquaint him with it. And as to our fellow-creatures, they cannot know us one bit the better for fuch profeffions; becaufe it is not in the power of man to difcern, whether what we utter be the real dictates of our hearts; the unmeaning verbiage of parrots; the fpecious cant of hypocrify; or the mere echo of our party. What wife man therefore, or what benevolent Chriftian would wish to offend the confciences of any of his weak or fcrupulous brethren by the public ufe of any formularies of belief, even though he himfelf Thould fincerely approve of every thing contained in them!'

The three fermons in this pamphlet are followed by annotations on particular parts of them, which appear very fenfible and judicious. The writer is naturally led, by fome of his obfervations, to take notice of the Archdeacon of Winchester, who has advanced propofitions fo very different from thofe which are here laid down by Mr. Evanfon; who is no friend to the highHown claims of bigotted churchmen. Bigotted churchmen, therefore, are not likely to prove friends to him; and accordingly, we learn that Mr. E. is, at this time, actually under profecution

profecution in the fpiritual court, for omitting, in his official capacity, the Athanafian parts of the fervice of the church. On this occafion, we are told, a great number of the inhabitants of the parish, unknown to Mr. E. held a meeting, at which a very handsome fum was fubfcribed, for the maintainance of his caufe at the fame time declaring their refolution to raise a farther fupply, if it fhould be found neceffary. This readiness, in a body of laymen, to fupport a pious and confcientious clergyman, and fave him from finking under the weight of legal oppreffion, reflects great honour on the town of Tewkesbury.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For JANUARY,

EAST-IN DIES.

1774.

Art. 15. An Account of the Proceedings at the India Houfe, with refpect to the Regulations propofed to be made Bye-Laws by a Committee of Proprietors, elected by Ballot for that Purpose, and agreed to by a General Court: Particularly thofe relative to the Shipping of the Company, by which they would have faved above 100,000l. per Ann. that were afterwards very irregularly rejected. Alfo the Profits that would accrue to the Ship Owners, by having their Ships contracted for, at the full Builder's Measure, and at moderate Prices for Freight; instead of the late ruinous Method of Charter-Party Tonnage, at exorbitant Prices. Impartially ftated by one of the Committee. 8vo. 1 s. Payne. 1774

TH

HE mifmanagement of the India Company's fervants at their fettlements and factories abroad, has long been arraigned, and was little to be wondered at, confidering the remoteness of the fcenes of action. Inquiries of this nature once begun, often bring circumftances to light that were never imagined, and it is now discovered that the managers of the Company's affairs at home, have been guilty of moft enormous abufes in the article of fhipping; that private jobs on all hands, by mafters as well as fervants, both at home and abroad, have been carried on, to the great injury of the proprietors at large, and have embarraffed the Company's affairs, notwithstanding the great profits upon their trade, and the boafted revenues derived from their territorial acquifitions.

The abufes in contracting for fhipping, were explained fome time fance, by Sir Richard Hotham*, who first made an offer to the Company of his fhip at a much lower rate per ton, than the customary contracts; but which tender was ftrangely rejected. It is afferted in this narrative, that between the years 1766 and 1771, the tonnige employed was more than double of what was neceffary for the extravagant importation made during that interval; that this importation was fuch as they could not poflibly find a market for, on which account not only the expences of freight, but of warehouses, and all

REV. Jan. 1774•

* See Rev. vol. xlviii. p. 327.
F

Other

other charges of merchandize, were intolerably increased!' It is farther faid to be demonftrable, that if the directors were to accept the fhips offered on the most advantageous terms to the Company, there would be a faving, to the amount at least of two thirds of their prefent yearly dividends!' The question then occurs why this faving does not take place?

If the ufual complaints of parliamentary corruption, which have been attributed to the declamation of party, and the ravings of faction, needed any confirmation; we have it before us in the extenfion of the fame baneful fyftem over the affairs of a trading company. We are openly informed, that without examining into the particular motive of any director, when it is confidered that each India ship is divided into feveral fhares; that the owners of thefe fhares, and the feveral trades-people employed in the fhipping branches, are qualified, generally, as voters; and, confequently, the greater number of ships, the more numerous the fhip-voters.-Alfo, that the Company's fhips are built, ftationed, and paid for, by order of the directors only;-that thofe who pay well, may expect to be well ferved; and those who serve well, to be well paid; it may account, pretty clearly, for the extraordinary number of fhips that have been built, and the extravagant prices that have been paid for freight, as well as the particular attention of the hip-voters to the orders of the directors, who have been, of late, fo very remarkable for exact difcipline at the general courts, that they have, very juftly, acquired the honourable appellation of the Company's household troops; and who, although generally as quiet and peaceable a corps as his Majesty's beef-eaters, are, however, on the election of directors particularly, as formidable, as ever the prætorian bands were, on the election of their Emperors; and, like them too, they will fuffer none to be elected, from whom they have reafon to apprehend a reduction of their pay, or their numbers.

The directors have alfo another corps, confifting of those who have received, or expect favours from them; which, though pretty numerous, are not equally to be depended on; as they are a kind of irregulars, not in conftant pay, and often influenced by particular leaders, though chiefly by the chairman and deputy; but when clofely united with the household troops, are too powerful for any oppofition. Thefe happened, fortunately, to be divided on the late contells at the India-houfe; which afforded an opportunity to the independent proprietors of rejecting, at the last general election, thofe directors, who by falfe information of the ftate of the Company's affairs, calculated for the bafeft purposes, had led them blindfold, to the verge of deftruction.'

To enter into the particulars of this fubject of shipping, could be interesting only to the members of the Company, who have fufficient motives to acquire more direct information, while the detail could afford no general entertainment: we may therefore conclude with obferving, that if the proceedings of other public bodies, are conducted upon fimilar principles, which is at leaft in fome degree probable, there are fmall hopes of checking a contagion that feems to infect even our wifelt institutions for guarding again the abufe of ublic trull.