place, fhould be ranked in the firft. Thus, addreffing himfeli to a Chinese, he afks, "What religion he [the Chinese] conceives to be the beft, next to his own?-The answer is, natural religion. Again, repeating the queftion to the Muffelman, he makes the like anfwer. To the Chriftians, he fays, what religion must be true, if Chriftianity be not fo? They answer, that of the Jews. But to the Jews, what can be the true religion, if Judaifm be falfe?-Naturalifm. In this manner natural religion is admitted by univerfal confent."

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To expofe the fophiftry contained in this thought, fays Mr. De Luc, it is neceflary to diftinguifh two kinds of natural religion; the one, that of the world, introduced by human ignorance and depravity; and the other, that which we derive by a prouse of our reafon, from God, and which is conformable to revelation. The Reflector's arguments, therefore, rest, fays he, on a fallacious foundation. Christianity differs, indeed, from that corrupt fpecies of natural religion, which it is profeiledy calculated to eradicate from the heart of man; but at the fanie time it is itself instituted to re-establish the true natural religion is all its purity. Chriftianity, therefore, fhould have the first place, were it for no other reafon than that it is really natural religion carried to its highest degree of perfection and purity. The manner in which our Author illuftrates this affinity between natural and revealed religion, is fo fimple and plaufible, that we cannot pafs it over without quoting a paffage or two, for the fatisfaction of the Reader.

"Reason is the most excellent of all the faculties with which When the Creator hath exclufively endued the human mind. duly cultivated, therefore, it is the torch which lights him to take a profpect of the univerfe, and in the contemplation of i to discover the fupreme Author of his exiftence, and of all the bleffings attending fo ineftímable a gift. This discovery, however circumfcribed and limited, ought naturally to induce mar kind to pay their Creator and Benefactor, all that homage whic is fo juttly his due. Now it is, in the payment of that ador tion we owe to the Supreme Being; in our affiduity to reces with gratitude his abundant mercies; in our ftrict obfervation c that law which is the foundation of all morality, Do unto ethe as you would have them do unto you, that confifts the real natur religion which comes to us from God, by the way of reafer independent of revelation. But the unhappy prevalence whic the greater part of mankind have permitted their irregular paf ons to gain over their reafon, haying vitiated and depraved it, became abfolutely neceffary for God to declare his will, in a mater independent of their corrupt understandings. This has bec effected by the miffion of Jefus Chrift into the world, whe

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both by precept and example, hath established natural religion to fuch a degree of evidence, that if reafon may in this respect be called a torch to light those who properly cultivate it, the Gofpel may be denominated a fun to enlighten all fuch as ftudy it with fincerity and humility of heart. There is no difference between them but in their degree of illumination. Thus fhould a man, for example, behold the various objects around him, by the help of a torch at midnight, will he find them to be different at the rifing of the fun? Not at all; the vaft addition of light will only enable him to behold them more clearly and diftinct, and will difcover others beyond the feeble rays of his artificial meteor. Such is the affinity and refemblance between that natural religion which the Deity communicates to us by reason, and that which he hath revealed to us in the Scriptures. They cannot, therefore, be contradictory to each other, because there is in effect no difference, and there is but one God from which they are both derived."

Our worthy Author accordingly proceeds to refute fome dangerous fophifins, as he calls them, which are advanced in a work entitled La Religion effentielle; the Author of which afferts, th the authority of the Scriptures cannot be pleaded again me common and univerfal principles of nature. In reply => however, Mr. De Luc obferves, that if the Author mass deed, the first principles of all human knowlege, such a thing can produce nothing, the whole is greater than a effect must have its cauft, no Chriftian Philofopher with him; but that moft of the propofitions which he as univerfal principles, are delufive or arbitrary; is being defective from a petitio principii, which rear vi m inconclufive. Our Author's refutations, boze ter, are rather plaufible than convincing: mafterpiece of cafuiftry, to reconcile, in a ner, to our understanding, the will of the effectually to the falvation of finners, operating effectually to its damnation. mains alfo, with the infinite, and imputed righteousness.

Mr. De Luc is alfo as 5 prove the affertion of Mandere the most knowing and civ

the leaft. This affertion our ribe and fcandalous; equalle demorarand science. It feems to est from the declaration of Batemen

church; who fays, "Whatever country you go into, let the religion be what it will, the ignorant and unthinking part thereof are always the moft orthodox." Mr. De Luc, undertake, nevertheless, to fhew the faliehood of fuch infinuations, an enumerates feveral great names, that have made a diftinguific figure in literature and fcience, and yet have been ranged on the fide of orthodoxy. Among there we find the celebrated Leitnitz ranked, with very little propriety, among a number of 25% and fincere Defenders of Christianity. That Mr. Leibnitz, however, was a man of that stamp, we cannot readily be brough to believe, notwithstanding the pains our Author hath taken to wipe off the calumny, as he calls it, which his enemies have thrown out against him. Leibnitz glaubt nitz, or, Leibnitzs an errant Sceptic, has been too long a common proverb in Ge many, for Mr. De Luc to eradicate its effects. There is nothing, fays he, in the pre-established harmony of this great Philofopher, or in his fyftem of Monades, inconfiftent with the perfections of God, or the free-agency of man. From what he hath advanced, therefore, in his Theodicee, and the external marks of affent that Philofopher o cafionally gave to the dici pline and doctrines of Chriftianity, he fets him down for one of its firmeft champions. We fhall not controvert the fact Mr. De Luc advances on this head, nor enter particularly into the orthodoxy of Leibnitz's philofophy; we will take upon us to affirm. however, that if he were really an orthodox Chriftian, he wa a most inconfiftent character, or rather a man of no character a all, and therefore, one whofe fuffrage can be of no fervice to the caufe it is brought to fupport. Indeed, after all, we wond our Author fhould lay fo great a ftrefs on an argument that ca certainly have but little force with thofe, who believe, the "God hath chofen the foolish things of this world to confour the wife."

Mr. De Luc, throws out next fome few remarks on the philofophical Letter on Phyfiognomies, and Mr. Pope's Eflay ca Man; after which he proceeds to maul poor De la Mettrie, Author of, Man a Machine; concluding with fome very just reflections on a work entitled, Les Principes de la Philofophie M rale, taken chiefly from my Lord Shaftsbury.

On the whole, we can recommend this work, as a wellchofen and inftructive collection of facts and arguments, tening to the fupport of Chriftianity, against the attacks ufuall made on it by the common herd of Sceptics and pretended FreeThinkers.

Pocti

Poetiqué Françti. Or,

A Treatise on French Poetry. Br M

IT

2 vols. Paris.

T hath been frequently objected to the r cifm, that, while they have been mag rules and inftitutions, they have be genius by which only thofe rules could be for the guidance of which they obtrusi tions on the public. Hence it is, that to cenfure the Dictators in their turn an laws and jurifdiction of fuch incommen Poet and Critic, who was equally a Mate tical compofition, expreffes himself

Let thofe teach others who themie ve And cenfure freely who have w On these pretenfions our ingenious A right to take his place among the D literature. Mr. Marmontel, wh France, displayed the firft efforts of where he obtained more than onc honoured by his compofitions, r quent concomitant of merit, it acquired the confidence adopted him into his poetic f tuition of fo great a Mafter turer fhould make conficem himself, indeed, very fe fchool. His tragedy of and feveral other ingenian him with fuccefs. Int

art, and so justly enco which he is here eng ed to his abilities, th failed in the executi that this is not fo mu French poetry in par Reader to make, of this performance In the firft v general; of the tem cal ftyle; fe of the mechanur imitation; T.

fubjects,

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beft obfervations of his predeceffors, which he hath confirmed, or illuftrated, by his own.

In the fecond volume, he treats of the feveral forms of pl tical compofition: of tragedy; of the epopea; of the oce of comedy; fable; the eclogue; elegy; of didactic poetry; 2 of figurative pieces.

In the chapter of tragedy, our ingenious Author makes for judicious reflections on the dramatic Unities, as they are cale and particularly confiders the objection made by M. Dacier, the action of the modern drama, "Les actions, faid that cele brated Critic, de nos tragedies ne font prefque plus des acti vifibles; qu'elles fe paffent la plupart dans des chambres et ts cabinets; que les fpectateurs n'y doivent pas plus entrer que Choeur; et qu'il n'eft pas naturel que les Bourgeois de Pas voyent ce qui fe pafle dans les cabinets des Princes." Mr.M montel obviates the force of this objection, by obferving, th the spectator is present at the scene of action only in idea; that it was full as natural for a Citizen of Athens to fit in t theatre of Bacchus, and fee what paffed in the closets of his fe low Citizens, as to fee what was doing under the walls of Try If there is no abfurdity in being transported from Paris to th Capitol, at the beginning of the firft act, there is furely fill le in being carried from the Capital to Brutus's palace, during th interval between the first and fecond. But the fpectator is ways fuppofed to be ideally, and not perfonally, prefent; he the impropriety of the actors addreffing the audience. And if the fpectators were prefent, they would be alfo visible, and would be not only natural for the actor occafionally to addres them, but it would be abfurd for him to speak and act as if ro body was by. It is to be fuppofed, therefore, that the a themselves only are witneffes of the action.

But we have not room to make any farther quotations from this ingenious work; which, tho' it be more peculiarly adapt to the natives of France, than to thofe of any other country and is, on the whole, rather too diffufe for a didactic perfor ance, abounds with a variety of pertinent and fenfible rema on poetical fubjects.

CATALOGUE OF FOREIGN BOOKS Lately Published.

Art. 1. Elemens de Geometrie, contenant les Six Premiers Li D' Euclide, mis dans un nouvel Ordre, et à la portée de la Jeu Jous les Directions de M. Le Profeffeur Koenig, augmentés de l' zieme et douxieme Livre, par J. 7. Blaffiere. Or,

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