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teration now made, in that respect, will be more likely to obtain their approbation.

The author likewise, cannot omit this opportunity of noticing another point, upon which some little explanation is due to his readers. In his Essay "On the rapid growth of Methodism," he is supposed to have involved, under the suspicious name of methodists, all those who are in any degree conspicuous for their piety and holiness of character, gravity of manners, and reverential study of the sacred records. To this, he must beg leave to answer, that he has been greatly misunderstood, and that nothing was more remote from his intention. He meant only to designate by that name, those self-constituted teachers of religion, and their followers; a set of fanatics, who fancying themselves exalted above the common condition of the faithful, have assumed the vain but impious task, of undermining those foundations upon which the fabric of our establishment is reared;-men who are obviously as much the bane of literature as of religion; since

the advancement of literature is as favourable to true piety, as it is fatal to canting and superstition. If then, he has not spoken of them in a tone of uniform calmness, or of guarded caution, when, to borrow an expression of Cicero, est inter nos non de terminis, sed de tota possessione contentio,-if he has not always observed a measured language in exposing their hypocrisy and fanaticism; from which have flowed mischiefs innumerable upon all those who are within the sphere of their influence; -he will not surely be confounded among those bigots, who hold, that orthodoxy atones for all vices, and that heresy extinguishes all virtues.

To the present edition, a copious Index is annexed, which will be found at the end of the volume.

LITERARY

RECREATIONS.

ESSAY I.

ON THE ORIGIN OF EULOGIES.

THE love of praise is so generally prevalent, that without fear of contradiction, it may be regarded as a common principle, inherent in human nature, because it seems inseparable from self-love. This passion, has rendered some men as conspicuous for their crimes, as it has others, for their virtues. It has produced princes and generals, who have done the work of demons, in order to obtain the name of heroes; and it has also given birth to the systems of the legislator, and to the eloquence of the orator. Fools and flatterers have not been wanting to confound those two classes of men. But their panegyrics may be said to resemble the statues erected by the Romans to their emperors; most of which were broken to pieces, when the object of them ceased to exist.

B

Death, does, indeed, make as much havoc with the reputation of the former class, as they did with their swords, when living, among their fellow creatures. Fear and interest, being no longer constrained to pour forth their eulogies, their memories are consigned at once to the vengeance of posterity. How differently does death operate upon the characters of the bene factors of mankind? The voice of envy is then heard no more against them; and immortality commences*. That such is the immutable distinction established by the fiat of after-ages, between these classes of men, cannot escape the observation of those, who have been accustomed to survey the history of the world with an attentive eye.

The origin of eulogies, prior, as they unquestionably were, to civil institutions, may yet form the subject of an entertaining and instructive essay; for the desire of knowing what has happened in ages, when the use of arts and letters was unknown, can never be coupled with absurdity, so long, as it is attended with the beneficial consequence of enabling us to appreciate more fully the blessings of civilization.

To the first hymns addressed to the Deity, we may

* Urit enim fulgore suo qui prægravat artes,

Infra se positas ; extinctus amabitur idem.-Horace, Epist. I. Lib. ii.

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