communicable feeling. To have this feeling a man must have lived a whole life in a particular manner. In like manner, befides thofe ideas annexed to fuch words as God, religion, future life, &c. which can be communicated to others by their definitions, there are what are fometimes called fecondary ideas, or feelings, which are aggregate fenfations, confifting of numberlefs other fenfations and ideas, which have been affociated with them, and which it is abfolutely impoffible for one perfon to communicate to another; becaufe the fame education, the fame course of instruction, the fame early discipline, the fame or fimilar circumftances in life, and the fame reflections upon thofe circumstances, must have concurred in the formation of them. They are, however, thefe infinitely complex and indefcribable feelings that often give thofe ideas their greatest force, and their influence upon the mind and conduct; because difpofitions to love, fear, and obey God have a thousand times followed thofe complex feelings, and pious and worthy refolutions have been connected with them. On this account, persons whose education has been much neglected, but who begin to hear of religion, and apply themselves to it late in life, can never acquire the devotional feelings of those who have had a religious education; nor can it be expected that they will be uniformly influenced by them. They may ufe the fame language,. but their feelings will, notwithstanding, be very different. The difference is, however, nothing more than is obferved in other fimilar cafes. A man, who has from his infancy been converfant with any thing, will have ideas of it very differently modified from thofe of the perfon who has acquired them by the information of others, or later in life. A perfon who has been bred in a camp will have very different ideas of every thing relating to war from those who have only heard, or read of fuch things, or who have seen fomething of war later in life; and the ideas of the former cannot, in the nature of things, be communicated with precifion to others; because the component parts of those ideas, or, rather, the feelings, were acquired by paffing through a variety of scenes which made a deep impreffion upon the mind, and therefore left traces proportionably deep. I fhall conclude with obferving, that the influence of general ftates of mind, turns of thought, and fixed habits, which are the confequence of them, is fo great, that too much attention cannot be given to education, and the conduct of early life. Suppofing the prefent laws of our minds to continue (and there is no more reafon to expect a change in them than in any other of the laws of nature), our happiness to endless ages must depend upon it. It is a neceffary confequence of the principles of affociation, that the mind grows more callous to new impreffions continually; it being already occupied with ideas and fenfations which render it indifpofed to receive others, especially of a heterogeneous nature. We, in fact, feldom fee any confiderable change in a perfon's temper and habits after he is grown to man's eftate. Nothing fhort of an entire revolution in his circumftances, and mode of life, can effect it. This analogy will lead us to confider the ftate of our minds at the commencement of another life (being produced by the F 3 whole whole of our paffage through this) as ftill more fixed, and indisposed to any change for the better or worse. Confequently, our happiness or mifery for the whole of our existence depends, in a great measure, on the manner in which we begin our progress through it. The effects of religious impreffions made upon the mind in early life may be overpowered for a time by impreffions of an oppofite nature, but there will always be a poffibility of their reviving in favourable circumftances, i. e. in circumftances in which ideas formerly connected with religious impreffions will neceffarily be prefented to the mind, and detained there. Let a man be ever fo profligate, his friends may always have hopes of his being reclaimed, if he had a religious education, and his religious impreffions were not effaced very early. But if no foundation of religion has been laid in early life, many of the most favourable opportunities of being brought to a fenfe of their duty are loft upon them. For in the minds of fuch perfons there are no religious impreffions, not even in a dormant fate, and capable of being revived by circumstances that have the most natural, and the strongest connections with them. Alfo ideas of religion, like thofe of other objects with which we form an acquaintance too late in life, will never make much impreffion; and being foreign, and diffimilar to all the other impreffions with which the mind has been occupied, they will never be able to take place for a fufficient length of time; other affociations continually taking place to the exclufion of thefe. Befides, as the objects about which we are much converfant are apt to become magnified in our minds, as perfons unavoidably value their own profeffions and purfuits, and the more in proportion as they have lefs knowledge of others; habits and practices that are really vicious, ultimately pernicious in fociety, and quite opposite to every thing of a religious nature, will have formed unnatural affociations with ideas of bonour, Spirit, and other things of a fimilar kind; fo that fome virtues and religious duties, as humility, modefty, temperance, chastity, &c. will never appear to them refpectable and engaging; and. on account of the connection of thefe virtues with others, every thing belonging to ftrict morals and religion will be regarded with averfion and contempt. This turn of thinking may, for want of early religious impreffions, be fo confirmed, that nothing in the ufual courfe of human life shall be able to change it. The very things that are the means and incitements to religion and devotion in previously well-difpofed minds have the very oppofite effect on others. Thus we fee that the reading of the devotional parts of fcripture, of incidents in the life of Chrift and the apostles, the meditation upon which fills the minds of fome with reverence and devotion, even to extacy, are read by others with ridicule or difguft. No argument can be of any ufe to fuch perfons, because the thing that is wanting is a proper fet of affociated feelings, arising from actual impreffions, the feafon for which is over, and will never return. The contempt of religion in fuch perfons is only increased by endeavours to perfuade them of its value; fo that it is much more advifable, when perfons are got to a certain pitch of infidelity and profligacy, to let them alone, and entirely cease to remonstrate with them on the fubject. The very difcourfing about religion only re vives fuch ideas as they have formerly connected with it, and which render the fubject odious to them.' We fhall make no apology for the length of this extract; fuch of our Readers as feel the importance of the fubject, and are capable of entering into the force of our Author's reafoning upon it, will not think any apology neceffary. The other fubjects treated of by our Author are chiefly these following-The Objects of Education, and their relative Importance-The Latin and Greek Languages-Private and public Education-The Knowledge of the World, with refpect to the Follies and Vices of it-Correction-Submiffion to Authority-Courage-Filial and parental Affection-Inftruction in the Principles of Morals and Religion-The Education of Perfons of Rank and Fortune-The Attendance of Servants on young Perfons-Foreign Travel, &c. On each of thefe fubjects the Reader will find many reflections, which well deferve the attentive confideration of all those who are engaged in the important bufinefs of education. The Obfervations on Education are followed by Confiderations for the Ufe of young Men, which were published fome years ago in a cheap and small form, for the convenience of a more easy and general circulation. They relate to a subject of the utmost importance to youth, and fhew the fatal confequences of the irregular commerce of the fexes. The Confiderations are followed by an Effay on a Courfe of liberal Education for civil and active Life, which was first published in 1760, together with Remarks on Dr. Browne's propofed Code of Education. ART. VI. A Free Difcuffion of the Doctrines of Materialism, and Philifophical Neceffity, in a Correspondence between Dr. Price and Dr. Priestley: To which are added by Dr. Priestley, an Introduction explaining the Nature of the Controverfy, and Letters to feveral Writers who have aninadverted on his Difquifitions, &c. 8vo. 6s. boards. Johnfon. 1778. IN N this publication the world is presented with the edifying, though not very common, fpectacle of two philofophersnay divines-maintaining different and even oppofite opinions, on fundamental points efteemed to be of the greatest importance; and yet conducting the controverfy with a degree of mutual complacency and candour not often obferved in difputes in which religion is, or is thought to be, concerned ;-in fhort, preferving their temper, and efteem for each other, to the last, though at the fame time urging their respective arguments with a freedom, fometimes kindling into zeal, that becomes every fincere inquirer after truth. The method adopted on this occafion by our two friendly difputants was, that Dr. Price fhould make remarks on, or propofe his objections to, the doctrines or opinions contained in P 4 Dr. Dr. Priestley's two late metaphyfical publications; that Dr. Priestley fhould reply to thefe obfervations diftinctly, article by article; that Dr. Price fhould confider these replies, and make fuch fresh remarks on them, or propofe fuch queries relating to them, as should occur to him; to which Dr. Priestley should in his turn reply; till they fhould both be fatisfied that they had done all the juftice in their power to their respective arguments, and it fhould appear unneceffary to advance any farther. In propofing this fcheme, fays Dr. Priestley, I had in view the advantage of fecuring a friendly opponent among so many angry antagonists as I expected ;-and at the fame time one who could not but be acknowledged to be as capable of doing ample juftice to his argument as any writer of the age. I had pledged myself to go through with this bufinefs, replying to every thing that fhould appear deferving of notice; and it was much more agreeable to me to urge all that I had to fay, in letters to a candid friend, than in tart replies to an angry difputant. And I thought that, according to the law of arms, and modern honour, when I had fairly engaged with one antagonist on this fcore, I fhould be more eafily excufed encountering another. The reader, however, will find that I have not intirely availed myfelf of this privilege; for though I have not entered minutely into the argument, which would have been mere tautology, I have noticed fuch other opponents as have appeared fince the publication of my work.'-The Doctor here alludes to Drs. Kenrick, Horfley, and Mr. Whitehead, to each of whom he has here addreffed a letter, in answer to their refpective obfervations on different parts of his former publications. In the review of a work of this nature, in which the fame fubject is frequently and alternately difcuffed by the two controvertists, we must content ourselves with giving a fingle specimen of the controverfy; and fhall for that purpose select from different parts of it fome of the obfervations relating to the doctrine of Neceffity; on which, after fome difcuffion in preceding communications, Dr. Price animadverts in the following animated and yet friendly manner: Dr. Priestley's arguments, in the fixth fection of his Additional Illustrations, plainly lead to, and imply, the following conclufions:-that, fince no action or event could poffibly have been different from what it has been, is, or will be; and fince there is but one caufe, one will, one fole agent in nature; our proneness to look off from this one cause, and to refer our actions to ourselves, is an inftance of vicious weakness in us, leading us to idolize ourselves and others; and that, had we fortitude enough to conquer this weakness, and wisdom enough to lay afide all fallacious views, or were perfect philofophers and neceffarians, we fhould afcribe to God our evil difpofitions no lefs than than our good ones, and confider ourselves as fellow-workers with him in our vices as well as our virtues; and, therefore, fhould never reproach ourselves for having done wrong, never think we have need of repentance, and never pray to God for pardon and mercy, or address him in any of the forms of confeffion and fupplication.' If this is a juft account, and Dr. Prieftley really means to acknowledge thefe to he proper inferences from his doctrine; I must say that he cannot be fufficiently admired for his fairness in the purfuit of truth. He believes he has found it in the doctrine (the great and glorious doctrine, as he calls it) of neceffity; and he follows it into all its confequences, however frightful, without attempting to evade or palliate them. For my own part, I feel here my own weakness. I fhudder at these confequences, and cannot help flying from them. I think it impoffible a doctrine fhould be true, from which fuch an apology for vice can be fairly deduced; and which opposes fo ftrongly the conftitution of nature and our neceffary feelings, as not to be capable of being applied to practice, or even of being believed, without particular fortitude. I am fully perfuaded, however, that fo found is Dr. Prieftley's conftitution of mind, and fo excellent his heart, that he can drink this deadly potion, and find it falutary. But fuch powers and fuch integrity are given to few. I must farther confefs to Dr. Prieftley, that I am in fome degree rendered averfe to his doctrine, by my pride. I had been uled to think of my foul as so real and substantial, as to be the very principle that gives reality to the fenfible qualities of bodies, and confequently to the whole drefs of the external world; as an effence of heavenly origin, incorporeal, uncompounded, selfdetermining, immortal, and indeftructible, except by the power that created it; poffeffed of faculties which (however the exercise of them may be fubject to interruptions) make it an image of the Deity, and render it capable of acting by the fame rule with him, of participating of his happiness, and of living for ever, and improving for ever, under his eye and care. But if Dr. Priestley is right, my foul is literally the offspring of the earth; a compofition of duft; incapable of all agency; a piece of machinery moved by mechanical springs, and chained to the foot of fate; all whose powers of thought, imagination, reflection, volition, and reason, are no more than a refult from the arrangement and play of a fet of atoms, all unthinking and fenfelefs.'-What can be more humiliating than this account?-How low does it bring the dignity of man!-I cannot help feeling myself degraded by it unfpeakably!-Were it to be received univerfally, it would, I am afraid, operate like a dead weight on the creation, breaking every afpiring effort, and producing univerfal abjectnefs. The natural |