not be worth while to attend a public fervice in order to have them difcuffed. I am far from thinking that men who devote their time to the purfuits of knowledge, may not often furnish reasons of a wife and moral conduct which may be new to the most intelligent of their hearers. But fuppofing this were not the cafe: our difpofitions and conduct, good or bad, are produced by habits; not by principles. If we are fo circumftanced, that we generally hear only the apologies for vice, we become vicious; and to make us virtuous, it is necef. fary that we fhould not only understand the propofitions of moral philofophy, but that they fhould be frequently laid before us. What is the reafon that wife men act foolishly; and good men wickedly? Not for want of knowledge; but because the reasons of a good conduct are not always fresh in their mind. If public worship were only a recital of the most common obligations; it would be of the utmost ufe-in giving a habit of thinking juftly; and a kind of fecurity against many of the temptations of vice.' In the conclufion, the Author applies these reasonings to his prefent undertaking; and obferves, that many thousands might be benefited; prevented from falling into vice, and affifted in forming habits of virtue-by fuch a public service as he hath read; who would not, and perhaps could not, attend any other. • If refpectable focieties, he adds, were formed on the pure and fimple principles of morality, the advantages would be very great. Even thofe perfons who adhered to the old establishments would find their account in encouraging such focieties, as they might be pointed to as proofs, that men may drop their prejudices about myfteries and creeds, and yet retain fufficient and indifputable reasons for every duty to God and man.' Mr. Williams, in the profecution of his defign, hopes to avoid contention with religious parties; he wants not to reform them, or to interfere with them: but wishes to affift them in what fhould be their principal aim, improving the minds and manners of the people. His intention is, to recommend those general duties and fentiments which fuit the whole world; and which are the ground of that nobleft of all human affections UNIVERSAL BENEVOLENCE. The Liturgy, introduced at Margaret-street chapel, is, with regard to the method of it, formed much upon the fame plan with others which have heretofore been prefented to the Public. It is compofed with responses, and confifts of celebrations of the divine perfections and works, together with general thanksgivings, confeffions, and fupplications. We fhall infert a paffage or two, by way of fpecimen. The first shall be the hymn in the morning service; MINISTER. The Lord our God is worthy of universal praise. We acknowledge the immenfity of his works; we gladly own our fubjection to him, the Lord of all; and rejoice in a government adminiftred with wisdom for the happiness of the whole creation. We acknowledge him the only living and true God: God in the heavens above; iu the earth beneath, and throughout all worlds; there is none befides him. PEOPLE. Blessed art thou, O Lord God, and worthy to be praised for ever. We adore and worship him, a being infinite and immenfe. He is not excluded any place, or confined by any limits. We cannot go forth from his fpirit; we cannot flee from his prefence; the one glorious and active principle, directing every atom, animating every form; in whom all things live and move, and have their being. PEOPLE. The Lord dwelleth not in temples made with hands; the universe is his habitation. MINISTER. He hath founded the earth by his wisdom; and ftretched out the heavens by his understanding; by his knowledge the waters are raised up, and the clouds drop down the dew; he is mighty in wifdom, wonderful in counfel, and excellent in all his works. PEOPLE. O Lord! how manifold are thy works! in wifdom haft thou made them all. MINISTER. The Lord is merciful and gracious. His goodness adorns the creation, and produces beauty, order, and happiness, through all works: the light of the fun, the revolution of the feafons; the regular changes of days and nights; the vapours, the winds, the rains, and all the various and abundant productions of the earth, are the kind provifions of his goodness. He delighteth to make all' his creatures happy he doth good continually; and his tender mercies are over all his works. PEOPLE. Every good gift cometh down from thee, the Father of Lights; with whom is no variableness, or fhadow of turning. MINISTER. 'The world, and all things therein speak forth his glory. All the hofts of heaven; all the fons of men; all the works of God, fhew forth his praise. PEOPLE. • All thy works glorify thee, O God; and all thy creatures praise thee.' We shall add the general thanksgiving, in the order for evening prayer: MINISTER. 'Rejoice in the Lord, all ye people; come into his prefence with thanksgiving, and be devout and joyful in his fervice. Sing praises unto him, and bless him; for he is good, and his mercy endureth for ever, PEOPLE. PEOPLE. We will give thanks unto the Lord; and celebrate his goodness with joyful hearts. General Thanksgiving. MINISTER. O God, thou art the giver of all good: thou delighteft in the happiness of thy creatures, and art daily imparting the riches of thy bounty. Thou haft exercifed a wife and gracious care over us, ever fince we came into the world: by thee are all our wants fupplied; from thee all our enjoyments proceed; thou crowneft our days with thy goodness; thou giveft us food convenient for us, and appointeft refreshment for our wearied powers: to thy providence we owe the raiment with which we are cloathed, our comfortable habitations, and all the fruits of our industry and labour. O that men would praife the Lord for his goodness! PEOPLE. Bleffed be the Lord our God! for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men. MINISTER. We thank thee, O God, for the noble and excellent conftitution of our minds; for reason and understanding; for all the treasures of knowledge which lie open to our view; that thou haft formed us for the practice of virtue and true religion; and given us opportunities for the improvement of our minds, and the attainment of happiness. We thank thee that we are placed in a social state; are endowed with focial affections; and enjoy fuch a variety of pleasures from the efteem and friendship of our brethren. We afcribe to thy goodnefs all the happinefs we receive from the practice of virtue, and the juft exercife of our powers; the variety of trials thou haft appointed for our improvement, and thofe noble rewards, both present and future, which are the certain confequences of well doing. O give thanks unto the Lord, ye his people; rejoice before him with thanksgiving; for the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. PEOPLE. All glory and honour, bleffing and praise, might, majesty, and dominion, be unto God for ever.' In the hymns to be read in the morning or evening fervice, the Author hath not confined himself to profe; but hath selected the principal part of three of them from the fine poetical ones of Milton and Thomfon; in which refpect we entirely approve of his devotional tafle and judgment. We obferve that, in the Liturgy, no fmall ufe is made of the fcriptures; and if Mr. Williams had not been previously acquainted with them, we question whether he could have drawn it up to equal advantage. This is a circumftance which reflects honour on. the facred writings. A col A collection of seventy-five pfalms is fubjoined, from Mr. Addison, Dr. Watts, and other authors, with neceffary alte rations. The choice is judicious and afeful. It is probable that the prefent fcheme of worship will be mifapprehended by many, and will be exposed to the attacks of ignorance and bigotry; but every man of a truly liberal mind will be pleased with its being carried into execution. It must, on the principles of general toleration, be allowed, that mankind have a right to ferve God according to the dictates of their understandings and confciences; and it is furely very defirable that all who believe in a Supreme Being, in his perfections, providence, and moral government, and who are fenfible of the importance of virtue, fhould affemble together, to testify their gratitude and regard to their common Creator and Benefactor, and to cherish in themselves worthy difpofitions and habits. If they cannot do this in the fyftems ufually received, they ought to do it in the manner that is conformable to their own fentiments. Though, therefore, we may differ, in fome -private opinions, from the Writer of the Sermon and Liturgy before us; and though, as Chriftians, we may think ourselves obliged, ordinarily, to worship the Deity according to the Chrif tian plan; we do, at the fame time, fincerely with fuccefs to every inftitution, which, notwithstanding its want of connection with the doctrines of any particular revelation, may have for its objects, the honour of God, the benefit of society, and the advancement of moral goodness. FOREIGN LITERATURE. The following article was intended for our APPENDIX, publifhed last month; but came to the Editor's hands too late for infertion. It relates to a work of great curiofity, just published, in Holland, viz. ART. XII. La Morale Uni-verfelle, ou les Devairs de l'Homme fonde's fur fa Nature.-Univerfal Morality, or the Duties of Man founded on his Nature. 4to. (alfo in 3 Vols. 8vo.) Amfterdam. 1776. WE E do not like to hear it faid that morality derives its very effence and all its obligation from religion and the profpect of a future reward; and yet on the other hand we do not relifh a fyftem of univerfal morality, where religion and futurity are left entirely out of the queftion, and not even reprefented, as motives and incentives to moral conduct. We are not, however, furprised to find fuch an omiffion in this new publication, having learned from incontestable authority that it is the production of the fame Author, who wrote the profligate book entitled the Social Syftem, which, amidst fome fenfible and fmart things, contained the moft igorant and difingenuous attacks we ever remember to have feen 1 een made upon religion. As this Author left the Deity out of the universe in his Social Syftem, we are little aftonished to fee him turn religion out of the fphere of virtue in his Univerfal Morality. In this, however, with all his wit and smartnefs he is but a very bungling fyftem-maker, and almost as foolish a workman, as he would be who fhould leave the main fpring out of his watch, or who fhould refufe the fuccours of a regulator, to redress its devious and difordered motions.→ If the judgment of all men were clear and juft, their tafte for felicity pure, elegant, and refined, their paffions in a complete fubordination to the dictates of reafon and true wifdom, they would all not only perceive, that virtue is the true fource of perfonal, domeftic, national and focial felicity, but would act in confequence of this perfuafion. On fuch a fuppofition our Author's System of Morality would be rational, and the nature of man, (that is) a nature in a right regular and found ftate would be a fufficient guide to moral duty; but, in fuch a cafe, we fhould have no occafion for our Author's book, and his labour would be as little pertinent, as the zeal of a wifeacre, who fhould hold out a lanthorn to his brethren in the face of the fun.-As the cafe actually ftands, we have need of our Author's book and of fomething more: and, without that fomething more, our Author's book is little better than a handsome jingle of words, to nine-tenths of mankind. For after all, if this rational, intellectual, focial being burfts like a bubble, and vanishes into air, at the end of a few years, and all idea of perfection be chimerical; it is but natural to gratify his prevailing taste whatever it may be, in fuch a manner as to make his pleasure laft as long as poffible. And on fuch a fyftem, nine-tenths of mankind will think that no prevailing paffion ought to be refifted, which can be gratified without incurring the four only poffible evils, disease, poverty, difhonour or the gallows, and how long may a dextrous man feduce, enjoy, defraud and poison, without incurring these difafters? His whole life long, or, at least, he will think fo. However that may be, the work before us is much more decent and lefs reprehenfible than the Social Syftem. The Author neither fpeaks well nor ill of religion: he only links with human nature his moral duties and obligations, as well as he can, without it, Nor is this done without dexterity and success: for as the Deity, by the very constitution of the natural and moral world, has rendered virtue the fource of order, and confequently (if mankind understood their true interefts) the most eligible, as it is the only way to true happiness even in this world, fo the Atheist may defcribe the conftitution of the moral world in its present ftate, in the course of fecond caufes and effects, without attending to that first great Agent A |