J 823.] Literary and Critical Protmium. 



sentiments," says Mr. W. "if they liapppn 

 to differ essentially from those in wiiich we 

 have been educated, but wliich, perhaps, 

 we have little studied, we are too apt im- 

 mediately to pronounce tliein erroneous, 

 and we shun such persons as dangerous 

 companions ; whereas, we should ever 

 bring opinions to the test of argument, and 

 defend our sentiments with temper and 

 moderation. I once heard a sermon on 

 the subject of prejudice from a man I am 

 proud to call my friend — the late Dr. 

 Price. It was delivered in this house, 

 and the impression it made upon my mind 

 will cease but with life. Prejudice (said 

 this truly excellent man,) may be com- 

 pared to a misty morning in October; a 

 man goes forth to an eminence, and he 

 sees, at the summit of a neighbouring hi'l, 

 a figure, apparently of gigantic stature, 

 for such the imperfect medium through 

 which he is viewed would make him ap- 

 pear; he goes forward. a few steps, and 

 the figure advances towards him; his size 

 lessens as tliey approach ; they draw still 

 neaier, and the extraordinary appearance 

 is gradually, but sensibly, diminishing; at 

 last they meet; and, perhaps, (said Dr. 

 Price,) the man I had taken for a monster, 

 proves to be my aim brother. Never was 

 prejudice more forcibly delineated." We 

 wish we had room for other extracts. 



Bristed's Thoughts on the Anglican and 

 Anglo-American Churches, first published in 

 the United States, and now reprinted 

 here, is a rambling ultra-evangelical work, 

 of which it would he impossible to give a 

 comprehensive sketch within any mode- 

 rate compass. The chief design appears 

 to be, to demonstrate the inutility ami bad 

 effects of relisjious establishments in ge- 

 neial, and of that of the church of England 

 in particular; but the digressions from 

 this main object are numerous and tanlas- 

 tical. Every succeeding page introduces 

 Rome unexpected subject or person. We 

 have the author's wanderings in mind, 

 body, and professional pursuits ; from 

 scepticism to the true faith; from Edin- 

 burgh to New York ; from the study of 

 medicine to that of law and of divinity. 

 We learn thai Cliniles the Second's queen 

 " was a mean-looking, ill-teuipcrcd wo- 

 man ;'' and we are introduced to an innu- 

 merable nudtitude of popular preachers 

 of all sects, from Dr. Chahuers to Joanua 

 Southcote. 



A Scotch clergyman having written a 

 sermon for a particular occasion, in which 

 he was disappointed of the opportunity of 

 delivering it, t;ot it printed with the title 

 of, "A .SeiniDU which might have been 

 Preached at Iviikniichacl.'' This whun- 

 kical anecdote was recalled to our mc'< 

 morial by the Seijutl tu an unfinished Ma- 

 nutcripl of Hkniiy Kirke White's; 

 tleiigned to iUusliate the Contrast u^ffurded 

 III) Christ itvn and hijidvls at the Close of 



343 



Life, Mr. White was an unassuming 

 young man, who possessed some portion 

 of poetical talents, with an equal (juantity 

 of metliodism ; and his "Remains" have 

 been made sufficiently known to the lite- 

 rary world, by his friend and patron, our 

 present poet laureat. The '' Remains," 

 we believe, has had an extensive sale; and 

 the consequence has been, the manufac* 

 ture of the book now before us, whicli 

 should have been entitled, " Sequel to aa 

 undiscovered Manuscript which might have 

 been written by Henry Kirke White :'' 

 for, of the maniiiciipt alluded to, there is 

 no trace, except a few lines printed in the 

 preface; and these, for aught that ap- 

 pears, might have been intended as the 

 exorditnn of a sermon. Looking at the 

 book, independently of the little tricks of 

 authorship, it is merely an abridged coI« 

 lection (in many cases from imaginary 

 tales, or from lying legends,) of tbc death* 

 bed scenes of ten or twelve infidels, cou-. 

 trasted with those of as many Christiana. 

 Such records prove nothing. Dr. Johnson 

 is said to have had his misgivings, wiUi 

 respect to futurity, during his last illnesii; 

 and the greatest villains have perished 

 heroically on tiie scaffold. 



Although Mr. Lawrence has voluntarily 

 retired from the field, the contest betwceit 

 his partisans and those of Mr. Abernetliy 

 is still continued. A small volume hiig 

 just appeared, under the whimsical title 

 of Somatoj)sychonuulogia, in which the au- 

 thor promises to show " that the proofs of 

 Hody, Life, and Mind, considered as 

 distinct essences, cannot be deduced from 

 phys^iology, but depend on a distinct sort 

 of evidence." " I assert," says he, "that 

 no opinion, founded on philosophical re- 

 search, has any thing to do with the 

 question of eternal existence. The re- 

 surrection of the body to life eternal, is 

 one of the miracles ; it is an article of 

 religious failh, and not a subject of pro- 

 fane speculations." Thone who feel a 

 personal interest in tliis controversy, 

 which has divided the English anatomists 

 into two hostile sects, and produced a 

 metaphysical jargon and a persecuting 

 spirit, worthy of the middle ages; will, 

 according to the party whi;;h they have 

 espoused, be highly gratified, or roused to 

 keener rancour, by the perusal of this 

 work. It cannot be dissembled that it is 

 the apparent consequences, and not 

 the physiological speculations themselves, 

 which have engendered such deadly hate 

 in the minds of the dominant professors. 

 That our author's reasonings will tend to 

 soothe that irritation is, with ns, very 

 doubtful ; for, nolwilhstanding the serious 

 gravity of its outward appearance, we 

 perceive a volatile and airy spirit, conti- 

 nually fiitting through every paragraph of 

 the work : — not, indeed, the Galvanic 

 Materia Vila; of the Religio-anatomic 

 school, 



