160 
Art. XXVIL. Sermons on several Occasions. By the Reverend R. Survwern, D. De 
Archdeacon of Bedford. 5x0. pp. 348. 
THE volume here presented to the 
public contains thirteen sermons, and a 
charge delivered to the clergy of the 
archdeaconry of Bedford. ‘the four 
first of these discourses are on the ground 
and credibility of the christian religion ; 
the three next, on the evidence of a fu- 
ture state, afforded by reason; the eighth 
on the influence of example, and the 
causes which mislead the multitude ; the 
ninth the fear of God; the tenth on the 
power of conscience ; the eleventh on 
inspiration, and the means by which it 
may be discriminated; the twelfth on a 
former paradisaical state ; and the thir- 
teenth on the character of Charles the 
First, and of the causes which Jed to his 
death; preached at Oxford on the 20th 
of January. 
The character of these discourses is 
not uniform; those which relate to the 
evidences of the christian religion are, 
upon the whole, worthy of the serious 
attention both of the believer and of the 
sceptic. The arguments, if not always 
new, are in general well arranged, and 
forcibly stated; the observations are fre- 
quently good, and sometimes excellent ; 
yet, in the midst of much solid reason- 
ing, we meet with positions which tend 
fo destroy the effect of the previous ar- 
guments, and to increase the scepticism 
which it is the preacher’s object to re- 
move. ‘hus, discoursing upon the mi- 
racles of Christ, he justly observes, 
«© The manner also, in which these and 
his other miracles were-wrought, was such 
as added a strong corroborating argument to 
‘prove them both real and divine. They were 
not performed in secret, they were not per- 
formed before a few credulous or interested 
witnesses, a circumstance which might have 
left them liable to the suspicion of imposture ; 
but openly, before a multitude of enemies, as 
well as friends, at the most public festivals, 
and in the most frequented places of resort. 
“They were performed also with the same sort 
of action with which Almighty God created 
the world; by a FIAT, by a bare word or 
intimation of his will, without gradual pro- 
cess, or visible means. or instruments. In 
appeasing a violent tempest, he says only, 
peace, be still: immediately the cbedient 
winds hearken to his voice, and the agitated 
sea subsides. In curing an inveterate lepro- 
sy, he says no more than—I will, be thou 
clean: and the leper is suddenly cleansed.— 
No sooner does he say to the deaf and dumb 
man, Ephphatha, be opened; than his ears 
are opened, and the string of his tongue 
THEOLOGY AND ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS. 
- 
loosed. He restores also to life both the wi 
dow’s son, and Lazarus, by saying, to : 
one, arise, to the other, come forth. Once_ 
or twice, indeed, he empluys natural means— 
in his operations, but they were manifestly — 
so ineffectual in their nature to the purposes — 
for which they were employed, and design-— 
edly so, a3 condneed only to magnify the 
power of the performer: who in those acts 
communicaied to certain forms of matter, by 
an etlicieney nothing short of divine, powers 
and qualities, which in their own nature they 
did not possess. Add to the whole this fi- 
nishing circumstance, that his iniracles pro- 
duced always a durable and permanent eflect.— 
Ifthe cars of the deaf, or the eyes of the © 
blind, are opened, they continue afterwards 
clearly and perfectly to hear or see. If the — 
dead are raised, they continue to perform al} 
the functions of life; and remain incontes- 
tibly standing witnesses to the reality of what — 
was done in their favour.” 
But the force of this passage is much | 
lessened by one in which it is allowed, 
that evil spitits may work miracles, and 
that “ we cannot be certain, but that 
some phanomena which appear, and are 
really to us miraculous, have resulted 
from their agency.”—Page 26. It is 
true, the preacher lays down some crite- | 
ria, by which these may be distinguished 
from miracles wrought by the immediate — 
agency of God; but if in any instance — 
we admit Beelzebub to have the same 
power as Jesus, we diminish, if not de-” 
stroy, the argument, upon which our _ 
Lord himself was willing to rest the | 
proof of his divine mission; but Drill 
Shepherd has not yet learnt what a mi- | 
racle is, or he would never have con i 
ceived it possible for any but the Great | 
Author of Nature to work one. 
In the sermons on a future existence, 
there are many strong arguments well 
advanced, and many passages which dis-~ 
play a feeling heart, and a correct judg-_ 
ment; yet we cannot by any mean 
agree with our author, when he asserts, © 
“that in the present life there is more’ 
evil than good, and that virtuous con-_ 
duct does not encrease individual happi-' 
ness ;’? nor can we admit the validity of © 
his reasoning, from the example of the 
thief on the cross, the situation and sen- 
timents of whom Dr. Shepherd has to- 
tally misunderstood. ; 
In these discourses on future exist- 
ence, Dr. Shepherd appears to be embar- 
rassed by what he apprehends to be the 
