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Mr. Gordon's liberality and candour appear in the sketches which he gives of the leaders of the rebellion:

A brief account of Anthony Perry, one of the rebel generals above-mentioned, may serve to shew what difficulty a man may find, who endeavours to extricate himself from the effects of a conspiracy against government, when he has once engaged in it. This gentleman, a man of amiable manners, and a well informed understanding, was yet weak enough to be seduced into the conspiracy; and having acted so as to cause much suspicion, was arrested and confined in Gorey a little before the insurrection. He repented heartily of his misconduct, and gave information useful to government; but such was the state of things, that he was treated in prison with the utmost harshness and indignity. Among other acts of severity, a serjeant of the North-Cork militia, nicknamed from his habitual behaviour Tom the devil, cut away all his hair quite close to the head, and then burned all the roots of it with a candle. Being liberated by the magistrates on the morning of the 28th of May, he returned to his house, four miles from Gorey, where he hoped to be permitted to remain unconcerned for the future in plots and conspiracies. he was soon followed by some yeomen, who destroyed his effects, and obliged him to abscond for the preservation of his life - Finding no alternative, he disguised himself in the habit of a beggar, and thus crossing the country, threw himself into the arms of the rebels. In the course of the war he exerted himself to restrain the cruelty of his followers and as he disapproved both of their cause and conduct, he was always meditating an elopement from them. In an attempt, some time after the assault at Hacketstown, to penetrate into the northern parts of the kingdom, where he hoped to abscond from the rebels, and conceal himself from the partisans of government, he was taken and hanged at Edenderry, in the King's County, a little before the end of the rebellion.'

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Among the persons who suffered for treason on Wexford bridge, were Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey, Cornelius Grogan, and John Henry Colclough.-Grogan, a man of a large estate in land and much accumulated wealth, but of a timid spirit, and no great depth of understanding, had unfortunately fallen into the hands of the insurgents, and so far misconceived the state of affairs as to imagine his property more secure under the protection of the United Irish than of the existing government: unhappy misconception! the success of the rebels would have involved the destruction of both his property and life. He, however, through fear of the loss at least of the former, had consented to take the United oath, and to act as commissary to the rebel army. Yet, such is the inconsistency of human nature, this man, whose only guilt, with regard to treason, had been caused by his timidity, met his fate with courage, when he found death inevitable. Harvey betrayed more fear of death at the place of execution, though he was well known to have been a man of personal cou rage, having exposed his life with intrepidity in duels. This gentleman was possessed of a large landed property, and had in many re• pects borne an amiable character, particularly that of a most hu

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mane landlord-a character unfortunately not very common in Ireland! Seduced, like some other men of benevolent hearts, by the fallacious hope that such a revolution might be effected in Ireland by a popular insurrection, as would cure the defects of the political system, and prodigiously augment the prosperity of the island, he had entered into the united conspiracy; but soon convinced, after the insurrection had taken place, of the utter impracticability of such a revolution by such instruments, and of the certain destruction of himself and other protestant chiefs, in case of success on the side of the rebels, he would most gladly have renounced all connection with them; but, as no alternative was allowed, he was obliged to remain among them while they were able to retain the post of Wexford.

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Harvey and Grogan suffered execution together on the 28th; Colclough alone in the evening of the same day. Colclough was a man of very amiable character, of a naturally good understanding, enlarged by culture, and of engaging manners. By education and profession a Romanist, he was a protestant in principle *. Influenced in his matrimonial speculation solely by the personal merit of the object, he married a lady of a congenial soul, whose endowments of mind and amiable qualities fully justified the wisdom of his choice. So void was he of religious bigotry, that he recommended to his wife not to conform to his mode of worship, since to follow the dictates of her conscience in adhering to the protestant religion (in which she had been educated) would be more pleasing to him. This will be attributed to a deistical indifference in religious matters, by those who allow liberality to deism and deny it to Christian charity, of which I cannot suppose any Romanist of a cultivated and discerning mind to be divested, be the adventitious rules of his religion what they may. Seduced by the like fallacious idea as Harvey, he had embarked on that tempestuous ocean, whence was so seldom permitted a return; and made too late the horrible discovery, that the instruments of political reform were an ungovernable mob of outrageous bigots, among whom none, except the instigators of sanguinary violence, could have effective influence.'

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In the flight of the chiefs from the unbridled host which they had vainly hoped to command, he retired with his wife and child to one of the Saltee islands, of which he was landlord, nine miles from the coast of the county of Wexford, and chose for his temporary abode a cave, which he furnished with provisions, and where he hoped to remain concealed until the fervor of prosecution should abate. But Harvey, knowing his place of retreat, and wishing to avail himself of the same opportunity of concealment, embarked so incautiously to follow him, as to afford a foundation for conjecture and discovery.

I mean not to say that he preferred the forms and ceremonies of the protestant to those of the Romish religion, to which he had been habituated. I believe the contrary to have been the case. But he was so far a protestant as to reject all those persecuting doctrines of the Romish church, adverse alike to reason and Christianity, which have caused so much bloodshed and calamity among mankind.'

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He and Harvey surrendered without resistance; though from the nature of the place they might have made for some time a defence.At his trial and execution he displayed a calm intrepidity of spirit, and a dignity of deportment attenpered with mildness, which commanded the admiration and esteem of the spectators; and died so strongly impressed with the horror of atrocities attendant on revolu tionary attempts in Ireland, that doubtless, if he had been pardoned, he would have become as loyal a subject as, with exception of his political conduct, he had always been an excellent member of society.'

In the remainder of this volume, the author partakes too much of the temper and views of the excellent narrator of Killala, to differ materially from him in statements.

Mr. Gordon estimates the losses occasioned to Ireland by the rebellion at about two millions. Great as these are, yet we firmly believe that the grand measure which has been adopted since they took place, if it be properly followed up, will more than repair them; and that it will raise that suffering country to the state of opulence and prosperity, of which her soil and position render her so eminently capable. Nothing has for ages stood in the way of this important event, but a nominal independance, in fact a most injurious dependance, now happily exchanged for the substantial blessings of the British constitution. The administration of this great and powerful empire needs not regard with a jealous eye the Irish catholics, if they experience from it a magnanimous, generous, and paternal treatment;-a seminary has been erected for them at home;-lėt salaries be allowed to their ministers at the public expence ;-and then nothing can be dreaded from their emancipation.

ART. VI. Sermons sur le Culte Public, &c. i. e. Sermons on Public
Worship. By Louis Mercier, Pastor of the French Church in
London. 8vo. 2 Vols. Cadell juu. and Davies, &c. 1801.

THE
HE first of these volumes contains nine discourses in de-
fence of public worship; the expediency and utility of
which have been questioned by some late writers, and more
particularly by an anonymous author who signed himself Ape-
leutherus, in a tract intitled An Effort to attain intellectual
Freedom. In sermon 1st. M. Mercier inquires into the original
intention of that part of the Mosaic law, which enjoins the
sanctification of a day of repose, commonly called the Sabbath;
and he considers it in two points of view; viz. as a religi
ous and as a civil institution. In the second sermon, the
author applies the principles which he had laid down in

* See M. R. vol. xxxi. N. S. p. 309.

the

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the first, to the present times and circumstances. Here he proposes the following questions: 1. Was the sabbatical insti tution abrogated by the Gospel? 2. What day ought to be sanctified under the Gospel dispensation? 3. What is forbidden and what is permitted on that day? 4. What pretexts are alleged for dispensing with this law?-It will readily be conceived in what manner these questions are here auswered; and we doubt not that the generality of Christians will be satisfied with the solutions, although they may perhaps have little effect on the minds of the author's polemical antagonists. On the first question, indeed, his arguments appear to be infirm. If the observation of the Jewish sabbath be obligatory on us Christians, we can see no substantial reason for dispensing with the other parts of the Hebrew ceremonial law. We would advise those, who have any doubt on this subject, to read Cappellus, a Protestant divine of the 17th century, who has fairly exhausted the subject in his tract De Sabbato, published with his other excellent works, in folio, at Amsterdam, 1689.

The third and fourth sermons consider the nature of public worship in two principal points of view, viz. adoration and instruction. The former is called by the author a want of the heart (un besoin du cœur); since every man, who feels his own dependence, acknowleges the hand of his benefactor, and is sorry for having offended him; and the latter is termed the true nourishment of the soul.' Both these discourses contain many good remarks, which we recommend to the serious perusal of those who are inclined to despise and neglect public worship.

In the remaining five sermons of vol. 1. the author examines and appreciates the various pretexts which are urged against frequenting places of public worship; of which the first is that it is sufficient to lead a life morally good, justified by a text of Scripture, "obedience is better than sacrifice;" true, (says this animated preacher)-but because obedience is better than sacrifice, does it follow that sacrifice is nothing worth; and because exterior worship is useless, if unaccompanied by obedience, may we safely conclude that this dispenses us from attending public worship ?-Here the warm imagination of M. Mercier carries him rather too far: since he doubts whether a person can be a moral honest man, without attending public worship,-or, at least, whether he can long remain so, or, in fine, whether, if he have ceased to be an honest moral man, he will, without the aid of public worship, regain that character. Another pretext for not attending public worship is, that it has, in general, but little influence on the

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morals.

morals. To this the author replies, that, if it should not always make us better, it may prevent our becoming worse;" which he endeavours to prove both by reasoning and by experience. A third pretext is drawn from the conduct of preachers; "who say, but do not." Here M. Mercier takes into consideration the following queries: 1st. How far the accusation is grounded? 2d. If it be partly true, where lies the blame? 3d. What conclusion can be drawn from it, against public worship? All these queries he answers in a very satisfactory manner.-A fourth pretext is founded on the assumption that we learn nothing from sermons that we did not know before. To such as hold this language, the author observes: 1st. I doubt whether you have studied the truths of religion and moral duties, so fully as you imagine. 2dly. If you have learnt all these, is there no danger of your forgetting them?: 3dly. If they be still present to your mind, do you apply them to practice? 4thly. Supposing that you can answer these questions in the affirmative, this would be no sufficient reason for neglecting public worship.' Each of these propositions is explained at some length in this discourse.-A fifth pretext is couched in the form of a query: Is not domestic worship sufficient?-and here M. Mercier labours to prove the negative.

These sermons are written in a clear, easy style, and occasionally rise to a species of eloquence which borders on declamation. We quote, for an example, the following address to the philosophers:

Let men call you the benefactors of humanity, all ye who, by extending the sphere of our ideas and our knowlege, by inventing and perfecting the arts, labour every day to rectify our errors, or multiply our enjoyments-ye merit the appellation, and with respect I pay you the tribute of my thanks: but, after all, on viewing only the fair side of the picture, and making the most advantageous suppositions in favour of human wisdom,-how pitiable were the case of man, possessing a soul of fire and desires which eternity alone can satisfy, - how pitiable, I say, would be his case, if he had no knowlege of another sort! There are, then, other problems, other mysteries, of which my heart loudly demands the solution. Who am I? Whence came I? For what purpose was I created? How can I render propitious to me the Being who was pleased to form me out of nothing? How shall I regain his favour, if I have had the unhappiness of offending him? What shall I one day be? Am I, in my apprenticeship of felicity, only to see it slip from me, at the moment at which I thought to lay hold on it? Why this interminable combat between my reason and my passions? Why, &c. &c.'

The second volume contains nine sermons: in the first of which, M. Mercier answers the frivolous objections of those who neglect public worship on account of their domestic circumREV. APRIL, 1802. stances,

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