mand for my beloved Son that very adoration which I prohibited and abhorred when offered unto idols.'

*

In sermon 111, he erects a doctrine on a false and obviously erroneous rendering of the text; Isaiah, vi. 5-8. -The origin and precise meaning of sacrifices it may be difficult to explain. They were no doubt symbolical representations: but Mr. S., we think, has gone too far when he asserts that 'the numberless innocent animals slain in the Jewish sacrifices, and their bodies consumed to ashes, were constant declarations that sinners deserved death, and the fiery wrath of God in another world.' It is strange, indeed, that the consuming an innocent animal, by fire, should be adopted to signify the nature of the punishment which a guilty one merits.

Thinking it to be his duty to alarm sinners, Mr.S., in discoursing from 1 John, 4-8. God is Love, seems to apprehend that this amiable representation of the Deity, standing by itself, may create comfortable hope and perhaps religious indolence; and therefore he tells his hearers that God, in another place, is said to be a consuming fire; and he adds, 'Now a man would not think of inferring from this last expression, that the Lord cannot exercise mercy, but must punish and destroy all sinners without exception; and this may shew us, that limitations are also implied, when it is said, that God is

Love?

We are more pleased with a remark that immediately follows: The attributes of the Deity doubtless exist and operate with a simplicity that we cannot explain, and probably there is not that entire distinction between the effects of mercy, justice, truth, and holiness, in the divine nature and conduct, which appears to our contracted minds.' Most probably this is the case but is it not surprising that the preacher, who could thus speak of the Deity, should in the very same sermon talk of him as 'glorifying himself in the destruction of our rebellious race?' and attempt to prove everlasting punishment to be consistent with his infinite love?

Mr. Scott strongly reprobates, in another place, the introduction of language which is not scriptural. New terms,' says he, will imperceptibly introduce new doctrines, nor has the subtilty of Satan or his servants better succeeded, in "privily bringing in damnable heresies," than modernizing the language of divinity." According to this, he has himself been guilty of a "damnable heresy," for the scriptures represent Jehovah as placing his GLORY in the exercise of mercy towards sinners but no where, that we recollect, as glorifying himself in their destruction,'

Though

Though a cast of sentiment and a turn of expression abound In these sermons which are not conformable to our judgment and taste, a strong desire of being useful is every where manifest; and there are some passages which we much admire, especially in the xth and xivth sermons.

A digression is made in the xvth sermon, for Christmas. day, text, "Peace on Earth, &c." respecting the unavoidableness of war, which we will transcribe:

' I mean not, my brethren, to declaim against the profession of arms, or to condemn all rulers and nations that engage in war. Some soldiers have been, and some are Christians: but their profession is their cross, and its duties their self-denial; they would not willingly engage in any war of ambition, rapacity, or revenge; but they readily face danger and endure hardship in defence of their country. The more we hate war, and long for peace; the greater are our obligations to such men, as thus expose themselves to guard us against injurious assailants; and the more fervently we ought to pray for their protection and success. In the present state of the world, war is a necessary evil, and often quite unavoidable: and that not merely when a nation is directly attacked; for there are many other ways, by which the rapacious and ambitious may render a neighbouring country incapable of defending its liberties and possessions; and these can only be counteracted by vigorous opposition. Nor are private individuals generally competent to decide what wars are necessary and justifiable, or the contrary: in this respect, rulers must give an account to God for their conduct. But wars proceed originally from the lusts of men's hearts*, and from the wicked one: God employs them as he does hurricanes, earthquakes, or pestilences, as executioners of his vengeance on guilty nations: and ambitious conquerors, however accomplished or illustrious, are the most hateful and tremendous scourges of our apostate race. We may therefore deprecate and denounce war itself, as the most horrid and atrocious evil, consistently with the obedience and honour due to our rulers, and the most sincere prayers for the success of their measures, as far as they tend to the protection and welfare of our beloved country. But we must also maintain, that all the blood shed in war is murder, chargeable on them, whose criminal projects and politicks render such dreadful methods of resisting them necessary; and that it will cer tainly be required at their hands, on which side soever the victims were slaughtered.'

As to the continuance of the miseries of war, he adds, in

sermon xx.

Thus it will be in great measure, "until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high." Ambition, resentment, rapacity, and interfering interests will continue to excite mankind to war: and both the mighty and the mean will, in general, deem this one of the most honourable and desirable of employments; till those happy times

arrive, which are predicted in the scriptures, when "the nations shail beat their swords into plow-shares and their spears into pruning: hooks; and they shall learn war no more."

To the sermons, are subjoined some forms of prayer for family worship.

We must apologise to the author for having so long omitted to notice his work.

ART. XIII. Miscellaneous Observations on the Effects of Oxygen on the Animal and Vegetable Systems; illustrated by Experiments, and interspersed with Chemical, Physiological, Pathological, and Practical Remarks; and an Attempt to prove why some Plants are Evergreen, and others Deciduous, in the Climate of Great Britain and Ireland. Part I. By Clement Archer, Esq. M. R. I. A. of the Royal College of Surgeons, Surgeon to the Lord Lieutenant's Household, &c. 8vo. pp. 144. 35. sewed. Dilly. 1798. THE readers of this work must not look in it for any deep or intricate philosophical researches, as the author professes that his book is intended for the perusal of the unlearned among the fair sex, as well as for the enlightened man of science. As a specimen of what they are to expect, we present them with the following observations on Plantations in great Domains, and on the choice of places for taking exercise at different times of the day; in which Mr. Archer at least displays much ingenuity, and may afford some advice of practical utility.

All plantations in great demesnes should be at such a distance from the dwelling house, as that the oxygen which the leaves are pouring out during day-light, and the azote they are parting with in the night-time, should be very well mixed with the surrounding intermediate air, before it finds its way into the apartments. Plantations very close to the windows of a house are exceedingly ill-judged, because, from sun-rise to sun-set, they are throwing a large quantity of oxygen, undiluted by any other kind of air, into the chambers, which may be highly injurious to several individuals in the family; and as, from sun-set to sun-rise they produce the most impure vapours only, they cannot fail, during that time, of being noxious to every person in the house. The custom, therefore, of making such plantations under the windows of almost every house in England and Ireland should be discontinued. The practice of bringing a great number of pots of hot-house and green-house plants into drawing rooms and parlours, should, for the same reasons, be laid aside also.

Surrounding great demesnes with extensive plantations of all kinds of forest-trees and evergreen shrubs, is not only very ornamental, but at the same time exceffively beneficial for such screening plantations afford shelter, and furnish a continual current of vital air, which must be wafted into the grounds, let the wind blow from what point of the

compass

compass it may. The great mass of planting in every extensive demesue should be to the west and south-west of the house; because winds from those points are much the most prevalent in England and Ireland; the vital air, therefore, from plantations in these directions, will, for the greater part of the year, be constantly flowing towards the house and offices, where there is the greatest consumption of it.

It is now very generally admitted, that in a great multiplicity of diseases, there is too small a proportion of oxygen in the system; while, on the contrary, in some others, there is a superabundance of that principle. The cases in which there is a defect of vital energy, are much more numerous than those in which there is an excess of it. Among the former we may include all the orders, genera, and species of Dr. Cullen's two classes, Neurosis and Cachexia; viz. palsy, dyspepsia, hypochondriasis, melancholia, spasmodic affections, palpita tions, (not proceeding from organic affection of the heart,) asthma, diabetes, hysteria, tabes, anasarca, ascites, hydrothorax, scorbutus, chlorosis; to which may be added, atonic gout, and chronic rheu matism, (especially in old subjects,) schirrhus, lethargy, jaundice, illconditioned ulcers, cases of great debility after every species of typhusfever, leucorrhoea, &c. The disorders in which further oxygenation is unnecessary, and in which it might be dangerous, are acute and inflammatory; but, as in all complaints of this description, (except the carlier stages of florid consumption,) the patients are for the most part unable to use exercise in the open air, I shall confine my observations, where hyper-oxygenation is present, entirely to this last complaint.

In every disease in which there is too little oxygen in the system, the sick should endeavour to acquire a sufficient quantity of that so indispensably necessary principle to health, by every means that can be devised, consistent with safety. The lungs are the most natural route by which any substance in its aerial form can be conveyed into the system. The inspiration, therefore, of air of an higher standard than the atmosphere, is now recommended by several very able physicians; and there are a great number of well-authenticated cases of exceedingly obstinate nervous affections of various kinds; even when they have verged towards melancholia, and of other very refractory complaints, in which the practice has been attended with the most perfect success *. Persons afflicted with such maladies should not neglect even the small additional quantity of vital air, which the neighbourhood of woods, groves, or hedge-rows, affords during the day-time; they should, therefore, when they go out in a carriage, on horseback, or on foot, make choice of the sheltered, and if pos sible, the sunny side of extensive plantations, to take their exercise in about one o'clock; for it has been proved by Doctor Ingenhousz, that the leaves of trees pour forth the purest air after the sun has passed the meridian. (See Exper. upon Vegetables, page 44.) Evergreens, the lauro-cerasus in particular, do not begin to produce pure air till late in the day. (Exper. on Vegetables, p. 223.)

*See Townshend's Guide to Health, and a Collection of Cases lately published by a Society of Physicians in London.'

• It would also, I am satisfied from one or two cases that have fallen under my observation, be attended with the most salutary consequences, if valetudinarians who are ill from a deficiency of oxygen (in whose cases excessive debility does not prevail) were to spend the greater part of the middle of every day, in summer and autumn, in riding and walking about woods and groves; or in reading, conversation, playing at shuttlecock, billiards, or in attending to music in temples, green-houses, moss houses, dry well-aired grottos, or such buildings as are common in shrubberies and wooded scenes, where the trees produce much purer air than is to be met with in more open

situations.

Invalids of this description should avoid all great assemblies, such as balls, routs, &c. at which vital air is consumed by the respiration of the company and the combustion of the candles, a great deal faster than fresh can find its way into our present fashionable apartments, from which modern refinement in luxury has as studiously shut out the free access of air, as if it were noxious, instead of being necessary to animal life; and they should spend their afternoons and sleep in spacious and well-ventilated chambers, the windows of which should not look into a shrubbery, from which azote instead of oxygen is exhaling during the whole course of the night.

'As there is a scarcity of oxygen in many of the diseases to which children are incident, all such as are ricketty, badly nursed, potbellied, or disposed to hydrocephalus internus, or water on the brain, should pass the greater part of the middle of the day in fine weather in the nurse's arms, or at play, (according to their age, and other circumstances,) in the neighbourhood of shrubberies or more extensive plantations; but when children are hectic, let them avoid wooded scenes, and take air and exercise in large open fields, or upon uncultivated commons; for the smallest additional oxygenation of their blood may be highly injurious to them.'

We shall also lay before our medical readers the opinion of Mr. Archer respecting the use of nitric acid in syphilis.

Mr. Scott, a surgeon at Bombay, is so sanguine as to assert that nitric acid is equal if not superior to mercury, as an antisyphilitic remedy. That it is very efficacious in many stages of the complaint, has been most incontestibly proved in the communications of Dr. Beddoes and Mr. Cruikshank, and under my own observation at the Lock Hospital in Dublin. I confess, however, that I am one among a number of practitioners who think it a very fortunate circumstance for mankind, that we have still the old specific to resort to. The acid is indisputably a most powerful auxiliary medicine, and as it is not injurious to the constitution, it may be right to let it precede mercury in delicate habits; but in my opinion it will never supersede that metal in the cure of any disease for which it has for ages been esteemed a sovereign remedy.'

For a farther testimony on the above subject, we refer to our account of Mr. Blair's Essays on the Ven. Dis. vol. xxvii, P. 455.

MONTHLY