The National Register. — London, England, 1816-03-10 00:00:00

No. l'27.—Vw,. VIII. SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 1816. ~• ' Piticic 9 )31 9DunDa7 Anuiscmcnto. "Divide SUIMAI from the Week.--Smmesoreoits! heape,l with the victims of his atrocious ambition, issued orders to his clergy to demonstrate the benevolent sup port of God in the victories which he had gained, and to direct towards hint the tribute of natural gratitude. We do not as; nor do we mean in the most distant man ner, to insinuate that the _victories of our country have been gained in the cause of injustice, or that any of our clergy would have eulogised them if they had been so beat. We object to this habit of interpreting authorita tively the will of Heaven from particular events; be cause, if allowed to one set of men, it cannot be retlised to another; and because, while we cannot determine the exact degree of wisdom and principle that would render it innocent, it is liable to much abuse as commonly ex ercised by the i;,morant and the prejudiced, leading some pious men to presnmptuous enthusiasm, and continuing the seolfer and the infidel in their wretched impiety. If we draw a certain inference with regard to Gods will from the result of a particular scheme, what is to hinder our neighbour from exercising a critical judgment that maw lead him to conclusions quite the reverse of ours; and who shall decide which of us is the right, but a being equally liable to error with ourselves? •Suue of the Britons in the time of Cromwell indulging this habit, though pious men, proceeded to such a height of presumption, as in their ad dresses to their Maker, to direct him how he should pro ceed in particular circumstances; and to tell him, if he did not set according to their suggestiow, he would show a disregard to his own interests. Let us not theretbre presume to offer ourselves as 'interpreters of the will of God in particular aspects of things ; let us not decide what are his intentions, from our narrow views ; and, above all, let not worldly politic, or the passing tupiei of the day, be mixed up with the great interest of our eternal salvation ; or detailed from the pulpit, along with the doctrines, precepts, and promises of the oracles of truth.. We have before us a sermon addressed to Ferdi nand VII. in the Royal Chapel at Madrid last year, by •a Divine, whose titles till a greater space than our Church Creed. In this- courtly composition, a passage of which we shall translate, the preacher shows the perversion of his moral judgment, by praising Philip 4. the most ebe !petrol geonttor. _ NUMBER IV. W.V. POPULI 111/PI22A IST LSI. WATERLOO SERMONS. EXTRACT OF A SERMON LATELY TRENCHED ARTORE FERDINAND VII. OF SPAIN. WE, last Sunday, made a few observations on the tendency which discourses delivered on the occasion of our victories, or discourses which, having fur their pri mary object to recommend charity to those who suffered by them, dive/1,4d into eul o giums on the glory which we had acquired in arms, had to cherish a military spirit in the country; and we stated the inconsistency which, in our opinion, existed between that spirit and the spirit of the Gospel; between un attempt to encourage it and the legitimate duties of a Christian minister. We have another objection, equally strong, to the general tenor of sermons composed on occasions of national vListitude, whether of a prosperous or adverse kind, and delivered on days of authoritative convocation. They are almost al ways full of polities, prognostication, and prejudice. They degrade religion, by fireing it into an unnatural alliance with subjects of temporary interest ; they dis honour Providence by converting present appearances im perfectly understood, or, perlmps, culpably perverted, into a comment upOn the eternal designs or unsearchable ways of Heaven ; . and they scatetimes outrage the moral nature of the Deity, by making human jrasisions the in terpreters of his will, and inferring his approbation or disapprobation from events that afiect partial interests, or gratitY deceitful propensities. In short, they sometimes convert the pulpit into a hustinv, where the preacher becomes a political haranguer, instead of a religious in etructor. 1 12ip6itit6t • art It is a truth, as certain as it is latory, that every event is ;ender the controul, and every being at the disposal, of the governing Spirit of the uni verse ; that the thte of an insect as well as of a monarch, the 11111 of a sparrow as well as of an empire, comes within the range of his superintendence and direction. Nothing is so insignificant as to escape his notice, no thing so exalted as to resist his power, All our hopes and expectations of ultimate order, amid partial and temporary derangement, are derived from this doctrine ; all our resignation in adversity, and our gratitude for the blessings of our lots, have a continued reference to its belief. Rut though we may rest convinced that the world is under the guidance of an omniscient and almighty ruler ; though we may feel gratefill to him fur every degree of happiness which, in cunformity with the moral principles of our nature, be permits us to enjoy; though wemay rely on the wisdom and benevolence that chortle turise each of his operations, with a reference to the uni versal scheme of things; it would be the height ofpreaunir 4ion in us to decide upon the nature of his intentions in particular combieations of circumstances us declared by e vents, the bearings, tendencies, and connections of which, must necessarily transcend our limited capacities and im perfect knowledge. The aspect of an isolated event, whether prosperous or adverse, is no test of divine fheour or divine displeasure, nor must we criticise the divine conduct by rules derived from our narrow views of justice and expediency. 'l'o do so, would necessarily lead us to oppose our partial interests to thc.order of the universe, and to identify the views of our weak und e rstandings, or the wishes of outs corrupted hearts, with the plunsofttnerring wisdom and infinite benevolence. To what monstrous con- V•adietions anti impieties has not the induloace at this pre sumption led? The divine ruler of the universe lets been ma t . a party to the most revolting acts of injustice, and been impposed to give his sanction to such conduct in his creatures, as at once outraged his nature and their oven. Iltahontet and his followers, by their interpreta tion of the designs of Providence, had, as they believed, the animal:owe of heaven in mnsaocre'u)g trillions of their tidlow-creatures, and in degrading and darkening the minds of a great portion of the human race: for ages, which do not yet seem to be drawing to a close: and in our time, the t, rant of Vrance from the field of battle, successor, the present occupier of the Spanish throne, the course of polities %Irbil+ he ought to pursue ; not as being wise and expedient, but as being dictated by Heaven, or, what in his opinion is the same thing, by the Spanish priests. " If you doubt my word, Sire, listen to the great Teresa of Jesus, my mother, the glory of Spain, and the joy of the celestial Jerusalem. This enlightened vir gin was tenderly and passionately attached to the throne of St. Ferdinand, which you now worthily till. She en tertained a lrtrtiettiar love to, and m ai ntained a particu lar intercourse with, your immortal ancestor, the ,just and Me prudent Philip 11. ; nn I distressed to see him sur rounded by so manv courtiers, who concealed from him the truth, she resolved, from affection, to declare it to him, saying within her own compassionate heart, that it was better that she should undertake a task that seemed above her, than that the King and the kingdom should be ruined. She could not ascend this chair to preach, because, though she was a doctor (doctora) of the Church, her sex forlsule her. But as embassadress of the Eternal King, she communicated to him, in two lines of a letter, as much as I have mid, and desire to sty , in this sermon. The tidlowing are the words, 'lleinein'ter, Sire, Neal Soul was an elect and anointed King,. Upon the reading of this paper, that grevt Prince bethought him self a little, and then recognized the warning of God, through the mouth of that celestial heroine. He repaired certain errors that endangered his throne ; he watched over and secured Me happiness of his kingdom ; and at- ' Mined such a store of perieetion, that in a short time after his death, Santa Estephania of the Apoidles, the daughter of Sta. Terestytiw trim depart triumphantly from the tri bunal of God, favoured by the most May virg in, (Marv) to whom he had performed signal so-viers. I, Sire, do not possess the fervor of spirit which distinguished Santa Teresa of Jesus, but I yield to no one is my love towards you, in my desire to promote your ftlicity, and that of your kingdom. You know my sentiments, because I love you ; I do not flatter you ; I tell you the truth ; I repeat to you, along with my holy mother, " Remember. 0 im mortal Ferdinand, that Saul was a King, that he wits anointed by his prophet, that in the end he was rejected by God, that Le lost his life, his soul, and his kingdom. for not fitltilling his obligations."--Such are the threats by which that lusieificant cresture is directed t , ) submit to the asce and to oppress his sub jects at 7 is one of the dangers of the secret cause, are at least anxious to ascertain the laws of its operation. in my last paper, I deprecated the too common, but unnecessary. interference in slighter etees of catarrhs, or colds, as a neasure likely to be attended with more injury than benefit. I repeat the prohibition ; although I ant aware, that it may be objected to me, as is frequently done to all medical precepts, that experience contradicts my reasonieg, and that many people do actually pursue the measures I forbid, and get rid of the complaint. I admit the fact, but not the inference ; I consider it as an additional proof' that the salutary operations of the lie medicatrix, of which I have beft.sre spoken, are, in ordi— nary cases, not to be diverted by the most preposterous intethrence ; but it should be recollected, that the con. duct which in a robust constitution, and at a vigorous period of life, may he adopted with impunity, will per.. haps, in a more wealened state of the system, or when the seeds of disease are already lurking in the habit, be f: Mowed by irreparable mischief: There is not, howevett, the mine reason fbr abstaining from preventive means, previous to the exposure of a person to the exciting causes of disease, cold, and moisture. When it is known, that these are to be encountered, it may be proper, not only to protect the surface of the body from their influence, by warmer clothing, but also to fortify the system against their temporary action, by increasing vascular excitemeni; and with this view alone can the taking some stimulating drinks be allowable. A glass of wine, or some diluted spirits, may, under such circumstances, be uselid ; and the custom of guarding ageing the cold and damp night air by these mauls, after having been shut up in a warm aistrtment, is not so liable to reprehension as that against which I before exatiined. It is genendly according as any measure is well or ill-timed, that it becomes salutary or prejudicial. The MONITOR has an opportunity of seeing disease in all its variety and under all its lirms ; in its simple anti natural condition, and in what may be call, d its manufactured gate, when the ill-judged and officious in. terferenee of btmgling artists has so olecored the natural character of a complaint, as to render it almost impossible to be recognized, t•xcept by an experienced eye. Of the fruits of these ft.trantages he intends the public to parti. eipate. Ile not nuf t requently becomes dernier especially to persons in' the poorer class." of society, after repeated a : mliotti..ns to, and fruitless tr i a l s practitioners, either their money or their pa - uarrying , . ' - ' • ':,- li • . , , • , 4. 1 . -t. , ! c if .41 t • ~ ~ .• .., .. . ~ . „i•• . , ... .......4,. 4,,, 434041riv + . •.. ).-,,, ~..,. . • .. _., i._,.. . '• - . , .f Intir Bing, tonititutton anD 11,41D0. -,,,,. ....„ •..... . ,1 NO considerable variation has taken place in the rela tive proportion of diseases, during the last week ; so fie :is any can be noted, rheumatic affections seem to be ra ther on the increase. The high winds and the rceurrance of sharp frosts, which we have lately experienced, may, in dome measure, account ihr this ; since it is well batten, that the sk.litest changes of temperature will sometimes aggravate Chronic rheumatic pains ; cyst M so griat a degree, that those pertams affected with them, posses., is the variation of their feelings, a tolerably cc:preset berome. ter, and are not unfrtsquently able, before they arise from their bed, to tell from what quarter of the compass the wind blows. Some cases of acute rheumatism, with cone siderable febrile affection, have lately occurred, in which it was necessary to employ bleeding and other means-of lowering the system: Not only has the disease-baen met • with in adults, but also in younger subjects : two girls about twelve years of age were each seized with sympe toms of fi.wer ; a severe cold, chill, mid the consequent stage of re-action, followed by pains and swellings of the larger articulations, the wrists, knees, and ancles. Smart purging, and the usual febrifuge medicines, were effectual in combating the disease. Both of these patients were ir► a humble walk of life ; and the exposure to cold and damp during their customary employments, may have been the cause of the febrile determination to the extremities, which, under other circumstances, might have seized upon some internal organ. In very young subjects, febrile dis onlers have been accompanied with considerable affection* 'of the head ; and some few have been carried oaf; either by inflammation of the brain, a the consequent effusios of water into the ventricles of that organ. In some cases of pulmonary disease, not:only in old people, in whom such a cireumstance is frequent, but in persons of middle age, after the infkunmation had been subdued, an affection of the head, to a very considerable degree, took place. This fact of the conversion of diseases, is a very curious land a very important one, - attention of medical men, . .1!0, rendancv of the Church its it, siich •LOit. ' . . • • tt • •.. .\,)r -__•• • r v re.v 4 . Dre V 1 * / e V . _ '~, .w• .tae,