indubitable consequences of it, well may they hold it as matter of opinion; but as matter of faith and religion, neither can they with coherence to their own grounds believe it themselves, nor require the belief of others without most high and most schismatical presumption. I, for my part, after a long, and as I ́verily believe and hope, impartial search of the true way to eternal happiness, do profess plainly, that I cannot find any rest for the sole of my foot, but upon this rock only. I see plainly, and with mine own eyes, that there are popes against popes, councils a gainst councils, some fathers against others, the same fathers against themselves, a consent of fathers of one age against a consent of fathers of another age, the church of one age against the church of another age. Traditive interpretations of Scripture are pretended, but there are few or none to be found. No tradition but only of Scripture can derive itself from the fountain, but may be plainly proved, either to have been brought in, in such an age after Christ, or that in such an age it was not brought in. In a word, there is no sufficient certainty, but of Scripture only, for any considering man to build upon. This, therefore, and this only I have reason to believe—this I will profess-according to this I will live,-and for this, if there be occasion, I will not only willingly, but even gladly lose my life, though I should be sorry that Christians should take it from me. Propose me any thing out of this book, and require whether I believe it or no, and seem it never so incomprehen

sible to human reason, I will subscribe it with hand and heart, as knowing no demonstration can be stronger than this; God hath said so, therefore it is true. In other things I will take no man's liberty of judgment from him, neither shall any man take · mine from me. I will think no man the worse man, nor the worse christian; I will love no man the less for differing in opinion from me; and what measure I'mete to others, I expect from them again. I am fully assured that God does not, and therefore that men ought not, to require any more of any man, than this, to believe the Scripture to be God's word, to endeavour to find the true sense of it, and to live according to it. This is the religion which I have chosen after a long deliberation, and I am verily persuaded that I have chosen wisely, much more wisely than if I had guided myself according to your church authority."

The bitter spirit that has so often been indulged. towards the Unitarians, is as disgraceful as it is unaccountable. One would think that the mere catalogue of the names that have at once done honour to the cause, and been honoured by it, the names of Newton, Locke, Lardner, Price, Priestly, Lindsey, Jebb, Wakefield and Toulmin, would impose a res pectful behaviour on the grossest vulgarity, and teach insolence itself for once to be respectful.

"Newton and Locke," says Dr. Watson, the pre sent Bishop of Landaff, were esteemed Socinians. Lardner was an avowed one; Clarke and Whiston

were declared Arians; Bull and Waterland were professed Athanasians; who will take upon him to say, that these men were not equal to each other in probity and Scriptural knowledge? And if that be admitted, surely we ought to learn no other lesson from the diversity of their opinions except that of perfect moderation, and good will towards all those who hap pen to differ from ourselves. We ought to entertain no other wish, but that every man may be allowed, without loss of fame or fortune et sentire quæ velit, et quæ scntiat dicere. This absolute freedom of inquiry, it is apprehended, is the best way of investigating the sense of Scripture, the most probable mean, of producing uniformity of opinion, and of rendering the gospel dispensation as intelligible to us in the eigh teenth century, as, we presume, it was to the Christians in the first." "*

"The effect of established systems" says the same writer" in obstructing truth, is to the last degree deplorable; every one sees it in other churches, but scarcely any one suspects it in his own. Calvin, I: question not, thought it almost impossible that the Scriptures could ever have been so far perverted as to afford the Romanists any handle for their doctrine of transubstantiation, or that the understanding of any human being could have been so far debased, or rather so utterly annihilated, as to believe it for a moment; yet this same Calvin followed St. Augustine in the doctrine of absolute personal reprobation and.

Theol. Tracts. Vol. VI. end

election, inculcating it as a fundamental article of faith, with nearly the same unchristian zeal which infatuated him, when he fastened Servetus to the stake.A suspicion of fallibility would have been an useful principle to the professors of Christianity in every age; it would have choaked the spirit of persecution in its birth, and have rendered not only the church of Rome, but every church in Christendom, more shy of assuming to itself the proud title of Orthodox, and of branding every other with the opprobrious one of Heterodox, than any of them have hitherto been. Still, you will probably rejoin, there must be many truths in the Christian religion, concerning which no one ought to hesitate, inas.nuch as, without a belief in them, he cannot be reputed a Christian.Reputed! by whom? By Jesus Christ his Lord, and (by) his God, or by you?-Rash expositors of points of doubtful disputation! intolerant fabricators of metaphysical creeds, and incongruous systems of theology! Do you undertake to measure the extent of any man's understanding except your own, to estimate the strength and origin of his habits of thinking; to appreciate his merit or demerit in the use of the talent which God has given him, so as unerringly to pronounce that the belief of this or that doctrine is ne cessary to his salvation? What! shall the church of Christ never be freed from the narrowed-minded con tentions of bigots; from the insults of men who know not what spirit they are of, when they would stint the Omnipotent in the exercise of his mercy, and bar the

doors of heaven against every sect but their own?→→→ We trust that God who alone knows what every man is capable of, will be merciful to him that is in error. We trust he will pardon the Unitarian, if he be in an › error, because he has fallen into it, from the dread of being an idolater, of giving that glory to another which he conceives to be due to God alone. If the worshipper of Jesus Christ be in an error, we trust that God will pardon his mistake, because he has fallen into it from a dread of disobeying what he conceives to be revealed concerning the nature of the Son, or commanded concerning the honour to be given him. Both are actuated by the same principle-THE FEAR: OF GOD;—and though that principle impels them into different roads, it is our hope and belief, if they add to their faith, Charity, they will meet in heaven."

When we consider such passages as these, and contrast the spirit they indicate with the ignorant and bigotted treatment, which the Unitarians receive from many persons in this country, who would be thought zealous to maintain a sound faith, but manifest no anxiety to fulfil the weightier matters of the law, to cultivate charity and exercise justice, we should look down upon them with contempt and scorn, if these very passages did not check the feelings as they rise, and change them, while yet half formed, into pity and concern.

To their other claims to respect and friendship, the Unitarians can now add one for which they feel Preface to Collection of Theological Tracts.

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