There shall they rot-Ambition's honour'd fools! By myriads, when they dare to pave their way Oh Albuera! glorious field of grief! As o'er thy plain the pilgrim prick'd his steed, A scene where mingling foes should boast and bleed! Enough of Battle's minions! let them play ON SEEING A CHAPEL, FOR TRINITARIAN WORSHIP, ERECTED ON THE SITE OF A JEW'S MANSION. Where Christians hymn, devout, the Sacred Three, Yet stripp'd his honours from Messiah's brow; IGNOTUS. REVIEW.. "Still pleased to praise, yet not afraid to blame." POPE. ART. I. An Examination of Dr. to the Romish see. We do not Marsh's Inquiry relative to the mean to intimate that religious opinions are of trivial moment; but our wish is to furnish contend. ing parties with a reason for reciprocal justice and forbearance. They who agree in acknowledging the sufficiency, the supreme authority and value, of the word of God, bring themselves under a solemn obligation to protect and esteem each other in their application, severally, of their characbeing infallible, none are to speak teristic tenet. Non of them claim. Their duty is to abstain or act as though they urged the 8, 1812, as Chairman of a Meeting assembled for the For from injurious suspicious, from mation of an Auxiliary British calumnious language, and to use and Foreign Bible Society, for no weapons, in their contests, exthe County of Stafford. Stafford: Cept those of argument and love. printed for Longman and Co. Such is the tendency, such will, London. 8vo. pp. 23. 1812. probably, be the effect, of the union of different denominations We have great satisfaction in of Christians in the British and witnessing the controversy be- Foreign Bible Society. We hail, tween Biblists and Antibiblists. in this view, its progress and its Of the issue no doubt can be en- triumphs: we rejoice in the distertained while the infinite im- cussion which it excites; and we portance of the Scriptures to the are thankful that men of eminent happiness of man, both here and ability employ their pens in athereafter, is placed in a stronger tacking it, and that others of the light, the most seasonable and es- same character are active in its sential service will be rendered, defence. If its expediency is at the same time, to the cause of more than questioned by a Marsh, Protestantism. Protestants have its plan and object are vindicated long been inattentive to their grand by a Dealtry and a Lister. and common principle: they have Those of our readers who are been much more zealous for their acquainted with the labours of respective systems of discipline the former of these two gentlemen and doctrine, than in maintaining in this noble cause, will find that the consistency of their opposition his present publication is not, on the whole, unworthy of his fame. the poor in her catechism and They will here meet with consi- liturgy: but he speaks with high derable acuteness of reasoning, approbation of the mechanism of liveliness of style and felicity of Mr. Lancaster's system: he reillustration. Sometimes, indeed, presents the facility with which they will wish that the author churchmen may apply it to their had been less caustic in animad. own wants and views, nor aims at verting on his opponent: and, depriving the very merctorious -assuredly, they will condemn his framer of it of that public praise, communication to the world of a to which he is unequivocally encircular letter of Dr. Marsh's, titled. which has no relation to the to Mr. Lister's speech is the ad-pics in dispute. Perhaps, too, they dress of a gentleman, a scholar will conjecture that the following and a Christian, and does the delectable sentence is the compo- greatest credit to its author by the sition not of Mr. Dealtry but of liberality of its spirit and the geBishop Horsley : neral soundness of its reasonings. "Any one may hold all the theologi- If we differ from him as to the cal opinions of Calvin, harsh and ex- usefulness and expediency of civil travagant as some of them may seem, establishments of religion, if we and yet be a sound member of the cannot deem his arguments on Church of England and Ireland; cer. tainly a much sounder member than this point pertinent and valid, we one who, loudly declaiming against those heartily concur in his sentiments opinions, which, if they be erroneous, and advice with reference to the are not errors that affect the essence of our common faith, runs into all the nonsense, the impiety, the abominations, of the Arian, the Unitarian and the Pelagian heresies, denying in effect the Lord who bought them." This decision is so much in the manner of the departed prelate that we suspect it to be his, and conclude that the usual marks of quotation have been inadvertently omitted. We have even a faint recollection of having seen the › passage in one of his Charges: but as we have not his works before us, we are unable to verify the citation. .With the honest declaration of Mr. Dealtry concerning the Madras and the Lancasterian (or, as we would still call them, did fashion permit us, the Lancastrian) schools, we are extremely pleased. Being a minister of the Church of EngTaud, he is decidedly a friend to the instruction of the children of English hierarchy: "It ill becomes that church which first set the noble example of asserting its freedom, to come loaded with chains and fetters to destroy the liberty of opinion, that spurns at all human conothers. There is something in religious troul, and perhaps for this reason, be cause, when sincere, it rises superior to all worldly considerations. It may be won, and conciliation; but is never to be it may be converted by kindness overcome, either by the language of re sentment, or the frown of disdain. I will moreover add that no man, or body of men, ever so much evince their real superiority, they never so completely triumph, as when they make the first advances to friendship and cordiality: on a subject too where Christianity is so deeply concerned, this maxim be comes so imperative upon us, that I feel surprised fuat one angry or jealous. feeling should ever have existed on the occasion. The question then resolves itself to this; shall the established church, clothing itself in Fhaisaical pride, standing upon points of specula tive doctrine, shut the door of Christian peace for ever against all who dissent Without introducing the name of Dr Marsh, Mr. Lister has re. plied satisfactorily to the chief of his objections. Iwo capital er. rors pervade the writings of the learned Professor on this subject: the one, that the churchman alone, and not the dissenter, makes a sacrifice in becoming a member of the Bible Society; the other, that Protestantism is a set of arti passage in a publication of Mr. Aspland's: Being at Soham (says the writer) one evening, I was accosted by one of the persons who (as will appear in the sequel) made a from her opinions-or shall she, nobly a pleasant and not uninstructive and e altedly dis. egarding all petty distinctions viewing all the Christian world with a feeling of maternal protec tion, unite with all the followers of Chist in the promotion of his holy worn? Will the church venture to fo ego this only opportunity that may ever present itself of establishing between Christian and Christian the bond of distinguished figure as one of Mr. perpetual peace ?" (17, 18).* Gisburne's opposers. He inquir ed if I could not get a congregation for Mr. Gisburne some where London side. Upon my asking, why he wished to get rid of a minister whom he had once highly extolled, he said, Why, would you believe it? When one asks him, what are his sentiments? He says that he is not a Calvinist, nor an Arminian, nor a Socinian, bui Bible-Christian. A Bible a cles and doctrines, instead of be. Christian! There's a fool for ing the principle of separation you!" Could we believe, as Cardinal from churches assuming to themselves infallibility and temporal Ximenes is said to have believed, authority. It is owing to the that men may become Christians former of these mistakes that with. without reading the scriptures, in the United Kingdoms Dr. our zeal for the success of the Marsh will not act with non-con- Bible Society would at least be formists as Fellow-Protestants; abated. Such, nevertheless, is though he is not averse from co. not the fact; and such will not be operating with them in the distri. the consequence. Of the themes bution of the scriptures beyond which agitate the public mind our own shores! In consequence none is nearly so interesting to us of the latter of his false impres- as the merits of this society. sions, he brands generalized Pro- These will ultimately be establish. testantism as something absurd ed even by the hostile efforts of "The triumphant and dangerous, notwithstanding Dr. Marsh. that Protestantism is always and every where the same principle. The Professor's exclamations against generalized Protestantism, have reminded us very forcibly of To the same effect are some observations found in Six Brief (and we can add excellent) Letters, occasioned by the institution of an Auxilia y Bible Society at Chelmsford, March 23, 1812. See pa ticula.ly pp. 6 and 25 of the second edition. Rev. flood shall roll with more ample wave and swifter current for the temporary delay occasioned by N. opposition." ART. III. A Serious Inquiry into the Nature and Effects of Modern Socinianism; being an • Bigotry and Intolerance defeated, &c. By Robert Aspland, (The 1st Ed. p. 6, note): Rev. Answer to the Question, Why Christian teacher, then, believe. are you not a Socinian? By in the inspiration of King James's J. Freeston. 8vo. pp. 56. translators? Has it not yet reached Longman & Co. 1s. 6d. 1812. Hinckley that 1 John v. 7, 8, is a There is a ludicrous solemnity forgery? Does Mr. Fr eston rein this farrago of ignorance, folly ceive the Apocrypha as part of his Bible? If he does not, it would and uncharitableness. Mr. Freebe amusing to the Socinians to learn his reasons for its rejection. "2. Because the Socinians ap testant. tion? ston, who is we understand a mi. nister in a small and obscure sect, sometimes known under the denomination of Free-Grace-General pear to idolize human reason:"Baptists, assumes an air of infalli. the precise reason a Roman Ca. bility; and, with a confidence tholic gives for not being a Prothat would become the papal On what ground does chair, determines what is truth Mr. Freeston, against the letter and what is error, who are holy of scripture, deny transubstantiaand who are unholy. Knowing "3. Because they degrade the nothing, apparently, of Unitarians, but through the medium of the Person and character of Jesus Christ." This word degrade is works of their adversaries, he does not hesitate to accuse them of convenient to the unfair adversa. every thing anti-christian; retail. rics of the Unitarians: it signifies ing the calumnies of such histo. to put a person in a lower rank rians as Messrs. Bogue and Ben- than he has occupied or been supnett, as if he really knew not that posed to occupy, and in this those writers have by their intem. sense may undoubtedly be applied perateness and misrepresentations to those who protest against the forfeited all claim to credit even opinion that Christ is God; but with their own parly. it generally signifies also an unWith a vulgar illiberality, Mr. friendly, a hostile disposition on Freeston uses the term Socinian, the part of those who reduce a though he acknowledges (Note to person's rank, and in this sense is Preface) that it is not perfectly a foul calumny against the mis-, named Socinians. descriptive of the denomination of They intend Christians to whom it is applied. him to be what he declared himto honour Christ by representing It is however a reproachful term, and therefore suits the purpose of self to be; and if their scriptural that class of writers, who, incapa. arguments be good, their oppo. ble of reasoning, have no alterna- nents must acknowledge that they do honour to Christ.-Did it ne tive but silence or calumny. Mr. Freeston has numbered his ver occur to Mr. Freeston, that there is a possibility of degradreasons for not being a Socinian ; we shall give them in their nume. ing and dishonouring the Holy One of Israel, who is a jealous "1. Because the Socinians de. God, and whose glory he will not preciate the Bible" i. e. they give to another?-Before our au point out mistranslations and in- thor assumed the office of accuser terpolations in the commonly re- and judge, he should have been ceived English text. Does this careful to study, the matter in ral order. |