devil, the miraculous conception, the reverence the scriptures,-and that by plenary inspiration of the scriptures, and the right of private judgment they were even materialism and necessity have justified in interpreting them differently been brought forward. I had no other from others. The audience was more choice, thus circumstanced, than an respectable in appearance than any I open avowal of all my sentiments. I had yet had. have, therefore, frankly made it. The consequence has been such as I expected. The whole town is moved by it. Every place of worship rings with the cry of heresy: cautions, warnings, threats, prayers, tears and outcries are used to stop the dreadful evil. Even the learned archdeacon, incumbent of St. Mary'sno evangelical man himself-has joined the evangelical alarm, and honoured me expressly with a cautionary sermon to his genteel audience.

crowded that I had again difficulty to In the evening our place was so get to the pulpit. The stairs, pretty large and wide, were also filled. The counting-house was likewise occupied by many. Above thirty went away, not being able to get within hearing. I call the righteous, but sinners to repenpreached on Mat. ix. 13." I came not to tance." were present. I described repentance It is thought that 400 persons righteousness-proved that sinners and as a practical thing, turning from sin to righteous persons were distinct characters in scripture-that Christ came to call the former to repentance, as ist, idolaters; 2d, ignorant and openly immoral Jews; sd, hypocritical pharisees, all the worse for their religionthat the gospel was intended for the same purpose now-that the righteous were moral persons, who feared God and worked righteousness, and as doing this were accepted of him-Christ did not call these to repentance, they did not need it. But he called such to the full knowledge of God's favour by his gospel, and to the rich hope of eternal life.

The most deep and profound attention consisted of persons who seldom attend prevailed in the audience, most of whom any place of worship."

"Dec. 13.

Afraid of incurring expences which, from the unsettled state of things here, might ultimately fall on the Fund, nothing decisive had been done concerning the theatre, when your last letter ar rived. On receiving it, I felt myself en. couraged to request a meeting with some of the friends to confer about procuring the theatre: but, happily, this was rendered unnecessary, for Mr. S. shewed me a large workshop of his, he is a carpenter,-which, if I thought it would do, he should be glad to hear me preach in. I accepted it immediately. Another person, a boat builder, who had heard me, but never spoken to me, sent to offer a boat-house, which he said he would make as convenient as possible. Thus I had choice. carpenter's shop is best situated and The largest, fifty feet long, twenty-three wide, open to the roof, with a countinghouse, which I call the vestry, opening into it. With his work-benches, tool- form a correct idea for themselves, it is "In order that the Committee may chests, deals, &c. he fitted it up in great necessary that I take a retrospective taste:-A branch drawing up and down view of circumstances, and also state in the middle-Sconces, candlesticks, and present appearances at this populous table for singers, stools, chairs, and an town. excellent pulpit of rough wood. This place I knew not of till Friday evening. or those who acted with him, was to 1st. The original design of Mr. S. There was only Saturday to circulate unite the Cudworthians, the Universalnotice of my preaching, and this was ists, the Arminians, for there are some done so effectually, though only ver- few such, and other semi-orthodox nonbally, by my friends, that on Sunday descript characters, together on a broad morning we had a larger congregation and liberal plan, so far as to preach on than I have had on any Sunday morning general subjects in which they all since I have been at Reading. I preach- agreed, but by no means disavowing or ed on Acts xxiv. 14. "After the way even in the least trenching upon the which they call heresy so," &c. I de- grand Unitarian doctrines. This mescribed heresy in its innocent and nox- thod continued while I used the Cudious senses; proved that no sincere worthian meeting, where I preached man can be, in the bad sense, a heretic; seven sermons that gave the most entire skewed that Unitarians believe and satisfaction to all the above parties, and

even some Calvinists who attended were also that my ejectment had roused the

as much pleased as any oers. For ought that I can see I might have preached seventy times seven discourses in the same manner, and with the same success; but the genius of Calvinism exerted itself to prevent so good a work. The heads of all the above parties, and many of the individuals among them were visited, and their prejudices, and their fears, and their ignorance, were all wrought upon, till they were terrified exceedingly about my principles. They were told that I denied Christ, that I called him an idol, that I had declared I would destroy him; that I denied the inspiration of the scriptures; that I did not believe man had a soul; that I denied all future punishment, did not believe there was any hell, totally denied the being of the devil, and that it was doubtful if I admitted that there was either a God or a heaven. These fearful reports worked some days in secret, and it is even but lately that I have understood their number and extensive operation. Their effect, however, on the minds of ignorant religionists, you may well conceive of without a description.

attention of the non-professing part of the town. I was therefore determined to preach somewhere. Several places were offered. I chose, as most convenient, the large shop of Mr. S. a carpenter, in London Street. Here I have preached four Sundays, and though the weather has been cold, and, last Sunday, very wet, yet the congregation has continued to increase, and, in the evening, the place is greatly crowded indeed, though perhaps not twenty religionists attend in the whole congre. gation.

4th. As I had no place in which to give a lecture on a week evening, 1 delivered lectures to different classes of persons, two, three, &c. and once even four times in the week, in private houses. I began with about twenty persons in a company. The numbers have increased to thirty, forty, and even fifty, yet still select and respectable. I read most part of all these lectures, and all of some of them. A few orthodox or semi-orthodox at first attended them, but have now left me, except two or three, for they say, "I am capable of deceiving, if it were possible, the very 2d. The consequence of these reports elect." Consequently I have gotten was that I was excluded from the Cud- quite a new school. My method is this: worthian meeting: the owner of it say- I neither sing nor pray, but begin by a ing, that he fully approved of every short address on the rights of conscithing which he had heard me deliver ence, or on the use of reason in religion, there, but as I did not believe the or on the sources, nature, and effects of Deity of Christ and the doctrine of deism, or on the excellency of revelaatonement, I must preach there no tion, &c. &c. I state my subject, and more: refusing at the same time to dis- read the whole, or enlarge extempore cuss these points with me, because, so on particular parts. After I have done, he said, "I was too weighty for him in conversation follows. Objections are argument." About the same time most made, or questions are asked, or some of the Cudworthians, Universalists, and other interesting subject is discussed. Arminians, &c. forsook me, after giv- Here are persons who some of them tell ing me a sum to pay travelling expenses. me that they have not been to any place Except Mr. S. and Mr. D. I had hardly of worship, except on a public occasion, a religionist left to encourage me. But for five, or seven, or ten, or fifteen three days before I was dismissed from years. A few of these have been in the the Cudworthian meeting, Mr. W. C. habit of reading their Bibles attentively, my present kind and generous host, others not at all. One of them told me, had invited me to take up my dwelling after a lecture last week, that he had in his house, else I believe I must have not opened his Bible for eight years past returned home immediately; which was till since I came to Reading, and he what the orthodox intended when they believed he never should have opened threatened to drive me out of Reading. it again had I not come.

3d. Thus circumstanced I looked about me, and found that ten or twelve poor Unitarians and a great number of sceptical persons, some of them of good character, had attended my preaching, and my conversation parties. I found

Among my present public hearers and attendants on my private lectures, are also some steady respectable churchmen, tradesmen with families. These have never concerned themselves further about religion than to go to church and

preserve their moral character. About 3d. That they will bear the travelling expenses of the ministers. This they mean to do by way of trial for one year.

such a degree as to justify the conclusion that there are, at least, an hundred persons in Reading who are prepared to form the foundation of an Unitarian cause in that populous, and, heretofore, orthodox town.

5. These persons, in general, are now in the habit of seriously reading the Scriptures, and paying the utmost de ference to their authority; which is the more to be wondered at as, a few of them only excepted, they had long given up any particular attention to them, because having taken modern corruptions of Christianity for scriptural doctrine, they had strongly doubted the truth of revelation.

6. They have, under the direction of Mr. Wright, established a chapel library, which is increasing both in num. ber of subscribers and in books. This institution promises great utility in promoting the progress of Christian knowledge and virtue, especially among the younger part of them. I observed also that many persons in the middle, and some even in the decline of life, were inquiring after the knowledge of God and of Christ with all the avidity of youth.

7. They make no enthusiastic pretensions to what is usually called religious experience; but they have thus far attained in Christianity that having believed the doctrines of the gospel, they are persuaded that obedience to its precepts will insure to them eternal life without enduring the pains of the second death.

8. Their general character is a pleas ing union of candour and simplicity, in receiving and obeying every doctrine and precept which comes to them recommended by the authority of the New Testament. Their first and leading desire being to become Bible Christians in doctrine, in temper, and in practice.

9. They have the prospect of procuring a convenient place of worship, in a good situation, in about twelve months time; meanwhile they continue to use the building with which the benevolent zeal of one of their friends has furnished them. Nor do they think it dishonourable that the religion of the carpenter's son is preached to them in a carpenters shop.

If an intelligent, active, and pious Unitarian minister could be induced to settle among them, I am persuaded that he would soon collect one of the most

numerous and respectable congregations, that any provincial town in England contains."

It remains only to add that your indefatigable missionary, Mr. Wright, spent the last Sunday at Reading, and that the intervals between the visits heretofore described were filled up by Messrs. Eaton, Marsom, and B. Flower, to whom the Society is much indebted for their ready and acceptable services.

Many reflections occur to your Com mittee upon reviewing the occurrences of the last few months at Reading; but they must content themselves with remarking that this is probably an example of what might be done by similar means in many populous towns, and that no case could more fully shew the urgent necessity for a Society like yours, authorized and prepared to seize promptly every opportunity for spreading the knowledge of the pure gospel.

We must, though unwillingly, conclude our extracts, with one quotation from Mr. Wright's Journal of a tour to the north in the autumn of last year.

"Newcastle upon Tyne.

"Here I preached twice; one evening in the Hanover Square Meeting house, where we had a pretty large congregation, considering that the people are not used to week evening lectures. We had some Calvinists and Methodists for hearers. The other evening I preached in Mr. Campbell's place, which was pretty well filled, some of the Hanover Square people attending, as well as some Calvinists and Methodists.

Of Mr. Campbeli I must give some accouat. He was of late a preacher of Mr. Haldane's, and his renunciation of reputed orthodoxy is quite recent. A Baptist congregation at Kendal was in Haidane's connection, until of late the minister and people became Unitarians; Haldane and his people at Edinburgh being informed of this change, wrote a curious letter to Mr. Cave, the minister, and his people at Kendal, informing them that they could have no more connection nor intercourse with them, but that they would pray for them. Cave and his friends wrote in reply, that as they did not see that prayer could be of any use further than it led those who prayed to use all the means in their power to accomplish that for which they prayed, they thought their prayers would do them no good, aud