suade myself, with more than suf- Nay, I even grant that they are ficient; not with zeal and bold. much more dependent on Our ness beyond what the case requires and Christianity approves. If these tenets be corruptions of the gospel, and whether they are, we must severally judge for ourselves, it becomes our duty to expose them with as much firmness of purpose as calmness and candour of disposition. But the author of the Inquiry, &c. complains that when the individuals and societies alluded to attack these doctrines, it is "only to set up other tenets respecting them in their stead." That is, in different and perhaps correcter language, error is combated, in order that truth may be established: it is attempted to remove the additions to the building, for the sake of exhibiting the fabric itself in its native strength and beauty. What is there unnatural in this process, or censurable in these efforts? In the mouths of many persons, it is a complaint against those who are said to subvert the belief of others, that they have none of their own to offer in its room. Mr. Burns is, justly enough, of the contrary sentiment and you will wonder, Sir, that admitting the fact, he makes it the ground of an accusation; the rather as the simplicity of the creed of those to whom he refers, is discerned the moment that cer. tain tenets by which it has been obscured, are seen to be unauthor ized appendages to the Christian doctrine. I agree with him, that the temper, the conduct, the character of the gospel are every thing: and I own with gratitude and pleasure that these do not belong exclusively to any one denomination of the professors of Christianity. common faith than many may be able to discover or willing to concede. However, what Mr. Burns himself has said, and truly said, concerning the moral feelings and views and attainments of some on whom he animadverts, might have satisfied him that the nature of religious practice is not unrelated to systems of opinions. Surely, for example, our esteem for the moral character of God" must be affected by the light in which we behold his government and attri butes. And it should be considered that those Christians whose sentiments are most remote from established and prevailing creeds, are not the least disposed, on principle, to recognize all as their fellow believers who acknowledge the Messiahship of Jesus. While, therefore, the first 6b- I am, Sir, But the most curious application of the Popery-charge is to be found in Richard Baxter's Life of himself, who represents himself as discovering that strange compound, (lusus theologia,) a Socinian-Papist: I extract his words as follows: "While I lodged at the Lord Broghill's, a certain person was importunate to speak with me, Dr. Nic. Gibbon: who shutting the doors on us that there might be no witnesses, drew forth a scheme of theology, and told me how long a journey he had once taken towards me, and engaged me to hear him patiently open to me his scheme, which he said was the very thing that I had been long groping after; and con *South pursues this subject in the 1st sermon of his 6th vol. on The fatal Influence of Words and Names falsely applied. In a short passage, which it may be worth while to quote, he repre- tained the only terms and method sents the Popish and Protestant Dissent to resolve all doubts, whatever ers of the 17th century, more sociable in divinity, and unite all Chris than history, I fear, will warrant:---"If these two parties are so extremely tians through the world; and there contrary, as they pretend to be, what is was none of them printed but what the cause now-a-days that none associate, he kept himself, and he commuaccompany and visit one another with that nicated them only to such as were peculiar frendliness, intimacy and familiarity with which the Romanists visit the prepared, which he thought I was, Nonconformists, and the Nonconformists because I was 1. Searching, 2. them? So that it is generally observed in Impartial, and 3. A lover of methe country, that none are so gracious and thod. I thankt him and heard him so sweet upon one another as the rankest Papists and the most noted fanatics."above an hour in silence, and after two or three days talk with Sermons vi. 22. It appears from Baxter, that South himself narrowly escaped being puritanized. This curious circumstance is recorded in connection with another not less curious, which the historian of himself has an evident pleasure in relating. "About that time, Bishop Morley having preferred a young man, named Mr. S (orator of the University of Oxford, a fluent, witty satyrist, and one that was sometime motioned to me to be my curate at Kidderminster ;) this man being household chaplain to the Lord Chancellor, was appointed to preach before the king; where the crowd had high expectations of some vehement satyr: but when he had preached a quarter of an hour, he was utterly at a loss, and so unable to recollect himself, that he could go no further, but cried, The Lord be merciful to our infirmities, and so came down. But about a month after, they were resolved yet, that Mr. S. should preach the same sermon before the king and not lose his expected applause and preach it he did, little more than half an hour, with no admiration at all of the hearers: and for his encouragement the sermon was printed. And when it was printed, many desired to see what words they were that he was stopped at the first time and they found in the printed copy all that he had said first, and one of the next passages which he was to have delivered, was against me for my Holy Commonwealth."-Baxter's Life. B. I. pt, 2. § 267. him, I found all his frame (the learning, and an actor on the contrivance of a very strong head- stage for twenty years, in such piece) was secretly and cunningly religious times, cannot have passed fitted to usher in a Socinian Po. away, one would think, without pery, or a mixture of Popery and leaving behind him some memohaif Socinianism. Bishop Usher rials of his character and opinions. had before occasionally spoken of I am, Sir, him in my hearing as a Socinian, which caused me to hear him with EPISCOPUS. ans." We sometimes indulge ourselves suspicion, but I heard none sus- Eclectic Review on the "Socini. pect him of popery, though I found that it was that which was the end of his design. This juggler with copying curious passages hath this twenty years and more from the publications of our cogone up and down thus secretly, temporaries. The following ex. and also thrust himself into places tract from the Eclectic Review of public debate; as when the will, we venture to say, be the bishops and divines disputed be greatest curiosity in our present fore the king at the Isle of Wight, volume. Nothing is farther from &c. And when we were lately our intention than to comment offering our proposals for concord upon it: an argument, we could to the king, he thrust in among have reasoned ou; a criticism we us; till I was fain plainly to could have investigated; remon detect him before some of the strance or persuasion we could Lords, which enraged him, and have weighed and estimated; even he denied the words which in se- a specific accusation we could cret he had spoken to me. And have met and discussed;—but many men of parts and learning to unprovoked personal invective, are perverted by him."-Baxter's scurrility and ribaldry, we can Life, folio. B. i. p. 2. § 60. oppose only silence. Were we Baxter was exemplarily pious to suffer ourselves to animadand strictly honest, but extremely vert upon the passage, we should liable to be imposed upon by his not, we fear, be able to suppress passions and prejudices: some contempt for its baseness and abnotable instances of his credulity horrence of its bigotry and ran. and intolerance might be selected cour; but these are sentiments from his Life and Works: but I which we wish not to entertain suppose the above account may ourselves, or to provoke in others: be upon the whole relied on; we feel pity only for the writer, and the purport of my writing is and introduce him into our Reto enquire whether any further pository for no other purpose than particulars be known of this strange to exhibit a melancholy, but not Socinian, Dr. Nic. Gibbon! I uninstructive, example of the force have met with no mention of him of prejudice, kindling into pasin my reading, which howeyer sion, upon one who, in all cases has not been great in this way; not relating to "Socinians," may yet so strong-headed, so active, probably be found wanting, neither and so obnoxious a man, the in the politeness of a gentleman, proselytist of men of parts and nor in the dignity of a scholar, nor in the spirit of Christianity, from these men an appellation. the spirit of love and of a sound which assumes the question at EDITOR. issue, and which cannot be be-. mind. "Dr. Gregory throughout denominates the abettors of the simple humanity of Christ, Socinians, instead of employing their favourite appellation of Unitari ans. stowed without being converted into an occasion of insult and triumph over their opponents. There was a time when the learning and moderation of Lardner, and the fame and science of Priestley, combined to throw a transitory We rejoice that he has done so, and hope his example will be splendour over their system, and generally followed. To accede to to procure from the Christian the appellation of Unitarians is to world a forbearance and complai yield up the very point in debate: sance to which they were ill enfor ask them what they mean by titled. That time is passed. Such Unitarian, and they will feel no rational Christians as they are, scruple in replying, that it denotes should have discernment to pera believer in one God, in oppo- ceive, that it is not with them sition to a Tritheist. That this as in months past, when the candle is not asserted at random, is evident, of their leader shone around them: as well from many other facts, as it becomes them to bow their from the following very remark- spirit to the humbled state of their able one, that, when a noted aca- fortunes. They should learn at demic was, some years since, ex- last to know themselves. The pelled from the University of Cam- world is perfectly aware, whether bridge, amidst various points which they perceive it or not, that Sohe insisted on in his defenceone was cinianism is now a headless trunk, this, that it was quite absurd to bleeding at every vein, and excensure him for avowing Unitarian hibiting no other symptoms of life, principles, since he never heard but its frightful convulsions. Can but of one person who publicly a greater humiliation befal a party, declared himself not an Unitarian. than instead of a Priestley, to Now what did he mean by this have a *** for its leader? singular assertion? Did he mean The poets were once satirically to say, that he never heard of painted in the shape of dogs, lap more than one person who pub. ping a pure and copious stream licly affirmed his belief in a plu- issuing from the mouth of Homer. rality of persons in the Godhead? In the instance before us, in deThis is impossible. What could fault of the pure stream, this mishe mean, then, but that he never erable reformer is reduced to the knew but of one person who af- necessity of swallowing and disfirmed himself not to be a believer gorging the half-digested notions in one God?-which is neither and nauseous crudities of his more nor less than to identify the term Unitarian with a believer in one God, and the term Trinitarian with a believer in three. Let the intelligent public judge, whether it is not high time to withhold master. cd at being styled Socinians, when "But why should they be offend it is undeniable that they agree with Socinus in his fundamental position, the simple humanity of Reflections on the Fast Day, 1812. Christ which is all the agree. them assume any denomination ment that subsists betwixt the they please, providing it be such followers of Calvin, and of Armi- as will fairly represent their sentinus, and those eminent persons? ments. Let them be styled AntiThe Calvinists are far from con- scripturalists, Humanitarians, Semicurring in every particular with Deists, Priestleians, or Socinians. Calvin, the Arminians with Ar. But let them not be designated by minius, yet neither of them a term which is merely coveted by have violently disclaimed these them for the purposes of chicane appellations, or considered them and imposture."--Eclectic Review, as terms of reproach. Why are February, 1812. ART. V. Greg. the Socinians only offended at ory's Letters. being denominated after Socinus ? Is it because they differ in the nature of Christ's person from that celebrated Heresiarch? This they "One murder makes a villain," will not pretend. But they differ and arouses the alarm, indignation from him in many respects! In and horror of a whole community. what respects? Is it in those re- Yet a murder differs from an ordi. spects in which his sentiments nary death, which excites no sen. gave most offence to the Christian sation beyond a very small circle, world? Is it that they have re- inasmuch only as it is life taken ceded from him in that direction away by the hand of man, wilfully,, which brings them nearer to the for some immoral end. Will generally received doctrine of the not this definition embrace much Church? Just the reverse. In the of the blood-shed occasioned by esteem of all but themselves they war? The end of war may not be have descended many degrees private revenge or robbery; but lower in the scale of error, have for every deed done by man, some plunged many fathoms deeper in man must be morally accountable; the gulph of impiety; yet with and any life needlessly taken away, an assurance, of which they have no matter under what "pomp and furnished the only example, they circumstance," is a murder; and affect to consider themselves in- as many lives as there are need-, jured by being styled Socinians, lessly taken away, so many murwhen they know, in their own ders are there by needless shedconsciences, that they differ from ding of blood is understood the Socinus only in pushing the de- sacrifice of life in any case where gradation of the Saviour to a the saving of it would not occasion much greater length-and that, a worse evil than its destruction. in the views of the Christian world, In the rivers of human blood that their religious delinquencies differ have been poured out during the from his, only as treason differs last twenty years, how much of from sedition, or sacrilege from the guilt of murder must have theft. The appellation of Socinian, been incurred! How much caras applied to them, is a term of nage amongst the defenceless and forbearance, calculated, if they innocent! How much slaughter would suffer it, not to expose but merely for the purpose of rapine! to hide a part of their shame. Let Even in a just war, there will, in |