Tlie Property 
 
 
 
 OF THE 
 
 • 
 
 
 ISIfflDIST l&JMOIfflT 
 
 
 
 2HZIMTT, 
 
 
 
 BARTON SQUARE, SALEM. 
 
 
 
 DEPOSITED 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 — up THB — 
 
 ESSEX INSTITUTE. 
 
 ■*/- 
 

 
 
PUBLISHED AND SOLD BY SAMUEL T. ARMSTRONG, NO. 50, 
 CORNHILL, BOSTON. 
 
 REVIEW 
 
 OF 
 
 AMERICAN UNITARIANISM. 
 
 [Extracted from the Panoplist.'\ 
 
 American Unitarianism; or a 
 Brief History of "the Pro- 
 gress and Present State of the. 
 Unitarian Churches in Amer- 
 ica" Compiled, from Docu- 
 ments and Information commu- 
 nicated by the. Rev. J'ames 
 
 ■ Ekeeman, J). I), and Wil- 
 liam Wells, jun.Esq. of 
 Boston, and from other Unita- 
 rian Gentlemen in this country, 
 by the Rev. Thomas Bel- 
 sham, Essex Street, London, 
 Extracted from his "Memoirs 
 of the Life of the Rev. 1 he- 
 ophilus Lindset," printed 
 in London, 1812, and now pub- 
 lished for the benefit of Chris- 
 tian Churches in this country, 
 without note or alteration. 
 Third Edition. Boston; Na- 
 thaniel Willis. 1815. pp. 48. 
 
 We regard the appearance of 
 this pamphlet as one of the most 
 important events, which have 
 taken place for many years, in 
 reference to the interests of reli- 
 gion in our country. It has been 
 known, for at least a quarter of a 
 century, by those who have been 
 well-informed on the subject, 
 that there has been in Boston a 
 defection from those doctrines 
 of the Bible, which have usually 
 been denominated orthodox in 
 Protestant communities. It has 
 beenjtnown, that this defection 
 I 
 
 has gradually increased; has si- 
 lently and covertly extended it- 
 self into a considerable number 
 of congregations in the vicinity; 
 and has been, in a few instances, 
 openly avowed. From a great 
 variety of anonymous publica- 
 tions it has been evident, that the 
 •defection had- proceeded in the 
 downward course to the lowest 
 degrees of Socinianism, and to 
 the very borders of open infidel- 
 ity. Further than this; — it has 
 not been in a few solitary instan- 
 ces only, that persons, who have 
 been near the centre of all these 
 operations, have heard from the 
 pulpit both sermons and prayers, 
 which neither expressed nor im- 
 plied any thing more than sober 
 Deism, and which were totally 
 at variance with the Gospel. 
 These things, and many more of 
 a similar character, have war- 
 ranted such disclosures through 
 the medium of our work, and of 
 other publications, as have fully 
 apprized the Christian public of 
 the existence of such a defection, 
 as has been briefly described 
 above. But as the work of error 
 was carried on for the most part 
 in secret; — as many well-mean- 
 ing people were led in the dark; 
 — and as proselytes were made 
 principally by suppressing truth, 
 rather than by explicitly propos- 
 ing and defending error, it was a 
 
 4 i!L0tV»* 
 
Complaints of the Boston Clergy. 
 
 difficult matter so to expose the 
 evil, as to present its character-, 
 extent, and design, in full view, 
 before the eyes of its friends and 
 its enemies. It has been an arti- 
 fice practised systematically by 
 a majority of the clergymen, 
 who have led the way in this 
 apostasy from the faith of the 
 Protestant churches, and, as we 
 believe we may safely add, in 
 this apostasy from Christianity, 
 to inculcate the opinion, that they 
 did not differ materially from 
 their clerical brethren through 
 the country. This artifice has 
 been carried so far as to induce 
 them to complain, in bitter 
 terms, that they were slandered 
 by our work, when represented 
 as thus differing, and as promot- 
 ing the circulation of Socinian 
 books; although every represen- 
 tation, which we have made on 
 the subject, has been warranted 
 by most abundant evidence. 
 They have complained, that they 
 were not invited to preach when 
 travelling through the country; 
 and have imputed this neglect 
 to the effect of slander. It is to 
 be remembered, that the slander 
 complained of is the allegation, 
 that they differ essentially in re- 
 ligious doctrine from the great 
 body of the American clergy. 
 Within a very few months, a 
 clergyman, who we feel author- 
 ized to say is a decided Socinian 
 of the German school, complain- 
 ed that he was not invited to 
 preach in New York; which he 
 imputed to the slanders of the 
 orthodox: and yet, at the very 
 time of making this complaint, 
 he must have known, that his 
 real o/wiions, if openly avowed, 
 ■would exclude him from nearly 
 every pulpit south of Massachu 
 setts. lie must have known, 
 
 also, that no representations, 
 made by the orthodox, ever 
 placed the Boston clergy, gen- 
 erally, lower on the scale of reli- 
 gious doctrine, than his own 
 opinions actually were. 
 
 We should not be thus par- 
 ticular, were it not that the cry 
 of calumny has been raised with 
 considerable effect, and with the 
 most unblushing confidence. But 
 this cry cannot be raised here- 
 after on the same account, and 
 in the same manner. The pam- 
 phlet before us furnishes most 
 decisive evidence, on the sub- 
 ject of the state of religion in 
 Boston and the vicinity. It is* 
 evidence which can neither be 
 evaded, nor resisted, by the lib- 
 eral party; as it is taken wholly 
 from a book, published by Mr. 
 Belsham, who is at the head of 
 that party in England, and who 
 lays before the reader original 
 letters from Dr. Freeman and 
 Mr. Wells, authenticated by 
 their proper names. 
 
 It will be asked, perhaps, what 
 is the meaning of Umtananism, 
 as the word is used in this pam- 
 phlet? The inquiry is natural; 
 and we answer it as follows. Mr. 
 Belsham considers himself a con- 
 sistent and decided Unitarian. 
 He evidently supposes, also, that 
 all consistent and decided Unita- 
 rians, on both sides of the water, 
 agree substantially with him. 
 That the reader may become 
 acquainted with Mr. Belsham's 
 opinions, we shall quote his own 
 words. The length of the quo- 
 tations will be excused, when 
 the importance of the subject is 
 considered. 
 
 The publisher of the pamphlet 
 has introduced it with a very 
 suitable preface, containing large 
 extracts from Belsham's l+view 
 
Unitarian Creed by Mr. Btlsham. 
 
 a 
 
 */* Wilberforce's Treatise. The 
 greater part of these extracts we 
 shall cite below, and add to them 
 several passages from Mr. Bel- 
 sharn's Calm Inquiry and Me- 
 moirs of Lindsey. 
 
 " "God is the Former, the Father, and 
 Benefactor of the human race, whom for 
 ■wise reasons, unknown to us, but perfectly 
 consistent, no doubt, with his magnificent 
 plan of universal order and happiness, he 
 has been pleased to place in circumstances 
 of frailty and danger, the natural conse- 
 quence of which, in their progress through 
 life, is the contraction of a certain degree 
 of moral pollution, which in the nature of 
 things, and by the divine appointment, 
 exposes them to a proportionate degree of 
 misery here or hereafter. 
 
 " "But this fact by no means proves a 
 preponderance of vice and misery in the 
 world; otherwise we must conclude that 
 the Maker of the world, whose character 
 we learn only from his works, is a weak or 
 a malignant being. The truth is, that al- 
 though the quantity of vice and misery 
 actually existing is very considerable, 
 there is, nevertheless, upon the whole, a 
 very great preponderance of good in gen- 
 eral, and with few, if any exceptions, in 
 every individual in particular. 
 
 " "The almost universal desire of life 
 and dread of dissolution, amount to a 
 strong presumption, that life is in general 
 a blessing. And the disgrace universally 
 attached to flagrant vice, proves that such 
 vice is not common. Character is the sum 
 total of moral and intellectual habits, and 
 the proportion of virtuous habits in the 
 worst characters, exceeds that of vicious 
 ones. But no character takes the de- 
 nomination of virtuous unless all the hab- 
 its are on the side of virtue: whereas one 
 evil habit is sufficient to stamp a character 
 vicious. 
 
 " "God cannot be unjust to any of his 
 creatures. Having brought men into ex- 
 istence and placed them in circumstances 
 of imminent peril, though in the nature of 
 things misery is necessarily connected 
 with vice, we may certainly conclude that 
 none of the creatures of God in such, or 
 in any circumstances, will ever be made 
 eternally miserable. Indeed it is plainly 
 repugnant to the justice of God, that ex- 
 istence to any of his intelligent creatures, 
 should be upon the whole a curse. 
 
 " "The light of philosophy affords a 
 few plausible arguments for the doctrine 
 of a future life: there are some appearan- 
 ces physical and moral, which cannot be 
 satisfactorily explained upon any other 
 supposition. But since the sentient pow- 
 
 ers are suspended by death, and admit of 
 no revival but by the revival of the man, 
 a fact the expectation of which is entirely 
 unsupported both by experience and anal- 
 ogy, the speculations of philosophy would 
 commonly, and almost necessarily, termi- 
 nate in the disbelief of a future existence. 
 
 " "Here divine revelation offers its sea- 
 sonable and welcome aid. God has com- 
 missioned his faithful and holy servant, 
 Jesus of Nazareth, to teach the universal 
 resurrection of the dead, and by his own 
 resurrection to confirm and exemplify his 
 doctrine. 
 
 " "Jesus hath authoritatively taught, 
 that the wicked will be raised to suffering: 
 nor could it possibly be otherwise, if they 
 are to be raised with the same system of 
 habits and feelings with which they de- 
 scended to the grave, and without which 
 their identity would be lost. But since 
 eternal misery for temporary crimes is 
 inconsistent with every principle of jus- 
 tice, and since a resurrection from previ- 
 ous insensibility to indefinite misery, to be 
 succeeded by absolute annihilation, is a 
 harsh supposition, contrary to all analogy, 
 and not to be admitted but upon the clear- 
 est evidence, we ;ire naturally led to con- 
 clude, that the suffering-- of the wicked 
 will be remedial, and that they will termi- 
 nate in a complete purification from moral 
 disorder, and in their ultimate restoration 
 to virtue ar.d happiness. In this conclu- 
 sion we seem to be justified by those pas- 
 sages in the apostolical writings which de- 
 clare, that the blessings of the Gospel 
 shall be far more extensive than the ca- 
 lamities of the f«ll, and that Christ shall 
 reign till all things shall be subdued unto 
 him. (Rom v. — 1 Cor. xv.) 
 
 " "I he apostles were commanded to 
 prer.eh the Gospel to the idolatrous hea- 
 then as well as to the chosen family of 
 Abraham, and they were authorized to 
 confirm their doctrine by miracles. These 
 extraordinary powers are in the Scrip- 
 tures called the Spirit of God, and the 
 Holy Spirit; and the great change which 
 took place in the views, feelings, and 
 character of pharisaic Jews and idolatrous 
 heathen, when they sincerely professed 
 the Christian faith, is called, a ?iew crea- 
 tion, regeneration, rising from the dead, 
 and the like. And as conversion to Chris- 
 tianity was usually produced by the evi- 
 dence of miracles, this new creation, re- 
 generation, sanctification, or passing from 
 death to life, is in this sense ascribed to 
 the Spirit of God. 
 
 " "The Jjjws, having been chosen by 
 Clod to ;ieculiar privileges, entertained a 
 very high notion of their own dignitv, and 
 expressed themselves in the most con- 
 temptuous language of the idolatrous gen- 
 tiles, who were not in covenant with Je- 
 
4 
 
 Unitarian Creed by Mr. Belsham. 
 
 hovah. Of themselves they spoke as a 
 chosen and a holy nation, sons ef God, 
 and heirs of the promises. But the hea- 
 thens were represented «s sinners, as 
 ■ aliens, as enemies to God, and the like. 
 In allusion to which tonus of expression, 
 the converted gentiles being entitled 
 equally with comerted Jews, to the bles- 
 sings of the new dispensation, they are 
 therefore said to be forgiven, reconciled, 
 and saved, to be fellow-citizens with the 
 saints, and of the household of God. 
 
 " "The death of Jesus is sometimes 
 called a propitiation, because it put an 
 end to the Mosaic economy, and intro- 
 duced a new and more liberal dispensa- 
 tion, under which the gentiles, who were 
 before regarded as enemies, are admitted 
 into a state of amity and reconciliation; 
 that is, into a state of privilege similar to 
 that of the Jews. It is also occasionally 
 called a sacrifice, being the ratification of 
 that new covenant into which God is 
 pleased to enter with his human offspring, 
 by which a resurrection- to immortal life 
 and happiness is promised, without dis- 
 tinction, to all who are truly virtuous. 
 Believers in Christ are also said to have 
 redemption through his blood, because 
 they are released by the Christian Cove- 
 nant from, the yoke of the ceremonial 
 la*', and from the bondage of idolatry. 
 Dr. Taylor has in general well explained 
 these Jewish phrases in his admirable 
 Key to the apostolic writings prefixed to 
 his Commentary on the Epistle to the 
 litomans. 
 
 " "The Scriptures contain a faithful and 
 oredible account of the Christian doctrine, 
 which is the true word oj God: but they 
 are not themselves the word of God, nor 
 do they ever assume that title: and it is 
 highly improper to speak of them as such, 
 as it leads inattentive readers to suppose 
 they were written under a plenary inspir- 
 ation, to which they make no pretension, 
 and as such expressions expose Christian- 
 ity unnecessarily to the cavils of unbe- 
 lievers. 
 
 " ''Christianity sums up the whole of 
 humRn duty in the love of God and our 
 neighbor; and requiring that all our time 
 shoulu' be employed to the best account, 
 and that every action should be conse- 
 crated to God, lays no stress upon ritual 
 observations, and expressly abolishes that 
 distinction of days, which formed so con- 
 spicuous a feature in the Mosaic institute. 
 To a true Christian every day is a Sub- 
 hath, every place is a temple, and every 
 action of life an act of devotion. A Chris- 
 tian is not required to be more holy, nor 
 permitted to take greater liberties upon 
 one day than upon another. Whatever 
 is lawful or expedient upon one day of the 
 week is, under the C&ristian dispensation, 
 
 equally lawful and expedient on any other 
 day. Public worship, however, must be 
 conducted at stated intervals; and it has 
 been usual for the earliest times for 
 Christians to assemble together, on the 
 first day of the week, to commemorate 
 the death and to celebrate the resurrec* 
 tion of their Master. 
 
 " "'1 his appears to me to be the true 
 doctrine of reason and revelation, in which 
 the God of nature is not represented as 
 frowning over his works, and like a mer- 
 ciless tyrant dooming his helpless crea- 
 tures to eternal misery, with the arbitrary 
 exception of a chosen few; but as the wise, 
 benevolent, and impartial parent of his 
 rational offspring, who is training them all, 
 under various processes of intellectual 
 and moral discipline, to perfect virtue 
 and everlasting felicity. Such is the God 
 of my iailh and adoration, the God of na- 
 ture and of revelation, the God and Father 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, that God whose 
 existence, attributes, and government are 
 the joy and confidence of every enlighten- 
 ed and virtuous believer." " See Bel- 
 shoms Review of IVilberforce' s Treatise, 
 Letter It. 
 
 "The Unitarians generally believe, that 
 Jesus having exercised bis public ministry 
 for the space of a year, and perhaps a little 
 more, suffered death publicly upon the 
 cross, not to appease the wrath of God, 
 not as a satisfaction to divine justice, not 
 to exhibit the evil of sin, nor in any sense 
 whatever to make an atonement to God 
 for it; for this doctrine in every sense, 
 and according to every explanation, they 
 explode as irrational, unscriptural, and 
 derogatory from the divine perfections: 
 but as a martyr to the truth, and as a 
 necessary preliminary to his resurrection. 
 And they hold, that it was wisely ordered, 
 to preclude cavils, that his death should 
 be an event of great public notoriety, and 
 inflicted by his enemies." See Hclshum's 
 Calm Inquiry into the Scripture Dor- 
 trine concerning the person of Christ, 
 pp. 449, 450. 
 
 "The Unitftvians further believe, that 
 after having given sufficient proofs to his 
 disciples, for forty days, of the truth of 
 his resurrection, he was in a miraculous 
 manner withdrawn from their society, a 
 circumstance which is described as an as- 
 cension into heaven." lb. pp. 450, 451. 
 
 "The Unitarians maintain, that Jesus 
 and his apostles were supernaturally in- 
 structed as far as was necessary for the 
 execution of their commission, that is, lor 
 the revelation and proof of the doctrine of 
 eternal life, and that the favor of God ex- 
 tended to the Gentiles equally witu the 
 
Unitarian Creed by Mr. Belsham. 
 
 •Jews; and that Jesus and his apostles, and 
 others of the primitive believers, -were 
 occasionally inspired to foretell future 
 events. But they believe, that supernat- 
 ural inspiration was limited to these cases 
 alone; and that when Jesus or his apostles 
 deliver opinions upon subjects unconnect- 
 ed with the object of their mission, such 
 opinions and their reasonings upon them, 
 are to be received with the same atten- 
 tion and caution with those of other per- 
 sons in similar circumstances, of similar 
 education, and with similar habits of think- 
 ing. 
 
 "The Unitarians admit, that the Scrip- 
 tures of the Old and New Testament, and 
 especially the latter, contain authentic 
 records of facts, and of divine interposi- 
 tions; but they utterly deny the univer- 
 sal inspiration of the writers of those 
 compositions, as a qualification to which 
 indeed they make no pretension, and of 
 which they offer no proof; and the asser- 
 tion of which tends only to embarrass the 
 evidences of revelation, and to give ad- 
 vantage to its enemies. And they judge 
 of the genuineness, of the meaning, and 
 of the credibility of these works, exactly 
 in the same way as they judge of any 
 other ancient writings." lb. pp. 451,452. 
 
 "The Unitarians disavow all those per- 
 sonal regards to Christ, and direct ad- 
 dresses to him, either of prayer or praise, 
 which properly fall under the denomina- 
 tion of religious worship, as unfounded in 
 reason, unauthorized by Scripture, de- 
 rogatory from the honor of the Supreme 
 Being, the only proper object of religious 
 homage, and as in a strict and proper 
 sense polytheistical and idolatrous." lb. 
 p. 454. 
 
 "The Unitarians think it superfluous to 
 produce any arguments to prove, that a 
 person, who is repeatedly called a man, 
 who had every appearance of a human 
 being, who was born, who grew, who liv- 
 ed, who conversed, who felt, who acted, 
 •who suffered, and who died like other 
 men, who was universally believed to be 
 a man by all who saw and conversed with 
 him, and was addressed and spoken of as 
 a human being by all his contemporaries, 
 whether friends or enemies, was really 
 what he appeared and affirmed himself to 
 be, truly and properly a m,ti, and nothing 
 more than a man." lb. pp. 455, 456. 
 
 "They observe, that there is no allusion 
 at all to the supposed pre-existent state 
 and superior nature of Jesus Christ, in 
 three of the Evangelists, or in the history 
 of the apostles' preaching, and of the first 
 plantation of the Gospel contained in the 
 
 Ats of the Apostles; and that John is a 
 very mystical writer, abounding in harsh 
 metaphors and symbolical phraseology, 
 very different from the simplicity which 
 characterizes the other evangelists. Nor 
 can they discern any traces of that sur- 
 prise and astonishment, which must have 
 seized the minds of the disciples and com- 
 panions of Jesus, when it was first reveal- 
 ed to them, that the master with whom 
 they had so frequently and familiarly con- 
 versed, was the Lord their Maker, or at 
 least a great celestial spirit in a human 
 shape." pp. 456, 457. 
 
 "The Unitarians do not presume to 
 say that God might not, if he had pleased, 
 have revealed other doctrines to mankind 
 by Jesus Christ, besides that most impor- 
 tant one of a future life. But they pro- 
 fess, that after reading the New Testa- 
 ment with the greatest attention, this 
 doctrine appears to be the one great ob- 
 ject of the Christian revelation, which is 
 in this view most worthy of Cod, and most 
 beneficial to men." p. 470. 
 
 "Believing that Jesus was in all re.-pects 
 like unto his brethren, and pursuing his 
 principles to their just consequences, he 
 [Dr. Priestley] argued that our Savior 
 came into the world with the frailties 
 and infirmities of a human being, moral 
 as well as physical, and that, by the pecu- 
 liar process of mental discipline to which 
 he was subjected, he grew up to that 
 consummate dignity and elevation of char- 
 acter, under which he appeal's in the 
 writings of the Evangelists. And this 
 truly Christian philosopher believed it to 
 be not o!ily a more rational way of ac- 
 counting for the excellence of our Lord's 
 character, and more agreeable to the 
 language of the New Testament, which 
 represents him as growing in wisdom and 
 in favor with God and man, but, in truth, 
 more honorable to our Lord himself, that 
 his perfect moral excellence should be the 
 result of his own exertion, vigilance, and 
 fortitude, rather than of a supernatural 
 operation." See Belsham' a Memoirs of 
 JJndsey, pp. 'i'25, '2'i6. 
 
 "In the present day, the alarm h&v\ >g 
 subsided, and a cooler examination of the 
 subject having taken place, it would, I be- 
 lieve, be hard to find any considerate ai.d 
 consistent Unitarian, who does not adapt 
 Dr. Priestley's ideas concerning the for- 
 mation of our Lord's moral character." 
 lb. p. 226. 
 
 "The Unitarian doctrine is, that Jesus 
 of Nazareth was a man constituted in all 
 respects like Other men, subject to the 
 
6 
 
 Mr. Lindseys Creed. 
 
 same infirmities, the same ignorance, pre- 
 judices, and frailties." lb. as quoted by 
 Dr. JSIagee, in hisg-eat work, p. 510. 
 
 " "Jesus is indeed now alive. But as we 
 are totally ignorant of the place where he 
 resides, and of the occupations in which 
 he is engaged, there can he no proper 
 foundation for religious addresses to him, 
 tiov of gratitude for favors now received, 
 nor yet of confidence in his future inter- 
 position in our behalf." " See Review of 
 iVilberforcfs Treatise, Letter VIII. 
 
 MR. LTNDSEl's CREEP. 
 
 t« "There is One God, one single per- 
 son who is God, the sole Creator and 
 Sovereign Lord of all things. 
 
 " "The holy Jesus was a man of the 
 Jewish nation, a servant of this God, 
 highly honored and distinguished by him. 
 
 " "The Spirit, or Holy Spirit, was not 
 a person or intelligent being, but only the 
 extraordinary power or gift of God, first 
 to our Lord Jesus Christ himself in his 
 life time, and afterwards to the Apostles 
 and many of the fii-st Christians, to em- 
 power them to preach and piopagate the 
 Gospel with success." " See Jllemoirs of 
 Lindsey, p. 212. 
 
 The foregoing quotations are 
 sufficient to give the reader some 
 * acquaintance with the religious 
 opinions of leading Unitarians. 
 We will only add, that Mr. Bel- 
 sham clearly adopts the opinion 
 of Dr. Priestley, that "our Sa- 
 vior was as much in the dark, as 
 the most vulgar among the Jews, 
 about possessions; and believed 
 them in the gross literal sense." 
 
 Our readers will excuse us, 
 if, for the sake of making a 
 brief summary of doctrines held 
 by Unitarians, as exhibited in 
 the preceding extracts, we give 
 the substance of the several arti- 
 cles by way of recapitulation. 
 Unitarians hold and teach, then, 
 
 That God has placed man in 
 circumstances of frailty and dan- 
 ger, the natural consequence of 
 which is the contraction of a cer- 
 tain degree of moral pollution, 
 which exposes them to a propor- 
 
 tionate degree of misery here or 
 hereafter; 
 
 That there is a very great 
 preponderance of virtue over 
 vice in the world; and with few, 
 if any, exceptions, in every indi- 
 vidual; 
 
 That the proportion of virtu- 
 ous habits in the worst charac- 
 ters, exceeds that of vicious 
 ones; 
 
 That we may certainly con- 
 clude, from our own reason, that 
 none of the creatures of God 
 will ever be made eternally mis- 
 erable; 
 
 That God commissioned Je- 
 sus of Nazareth to teach the 
 universal resurrection of the 
 dead, and by his own resurrec- 
 tion to confirm and exemplify 
 his doctrine; 
 
 That the wicked will be rais- 
 ed to suffering, with the same 
 system of habits and feelings 
 with which they descended to 
 the grave; but their sufferings 
 will be remedial, and will ter- 
 minate in their ultimate restora- 
 tion to virtue and happiness; 
 
 That the Holy Spirit was noth- 
 ing more than the power of 
 working miracles; 
 
 That regeneration, and the 
 new creation, mean only the con- 
 version of the Gentiles to the 
 profession of Christianity; 
 
 That as the Gentiles x were 
 converted to Christianity by the 
 evidence of miracles, this new 
 creation was in this sense as- 
 cribed to the Spirit of God; 
 
 That because the Gentiles 
 were admitted to enjoy the bles- 
 sings of the new dispensation, 
 they are said to be forgiven, re- 
 conciled and saved; 
 
 That the death of Jesus is call- 
 ed a firofiitiation because it put 
 
Recapitulation of these Creeds. 
 
 an end to the Mosaic economy; 
 Tliat it is called a sacrifice, be- 
 cause it was the ratification of a 
 new covenant, which promised a 
 resurrection to immortal life; 
 
 That believers in Christ are 
 said to have redemption by his 
 blood, because they are released 
 from the yoke of the ceremoni- 
 al law, and the bondage of idola- 
 try; 
 
 That the Scriptures were not 
 written under a plenary inspira- 
 tion; 
 
 That the Sabbath is no more 
 holy than any other day; and, 
 consequently, that it is lawful to 
 do the same things on that day 
 as on any other; 
 
 That Christ made no atone- 
 ment for sin, in any sense what- 
 ever; 
 
 That the great object of Chris- 
 tianity was the revelation of a fu- 
 ture life; 
 
 That whenever Jesus, or his 
 apostles, deliver opinions on sub- 
 jects unconnected with the ob- 
 ject of tiieir mission, their opin- 
 ions are to be received with the 
 same caution as the opinions o£ 
 other persons; 
 
 That the Scriptures contain 
 authentic records of facts and of 
 divine interpositions, but were 
 not written by men under the 
 constant influence of inspiration; 
 That all religious homage 
 paid to Christ is strictly polythe- 
 istical and idolatrous; 
 
 That Christ was no more than 
 a man; 
 
 That he came into the world 
 with alt the frailties and infirmi- 
 ties of a human being, moral as 
 well as physical, and his perfect 
 moral character was formed by 
 his own exertion, vigilance, and 
 fortitude, without supernatural 
 aid; 
 
 That after his resurrection he 
 was miraculously withdrawn 
 from his disciples, which was 
 described as an ascension to 
 Heaven; but we know not where 
 he resides now, and ought not to 
 feel gratitude to him for favors 
 now received, nor to expect his 
 future interposition in our be- 
 half; and 
 
 That, on the subject of de- 
 moniacal possessions in particu- 
 lar, he, like the mass of his na- 
 tion was involved in gross dark- 
 ness, and actually believed that 
 to be true, which the wisdom of 
 modern times has discovered to 
 be false. 
 
 Such is the Unitarianism 
 which Mr. Belsham wishes to 
 propagate, and of which he pro- 
 fesses to write the history; so 
 far, at least, as relates to its 
 progress in this country. Of 
 the existence of such Unitarian- 
 ism, in the metropolis of New 
 England, our readers have gen- 
 erally been well persuaded; but 
 some have not believed that it 
 was making any considerable 
 progress, because they could 
 not persuade themselves that 
 men, occupying important pla- 
 ces in church and state, and 
 standing high in the public esti- 
 mation were capable of conceal- 
 ing their true sentiments. Oth- 
 ers have affected not to believe, 
 because they feared the conse- 
 quences of an exposure of senti- 
 ments so very diverse from those 
 maintained by our pious fathers, 
 and still cherished by a great 
 majority of pastors and church- 
 es in the New England states. 
 Some of out- friends at a dis- 
 tance, who sit under their own 
 vine and fig tree wiJiout moles- 
 tation, occasionally feel, that our 
 tears respecting the efforts t» 
 
8 
 
 Necessity of Religious Controversy. 
 
 spread Socinian principles are 
 magnifi d beyond measure, in 
 consequence of our living in the 
 centre of Unitarian action. We 
 almost envy them their peace- 
 ful undisturbed lot. One of the 
 last things, which a Christian 
 should desire, is, to be called to 
 dispute with his fellow men, 
 who bear the Christian name, 
 respecting that blessed religion, 
 which proclaims fteace on earth, 
 and breathes, good will to man. 
 Yet, however distressing this 
 duty is, and however exposed to 
 temptation one may be in per- 
 forming it; there are times when 
 the obligation becomes imperi- 
 ous, to contend earnestly for the 
 faith once delivered to the saint.\; 
 and to place in their just light 
 the efforts of those, whom we 
 in conscience believe to be real- 
 ly striving to overturn this fi.-ith, 
 whatever they may suppose to 
 be the tendency of their meas- 
 ures. 
 
 There is a certain class of 
 well-meaning people, who are 
 reluctant to enter upon any con- 
 troversial discussion, and who 
 are ready to say, on all occasions, 
 that they are sory to see reli- 
 gious controversy. These per- 
 sons ought to reflect much upon 
 the meaning of such declara- 
 tions. Do they intend, that the 
 essential truths of the Gospel 
 will never be attacked; or that, 
 if attacked, they should never 
 be defended; or that there are 
 no essential truths of the Gos- 
 pel; or that, if there are such 
 truths, it is impossible to ascer- 
 tain what they are; or that error 
 will die of itself, if never expos- 
 ed. If they will assume either 
 of these positions, they will find 
 it untenable. They ought to 
 consult the history of the church, 
 
 which will convince them, that 
 the purity of religion has never 
 been restored, in a single in- 
 stance, without religious contro- 
 versy; and that it has never 
 been preserved, for any length 
 of time, without resorting to the 
 same means of defence. We 
 readily admit, that there has 
 been much unnecessary, and 
 much very pernicious contro- 
 versy in the church; that long 
 and bitter disputes have origina- 
 ted on trifling occasions, and 
 been conducted with unchristian 
 feelings, and for very insufficient 
 reasons, on both sides. All this 
 is a proof ot human weakness 
 and depravity; but we see not 
 how it tends to prove that all 
 controversies are wrong, as it 
 respects all the contending par- 
 ties 
 
 Political disputes have, in a 
 vast proportion of instances, been 
 the means of incalculable evil. 
 Yet who supposes it to be wrong 
 to oppose political error? Would 
 not the suppression of all politi- 
 cal controversy bring the world 
 immediately into a state of the 
 most abject submission to the 
 most corrupt and despotic rulers? 
 The fact is, that important truth 
 of every kind, whether scientific, 
 political, moral, or religious, 
 must be taught and defended; but 
 particularly religious truth; for 
 the natural feelings of men are 
 much more opposed to this, than 
 to truth of any other kind We 
 are far from considering contro- 
 versy of any sort as in itself de- 
 sirable; we are far from justify- 
 ing a disputatious temper, or en- 
 couraging dogmatical habits; we 
 could earnestly wish, indeed, 
 that the Christian world were 
 immediately freed from all occa- 
 sion of controversy. The tinjc 
 
Necessity of Religious Controversy. 
 
 will come when controversy shall 
 cease; but this time will not be 
 hastened by the timid counsels 
 of those, who would suffer the 
 abettors of false doctrine to re- 
 peat their assertions and their 
 sophistry without examination 
 and without an answer. Con- 
 troversy will only cease by the 
 universal reception of the truth, 
 not by a complaisant deference 
 to be exercised by the friends of 
 truth to the promoters of all 
 lands of error. One great com- 
 plaint of the Papists against the 
 leading Protestants, at the com- 
 mencement of the Reformation, 
 was, that they introduced the 
 terrible evil of religious contro- 
 versy. What would have become 
 of^th'e Reformation, if that com- 
 plaint had been admitted as valid, 
 and the Reformers had shut 
 their mouths and thrown away 
 their pens? It may be confidently 
 affirmed, that Luther, Calvin, 
 and Zuinglius, with the word of 
 God in their hands and the love 
 of God in their hearts, did mere 
 good in a few years, by entering 
 boldly into the lists of theologi- 
 cal controversy, than the same 
 men with all their great talents 
 could have done in fifty centu- 
 ries, (had their lives been thus 
 prolonged,) in the silent course 
 recommended by those, who af- 
 fect to decry all controversy. 
 Is not the truth as important now 
 as it was at the era of the Refor- 
 mation? Is not Christ as pre-, 
 cious to the souls of believers 
 now as he was then? 
 
 Before any person is entitled 
 to stigmatize a controversial 
 writing as useless or injurious, 
 he must be satisfied, either that 
 their is no occasion for it; that 
 it relates to an unimportant sub- 
 ject; that it defends error rather 
 
 than the truth; or that it is con- 
 ducted in an unfair manner, or 
 with an unchristian temper-. 
 When a controversy can be truly 
 described as liable to either of 
 these objections, we will not 
 justify it. But we shall always 
 hold in high honor those servants 
 of God, who have it in their pow- 
 er to employ learning and talents 
 not only in teaching the truth, 
 but in detecting and exposing 
 the absurdities of error. 
 
 We are sincere believers in 
 the great doctrines of the Refor- 
 mation; in the inspiration of the 
 Holy Scriptures; in the unity and 
 perfections of the Godhead; in the 
 Supreme divinity of the Son and 
 Spirit; in the atonement and in- 
 tercession of Christ; in the native 
 and total depravity of the unre- 
 generate; and in the reality and 
 necessity of special divine grace 
 to renew and sanctify the souls 
 of men, that they may be capable 
 of participating in the holy enjoy- 
 ments of the heavenly world. 
 These points do not constitute 
 the whole of our creed, but they 
 are among the prominent and 
 fundamental articles of it; they 
 are points in which we differ 
 essentially from Unitarians. 
 
 Believing conscientiously, that 
 these doctrines are essential to 
 Christianity, we have ever felt 
 it to be our duty to resist, so 
 far as lay in our power, every 
 effort to supplant them, by sub- 
 stituting others, which, as they 
 appear to us, can neither admin- 
 ister present comlort, nor lay 
 any just foundation for future, 
 hopes- We readily concede, 
 that Christianity in any form> 
 even in that of Catholic supersti- 
 tion, or the lowest Socinianism, 
 is preferable, in a civil point of 
 view, to Deism, or Atheism. 
 
10 
 
 Unitctrianism in Massachusetts. 
 
 Even in its most degraded forms, 
 Christianity superadds some- 
 thing to the moral restraints of 
 men; and impresses in some de- 
 gree the doctrine of future re- 
 tribution. So far as this goes, 
 it is an advantage to the commu- 
 nity. But so far as the vital, 
 evangelical spirit of Christianity 
 is rejected, or contemned, just 
 so far the prospect that religion 
 will have a benign influence on 
 society is obscured. If a denial 
 of the divinity and atonement of 
 the Savior, be denying the Lord 
 that bought us, then, whatever 
 character a man who does this 
 may sustain among his fellow 
 creatures, in the sight of God 
 he is an unbeliever; and whatever 
 may be the degree of his guilt 
 and punishment, he is as surely 
 exposed to final destruction, as 
 the .Atheist* or the Deist. 
 
 It has always appeared to us, 
 that the divinity and atom ment 
 of the Savior are essential doc- 
 trines in the Christian System; 
 not as subjects of speculation 
 only, but as practical truths. 
 Such being the fact we cannot 
 help believing, that those, who 
 reject and contemn these doc- 
 trines, have not a fair claim to 
 be considered as standing on 
 Christian ground. It is a sor- 
 rowful thing to be compelled to 
 say, that there are now many 
 persons, in the capital of New 
 England, and not a few in its 
 vicinity, who utterly reject the 
 doctrines in question, and many 
 others, essentially, if not equally, 
 important. The Pamphlet be- 
 fore us offers evidence on tiiis 
 subject, which it is impossible 
 to mistake. 
 
 Had the facts, which this pam- 
 phlet discloses, been stated on 
 the authority of an orthodox. 
 
 man, we should doubtless have 
 been met at the threshold, with 
 the allegation of "party spirit 
 and misrepresentation." No or- 
 thodox man could ever have 
 hoped for such materials to com- 
 pile a history as are here pre- 
 sented. The writer has not. 
 gathered his information from a 
 hasty survey of the exterior 
 of the temple, which he de- 
 scribes; he has had access, as 
 high priest of his order, to the 
 very interior recesses, and has 
 exposed to view the most secret 
 transactions of those, who are in- 
 itiated into the worship which 
 he approves. He has shewn us, 
 that like the Grecian philoso- 
 phers of old, many of his order, 
 in our country, would have one 
 Religion for the vulgar, and a- 
 nother for the wise; that it is a 
 fundamental maxim among the 
 great body of leading Unitarians 
 here, not to expose their senti- 
 ments directly to the inspectioa 
 of the world at large, and to chal- 
 lenge investigation, but to oper- 
 ate in secret; to entrust only the 
 initiated with their measures; 
 and to leave the vulgar to fall 
 into the tracks of the wise, by 
 the force of that principle of im- 
 itation which is capable of oper- 
 ating so powerfully upon them. 
 Our own convictions respect- 
 ing the nature of Unitarianism 
 in Massachusetts, aud the man- 
 ner in which the cause is pro- 
 moted, are not altered by the 
 pamphlet before us. Living in 
 the centre of action, we have 
 long had these convictions. The 
 Monthly Anthology; the man- 
 gled Christian Monitor; the 
 Hymns and Psalms of Mr. Buck- 
 minster and Mr. Emerson; the 
 reply of Belshan: to WUberforce 
 and to Dr. J. P. Smith; the Im- 
 
Unitarianism. in Massachusetts. 
 
 li 
 
 proved Version of the New Tes- 
 tament; all published in Boston; 
 and especially the General Re- 
 pository, published at Cam- 
 bridge, by some of the Officers 
 t)f Harvard College, afford suffi- 
 cient evidence, without detailing 
 other circumstances, of a settled 
 and persevering determination 
 to prostrate orthodoxy, and to 
 substitute Unitarianism in its 
 place. But the evidence now 
 before us is in some respects 
 more important than any which 
 lias preceded it; as it is compris- 
 ed within a small compass, is 
 easily obtained, and is supported 
 by the names of some of the 
 principal parties concerned. 
 
 The Society which claims the 
 honor of taking the lead, in the 
 great work of reformation in our 
 country, is, according to our his- 
 torian, that which meets at the 
 Stone Chapel in Boston; and Dr. 
 Freeman, it seems, claims to be 
 considered as at the bottom of 
 all the revolutions, which have 
 taken place there. So early as 
 the year 1786, Dr. Freeman had 
 persuaded his churc'., to adopt a 
 Liturgy, which the Rev. J. 
 Smith, in a letter to Mr. Lindsey, 
 describes as "perfectly Unitari- 
 an," (p. 11.) Dr.- Freeman, 
 however, in a letter, dated the 
 same year, tells Mr. Lindsey, 
 that "some defects and impro- 
 prieties are stili retained, for the 
 sake of indu ing them, (his con- 
 gregation,) to omit the most ex- 
 ceptionable parts of the old ser- 
 vice, the Athanasian prayers." 
 (p. 18.) In 1811, however, a 
 new edition of his Liturgy was 
 published by Dr. Freeman, 
 which, "with a very few altera- 
 tions chiefly verbal, might be 
 made," says Mr. Belsham, "per- 
 fectly unexceptionable." p. 12. 
 
 Dr. Freeman, it seems, was 
 unable, on account of his hereti- 
 cal senuments, to obtain Episco- 
 pal ordination. This misfortune 
 was obviated, however, by his 
 congregation, who, it should be 
 remembered, still professed UK 
 be Episcopalians. They ordain- 
 ed him themselves, on Sunday 
 the 18th of Nov. 1787. 
 
 Shortly after, a circumstance 
 happened, which as Dr. F. de- 
 clares in a letter to Mr. Lindsey, 
 tended very much to satisfy the 
 minds of his people, respecting 
 the manner of his ordination. 
 
 " "I mentioned in a former letter, that. 
 Bishop Seabury hatl ordained a priest in 
 Boston. The members of my congrega- 
 tion in general attended. They were so 
 shocked with the service, particularly 
 with that part where the bishop pretends 
 to communicate the Holy Ghost and the 
 power of forgiving si:is which he accom- 
 panied with the action of breathing on the 
 candidate, that they now congratulate me 
 upon having escaped what they consider 
 as little short ot blasphemy. Few of them 
 had ever read, or at least attentively con- 
 sidered, the Ordination service. Since 
 they have heard it, I have frequently 
 been seriously asked by them, whether I 
 would have submitted to so absurd a form. 
 1 confess that I am convinced I should have 
 acted wrong if I had done it. I shudder 
 when 1 reflect to what moral danger lex- 
 posed myself in soliciting ordination of the 
 American bishops, for I certainly never 
 believed that they had the power of con- 
 veying the Holy Spirit." " pp. 14, 15. 
 
 Thus much for the history of 
 Unitarianism at the Stone Chap- 
 el. This congregation is after- 
 wards described in the pamphlet, 
 as being the only one of fir oj eas- 
 ed Unitarians in New England. 
 We must say, that the conduct 
 ot this Society and of their min- 
 ister, in coming out openlv, and 
 avowing their sentiments to the 
 world, is vastly preferable to 
 a hypocritical concealment of 
 them. Had other societies fol- 
 loAVcd their example, we shoutc 1 
 
12 
 
 Extract from Dr. Freeman's Letter. 
 
 Jong since have known with 
 whom we were contending; and 
 not have been obliged to guard 
 against ambushes, instead of 
 combating in the open held. 
 
 From Dr. Freeman, so open 
 and ingenuous in the profession 
 of his sentiments, much of the 
 information in our historical 
 pamphlet is derived, as to tlie 
 progress of Unitarianism in 
 America. This father and apos- 
 tk ui ine sect in question, in this 
 country, seems to be more deep- 
 ly interested, and better inform- 
 ed on the subject, than any other 
 man, who appears in Mr. Bei- 
 sham's pages. From him we 
 learn, that in 1789, in conse- 
 quence of the labors of Mr. 
 Hazhit among the Boston cler- 
 gy, there were already "many 
 churches in which the worship 
 was strictly Unitarian .* p. 12. 
 Mote- 
 
 The method in which Dr. F. 
 and others labor to propagate 
 Unitarianism is thus graphically 
 delineated, in a letter to Mr. 
 Lindsey, written as it would 
 seem, in 1796, or J 797- 
 
 " "I consider it," says this intelligent 
 correspondent to his venerable friend, "as 
 one of the most happy effects which have 
 resulted from my feeble exertions in the 
 Unitarian cause, that they have introduced 
 me to the knowledge and friendship of 
 some of the most valuable characters of 
 the present age; men of enlightened 
 heads, of pious and benevolent hearts; 
 quibuscumvivere amem, quibusatm obire 
 lebens. 
 
 ""Though it is a standing article of 
 most of our socinl libraries, that nothing of 
 a controversial nature should be purchas- 
 ed, jet any book which is presented is 
 freely accepted. I have found means, 
 therefore, of introducing into them some 
 of the Unitarian Tracts with which vou 
 have kindly famished inc. There "aie 
 few persons who hare not read them 
 with avidity; and when read, they cannot 
 fail to make an impression upon the 
 minds of many. From these and other 
 causes, the Unitarian doc A ine appears to 
 
 be still upon the increase. I am acquaint- 
 ed with a number of ministers, particular- 
 ly in the southern part ot this state, 
 who avow and publicly preach this senti- 
 ment. There are others more cautious, 
 who content themselves with leading 
 their hearers, by a course of rational but 
 prudent sermons, gradually and insensibly 
 to embrace it. Though this latter mode 
 is not w hat I entirely approve, yet it pro- 
 duces good effects. For the people are 
 thus kept out of the reach of false opinions, 
 and are prepared for the impressions 
 which will be made on them by more bold 
 and ardent successors, who will probably 
 be raised up w hen these timid characters 
 are removed off the stage. In the eastern 
 part of this State, or what is called the 
 District of Maine, the Unitarian doctrine 
 also makes progress, as I have just been 
 informed by a worthy and judicious min- 
 ister from that quarter. The Clergy are 
 generally the first who begin to speculate: 
 but the people soon follow, where they are 
 so much accustomed to read and inquire. 
 ""In the accounts which I give you of 
 the state of religious opinions in this coun- 
 try, I always endeavor not to exaggerate, 
 sensible that every zealous man (and I 
 confess that I am zealous) is naturally dis- 
 posed to rate his own party aa highly as 
 he can. It is possible that Unitarianism 
 may be losing ground in one quarter while 
 it is gaining it in another, and that I may 
 not perceive or may not attend to the 
 former. Indeed, I confess and lament 
 that the opinion is scarcely known in the 
 largest part of this vast Republic. It 
 flourishes chiefly in New England; but not 
 much in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New 
 Hampshire, and the western counties of 
 Massachusetts. A few seeds have been 
 sown in \ ermont, and an abundant harvest 
 has been produced in the vicinity of Bos- 
 ton and the counties directly south of it. 
 In Pennsylvania, much may be expected 
 from the labors of Dr. Priestley." " 
 pp. 2'2, 23. 
 
 How far the sentiments in 
 question have spread in Boston, 
 has been often a subject of in- 
 quiry, and not unlicquently of 
 debate. Mr. Belsham will in- 
 form us. "If," says he, "I am 
 not greatly misinformed, divine 
 worship in many of the principal 
 churches at Jloston,\s carried on 
 upon principles strictly, if not 
 avowedly, Unitarian." p. 38. 
 
 If any thing be lacking in Mr. 
 Bclsham's account, it is suppli- 
 
loiter of William Wdls,jun. Esq. 
 
 13 
 
 ed in a letter to him by William 
 Wells, Esq. of Boston, a gentle- 
 man, who, from his extensive ac- 
 quaintance with books and men, 
 and his distinguished zeal in the 
 cause of Unitarianism, may well 
 be supposed to give us as exact 
 a picture, as any man living could 
 draw. We print the whole let- 
 ter, as we shall have occasion to 
 refer to it on various subjects. 
 
 "letter 
 
 From William Wells, Esq. of Boston, in 
 
 JVeju England, to the Author. 
 
 "Boston, March 21, 1812. 
 "JVly dear Sir, 
 
 I am glad to hear you received the Ser- 
 mons safe. About six weeks ago I for- 
 warded to Mr. Freme a parcel for you, 
 containing the first No. of "The General 
 Repository and Review." For this you 
 are indebted to Mr. B. I think a letter 
 from him accompanied the Review, hut 
 am not sure, as I look no memorandum 
 of the contents of the parcel. A second 
 number will shortly appear, which shall 
 be forwarded by the earliest opportunity. 
 I believe I mentioned in my last the name 
 of the Editor, Mr. Norton an excellent 
 young man. Of his abilities you will be 
 able to judge. I think the first article, 
 and the Review of the Horsleian and 
 Prieslleian controversy display a sound- 
 ness of judgment which at his age is rare. 
 A number of young men who have taken 
 their bachelor's degree now reside at 
 Cambridge as theological students. Sev- 
 eral of them are the sons of men of for- 
 tune; some, as far as 1 can judge, of supe- 
 rior talents; and all are pursuing their pro- 
 fessional studies with a zeal which is well 
 directed by the very worthy and learned 
 Dr. Ware, professor of divinity, and Dr. 
 Kirkland the president, and an honesty 
 which is entirely unfettered and unbiassed 
 by any system whatever. We have to 
 contend here, as you in England, for the 
 first principles of protestantism, but I see 
 no reason to fear that the ensuing gener- 
 ation will be destitute of able champions 
 for the light of private judgment. 
 
 "With regard to the progress of Unita- 
 rianism, I have but little to say. Its ten- 
 ets have spread very extensively in 
 New England, but I believe there is only 
 one Church professedly Unitarian. The 
 Churches at Portland and Saco, of which 
 you speak, hardly ever saw the light, and 
 *xist no longer. The Mr. Thatcher, who 
 waa formerly a Member of C. ingress, and 
 'he Judge T. whom Mr. Merrick nieu= 
 
 tions, are the same. He is one of the 
 Judges of our Supreme Court, an excel- 
 lent man and most zealous Unitarian. He 
 is now on the circuit in this tovn, and 
 tells me he is obliged on Sunday to stay 
 at home^ or to hear a Calvinist Minister. 
 He is no relation to our friend. 
 
 "Most of our Boston Clergy and re- 
 spectable layman (of whom we have many- 
 enlightened theologians) are Unitarian. 
 Nor do they think it at all necessary to 
 conceal their sentiments upon these sub- 
 jects, but express them without the least 
 hesitation when they judge it proper. >£ 
 may safely say, the general habit of think- 
 ing and speaking upon this question in 
 Boston, is Unitarian. At the same time 
 the controversy is seldom or never intro- 
 duced into the pulpit. I except the 
 Chapel Church. If publications make 
 their appearance attacking Unitarian sen- 
 timents, they are commonly answered 
 with spirit and ability; but the majority 
 of those who are Unitarian are perhaps of 
 these sentiments . without any distinct 
 consciousness of being so. Like the first 
 Christians, finding no sentiments but those 
 in the N. T. and not accustomed to hear 
 the language of the N. T. strained and 
 warped by theological system-makers, 
 they adopt naturally a just mode of think- 
 ing. This state of things appears to me 
 so favorable to the dissemination of cor- 
 rect sentiments, that I should perhaps re- 
 gret a great degree of excitement in the 
 public mind upon these subjects. The 
 majority would eventually be against us. 
 The ignorant, the violent, the ambitious 
 and the cunning, would cany the multi- 
 tude with them in religion as they do in 
 politics. One Dr. M. in a contest for 
 spreading his own sentiments among the 
 great body of the people, would at least., 
 for a time, beat ten Priestleys. Not to 
 dwell upon the consideration, that Unita- * 
 
 nanism consists rather in not believing; 
 and that it is more easy to gain proselytes 
 to absurd opinions, than to make them 
 zealous in refusing to believe. With 
 what arms, when the oi m-oxxoi are (he 
 judges, can virtue and learning and honor 
 contend with craft and cunning and equiv- 
 ocation and falsehood and intolerant zeal? 
 Learning is worse than useless, virtue is- 
 oflen diffident of her own conclusions, 
 and, at any rate, more anxious to render 
 men good Christians, than to make there 
 Christians of her own denomination; ami 
 that self-respect, which is the companion 
 of virtue, disdains to meet the low cun- 
 ning of her adversaries, or to flatter the 
 low prejudices of her judges. I think 
 then it must be assumed as an axiom, that 
 a persevering controversy uiion this ques- 
 tion, would render the multitude bigoted 
 and persecuting Calviuists. Then coine 
 
14 
 
 Dr. Priestley's Letter. 
 
 systems and catechisms in abundance. 
 Every conceited deacon, every parishion- 
 er who has, or thinks he has, a smatter- 
 ing in theology, becomes the inquisitor of 
 his pastor. In such circumstances learn- 
 ing and good sense have no chance. They 
 exumot be heard. 
 
 "The violent party here have chosen 
 to meet their opponents upon very unfa- 
 vorable ground. Instead of making it a 
 cause of orthodoxy against heresy, they 
 have very unwisely preferred to insist up- 
 on a subscription to articles of faith. This 
 has given great offence to many who are 
 disposed to be in favor of their creed, and 
 thrown them into the opposite scale. Dr. 
 Osgood is really orthodox in sentiment, 
 but a noble and determined supporter of 
 the right of private judgment, and on the 
 best possible terms with our Boston 
 friends. This is also the case with the 
 venerable Dr. Lathrop of West-Spring- 
 field, Mr. Palmer's friend, and many 
 others. In short we are now contending 
 for the liberty of being Protestants. If 
 we can persuade the people (and we stand 
 upon advantageous ground) that we have 
 the right to think upon religious subjects 
 as our consciences and the Scriptures di- 
 rect, things will go on well. Learning, 
 good sense, and virtue, will then produce 
 their natural effects, and just modes of 
 thinking upon subjects of this nature, as 
 upon all others, will necessarily prevail. 
 
 "Will you, my dear Sir, excuse unin- 
 tentional prolixity? I do not know that 
 vou will approve my sentiments, nor am 
 I very confident of their justness; but I 
 have seen the contest between truth and 
 falsehood, before the multitude; between 
 every thing which is respectable and eve- 
 ry thing which is detestable, so unequal in 
 politics, that T dread the event in matters 
 ',( religion. Still I would be no advocate 
 for timidity, much less for any thing like 
 equivocation, or evasion; and it must be 
 confessed that prudence often degenerates 
 into these vices. 1 am, dear Sir, with the 
 greatest esteem, yours affectionately, 
 W. WtLLS, Jur. pp. 43—46. 
 
 Such is the testimony in the 
 case under consideration; and 
 we presume that no man, in his 
 senses, will hesitate for a mo- 
 ment to give implicit credit '.o 
 such witnesses. VVc shall feel 
 ourselves warranted hereafter, 
 to speak of the fact as certain, 
 that Unitarianism is the predom- 
 inant religion among the minis- 
 ters and churches of iioslon. 
 
 In the District of Maine, Mr. 
 Belsham states, from his corres- 
 pondent Dr. Freeman, that high 
 hopes were entertained of the 
 spread of Unitarian principles. 
 Churches were established in 
 Portland by the labors of the 
 Rev. Mr. Oxnard, and in Saco 
 by the zeal of Mr. (now judge) 
 Thatcher. These hopes, how- 
 ever, were premature, as it 
 appears by the letter of Mr. 
 Wells. 
 
 New York and Philadelphia 
 were also considered by Dr. 
 Priestley, when he first came to 
 this country, as affording great 
 promises of an abundant harvest. 
 Thus he writes to Mr. Lindsey. 
 
 "jYe-w Yorh, June 15, 1794. 
 'With respect to myselt the differ- 
 ence is great indeed. In England 1 was 
 an object of the greatest aversion to 
 every person connected with govern- 
 ment; whereas here they are those who 
 show me the most respect. With you 
 the" Episcopal Church is above every 
 thing. In this city it makes a decent fig- 
 ure, but the Presbyterians are much 
 a'love them, and the Governor (Clinton,) 
 who is particularly attentive to me, goes 
 to the meeting-liouse. 
 
 "But *he preachers, though all, civil to 
 me, look upon me with dread, and none 
 of them has asked me to preach in their 
 pulpits. This however does them no good. 
 Several persons express a wish to hear 
 me, and are ashamed of the illiberality of 
 the preachers, and some are avowed Uni- 
 tarians, so that I am fully persuaded an 
 Unitarian minister, of prudence and good 
 sense, might do very well here. If I were 
 here a Sunday or two more 1 would make 
 a beginning, and I intend to return for 
 this purpose. The greatest difficulty arises 
 from the indifference of liberal-minded 
 men as to religion in general; they are so 
 much occupied with commerce and poli- 
 tics. One man of proper spirit would be 
 sufficient to establish a solid Unitarian in- 
 terest; and I am persuaded it, will soon be 
 done. As 1 am much attended to, and 
 my writings, which are in a manner un- 
 known here, begin to be inquired after, 1 
 will get my small pamphlets immediaiely 
 printed here; and wherever 1 can get an 
 invitation to preach 1 will go. With this 
 view I shall carefully avoid all the party 
 politics of the country, and have no other 
 
Cases of Mr. Abbot and Mr. Sherman. 
 
 15 
 
 object besides religion and philosophy. 
 Philadelphia will be a more favorable sit- 
 uation than this, and there I shall make a 
 beginning. It will be better, however, to 
 wait a little time, and not show much zeal 
 at the first; and as my coining here is 
 much talked of, I .-hall reprint my Past 
 and Pareweil Sermons. • 
 
 "I have written to Air. Belsham, whom 
 I hope, some time or other, to draw 
 hither. He will tell you my scheme, lint 
 as 1 am soon going to Philadelphia, I shall 
 soon know more un the subject. 
 
 "I was never more mortified than I 
 now am at not having with me any of iny 
 small tracts in defence of the divine unity, 
 as my being here leads many persons to 
 wish to read what I have written on the 
 subject. — I bhall reprint them, and I flat- 
 ter myself they will produce a considera- 
 ble effect. Indeed my c lining hither 
 promises to be of much more service to 
 our cause than I had imagined. But time 
 is necessary, and I am apt to be too pre- 
 cipitate. I want your cool judgment. You 
 waited patiehtly a long time in London; 
 but what au abundant harvest have you 
 had there. J. Priestlet." pp. 47, 48. 
 
 How well these ardent expec- 
 tations were fulfilled Mr. Bel- 
 sham informs us. 
 
 "Dr. Priestley's personal ministry in 
 the United Stales was attended with very 
 litlie apparent success. In Northumber- 
 land, where he resided, he collected but 
 lew proselytes; and in Philadelphia, where 
 the chapel in which he preached was at 
 first crowded w ith the principal characters 
 in the United States, he was afterwards 
 for some reason or other almost deserted. 
 Yet here his labors were not wholly inef- 
 fectual. Since Dr. Priestley's decease a 
 small, but highly respectable congrega- 
 tion, has been formed, in which, till a 
 regular minister can he procured, a few 
 of the most intelligent and best informed 
 members conduct the service by turns; 
 and the society, upon the whole, is in- 
 creasing, though some, who once professed 
 zeal in the cause, have turned their backa 
 «pon it. The Unitarians in Philadelphia 
 are now erecting a chapel for religious wor- 
 ship, to which many of different persuasions 
 have contributed liberally." pp. £5, 24, 
 
 In Connecticut, that land of 
 steady habits, Unitarianism has 
 had poor success. Two minis- 
 ters, the Rev. J. Sherman, and 
 the Rev. A. Abbot, who endeav- 
 
 ored to make disciples there to 
 the sect in question, were both 
 obliged to separate from their 
 charges. Mr. Belsham has in- 
 troduced a long account of the 
 persecution, (as he is pleased to 
 consider it) of these two "worthy- 
 confessors." We shall not enter 
 upon the examination of these 
 cases at present- We refer our 
 readers for the examination of 
 Mr. A.*s case to the Panoplist 
 for August, 1812, p. U8, where 
 they will find an ample leviewof 
 it. Mr. Sherman's case is quite 
 as unfortunate for Mr. B.'s cause. 
 Mr. S. was dismissed, not by a 
 Consociation, or an ex-parte 
 council; but by a Mutual Coun- 
 cil; by men whom he himself 
 considered as favoring his cause. 
 On some of the reflections which 
 Mr. B. makes, with regard to 
 his dismission, we shall have 
 occasion again to touch. We 
 shall dismiss the case at present, 
 with advising Mr. B , before he 
 bestows the honors of martyr- 
 dom again, to wait until the 
 martyr has had time to evince 
 the stability of his profession. 
 
 Of Mr. S. we are altogether 
 disposed to speak with tender- 
 ness. We have always greatly 
 lamented his fall. He was an 
 amiable man, and possessed re- 
 spectable talents. But we be- 
 lieve that Unitarians themselves 
 are not much gratified with his 
 present standing. 
 
 Nothing but the merest spirit 
 of party could ever have laid 
 hold of the cases of Mr. Abbot 
 and Mr. Sherman, as subjects 
 of complaint. Nothing but a 
 partial, colored, mangled state- 
 ment of their cases, could be of 
 any avail to the Unitarian cause. 
 After all the means, which are 
 before the public, of becoming 
 
16 
 
 Ordinations at Boston. 
 
 acquainted with the merits of 
 these cases, we think it to be 
 unnecessary to dwell any longer 
 upon the subject. 
 
 Mr. Belsham informs us, that 
 a Unitarian congregation has 
 been formed at Oldenbarneveld, 
 in the State of New York Mr. 
 Sherman was their first minis- 
 ter. He was, however, dismiss- 
 ed before long; and the congre- 
 gation was fast dwindling away, 
 when Mr. Belsham's book was 
 written. 
 
 Mr. B. wrote too early to 
 communicate some other curi- 
 ous information, on the subject 
 of Unitarianism in the western 
 part of the State of New York. 
 We will supply the defect. 
 Within two years, two Unitarian 
 ministers, unable to procure or- 
 dination from the clergy in that 
 ■vicinity, have been ordained by 
 some of the ministers of Boston, 
 and others in its vicinity, over 
 Oldenbarneveld, and Canandai- 
 gua. 
 
 One of these ordinations took 
 place lateJy in Boston; the other 
 a year or two since in the neigh- 
 borhood. This is rather a new 
 practice in our country; but it 
 has some recommendations. 'It 
 saves much expense and time. 
 A few years since, it was cus- 
 tomary fur Unitarian candidates, 
 who were desirous of obtaining 
 a settlement without exposing 
 themselves to the scrutiny of or- 
 thodox clergymen, to send from 
 distant places to Boston and the 
 vicinity for an ordaining coun- 
 cil. All this was attended with 
 trouble, and was, besides, calcu- 
 lated to excite inquiry and dis- 
 trust. But now, if a Unitarian 
 candidate wishes to be ordained, 
 whether he thinks it proper to 
 avow his scniments or not, he 
 
 can take a journey to Boston, 
 where an ordaining council can 
 be found without the least incon- 
 venience. If some members of 
 the congregation, not under- 
 standing the reason of so novel a 
 proceeding, should require an 
 explanation, it will be easy to 
 say, that there is no place in the 
 world, where so venerable, and 
 wise, and learned, and liberal a 
 council can be formed as in Bos- 
 ton. Our readers may be sur- 
 prised at the measure here de- 
 scribed: but we have long since 
 ceased to be surprised at any 
 measure, which could propagate 
 the principles in question. 
 
 We must now come to a sub- 
 ject on which we should not 
 touch without mature considera- 
 tion. We mean the propaga- 
 tion of Unitarianism in Harvard 
 College. We are fully sensible 
 of the delicacy of the subject. 
 That this noble institution has 
 laid fast hold of the affections of 
 the community, is a subject of 
 congratulation rather than of 
 wonder. It has been, in many 
 points of view, the pride and 
 glory of our western world. Its 
 excellent founders and subse- 
 quent benefactors have endow- 
 ed it in a manner unparalleled 
 in this country; and it has been 
 the nursery of a long and illus- 
 trious train of religious, civii, 
 and literary characters, whose 
 names will not be forgotten, 
 while the history of the United 
 States shall continue to attract 
 the notice of m'ankind. Its lit- 
 erary character we are far from 
 wishing to disparage, or under- 
 value. Its instructors are 'a 
 highly respectable body of men. 
 Among them are some, as we 
 would hope and believe, who 
 prefer the faith of our fathers to 
 
Unitarianism in Harvard College. 
 
 17 
 
 the new philosophy of the day. 
 Whatever we may think of the 
 religious opinions of others, we 
 are not in the slightest degree 
 tempted to detract from any just 
 estimation, in which they ought 
 to be held, as men of talents and 
 literature. If talents are per- 
 verted, or erudition misapplied, 
 in the zealous propagation of 
 the new philosophical religion, 
 we must of course lament such 
 a state of things; but this ♦will 
 neither warrant nor prompt us 
 to treat the persons concerned 
 with disrespect. 
 
 We are aware of the artifice, 
 which has been resorted to by 
 some distinguished names, to 
 save this Seminary from animad- 
 version. The moment we be- 
 gin to express our fears res- 
 pecting the tendency of its ad- 
 ministration, they vociferate, 
 "Why then you are enemies to 
 learning! You want to pull down 
 the college; to check the spirit 
 of improvement and inquiry; 
 and to bring us back to the dark 
 ages?" This will do very well 
 as a hasty appeal to the vulgar; 
 but if it be intended as a speci- 
 men of the new philosophical 
 reasoning, it is, we should sup- 
 pose, not quite so happy as could 
 be wished by its authors. 
 
 What! Are we enemies to 
 learning, because we are con- 
 vinced that learning misap- 
 plied and perverted may do great 
 barm to the community? And 
 because we are earnestly desi- 
 rous, that this noble Institution, 
 sacredly consecrated "to Christ 
 and the Chiych," should regard 
 its original destination, and not 
 teach men to deny the Lord of 
 glory, instead of worshipping 
 him? Are we enemies to Har- 
 vard University, because we ar- 
 
 dently wish that the majority of 
 its instructors had such views of 
 Christianity as appear to us 
 evangelical, instead of other 
 views, which they now entertain 
 and inculcate? The allegation is 
 as contemptible as it is errone- 
 ous, and can never weigh a 
 feather, but with persons, who 
 are guided neither by reason- 
 ing nor by principle. 
 
 But may we not be mistaken, 
 in our apprehensions respecting 
 the administration of Cambridge 
 College? Would tQ God we 
 might be convinced of this; but 
 the proof, from the pamphlet 
 before us, is too plain to admit 
 of doubt. 
 
 Mr- Belsham has told us what 
 was done at Cambridge, morei 
 than 20 years ago, to introduce 
 Unitarianism there. 
 
 "As a further means of diffusing the 
 important doctrines of the proper Unity" 
 of God, and the simple humanity of Je- 
 sus Christ, Mr. Liudsey made a present 
 of his own and of Dr. Priestley's Theolog- 
 ical Works to the Libraiy of Harvard 
 College^ in the University of Cambridge 
 in New England; for which, "as a very 
 valuable and acceptable present," he re- 
 ceived the thanks of the President and 
 Fellows. These books were read with 
 great avidity by the students. But 
 though there is reason to believe that the 
 seed thus sown took deep root, and that 
 in many instances it produced an abun- 
 dant harvest; and though many persons 
 eminent for rank and talent in the New 
 England Stales openly avowed the Unita- 
 rian creed, it does not appear that any 
 numerous societies of Christians have 
 hitherto followed the example of the 
 congregation at the King's Chapel, in 
 making a public profession of the Unitari- 
 an doctrine." pp, 15, 16. 
 
 Again; 
 
 "In the state of Massachusetts, and 
 particularly in the environs of Boston, 
 the great cause of Christian truth," (i. e. of 
 Unitarianism,) "is making a silent but rap- 
 id and irresistible progress. From the 
 inquisitive an4 liberal spirit which pre- 
 
Unitarianism in Harvard College. 
 
 vails in the University of Cambridge, 
 which has never been checked at any 
 time, but which there is reason to expect 
 ■will receive every requisite aid and en- 
 couragement from the present learned 
 and accomplished Principal, Dr. Kirk- 
 land, the happiest consequences may be 
 expected to ensue." p. 37. 
 
 We refer also to the first par- 
 agraph of the letters of Mr. 
 Wells, a distinguished and fa- 
 vorite alumnus of that college. 
 If further evidence were want- 
 ing, we might find it, in the 
 class of books recommended by 
 the Professor of Divinity in that 
 Seminary, as the best books in 
 Theology; in the manner in 
 which his Theological Lectures 
 are managed, and in which the 
 exercises of the Sabbath are con- 
 ducted; especially, in the Gen- 
 eral Repository, a work, which 
 declares the doctrine of the 
 Trinity to be the grossest cor- 
 ruption of modern times; and in 
 a letter of consolation and en- 
 couragement written by Dr. 
 Kiikland to the New Unitarian 
 Church in Philadelphia; which 
 they, like their Apostle Bel- 
 sham, have been complaisant 
 enough to publish, by shewing it 
 to several ot their orthodox 
 friends. But it is unnecessary 
 to proceed in this detail, which 
 might be enlarged to thousands 
 of particulars. The gentlemen 
 themselves, since Mr. Belsham 
 has so unexpectedly and impru- 
 dently betrayed the matter, will 
 not, we presume, for a moment 
 hesitate to avow the princples 
 which they hold. 
 JThere is one topic of proof, how- 
 ever, which is of a very solemn 
 nature, and which deserves a 
 separate notice. We refer to 
 the prayers, offered by the Pres- 
 ident, at the public commence- 
 ment. It will not be contended, 
 
 that these prayers, as they have 
 been offered for four years in 
 succession, afford an unfavorable 
 specimen of the kind of religion, 
 which is taught in the college 
 Indeed, the prayers of professed 
 Christians, generally, are much 
 less apt to be erroneous, than 
 their direct, formal, instructions. 
 At one commencement, that of 
 1813, the prayers were particu- 
 larly observeed, and their defi- 
 ciences noticed, even by chil- 
 dren who had b«»en accustomed 
 to far other devotional exercises. 
 At the close of the day, several 
 gentlemen of education and res- 
 pectability, from different parts 
 of the American union, came to 
 the unanimous conclusion, that 
 the following negatives could be 
 truly asserted concerning both 
 the prayers: viz. That there was 
 no mention of sin; of course no 
 petition for forgiveness; no ad- 
 mission or implication that man- 
 kind are in a ruined state; no 
 acknowledgment of exposedness 
 to sin. There, was no mention 
 of salvation; nor the slightest 
 allusion to any church as existing 
 upon earth; nor to the holiness 
 and happiness of heaven. There 
 was no mention of a radical dis- 
 tinction among men; no admis- 
 sion of regeneration; no suppli- 
 cation for spiritual aid. There 
 was no looking forward to a 
 more blissful period of the 
 world, when the truth shall be 
 universally prevalent. In one 
 of the prayers, there was no 
 mention of Christ, nor the most 
 distant allusion to Him; in the 
 other, the only mention or allu- 
 sion was in the three closing 
 words, "through our Redeem- 
 er." 
 
 We should not have mention- 
 ed this subject, if it seemed pos- 
 
Manner of propagating Unitarianism. 
 
 19 
 
 ^ible that such prayers could 
 have originated from mere for- 
 getfulness, or accident. Were 
 ye asked for a positive descrip- 
 tion of them, we should say, that 
 they were such as a candid and 
 intelligent man would suppose 
 Mr. Belsham to make, in perfect 
 consistency with his creed. 
 
 It is to be remembered, that 
 the departure of a class from the 
 college, where they have been 
 educated, is to them a solemn 
 occasion; and that they need-, 
 whatever their instructors may 
 think on the subject, to be earn- 
 estly and affectionately com- 
 mended to the grace of God. 
 They need the prayers of all, 
 who have an interest at the 
 throne of grace, that as they go 
 forth into the world, and become 
 more exposed to its manifold 
 temptations, they may be pre- 
 served from sin, and sanctified 
 by the Word and Spirit of God, 
 made blessings to the church 
 and the world, and prepared for 
 endless happiness and glory. 
 
 Such, then, is the melancholy 
 yiew of this important Seminary; 
 which contains hundreds of 
 promising yoiSths, who are here- 
 after to act a conspicuous part 
 in the important business of life. 
 The most superficial observer 
 must see, that such a seminary 
 is the very heart of the common- 
 wealth; every pulse it beats, if it 
 be diseased, will send poisonous 
 blood to the very extremities of 
 the body politic. Let Christian 
 parents look well to this. The 
 men that raised up the College, 
 and made it the glory of our 
 western world, were men who 
 consecrated it "to Christ and the 
 church" To them belongs the 
 praise of making it what it has 
 been. But it is no longer what 
 
 it once was. The lustre of sci- 
 ence still shines, but the Sun of 
 Christianity is eclipsed. Young 
 men leave the place now, not 
 with hosannas in their mouths 
 to the Son of David; but with 
 burning zeal to propagate the 
 new philosophy. Does the par- 
 ent, who bows the knee to Jesus, 
 wish to have his son deny the 
 Lord that bought him? If not, 
 let him well reflect what desti- 
 nation he gives him, to be taught 
 the principles of religion as well 
 as science. 
 
 If the advocates for the present 
 administration of the College are 
 displeased with these remarks, 
 they must thank Mr. Belsham 
 for having elicited them. We 
 never took our pen with greater 
 caution, nor with a more imperi- 
 ous sense of duty. 
 
 We have done with the His- 
 tory of the progress of Unitari- 
 anism; but there are some inci- 
 dental points in the pamphlet 
 before us, which it will be prop- 
 er to notice. 
 
 The manner^ in which Unita- 
 rianism is propagated, deserves 
 a few moments attention. Dr. 
 Freeman, as has been seen al- 
 ready, describes certain cau- 
 tious characters, "who content 
 themselves with leading their, 
 hearers', by a course of rational 
 but prudent sermons, gradually 
 and insensibly to embrace" Uni- 
 tarianism. Though Dr. F. does 
 not entirely approve this mode; 
 "yet," says he, "it produces good 
 effects." 
 
 Mr. Belsham has inserted in 
 his work, (pp. 38 — 41 of the 
 pamphlet,) a very "curious" let- 
 ter, to use his own epithet; but 
 has not told us who was the 
 writer of it. We recommend 
 this letter to our readers> as one 
 
20 Manner* of propagating Unitarianism. 
 
 of the most admirable specimens 
 of anility, which they will any 
 where find. It contains a great 
 deal of small talk, concerning 
 the Boston Clergy and other 
 things. The object of Mr. Bel- 
 sham in publishing it, was, 
 doubtless, to chastise the Boston 
 Clergy for their cowardice in 
 concealing their religious opin- 
 ions. Hear him commenting on 
 this letter: 
 
 "Can it upon the common principles of 
 human nature be reasonabb/ expected of 
 a body of clergy, nursed in the lap of ease 
 and affluence, and placed in a station of 
 such high secular consideration and com- 
 fort as that of the ministers of Boston, 
 that they should come forward and by an 
 open profession of unpopular truth volun- 
 tarily risk the loss of all their temporal 
 dignity and comfort, and incur the con- 
 tempt and enmity of many who are now 
 their warmest admirers and friends? I say 
 not this by way of disparagement to the 
 present body of ministers in Boston and 
 its neighborhood. Some of these I have 
 the pleasure to call my friends, and know 
 thorn to be possessed of talents the most 
 distinguished, of piety the most fervent, 
 and of benevolence and zeal the most ar- 
 * dent, active and laudable; and of the rest 
 I have heard a most favorable character. 
 It is the situation, not the men, which ex- 
 cites my apprehensions. And who will 
 venture to say of himself, that his virtue 
 •would be equal to the trial. Yet still it 
 cannot reasonably be hoped that truth 
 will make any visible and rapid progress, 
 till her advocates rise above the fear of 
 man, and the love of ease, and are willing 
 with the apostles of Christ and the re- 
 formers of every age, to forsake all and to 
 sacrifice their dearest interests in her glo- 
 rious cause. The encouragement and 
 success which such faithful confessors 
 would meet with in that populous and op- 
 ulent city, would, I doubt not, be very 
 great." p. 41. 
 
 "Faithful confessors!" What 
 distinguished self-denial, sim- 
 plicity, and godly sinccrityl The 
 crown of martyrdom surely 
 awaits you. Arc you not impa- 
 tient to be gone, and grasp the 
 immortal prize? 
 
 Mr Belsham takes the liberty 
 to differ very much from his 
 
 Boston brethren, on the subject 
 of concealing their sentiments 
 in this manner. Mr. Wells has 
 undertaken to become their ad- 
 vocate. His plea in their behalf 
 has been already seen in the third 
 paragraph of his letter. 
 
 We pass over, for the present, 
 the very decorous appellations, 
 liberally bestowed by Mr. Wells 
 upon the orthodox; and remark 
 merely, that the apology for his 
 cautious brethren sufficiently in- 
 dicates his views of their con- 
 duct in regard to their public 
 teaching. 
 
 Thus it is, and thus it has been 
 for years. Knowing that the 
 cold skepticism of Socinianism 
 cannot satisfy the wants nor alle- 
 viate the woes of plain common 
 sense people, its advocates in 
 general have not dared to be 
 open. They have clandestinely 
 crept into orthodox churches, 
 by forbearing to contradict their 
 faith, and then have gradually 
 moulded them by their negative 
 preaching, to the shape which 
 they would wish. The people, 
 after a while, never hearing of 
 the atonement, nor of special 
 grace, or any of the kindred doc- 
 trines, forget that they belong to 
 theChristian system; and, by and 
 by, regard a man as a kind of 
 enthusiast, or monster, who 
 preaches such doctrines. Who 
 does not see, that there is great 
 cunning, and that there is great 
 policy in all this? But then — the 
 honesty! That is another matter. 
 Did the holy apostles act in this 
 manner when they preached to 
 Jews or heathens? Did they 
 teach by negatives? Let those 
 blush, who profess to follow the 
 apostles, and yet behave in this 
 base, hypocritical manner! Com- 
 mon honesty revolts at it. The 
 idea that a minister believes 
 
Manner of Propagating Unitarianism. 2i 
 
 the truths of the Gospel to be of 
 infinite importance, and still 
 conceals them, is incompatible 
 either with fidelity or integrity. 
 
 We appeal to the community 
 at large, whether it is not a noto- 
 rious fact, that candidates for the 
 ministry, of the liberal party, 
 generally conceal their religious 
 opinions; and that they do this 
 v/ith particular Care, when there 
 is a prospect, or a hope, of their 
 being settled over orthodox 
 churches? We ask, also, wheth- 
 er it is not a notorious fact, that 
 candidates of the orthodox school 
 generally avow their religious 
 opinions with the utmost frank- 
 ness, and that they take particu- 
 lar care to do so, when there is a 
 prospect of their being settled 
 over churches and congrega- 
 tions, which are supposed to 
 have a leaning towards modern 
 liberality? A child can draw the 
 inference; especially when in- 
 formed, that inducements of a 
 worldly nature would often be 
 quite as great in the latter class 
 of cases as in the former. 
 
 We know indeed, that modesty 
 is the plea of these negative 
 preachers! They do not wish to 
 be over-confident! But let us see 
 them undisguised; look at them 
 in Mr. Belsham's pamphlet; and 
 judge of this modesty and want 
 of confidence in their own opin- 
 ions. 
 
 "Unitarianism," says Mr. 
 Wells, "consists rather in not 
 believing." Yes, in not believing 
 the doctrines of the Gospel; but 
 not in having no creed. Some 
 Unitarians are, indeed of this 
 sort. They are universal skep- 
 tics, respecting every proposi- 
 tion that relates to Christianity. 
 But most have a creed. What 
 that is, we have seen from the 
 
 hand of the ingenuous Mr. Bel- 
 sham; who, whatever other faults 
 he has, is certainly not often 
 chargeable with the faults of 
 tergiversation and duplicity. 
 
 Of the manner in which Uni- 
 tarianism is taught in Harvard 
 College, Mr. Wells has given 
 us a description in the first para- 
 graph of his letter, to which the 
 reader will please to refer. This 
 accords, to be sure, very well 
 with the accounts which we have 
 often received, of the manner of 
 instruction in divinity, at present, 
 in that University. System m 
 instruction, as a positive entity, 
 is indeed sufficiently remote 
 from the "direction" of the In- 
 structors; but that religion, 
 "which consists in not believ- 
 ing," is taught by a well concert- 
 ed and uniformly executed plan 
 of negatives. All systems but 
 Unitarianism are openly, or se- 
 cretly, impugned or ridiculed, 
 while the '■'■not believing" reli- 
 gion is dexterously substituted 
 in their place* 
 
 We unite most heartily with 
 Mr. Belsham, on the subject of 
 propagating Unitarianism, in the 
 'wish to see all who are truly 
 Unitarians openly such,' and that 
 they would teach the doctrines 
 of their creed, "as well as prac- 
 tise the rites of Unitarian wor- 
 ship." p. 41. 
 
 Let every honest man look at 
 the above picture of Unitarian- 
 ism, drawn by the leaders them- 
 selves. Hear Mr. Wells once 
 more, on the spread of these 
 principles. "Its tenets," (those 
 of Unitarianism,) "have spread 
 ■very extensively in New Eng- 
 land, but I believe there is only 
 one church professedly Unita- 
 rian." p. 44. Indeed! And are 
 these the true representatives 
 
22 How Unitarians praise each other. 
 
 of the Apostles and martyrs, 
 glorifying God by an often pro- 
 fession of his Gospel, and not 
 ashamed to own their Lord be- 
 fore men? Is this the simplicity 
 and godly sincerity of the Gos- 
 pel? And these the men, who 
 claim all the reason, all the learn- 
 ing, all the charity, all the integ- 
 rity of the community? Are these 
 the men, who, according to the 
 insinuation of Mr. Wells, are 
 "every thing that is respectable," 
 while their opponents are "every 
 thing that is detestable?" The 
 conduct of Mr. Belsham, rotten 
 as he is, in point of doctrine, to 
 the very core, is purity itself 
 compared with the conduct of 
 these. 
 
 There is another striking 
 characteristic in the progress of 
 Unitarianism in this country. 
 We have, in various places, the 
 history of the manner in which 
 converts are made to this reli- 
 gion. The Boston clergy are 
 represented by Dr. Freeman, as 
 first converted bv the labors of 
 Mr. Hazlitt. The Rev. Mr. Ox- 
 nard, the father of the Unitarians 
 at Portland, was "convinced by 
 the works of Dr. Priestley and 
 Mr. Lindsey." p. 16. "The pub- 
 lications of these men," says Dr. 
 F. "have had, and probably will 
 have, great effects." p. 17. By 
 the same publications, was the 
 Rev- J. Sherman convinced, p. 
 24- The works of other Unita- 
 rians make converts also at Old- 
 enbarneveld, and other places. 
 Dr. Priestley, in his letter al- 
 ready extracted, seems to con- 
 sider his Tracts as necessary to 
 his success. 
 
 All this, to be sure, is just 
 what the orthodox have long 
 affirmed; Unitarianism is not 
 spread by the Bible. But then, 
 
 that the sect, which has such a 
 loathing for all systems, and all 
 human creeds, and composi- 
 tions, should depend, and ac- 
 knowledge its dependence, for 
 all its success, on the works of 
 Priestley, Lindsey, and a few 
 others, is not quite so consistent 
 as one might expect. Yes, the 
 Bible, and the Holy Spirit of 
 God, are not once named in the 
 whole pamphlet, as the causes 
 of conversion to Unitarianism; 
 or as even co-adjutors in this 
 work. The truth frequently 
 owes its disclosure to accident. 
 Mr. Belsham and his correspon- 
 dents, did not mean to portray 
 Unitarianism thus. But where 
 there was no disguise; in the 
 free expression of their hearts, 
 they told the honest truth. To 
 Priestley, and Lindsey, and their 
 co-adjutors be all the glory of 
 the spread of this sect! The Bi- 
 ble will, we apprehend, be the 
 last to claim it. 
 
 There is another characteristic 
 of Unitarians, displayed in this 
 pamphlet, which is not new to 
 us, but with which we have for 
 many years been nauseated. It 
 is the practice of universally be- 
 daubing each other, with all the 
 fulsome adulation which they can 
 collect and invent. Let us see 
 how this matter is managed by 
 Mr. Belsham and his corres- 
 pondents- We begin with the 
 commencement of the book, and 
 go on in course. The Rev. J. 
 Smith is simply "respectable." 
 Dr. Freeman has "a great deal 
 of knowledge, good sense, and 
 an excellent disposition." Mr. 
 Hazlitt is "pious, zealous, and 
 intelligent, — an honest man — and 
 an honest good man;" all in 
 twelve lines. Dr. Provost, who 
 is represented as favoring Dr. F. 
 
How Unitarians praise each other. 
 
 23 
 
 is a "man of great learning, lib- 
 era! sentiments, and deep piety," 
 as well as a "worthy prelate." 
 Governor Bowdoin, who is also 
 represented as favoring Dr. F. 
 has "learning, good sense and 
 merit." Mr. Carey is "worthy 
 of the honorable situation which 
 he occupies, and is well qualified 
 to carry on the cause in which 
 his exceilent colleague is en- 
 gaged." Mr. Oxnard is a "man 
 of good talents, sincere piety, 
 and of ardent zeal," a "worthy 
 founder," and a "worthy man;" 
 all in twelve lines. Gen. Lin- 
 coln is our "worthy Lieutenant 
 Governor." Mr. Thatcher is a 
 "gentleman of large property, 
 and of excellent character; of 
 active zeal, of high character, 
 approved patriotism and distin- 
 guished talents." Mr. Bentley, 
 (the Rjv. Mr. Bentley of Salem) 
 is a "man of a bold, independent 
 mind, of strong natural powers, 
 and of more skill in the learned 
 languages than any person of his 
 years in the state.'' Col- Mappa 
 is a "gentleman of truly respect- 
 able character, and of considera- 
 ble property." Mr. Vanderkemp 
 is "learned and pious — and ex- 
 cellent and worthy." Mr. Sher- 
 man is a "worthy confessor, — a 
 Christian confessor;" possesses 
 "fortitude and zeal," with a 
 "high elevation of character." 
 Mr. Abbot is the "faithful cham- 
 pion of truth, the amiable, use- 
 ful, and beloved pastor; the vir- 
 tuous sufferer; an able, honest, 
 and pious sufferer;" all within 
 half a page. Mr. Wells is "in- 
 telligent, learned, and valuable," 
 and has a "zeal for the truth 
 which is beyond all praise." Mr. 
 Norton is an "excellent young 
 man." Dr. Ware is "worthy 
 and learned;" and Mr. Buck- 
 
 minster is "reverend, and learn- 
 ed, and eloquent." 
 
 All this, and much more of the 
 same kind, in about 30 pages. 
 Truly praise must be plenty 
 enough, when it rains down thus 
 in showers. We wonder what 
 new Lexicon of epithets Mr. 
 Belsham and his correspondents 
 have been studying. It must 
 surely be a worthy book, by a 
 worthy author, printed by a wor- 
 thy printer, at a worthy press; 
 besides being bound in a worthy 
 manner by a worthy binder, and 
 sold by a worthy bookseller, at a 
 worthy price, to a worthy man, 
 who has made a worthy use of it, 
 in the composition of this worthy 
 history. 
 
 But to be serious; it is nause- 
 ating, it is intolerable, to find 
 such daubing on every page. 
 Let a man only turn Unitarian, 
 and he becomes at once a man of 
 talents, and consideration. The 
 newspapers puff his performan- 
 ces. He is flattered while he 
 lives; and canonized when he is 
 dead. Boston is, we believe, the 
 only place in this country, where 
 the manner in which duties are 
 discharged in the pulpit, are 
 made the perpetual subject of 
 newspaper eulogy. The Editors 
 of papers are not at the bottom 
 of this. It lies in the taste of 
 the Unitarian public. Cambridge 
 is the only University which 
 praises herself, and assumes a 
 place above all her sister col- 
 leges. We are satisfied that 
 Unitarianism has done this. It 
 is one of the arts of proselyting. 
 Mr. Belsham has shewn us how 
 he can play off his actors in the 
 drama. The disciples follow the 
 example of their master. But 
 it is high time to have clone 
 praising themselves; or at least 
 
24 
 
 How Unitarians praise each other 
 
 to be sensible of the awkward, 
 disgusting manner, in which 
 they discharge this essential part 
 ©f their vocation. 
 
 All this, however, we may be 
 told, proceeds from breasts over- 
 flowing with the milk of human 
 kindness; from a fountain which 
 sends forth ebullitions of univer- 
 sal philanthropy. Indeed! Let 
 us look a little farther before we 
 draw this conclusion. How do 
 these worthy, and Jiious, and can- 
 did, and liberal gentlemen treat 
 their opponents? Take the fol- 
 lowing specimens of liberality; 
 and these too from leaders of 
 the sect. 
 
 Mr. Belsham calls the oppos- 
 ers of Mr. Sherman, "ignorant 
 and malignant persecutors," p. 
 26. Mr. Vanderkfcmp says, that 
 Mr. Sherman has to struggle at 
 Oldenbarneveld, "with lurious 
 bigotry and ignorant supersti- 
 tion," p. 25. Mr. Wells, speak- 
 ing of an open contest about So- 
 cinian principles, indulges in 
 the most violent invectives. Dr. 
 Freeman tells Mr. Lindsey, that 
 he is frequently angry "with 
 error and bigotry;" and congrat- 
 ulates him, on his having "re- 
 claimed many from the errors of 
 idolatry and superstition." 
 
 Such are the undisguised ex- 
 pressions of these kind and lib' 
 tral gentlemen toward the ortho- 
 dox. All comment is superflu- 
 ous. In pretence, all is polite- 
 ness and liberality; in practice, 
 ■we find a rancor bitter as death, 
 and cruel as the grave. 
 
 Dr. Freeman has indeed gone 
 to the ne filus of his sect- The 
 orthodox are "idolaters"! Divine 
 Savior! What, then, are those 
 ten thousand times ten tliousaud y 
 and thousands of thousands, 
 around the throne of God, who 
 
 say with a loud voice, Worthy is 
 the Lamb that was slain, to re~ 
 ceive power, and richest an d wis- 
 dom, and strength, and honor and 
 glory and blessing, and who rest 
 not day nor night from this em- 
 ployment? 
 
 It is more than three years, 
 since we resolved to take up, as 
 a distinct article, the systematic 
 practice of praising each other,, 
 which has been adopted by the 
 narrow circle of leading Unitari- 
 ans in this country. This prac- 
 tice we verily believe to have 
 been carried to an extent abso- 
 lutely unexampled. It has been 
 so long continued, as to have be- 
 come a proverb, and a by-word, 
 in every part of the United 
 States. Other pressing subjects 
 have hitherto prevented us from 
 accomplishing our intention. 
 But from the complete success 
 which attended a hasty glance at 
 this subject, in a pamphlet on the 
 controversy between Miss Ad- 
 ams and Dr. Morse, we are sorry 
 that it has not long ago been ex- 
 amined and exposed. 
 
 But it is time to bring our 
 Review to a close. We will 
 touch on one or two subjects 
 more, and we shall have done 
 for the present. 
 
 We introduce the first sub- 
 ject, by extracting from Mr. 
 Belsham the following passage. 
 
 "Notwithstanding however these strong- 
 facts, this noble profession, and this con- 
 ciliatory spirit, the prudent Council pro- 
 ceed, as a matter of expediency, to dis- 
 miss Mr. Sherman from his connexion 
 with the society: and while they bear hon- 
 orable testimony to his character and tal- 
 ents, and "recommend him to the kind 
 reception of those who may see fit to em- 
 ploy him," they cautiously subjoin, that 
 they " 'do not consider themselves as giv- 
 ing their approbation of Mr. Sherman's 
 Peculiar phraseology or circUmsfantiai 
 difference of sentiment on the subject of 
 the Trinity." And ia their subsequent 
 
Necessity of a Sepai*aiiou. 
 
 25 
 
 *dviee to Mr. Sherman, they admonish 
 him to guanl against a bold spirit of spec, 
 ulation. and an inordinate love of novelty. 
 "It is not a little curious to contrast 
 those- ('ifferenc.es of opinion which this ven- 
 erable Council coolly describes under the 
 soft expressions of peculiar phraseology 
 and a circumstantial difference of senti- 
 ment. The man whom they gravely cau- 
 tion against a bold spirit of speculation and 
 inordinate love of novelty, asserts the doc- 
 trine, that there is One God, tbe sole ob- 
 ject of religious worship, and one Media- 
 tor between God and man, the man Christ 
 Jesus, who is the prophet and messenger 
 of God. While his orthodox opponents, 
 lo accommodate whom tbe Council think, 
 it expedient lo dismiss their exemplary 
 pastor, maintain as a doctrine essential to 
 salvation, and which they "can never 
 give up but with the Bible which contains 
 it," that "the man Jesus is truly and 
 properly God." Is the venerable Coun- 
 cil serious in stating differences so glaring 
 and so substantial as these, as nothing 
 more than a "peculiar phraseology" and a 
 "circumstantial difference of sentiment". 1 ' 
 No! No! Opinions such as these can no 
 more harmonize with each other than 
 light and darkness, than Christ and Belial. 
 They who hold doctrines so diametrically 
 opposite cannot be fellow worshippers in 
 the same temple. It was expedient that 
 they should separate. So far the Council 
 judged right." p. 30. 
 
 With all our hearts we sub- 
 scribe to this frank and ingenu- 
 ous comment. It does honor to 
 Mr. Belsham. How different 
 from the disguise of our Unita- 
 rians, and their whining com- 
 plaints about illiberality in the 
 orthodox in refusing to exchange 
 with them. We repeat with Mr. 
 Belsham, "Those who hold doc- 
 trines, so diametrically opposite, 
 cannot be fellow-worshippers in 
 the same temple." How can two 
 walk together unless they are 
 agreed? We hope these re- 
 marks of Mr. B. will stimulate his 
 brethren here, to adopt his lan- 
 guage on this subject; at least, 
 to permit the orthodox to come 
 out and be separate, without til- 
 ling the churches and the news- 
 papers with complaints of bigot- 
 ry and uncharitablencRS. We 
 4 
 
 hope, too, that the orthodox will 
 be stimulated to act more deci- 
 sively on this subject, than they 
 have done. It is the reproach 
 and sin of Massachusetts, that 
 while all the orthodox, from Con- 
 necticut to Georgia, are unani- 
 mous in withholding communion 
 from Unitarians, she is lagging 
 behind, and dallying with this 
 awful and responsible subject. 
 It is high time for decisive ac- 
 tion on this point. We are aware 
 who stand in the way. There are 
 ministers, who make it their 
 boast to shoot as near to ortho- 
 doxy as they can, and not hit it; 
 who are waiting to sec which 
 way the tide will finally turn; 
 who will write one half of a ser- 
 mon to please the orthodox, and 
 the other half to satisfy Unitari- 
 ans; who mean to bo popular 
 with both parties, let the cause 
 of religion lare as it may. For 
 such, it requires the full exer- 
 cise of Christian meekness not 
 to feel contempt. We do feel 
 sincere commiseration. 
 
 There are others, too, who are 
 too modest and unassuming to 
 preach or act decisively, because 
 forsooth, they are not satisfied 
 aboutcertain controverted points. 
 Let such persons abandon the 
 office of teaching, and return to 
 their studies until they are satis- 
 fied. What right have they to 
 teach religion, when they them- 
 selves are not satisfied about its 
 fundamental principles? 
 
 Both these parties are clogs to 
 orthodoxy. Their help, is deadly 
 to the cause. We want none to 
 labor in the work, who are not 
 satisfied that it is the cause of 
 God, and prepared to act accord- 
 ingly. 
 
 Still, we would be the last to 
 justify persecution, or party 
 
26 
 
 Necessity of a Separation. 
 
 spirit. We abhor both. Let the 
 orthodox come out and be sepa- 
 ratees Mr. Belsham advises; but 
 let them utter no reproaches; let 
 them pass no hasty censures, no 
 unchristian excommunications. 
 Let them deal with their offend- 
 ing brethren in a solemn, affec- 
 tionate, tender manner. Their 
 business is to labor for the salva- 
 tion of souls, not to exalt a party. 
 As to the utter incompatibility 
 of Unitarianism with the faith of 
 orthodox churches, we present 
 our readers with the opinion of a 
 very able man, and a distinguish- 
 ed champion of the truth. , 
 
 "It is very obvious, that two systems, 
 of which the sentiments on subjects such 
 as these are in direct opposition, cannot, 
 with any propriety, he confounded to- 
 gether under one common name. 'That 
 both shouid be Christianity, is impossible; 
 else Christianity is a term which distin- 
 guishes nothing. Viewing the matter ab- 
 stractly, and without affirming, for the 
 present, what is truth and what is error, 
 this, I think, 1 may with confidence affirm, 
 that to cajl schemes so opposite in all their 
 great leading articles by a common appel- 
 lation, is more absurd, than it would be to 
 confou-.d together those two irreconcila- 
 ble theories in astronomy, of which the 
 ore places ihe Earth, and the other the 
 Sun, in the centre of the Planetary Sys- 
 tem. They are, in truth, essentia flu dif- 
 ferent religions. For if opposite views as 
 to the object of worship, the ground of 
 hope for eternity, the ride of faith and 
 duty, and the principles and motives of 
 true obedience; if these do not constitute 
 different religions, we may, without much 
 difficulty, discover some principles of union 
 and identity, among all religions what- 
 ever; we may realize the doctrine of 
 Pope's universal prayer; and extend the 
 right hand of fellowship to the worship- 
 pers at the Mosque, and to the votaries of 
 Brama." 
 
 These sentences arc taken 
 from a work now in the press, 
 and which will be presented to 
 the public in a few days. It is a 
 Series of Discourses on the So- 
 cinian Controversy, by the Rev. 
 Ralph Wardlaw, of Glasgow* and 
 
 has been received with very great 
 favor in Great Britain. Mr- 
 Wardlaw probably did not know, 
 that Pope's Universal Prayer had 
 been introduced with an altera- 
 tion which did not affect the 
 sense, into the public worship of 
 an enlightened congregation, in 
 the most enlightened place in 
 the world. Yes, this prayer, 
 which declares that the same God 
 is worshipped by one, whom the 
 New Testament describes as a 
 saint or holy person, by a sage, 
 who is laboring to emit the light 
 of philosophy from the darkness 
 of his own benighted mind, and 
 by a savage, who is engaged in 
 offering human sacrifices to his 
 malignant deities; — this prayer 
 is adopted by a Christian assem- 
 bly to be used as a hymn of praise 
 to the true God! 
 
 To return to the subject, from 
 which we digressed a moment, 
 let the orthodox separate in wor- 
 ship and communion from Uni- 
 tarians; but let them meekly give 
 a reason for their separation. To 
 treat their opponents with asper- 
 ity, with contempt, or reproach, 
 is unworthy of them as Chris- 
 tians, or as men. They must 
 feel, that their opponents have 
 souls to be saved or lost; souls 
 as precious as their own. The 
 great majority of those, whose 
 influence goes to swell the im- 
 portance of the liberal party, are 
 not involved in most of the cen- 
 sures, which this review implies, 
 or expresses. They, only, who 
 arc the principal actors in Mr. 
 Belsham's drama, have been thus 
 unwittingly exposed by their 
 heresiarch. Their conduct de- 
 serves animadversion in many 
 things, as it regards religion. In 
 a civil and social respect, we are 
 disposed to treat them with cour- 
 
Necessity of a Separation. 
 
 27 
 
 tesy. But we cannot, we ought 
 not to let this courtesy paralyze 
 our hands and make us indiffer- 
 ent, while the contest is pending, 
 whether Christianity shall exist 
 in any thing more than a name 
 in our country, or be supplanted 
 by the new philosophy. 
 
 Let our readers say, after the 
 above developement, whether 
 the time is not come, in which 
 we and they are to speak out, 
 and to act with decision. If it is, 
 then let them follow the exam- 
 ple; and let the churches in this 
 land, who yet reverence the reli- 
 gion of the Bible, (which was 
 the religion of our fathers,) and 
 bow the knee to Jesus, purify 
 themselves,' wherever it isneces- 
 sary from the reproach which 
 now lies against some of them. 
 
 Have you any doubts remain- 
 ing on this subject after perus- 
 ing the quotations contained in 
 this Review? You have seen, 
 Christians, in what manner your 
 Bible and your Savior are re- 
 garded and treated. Ponder well 
 on this. Shall your children be 
 trained up in these principles? 
 Remember that you are account- 
 able to God for the manner in 
 which you think and act on these 
 subjects. 
 
 We are aware, that it will be 
 charged against us, that the ten- 
 dency of the preceding remarks 
 is to give an unfair representa- 
 tion of the liberal party. It will 
 be said, that the liberal party 
 ought not to be condemned for 
 the extravagant opinions of Mr. 
 Belsham. It has been said, that 
 Mr. Wells is an obscure man, 
 and that his testimony does not 
 amount to much. This is new 
 to us. We had always supposed 
 that Mr. Wells was far from be- 
 
 ing an obscure man among the 
 liberal party; and we still believe 
 that he is one of the most intelli- 
 gent, active, and prominent men 
 in their ranks. That he has been 
 among the planners and execu- 
 tors of nearly all their literary- 
 publications will not be doubled. 
 It is with pleasure that we men- 
 tion one proof of genuine liber- 
 ality in Mr. Wells: we refer to 
 his republication of the Chris- 
 tian Observer. By presenting 
 this work to the American pub- 
 lic, he conferred a lasting benefit 
 on this country; though, by do- 
 ing it, he incurred the disappro- 
 bation of some of his Unitarian 
 brethren. We believe, however, 
 that Mr. Wells is not at present 
 concerned in that publication. 
 
 But there is much evidence 
 on this subject, besides the tes- 
 timony of Mr. Wells and Dr. 
 Freeman. We feel entirely war- 
 ranted to say, that the firedomi~ 
 nant religion of the liberal party 
 is deci ledly Unitarian, in Mi. 
 Belsham's sense of the word. 
 The Anthology, published by 
 the most prominent clergymen 
 and laymen of the liberal party, 
 clearly favored the Unitarian 
 school. The General Reposito- 
 ry was still more open and un* 
 disguised. Both these works 
 had the patronage of those, who 
 have the entire control of the 
 College; the latter issuing from 
 the walls of that seminary. The 
 Improved Version of the New 
 Testament was patronized and 
 praised by the same men. Ol 
 this Version Mr. Belsham says, 
 in his Calm Inquiry, p. 460, that 
 'the notes were intended chiefly 
 to exhibit the most approved in- 
 terpretations of the Unitarian 
 expositors.' Of this avowedly 
 
28 
 
 Necessity of a Separation. 
 
 sectarian publication the Re- 
 viewers in the General Reposi- 
 tory speak thus, vol. iv, p. 207- 
 
 "We honestly profi 89, and without fear 
 of losing reputation with those, whose 
 good opinion we are very solicitous to 
 retain, that we think it a work highly re- 
 spectable, and adapted to he very useful." 
 
 Again the Reviewers say, that 
 the editors of the improved Ver- 
 sion 
 
 "Have produced a version far more 
 faithful, more correct, and more inte)lip,i- 
 hle, than that in common use; a version 
 therefore to an intelligent English reader 
 of very great value." 
 
 In the Anthology for May, 
 1811, p. 330, is a review of the 
 Memoirs of Dr. W/uciock. This 
 review was written, as we have 
 reason to believe, by the Presi- 
 dent of Harvard College. If we 
 have been misinformed, we will 
 take the earliest opportunity of 
 correcting the mistake. In the 
 course of the article, there is 
 much sly sarcasm in reference 
 to the orthodox faith. The fol- 
 lowing passage we quote as a 
 specimen. 
 
 "The early conversion of Mr. Wliee- 
 lockis by no means the general privilege 
 of the disciples of his school, however ex- 
 emplary and regular their lives. The 
 change, which they deem saving, is most 
 commonly, in the case of those intended 
 for the ministry, delayed till near the time 
 when they must begin or relinquish their 
 chosen calling. At that period, thev often 
 find themselves pursued, as a "murderer 
 by the avenger of blood to the very gates 
 ot the city of refuge" — r and they must en- 
 ter or perish. If their reason survives the 
 dismay or despondence of the law-work, 
 the dreadful spasm passes oft"; and the agi- 
 tation subsides into a calm, which enables 
 them first to hear the whispers of hope, 
 and then proceed to the exultation of jov- 
 pp. 3S7, 338. 
 
 This passage is written in a 
 style which exactly suits the 
 views and feelings of the Unita- 
 
 rian school. Could the founders, 
 benefactors, and instructors ot' 
 Harvard College, for nearly a 
 century and three quarters, have 
 foreseen the day, when the liter- 
 ary publications, patronized by 
 the governors and instructors of 
 that institution, should ridicule 
 the idea of conversion by the 
 agency of the Holy Spirit of 
 God, with what deep and poig- 
 nant grief would their hearts 
 have been effected! And how 
 great would have been their as- 
 tonishment, as weli as their grief, 
 if informed, that the highest offi- 
 cer, in that venerable seminary, 
 would think it a proper employ- 
 ment of his time to sit down 
 coolly to the composition of a 
 strain of sarcasm and raillery on 
 such a subject: — and that, not for 
 his own amusement only, but to 
 be thrown into the world to fur- 
 nish new jests for the profane, 
 and increase the natural antipa- 
 thy of men to religion! 
 
 It appears, then, that the Col- 
 lege, and nearly all the influence 
 of the liberal party through the 
 medium of the press, are in favor 
 of Unitarianism. If individuals 
 dislike Mr. Belsham as a leader; 
 if they are not willing to be 
 classed among his followers; let 
 them declare their own opinions 
 openly. But let them not yield 
 all their countenance to Unitari- 
 ans and yet complain if ranked 
 in the same class, by those who 
 have no means of learning their 
 opinions except by their conduct. 
 
 The pamphlet contains a curi- 
 ous letter from Mr. Jefferson to 
 Dr. Priestley, which we have not 
 room to describe. Speaking of 
 Mr. Jefferson, Dr. Priestley says: 
 "He is generally considered as 
 an unbeliever: if so, however, 
 
 HE CANNOT BE FAR FROM VSj 
 
Remarks on Mr. Wells's Letter 
 
 29 
 
 and I hope in the way to be not 
 only almost, but altogether what 
 we are." This is what we have 
 always thought, and frequently 
 said. Unitarianism and Infidelity 
 are nearly related indeed. Mr. 
 Wells, who is a hopeful pupil of 
 the Priestleian school, says that 
 they are identical. "Unitarianism," 
 says he, "consists rather in not be- 
 lieving," and he wishes to make 
 men "zealous in refusing to be- 
 lieve." The words printed in Ital- 
 ics were so printed by Mr. Bel- 
 sham, and were probably under- 
 scored by Mr. Wells. On reading 
 this passage, we turned to the Im- 
 proved Version, saying to ourselves, 
 "Who knows but Mr. Wells may 
 read Scripture thus: He that bei'wv- 
 eth not shall be saved." We find 
 that this conjectural emendation is 
 probably reserved for some impro- 
 ved edition. Whether it is so re- 
 served or not, it is quite as worthy 
 of credit as several conjectural 
 criticisms contained in that work. 
 
 We shall close with a few brief 
 observations on Mr. Wells's letter; 
 a letter which contains, within a 
 small compass, a faithful epitome 
 of the most common cant of the lib- 
 eral party, as it has appeared in 
 their publications, for ten years past. 
 It is curious to observe the truly 
 meek and charitable manner, in 
 which Mr. Wells arranges the par- 
 ties to the Unitarian controversy. 
 On his own side, are "honesty un- 
 fettered and unbiassed," "correct 
 sentiments," "virtue and learning 
 and honor," "spirit and ability," 
 "good sense," "self-respect, the 
 companion of virtue," "truth," and, 
 in short, "every thing which is res- 
 pectable." On the side of the or- 
 thodox, are "craft and cunning 
 and equivocation and falsehood and 
 intolerant zeal," "low cunning," 
 "low prejudices," "and every thing 
 which is detestable." So much for 
 abstract qualities. When we come 
 to persons, we find "Mr. Norton, an 
 excellent young man," "the very 
 Avorthy ami learned Dr. Ware," 
 "Dr. Kirkland the president," 
 "most of the Boston cler ._. and res- 
 
 pectable laymen, (many of whom 
 are enlightened theologians,) who do 
 not conceal their sentiments, but ex- 
 press them, when they judge i; 
 firofier" and "Judge Thatcher, an 
 excellent man and most zealous 
 Unitarian:" these are drawn up in 
 battle-array, in the liberal rariEs. 
 Oil the other side no names arc. 
 mentioned except that of "Dr. M."*- 
 But we find that the orthodox con- 
 sist of "theological system-makers;" 
 of "the ignorant, the violent, the 
 ambitious, and the cunning;" of 
 "conceited deacons," and "bigoted, 
 persecuting Calvinists." Really! 
 This is an arrangement which, in 
 point of liberality, has seldom been 
 surpassed. Mr. Wells ought to be 
 appointed grand marshal of the 
 Unitarian corps. 
 
 Dr. Osgood and Dr. Lathrcp are 
 suffered to stand apart; This fai pr 
 seems to have been granted them, 
 because, to use the words of Mr: 
 Wells, "they are on the best possi- 
 ble terms with our Boston friends." 
 Mr. Wells decides without the 
 least hesitation, that Unitarian sen- 
 timents are the only sentiments to 
 be found in the New Testament. It 
 is not to our purpose to inqu re, 
 whence he di rived his authority to 
 dogmatize in this flippant manner. 
 He speak, however, of Drs. Osgood 
 and Lathrop as "really orthodox,"' 
 and as "noble and determined sup- 
 porters of the right of private judg- 
 ment." Yet,' if his decision is enti- 
 tled to credit, these aged and "ven- 
 erable" clergymen are the mere 
 dupes of "theological system-mak- 
 ers;" and have been employed all 
 their lives in teaching doctrines, 
 which have nothing to support them 
 in the New Testament.- 
 
 Again; Mr. Wells speaks in the 
 most confident manner as though all 
 the learning in die world was enlist- 
 ed on the Unitarian side, and had to 
 contend with nothing but ignorance, 
 
 * The manner in which Dr. 3M. is men- 
 tioned in this letter, and the injluencr 
 which he is deemed to have, will account 
 for no small part of the zeal, which some 
 Unitarians have shewn to put him down. 
 "Worthy" conduct in a "wwtliy" cause 
 
30 
 
 Remarks on Mr. Wells's Letter. 
 
 prejudice and bigotry. Is it possible 
 tbat Mr. Wells can believe, in ref- 
 erence to this country, that all the 
 learning is on his side, when nearly 
 all the regular clergy, all the col- 
 leges except one, and all the theo- 
 logical institutions, are decidedly 
 opposed to Unitarianism? and when 
 lie can number, as in favor of his 
 scheme, only one college, and a few 
 clergymen in Boston and the vicin- 
 ity? Is it possible, that he can be- 
 lieve the crude speculations of such 
 a man as Mr. Belsham to be evi- 
 dences of great learning, while such 
 men as Middleton, Magee, Buchan- 
 an, Wardlaw, Chalmers, and the 
 Editors of the Christian Observer, 
 are poor, ignorant, deluded, bigoted 
 creatures? 
 
 Again; Mr, Wells says that "the 
 violent pai*ty," (by which term he 
 very meekly characterizes the 
 friends of the religion of our fath- 
 ers,) "have very unwisely preferred 
 to insist upon a subscription to arti- 
 cles of faith." The simple fact is, 
 that the founders of the Theological 
 Institution at Andover have very 
 wisely insisted, that the professors 
 supported by their funds should sub- 
 scribe articles of faith. Yet a strang- 
 er would suppose, from Mr. Wells's 
 representation, that all our minis- 
 ters and churches wei*e required to 
 subscribe to some authorized form- 
 ulary of religious doctrines, on pen- 
 alty of being excluded from the com- 
 munion of the orthodox churches. 
 We need not say, that such a rep- 
 resentation is entirely unsupported 
 by fact. 
 
 It is indeed singular that men pro- 
 fessing unbounded liberality, should 
 raise and keep up a violent outcry, 
 merely because a few charitable in- 
 dividuals have endowed professor- 
 ships with their own money, and 
 have provided that the professors 
 should believe certain doctrines, 
 which, as the founders are fully 
 persuaded, are taught in the Scrip- 
 tures. 
 
 vVgain; "We have to contend 
 here," says Mr. Wells, "for the 
 first principles of Protestantism." 
 
 "In short, we are now contending 
 for the liberty of being Protestants." 
 ■Were it not that similar assertions 
 have been often made by many of 
 the liberal party, we should not no- 
 tice tins subject. We must intreat 
 Mr. Wells, and his brethren, to state 
 precisely what those principles of 
 Protestantism are, which are con- 
 tended for by him and his friends, 
 and denied by the orthodox. Till 
 this is done, we shall take the liber- 
 ty of asserting, and we do it without 
 the least fear of contradiction or ex- 
 posure, that no one fundamental 
 principle of Protestantism is thus 
 contended for and thus denied. Let 
 us look a moment a.t a subject, 
 which has given rise to so much 
 groundless clamor. What are the 
 first principles of Protestantism? 
 We have always supposed, that 
 justification by faith alone, was, by 
 way of eminence, the first principle 
 of the early reformers. Another 
 important principle was this; that 
 before regeneration men are totally 
 destitute of holiness, and can do 
 nothing which is acceptable in the 
 sight of God. Other principles were 
 the doctrines of predestination, elec- 
 tion, conversion by the Spirit of God, 
 new obedience, and perseverance. 
 Which of these doctrines is contend- 
 ed for by the liberal party in this 
 country, or denied by the orthodox? 
 But let us look at another class of 
 principles. Protestants have uni- 
 formly held, that the Scriptures are 
 the only and sufficient rule of faith 
 and practice; that Popish traditions 
 are of no authority; and that the 
 decisions of councils are not infalli- 
 ble. Have the orthodox in this 
 country ever denied either of these 
 principles? If they have, it is new 
 to us. Perhaps the orthodox have 
 been unwilling to put the Scriptures 
 into the hands of the common peo- 
 ple in their mother tongue? If so, 
 let the offence be proved. Let the. 
 guilty individuals be named; and we 
 will heartily join in their condemna- 
 tion. But it will he said, perhaps, 
 that the orthodox have a creed, or 
 creeds; in other words, they ex-r 
 
Postscript to the Second Edition. 
 
 31 
 
 press, by a short summary, the 
 principal doctrines, which they be- 
 lieve the Scriptures to contain. 
 This is true; and it is precisely 
 what all the Protestant churches 
 have uniformly done, in perfect 
 consistency with every principle of 
 the Reformation. Let us hear no 
 more of this miserable cant about 
 Protestantism. The complaint is 
 absolutely without foundation. As 
 Tvell might it be said, that the In- 
 quisition of Goa, having travelled 
 across the Indian and Atlantic 
 oceans, (palaces, caverns and all,) 
 has seated himself on. Beacon hill; 
 and that father Josefihus a Dolori- 
 bus sits there, on his black marble 
 throne, daily sentencing the "wor- 
 thy confessors" of Unitarianism to 
 his subterranean dungeons. The 
 liberal party are not contending for 
 the privilege of thinking for them- 
 selves. This has never been denied 
 them in this country. But they are 
 contending for the privilege of 
 thinking for themselves and the or- 
 thodox too; at least so far as to pre- 
 scribe the manner, in which the or- 
 thodox shall regard them. While 
 they mutilate the New Testament, 
 and reject nearly all the fundamen- 
 tal doctrines of the Gospel; while 
 they degrade the Savior to the con- 
 dition of a fallible, peccable, and 
 
 ignorant man; they clamorously 
 
 insist, that the orthodox should 
 have just as good an opinion of them 
 as they have of themselves, and 
 should acknowledge them to be 
 candid, impartial, enlightened, pi- 
 ous Christians. This is requiring 
 too much. While they demand the 
 privilege of thinking and acting for 
 themselves, let them accord the 
 same privilege to others. 
 
 Mr. Belsham predicts, that the 
 time will come when the truth, by 
 
 which he means Unitarianism, will 
 burst forth, in this country, "in all 
 her glory." Fired at the thought, 
 he indulges in the following figura- 
 tive language, with which the his- 
 tory concludes. 
 
 "The dull hollow rumbling at the hot- 
 torn of the sea, which is scarcely noticed 
 by the inattentive traveller who is gliding 
 carelessly over the solid plate of ice which 
 encrusts the surface, is, to the wary and 
 experienced observer, a sure presage of 
 the speedy and sudden explosion of the 
 immense superincumbent mass, and of the 
 restoration of the imprisoned waves to 
 their native freedom, to the consternation 
 and often to the utter destruction of those 
 who refuse to listen to the friendly pre- 
 monition." 
 
 This is a fair and generous warn- 
 ing. We have heard. "the dull hol- 
 low rumbling at the bottom of the 
 sea." We exhort the churches "to 
 listen to the friendly premonition;" 
 lest, when the fountains of the great* 
 deefi shall be broken up, those who 
 are careless and inattentive should 
 be overwhelmed by "the imprison- 
 ed waves" to "their consternation 
 and utter destruction!" 
 
 [P.S. TO THE SECOND EDITION.] 
 
 We find that the assertion, con- 
 tained in the foregoing review, that 
 "the predominant religion of the 
 liberal party is decidedly Unitarian, 
 in Mr. Belsham's sense of the word," 
 has been misunderstood by some 
 readers. It is sufficient to say here, 
 that we are prepared to defend the 
 assertion, in what appears to us the 
 natural meaning of the words. The 
 Rev. Mr. Channing's letter on this 
 subject will probably be considered 
 in a future number of the Panoplist. 
 
 NOTICE. 
 
 The Panoplist, from which the foregoing Review has been taken, is published every 
 month by SAMUEL T. ARMSTRONG, Boston, price Jg2 40 a year; the eleventh 
 volume is now printing; thirty-seven hundred and fifty copies are printed and sold 
 every month, and many more could be disposed of Subscriptions for the ensuing, 
 volume, or sets of the whole work, will be attended to promptly; at $2 75 per vol- 
 ume. The profits arising from the work are employed in diffusing the light c i" the 
 Gospel in our o-.vn and in foreign countries.