of terms, we could most heartily subscribe. We give the following as an example.

"To a man who is growing in the likeness of God, faith begins even here to change into vision. He carries within himself a proof of a Deity, which can only be understood by experience. He more than believes, he feels the Divine presence; and gradually rises to an intercourse with his Maker, to which it is not irreverent to apply the name of friendship and intimacy. The apostle John intended to express this truth, when he tells us that he, in whom a principle of Divine charity or benevolence has become a habit and life, dwells in God and God in him.' p. 6.

4. The Day of Doom; or a Poetical Description of the Great and Last Judgement; with a short Discourse about Eternity. By MICHAEL WIGGLESWORTH, A. M. Teacher of the Church at Malden, in N. E. From the sixth Edition, 1715. Boston: Charles Ewer, 1828. pp. 96.

We are utterly unable to assign a motive for the republication of these old scraps of ryme and meeter' at the present time. Their author was a pious and useful minister of a former age, who, no doubt from the best of motives, filled up the intervals of a protracted confinement in writing what then passed here for poetry. But why drag out his performance from under the ashes of more than a century, and offer it for present circulation? Is it to go with the Token, the Souvenir, &c., as a Christmas present? Or is it to burlesque Evangelical religion, and bring a most serious and awful subject into profane ridicule and contempt? This latter is the impression which first forced itself upon us; but considering the character and standing of the publisher, we would not indulge it, and we do not.

But whatever motive may have led to the publication of this book, we have no doubt as to the use that will be made of it. It will be referred to as demonstration strong that the Orthodox of New Eng-, land do now hold to certain modifications of doctrine here set forth, particularly the damnation of infants, their own most solemn convictions and repeated asseverations to the contrary, notwithstanding. We should not be surprised if the Christian Examiner should find matter here for a whole chapter, and should even insist upon our being responsible for that in poetry, which we deny in prose.

MISCELLANEOUS DEPARTMENT.

66

REMARKS ON A LETTER TO THE REV. PARSONS COOKE."

The Christian Examiner for July and August (published in November) contains a letter addressed to the Rev. Parsons Cooke, remarking on his Sermon, entitled, "Unitarianism an Exclusive System." For the contents of this sermon, we are in no shape responsible, having never expressed an opinion respecting it, one way or the other. Its author is of age, and will doubtless answer for himself. If any of his assertions are too sweeping, or have been made with out necessary qualification, he will, we presume, modify or retract them. Or if they are capable of being supported, he is able to support them. Hence, if

the letter to Mr. Cooke had respected him only, we should have left it exclusively to him, and taken no public notice of it whatever.

But this letter does not respect Mr. Cooke only. It takes a wider range. Repeated mention is made in it of Mr. Cooke's "party." Reference is had to those in close alliance with Mr. Cooke, "who would overthrow the institutions by which the state is upheld, in order to erect on their ruins a power, which by them may be deemed a blessing, though in all ages it has been found a curse." Indeed, all the flagitious designs attributed to Mr. Cooke are virtually charged upon 'his party' who set him on, or uphold him,' but who are not yet prepared for battle,' and 'had rather he had not come out, at least so soon-fearing that the victory may be lost, by the too eager and premature onsets of some of their inexperienced subalterns.'

"Is

Who then are Mr. Cooke's party-on whose heads this alleged criminality rests? No reader of the letter can doubt, for a moment, who the writer of it intends to stigmatize, as constituting this hated party. They are the Orthodox of Massachusetts. "It cannot but be amusing," says the writer, "to remark your wailing for the persecuted Sect TO WHICH YOU BELONG. What! the proud ORTHODOX minister . . . . belong to a persecuted sect!" "How strange that all the world should conspire against so meek and humble a spirit as Orthodoxy!" "Is the whole system of morals discarded from the Orthodox theology?" abuse of public agents, seditious appeals to the people against the government, open reviling of the law, sanctioned by the Calvinistic creed ?”—It is then the Evangelical or Orthodox Christians of this commonwealth, who are charged with setting on or upholding' Mr. Cooke, and "who would overthrow the institutions by which the state is upheld." It is the Orthodox religious community, from whose "theology" it is more than hinted that "the whole system of morals is discarded;" and by whose creed, "abuse of public agents, seditious appeals to the people against the government, and reviling of law," are said to be sanctioned."

Now if this letter, filled as it is with false charges and groundless insinuations against a very considerable portion of our religious community, had come out in the ordinary course of publication in the Christian Examiner, we should not have bestowed on it any particular attention. For we have become so much accustomed to reproaches from that quarter, that they are regarded as a thing of course-we scarcely feel them-they pass by us as the idle wind. But this letter is no ordinary communication, in the periodical which contains it. A very high degree of importance evidently attaches to it. It purports to be from the pen of a magistrate, and the common declaration among Unitarians, who may be expected to know, attributes it to one in an elevated station. We shall not name its reputed author; for, out of regard to the credit of our institutions and government, we are unwilling to name him in this connexion.

In refutation of his charges against the Orthodox of this community, we shall, of course, say nothing. If the lives and conversation of our ministerial and Christian brethren and friends will not shield them from the imputation of designing to overthrow the institutions of their country,-come this imputation from what source it may ;-if their example does not furnish a sufficient reply to the interrogation, "Is the whole system of morals discarded from the Orthodox theology ?"—then nothing we could say would avail to remove or relieve the difficulty. Instead of stopping to refute insinuations and aspersions like those here cast upon us, it becomes us rather to demand the evidence on which they are alleged. And this evidence we do demand. And until it is

furnished, we will hold the writer of this letter, be he high or low, as a false accuser of our brethren.

In what a pitiable light is the writer of this letter dragged forth, and made to present himself before the public, by the insertion of his performance in the Christian Examiner? If he wished to write a letter of reproof to Mr. Cooke, why not write it, and send it, and say no more about it? If Unitarians cannot support their cause without enlisting in it, as heated religious partizans, some of the highest public functionaries of the state and nation-those whose official duties require that they should be raised, beyond all others, above bias and party feeling of every kind, and enjoy the confidence, as they do the support, of the whole community-we repeat it, if the Unitarians cannot sustain their cause without enlisting such men, as declaimers at their public meetings, and writers in their periodicals, to accuse and denounce those who differ from them in sentiment, but who have the same right as they, to think, and speak, and act for themselves;-then let Unitarianism go down. Yes, really, we think it had better go down. And if it cannot be supported but by such means, we hazard nothing in predicting, it will go down. The good sense of this community cannot, will not, long sustain it. We see not with what face the reputed writer of this letter to Mr. Cooke can proceed another step in the performance of his professional duty. For no man of information and piety can look on him, go where he may, without thinking--and without blushing for his country while he thinks, This is the magistrate who rails at Orthodoxy! This is he who imputes to the Orthodox the design of overthrowing the institutions of their country! This is he who has said, in so many words, Is the whole system of morals discarded from the Orthodox theology? This is he, who has the effrontery to claim the confidence of Evangelical Christians, while he does not hesitate to slander and abuse them in the most public manner!'

In speaking of the writer of this letter, we have called no names. In our inquiries after him, we have heard but one name mentioned. We would do no one the injustice of ascribing it to him wrongfully; and if any individual, after reading our remarks, shall think himself implicated as its author, and shall wish to wash his hands of it, we pledge ourselves to afford him the earliest opportunity in our power.

UNITARIAN IMPATIENCE.

It has been intimated that Unitarians are waiting with impatience to hear what Dr. Beecher will reply to remarks in the Christian Examiner relative to his Letters on the damnation of Infants. We presume, from all circumstances, that their patience cannot yet have been very sorely tried; and lest it should be, we take the liberty to say, that Dr. Beecher is waiting, we hope patiently, for the tardy Examiner to finish what it may have to offer, that he may have an opportunity of speaking, once more, in behalf of God and truth.

CHRISTIAN SPECTATOR.

The conductors of the Christian Spectator inform us, on the cover of their last number, that they propose, after the present year, to publish their work as a religious quarterly, continuing the present title, and each number containing at least as many pages as three of the monthly numbers. We cordially approve the contemplated change, and wish them abundant success in their important undertaking.