If these arguments have no immoral distinction between their weight, I would then ask the lay- assent and belief, they magnaniman, why did two thousand cler- mously resigned their livings in gymen leave the church, in con- consequence of which faithful acsequence of the act of uniform- quiescence to the dictates of conity! certainly not one of them science, (though perhaps rather would have refused to engage to erroneous,) they are deservedly make the scriptures the rule held up as objects of imitation of his preaching." But they to all honest men in the like cir were honest, conscientious, though cumstances. It is obvious too, perhaps mistaken men, and dis- that if they left the church in dained to impose upon their bish- consequence of their disapproba ops, with distinctions fabricated tion of her ceremonies, those at St. Omers, and only calculated who disapprove her doctrines are for the convenience of impostors under additional obligations to and knaves. Unlike our modern follow the example. A clergydiscontents, they could agree in man might hesitate at, or occathe main to the doctrines of the sionally omit the sign of the cross church, though they could not to without being guilty of hypocrisy ; her ceremonies, and they knew but when a professed Unitarian that the nature of her constitu- mounts the reading desk, and tion was such, that she could no boldly reads the prayers which more dispense with the one, than are drawn up on the Trinitarian the other. When therefore they hypothesis, he is in fact worse objected to the sign of the cross than an infidel. in baptism, to the ring in marriage, to the surplice in the read. ing desk, to the consecrating of churches and cemeteries, or to any other ceremonies appointed and rendered indispensable by the church; they were sensible that they thereby as effectually precludNo choice is left, no deed themselves from it, as if they had mur is admissible! conform or denied the Athanasian creed itself. resign, is her emphatical mandate! Little did these honest men think and though, for reasons peculiar of remaining in the church, and to the singularly awful times in enjoying its temporalities, whilst which we live, she often connives they were at the same time bold at the disobedience of her children, ly preaching against her, as en- her principles are invariably the joining ceremonies and professing same as they were when she was doctrines repugnant to the holy first established. scriptures. No! they were too upright and consistent to practise such tergiversation! instead of sheltering themselves under the P. S. The layman writes about ambiguity of a general declara- Act-of-Parliament-Christians, tion of their belief in the holy he must know that the church is scriptures, or in a fraudulent, protected by acts of parliament, VOL. III. A clergyman cannot but know, that whilst he officiates in the church, he is bound to conform alike to her doctrines and cercmonies, according to the explication of them, which she has set forth in her articles and canons. 2 M Your's, CLER. EBOR. and that she often calls herself ing? If the layman succeeds in the church by law established, this task, he may plume himself Now the layman is respectfully upon having made a discovery called upon, to point out any which had escaped the notice of clause in the act of uniformity, all our former commentators and or any other of the acts alluded controversial writers on the 39. to, by which his opinion can be articles; none of whom ever vensanctioned, that a subscription to tured to assert, that a clergyman, the articles, is rendered next to is not in the least bound by his a mere nullity by a subsequent subscription to the articles, where promise to the bishop, that the he thinks scriptural truth to inparty ordained, will make the terfere." scriptures the rule of his preach MR. SEVERN TO MR. A. FULLER; ON THE ALLEGED INDIFFERENCE AND AVERSION OF SOCINIANS," TO CHRISTIAN MISSIONS. For the Monthly Repository. To the Rev. Andrew Fuller, publications, and they are hapSIR, Hull, April 29, 1808. pily united in their wishes for I have observed, that you are government not to tolerate evan. much in the habit of treating gelical religion," The mode in those, whose religious opinions which you set about the proof, or differ from your own, sans ceremo- illustration of your crimination, nic; I shall for once follow the is not a little curious. Messrs. same course. I do this by propos- Twining, Scott, &c. who are the ing to you a plain question, which opposers of the East Indian misstares a pan in the face, as soon sion, have made use of the term as it is brought in view. On what crangelical, as applied to certain authority, sir, do you assert that doctrines and their preachers, with the Unitarians, whom you call, marks of ridicule or disapprodoubtless with an intention of bation. A recent publication, shewing your respect, Socinians, written by a barrister, entitled are inimical to missionary under- "Hints on Evangelical Preachtakings, for the propagation of ing," treats the term in the same Christianity in heathen nations, style. Say you, not telling us and more particularly to the mis. by what means you discovered sion in the East Indies, under him in his anonymous guise, the direction of the Baptist mis- "the author is a Socinian dissensionary society? This strange po- ter." What follows? Since the sition you have attempted to es barrister scouts the epithet evantablish, in the beginning of the gelical, in the same manner as is second part of your Apology;" done by the opposition writers, saying, amongst other things, in the East India mission affair the cause of our opponents is Therefore, the Socinians as favoured in most of the Socinian body, are unfavourable to any measures being taken for the com ficial effects, which are likely to version of the heathen. What arise from preaching the gospel a rare specimen of logical acu- to savages, previously to the men, and of demonstration ad attempting of their civilization. libitum! This is the species of The example of the Quakers, argumentation by which, accord- with respect to the American Ining to the legendary tale, the dians, they consider as the line monk was successful in confuting, which ought to be pursued in at least in confusing the devil. these benevolent enterprizes. To As confident assertion appears the main principle however, that to be with you a favourite figure it is the duty of Christians to of speech, I will indulge you in endeavour to propagate their remy turn, by averting that the ligion in Pagan and Mahometan Unitarians are not averse from countries, by all well-adapted missionary undertakings; but are measures, I know not a single as friendly disposed to them, as Unitarian who objects. The misany other denomination of profes- sion to the East Indies, under sing Christians. If they have not the direction of the Baptist socithemselves set any foreign mission cty, has been spoken of by them on foot, the omission may be ac. in terms of high approbation. counted for, from the paucity of They conceive the people of that their number, and the want of country to be in a state of civimeans to execute a plan of that lization and mental improvement, nature; rather than from indif- which warrants the evidences and ference to the interests of the doctrines of the gospel being laid gospel, and a deficiency in the before them, with a rational hope principle of benevolence, towards of being duly examined and ul. those of their species who are la- timately credited. bouring under the direful effects As a proof that such really of stupid idolatry and cruel su- are the ideas of the Unitarians, perstition. They earnestly pray on the East Indian mission, Í for the success of those, who would refer you to the approba. have gone out unto the heathen," tion with which it is mentioned, and sincerely rejoice in any in- and the recommendation to supstance, which comes to their port that is given it, in a late knowledge, of divine truth being number of the Monthly Repodisseminated, with the prospect, sitory: A periodical publication, however distant, of a glorious that I presume you will not be harvest, and of "the name of disposed to question, may be conour Lord Jesus Christ, being glorified" in the actual obedience of some individuals to the faith. sidered as the organ by which the sentiments of the Unitarian community are decidedly announced. The Unitarians indeed, in com- You will therefore, I hope, be inmon with many other religious clined to withdraw an assertion, bodies, may have supposed, that which has, it seems, been hazarded several of the late missions have more as the consequence of a setnot been undertaken with discre- tled prejudice, that prompts you tion. They do not see any bene- to suppose Unitarians can nei » Vol II. p. 559-561. ther approve of any measure the breasts of their British brewhich is good, nor oppose any thren, and that you, sir, will that is bad, than from the slight come in for a share of the benign est evidence possessed by you, of afflatus. the bearing of their sentiments in this particular case. As this is not meant to be strictly a private letter, I shall make use of it to bring forward a remark on a coadjutor of yours, par nobile fratrum, the Rev. J. P. Smith. to From the personal knowledge I have of Mr. Carey, sen. who is at the head of the mission, and the opinion I have been led to entertain of him from the account In his controversy with Mr. of others, I feel little hesitation Belsham, he asserts, as you have in saying, that he will be taught done, that the Unitarians are deby the circumstances which have ficient in missionary zeal. As a arisen, or may arise in his singu- proof, he refers to the conduct lar sphere of action, to appreciate of the Polish Unitarians, who, the value of Christianity, as a though they resided in the vicigeneral system of divine truth; nity of the Turkish dominions, and to lay less stress than is com- never employed any means monly done on those minutia, convert the Mahometans. If this relating to which, its sincerest be a fact, it is probable there advocates have seen cause to sup- were imperious circumstances, port different conclusions. An better known to themselves than East Indian mission, is an excel- to us, which would have renderlent school for teaching a wise ed fruitless all their excrtions. and good man, whilst he retains Nor were they at any rate more his orthodoxy, to enlarge his cha deficient in zeal as propagandists, rity,to be chiefly concerned than the Lutherans and Calvinto promote those essential truths, ists, who lived in the same era which found their claim to that in Poland, whose number was rank, by having been believed by larger, and their opulence and all professing Christians, in all power more extensive. But the times, and in all places,--to per- representation is far from being ceive, consequently, that the dif- unlimitedly true. There is eviferences between Calvinists and dence in the history of the Polish Arminians, Roman Catholics and Unitarians of individuals of their Protestants, Trinitarians and Uni- body labouring in Mahometan tarians, are very light and insig- territories, for the conversion of nificant, when balanced against the inhabitants. the doting reveries and pernici- Sandius, in his Bibliotheca Antious dogmas of Mahometans and Trinitariorum, mentions, in the Hindoos. I flatter myself, that sketches of their lives, prefixed Mr. Carey and his brethren, to the lists of their works, several, having had the truly Catholic who, driven by persecution into spirit, from the circumstances in countries under the Turkish gowhich they are placed, generated vernment, publicly exercised, de in themselves, will be the happy fended and propagated His reli instruments of transfusing across gion, for the sake of whom they the ocean the same spirit into had become exiles. In order to give my individual hope will annually augment, would testimony to the favourable dis- any agent of the fund honour position of my brethren, towards me with a call. the East Indian mission, I shall with great pleasure, cast my mite into the treasury," which I 46 I am, Sir, Your humble servant, W. SEVERN. BIBLICAL CRITICISM. To the Editor of the Monthly Repository. SIR, Exeter, March, 1808. would not perhaps have an opRegarding it as the primary portunity of perusing them in a object of the Repository, to fur. different form. If they should ther the cause of Christian truth appear to your readers calculated and practice, I solicit your in- to produce the effects I have in sertion of the following practical view, I doubt not that the inserthoughts, on a subject of the first tion of them will require no jusimportance to the young, I so- tification. licit it, because they may thus find their way among many, who I am, Sir, L. C. PRACTICAL REMARKS ON MATT. V. 27, 28. In these verses our Saviour crime."-Tis a rigid but bene proceeds to point out another instance, in which the Scribes and Pharisees diminished the value of the Mosaic precepts, by limiting their extent, and neglecting the dispositions which lead to sin."Ye are informed by your teachers, that it was said to those of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery; and here they stop: they limit the law in its application; stili more, they do not go to the seat of the evil, and curb those impure desires from which actual crime proceeds. But such is not the morality I enjoin; I say unto you, that he who in dulgeth impure desire, hath stained himself with the guilt of actual volent morality. It checks the evil, where it is casiest, where almost alone possible, effectually to check it; it checks the forma-tion of criminal desire. He who indulges impure desire, either only waits for opportunity, or is acting the part of a madman, rashly trifling with what will be his ruin. Consider the view which our Lord gives us, of the criminality of fostering those desires which lead to sin, simply as necessary to preserve from sinful acts, it is wisely benevolent: for what is the too generally observed course? criminal desire indulged; height oned beyond what at first would |