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HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.
MDCCCLII.

THE PEINCIPAL

WOEKS AND REMAINS

REV. ANDREW FULLER;

A NEW MEMOIR OF HIS LIFE
BY HIS SON,
THE REV, A. G. FULLER.

LONDON:
HENRY G. BOHN,- YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.
MDCCCLII.

3. H.iDDOK, THINTRU, CABTLX STnilllT, iriNBnvnT

MU5 \S5Z

THE PUBLISHER'S PREFACE.

In an endeavour to render "the Standard Library" a
complete epitome of English Literature in each of its various
departments, it would be invidious altogether to omit the
works of those Nonconformist Divines which have obtained
an established and merited reputation. Among these the
writings of the late Rev. Andrew Fitlleb maintain an
acknowledged pre-eminence. His work on the Deistioal
Controversy was written at a period of our national
history when the writings of Volney and Gibbon, and
especially of Thomas Paine, fostered by the political effects
of the Prench Eevolution, had deteriorated the morals of
the people, and infused the poison of infidehty into the
disaffected portion of the public. It is no presumption to
suppose, that the extensive circulation which the work of
Mr. Puller obtained had some share, at least, in bringing
about the present more healthy state of public feeling.
Mr. Puller's work likewise on the Socinian Controversy,
was published at an opportune moment, when the writings
of Priestley, Belsham, and Lindsey, aided by sympathy with
the sufferers from the Birmingham riots, had given an acci
dental and undisoriminating popularity to the works of the

VI THE PUBLISHEBS PBEFACE.
self-styled "Eational Dissenters." The publication roused
an immediate and spirited oppositioo, and many replies were
made to it -What other effects it may have had, it is hard
to say ; but looking at the low condition of that body at
the present day, compared with their former pretensions,
it is not presumptuous to suppose that fbig work, equally
with that on the Deistical Controversy, may have led to a
practical and beneficial result.
Should the Publisher be encouraged by a &voiirable
reception of the present volume, it is his intention to follow
it up with other works of the same Author ; not those of a
mere polemic character, but these devoted to the fllostration
and defence of the vital and practical doctrines and duties
of the Christian System.

CONTENTS.

Memoir of the Rev. Andrew Fuller 

PAGE 1

THE GOSPEL ITS OWN -WITNESS, &c. &c.
Preface 
Introduction 

. 119
. 122

PART I.
The Holt Nature op the Chbistian Religiok oontkasied with
the Imuoeality op Deism.
Chap. L Chiiatianity reveals a God glorious in Holiness ; but
Deism, though it acknowledges a God, yet denies or
overlooks his Moral Character . . . . . 129
II. Christianity teaches us to ackowledge God, and to
devote ourselves to his Service; but Deism, though it
confesses one Supreme Being, yet refuses to worship
Him  133
III. The Christian Standard of Morality is enlarged, and
free from Impurity ; but Deism confines our Obligations
to those Duties which respect our own Species, and
greatly palliates Vice with regard to a Breach even of
them  139
IV. Christianity furnishes Motives to a virtuous Life, which
Deism either rejects, or attempts to undermine . . 150
V. The Lives of those who reject the Gospel will not bear
a Comparison with the Lives of those who embrace it . 160
VI. Christianity has not only produced good Effects in those
who cordially believe it, but has given to the Morals of
Society at large a tone, which Deism, so far as it
operates, goes to counteract  179
VII. Christianity is a Source of Happiness to Individuals and
Society j but Deism leaves both the one and the other
without Hope  197
PART II.
The Hakmokt ob the Chkistian Religion oohsidebed as au Evidehce
OP ITS Divinity.
Chap. I. The Harmony of Scripture with Historic Fact evinced by
the Fulfilment of Prophecy  212
II. The Harmony of Scripture with Truth evinced from its
Agreement with the Dictates of an enlightened Con
science, and the result of the closest Observation . . 221

Vlll CONTENTS.

Chap. III. The Harmony of Scripture with its own Professions
argued from the Spu-it and Style in which it is written . 229
IV. The Consistency of the Christian Doctrine, particularly
that of Salvation through a Mediator, with sober Reason 239
V. The Consistency of the Scripture Doctrine of Redemption
with the modem Opinion of the Magnitude of Creation . 266
•CoNbLUDiNG Addresses.
To Deists  258
To the Jews  286
To Christians  290
THE CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS EXAMINED
AND COMPARED AS TO THEIR MORAL TENDENCY,
Preface  297
Letiee I. Introduction and General Remarks .... 303
II. The Systems compared as to their Tendency to convert
Profligates . ¦  . . 309
III. Tendency to convert Professed Unbelievers . . . 324
IV. The Argument from the number of Converts to Socinianism
examined  , . 334
V. On the Standard of Morality  345
VI. Promotion of Morality in General  352
VII. Love to God  372
VIII. Candour and Benevolence to Men . . ... . 386
IX. Humility . . . . . . . , _ 400
X. Charity ; in which is considered the charge of Bigotry . 408
XI. Love to Christ .... ... 431
XII. Veneration for the Scriptures  442
XIII. Happiness, or Cheerfulness of Mind . . . ' '. 460
XIV. Motives to Gratitude, Obedience, and Heavenly-minded-
ness . .  473
XV. On the Resemblance and Tendency of Socinianism to
• Infidelity  _ _ 434
Postscript. Establishing the Principle of the Work against the
Exceptions of Dr. Toulmin, Mr. Belsham, &c. . . £04
THREE LETTERS ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS.
Letter I. On the Importance of Truth and a right Belief of it . 521
II. On the Criminality of Mental Error . . ' kot
III. On Liberty  .' .' 535

MEMOIE

EEV. ANDKEW FULLER-

The subject of these memoirs had no ancestorial distinc
tion, beyond that which is derived from examples of perse
cuted piety ; the earliest of those to whom he could trace
his lineage being a farmer named Eobert Hart of Swaffham
Prior, in Cambridgeshire, who was converted to God by the
preiaching of Francis Holcroft, once chamber-fellow with
Archbishop Tillotson, at Clare Hall, and imprisoned in
Cambridge Castle, in 1663.
This event occurred in a wood near Burwell, in that
county, where many were accustomed to meet for the wor
ship of God, to escape the cruel penalties of the Act of
Uniformity. Robert Hart attached himself to the Baptist church at
Isleham, with which, or the neighbouring church at Soham,
some of his descendants were connected, down to the period
of Mr. Fuller's birth, which took place at Wicken, a small
village near Soham, Feb. 6, 1754. His earliest religious
convictions were such as might naturally be expected from
one brought up in a circle where religion was on the one
hand taught and felt to be a serious and personal matter,
and where, on the other hand, a sense of individual obliga
tion was modified by the influence of an ultra-Calvinistic
creed, approaching in some of its features to fatalism. The
influence of these views up^n his youthful mind is illus
trated by the following narrative, communicated by himself
in two letters to the late Charles Stuart, M.D., of Edinburgh,
in 1798.
" My father and mother were dissenters, of the Calvinistic
VOL. I. B

MEMOm.

persuasion, and were in the habit of hearing Mr. Eve, _ a
Baptist minister, who being what is here termed high m
his sentiments, or tinged with false Calvinism, had little or
nothing to say to the unconverted. I therefore never con
sidered myself as any way concerned in what I heard from
the pulpit. Nevertheless, by reading and reflection, I was
sometimes strongly impressed in a way of conviction. My
parents were engaged in husbandry, which occupation, there
fore, I followed to the twentieth year of my age. I re
member many of the sins of my childhood, among which
were lying, cursing, and swearing. It is true, as' to the
latter, it never became habitual. I had a dread upon my
spirits, to such a degree, that, when I uttered an oath or an
imprecation, it was by a kind of force put upon my feelings,
and merely to appear manly, like other boys with whom I
associated. This being the case, when I came to be about
ten years old, I entirely left it off, except that I sometimes
dealt in a sort of minced oaths and imprecations when my
passions were excited.
"In the practice of telling lies I continued some years
longer ; at length, however, I began to consider this as a
mean vice, and accordingly left it off, except in cases where
I was under some pressing temptation.
"I think I must have been nearly fourteen years old
before I began to have mudh serious thought about futurity.
The preaching upon which I attended was not adapted to
awaken my conscience, as the minister had seldom anything
to say, except to believers ; and what believing was I neither
knew, nor was I greatly concerned to know. I remember
about this time, as I was walking alone, I put the question
to myself— What is faith ? there is much made of it, what
is it ? I could not tell, but satisfied myself in thinking it
was not of immediate concern, and I should understand it as
I grew older.
" At times conviction laid fast hold of me, and rendered
me extremely unhappy. The light I had received, I know
not how, would not suffer me to go into sin with that ease
which I observed in other lads. One winter evenino- T
remember going with a number of other boys to a smith's
shop, to warm myself by his fire. Preseatly they began to
sing vain songs. This appeared to me so much like re-

EELIGIOXTS CONVICTIONS. 3
veiling, that I felt something within me which would not
suffer me to join them, and while I sat silently, in rather
an unpleasant muse, those words sank into my mind like a
dagger, 'What doest thou here, Elijah?' I immediately
left the company ; yet, shocking to reflect upon, I walked
home, murmuring in my heart against God, that I could not
be let alone, and be suffered to take my pleasure, like other
young people !
" Sometimes I was very much affected in thinking of
the doctrines of Christianity, or in reading such books as
Bunyan's ' Grace abounding to the Chief of Sinners,' and
his ' Pilgrim's Progress.' One day, in particular, I took up
Ealph Erskine's ' Gospel Sonnets,' and opening upon what
he entitles ' A Gospel Catechism for young Christians, or
Christ All in All in our complete Redemption,' I read, and
as I read I wept. Indeed I was almost overcome with
weeping, so interesting did the doctrine of eternal salvation
appear to me ; yet, there being no radical change in my
heart, these thoughts passed away, and I was equally intent
on the pursuit of folly as heretofore.
" Yet I often felt a strange kind of regard towards good
people, such of them especially as were familiar in their
behaviour to young persons, arid would sometimes talk to
me about religion. I used to wish I had many thousand
pounds, that I might give some of it to those of them who
were poor as to their worldly circumstances.
"I was at times the subject of such convictions and affec
tions that I really thought myself converted, and lived under
that delusion for a long time. The ground on which I rested
that opinion was as follows : — One morning, I think about
the year 1767, as I was walking alone, I began to think
seriously what would become of my poor soul, and was
deeply affected in thinking of my condition, I felt that I was
the slave of sin, and that it had such power over me, that
it was in vain for me to think of extricating myself from its
thraldom. Till now, I did not know but that I could repent
at any time ; but now I perceived that my heart was wicked,
and that it was not in me to turn to God, or to break off
my sins by righteousness. I saw that if Gcd would forgive
me all the past, and offer me the kingdom of heaven on con
dition of giving up my wicked pursuits, I sliould not accept
b2

MEMOIE.

it. This conviction was accompanied with great depression
of heart. I walked sorrowfully along, repeating these
words :— Iniquity will be my ruin ! Iniquity will be my
riiin ! While poring over my unhappy case, those words oi
the apostle suddenly occurred to my mind : ' Sin shall not
have dominion over yon ; for ye are not under the law, but
under grace,' Rom. vi. 14. Now the suggestion^ of a text
of scripture to the mind, especially if it came with power,
was generally considered, by the religious peopk with whom
I occasionally associated, as a promise coming immediately
from God. I therefore so understood it, and thought, that
God had thus revealed to me that 1 was in a state of sal
vation, and therefore that iniquity should not, as I had
feared, be my ruin. The effect was, I was overcome with
joy and transport. I shed, I suppose, thousands of tears as
I walked along, and seemed to feel myself as it were in a
new world. It appeared to me that I hated my sins, and
was resolved to forsake them. Thinking on my wicked
courses, I remember using those 'vords of Paul : ' Shall I
continue in sin, that grace may, abound ? God forbid !' I
felt, or seemed to feel, the strongest ipdignation at the
thought. But, strange as it may appear, though my face
that morning was, I believe, swollen with weeping, yet be
fore night all was gone and forgotten, and I returned to my
former vices with as eager a gust as ever. Nor do I re
member that for more than half a year afterwards I had any
serious thoughts about the salvation of my soul. I lived
entirely without prayer, and was wedded to my sins just the
same as before, or rather was increasingly attached to them.
" Some time in the following year I was again walking by
myself, and began to reflect upon my course of life, particu
larly upon my former hopes and affections, and how I had
since forgotten them all, and returned to all my wicked
ways. Instead of sin having no more dominion over me, I
perceived that its dominion had been increased. Yet I still
thought that must; have been a promise from God to me and
that I must have been a converted person, but in a backslid
ing sta,te ; and this persuasion was confirmed by another
sudden impression, which dispelled my dejection, in these
words : ' I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgres
sions, and as a cloud thy sins.' This, like the former, over-

RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS. 5
came my mind with joy. I wept much at the thoughts of
having backslidden so long, but yet considered myself now
as. restored and happy. But this also was mere transient
affection. I have great reason to think that the great deep
of my heart's depravity had not yet been broken up, and
that all my religion was without any abiding ' principle.
Amidst it all, I still continued in the neglect of prayer, and
was never, that I recollect, induced to deny myself of any
sin when temptations were presented. I now thought, how
ever. Surely I shall be better for the time to come. But,
alas ! in a few days this also was forgotten, and I returned
to my evil courses with as great an eagerness as ever.
"I was now about fifteen years of age ; and as, notwith
standing my convictions and hopes, the bias of my heart was
not changed, I became more and more addicted to evil, in
proportion as my powers and passions strengthened. Nor
was I merely prompted by my own > propensities ; for, hav
ing formed an acquaintance with other wicked young people,
my progress in the way to death became greatly accelerated.
Being of an athletic frame and of a daring spirit, I was often
engaged in such exercises and exploits as, if the good hand of
God had not preserved me, might have issued in death." I
also frequently engaged in games of hazard, which, though
not to any great amount, yet were very bewitching to me,
and tended greatly to corrupt my mind. These, with various
other sinful practices, had so hardened my heart, that I sel
dom thought of religion. Nay, I recollect that, on a Lord's
day evening, about that time, when my parents were reading
in the family, I was shamefully engaged with one of the
servants, playing idle tricks, though I took care not to be
seen in them. These things were nothing to me at that
time ; for my conscience, by reiterated acts of wickedness,
had become seared as with a hot iron : they were, however,
heavy burdens to me afterwards.
" Notwithstanding various convictions and transient affec
tions, I was pressing on in a lamentable career of wickedness;
but, about the autumn of 1769, my convictions revisited me,
and brought on such a concern about my everlasting welfare,
as issued, I trust, in real conversion.
"It was my common practice, after the business of tko
day was over, to get into bad company in the evening, and

b MEMOIE.
when there I indulged in sin without restraint. But, after
persisting in this course for some time, I began to be very
uneasy, particularly in a morning when I first awoke. It
was almost as common for me to be seized with keen remorse
at this hour, as it was to go into vain company in the even
ing. At first I began to make vows of reformation, and this,
for the moment, would afford a little ease ; but, as the temp
tations returned, my vows were of no account. It was an
Enlightened conscience only that was on the side of God : my
heart was still averse to every thing that was spiritual or
holy. For several weeks I went on in this way, vowing
and breaking my vows, reflecting on myself for my evil con
duct, and yet continually repeating it.
" It was not now, however, as heretofore ; my convictions
followed me up closely. I could not, as formerly, forget
these things, and was therefore a poor miserable creature ;
like a drunkard, who carouses in the evening, but mopes
about the next day like one half dead.
"One morning, I think in November, 1769, I walked out
by myself, with an unusual load of guilt upon my conscience.
The remembrance of my sin, not only on the past evening,
but for a long time back ; the breach of my vows, and the
shocking termination of my former hopes and affections, all
uniting together, formed a burden which I knew not how to
bear. The reproaches of a guilty conscience seemed like
the gnawing worm of hell. I thought surely that must be
an earnest of hell itself. The fire and brimstone of the bot
tomless pit seemed to burn within my bosom. I do not write
in the language of exaggeration. I now know that the sense
which I then had of the evil of sin and the wrath of God
was very far short of the truth, but yet it seemed more than
I was able to sustain. In reflecting upon my broken vows
I saw that there was no truth in me. I saw that God would
be perfectly just in sending me to hell, and that to hell I
must go, unless I were saved of mere grace, and, as it were
in spite of myself. I felt that, if God were to forgive me all
my past sins, I should again destroy my soul, and that in less
than a day's time. I never before knew what it was to feel
myself an odious lost sinner, standing in need of both pardon
and purification. Yet, though I needed these blessings, it
seemed presumption to hope for them, after what I had done.

CONVERSION. 7
I was absolutely helpless, and seemed to have nothing about
me that ought to excite the pity of God, or that I could
reasonably expect should do so ; but every thing disgusting
to him, and provoking to the eyes of his glory. 'What have
I done ? what must I do ?' These were my inquiries, perhaps
ten times over. Indeed, I knew not what to do. I durst
not promise amendment, for I saw that such promises were
self-deception. To hope for forgiveness, in the course that
I was in, was the height of presumption ; and to think of
Christ, after having so basely abused his grace seemed too
much. So I had no refuge. At one moment I thought of
giving myself up to despair. 'I may,' said I, within myself,
' even return and take my fill of sin ; I can but be lost.'
This thought made me shudder at myself My heart re
volted. What, thought I, give up Christ, and hope, and
heaven ! Those lines of Ralph Erskine's then occurred to
my mind : — " ' But say, if all the gusts
And grains of love be spent,
Say, Farewell Christ, and Welcome lusts !
Stop, stop : I melt, I faint.'
I could not bear the thought of plunging myself into endless
ruin. " It is difiicult, at this distance of time, to recollect with
precision the minute workings of my mind ; but, as near as
I can remember, I was like a man drowning, looking every
way for help, or rather catching for something by which he
might save his life. I tried to find whether there were any
hope in the divine mercy — any in the Saviour of sinners ;
but felt repulsed by the thought of mercy having been so
basely abused already. In this state of mind, as I was mov
ing slowly on, I thought of the resolution of Job : ' Though
he slay me, yet will I trust in him.' I paused, and repeated
the words over and over. Each repetition seemed to kindle
a ray of hope mixed with a determination, if I might, to cast
my perishing soul upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation,
to be both pardoned and purified ; for I felt that I needed
the one as much as the other.
" I was not then aware that any poor sinner had a war
rant to believe in Christ for the salvation of his soul, but sup-

8 MEMOIE.
posed there must be some kind of qualification to entitle him
to do it ; yet I was aware I had no qualification. On a re
view of my resolution at that time, it seems to resemble that
of Esther, -Vv^ho went into the king's presence contrary to the
law, and at the hazard of her life. Like her, I seemed re
duced to extremities, impelled by dire necessity to run all
hazards, even though I should perish in the attempt. Yet it
was not altogether from a dread of wrath that I fled to this
refuge ; for I well remember that I felt something attracting
in the Saviour. I must — I will — yes, I will trust my soul,
my sinful, lost soul, in his hands. If I perish, I perish !
However it was, I was determined to cast myself upon
Christ, thinking peradventure he would save my soul ; and,
if not, I could but be lost. In this way I continued above
an hour, weeping and supplicating mercy for the Saviour's
sake (my soul hath it still in remembrance, and is humbled
in me): and, as the eye of the mind was more and more fixed
upon him, my guilt and fears were gradually and insensibly
removed. " I now found rest for my troubled soul ; and I reckon
that I should have found it sooner, if I had not entertained
the notion of my having no warrant to come to Christ without
some previous qualification. This notion was a bar that kept
me back for a time, though, through divine drawings, I was
enabled to overleap it. As near as I can remember, in the
early part of these exercises, when I subscribed to the jus
tice of God in my condemnation, and thought of the Saviour
of sinners, I had then relinquished every false confidence,
believed my help to be only in him, and approved of salvation
by grace alone, through his death; and, if at that time I had
known that any poor sinner might warrantably have trusted
in him for salvation, I conceive I should have done so, and
liave found rest to my soul sooner than I did. I mention
this, because it may be the case with others, who may be
kept in darkness and despondency by erroneous views of the
gospel, much longer than I was.
"I think, also, I did repent of my sin in the early part
of these exercises, and before I thought that Christ would
accept and save my soul. I conceive that justifying God
in my condemnation, and approving the way of salvation by
Jesus Christ, necessarily included it ; but yet I did not think

EARLY RELIGIOUS LIFE. s 9
at the time that this was repentance, or any thing truly good.
Indeed,' I thought nothing about the exercises of my own
mind, but merely of my guilty and lost condition, and whe
ther there were any hope of escape for me. But, having
found rest for my soul in the cross of Christ, I was now
conscious of my being the subject of repentance, faith, and
love. When I thought of my past life, I abhorred myself;
and repented as in dust and ashes ; and when! thought of
the gospel way of salvatioh, I drank it in, as cold water is
imbibed by a thirsty soul. My heart felt one 'with Christ,
and dead to every other object around me. I had thought I
had found the joys of salvation heretofore ; but now I knew
I had found them, and was conscious that I had passed from
death unto life.
" From this time my former wicked courses were forsaken.
I had no manner of desire after them. They lost their in
fluence upon me. To those evils, a glance at which before
would have set my passions in a flame, I now felt no inclina
tion. My soul, said I, with joy and triumph, is as a weaned
child. I now knew experimentally what it was to be dead
to the world by the cross of Christ, and to feel an habitual
determination to devote my future life to God my Saviour ;
and from this time I considered the vows of God as upon
me. A few months before his death, Mr. Fuller communicated
to a friend at Liverpool several interesting reminiscences of
his earlier life and ministry, commencing with a retrospect
of a portion of that already referred to : —
" In recollecting the early exercises of my mind, I see a
great difference between respect and love. I never knew
the time when I did not respect good men: but I did not
always love them for Christ's sake. There was one poor
man in particular, who used to travel about three miles on a
Lord's day morning to worship, and, as I often attended at
the same place, I was frequently very eager to get his com
pany. I have run miles to overtake him, though when I
was with him I had nothing to say. In the autumn of this
year he became my father's thrasher, and I was delighted on
account of it, though I scarcely knew for what reason. My
mind was, now at rest in. Christ; yet I had never spoken to
any one on the subject, nor did I think of doing so for the

10 MEMOIR.
present. But whether the thrasher perceived some alteration
in me as I went about my business, or how it was, I know
not, he talked to me rather freely, and I told him all my
heai't. After this, other Christians conversed with me, and
invited me to their prayer-meetings, and I engaged with
them in prayer and other religious exercises. It was in this
accidental way, and not from my own intention, that I
became known among serious people. But having opened
my mind to the thrasher, I often visited him in the barn ;
and, because I hindered him in his work, I made it up by
thrashing for him sometimes for an hour or two together.
"From the month of November, 1769, I had entirely
broken off all my ungodly connexions and courses ; yet,
being a boy under sixteen, I found, at times, boyish inclina
tions and strong struggles of mind respecting youthful follies.
At shrove-tide, in particular, when the young men met
together, and practised various athletic exercises, their shouts,
which were within my hearing, would throw me into agita
tions which rendered me very unhappy. But my good friend,
the thrasher, warned me tenderly and solemnly to keep out
of the way of temptation, and I was enabled, though with
some difficulty, to follow his counsel. As the spring of 1 770
came on, the young people of the town, as usual, would meet
every evening for youthful exercises. This was especially
the case at the wake or .feast ; and though I always kept at
a distance, yet I found such times very ensnaring to my
mind. To avoid this, I began a practice which I continued
with great peace and comfort for several years. Whenever
a feast or holiday occurred, instead of sitting ,at home by
myself, I went to a neighbouring village to visit some Chris
tian friends, and returned when all was over. By this step
I was delivered from those mental participations in folly
which had given me so much uneasiness. Thus the seasons
of temptation became to me times of refreshing from the
presence of the Lord.
" In March, 1770, I witnessed the baptizing of two young
persons, having never seen that ordinance administered
before, and was considerably affected by what I saw and
heard. The solemn immersion of a person, on a profession
of faith in Christ, carried such a conviction with it that
I wept like a child on the occasion. The words of the

BAPTISM. 1 1
Psalmist, in Psalm cxi. 10, ' A good understanding have all
they that do his commandments,' left a deep and abiding
impression on my mind. About a month after this I was
baptized myself, and joined the church at Soham, being then
about sixteen years of age.
" Within a day or two after I had been baptized, as I was
riding through the fields, I met a company of young men ;
one of them, especially, on my having passed them, called
after me in very abusive language, and cursed me for having
been ' dipped.' My heart instantly rose in a way of resent
ment ; but, though the fire burned, I held my peace ; for
before I uttered a word I was checked with this passage,
which occurred to my mind, ' In the world ye shall have
tribulation.' I wept, and entreated the Lord to pardon me ;
feeling quite willing to bear the ridicule of the wicked, and
to go even through great tribulation, if at last I might but
enter the kingdom. In this tender frame of mind I rode
some miles, thinking of the temptations I might have to
encounter. Amongst others, I was aware of the danger of
being drawn into any acquaintance with the other sex, which
might prove injurious to my spiritual welfare. While poring
over these things, and fearful of falling into the snares of
youth, I was led to think of that passage, ' In all thy ways
acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths.' This
made me weep for joy ; and for forty-five years I have
scarcely entered on any serious engagement without thinking
of these words, and entreating divine direction. I have
been twice married, and twice settled as the pastor of a
church ; which were some of the leading ways in which I .
had to acknowledge the Lord ; and in each, when over, I
could say, as Psalm cxix. ?6, 'I have declared my ways,
and thou heardest me.'
"In reviewing the early years of my life I see much
ignorance, vanity, and folly. I feel the force of Paul's con
sidering the terms 'carnal,' and ' babes in Christ,' as synony
mous. But, amidst all my youthful follies and sins, I bless
God that I was always kept from any unbecoming freedoms,
or attempting to engage the affections of any female, except
with a view to marriage.
"The summer of 1770 was a time of great religious
pleasure. I loved my pastor, and all my brethren in the

12 MEMOIE.
church ; and they expressed great affection towards me in
return. I esteemed the righteous as the excellent of the
earth, in whom was all my delight. About this time I
formed an intimacy with a Mr. Joseph Diver, a wise and
, good man, who had been baptized with me. He was about
fbrty years of age, and had lived many years, in a very
recluse way, giving' himself much to reading and reflection.
He had a great delight in searching after truth, which ren
dered his conversation peculiarly interesting to me ; nor
was he less devoted to universal practical godliness. I ac
count this connexion one of the greatest blessings in my
life. Notwithstanding the disparity as to years, we loved
each other like David and Jonathan. But in the autumn of
the same year, an unhappy affair occurred in the church,
which occasioned a breach between our pastor, Mr. Eve,
and the people, which terminated in his leaving them ; and
what rendered it the more afflicting to me, I was much con-
cerned in it. The case was this : one of the members
having been guilty of drinking to excess, I was one of the
first who knew of it. I immediately went and talked to
him, as well as I could, on the evil of his conduct. His
answer was, ' He could not keep himself ; and that, though
I bore so hard on him, I was not my own keeper.' At this
I felt indignant, considering it as a base excuse. I therefore
told him that he could keep himself from such sins as these
and that his way of talking was merely to excuse what was
inexcusable. I knew not what else to say at that time ; yet
the idea of arrogating to be my own keeper seemed too
much. He, however^ was offended, and told me that I was
young, and did not kiiow the deceitfulness of my own heart.
Well, I went and told my pastor, who highly commended
me, and said, ' We certainly could keep ourselves from open
sins. We had no power,' he observed, 'to do things spi
ritually good ; but, as to outward acts, we had power both
to obey the will of God and to disobey it.'
"The business soon came before the church, and the
offender was unanimously excluded : the excuse which he
had made, too, was considered by all, I believe, as an aggra
vation of his offence. But, this affair being disposed of the
abstract question of the power of sinful men to do the 'will
of God, and to keep themselves from sin, was taken up bv

DISPUTES IN THE CHURCH. 13
Bome of the leading members of the church, amongst whom
was my friend Joseph Diver. They readily excused me, as
being a babe in religion, but thought the pastor ought to
have known better, and to have been able to answer the
offender without betraying the truth. They alleged that the
greatest and best of characters, as recorded in scripture,
never arrogated to themselves the power of keeping them
selves from evil, but constantly prayed for keeping grace ;
that, were it not for the restraining goodness and constrain
ing grace of God, earth would be a hell, and the best of men
incarnate devils ; in short, that though we are altogether
blameworthy for our evil propensities, yet, if they were re
strained or conquered, it was altogether to be ascribed to
God, and not to us. To support these ideas, they alleged
the prayers of the faithful to be kept from evil, even from
presumptuous sins, Psalm xix. 13 ; the declaration of the
prophet, that ' the way of man is not in himself : it is not
in him that walketh to direct his steps,' Jer. x. 23 ; the case
of Hezekiah, whom the Lord left, that he might try him,
that he might know all that was in his heart, 2 Chron. xxxii.
31 ; and the acknowledgments of such men as John Bradford,
the martyr, who, on seeing a man go to be publicly exe
cuted, said, ' There goes John Bradford by nature.'
" On the other hand, the pastor distinguished between
internal and external power. He allowed that men had no
power of themselves to perform anything spiritually good ;
but contended that they could yield external obedience, and
keep themselves from open acts of sin. In proof of this he
alleged a great number of scripture exhortations ; asking,
If we had no power to comply with them, why were they
given us ? The opponents did not deny our being exhorted
to do good, arid to avoid" evil ; nor that it was our duty to
do both, and our sin to act otherwise ; .but they denied that
this implied our being sufficient of ourselves to do anything,
even to think a good thought.
" In these disputes I continued for some time on the side
of my pastor ; but after a few months I felt difficulties on
the subject which I could not answer, and which rendered
me unhappy. I perceived that some kind of power was
necessary to render us accountable beings. If we were like
stocks or stones, or literally dead, like men in a burying

14 MEMOIR.
ground, we could with no more propriety than they be com
manded to perform any duty : if we were mere machines,
there could be no sin chargeable upon us. Yet, on the
other hand, the scriptures expressly affirru that ' the way of
man is not in himself,' and represent the godly as crying to
Heaven for preservation from evil, ascribing all the good
that was in them to Him who worketh in us to will and to
do of his own good pleasure. I prayed much and laboured
hard to solve this difficulty.
" My worthy friend, Joseph Diver, who sustained a high
character for wisdom and integrity, would reason thus with
jne : — ' We ought to hate evil, and love the Lord : but it is
the grace of God alone that can make us what we ought to
be.' He would often speak of the equity of the Divine re
quirements in the words of David : ' I esteem all thy pre
cepts in all things to be right ; and I hate every false way.'
And again, ' Thou hast commanded us that we should keep
thy precepts diligently : 0 that my ways were directed to
keep thy statutes !' 'Thus it is,' said he, 'that we should
turn every precept into a prayer, instead of inferring from
it a sufficiency in ourselves to conform to it. All our con
formity to the divine precepts is of grace : it will never do
to argue from our obligations against our dependence, nor
from our dependence on grace against our obligations to
duty. If it were not for the restraining goodness and pre
serving grace of God, we should be a kind of devils, and
earth would resemble hell.'
" In October, 1771, our pastor, Mr. Eve, left us. I loved
him, and he loved me, and took it hard that I had in some
respects changed my views. I learned afterwards that he
had entertained thoughts of me as being formed for the
ministry, but this contention damped his hopes on that sub
ject. He settled, jv^hen he left Soham, with a people at
Wisbeach. I never look back upon these contentions but
with strong feelings. They were to me the wormwood and
the gall of my youth : my soul hath them still in remem
brance, and is humbled in me. But though, during these
unpleasant disputes, there were many hard thoughts and
hard words on almost all hands, yet they were ultimately the
means of leading my mind into those views of divine truth
which have since appeared in the principal part of my

RELIGIOUS EXERCISES. 15
writings. They excited me to read, and think, and pray,
with more earnestness than I should have done without
them : and if I have judged or written to any advantage
since, it was in consequence of what I then learned by bitter
experience, and in the midst of many tears and temptations.
God's way is in the deep.
"About this time I met with a passage in Dr. Gill, (I
think it was in his ' Cause of God and Truth,') in which he
distinguished between a thing being 'in the power of our
hand, and in the power of our heart.' This, thought I, is
the clue to our dispute. E^y man has it in the power of
his hand to do good and abstain from evil ; and this it is
which makes us accountable beings. We can do, or forbear
to do this and that, if we have a mind ; but many have not
a mind, and none would have such a mind but for the re
straining goodness or constraining grace of God. We have
it in the power of our hands to do good, but we are disposed
to do evil, and so to do good is not naturally in the power of
our hearts.
" It was some time after this that I became acquainted with
Edwards ' On the Will.' On reading this work, and some
other pieces on physical and moral impotence, I saw the same
things clearly stated, in other words, which I had learned
by bitter experience.
" Mr. Eve having removed, and the church being divided
into parties, it was thought by some that we should be dis
solved ; and I went several Lord's days to hear an Indepen
dent minister in the neighbourhood. Those members, how
ever, who were of one mind, and who formed the majority,
met together on Lord's days ; and having no minister, and
being situated too far from other Baptist churches to get
supplies, they carried on the worship by singing, prayer,
reading, and expounding the scriptures. They also ap-
poirited a day for fasting and prayer, and invited all the
members to unite in it. I went to this meeting, and from
that time continued to assemble with them. My friend,
Joseph Diver, was at that time chosen to be a deacon ; and
having some talent for expounding the scripture, he used, at
the request of the church, to take up a part of every Lord's
day in that exercise.
"As the disputes in the church were the occasion of

16 MEMOIR.
turning my thoughts to most of those subjects on which I
have since written, so were they the occasion of my engaging
in the Christian ministry. , .
"In November, 1771, as I was riding out on business, on
a Saturday morning, to a neighbouring village, my mmd tell
into a train of interesting and affecting thoughts, from that
passage of scripture, ' Weeping may endure for a night, but
joy Cometh in the morning.' I never had felt such freedom
of mind in thinking on a divine subject before ; nor do 1
recollect ever having had a thought of the ministry ; but I
then felt as if I could preach from it ; and, indeed, I did
preach in a manner as I rode along. I thought no more of
it, however, but returned home when I had done my busi
ness. In the afternoon of the same day, I went to meet my
mother, who had been to London to see her mother, who was
very unwell. As we rode a few miles together, she told
me she had been thinking much about me while in town, and
added, ' My dear, you have often expressed your wish for a
trade ;I have talked with your uncle at Kensington about
it, and he has procured a good place in the city, where,
instead of paying a premium, you may, if you give satis
faction, in a little time receive wages, and learn the business.
I thought,' continued she, 'that as we had now lost the
gospel, and perhaps shall never have it again, you could
have no reason for wishing to continue here. In London
you can hear the gospel in its purity.' That which my
mother suggested was very true ; I had always been inclined
to trade ; but how it was I cannot tell, my heart revolted at
the proposal at this time. It was not from any desire or
thought of the ministry, nor any thing else in particular,
unless it were a feeling towards the little scattered society
of which I was a member, a kind of lingering to see what
would become of the city. I said but little to my mother,.
but seemed to wish for time to consider of it. This was
Saturday evening.
" The next morning, as I was walking by myself to meet
ing, expecting to hear the brethren pray, and my friend
Joseph Diver, expound the scriptures, I was met by one of
the members whom he had requested to see me, who said
'Brother Diver has, by accident, sprained his ancle and
cannot be at meeting to-day, and he wishes me to say to you

FIRST ATTEMPT AT PREACHING. 17
that he hopes the Lord will be with you.' ' The Lord will
be with me ! ' thought I, ' what does brother Diver mean ?
He cannot suppose that I can take his place, seeing I have
never attempted any thing of the kind, nor been asked to do
so.' It then occurred, however, that I had had an interest
ing train of thought the day before, and had imagined at the
time I could speak it, if I were called to it. But though I
had repeatedly engaged in prayer publicly, yet I had never
been requested to attempt any thing farther, and therefore I
thought no more of it.
" We walked on to the meeting, and took our places, when,
after singing, one of the brethren went to prayer. After
which the eldest deacon asked me if I would read some part
of the scriptures, and, if I found liberty, drop any remarks,
as I went on, which might occur. At first I was startled,
but, conscious of what had passed in my mind the day before,
I thought, as brother Diver was absent, it might be my
duty to try, and therefore making no objections, which as it
appeared to me would have been mere affectation, I rose and
spoke from Psalm xxx. 5, for about half an hour, with con
siderable freedom. After this I was again invited by brother
Diver to speak, and I did so ; but not enjoying that liberty
which I did the first time, I was discouraged, and, though
frequently asked, declined all such exercises for more than a
year. But early in 1773, 1 think it was, brother Diver was
absent again through an affliction, and I was invited once
more to take his place. Being induced to renew the attempt,
I spoke from those words of our Lord, ' The Son of man is
come to seek and to save that which was lost,' Luke xix. 10.
On this occasion, I not only felt greater freedom than I had
ever found before, but the attention of the people was fixed,
and several young persons in the congregation were im
pressed with the subject, and afterwards joined the church.
" From this time the brethren seemed to entertain an idea
of my engaging in the ministry, nor was I without serious
thoughts of it myself. Sometimes I felt a desire after it : at
other times I was much discouraged, especially through a
consciousness of my want of spirituality of mind, which I
considered as a qualification of the first importance. As to
other qualifications, it certainly would have been of great
VOL. I. c

18 MEMOIR.
use to me, if, for a few years, I had had the instructions of
some father in the ministry; aqd I have often since regretted,
that from 1771 to 1774, I lived to so little purpose. But
none of my connexions had any idea of the kind, and, being
conscious of knowing about as much as those around me, I
myself thought nothing of it. At one time, when seriously
reflecting on my own defects and insufficiency, I was greatly
relieved and encouraged by that passage. Psalm Ixxxiv. 11,
' The Lord will give grace and glory.' It was now usual for
my friend Diver to speak on one part of the Lord's day,
and for me to be engaged on the other ; and these exercises
appeared to be blessed to several young people, who after
wards joined the church.
"In January, 1774, an elderly lady, a member of the church,
died, and left a request that, if the church did not think it
disorderly, I might be allowed to preach a funeral sermon
on the occasion. As the members were nearly of one mind
respecting me, they agreed to set apart the 26th of that
month, which was previous to the funeral, for fasting and
prayer ; and they then called me to the ministry. From that
time I exercised from the pulpit.
" Being now devoted to the ministry, I took a review of
the doctrine I should preach, and spent pretty much of my
time in reading, and in making up my mind as to various
things relative to the gospel. Impressed with the import
ance of the connexions I should probably form in a few
years, both as a man and as a minister, to my future happi
ness and usefulness, I earnestly besought the Lord to be my
guide ; and those words in Prov. iii. 6, were very sweet to
me, ' In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct
thy paths.' In most of the important turns of my life, I
have thought of that passage with renewed tenderness, as
one would think of a friendly hint given him in early life,
and make it a rule of conduct.
_ " Settling in a town where I had lived from the age of
six years, I could not expect to be much respected by the
inhabitants. In this, however, I had no occasion to com
plain. I had, indeed, more respect shown me than I looked
for ; partly owing to the prevalence of an opinion when I
was at school, of my being more learned than my master an
opinion which I am certain was far from being true. But it

DOCTRINAL DIFFICULTIES. 19
indicated a partiality in my favour, which perhaps was of
some use in leading people to hear the word.
" With respect to the system of doctrine which I had been
used to hear from my youth, it was in the high Calvinistic, or
rather hyper-Calvinistic strain, admitting nothing spiritually
good to be the duty of the unregenerate, and nothing to be
addressed to them in a way of exhortation, excepting what
related to external obedience. Outward services might be
required, such as an attendance on the means of grace ; and
abstinence from gross evils might be enforced ; but nothing
was said to them from the pulpit in the way of warning them
to flee from the wrath to come, or inviting them to apply to
Christ for salvation. And though out late disputes had fur
nished me with some few principles inconsistent with these
notions, yet I did not perceive their bearings at first, and
durst not for some years address an invitation to the uncon
verted to come to Jesus. I began, however, to doubt whether
I had got the truth respecting this subject. This view of
things did not seem to comport with the ideas which I had
imbibed concerning the power of man to do the will of God.
I perceived that the wiU of God was not confined to mere
outward actions, but extended to the inmost thoughts and
intents of the heart. The distinction of duties, therefore,
into internal and external, and making the latter only con
cern the unregenerate, wore a suspicious appearance. But,
as I perceived this reasoning would affect the whole tenor
of my preaching, I moved on with slow and trembling steps;
and, having to feel my way out of a labyrinth, I was a long
time ere I felt satisfied."
Mr. Fuller's mind was also greatly agitated by the writings
of various authors, on the Sonship of Christ, and the pre-
existence of his human soul. He was led to attach more
importance to these subjects than might at first sight appear
necessary, from their indirect connexion with questions fun
damental to Christianity. He adds concerning them, "In
reviewing some of these questions, which occupied my atten
tion at so early a period, I have seen reason to bless God for
preserving me at a time when my judgment was so immature.
When I have seen the zeal which has been expended in
maintaining some such peculiarities, I have thought it a
pity. Bunyan would have called them 'nuts which spoil
c2

20 MEMOIR.
the children's teeth.' They have appeared to me as a sort
of spiritual narcotics, which, when a man once gets a, taste
for them, he will prefer to the most wholesome food. It was
in recollection of these things that I lately wrote, in an
'Essay on Truth,' as follows:— 'A man who chews opium,
or tobacco, may prefer it to the most wholesome food, and
may derive from it pleasure, and even vigour for a time; but
his pale countenance and debilitated coristitution will soon
bear witness to the folly of spending his money for that
which is not bread.'
"In the spring of 1775 I accepted the invitation of the
church at Soham, and was ordained their pastor. The pas
tors of the other churches who attended the ordination, took
that opportunity to inquire into the controversy which had
divided us from our former minister, and requested me to
state the difference. Mr. Robert Hall, of Arnsby,* who was
one of them, expressed his , satisfaction in the statement, but
recommended Edwards ' On the Will ' to my careful perusal,
as the most able performance on the power of man to do the
will of God. Not being much acquainted with books at that
time, I confounded the work of Dr. John Edwards, of Cam
bridge, an episcopalian Calvinist, entitled ' Veritas Redux,'
with that of Jonathan Edwards, of New England. I read
the former, and thought it a good book ; but it did not seem
exactly to answer Mr. Hall's recommendation. Nor was it
till the year 1777 that I discovered my mistake. Meantime,
however, I was greatly exercised upon the subject, and upon
the'work of the Christian ministry.
" The principal writings with which I was first acquainted
were those of Bunyan, Gill, and Brine. I had read pretty
much of Dr. Gill's ' Body of Divinity,' and from many parts
of it had received considerable instruction. I perceived,
however, thai the system of Bunyan was not the same ; for
that, while the latter maintained the doctrines of election
and predestination, he nevertheless held with the free offer
of salvation to sinners without distinction. These were
things which I then could not reconcile, and therefore sup
posed that Bunyan, though a great and good man, was not
so clear in his views of the doctrines of the gospel as the
* The father of the late Robert Hall, A.M., and author of " Hdn tn
Z:on'a Travellers," &c. ^ °

DOCTRINAL DIFFICULTIES. 21
writer^ who succeeded him. I found, indeed, the same
things in all the old writers of the sixteenth and seven teerth
centuries that came in my way. They all dealt, as Bunyan
did, in free invitations to sinners to come to Christ and be
saved; the consistency of which with personal election I
could not understand. It is true, I perceived the scriptures
abounded with exhortations and invitations to sinners ; but
I supposed there must be two kinds of holiness, one of which
was possessed by man in innocence, and was binding on all
his posterity; the other derived from Christ, and binding
only on his people. I had not yet learned that the same
things which are required by the precepts of the law are
bestowed by the grace of the gospel. Those exhortations to
repentance and faith, therefore, which are addressed in the
New Testament to the unconverted, I supposed to refer only
to such external repentance and faith as were within their
power, and might be complied with without the grace oi
God. The effect of these views was, that I had very little
to say to the unconverted, indeed nothing in a way of ex
hortation to things spiritually good, or certainly connected
with salvation 
"In 1776 I became acquainted with Mr. Sutcliff, who had
lately come to Olney, and soon after with Mr. John Ryland,
jun., then of Northampton. In them I found familiar and
faithful brethren ; and who, partly by reflection, and partly
by reading the writings of Edwards, Bellamy, Brainerd, &c.,
had begun to doubt of the system of false Calvinism to
which they had been inclined when they first entered on the
ministry, or rather to be decided against it. But, as I lived
sixty or seventy miles from them, I seldom saw them, and
did not correspond upon the subject. I therefore pursued
my inquiries by myself, and wrote out the substance of what
I afterwards published under the title of ' The Gospel wor
thy of all Acceptation ; or the Obligations of Men cordially
to believe whatever God makes known.'
" My change of views on these subjects never abated my
zeal for the doctrine of salvation by grace, but in some
respects increased it. I never had any predilection for
Arminianism, which appeared to me to ascribe the difference
between one sinner and another, not to the grace of God,
but to the good improvement made of grace given us in

22 MEMOIR.
common with othera. Yet I saw those whom I thought to
be godly men, both among Arminians and high, or, as I now-
accounted them, hyper-Galvinists. I perceived that men's
characters were not always formed by their avowed, prin
ciples ; that we may hold a sound faith without its having
such hold of us as to form our spirit and conduct ; that we
may profess an erroneous creed, and yet our spirit and con
duct may be formed nearly irrespective of it ; in short, that
there is a difference between principles and opinions; the
one are the actual moving causes which lie at the root of the
action, the other often float in the mind without being re
duced to practice."
Thus, at the early age of twenty-one, Mr. Fuller entered
on the solemn and responsible engagements of a Christian
pastor. On the 23rd of December, 1776, he was united in marriage
to Miss Sarah Gardiner, daughter of Stephen and Sarah
Gardiner, of Burwell, a truly pious and amiable woman.
For some time previously to this, Mr. Fuller had at
tempted to supply the deficiencies of a slender income by
engagement in business. Finding this, however, incompatible
with his ministerial duties, he relinquished it; but the
poverty of the church over which he presided soon rendered
some substitute necessary, which he supplied in the establish
ment of a school ; bnt finding the pecuniary aid furnished
by this effort altogether disproportioned to the demand on
his time and energies, he soon discontinued it.
He now had to contend with the united difficulties of an
extremely slender income, a rising family, and what was
more depressing, a spirit of dissatisfaction with his ministry,
which, though far from general, was inexpressibly distressing
to a heart full of the tenderest emotions, which were devoted
unsparingly to the work of the Lord and to the people of his
charge. A severe illness consequent upon these united trials
brought him to the borders of the grave. Some brief extracts
from memorandums made about this time, will serve to show
the tone of piety to God and of jealousy of his own heart
and love to the souls of men, under the influence of which he
prosecuted his inquiries and his ministrations : —
'^ 1780, January 10. — A solemn vow, or renewal of cove
nant with God.

COVENANT WITH GOD.

23

" 0 my God, (let not the Lord be angry with his servant
for thus speaking,) I have, thou knowest, heretofore sought
thy truth. I have earnestly entreated thee that thou
wouldest lead me into it ; that I might be rooted, established,
and built up in it, as it is in Jesus. I have seen the truth of
that saying, ' It is a good thing to have the heart established
with grace ;' and now I would this day solemnly renew my
prayer to thee, and also enter afresh into covenant with thee.
" 0 Lord God ! I find myself in a world where thousands
profess thy name ; some are preaching, some writing, some
talking about religion. All profess to be searching after
truth ; to have Christ and the inspired writers on their side.
I am afraid lest I should be turned aside from the simplicity
of the gospel. I feel my understanding full of darkness, my
reason exceedingly imperfect, my will ready to start aside,
and my passions strangely volatile. O illumine mine under
standing, teach ' my reason, reason,' ray wiU, rectitude, and
let every faculty of which I am possessed, be kept within the
bounds of thy service.
" O let not the sleight of wicked men, who lie in wait
to deceive, nor even the pious character of good men, who
yet may be under great mistakes, draw me aside. Nor do
thou suffer my own fancy to misguide me. Lord, thou hast
given me a determination to take up no principle at second
hand ; but to search for every thing at the pure fountain of
thy word. Yet, Lord, I am afraid, seeing I am as liable to
err as other men, lest I should be led aside from truth by
mine own imagination. Hast thou not promised, ' The meek
tliou wilt guide in judgment, and the meek thou wilt teach
thy way ?' Lord, thou knowest, at this time, my heart is not
haughty, nor are mine eyes lofty. 0 ' guide me by thy
counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory.'
" One thing in particular I would pray for ; namely, that
I may not only be kept from erroneous principles, but may
so love the truth as never to keep it back. 0 Lord, never
let me, under the specious pretence of preaching holiness,
neglect to promulge the truths of thy word ; for this day I
see, and have all along found, that holy practice has a
necessary dependence on sacred principle. O Lord, if thou
wilt open mine eyes to behold the wonders of thy word; and
give me to feel their transforming tendency, then shall the

24 MEMOIR.
Lord be my God ; then let my tongue cleave to the roof of
my mouth, if I shun to declare, to the best of my knowledge,
the whole counsel of God.
"29.— It is good to visit the poor, that we may know
their cases, exercise sympathy and charity towards them,
and learn gratitude and many a lesson in the doctrine of
providence. O what a horrid depth of pride and hypocrisy
do I find in my heart ! Surely I am unfit for any company.
If I am with a superior, how will my heart court his praise,
by speaking diminutively of myself, not forgetting to urge
the disadvantages under which I have laboured, to excuse
my inferiority ; and here is a large vacancy left, in hope he
will fill it up with something like this : Well, you must have
made good improvement of what advantages you have
enjoyed ! On the other hand, when in company with an
inferior, how full of self am I ! While I seem to be instruct
ing him, by communicating my observations, how prone to
lose sight of his edification, and every thing but my own self-
importance ; aiming more to discover my own knowledge
than to increase his ! While I make these observations I
feel the truth of them. A thought has been suggested to
write them, not as having been working in my heart to-day,
but only as discovered to-day. O horridly deceitful and
desperately wicked heart ! Surely I have little else in my
religious exercises but these workings. I am afraid of being
deceived at last, If I am saved, what must the Son of God
have endured !
"July 1. — My soul has been dejected to-day in thinking
on the plague of the human heart. Had a sweet time in
prayer to night. Through the glass of my depravity I sec,
oh I see the preciousness of that blood which flowed on
Calvary! O that the ideas I have had to-night were
indelibly written on my heart ! But, alas I one hour of sin
will, I fear, efface them all.
" 2. Surely my views of myself, of divine love, and of the
blood of Christ, never were clearer, nor yielded me greater
satisfaction, than last night and to-day. I retained the
savour throughout this forenoon, though it seems abated this
afternoon. Well, it has been a time of refreshment to my
soul ! But perhaps I may have somewhat at hand to balance
it. 0 that I could retain the ideas I have had to-day ! I

MEDITATIONS. 23
thought God was such an infinitely lovely being, that it was
a great sin not to love him with our whole hearts. I thought
one perpetual flame of supreme love was his natural due from
every intelligent creature, and that the want of such love
merits damnation. And I am under peculiar obligations to
love him.
" 10. — I had an affecting time to-night, in going a road
where, several years ago, I had many a season of sorrow and
joy. O here I saw myself lost, there I had a sight of the
Saviour ; here I went bowed down with fear and despair,
there I was sweetly checked with a view of the faithfulness
of God ; in this place I mourned my desolate state, in that
the state of the church lay heavily upon me ; yonder my
hopes respecting the church were excited by thinking of
Psalm cxxii. 1, 2, 8, 9. O what strange events since ! By
the help of God I have continued to this day. When my
soul is cast down within me, may I remember thee, from
Hermon, and Jordan, and the hill Mizar.
" 12. — ' O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death ?' 0 mine iniquity !
Surely I had rather die than feel again what I have felt of
the odious risings of this unholy heart. O the wormwood
and the gall ! Tremble, my soul, at the rising of that which
has so often fiUed thy cup with bitterness ; that which made
thy Lord as it were shrink back from suffering. 0 may the
remembrance of this make thee shrink back from sinning.
Surely the renewal of a fresh conflict with old corruptions
is not the trial I feared. Lead me not into temptation, but
deliver me from evil, O Lord.
" 17. — 0 my dear brother Diver ! when shall we recover
our loss in losing you ? What disorders have we now in the
church ! Our hands, heads, and hearts, how full ! 0 my
father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen
thereof ! Methinks I shall go all my days, at times in the
bitterness of my soul. Ah ! we took sweet counsel together,
and walked together to the house of God, but all is over. As
he said on his dying bed, ' I have done with that Hfe.' Alas,
he has done his all with us.
" 20.— 0 peace, thou inestimable jewel ! The Lord grant
I may never enter the polemical lists.
" August 30. — I found my soul drawn out in love to poor

26 MEMOIR.
souls while reading Millar's account of Ehot's labours among
the North American Indians, and their effect on those poor
barbarous savages. I found also a suspicion that we shackle
ourselves too much in our addresses ; that we have be
wildered, and lost ourselves, by taking the decrees of God
as rules of action. Surely Peter and Paul never felt such
scruples in their addresses as we do. They addressed their
hearers as men, fallen men, as we should warn and admonish
persons who were blind, and on the brink of some dreadful
precipice. Their work seemed plain before them. 0 that
mine might be so before me !
"1781, Jan. 26. — Much affected to-day for my dear
father, who I fear will die. O his immortal soul ! How
can I bear to bury him unconverted ? Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me ! I have had many ear
nest outgoings of soul for him, and some little conversation
with him. ' Have you any outgoings of soul, father, to the
Lord ?' ' Yes, my dear, I have.' ' Well, father, the Lord
is rich in mercy to all that call upon him: this is great
encouragement.' ' Yes, my child, so it is : and I know, if I
be saved, it must be by him alone. I have nothing to
recommend me to his favour : but my hopes are very small.'
"27. — Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me !
Give me some good hopes of the welfare of his soul ; . then I
could almost be willing to part with him. This would be
letting the cup pass from me. ' But 0 the soul that never
dies !' The woman of Canaan made her daughter's case her
own, and cried, ' Lord, help me !' Surely I may do likewise
with my father.
" 28.— Lord's day.— Affected with nothing else to-day but
the thoughts of my father's death. This I know not how
to bear. Preached somehow from Job. xiv. 1, and Heb ii
14. " Feb. 3. — I think I have never yet entered into the true
idea of the work of the ministry. If I had, surely I should
be like Aaron, running between the dead and the living. 1
think I am by the ministry, as I was by my life as a Chris
tian before I read Edwards 'on the Affections.' I had
never entered into the spirit of a great many important
things. 0 for some such penetrating, edifying writer on
this . subject ! Or, rather, 0 that the Holy Spirit would

MEDITATIONS. 27
open my eyes, and let me into the things that I have never
yet seen ! ,
"5. — A pulpit seems an awful place 1 An opportunity
for addressing a company of immortals on their eternal inte
rests ; oh how important ! We preach for eternity. We,
in a sense, are set for the rising and falling of many in
Israel. And our own rise or fall is equally therein involved."
Mr. Fuller's removal to another sphere of labour, which
had forced itself on his reluctant attention, now became,
through the pressure of circumstances and the persuasions
of his brethren in the ministry, an absorbing question.
"Men who fear not God," remarks the venerable Dr.
Ryland, "would risk the welfare of a nation with fewer
searchings of heart than it cost him to determine whether he
should leave a little dissenting church, scarcely containing
forty members (communicants at the Lord's table), besides
himself and his wife."
" April 1. — It seems as if the church and I should break
each other's hearts ! To-night I have been but truly
charged with having an 'irregular mind.' How heartily
could I embrace death if it pleased God to send it ! How
far are peace and happiness from me !
" 2. — Affected in prayer. O for an unerring guide ! O
that I knew the Lord's wiU ! Verily if I know mine own
heart, I would do it. I had rather, I think, much rather
walk all my days in the mast miserable condition than offend
the Lord by trying to get out of it.
"April 10. — The thoughts of my situation now return,
and overpower me ! To-night I was exceedingly affected in
prayer, earnestly longing that I might know the will of God.
I have entered to-night into a solemn vow, which I desire it
may please God to accept at my worthless hands. With all
the powers of my soul, with the utmost effusion of feelings,
I have vowed to this effect before the Lord : ' O Lord ! if
thou wilt give me so much light as plainly to see in this case
what is my duty, then, if I do not obey the dictates of con
science, let my tongue for ever cleave to the roof of my
mouth ; let my ministry be at end-; let me be made an
example of thy displeasure against falsehood !'
" The case of those who asked counsel of Jeremiah (chap,
xlii.) seemed to excite in me a jealousy of inv.,own heart ;

28 MEMOIR.
but so far as I know any thing of myself, I am resolved to
stay or go as it should please God, did I but know his will.
" 18. — Earnest out-goings to G<)d in prayer. To-morrow
seems a day of great importance. Then I must give my
reasons to the church for what I have intimated concerning
my removal. The Lord guide and bless them and me !
" 19. — I went to meeting to-day with very little premedi
tation, thinking an upright heart would be prepared.* I
assigned two reasons for my removal ; the complaints some
have made of non-ediflcation, and my wasting my property
every year. Neither of these objections being answered,
the church despairsj all is in confusion ! Ah ! what can I
do ? what can they do ? My heart would say. Stay ; would
freely go and gather them together, and pour oil into their
wounds. My judgment only forbids me  No 
No I Surely I cannot go ! My heart is overwhelmed, lead
me to the Rock that is higher than I ! Have been pouring
out my heart to the Lord since I came from the meeting :
think I could rather choose death than departure. My heart
is as if it would dissolve. It is like wax, it is melted in the
midst of my bowels.
"May 4. — All my powers of body and mind absorbed in
my extreme affliction. I thought towards night, that, as
these limbs had been ingloriously employed in the service of
sin, how reasonable, though pardoning mercy be extended,
that they should be blasted, confined by a series of afflictions,
and, at last, ingloriously reduced to dust ! Can think of
little else now but that I must leave Soham : yet it seems
an affair of so much importance, I dread it.
.^¦"t"~,9°^*^"®''^5^ ^°^'^y affliction from public worship
this Lord s day. To-mght my heart melts with compassion
towards the church. I think, after all, if I go from them, it
IS as 11 it must be m a coffin.
_" 14.— 0 my heart ! it is as if it must break. Thought
this morning, ' there is a way that seemeth right to a ruan'
but the end thereof is death.' This makes me jealous lest
specious appearances should beguile me. My load sppma
heavier that I can bear ! O Lord, for thine own sake sX'
me not to act contrary to thy will. O for an unerrin-
guide ! =¦
"20.— To-night I stopped the church, and asked them if

MINISTRY AT SOHAM. 29 f
they could prove it wrong for me to leave them ; and assured
them if they could, I would abide with them, whatever was
the consequence.
" 22. — One thing I desire of the Lord, whatever be my
portion here, if it be to wear out my years in pining sadness,
let me so walk as to enjoy his approbation. Into thy hands
I commit my spirit."
It is remarkable that, throughout his diary, during the
last two years of his residence at Soham, no reference is
made to the church at Kettering, though a series of the most
urgent solicitations were, during a considerable portion of
that time, made to him from that quarter. This had been in
the first instance at the suggestion of Mr. Hall of Arnsby
(father of R. Hall, M.A.), who was not only well acquainted
with his difficulties, but with his adaptation to an enlarged
sphere of labour, and whose known wisdom and piety contri
buted not a little to the decision of his young friend. This
however, was not arrived at without a submission of the
matter to the counsels of many others. Among these was
the late Robert Robinson of Cambridge, who, being con
sulted by both parties, expressed his opinion that Mr. Fuller
should remain pastor of the church at Soham for one whole
year from that time, and after that, provided he could live on his
income, which ought, agreeably to the proposal of the people,
to be raised to £26 per annum, clear of all deductions. Being
strongly urged not to be guided by this decision, he says, " I
dare not, indeed, I dare not go contrary to the above deci
sion. I think it would be mocking God and the arbitrators
to be previously resolved which way to take. Would it not
be like Ahab's asking counsel of Micaiah ? or the Jews of
Jeremiah ? I therefore must not comply with your invita
tion. Mr. Robinson referred me to what it is that approves
a minister of God (2 Cor. vi. 4^-8), and such things have
no small impression on my heart."
About ten months after this, in a letter to Mr. Wallis,
one of the deacons of the church at Kettering, he thus
writes : —
" Since I saw you, tnough it is but a little time, yet I
have had great exercises. The day I parted with you,
calling in the evening on one of my friends, my feelings were
tried by what you know is the most effectual battery on my

30 MEMOIR.
heart of anything — I mean bitter weeping. The Lord's-
day following, the meeting-house, to say all in one word, was
a Bochim ! The most unfeigned sorrow, I believe, prevailed in
almost every heart. For my own part, I found it exceedingly
difficult to go on in preaching, and keep from weeping quite
out. I hastened, as soon as worship was over, to get alone,
and there give full vent to all my sorrow. We had a private
evening meeting, which was more trying to me than the day.
I saw a spirit in the church in general, which had I seen
half a year ago, I could never have left them, come what
would, whatever I do now ! I went home to pa.y house with
a heart full of distress, and my strength nearly exhausted
with the work and weeping of the day.
" The next day, August 12, I devoted to fasting and
prayer : found special outgoings of heart, and encouragement
to pray from many scriptures. I scarcely remember such a
day for tenderness and importunity in prayer in my life.
Two days after, I felt my spirits all the morning exceedingly
depressed ; got alone, and found a heart to pray, with, I
think, greater importunity than I had done before. 0 ! it
seemed as if I must have my petitions granted, or I could
not live. This last Lord's day was a tender day, but not like
the Lord's day preceding. . •
" Truly, sir, nothing but the thoughts of an open door for
greater usefulness in Christ's cause, (surely this is not an
illusion!) and my having been so engaged to pray for the
coming of Christ's kingdom, could have kept me from drop-
ing all opposition, and yielding to the church's desire. All
their former treatment towards me I cannot remember. I
am constrained not only to forgive it, but to forget it. And
as to profit or reputation, things at which I have been charged
with aiming, these seemed no more to me than the mire in
the streets. I cannot say what I shall do. I desire to be
governed by judgment, and mean to be so ; but these things
influence my judgment, and that which appeared clear before
has appeared doubtful since. Some of my friends also, who
thought my way clear before, think it doubtful now. 0 ! it
pains me to the heart to put you and my dear friends to so
much pain. I have often of late lamented before the Lord
my unhappy situation, that it should be my lot to be reduced
i.0 the painful necessity, to say the leasl^ of injuring at one

INVITATION TO KETTERING. 31
place or other that cause which of all things in the world I
most dearly love! My dear friend, I must beg of you not to
have your expectations raised too much. Indeed I am
ashamed to mention their being raised at all by the thoughts
of my coming ; only I know how you are. Truly I am not
without a dread of being made a curse to you if I come. I
feel such barrenness and carnal-mindedness habitually pre
vail, as often has made me think my labours would be blasted,
be- where I might. I know not but such is your partial
opinion of me, that you -will be apt to impute this to a pecu
liar sensibility of the plague of my own heart ; but verily
this is not the case. My soul is indeed, like the lands of
Jericho, barren ; and almost all my services, hke its waters,
nought : and unless something extraordinary be done to the
spring-head of all, to heal the waters, like what was done
by the prophet Elisha, my barrenness wiU be my plague, and
the plague of those about me.
" I must farther beg of you not to move it to the church
to give me any farther call. If I leave Soham I shall come,
not doubting their willingness to receive me ; and if not, the
more there is done by the church, as a church, towards it,
the greater -wiU be their disappointment. For my own part,
the language of my heart is, ' Here am I, let Him do with me as
seemeth good to Him.' I do not expect nor wait for extra
ordinary directions. AU I look for is to have my way plain,
my judgment clear, and my conscience satisfied. Pray to the
Lord, my dear sir, earnestly, yet submissively. I thought it
right to give you an honest account of things, as above ; and
I think it but right as honestly to say, on the other hand,
that, all things considered, notwithstanding the check I have
lately met vpith, the evidence for removing rather prepon
derates than that for continuing. Meanwhile, till we see the
issue of things, may we each become dead to all created good,
any farther than as it may subserve the glory of God. So
desires (
" Your affectionate but distressed friend, A. F."
Mr. Hall, in a letter to Mr. Fuller, dated January 15, 1781,
says, " I suppose the choice of all the ministers in the world
would not produce a momentary hesitation, providing you
vfere at hberty; and yet were yon quite determined, or could

32 MEMOIR._
you see to your full satisfaction that you ought to abide where
you are, I am persuaded they would not harbour a deliberate
wish to remove you, for they dread displeasing God by too
great anxiety for a creature."
It was not until October, 1782, that his removal to Ketter
ing took place. This event opened a sphere of intercourse
and labour far exceeding his anticipations. The facilities for
intercourse with Ryland, Sutcliff, and Hall led to more fre
quent and earnest discussions on the subject which had so
much engrossed Mr. Fuller's attention, and which had
occasioned such unhappy differences in the church at Soham.
The obligation of all who hear the gospel cordially to receive
it, was regarded by the bulk of the churches in their con
nexion as hostile to the doctrines of divine grace in the
conversion of sinners ; and its promulgation was the signal
for the fiercest hostility in some, and the occasion of deep
sorrow in others.
During the last year or two * of Mr. Fuller's residence at
Soham, and in the midst of the severest domestic and other
trials, he composed his treatise, entitled " The Gospel worthy
of all Acceptation," a work which was destined to involve
him in a controversy, which continued in its different rela
tions nearly twenty years. It does not appear that it was
with any definite design of publication that it was written ;
it was not until five years afterwards that at the urgent
solicitations of Mr. Hall and other friends, it was issued.
Its influence over the views prevalent throughout the Baptist
churches, and, to some extent, of those of other denomina
tions, has been freely acknowledged both by friends and
enemies, while its appearance at this important juncture may
be regarded as most opportune in relation to that great
enterprize, which was so soon to engross the energies of his
soul. Referring to this publication he writes in his diary,
" Some pain of mind through a letter from Mr. B. of London,
expressing his fears lest my publication should occasion some
» It appears, however, from a manuscript of great length and interest
but neither designed nor adapted for publication, and subsequently endorsed
by himself as having been written in "1777 or 1778," that at that early
period he had given the subject a systematic and intense study as L
indicated not only by the elaborate character of the arguments, but by his
narration of the progress of evidence in his mind.

INTERCOURSE WITH CARET. , 33
uncomfortable disputes ; some outgoings of heart to God
that that might 'not be. Feel my ignorance and the power
of prejudice. The Lord in mercy lead me into aU truth."
In the year 1784, a publication of the late President
Edwards, to whose writings Mr. FuUer had already been
much indebted, fell into his hands, and was by him read to
the people of his charge. This was "A Persuasive to Prayer
for the Revival of Religion." This pamphlet appears to have
exercised a powerful influence on the minds of others of his
brethren ; for in October of the same year, at the annual
Association of churches held at Nottingham, it was resolved,
on the suggestion of Mr. Sutcliffe, to set apart an hour on the
first Monday evening of every month, " for extraordinary
prayer for the revival of religion, and for the extending of
Christ's kingdom in the world." This was the commence
ment of a practice which has been continued from that period
to the present day, throughout the Baptist, Independent, and
some other bodies, in every part of the world, and been
attended with evident tokens of divine favour.
An impression seemed now to be gathering strength, that
not only was prayer to be offered for the kingdom of Christ,
but that corresponding efforts should be employed ; but of
the character and direction they should assume, no definite
conception appeared to be formed. The labours of Schwartz
in India, of Eliot and Brainerd in America, of Egede and
others in Greenland, had been the objects of their careful
study and deep sympathy, and every succeeding meeting of
the ministers and churches connected with this Association
presented occasion for reiterated yet fraternal attacks on the
prejudices of their brethren.
Among the most intrepid and persevering, yet. modest, of
these ass&,ilants of things, as they were, was William Carey,
who had recently become pastor of the Baptist church at Moul-
ton in Northamptonshire. Under the pressure of poverty
and daily labour as a shoemaker, he had acquired a knowledge
of several languages, and had already in the deep purposes
of his heart, consecrated this and all else he might acquire
to the advancement of the kingdom of God among his
fellow men. Of this extraordinary man Mr. Fuller com
menced a memoir, under the impression, as he says, " that
VOL. I. D

34 MEMOIR.
we who have engaged in the mission, may most of us die
before brother Carey. If so, when he dies, there wiU be no
one capable of -writing a memoir of him," In this document,
of which but a small fragment was ever written, he says, "I
remember, on going into the room where he employed him
self at his business, I saw hanging up against the wall a
very large map, consisting of a number of sheets of paper
pasted together by himself, on which he drew with a pen a
place for every nation in the known world, and entered into
it whatever he met with in reading relative to its population,
religions, &c., &c. The substance of this was afterwards
published in his ' Inquiry into the obligation of Christians
to use means for the conversion of the heathen.' "
"At several ministers' meetings," adds Mr. Fuller, "be
tween the years 1787 and 1790, this was the topic of his
conversation. Some of our most aged and respectable
ministers thought, I believe, at that time, that it was only a
wild and impracticable scheme that he had got in his mind,
and therefore gave him no encouragement ; yet he|would
not give it up, but would converse with us one by one till he
had made some impression upon us."
Among the characteristic incidents of the early ministry
of this great and noble-minded man, Mr. Fuller records that
on his removal to the sphere of labour afterwards occupied
by Robert Hall, at Leicester, he paid a friendly visit to the
Rev. T. Robinson, vicar of St. Mary's. Mr. Robinson asked
him if he approved of dissenting ministers getting hearers
from those churches where the gospel was preached, or, as
he in pleasantry called it, sheep-stealing : to which Mr.
Carey answered, " Mr. Robinson, I am a dissenter, a,nd you a
churchman ; we must each endeavour to do good, according
to our light, but at the same time you may be assured that I
had rather be the instrument of converting a scavenger that
sweeps the streets, than of merely proselyting the richest
and best characters in your congregation."
A further brief extract from this interesting document
wiU serve to show the progress of this great enterprise.
"At the Clipstone Easter meeting of ministers in 1791, the
two sermons that were preached (i. e. by Mr. Fuller and
Mr. Sutcliff), wore an aspect towards a mission among the
heathen. The first was from Hag. i. 2. 'This people say

FORMATION OF THE BAPTIST MISSION. 35
the time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should
be built.' The other from 1 Kings xix. 10. 'I have been
very jealous for the Lord of hosts.'
"After worship Mr. Carey, who was present and much
interested in the discourses, moved that something should
be that day agreed upon relative to the formation of a society
for the propagation of the gospel among the heathen. The
other ministers had, it is true, been in a manner compelled
to think upon the subject by his repeatedly advancing it, and
became desirous of it, if it could be accomplished ; but feel
ing the difficulty of setting out in an unbeaten path, their
minds revolted at the idea of attempting it. It seemed to
them something too great and too much like grasping at
an object utterly beyond their reach. However, partly to
satisfy brother Carey, and partly to gain time, they advised
him to revise his manuscript on the subject, and to print it."
The "time" gained by this recommendation was sedu
lously employed in maturing the great project, and influ
encing the minds of such of the brethren as had cherished
doubts of its expediency or practicability. At the meeting
of the Association at Nottingham, in the May following,
Mr. Carey delivered a memorable and impressive discourse
from Isa. liv. 2, 3, from which he deduced two exhortations,
1. Expect great things from God. 2. Attempt great things
for God. The effect of this appeal was electric. A resolu
tion was at once passed, " That against the next meeting of
ministers at Kettering, a plan should be prepared for the pur
pose of forming a society for propagating the gospel among
the heathen."
On the 2nd of October, 1792, the Baptist Missionary
Society was formed. The number of individuals present was
thirteen, of whom twelve were ministers ; the contributions
varying from two guineas to half a guinea, and amounting in
all to £13 2s. 6d. were tendered, with such a reference to the
relative ability of each contributor, as indicated their regard
rather to the principle of self-consecration to God than to
the amount requisite for the commencement of the under
taking. It is not too much to say, that to this simple, unosten
tatious, yet fervent, proceeding might be traced, not only
those vast operations of this society which have covered a
d2

36 MEMOIR.
large portion of the continent of India with the sacred
scriptures, in its various languages and dialects, established
schools, and numbered many hundreds, if not thousands, of
converts to the truth in the East, and countless thousands m
the West Indies ; but the institution of every other British
and American mission of modern times, and even the British
and Foreign Bible Society. -r r. i j •
The first committee consisted of the Rev. J. Ryland, jun.,
J. Sutcliffe, W. Carey, R. Hogg, and Andrew Fuller, of
whom the two last were appointed treasurer and secretary.
At the next meeting the devoted Samuel Pearce was added
to the committee. Two important questions were at the^
following meeting entered on the minutes for discussion.
The first, as to the qualifications of missionaries. . The other,
relative to an appropriate field of labour, suggesting the con
sultation of "books of travels, Christian merchants, and
others who might favour the design."
At a meeting held January 9, 1793, a correspondence was
read between the secretary and the Rev. A. Booth, relative
to Mr. John Thomas -who had returned from Bengal, where
he had rendered some service to the cause of Christ, and
who appeared willing, under the auspices of this society, to
devote himself to missionary labour. One of the minutes of
this meeting records, "That should an union between Mr.
Thomas and the society be found practicable, as it appears
to be mutually agreeable, the committee will immediately
endeavour to provide a companion for him, to go out with
him in the spring ;" it being well understood that this com
panion was Mr. Carey who was present; "just after the
work of the day was over Mr. Thomas unexpectedly arrived."
The interview between him and Mr. Carey was peculiarly
affecting : they fell on each other's necks and wept. The
record of the meeting adds, " Mr. Carey immediately engaged
to go with Mr. Thomas as a fellow missionary, if agreeable
to the society." After a most ; serious, solemn, and affec
tionate meeting, attended with fasting and prayer to
Almighty God, the committee accepted the offers of both the
above, brethren as missionaries. A month after this Mr.
Carey.thus writes to Mr. Fuller, "I feel my heart more and
more engaged in the great work, and so much set upon it
that I would rather undergo all the perils of a journey from

DEPARTURE OF CAREY. 37
Holland overland to Hindostan, should it be impracticable to
obtain a passage by sea, than not go upon the glorious
errand  Yet I have a very severe sensibility of the
sacrifices that I must make; but the Lord sees it best to
strip me of those comforts in which I am inclined to rest too
much ; he cannot do wrong, and I desire to be stUl."
,In a letter to Dr. Ryland, Mr. Fuller says, "You see
things of great consequence are in train. My heart fears
while it is enlarged. I have this day been , to Olney to con
verse with brother Sutcliff, and to request him to go with me
to Leicester this day se'nnight to conciliate the church there,
and to sound Mrs. Carey's mind, whether she will go and
take the family  I am much concerned with the
weight that lies upon us; it is a great undertaking, yet
surely it is right. We have aU felt much in prayer. We
must have one solemn day of fasting and prayer on parting
with our Paul and Barnabas." . , ¦
This meeting took place at Leicester, and was truly affect
ing. In concluding his charge to the missionaries, Mr.
FuUer thus addressed them : " Go, then, my dear brethren,
stimulated by these prospects. We shall meet again. Crowns
of glory await you and us. Each, I trust, will be addressed
in the last day, ' Come, ye blessed of my Father, enter ye
into the joy of your Lord.'"
A difficulty now arose as to the propriety of ' making
formal application for a passage in one of the Company's
ships ; but as this might be followed with a refusal, com
pelling them to go in a less direct form; it was judged most
advisable to waive it, and to proceed unobserved. Matters
being adjusted, the missionaries embarked amid the prayers
and tears of their friends.
They had waited three weeks at the Isle of Wight for a
convoy, when the secretary received a letter from Mr. Carey,
dated Ryde, May 21, 1793, in which he says, " I have just
time to inform you that all our plans are entirely frustrated
for the present. On account of the irregular manner of our
going out, an information is laid against the captain, for taking
a person on board without an order from the Company:
the person not being specified, Mr. Thomas and myself, and
another passenger, are ordered to quit the ship. I leave the

38 MEMOIR.
island to-day or to-morrow, and on Thursday the ship sails
without us."
Mr. Fuller, who had reluctantly yielded to this method of
going out, was greatly distressed at the result, and thus
expressed to Dr. Ryland his apprehensions : —
" Perhaps Carey has written to you. We are all undone !
I am grieved ; yet, perhaps, 'tis best. I am afraid leave will
never be obtained now for Carey or any other, and the ad
venture seems to be lost. He says nothing of the £250 for
the voyage ; 'tis weU if that be not lost."
The delay was not, however, without its advantages, as
will be seen by Dr. Ryland's description of an interview
with Messrs. Thomas and Carey. " At seeing them, I said,
' Well, I know not whether to say I am glad or sorry to see
you!' They replied, 'If you are sorry, your sorrow may
be turned into joy ; for it is all for the best. We have been
at Hackleton, and have seen Mrs. Carey; she is well re
covered from her confinement, and is now able to accompany
her husband, and is willing to go.' I tMnk they said that
she had at first refused : they left the house, and had walked
half a mile, when Mr. Thomas proposed to go back again, an
additional argument having struck his mind to use with her.
They went back : she said she would go, if her sister would
go with her. They then pleaded with the sister that it
depended on her whether the family should be separated or
not. Since Mrs. Short's return from India she has told me
that she hastened up stairs to pray, and, when she came
down, told them she was willing to go. Having related the
above, they told me they had heard of a Danish ship which
would be in the Downs in four days, and had room for them
all." It must not be supposed that even after the institution of
the Baptist Missionary Society, and the embarkation of its
first missionaries, the project met with very general support,
¦ or even that those who vrithheld their sanction were all men
either of narrow minds, or of hyper- Calvinist tendencies.
The subject, as applied to the case of modern Christianity,
was new to them. The sentiments expressed by the Rev!
B. Beddome, A.M., one of the most distinguished and valuable
ministers of his time, in a letter to Mi\ Fuller may be taken

LETTERS FROM MR. BEDDOME AND DE. FAWCETT. 39
as representing the views of many of the most deservedly
influential of the ministers of the day, " I think your scheme,
considering the paucity of well-qualified ministers, hath a
very unfavourable aspect with respect to destitute churches
at home, where charity ought to begin. I had the pleasure
once to see and hear Mr. Carey ; it struck me he was the
most suitable person in the kingdom, at least whom I knew,
to supply my place, and make up my great deficiencies when
either disabled or removed. A different plan is formed and
pursued, and I fear that the great and good man, though
influenced by the most excellent motives, will meet with a
disappointment. However, God h^th his ends,' and who
ever is disappointed he will not, he cannot be so. My
unbelieving heart is ready to suggest that the time is not
come, the time that the Lord's house should be built." Mrj.
Beddome was at this time bowed down with infirmities
incident to the time when 'f fears shall be in the way, and
they shall be afraid of that which is high," of which he
makes affecting mention in his letter.
Another correspondent writes in a more hopeful strain.
This was Dr. Fawcett of Hebden Bridge, author of an essay
on Anger, which falling into the hands of the king (George
ni.) led to an interview with that monarch who pressed the
author to ask some favour, the granting of which should
testify the high sense he entertained of his piety and talent.
The Doctor did not then avail himself of the kindness of the
king, but an opportunity occurring some years after to solicit
the hfe of a criminal condemned for forgery, he made a suc
cessful application to his majesty, although such an exercise
of mercy was then of extremely rare occurrence.
Dr. Fawcett having collected upwards of £200 for the
mission, in Yorkshire, says, "The kindness of my friends
excites my warmest gratitude. The Lord reward them a
thousand fold. My heart is much affected, indeed it~is. I
am ready to sit down to weep over the tokens of love which
I have received. Blessed be God for this call in his pro
vidence, and blessed ^e his name, that he has given me,
before I quit the world, to see so much regard for his gospel,
and for precious souls. This view of the matter strikes me
more than aU the rest."
During the progress of these events, Mr. Fuller was

40 MEMOIR.
conducted by the providence of God through scenes of
unexampled domestic trial. In 1786, his feelings as a father
were severely tried by the loss of a daughter at the age of
six years. She was a child of great promise and undoubted
piety. An entry in his diary refers to this sad event, in the
following touching sentences : — " At times I am distressed
beyond due bounds. On the 25th in particular, my distress
seemed beyond all measure. I lay before the Lord weeping
hke Davi^ and refusing to be comforted. This brought on,
I have reason to think, a bilious cholic. A painful affliction
it was, and the more so as it prevented my ever seeing my
child alive again ! Yes, she is gone ! On Tuesday morn-
iug. May 30, as I lay iU in bed in another room I heard a
whispering. I inquired, and all were silent . . . All were
silent. . . . but all is well. I feel reconciled to God. I
called my family round my bed ; I sat up and prayed as well
as I could ; I bowed my head and worshipped, and blessed
a taking as well as a giving God."
During the summer of 1793, he was called to pass
through sorrows of another and a severe character. These
were the affliction of his beloved wife with the loss of her
reason, which issued in her death on thfe 23rd of August of
that year. This afflictive event is thus recorded in a letter
addressed to her father, Mr. Gardiner. « Aug. 35, 1793.
" Dear and honoured Father, — You have heard, I sup
pose, before now, that my dear companion is no more ! For
about three months back our afflictions have been extremely
heavy. About the beginning of June she was seized with
hysterical affections, which, for a time, deprived her of her
senses. In about a week, however, she recovered them, and
seemed better, but soon relapsed again ; and during the months
of July and August, a very few intervals excepted, her mind
has been constantly deranged. In this unhappy state her
attention has generally been turned upon some one object of
distress : sometimes that she had lost^ her children • some
times that she should lose me. For one whole day she hung
about my neck, weeping ; for that I was going to die and
leave her ! The next morning she still retained the same
persuasion ; but, instead of weeping for it, she rejoiced
with exceeding joy. ' My husband,' said she, ' is going to

ILLNESS OP MRS. PULLEE. 41
heaven .... and all is well ! — I shall be provided for,' &c.
Sometimes we were her worst enemies, and must not come
near her ; at other times she would speak to me in the most
endearing terms. Till very lately, she has been so desirous
of my company, that it has been with much difficulty that I
have stolen away from her about two hours in the twenty-
four, that I might ride out in the air, my health havings been
considerably impaired. But lately her mind took another
turn, which to me was very afflictive. It is true she never
ceased to love her husband. 'I have had,' she would say,
' as tender a husband as ever woman had ; but you are not
my husband !' She seemed for the last month really to
have considered me as an impostor, who had entered the
house, and taken possession of the keys of every place, and
of all that belonged to her and her husband. Poor soul !
for the last month, as I said, this and other notions of the
kind have rendered her more miserable than I am able to
describe ! She has been fully persuaded that she was not
at home, but had wandered somewhere from it ; had lost
herself, and fallen among strangers. She constantly wanted
to make her escape, on which account we were obliged to
keep the doors locked, and to take aiway the keys. 'No,'
she would say to me, with a countenance full of inex
pressible anguish, *this is not my home .... you are not
my husband .... these are not my children. Once I had a
good home .... and a husband who loved me .... and dear
children .... and kind friends .... but where am I now ?
I am lost ! I am ruined ! What have I done ! 0 ! what
have I done ! Lord, have mercy upon me !' In this strain
she would be frequently walking up and down, from room
to room, bemoaning herself, -without a tear to relieve her,
wringing her hands, first looking upwards, then downwards,
in all the attitudes of wild despair ! You may form some
conception what must have been my feelings, to have been a
spectator of all this anguish, and at the same time incapable
of affording her the smallest relief.
" Though she seemed not to know the children about her,
yet she had a keen and lively remembrance of those that
were taken away. One day, when I was gone out for the
air, she went out of the house. The servant missing het,
immediately followed, and found her in the grave-yard, look-

42 MEMOIR.
ing at the graves of her children. She said nothing ; but,
with a bitterness of soul, pointed the servants eyes to the
wall, where the name of one of them, who was buried in
1783, was cut in the stone. Then turning to the graves of
the other children, in an agony, she with her foot struck off
the long grass, which had grown over the flat stones, and
read the inscriptions with silent anguish, alternately looking
at the servant and at the stones.
" About a fortnight before her death she had one of the
happiest intervals of any during the affliction. She had
been lamenting on account of this impostor that was come
into her house, and would not give her the keys. She tried
for two hours to obtain them by force, in which time she
exhausted all her own strength, and' almost mine. Not
being able to obtain her point, as I was necessarily obliged
to resist her in this matter, she sat down and wept, threaten
ing me that God would surely judge me for treating a poor
helpless creature in such a manner ! I also was overcome
with grief : I wept with her. The sight of my tears seemed
to awaken her recollection. With her eyes fixed upon me,
she said, ' Why, are you indeed my husband ?' ' Indeed,
my dear, I am !' — 0 if I thought you were, I could give you
a thousand kisses !'— ¦' Indeed, my dear, I am your own dear
husband !' She then seated herself upon my knee, and
kissed me several times. My heart dissolved -with a mixture
of grief and joy. Her senses were restored, and she talked
as rationally as ever. I then persuaded her to go to rest,
and she slept well.
"About two in the morning she awoke, and conversed
with me as rationally as ever she did in her life : said her
poor head had been disordered ; that she had given me a
great deal of trouble, and feared she had injured my health ;
begged I would excuse all her hard thoughts and speeches,
and urged this as a consideration ; ' "Though I was set
against you, yet I was not set against you as my husband.'
She desired I -would ride out every day for the air ; gave
directions to the servant about her family ; told her where
this and that article were to be found, which she wanted ;
inquired after various family concerns, and how they had
been conducted since she had been ill ; and thus we con
tinued talking together till morning.

DEATH OP MRS. FULLER. 43
" She continued much the same all the forenoon ; was
delighted with the conversation of Robert, whose heart also
was delighted, as he said, to see his mother so well. ' Ro
bert,' said she, 'we shall not live together much longer.'
' Yes, mother,' replied the child, ' I hope we shall live to
gether for ever !' Joy sparkled in her eyes at this answer :
she stroked his head, and exclaimed, ' 0 bless you, my
dear ! how came such a thought into your mind ?'
" Towards noon she said to me, ' We wiU dine together
to-day, my dear, up stairs.' We did so. But, while we
were at dinner, in a few minutes her senses were gone ; nor
did she ever recover them again. From this happy interval,
however, I entertained hopes that her senses would return
when she was delivered, and came to recover her strength.
" On Thursday, the 33rd instant, she was delivered of a
daughter ; but was all the day very restless, fuU of pain and
misery ; no return of reason, except that from an aversion
to me, which she had so long entertained, she called me ' my
dear,' and twice kissed me ; said she ' must die ;' and ' let
me die, my dear,' said she, 'let me die !' Between nine and
ten o'clock, as there seemed no immediate sign of a change,
and being very weary, I went to rest ; but about eleven
was called up again, just time enough to witness the con
vulsive pangs of death, which in about ten minutes carried
her off.
" Poor soul ! What she often said is now true. She was
not at home ... I am not her husband . . . these are not
her children . . . but she has found her home ... a home, a
husband, and a family, better than these ! It is the cup
which my Father hath given me to drink, and shall I not
drink it ? Amidst all my afflictions I have much to be
thankful for. I have reason to be thankful that, though her
intellects were so deranged, yet she never uttered any ill
language, nor was ever disposed to do mischief to herself or
others ; and when she was at the worst, if I fell on my
knees to prayer she would instantly be still and attentive. I
have also to be thankful that, though she has been generally
afraid of death all her life-time, yet that fear has been
remarkably removed for the last half year. While she re
tained her reason, she would sometimes express a willingness
to live or to die, as it might please God ; and about five or

44 MEMOIR.
six weeks ago would now and then possess a short interval
in which she would converse freely. One of her friends,
v^ho stayed at home with her on Lord's days, says, that her
conversation at those times would often turn on the poor and
imperfect manner in which she had served the Lord, her
desires to serve him better, her- grief to think she had so
much and so often sinned against him. On one of these
occasions she was wonderfully filled with joy, on over
hearing the congregation while they were singing over the
chorus, ' Glory, honour, praise, and power,' &c. She seemed
to catch the sacred spirit of the song.
" I mean to erect a stone to her memory, on which will
probably be engraved the follovring lines : —
The tender parent wails no more her loss.
Nor labours more beneath life's heavy load;
The anxious soul, released from fears and woes,
Has found her home, her children, and her God. ,
" To all this I may add, that, perhaps, I have reason to
be thankful for her removal. However the dissolution of
such an union may affect my present feelings, it may be orie
of the greatest mercies both to her and me. Had she con
tinued, and continued in the same state of mind, which was
not at aU. improbable, this, to all appearance, would have
been a thousand times worse than death.
" The poor little infant is yet alive, and we call her name
Bathoni ; the same name, except the difference of sex, which
Rachel gave to her last-born child. Gen. xxxv. 16 — 18.
Mr. West preached a funeral sermon last night, at the inter
ment, from 2 Cor. v. 1."
The late Dr. Stuart of Edinburgh, in a notice of this
period of Mr. Fuller's history, says, that he remembers his
having told him that during the last three months of Mrs.
Fuller's life, his sleep was perpetually broken, and his heart
incessantly dejected. At this time he was closely engaged
in studying. Socinian writings, and in composing and tran
scribing his letters on their moral influence. This engrossed
him so much, that he attended little to the relaxations re
quired during such intense application, and the operation of
so many dtepressing causes. Not long after this he embarked
in measures for the mission. When it was finally determined

SOCINIAN CONTROVERSY. 45
that India should be the scene of their efforts, and it was
found that above £1,000 must be raised in four months, he
kunched out in an extensive correspondence all over 'the
kingdom, undertook several fatiguing journeys, and expe
rienced that care (anxiety, /isj;/ii/a) which Paul describes
2 Cor. xi. 28, as productive of pain within, more severe, in
his estimation, than all bis privations, sufferings, and perils
from without, though he was distinguished by these more
than most of his fellow apostles. ' Its effects,' as Mr. Fuller
described them, 'came on him insensibly — but for a fortnight
he had no use of one side of his face ; he could not shut his
eye, nor. close his lips, nor chew his food, on that side.'
Weakness succeeded this, and disposition to pain within the
head, whenever he thought closely, read, or wrote. For
some years those symptons continued, though not in the
same degree ; but after this they abated, and in about three
years (1796), he writes, ' I can now do six times the work I
could for the first quarter of a year, but, if overdone in any
respect, head-ache follows. The mission gives me as much
of this kind of work as all my other labours put together.'"
"Friends talk to me," said Mr. Fuller, "about coadjutors
and assistants, but I know not how it is I find a difficulty.
Our undertaking to India really appeared to me on its com
mencement, to be somewhat like a few men who were deli
berating about the importance of penetrating into a deep
mine, which had never before been explored. We had no
one to guide us, and while we were thus deliberating, Carey,
as it were, said, 'WeU, I will go down, if yow will hold the
rope.' But before he went down, he, as it seemed to me,
took an oath from each of us at the mouth of the pit to this
effect : ' that whUe we lived we should never let go the rope.'
You understand me. There was great responsibility attached
to us who began the business, and so I find a difficulty." The
studies to which Dr. Stuart refers, resulted in the issue of
one of the most celebrated of his works, entitled, " The Cal
vinistic and Socinian systems compared "as to their moral
tendency." The ground taken was new. Mr. FuUer defends
it as both a scriptural and rational mode of testing doctrine,
and as that to which his "opponents could not fairly object,
seeing they had commenced an attack upon it, charging the
Calvinistic system with 'gloominess,' 'bigotry,' and 'Ucen-

46 MEMOIR.
tiousness,' — with ' being averse to the love of both God and
man,' and ' an axe at the root of aU virtue.'"
The object Mf. FuUer had chiefly in view in pubUshing
the treatise at this time, was the rescue of dissenters in
general from the charge of sympathy with Socinian princi
ples, arising out of their union with them in a recent effort
to obtain a repeal of the Test Laws — a charge to which that
bodyhad'exposed them by identifying the terms "dissenter"
and " Socinian" in the defence of their political principles in
one of their journals.
The sentiments of the late Rev. R. Hall, relative to this
treatise, are thus expressed in a letter to the author : — "You
will please to accept my hearty thanks for your book, which,
without flattery, appears to me by far the most decisive con.
futation of the Socinian system that ever appeared. There
are some particulars in which I differ from you, but, in
general, I admire the spirit no less than the reasoning. It
will be read not merely as a pamphlet of the day, but for
years to come."
Notwithstanding the acknowledgment of several leading
persons among the Socinians, that these letters were " well
worthy of their attention," it was not tiU after the lapse of
three years that an answer appeared, in the publications of
Dr. Toulmin and Mr. Kentish^. The former of those gentle
men undertook to prove " 'The Practical Efficacy of the
Unitarian Doctrine," from the successes of the apostles and
primitive Christians. Mr. Fuller repUed to both, and re
corded in his diary the following observations.
" The reflection I made on June 1, 1792, that we have
no more religion than we have in times of trial, has agairj
occurred. God has tried me, within the last two or three
years, by heavy and sore afflictions in my family, and by
threatening complaints in my body. But, of late, trials have
been of another kind : having printed 'Letters on Socinian
ism,' they have procured an unusual tide of respect and
applause. Some years ago, I endured a portion of reproach,
on account of what 1 had written against false Calvinism ;
now I am likely to be tried with the contrary; and, perhaps,
good report, though more agreeable, may prove not less try
ing than evil report."
Reviewing the, events of this period, and their influence

SECOND MARRLA.GE. 47
on his mind, in a letter to a friend, Mr. Fuller says : " From
the year 1786 to 1792, I experienced a great degree of
spiritual darkness and dejection.. I had sunk into a carnal
spirit, and brought guilt and distance from God upon me,
that deprived me for several years of aU pleasure in my
work, and in almost every thing else. But a little before the
death of Mrs. FuUer I began to recover the lost joys of God's
salvation. The trials in my family had a good effect, and
my engagement in the mission undertaking had a wonderful
influence in reviving true religion in my soul ; and from that
time, notwithstanding aU my family afflictions, I have been
one of the happiest of men. ' Then shaU I run,' said the
Psalmist, 'in the way of thy commandments, when thou
shalt enlarge my heart.' And truly I know of nothing
which has so enlarged my heart as engaging in a work, the
object of which is the salvation of the world ! I have often
observed that many good people miss of their objects, and live
in doubt about their o-wn Christianity aU their days, because
they make this their direct and principal object of pursuit.
They read, hear, meditate — everything, in order to find out
whether they he Christians ! Let them but seek the glory of
Christ's kingdom, the spread of his cause, &c., and a know
ledge of their own ipterest in it would be amongst the things
which would be 'added unto them.' If we are so selfish as
to care about nothing but our own individual safety, God wiU
righteously so order it that we shaU not obtain our desire,
but shall Uve in suspense on that subject ; while, if we had
served Him, and sought His glory, and the good of others'
souls as weU as our own, our own safety would have ap
peared manifest. It is thus that God interweaves the good
of his creatures ; ordering it so that the Happiness of one
part shall arise from their pursuing that of another, rather
than in a direct pursuit of their own. It is thus in domestic
felicity, and thus in religion. Blessed be God for thus
encouraging a principle, which, if it did but universally pre-
vaU, would be productive of universal peace and happiness.
'God is love ; and he that dwelleth in love, dweUeth in God,
and God in him.'"
Upwards of two years after the death of his wife, Mr.
Fuller married Ann, only daughter of the Rev. WiUiam
Coles, pastor of the baptist church at Maulden near AmpthiU.

48 MEMOIR.
An entry in his diary records this event. " This day I was
married ; and this day vrill probably stamp my future life
with either increasing happiness or misery. My hopes rise
high of the former ; but my times, and those of my dear
companion, are in the Lord's hand. I feel a satisfaction that
in her I have a godly character, as well as a wife. I bless
God for the prospect I have of an increase of happiness."
A subsequent record near the close of his life bears this
testimony : — " I have found my marriage contribute greatly
to my peace and comfort, and the comfort of my family ; for
which I render humble thanks to the God of my life."
Mrs. Fuller, who survived her husband ten years, was a
woman of deep piety, great discretion, and cultivated mind,
though of retiring habits. The sorrows of her widowhood
were greatly augmented by the death of her eldest daughter,
whose singular -wisdom and piety seemed as if designed to be
the stay of her decUning years.
About the time of Mrs. Fuller's marriage, her father
Mr. Coles, who was a widower, married Mrs. Button, the
daughter of Captain Sabine, and the intimate friend of John
Howard. She was a woman of extraordinary cultivation and
refinement, and her society during the years of her second
¦widowhood, was a great comfort to Mrs. FuUer, her residence
being then at Kettering.
By his second wife, Mr. FuUer had a numerous family, of
whom two sons, with a son and daughter of her predecessor,
survived to deplore her loss.
An incident occurred in 1796, which gave rise to a some
what humorous communication of his friend and neighbour,
the Rev. T. Toller, to the Rev. S, Palmer, of Hackney :
" What do you think ?" said he ; " my neighbour Fuller has
turned to the church, and preached his first sermon in a
village church in this county !" The good man, on reading
this startUng communication, lifted up his hands exclaiming,
" Lord, what is man !" The circumstances are thus related
in a letter to Dr. Ryland.
" The report of my preaching in Braybrook church is
true -, but that of the clergyman, or myself, having suffered
any inconvenience, is not so ; nor have I any apprehensions
on that score. The fact was thus : Mr. Broughton, ' of
Braybrook Lodge, had a son, about twenty years of age, -who

PREACHING IN A CHURCH. 4P
died. The young man's desire was, that I should preach a
funeral sermon at his interment, from Jer. xxxi. 18 — 20.
Mr. Ayre, the Baptist minister, came to me the day before
his burial, to inform me. I said to him, ' And where are we
to be ? the meeting-house will not hold hah' the people.' He
said, he did not know. ' I do not know,' said I, ' where we
can be, unless they would lend us the church.' This I said
merely in pleasantry, and without the most distant idea of
asking for it. Mr. Ayre, however, went home, and told the
young man's father what I had said. ' I will go,' said he,
' and ask the clergyman.' He went. ' I have no objection,'
said the old man, who is a good-tempered man, but lies
under no suspicion of either evangelical sentiments, or of
being righteous overmuch, ' if it could be done with safety ;
but I reckon it would be unsafe.' Mr. Broughton took this for
an answer in the negative. But, the same day, the old clergy
man rode over to Harborough, and inquired, I suppose, of
some attorney. He was told no ill consequences would follow
towards him ; if any, they would fall upon me. He then came
back, and just before the funeral, told Mr. Broughton what
he had learned, adding, ' I do not wish Mr. Fuller to injure
himself; but, if he choose to run the hazard, he is welcome
to the church.' Mr. Broughton told me this. We then carried
the corpse up to the church, and the old man went through
the service out of doors. It was nearly dark, very cold and
damp, and about five or six hundred were gathered together.
The meeting-house would not hold above one hundred, and I
should have taken a great cold to have been abroad. I did
not beUeve the attorney's opinion, that they could hurt me,
unless it were through the clergyman. I therefore went up
to him, thanked him for his offer, and accepted it. He stayed
to hear me ;. and I can truly say, I aimed and longed for his
salvation. After sermon, he shook hands with me before all
the people, saying, ' Thank you, sir, for your serious pathetic
discourse ; I hope no ill consequences will befaU either thee
or me.' Next day I rode with him some miles on my way
home. ' I Uke charity,' said he ; ' Christians should be
charitable to one another.' I have heard nothing since, and
expect to hear no more about it."
Among those whose hearts and hands were consecrated to
the great enterprize to which Mr. Fuller devoted so large a
VOL. I. E

50 MEMOIR.
portion of his energies was Samuel Pciirce, whose ardent
piety and intense affection won for him the appellation of the
"seraphic Pearce." He seemed to live in a perpetual at
mosphere of holy love and self-devotion. Witness was borno
to the power of those principles by the tears of assembled
multitudes of tiie colliers in the forest of Dean, the polished
audiences that thronged his ministrations during a sojourn
in Dublin, and by the accessions to the kingdom of Christ
IVom his overflowing congregations at Birmingham, the scene
of his stated labours. Before the project for a missionary
society had assumed any tangible form, he had conceived a
strong desire to be engaged in missionary labour, and for a
succession of years this desire fed like a flamo upon his
vitals. The impassioned manner in which he speaks of it
in various letters and conferences with his friends, if it could
be viewed apart from the question of his subsequent state of
health, would leave a painful doubt whether the committee
were acting right in deciding against his wishes : — " That
after tlie most serious and mature deliberation, though they
were fully satisfied as to brother Pearce's qualifications and
greatly approved of his spirit, yet were unanimously of
opinion that he ought not to go; and that not merely on
account of his connexions at home which might have been
pleaded in the case of brother Carey, but on account of the
mission itself, which required his assistance in the station
which he already occupied." Many others besides the Com
mittee, even Mr. Carey who longed for his presence in India,
concurred in this opinion. A severe cold taken in October
1798, and aggravated by excessive labours and traveUing
on behalf of the mission cause, terminated his valuable life
within twelve months. In the April preceding his death,
being unable to attend the designation of Messrs. Ward and
Marshman to their missionary labour, ho thus concluded an
epistolary address to them : " Long as I live my imagination
will be hovering over you in Bengal ; and should I die, if
separate spirits are allowed a revisit to the world they have
left, methinks mine would soon be at Mudnabatty, watching
your labours, your conflicts and your pleasures, whilst you
are always abounding in the work of the Lord."
Before Mr. Carey had heard of the death of this devoted
man he addressed to him a letter in these terms : 
" From the last letters I received from you I fear you are

DEATH OF MR. PEARCE. 51
removed from us to that world of realities where inconceiv
able joy always fills the soul. I am at a loss how to address
you, whether as an inhabitant of earth or heaven. If I had
reason to think that you tabernacled with men I should
address you as usual, should send you some short account of
India and the mission, should inquire how the churches pros
per, and communicate something of my inmost soul to you,
should tell you of this, and this, &c. &c. &c. Thus I should
indulge myself in familiarity with my very dear brother. I
feel pleasure in communicating my very inmost heart. But
who knows where the spirit of the just made perfect will be
stationed ? for aU the world is full of God, and where God
is there are rivers of pleasure flowing for evermore. If so,
jou may, if you be indeed delivered from the burden of the
•flesh, be happy anywhere; and is there any impropriety in
supposing that happy saints are stationed near those scenes
on which their hearts were most intently fixed while living?
If the idea is unfounded and wrong, yet I must indulge my
reveries, and suppose my dear, my generous friend, to be near
us in India. Methinks I see your spirit, which was here long
ago, now at full Uberty. Seas and continents can restrain it
no longer, 'tis now itself. It flies one hour to Mudnabatty,
inquires then of Sookman and Hurry Charron, how they
are affected with gospel truth, anon it goes to  . Yes !
my dear brother, I hear the rebuke of your friendly spirit.
I feel admonished for my guilty sloth. I think, had Pearce
been here, how would he have felt at this, and this, &c. &c.
I really think it possible that you may be seen hovering in
my room, or seated by my side. 0 had you but the organs
of speech, or were you but visible in your unembodied
state, how would I have indulged myself in your society ! I
would inquire — would attend — would — but I conclude, fo;r
whether in the body or out of the body,
" I am very affectionately yours,
"W. C."
The tidings of Mr. Pearce's death having reached the
writer of this extraordinary epistle previous to its trans
mission, he refused, though urged, to forward it to England.
Mr. Ward, as he says, stole it, and directed it to Mr. King,
of Birmingham.
It devolved on Mr. Fuller to present the pubUc with
E 2

52 MEMOIR.
memoirs of this excellent man, a task which he executed
with such fideUty and ability, that it was remarked by Sir
H. Blosset, Chief Justice of Bengal, that he scarcely knew
which most to admire, the lovely character of Mr. Pearce,
or the happy talent displayed by Mr. Fuller in sketching it.
Amidst the innumerable avocations then pressing upon
him, Mr. Fuller thus replies to the solicitations of the editor
of a new periodical for contributions : —
" My labours wiU increase without any consent on my part.
As to magazines, there are several to which I contribute, for
the sake of the mission and other public interests; and, through
such a number of objects as press upon me daily, my own vine
yard, my own soul, my family, and congregation, are neglected.
Every journey I take only makes way for two or three more;
and every book I write only occasions me to write others to
explain or defend it. 'All is vanity and vexation of spirit.'
'I gave my heart to know wisdom; I perceived that this also
is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief;
and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.' Some
are pressing me to write more largely on the mediation of
Christ, and others to review the second edition of Mr. Booth's
' Glad Tidings.' Controversies perplex me; and I am already
engaged with a gross and subtle sophist. My northern
correspondents are ever raising objections against my views
of faith, &c. ; all of which I could answer, but cannot get
time. I have sent your remarks to my friend at Edinburgh;
they will serve as a tub for the whale to play with, and, per
haps, for a time he will let me alone.
" Pearce's memoirs are now loudly called for. I sit down
almost in despair, and say, ' That which is crooked cannot be
made straight, and that which is lacking cannot be num
bered.' My wife looks at me, with a tear ready to drop, and
says, 'My dear, you have hardly time to speak to me.' My
friends at home are kind, but they also say, ' You have no
time to see or 'know us, and you will soon be worn out.'
Amidst all this, there is, ' Come again to Scotland — come to
Portsmouth — come to Plymouth — come to Bristol.'
" Excuse this effusion of melancholy. My heart is willing
to do everything you desire that I can do, but my hands fail
me. Dear brother Ryland complains of old age coming upon
him, and I expect old age will come upon me before I am

SEVERE ILLNESS. 53
really old. Under this complicated load my heart has
often of late groaned for rest, longing to finish my days
in comparative retirement."
If an entire sympathy -with the character of his deceased
friend were a qualification for a biographer, though widely
differing in natural temperament, Mr. Fuller possessed it in
an eminent degree. " I remember," said he, in a letter to a
friend, dated Sept. 5, 1801, "when that dear man was wast
ing away at Plymouth, I was riding outside the coach from
London ; and turning my back on the company I wept for
several miles and put up this prayer, " Let the God of Samuel
Pearce be my God ! " Probably the effusion of feeling de
scribed here owed much of its intensity to the precarious state
of his own health at the time, ha-vdng had a severe attack ap
parently of bronchitis, for in the same communication he says,
" I am exceedingly feeble; the cough is not removed, and the
fever remains, with loss of appetite, strength, and spirits. I
am teased with blisters about the stomach ; but perhaps they
are necessary. They still say I am going after Pearce. Well,
if it should be so, I hope to go whither he is gone. I feel
at present calm and resigned to the wiU of God." On this
occasion his warm and tried friend Dr. Stuart travelled from
Edinburgh, to satisfy both his own anxieties and those of
many friends in Scotland to whom he had become endeared
both by his writings, and by a visit paid to them in 1799.
This affliction was greatly aggravated, if not mainly
induced by tidings relative to his eldest son, who, having
discovered great disinclination to a settled mode of life, had
gone into the army, and subsequently into the marines. On
his return from this service, under feeUngs of penitential
regret, a situation had been procured for him in a merchant
ship, as most congenial to his taste ; but before he could join
his ship, he was impressed as a common sailor in the king's
service. The tidings which reached his father were that an
attempt at desertion had been foUowed by punishment, under
the infliction of which he died !
" O !" says his agonized parent, " this is heart-trouble !
In former cases, my sorrows found vent in tears ; but now
I can seldom weep. A kind of morbid heart-sickness preys
upon me from day to day. Every object around me reminds
me of him ! Ah ! .... he was wicked ; and mine tye was

54 MEMom.
not over him to prevent it .... he was detected, and tried,
and condemned ; and I knew it not .... he cried under his
agonies ; but 1 heard him not .... he expired, without an
eye to pity or a hand to help him ! .... 0 Absalom ! my
son ! my son ! would God I had died for thee, my son !
" Yet, 0 my soul ! let me rather think of Aaron than of
David. He 'held his peace' in a more trying case than-
mine. His sons were both slain, and slain by the wrath of
Heaven ; were probably intoxicated at the time : and all this
Suddenly, without any thing to prepare the mind for such a
trial ! Well did he say, ' Such thinge have befaUen me.' "
A few days brought the joyful intelligence that the report
was an entire fabrication. "Blessed be God," says Mr.
Fuller, " I find the above report is unfounded ! I have
received a letter from my poor boy. Well, he is yet aUve,
and within the reach of mercy."
Other and painful vicissitudes befell this unhappy young"
man, whose last station was among the marines, with whom
he went on a voyage to Brazil. On his return, he addressed
his 'father in the most pathetic terms, entreating one more
Written testimony of iis forgiveness, urging that he was on
the point of saiUng for Lisbon, " whence," says he, " I may
never return."
The response to this appeal was in the tenderest terms,
and such as could not fail to afford the greatest consolation
to the broken spirit of the unhappy youth, and there is good
reason to hope that the fervent and pious sentiments which
lit breathes were not without a saving influence on his heart.
His forebodings were verified, for he died off Lisbon, in
March, 1809, after a lingering illness in which he had every
attention paid him of which his situation would admit. The
testimony of his captain, and of one of his messmates, was
highly creditable to his character, and letters addressed to
his father and his sister a little time before his death, led to
the cheering confidence that he had " fled for refuge to the
hope set before him." In allusion to this event, his father, in
a discourse from Rom. x. 8, 9 ; " The word is nigh thee," &c.
presented three ideas : that, 1. The doctrine of free justifi
cation by the death of Christ ia suited to sinners of all
degrees. It asks not how long, nor how often, nor how
greatly we have sinned : if we confess our sins. He is faithful

TESTIMONY OP WILLIAM PITT. 55
and just to forgive us our sins. 2. It is suited to the helpless
condition of sinners. We have only to look and live. 3. It
is suited to sinners in the last extremity. It answers to the
promised mercy in Deut. iv. 29, ' If from thence thou seek
the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him.' Some are far from
home, and have no friend, in their dying moments, \o speak
a word of comfort .... but this is near ! When Jonah was
compassed about by the floods, when the billows and waves
passed over him, he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord heard
him." Here he was obliged to pause, and give vent to his
feelings by weeping ; and many of the congregation, who
knew the cause, wept with him ! His heart was full, and it
w-as with difficulty he could conclude, with solemnly charging
the sinner to apply for mercy ere it was too late ; for, if it
were rejected, its having been so near, and so easy of access,
would be a swift witness against him.
In the same year in which Mr. Fuller brought out the
" Memoirs of Pearce," while in the midst of controversy
arising out of his first publication, he issued a treatise in
defence of the Christian religion under the title of "The
Gospel its own Witness ; or, the Holy Nature and Divine
Harmony of the Christian Religion contrasted with the
Immorality and Absurdity of Deism." In this masterly pub
lication the malignant blasphemies of the " Age of Reason "
are exposed with due severity.
To one of these, which comments with flippant sarcasm
on the Christian system of faith as formed upon the idea of
only one world, Mr. Fuller repUed with singular effect in a
chapter entitled " The Consistency of the Scripture Doctrine
of Redemption, with the Modern Opinion of the Magnitude
of Creation." The compact reasoning in this chapter was
afterwards expanded by Dr. Chalmers in his inimitable
discourses on the Evidences of the Christian ReUgion.
An incident iUustrative of the estimate in which this
argument of Mr. Fuller was held in a distinguished quarter
was related to the writer of this narrative. Soon after the
publication of this treatise, a copy of it was lying upon the
lable of the late Mr. Wilberforce, on the occasion of a visit
from Mr. Pitt, who, in the course of a friendly conversation
rallied his friend on the eccentricity of a taste which led

56 MEMOIR.
him to listen to the extemporaneous effusions of low and
illiterate mechanics. Mr. Wilberforce retorted upon his
friend on the prejudice which pould lead a mind Uke his to
ignore genius and worth unless arrayed in the factitious-
advantag^es of poUshed literature ; and turning to the treatise
on the table, directed his attention to the chapter in question,
which he assured him, though not written by an iUiterate
mechanic, was the production of a man brought up as a
working farmer, with no more than the average advantages
of education-which such a position could command. After
perusing it, the great statesman observed, that if they had to
combat such arguments as those in the House of Commons,
they would require a different amount of preparation from
that which was ordinarily in demand.
In 180], in the midst of the deep bodily and mental
afflictions already referred to, he issued a small but valuable
work, entitled " The Backslider," which was soon followed
by another on " Spiritual Pride." In reference to these, he
thus writes to Dr. Ryland : — " A respected friend has
repeatedly pressed me to write a treatise on ' Spiritual
Pride,' on the same plan as the 'Backslider.' I have
thought somewhat on the subject, and begun writing. This
would tend to detect that subtle spirit which is, I am per
suaded, fostered by Sandemanianism, ' Stand by thyself, for
I am holier than thou.' But I feel myself much more
capable of depicting Antinomian pride than the other. For
this purpose I have procured Huntington's works. But in
reading them I am stopped for a time. I have eight or
nine volumes ! I never read any thing more void of true
religion. I do not intend to name him or his works, or those
of any other person, but merely to draw pictures, and let the
reader judge whom they are like."
The aUusion to Sandemanianism in this extract will be
explained by a reference to a visit which Mr. Fuller had
paid to Scotland, in which he lamented to find that both the
Baptists and Independents of that country were considerably
tinctured with the peculiar views which had been put forth
by Mr. Robert Sandeman. These respected both doctrine
and discipline, the leading peculiarity of the former being
that faith in Christ was the revelation of truth to the under»

PARABLE ON SANDEMANIANISM. 57
standing in which neither the will nor the affections partici
pate ; that the faith of Christians and devils differs only in
its results, and that these arise from the nature of the truth
beUeved; that of the latter the absolute necessity for a
plurality of pastors, mutual exhortation, and the observance
of rites or practices generally regarded as peculiar to the
times and the country in which the gospel was first planted,
such as washing the disciples' feet, &c., &c. These pecu
liarities were maintained with a tenacity and an intolerance
that rivaUed the old monkish feuds relative to the tonsure,
the effects of which were the division and subdivision of
churches into new communities, each in succession seeing
some one subject in a Ught with which those from whom
they had seceded had not been gifted. Many who were
more or less affected by these views were excellent and gene-
raUy intelligent men, who showed their attachment to the
new missionary movement by their generous contributions.
Among these was his esteemed friend, Dr. Stuart, of whose
visit on the occasion before referred to, Mr. Fuller thus
pleasantly writes to Dr. Ryland : — " Sept. 9, 1801.
" I had a letter about a week ago from one of the Scotch
Baptists about order, discipline, &C. IU as I was, I scratched
out the following parable. Dr. Stuart saw it, and he was so
much amused with it that he must needs copy it. ' In one
of the new Italian republics, two independent companies are
formed for the defence of the country. Call the one A, and
the other B. In forming themselves, and learning their
exercise, they each profess to follow the mode of discipline
used by the ancient Romans. Their officers, uniforms, and
evolutions, however, are after aU somewhat different from
each other. Hence disputes arise, and B refuses to march
against the enemy with A, as being disorderly. A gives
his reasons why he thinks himself orderly : but they are far
from satisfying B, who not only treats him as deviating from
rule, but as almost knowing himself to do so, and wilfully
persisting in it. A, tired of jarring, marches against the
enemy by himself B sits at home deeply engaged in study
ing order and discipline. ' If your forms and rules,' says A,
' are so preferable to ours, why do you not make use of them ?
DiscipUne is a means, not an end. Be not always boasting

58 MEMOIR.
of your order, and reproaching others for the want of it ;
let us see the use of it. It is true, hke the Quakers in 1745,
you have bought waistcoats for our soldiers, and we thank
you for them ; but we had rather you would fight your
selves.'" Their views on the important question of faith engaged
his more serious attention, being especially drawn to the
subject by a publication of the Rev. Archibald M'Lean of
Edinburgh, in reply to some views expressed in Mr. Fuller's
first treatise on the obHgation of faith. Mr. Fuller having
maintained that a change of heart was essential to the exist
ence of true faith, Mr. M'Lean denounced the sentiment as
subversive of the doctrine of justification by grace. Mr.
Fuller had much reason to complain of misrepresentation of
his sentiments and the ascription of unworthy motive by
his opponent; but, in reply, disclaims any such thoughts
of Mr. M'Lean, or that his misrepresentations were inten
tional, and spoke of him as "an acute reasoner and mighty
in the scriptures," an admission of which a late advocate of
Mr. M'Lean, the late venerable William Jones, in his auto
biography recently pubUshed, has made a not very generous
use. Soon after this Mr. Fuller issued a popular tract, entitled,
" The Great Question Answered," "in which" he says, "while
complying with the desire of a friend, I endeavoured to state
my views without controversy, and as Mr. M'Lean had
given a caricature description of what my principles would
amount to if applied in the form of an address to the uncon
verted, I determined to reduce them to that form, hoping
also, that with the blessing of God, they might prove of
some use to the parties addressed."
This paragraph forms part of the introduction to his
Strictures on Sandemanianism, published in 1810.
Mr. Jones represents Mr. Fuller as saying, in a conversa
tion with Mr. M'Lean, in reference to this tract, that "those
are my sentiments when I am not engaged in controversy."
To which he replied, "And why are they not your sentiments
when you are engaged in controversy ? Had you always
written in consistency and harmony with that piece, there
had never been any controversy between you and me."
What was Mr. Fuller's reply, the writer does not tell us ;

TRAVELS IN SCOTLAND. 59
but the disingenuous construction put upon a mere form of
expression must be obvious to the duUest intellect. Mr.
FuUer was the last man to hold a sentiment for purposes of
controversy which he would abandon for practical uses ; and.
were he dishonest enough to do so, we can hardly imagine
him simple enough to avow it.
Notwithstanding these difi'erences of judgment, Mr. FuUer
met with a most cordial reception in Scotland, preaching on
some occasions to 5,000 hearers, sometimes in the parish
churches, and collecting on his first visit £900.
On re-^isiting Scotland in 1802, and again in 1805, he had
opportunities of personal intercourse with Mr. M'Lean, who
also visited him at Kettering. Notvrithstanding the alter
cations which the odium theologicum had occasioned, there
was not wanting a fraternal feeUng, which was evinced on
the part of Mr. M'Lean, in a letter of condolence to Mr.
FuUer on the loss of one of his children. These visits to
Scotland, however, confirmed his first impressions of the
paralyzing influence of the Sandemanian doctrine and &u-
cipline, as the following extract from his journal of 1805
will testify : —
" During my week's stay at Edinburgh, I perceived that
some who had been highly serviceable in carrying on the
work of God, were verging fast towards Sandemanianism,
and I tremble for the consequences. The warmth with
which they contend that there is no difference between the
faith of devils and that of Christians, as to the nature of it,
wiU render faith a mere bone of contention, and their zeal
-will all be consumed in the tithing of mint and cummin.
Perhaps also this wUl be the last time that I shall be ad
mitted into their pulpits.
" One afternoon we had tlie company of six or seven of
the leading men of this connection, and they all beset me on
these topics, but in perfect good humour. They contended
for what they call ' the exhortations of the brethren ; ' that
is, that in the public worship of the Lord's day, some part of
the time should be taken up by one, two, or more of the pri
vate brethren, standing up one by one, and speaking from a
text of scripture. The officiating pastor for the time stands
up and says, 'If any of the brethren have a word of exhor-

60 MEMOIR.
tation, we shaU be glad to hear him.' Then one rises, and
speaks a few minutes, then another, and sometimes a third.
After this, the pastor preaches.
"I asked the company what scriptural authority there was
for this practice. 'They referred me to Heb. x. 25. 'Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the man
ner of some is, but exhorting one another ; and so much the
more, as ye see the day approaching.' I said, I always
thought that this was meant of exhorting one another to
to assemble, and not when assembled. I might also have
added, that according to the preceding verse, there is the
same reason for appropriating a part of public worship to
'considering one another,' and so of having a silent meeting,
as for appropriating another part to exhorting one another ;
and the former might as well be made a Christian ordinance
as the latter.
"It is true mention is made in the New Testament of 'ex
hortation,' but it was not common to the brethren : it was
the work of persons in office. ' He that exhorted was to
attend to the exhortation,' as well as he that teacheth on
teaching. It is a branch of the pastoral office, which was
* to teach, and to exhort, and to reprove, with all longsuffer-
ing and doctrine.'
" There was a practice indeed in the primitive churches,
called 'prophesying,' which they might all engage in, one by
one : but this, if it contained nothing extraordinary, was
nevertheless a gift which every one did not possess. See 1
Cor. xiv. 1. And the words, 'ye may all prophesy, one by
one,' mean only those who had the gift of doing so to edifi
cation. To leave it to every one who chooses to stand up,
and engage in public worship, is neither to edify the church,
nor tending to the conviction of unbelievers ; yet such was
the design of primitive prophesying, 1 Cor. xiv. 24.
" Another evening when in company, I was asked by a
warm Sandemanian, Whether God was to be known or a
sinner convinced of sin, by any other medium than the cross
of Christ. I answered, God is not to be known fully
through any other medium ; but he has made himself known
in part, by the works of creation and providence ; so much
so, as to leave the heathen ' without excuse.' The moral law
is also a medium through which is 'the knowledge of sin.'

INTERVIEW -WITH M'LEAN. 61
"One of the company denied that the law alone could
convince men of sin. But as he acknowledged a few days
afterwards, that he was betrayed into some extremes in that
conversation, I do not know that I ought to consider it as
his settled opinion. Yet I have been since informed, that it
is almost a fixed principle among them, that there is no con
viction of sin but by the gospel. I have no doubt indeed
but that all hope of mercy arises from the gospel, and that
the death of Christ is adapted to convince of sin ; but then it
is as honouring the law. Nothing can be more self-evident
than what is expressly asserted in the scriptures ; that ' by
the law is the knowledge of sin.' Disown the law, and there
is nothing in the death of Christ, or in the gospel, which has
any such tendency.
" During the week, I called on Mr. M'Lean, and talked
over our controversy. He was very friendly, and thanked
me for calling on him. I told him I was not sure that I
should never take any notice of his performance ; but my
hands had hitherto been too full, and perhaps might continue
to be so. I mentioned to him some things which I thought
were far from brotherly. He replied, 'If it were to do again,
there are some things which I should omit.' "
During Mr. Fuller's stay at Aberdeen, he was requested
to baptize three individuals, of one of whom he thus
speaks : —
" As I was going to the morning meeting, I was called
aside by a respectable minister, and told to this effect : ' You
wiU be requested to baptize a woman before you leave Aber
deen. I have no prejudice against her on account of her
being a Baptist ; but I think it my duty to teU you, that she
was a member of one of our churches in this neighbourhood,
and was excluded for bad conduct.' ' What conduct ?' 'Dis
honesty towards her creditors.' 'Very weU; I thank you
for the information, and will make a proper use of it.'
"Though I was applied to at the morning meeting to bap
tize these persons, I did not hear their personal professions
till after the evening sermon. They then came to my inn,
where I conversed with each one apart. When the woman
was introduced, the following was the substance of what
passed between us :— ' WeU, Margaret, you have Uved in the
•world about forty years ; how long do you think you have

62 MEMOIR.
known Christ ?' 'A Uttle more than a year.' ' What, no
longer ?' ' I think not.' ' And have you never professed to
know him before that time ?' 'Yes, and was a member of
an independent church for several years.' 'A member of a
church, and did not know Christ ! How was that ?' 'I was
brought up to be religious, and deceived myself and others
in professing to be so.' ' And how came you to leave that
church ?' 'I was cut off.' 'What, because you were a Bap
tist ?' ' No, because of my bad conduct.' ' Of what, then,
had you been guilty?' 'My heart was Ufted up with vanity;
I got in debt for clothes, and other things ; and then preva
ricated, and did many bad things.' ' And it was for these
things they cut you off?' ' Yes.' . ' And do you think they
did right ?' ' O, yes.' ' And how came you to the know
ledge of Christ at last ?' ' When I was cut off from the
church, I sunk into the deepest despondency ; I felt as an
outcast from God and man ; I wandered about, speaking, as
it were, to nobody, and nobody speaking to me. My burden
seemed heavier than I could bear. At that time a passage
or two of scripture came to my mind, and I was led to see
that, through the cross of Christ, there was mercy for the
chief of sinners. I wept much, and my sin was very bitter.
But I saw there was no reason to despair ; for the blood of
Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin. It is from thence I date
my conversion.' ' And do the minister, and the church of
which you were a member, know of aU this?' 'Yes.' 'Why
did you not go and confess it before them, and be restored ?'
'Partly because I have removed my situation some miles
from them ; and partly, because I felt in my conscience that
1 was a Baptist.'
" After the conversation, I saw the minister who had told
me of her, and informed him of the whole ; adding, that the
church in his connexion had done well in excluding Mar
garet; and the Lord, I hoped, had blessed it to her salvation.
He could not object to the propriety of my conduct in bap
tizing her, on my own principles. Next morning I rose at
five o'clock, and baptized the three persons at a mill-dam,
about five mUes from the city ; whither we went in a post
chaise, and returned about eight o'clock. There were up
wards of a hundred people present."
His last visit to Scotland was paid in 1808, on which

LETTER TO THE MISSIONARIES. 63
occasion he says : — " I have been enabled to collect as much
as JE2,000 in the course of six weeks, after a journey of
1,200 miles. God be praised for all his goodness, and for
the abundant kindness shown towards me and towards the
mission." On the occasion of tidings of a pecuUarly encouraging
nature from India, a general meeting for thanksgiving was
held at Leicester, on which the following affectionate epistle,
drawn up by Mr. Fuller, and adopted by the Society, was
forwarded to the missionaries : —
"Dearlt Beloved in our Lord,
"All your communications are grateful; but the last, up to
Feb. 14, 1801, are peculiarly reviving to our hearts. And
we are met this day to give thanks unto the Lord because
he is good, for his mercy towards Israel endureth for ever,
and because the foundation of the Lord's house is laid.
" The friendship of Messrs. Browne and Buchanan, and
of people in general — the kindness of Governor Bie, and the
Danish magistrates — the recovery of such of you as were
afflicted — the finishing of the New Testament — the instances
of mercy towards Europeans who have visited you — the effec
tual work among the Hindoos — ^in short, the prosperity and
harmony of the church and family — are events for which we
as well as you, brethren, are constrained to say, ' The Lord
hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.'
" We can easily conceive how a sense of your unworthi-
ness and unfitness for the work should render the grace
which has appeared to you overwhelming. We feel the
same. It is truly astonishing, that God should work at all
by such unworthy instruments as we are. But his mercy
endureth for ever. He worketh for his great name's sake.
To him be the glory for ever and ever.
" Under God, we feel the most perfect confidence in you
all. Your fidelity, your prudence, your zeal, and unwearied
diligence, refresh our spirits. Though absent from you in
the flesh, yet we are with you in the spirit, joying and be
holding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in
Christ. Your sorrows and your joys are ours. It a;ffords
us great satisfaction, that after having waited so long in the
choice of missionaries, those who were last sent out have

64 MEMOIR.
proved so acceptable.* God seems to be binding us all to
one another, by new and endearing ties. To those who first
encountered the work, the brethren that followed looked
up, as their guides and directors, rejoicing in the day that
enabled them to take their stand by their side ; while on the
other hand, to those who followed after, the brethren that
first arrived, have now to look, as the instruments by which.
they have been blessed. To their going may be attributed,
your present comfortable settlement, the printing of the New
Testament, &c. How precious are God's thoughts, thus to
interweave our interests, and sweetly compel us to love one
another !
"Be assured that we will do our utmost to meet your
pecuniary wants ; and such is the confidence which the reli
gious public in Britain have in you, that we are persuaded
they will never suffer you to fail for want of support. Many
hundreds esteem it a privilege to give their annual token of
love, and would feel sorry to be deprived of it.
" Present our grateful acknowledgments to Governor Bie
for all his kindness. The Lord grant that he may partake
of the blessings of that gospel, over the pubUshers of which
he has extended his protection. Also to Messrs. Browne
and Buchanan. May the richest of blessings rest on. them,
in their respective labours for Christ ! Present also our
brotherly love to Mr. Forsyth, for the kindness he has
shown in the days of affliction : also to Mr. Cunninghame,
and Mr. Udney, for their manifold expressions of love to
wards the cause of Christ in Hindostan. We could wish to
come ourselves, and give the right hand of feUowship to all
the brethren. Accept our tenderest regards. The Lord
Jesus Christ be with your spirits."
Two months subsequently to the date above referred to, a;
great augmentation in the income of the Serampore "family"
was made by the appointment of Mr. Carey to the professor
ship of Bengalee, to which reference is thus made in a letter
from Messrs. Carey, Marshman, Ward, and Brunsdon, dated
April 18, 1801:—
"We have been encouraged thus to think of extending
our labours, by the enlarged and abounding mercies of God
towards us. The contributions mentioned above, though not
• Dr. Marshman and Mr, Ward.

TEOLrBLEg OF THE MISSION. 65
great, have, in every instance, arrived just in the time of
need, and quite unexpectedly. ' Our school stiU increases,
and gives us great hopes of proving a regular and very con
siderable support to the mission ; added to this, brother
Carey has this week unexpectedly received the appointment
of Bengalee Professor, in the New College at Calcutta, the
salary of which will perhaps be five or six hundred rupees
per month. Mr. Browne and Mr. Biichanan have in this
given a fresh proof of their regard for the mission, by
proposing to his exceUency the governor-general, brother
Carey, as a proper person to fill up this office. We think
an acknowledgment of their services by the society, might
be proper, and would oblige us. Being so much at Calcutta,
he wiU also have an opportunity of preaching regularly to
the natives there, and of putting the word of Ufe into their
hands. Other very important consequences, to the perma
nency and extension of the mission, by his appointment to
this situation, wiU easily occur to you."
To this professorship were afterwards added those of the
Mahratta and Sanscrit, augmenting his salary to nearly
£2,000 per annum, the whole of which, with that of Dr.
Marshman, was thrown into the common resources, for the
maintenance of their missionary operations.
Early in 1807, a trouble of an unexpected character trans
pired, in the refusal of the East India government to allow
two missionaries who had arrived in the August preceding,
either to proceed to Serampore, or to remain in the country.
The circumstance is thus recorded by Mr. FuUer, in a state
ment which he has left, of the occurrence : —
"Though the two brethren were ordered home, yet, claim
ing the protection of his Danish majesty (to whom Serampore
belonged), they were suffered to continue. But this was not
aU. During the month of August, or early in September,
1806, the governor-general. Sir George. Barlow, sent a
message to Mr. Carey, requesting that he and his colleagues
would desist from interfering with the superstitions of the
natives ; that is, that they would not preach, nor distribute
tracts, nor do any thing as missionaries. This request was
not committed to writing, but was verbally communicated to
Mr. Carey by a magistrate. ¦ A subsequent conference led to
their permission to preach at Serampore and Calcutta, and
VOL, I. P

66 MEMOIR.
to circulate scriptures, but not to itinerate, or form other
stations. "The occasion of this interruption," adds Mr. FuUer,
" seems to have been a mutiny among the native soldiers, in
which they rose up and murdered their officers, owing to
their having imposed on them a change in dress, which they
considered as an invasion of their reUgion and an imposition
of Christianity. This was done at VeUore, near Madras.
The effect was, the government was much alarmed, and
thought proper not only to desist from aU forcible means of
attacking the superstitions of the natives, but desired the
missionaries to desist from all means in a way of persuasion.
About this time ma,nj private letters were received by the
directors of the Company from the enemies of Christianity
in India, complaining of the missionaries. Hence it was
expected that a motion would be made for their recaU, and
that the mission would be utterly suppressed."
Mr. FuUer, pursuant to a resolution of the committee,
drew up a " statement " of the.9e transactions, which he pre
sented to every member of the Board of Control, visiting
London in person, as he says, " to execute these determina
tions, and to observe the progress of things." He found, as
he afterwards records, " by conversation -with some of the
Directors, and with the president of the Board of Control,
that there were in the Direction about one-third decided
enemies to the mission, one-third friends, and the rest almost
indifferent ; that the government had received private letters
inflaming them against the missionaries ; that by the repre
sentations of the statement, and those of some firm friends
in the Direction (C. Grant, Esq., afterwards Lord Glenelo-,
and — Parry, Esq.), and that of another firm friend (Lord
Teignmouth) in the Board of Control, the minds of others
were calmed. The president of the Board of Control (Mr.
Robert Dundas) acknowledged to Mr. FaUer that the con
duct of the missionaries had been highly proper, and gave
him to expect that if he wo.uld wait five or six months till
the sepsations arising from the VeUore meeting had subsided,
we inight probably obtain a l^al toleration for our friends
to itinerate laid settle in the country."
Scarcely had this commotion subsided, when Mr. FuUer
had again to proceed to town to meet a new and more for-

ATTACKS ON THE MISSION. 67
midable opposition. This consisted of a pamphlet by a
Mr. Twining, complaining of the danger to be apprehended
from the residence of the missionaries in India. Scarcely had
Mr. FuUer replied to this, when another appeared from
Major Scott Waring, to the same efi'eet, humbly submittin;;
" to his majesty's ministers, the East India Company, and
the legislature, a plan for restoring that confidence which
the natives formerly reposed, in the justice and policy of the
British government, as to the security of their religion,
and local customs." The plan in question was " the
immediate recall of every English missionary, and a pro
hibition to all persons dependent on the Company from
giving assistance to the translation or circulation of the
scriptures." This, it must be confessed, was a bold attack,
yet the writer " trusts it will not be imputed to indifference
to the eternal welfare of the people of India." These, with
some other performances of similar character, one of which
extolled the religion of the Hindoos, were answered by
Mr. Fuller in his " Apology for the late Christian Missions
to India."
Among those whom the varied forms of tlii.s simultaneous
attack on the liberty of religion, brought to its vindication,
were the Rev. J. Owen, chaplain to Dr. Porteus, bishop of
London, on behalf of the Bible Society of which he was secre
tary ; and Dr.> Adam Clarke, under an anonymous signature,
who, while he disclaimed any religious connection with the
Baptist missionaries or their friends at home, lest ho should
be accused of undue partiality, says, " We have with many
others admired their zealous labours ; their inoffensive, irre
proachable and exemplary conduct, and have been astonished
at their various attainments ; and particularly so at the deep,
solid, and unostentatious piety and learning of the Rev. Dr.
Carey, who is at their head ; a gentleman, who, we scruple
not to say, is an honour to religion, literature, and his country;
IX blessing to our eastern possessions, and a credit to human
nature." These attacks from the press were followed up by the
introduction of the subject to a general court of proprietors,
of the proceedings of which Mr. Fuller gives the following
account : —

68 MEMOIR.
" I got a good place in the gallery," says he, " where I
could see and hear all that passed. The chairman and deputy
chairman appeared superior to all the rest, in point of intelli
gence and manly firmness ; and I could not but feel thankful
that we had two such able men on our side. Some other
business having been despatched, up rose Mr. Twining, who
after a speech of about ten minutes on the danger of inter
fering with the religious opinions of the natives of India,
full of trembling and fear of not being thought a Christian;
and, after deprecating, discussion on the subject, took the
liberty to ask the chairman, whether he would assure him
that in future no such interference should be encouraged.
Chair. ' The subject on which the honourable gentleman has
toqched has by no means escaped our attention. We are
alive to everything which affects the well-being of the Com
pany ; and we ask for the confidence of the proprieters, that
we shall do everything tending to promote it.' On the chair
man sitting down, an aged gentleman rose up to answer Mr.
Twining ; and he would indeed have answered it, but was
interrupted by the chair. ' Sir, there is no question before
the court, and I cannot allow of any discussion at present.
Then rose up an alderman, one of Mr. Twining's friends,
complaining of the general nature of the chairman's answer,
and hoping that the court would not break up without an
assurance from him, that the religious opinions of the Hin
doos should not be interfered with. Chair. ' Sir, having
stopped a gentlemen on the other side, on the ground of
informality, I cannot allow of your proceeding. I move that
this court do now adjourn.'
" The court was according dissolved by a show of hands ;
the designs of the enemy are for the present defeated, and
we all came away in good spirits. I was pleased to find that
we had so decided a majority of proprietors, who all got
together on one side of the house, which, for distinction sake
was named by some of the gallery critics, 'Methodist Cor
ner.' The proceedings of this day wiU have an effect on the
measures of the antichristian party, similar to that of a
demonstration by a great army, when it barely makes its
appearance, just letting them see that this country has some
Christians yet left in it. It is necessary, however, that the

INTERFERENCE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. 69'
public mind should as much as possible be impressed with
the subject, as the unbelievers will still be at work, and a
watchful eye must be kept upon their movements."
The necessity for this vigilance was soon made apparent.
A letter from Dr. Carey to Mr. FuUer, dated Sfeptember 29,
1807, states that Mr. Ward had nearly three years before
written a short account of the life of Mahomet, chiefiy from
the preliminary discourses in Sale's Koran. " A few months
ago," he says, " our brother HedutuUa translated this pam
phlet into the Hindoostanee and Persian languages, which
brother Ward, not suspecting anything, printed without
examination. One of the Persian pamphlets was given by
one of our Armenian friends at Calcutta to a moonshee
in the service of the Persian tran.s]ator and secretary to
government, challenging him to reply to it. This man took
a shorter way, and showed it to his master, who either was
or pretended to be in great alarm lest this pamphlet should
excite a commotion among the Musselmans. He, therefore,
showed it to the governor-general in council."
Dr. Carey then describes in detail an interview to which
he was summoned with Mr. Edmonstone, the chief secretary
of government, when, on being questioned as to the said
pamphlet in which the term " tyrant" was applied to Maho
met, expressed his ignorance of the matter, and his regret at
the liberties which had obviously been taken with the pam
phlet in translation ; and, after a lengthened conversation the
interview ended. " In the meantime,'' says Dr. Carey, " a
letter was sent to the governor of Serampore, signed by the
governor-general in council, requesting him to forbid the
further circulation of the pamphlet, and to destroy all on
hand. We delivered them up without reluctance, and
accompanied them with a letter, which he sent to the British
government with one of his own.
" Before this was sent, government addresed a letter to me
(considering me as their servant). The original letter
signed N. B. Edmonstone, is sent to England by this con
veyance. I shall not, therefore, say any thing about its
contents.* This letter filled us with grief and distress, both
• An extract from this singular document mil serve to show -with how
great facility, and with how small compunction, the first principles of the
British constitution could be dispensed with in colonial administration.

70 MEMOIR.
on our own account and on account of our country, Wc
had a meeting for prayer the next mornin^r, but it was little
more than a scene of weeping and sighs. After this brotli^r
Marshman and I waifod on the Danish govi^rrior, showed
him the letter, and askr-d him how far we mijriit depend on
liis protection in this instance, ili; said that my income
from the British government (as profcsHfir of tlie colh^ge of
Fort William) made it a difiicult thin^j for hira to act, as hi.s
acting might deprive me of it. \Vi: told him that we were
thankful for it, but that God had provided for U9 before w(!
haxl it, and would no doubt do so again, if 'it were taken
away ; tiiat at any rate we would not hesitate a moment
about it, if matters came to a crisis. He Heeined to be set
at liberty by this declaration, but told me that he could not
reply to our question without previous ef^nsideration."
A further fximmunication vi^as received by Dr. Carey from
the British government, not only demanding the prea«, but
thsit no other should be set up at Serampore. Dr. Carey
adds : — " The governor of Serampore i'lAt hurt that the
British government liad addressed a body of men under Jii«
•"Upon these grounds the right hon. the govpmor-gcneral in council,
deems it neceiBary to darire that the practice of preaehinff at the himn:
empUyiied for thai purpote in the town of Calcutta, be immediateli/ ditcou-
tlmied. "The governor-general in council also deemn it ln'i duty to prohibit the
iaiue of any publication* from the press, nuperintcnded by the Sficlr.-fy rf
Miiwionaries, of a nature offcnuivc to the religious prejudice* of the nativci,
or directed to the object of eamierting them to (Jkrinlianity, Obwa'vinf;
that whatever may be the propriety ai' exposing tbe crrorn of the Hinfloo oi'
Mussulman rcligion», to perwmB of those persuasions who may nolicie in
struction in the doctrines of the Christian &ith, it is contrary to the syxtcm
of protection, which government i» plclgcd to ufforii to the undldturbwi
exercise of the religions of the country, and calculat<;d to produce very
dangerous effects, to obtrude upon the general body «{ the pcoj.Irf, by
means of printed works, fcxb'.rtations ncccjsiirily involving an interference
with those religious tenets which they cnisider to be «;icr(;(l and inviolable.
" The govemor-general in council further observes, that the prcsi now
established at Serampore, being intended for the prmnulj^itlon of works
within the limits of the Compan/» dominions, it is indispensably nccensary
that its prodMctions should be tnijeel to the immediate control of the
((ffleerg <»/ government. With this view I am directe 1 to desire that you
will mpify to the missionaries the expectation of the governor-general in
council, that the pren be trannferred to this predilenr;j/, where alone the
«s.me control that is established over presses nanctioned by the government,
C2.n be duly exercised."

VISIT TO IRiELAND. 71
protection through another medium, and still more so whun
they desired him not to suffer another printing press to be
.set up at Serampore. He therefore sent us a note saying,
that he would not give up the press. Brother Marshm'an
and I waited on Iiini the next day to consult what was to be
done, lie then told us that he would' never consent to the
|)res.s being removed ; that Serampore was a part of Den
mark, and totally independent of England, and that if the
English took the press by force ho would immediatoly strike
the Danish flag, and surrender liimself prisoner of war.
We thought best, therelbre, that he should take the whole
matter into his own hands, and concluded to send a short
meraorial through him, which ho promised to accompany
¦witli a letter." This proceeding had the desired effect, and
a memorial to Lord Minto, with a personal interview be
tween the missionaries and his lordship, who had received a
communication from Lord Spencer on their behalf, effected
a satisfactory adjustment. Dr. Carey says in conclusion,
"The whole might liave been prevented, if Edmonstone had
but had civility enough to have spoken to me before he sent
the representation to government. He knew me very virell ;
but he does not love the gospel."
These efforts in India were followed by movements at
home in a similar direction, but too feeble and desultory to
be attended with any result in the Court of Proprietors held
in Juno ; but on the subject of the recall of the missionaries
being mooted in the Court of Directors, it was strenuously
resisted by the chairman and many other distinguished
characters, among whom was the Marquis Welleslcy, the
late governor-gorleral. The most influential ai-gument em
ployed was the threat on the part of these noblemen and
gentlemen of opposing the renewal of the charter on their
persisting in this course.
On a visit to Ireland in 1804, Mr. Fuller fOund the in
terests of vital religion in a languid state. 'Finding the
principal Baptist church in Dublin under the influence of
principles scarcely removed from Socinianism, while the
frivolities of fashionable life left them little more than " a
name to Uve," he refused feUowship with them. He thus
expresses himself in a letter addressed to Mr. Coles, Mrs.
Fuller's fatlier : —

72 MEMOIR.
" I have enjoyed but little comfort in Ireland, yet I hope
I have derived some profit. The doctrine of the cross is
more dear to me than when I went. I wish I may never
preach another sermon but what shaU bear some relation to
it. I see and feel more and more, that except I eat the
flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man, I have no Ufe
in me, either as a Christian or as a minister. Some of the
sweetest opportunities I had in my journey were in preach
ing Christ crucified : particularly on those passages, ' Unto
you that beUeve he is precious,' ' This is my beloved Son in
whom I am weU pleased, hear ye him,' ' He that hath the
Son hath Ufe,' &c., ' That they all may be one,' &c. But I
feel, that if I were more spiritually-minded, I should preach
better, and bear trials better."
He found also in Dublin the paralyzing influence of San
demanian principles professed in a form not recognized by
the bulk of those holding such views in Scotland, which,
whUe it affected more of the rigid and formal separation from
" unbelievers," left the families of its votaries without the
advantages of religious, and almost of moral discipline.
On Mr. Fuller's return, he wrote some "Remarks on the
State of the Baptist Churches in Ireland," which appeared
to be attended with some good results, although they pro
voked a reply in the Irish circular letter of the associated
churches, accompanied with a statement of theological senti-
•ments, in which the doctrine of the atonement found no
place, and an acknowledgment of great laxity of discipline
without any apparent purpose of improvement. These pro
ceedings resulted in the formation of a separate church on
purer principles.
In the following year, Mr. Fuller was induced by his
friendship for the church at Soham, to assist in the conduct
of a law-suit, to recover their chapel from the possession of
their minister, who, having imbibed Socinian principles, was
desired by the members to retire, but having succeeded by
disgusting the major part of them to secure their absence
from a meeting of the church, succeeded in obtaining a
majority in his favour, a circumstance which might teU in a
legal point of view, however deficient in a moral one. In
the progress of the law-suit it was discovered that no.
effectual means presented themselves of acquiring their right.

DEATH OP JOSEPH FULLER. 73
eyjept an appeal to an obsolete statute which infringed upon
•/eligious liberty. This was done by the legal adviser of the
party, with the concurrence of some of Mr. Fuller's colleagues
less versed than himself in the principles of liberty of con
science ; but no sooner did Mr. FuUer learn from their
attorney the grounds on which the case was proceeding, than
he refused to advance another step, and measures were taken
to effect an arbitration. Respecting a subsequent stage of
this unhappy business, in which Mr. Fuller had to defend
himself from the charge of dishonourable dealing, he applied
in vain for information to the attorney for the prosecution,
and was thus left with the means of but partially vindicating
himself, leaving, however, an impression, the correctness
of which he was free to acknowledge, that he had been
chargeable with indiscretion in committing his reputation to
so great an extent into the hands of others, and agreeing to
act in circumstances in which he could exercise little or no
control over his coadjutors.
Early in 1812, Mr. FuUer was called to deplore the loss of
his nephew, Joseph FuUer, a youth who had given early
promise of eminence and usefulness in the ministry, to
which he had devoted himself under the auspices of his
uncle and of the academy at Bristol.
Mr. Fuller thus concludes a letter to Dr. Ryland, announc
ing his removal ; " His death is one of those mysteries in
providence not of very unfrequent occurrence, wherein God,
after apparently forming and fitting an instrument for
usefulness in this world, removes it to another ; but it is well !
I do not remember to have known a lad of his years who
possessed more command of temper, or maturity of judgment,
or whose mind seemed more habitually directed to the glory
of God."
During the preceding summer, a pulmonary affection had
so much prostrated Mr. Fuller's strength, as to render it
necessary to secure stated assistance in his pastoral work.
This important service was rendered by the Rev. J. K. Hall,
M.A., a nephew of the Rev. R. Hall. It appears that the
protracted nature of ¦ this attack produced serious appre
hensions in his mind, for writing to Mr. Sutcliff, from
Abergavenny, in the foUowing May, he says, " For my own
part, my afflictions say to me, ' Study to show thyself ap-

74 MEMOIR.
proved unto God.' What empty things are the applaases of
creatures, and how idle the pursuit of them ! I seem near
the end of my course, and hope, through grace, and grace
only, to finish it with joy. I have no transports, but a steady
hope of eternal Ufe, on the ground of my Savour's death.
I feel some freedom in my applications to God in his name.
If I should die, I shall be able to say to the rising generation,
' God will surely visit you.' A work is begun that v.ill not
end tiU the world be subdued to the Saviour. We have done
a little for him, accompanied with much e\-il ; the Lord grant
that this may not be laid to our charge in that day."
The tour in the principality during which this was
-written, is remembered with feelings of deep interest by the
venerable minister whose hospitality he was then partaking,
and who was principal of the academy since removed to
Pontypool, and by such as stiU survive to speak of it. Early
in June, Mr. FuUer preached to a lai^e out-door assembly,
at the Welsh association, in Glamorganshire. A considerable
portion of the ministry, jealous of the reputed inroads made
by him on the purity of Calvinistic doctrine, retired to the
chapel during his discourse. The reports, however, of such
as remained on the ground to hear of the great things
performed by " the zeal of the Lord of hosts," modified the
prejudices of many, and contributed, with his • subsequent
ministrations, and the perusal of his -writings, to effect a
great change in the views and ministrations of his brethren
in that district ; and it may be affirmed with truth, that in
no part of the United Kingdom are his works more
thoroughly estimated, or have contributed more largely to
an enlightened and efficient ministry of the word of God.
In the United States of America also, his character and
writings have taken a deep hold on the public mind. A
correspondence was maintained bet-ween him and many of
the most distinguished divines of that country, among whom
were the late Dr. Hopkins, Dr. Staughton, and Professors
Dwight and SUliman. From the coUege of New Jersey,
so early as 1798, he received an honorary diploma of D.D.,
which in a letter to Dr. Hopkins, he respectfully declined,
alleging both his conscientious objection to theological titles
and his deficiency in literary attainment. To a similar
communicatioa from Yale College, in 1805, made through

INTERVIEW WITH MR. BERRIDGE. 75
the medium of Dr. Dwight, and conveyed in person by
Professor SilUman, he made a like reply.
Mr. Fuller had long maintained intercourse witn some of
the most estimable of the clergy and laity of the established
church, among whom were Newton and Scott, and the
venerable author of the " Christian World Unmasked," an
interview with whom is thus described : —
" .... As to my Everton journey, I wrote something, as
it was then fresh upon my mind, better than I can now. I
greatly admired that divine savour which all along mingled
itself with Mr. Berridge's facetiousness, and sufiiciently
chastened it. His conversation tended to produce a frequent,
but guiltless smile, accompanied with a tear of pleasure.
His love to Christ appears to be intense. I requested him to
give us a few outlines of his Ufe and ministry. These were
interesting, but too long to write. They will enrich an
evening's conversation, if I come to Northampton. When
he had gone through, I asked him to pray for us. He said
he was so faint he could not yet, and requested me to pray.
I prayed, and concluded as usual by asking all in Christ's
name. He, without getting off his knees, took up the
prayer where I had left it, in some such manner as this : —
' O Lord God ! this prayer has been offered up in the name
of Jesus : accept it, I beseech thee,' &c., for five or six
minutes, in a most solemn and savoury manner. We then
took leave, with solemn prayer for blessings on each other, as
if we had been acquainted for forty years, and were never
to see each other again in this world. The visit left a strong
and lasting impression on my heart of the beauty of holiness,
of holiness almpst matured."
Circumstances affecting the interests of the mission led to
special correspondence with others- Of these nothing had
excited more general sympathy than the afflictive tidings of
a disaster which is thus described in a letter signed by
Messrs. Carey, Marshman, and Ward : —
" We have hitherto narrated the dealings of God with us
in a way of mercy, but in the course of this month we have
been caUed to bow in silence under his afllicting hand, in no
common degree .... On the 11th instant, we beheld &
devouring fire, which all our efforts were unable to stop, in a
few hours lay in ashes the printing office, and consume the

76 MEMOIR.
fruit of the care and labours of nearly thirteen years."
After expressing their deep gratitude to God, that they had
not to mourn over the loss of any of their number or personal
injury in any degree sustained, they add, " The presses by
their detached situation escaped the flames ; and the steel
punches, which if spoiled would have taken years to replace,
were the next day found among the smoking ruins. In a
word the voice of God in the dispensation seemed to be,
' See with what ease I could consume you, but mercy spares
you ; hear ye the rod and him who hath appointed it' ! . . . .
The loss sustained by the mission is about £7500 sterling,
beside paper belonging to others, to the amount of nearly
£2000, which we have been generously given to understand
we shall not be expected to make good." They conclude
with an affectionate and grateful aUusion to the sympathy of
the friends of every communion.
It was found that the total of loss exceeded £12,000. The
indefatigable secretary was at the time on a tour in Norfolk,
He was astounded but not dismayed. He remarked that the
wall would be rebuilt within " fifty and two days," a pre
diction which was justified by the event. In reference to
this calamity he received the following communication from
the Rev. Basil Woodd, the minister of Bentinck Chapel (of
the establishment) : —
" From the time I heard of the fire at Serampore, I felt
desirous to assist in repairing the loss, and promoting the
important work of translating the scriptures into the oriental
languages, I view the subject as presenting a common
claim upon the Christian world, and regard, with highest
estimation, the labours of your society in the East Indies.
" I have the pleasure to state that, including a donation
remitted to me by my respected friend. Dr. Kilvington, our
collection at Bentinck Chapel, on Sunday last, has produced
£130. "With my unfeigned prayer that the eternal God may
prosper all these exertions to the promotion of his glory and
the benefit of his church,
" I am, dear sir, yours, very faithfully,, Basil Woodd."
From the author of the " Dairyman's Daughter," he re-
ciiived the following, in reply to a communication inclosing

LETTER FROM LEGH RICHMOND. 77
specimens of type re-cast from the metal found in the ruins
of the fire at Serampore, and accompanied by some tidings
of success in missionary labours.
" Rev. and dear Brother, — I receive your papers with
thankful pleasure ; they seem like specimens dropped from
the midst of heaven, by the angel in his flight with the ever
lasting gospel in his hand .... Happy are those that can
cultivate true brotherly love and respect, although they can
not in everything think and act together. There is still a
wide field for mutual operation ; there may be a few hedges
and ditches to separate portions of the land, but it is all
one farm. Glory be to the chief Husbandman and great
Shepherd ! His grace and mercy be on such subordinate
husbandmen and shepherds as you, and far more so, your
unworthy feUow labourer, Legh Richmond."
The renewal of the East India Company's charter in 1813,
led to a simultaneous effort of the friends of religion to
secure the insertion of a clause, placing the religious liberties
of that colony upon a less precarious basis than heretofore.
In pursuit of this end an interview was sought by Mr. FuUer
and two or three friends -with the Earl of Buckinghamshire,
of which he has left memorandums. After stating that his
lordship promptly acceded to the wish for liberty to go in
British ships which had hitherto been denied, Mr. Fuller
adds, " On the question of toleration he gave us no encourage
ment. 'What toleration do you want,' said he, ' more than what
you have ?' I said we had no particular complaint to make
of the treatment we had received from the India government,
but our existence in the country was entirely at their dis
cretion, and we wished it to be legal. We alleged the good
conduct of the missionaries for twenty years as a reason.
He allowed this, but intimated that this might be partly
owing to their having no legal toleration. He perceived we
felt this, and to soften it, added, that he did not question the
goodness of their intentions ; but their zeal, if not restrained,
might endanger the interests of the country. We aUeged
that no such danger had arisen from their labours. He
talked, however, of the reUgious prejudices of the natives, as
^^'as manifested from the VeUore mutiny, and said, he had
just heard of a missionary drawing upon himself the dis-

1 8 MEMOIR.
pleasure of the populace in the streets of Calcutta. I doubted
whether his communication was correct, and expressing it,
he supposed I doubted his word, and seemed offended. Mr.
.SutcUffe, Mr. Burls, and Mr. Ivimey suggested that if it
were as his lordship had heard, it was not Ukely to be one of
our missionaries, as they had a chapel of their own in the
city where they preached. As our time was short I told his
lordship that such was the interest that the Christian public
took in this undertaking, that I did not question but some
hundreds of thousands of petitioners might easily be obtained
for it, were we disposed to apply for them. He seemed to
feel this as if I meant to menace him, and answered, ' Yes,
and one half of them would not understand what they signed.*
Against this my companions bore very decided testimony,
assuring his lordship that they were people who read and
understood, and were deeply interested in the work. Before
-we parted, he expressed a wish that we should state our
wishes in writing, which we readily engaged to do."
Petitions to both houses of parliament were poured in in
great numbers, and that from quarters which his lordship
was not likely to charge with ignorance. The result was
favourable, and is thus referred to in a letter addressed to
Mr. Fuller by Mr. Wilberforce : —
"How striking that, at the very time when -we were
prosecuting our endeavours. Dr. Carey should be experiencing
the need of such a regulation as we solicited, and express his
¦wishes for such permission as, through God's blessing, we
finaUy obtained ! In what manner we should proceed in
respect of these transactions I am by no means as yet clear.
The question deserves the most mature consideration, and I
shaU be happy to confer on it with like-minded friends. But
it might assist us in forming a right decision to read the
original correspondence (if there are no parts of it which
you had rather we should not peruse), and, indeed, to receive
aU other information that you can give us : the more detailed
and particular the better. But, my dear sir, joy ! joy ! joy !
I have scarely restrained myself, from my first taking up the
pen, from breaking out into these notes of exultation on the
glad tidings which Dr. Carey's letter conveys ; tidings so
glad, and so important, that the value of them can scarcely
be overrated. Five natives, of high caste, become Christians,

ESTABLISHED CHURCH IN INDIA. 79
keeping the Lord's day, and meeting for religious edification,
without having had any intercourse with the missionaries ;
merely from reading the scriptures, tracts, &c., besides the
hundred hopefuls ! When I consider who and what Dr. Carey
is and has been, and what encouragement the translations of
the scriptures into the native languages have received, I seem
to hear in this incident the voice of the Almighty, saying.
You are in the right path, press forward in it. I am much
pressed for time to-day, and must break off, assuring you
that I am ever, -with cordial esteem and regard, yours, very
sincerely, " W. Wii.bekfobce."
The agitation attendant on this appeal to the legislature
led to the contemplation of an episcopal establishment in
India. By Dr. Barrow it was advocated to the absolute
exclusion of all other forms of Christianity, a proposition
which was met by Mr. Fuller solely on the ground of its
exclusiveness. A suggestion, however, was made by a
member of parliament and of the Directory, for an episcopal
establishment under the direction of the East India Com
pany. This proposition embodied in a pamphlet the views
of several gentiemen who, with the author, solicited the
candid opinions of Mr. Fuller on the subject. To this
request Mr. FuUer repUed in the following terms : —
" I feel a pleasure," says he, " in being able to acquit the
Company, and their servants, of some things concerning
which I had thwight unfavourably. 1 am especially grati
fied in seeing more fully established an idea which I had
already entertained, namely, that from the time of Marquis
Cornwallis's presidency, the government of that country has
sustained a very important change for the better, the im
partial administration of justice being its grand object.
Nevertheless, it appears to me, even from your own accoimt,
that there is stUl a world of iniquity attached to the affairs
of India.
" Passing all this, I would remark a few things on your
proposal to introduce Christianity by means of the East
India Company ; and that the Christianity so introduced
should be an established episcopacy. Your scheme will
constantly be in danger of being thwarted, notwithstanding
tbe control of the government and parliament at home ; for

80 MEMOIR.
what'i^se Oan be expected from men of mere worldly -wisdom ?
-Wd dotfTot gather grapes from thorns, nor figs from thistles.
Or 'if your plan be not entirely defeated, that which would
"be propagated would not be Christianity.
"But were it otherwise, still the directors would not be
the most proper persons to introduce the gospel into India,
unless they would consent to restore aU that : they have
unjustly taken away from the natives, or at least adopt an
equal and benevolent system for the future. If in addition
to a well-regulated government, a principle of reciprocal
advantage could be adopted as the ground of Indian com
merce ; if, instead of draining and impoverishing their
country, we could seek their good in connexion with our
own ; in a word, if the system of justice and benevolence in
temporal things, for which you plead, could be realized,
there would then be some hope of doing them good in other
matters. But without this, it is impossible to convince them
of your sincerity. We must treat them as fellow men, before
we can hope to be instrumental in making them fellow Chris
tians. If Christ himself did good to men's bodies, as a
means of gaining access to their minds, it is presumption in
us to expect to accomplish this great object by other, and
especially by opposite means.
" Suppose an intelligent Hindoo should meet with one of
the missionaries appointed or patronized by the Company ;
suppose him to be well acquainted with the history of his
country for the last thirty or forty years ; that he has read
your performance, and being now addressed on the subject
of Christianity, should reply to the following effect —
" ' You tell us that we are bad, and you tell us the truth.
You offer us a reUgion which you say, if embraced, will be
productive of a purer morality. Has it produced this effect
upon your people ? It is true, as your writers assert, ' An
Englishman cannot descend to those little practices of
oppression or extortion, so familiar to the natives of Hin
dostan ; his mind revolts at : the idea of them.' But Vou
make no scruple of practising oppression and extortion on a
larger scale. You have conquered our oppressive nabobs,
and have taken their place. You have purchased the re
venues of the country, and soon after you got them in
possession you withheld ' the stipulated price.' . You have

LI
LETTER ON INDIA.. \ ^ "^^l
power on your side, and you caU it right.
then a right to render the existence of eighteen mi:
men subservient to the enriching of a few thousands
the God you profess to adore, and the Saviour whom you
recommend to us, approve of these things ? If so, we are as
well as we are.
" ' You have given us some good regulations in govern
ment, and we are thankful for them : but aU that you have
done amounts to Uttle more than ' a correction of your own
abuses.' And even since that period of improvement, you
have carried on offensive wars, to the great injury of our
country ; 'not for our sakes, but for your own.' 'The very-
nature of your government tends to impoverish us, and we
feel it to our cost. It is true, for the advantages of a regular
and good government, we could contentedly part with some
thing : and if in your commerce you acted on the principle
of reciprocal advantage, and sought our good along with
your own, aU would be weU enough. But this is not the
case : your people not only ' fill all the offices of govern
ment, but all the first Unes in commerce.' In this way you
have drained our unhappy country already of more than
fifty millions sterling, and are every year continuing "to
drain us, without any adequate return. And now to make
us amends for this compUcated mass of injury, you offer us
your reUgion !'
" Thus might an intelUgent Hindoo retort upon the Com
pany's agents, in their attempts to evangeUze the country.
Excuse me, therefore, if I say, unless your meUorating
scheme of commerce could also be adopted, Christianity,
through such a medium, must appear to the Hindoos Uke
the priest's blessing in the fable ; of which they might be
tempted to say with the jester, ' If it were worth a farthing,
you would not have given it to us !'
"I admit and admire your arguments in favour of our
being ' more and more secure in our possession of India, in
proportion to the improved state of society among the inha
bitants :' but their fitness rests entirely upon the ground of
the government being just and good, and the commercial
system equaUzed. In other words, they depend for their
validity upon its being the interest of Bengal, as well as
Britain, to continue united. If a contrary system be pur-
VOL. I. G

82 MEMOIR.
sued, the introduction, though not perhaps of Christiamty,
yet of the means by which it is communicated, namely, our
language and other inteUectual improvements, would endan
ger our sovereignty. And as far as I can judge of right
and wrong, it is right it should. It would be the height of
•wickedness for us to •wish to compel and continue a union
on opposite principles.
" As to an established religion in Bengal, I presume you
do not expect my concurrence. If pious Episcopalians
¦wished to go over, to spread the gospel which they beUeve,
and stand on no other ground than the goodness of their
cause, in the main of their undertaking, I should cheerfully
•wish them God speed ; and would, if they needed it, ac
cording to my abiUty, contribute to their assistance, as
several of them have done to ours ; but an established
reUgion is somewhat different. I have as great an objection
to my own principles being an established religion as any
other ; yea, greater ; for if some one reUgious system must
be pressed into the service of the state, I had rather it were
one I did not so weU approve, that what I do approve might
remain at Uberty to serve the Lord -without the imposition
of human authority.
" I have no other objection to an estabUshment in Bengal
than I have in England, or any other country. I believe aU
human estabUshments of reUgion to be injurious, as tending
to set aside the authority of Christ in his church, and to
introduce in its place unscriptural traditions, worldly pomp,
and unmeaning ceremonies ; aU which being ' of human
invention, cannot,' as you justly reason in another case, ' be
approved of God.'
"It amounts to a moral certainty, that so long as the
world continues to He in ¦wickedness, a great majority of
every government wiU consist of irreligious characters.
But a reUgion estabUshed and supported by such characters,
must be supposed to partake of their spirit, and to be framed
in subserviency to their ends. Whenever it ceases to com
ply with the -wiU of the power that gave it an estabUshment,
it must cease to be ; or, which would be worse, itself -wiU
become a power tyrannizing over its masters.
" In this direction proceeded the great apostacy of Rome.
Until Christianity was adopted by the state, it was comr

LETTER ON INDIA. 83
paratively pure. The church, though oppressed by great
afflictions and reproaches, grew and multipUed, and was
then ' the bride of Christ ;' but from that time she began to
sustain a very different character. You know the repre
sentations given of her in the records of truth — that of 'a
woman arrayed in scarlet — decked with gold, and pearls,
and precious stones, and sitting upon a scarlet-coloured
beast.' In her first stages she was the servant, and in her
last the master of the beast on which she rode. Good men
in power, like Constantine, may have thought that by
raising the Christian clergy to worldly honours, and by
creating offices in the church to which princely emoluments
should be attached, they did God service ; but they were
mistaken. " Perhaps you, sir, may not propose to yourself anything
more than a number of serious and pious clergyman being
properly provided for, and encouraged in their work ; but
should your plan succeed, its issue will be in a greater or
less degree as above described. 'All establishments,' as you
yourself acknowledge, 'carry in them a principle of pro
gressive degeneracy.' Religion in any form is in danger of
degenerating ; but in this form it is morally impossible that
it should be otherwise. In short, I object to an established
religion because it must necessarily be a creature of the
state ; and like every other creature, must be formed after
the pleasure, and Uve upon the smiles of its creator.
" I approve of a religion that shall be peaceablej but
chaste ; favourable to order and good government, but not
dependent on it ; a faithful friend to those in power, and to
those out of power, but not the retained advocate of either.
" Notwithstanding the freedom of these remarks, there is
still much in your plan which I approve. It appears to me
to be quite in character for the East India Company to pro
vide means for teaching the Bengalese the English language,
arts, and sciences, and to send out schoolmasters for that
purpose. This, if accomplished, would be a very important
object. It would give them access to our bible, as well as
to many other things. Here also would be room for you
and others to use your influence in procuring pious men,
who might be great blessings in that capacity. And as to
missionaries, I could be glad if you, as well as we, could
g2

84 MEMOIR.
obtain the leave of the Company to send them, and that they
might enjoy their protection when there. More than this
I dare not ask, or even accept at their hands.
" I know your object is to do something on an enlarged
scale. I revere your motive, but would entreat you to con
sider the words of an apostle, 2 Cor. vi. 11 — 18. Christian
enlargement, according to this passage, and according to fact,
does not consist in uniting with, or drawing into our reli
gious measures, great numbers of worldly men ; but rather
in the reverse. The forming of such connections is the
same thing as being ' unequally yoked.' Half a score
Christians, cordially united, -wiU accompUsh more than
thousands of heterogeneous characters, possessed of mere
discordant principles.
" But if your scheme were not thwarted by such a con
nexion, it would certainly be corrupted, and so in great
measure be defeated. Every body of men, Uke every spe
cies, if they propagate anything, it wUl be their own Uke-
ness. True reUgion may be accidentally propagated by
those who are destitute of it ; but that is all. God often
makes use of instruments in this way ; but it is a work
above our hands. If we attempt it, there is inflnite danger
of the work being marred. They may indeed be used in
furnishing some of the materials, as Tyrian workmen fur
nished materials and aided in the buUding of the temple ;
but they must not be invested with the power of direction.
In this case the answer of Zerubbabel to those who offered
to unite in rebuilding the temple, is worthy of example :
' You have nothing to do with us, to build a house unto our
God ; but we ourselves together -will build unto the Lord
God of Israel, as Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded
us.' " You suppose the number of pious ministers that could
be collected, and supported by voluntary subscription merely,
would be smaU. Be it so : a small number, if they could
co-operate vrith several pious schoolmasters, might do great
things. I may also add, the number of characters suitable
for such an undertaking, is smaU. You hope for thirty ; I
wish you may find so many. It is more than we can find
amongst us. If you can muster ten, -without holding out
very handsome pecuniary prospects to aUure them, it will

LETTER ON VILLAGE PREACHING. 85
be a good specimen of the prevalence of true religion in
your connections.
¦ " FinaUy : notwithstanding aU I have said, I had much
rather see the doctrine of Christianity introduced among
the Hindoos, even though it were under the form of an
established episcopacy, than that they should continue as
they are ; and if you should persevere in your scheme, I
shall pray that it may prosper in all that is good about it,
and which I am persuaded is not a little."
Besides that which related especiaUy to the interests of the
East India mission, the peril in which the cause of reUgious
liberty at home was occasionally placed, secured the vigilant
attention of Mr. Fuller, and led more than once to a corre
spondence with the distinguished senator before mentioned.
One instance of this arose in the year 1800, out of an attempt
to curtail the liberty of itinerant preachers on the allegation
that the appUcation for licence to preach was often a mere
pretext for an exemption from military service.
The proceedings threatened in this case were founded on
a report of the bishop and clergy of the diocese of Lincoln,
complaining of the prevalence of village preaching.
The following letter was addressed by Mr. Fuller to Mr.
Wilberforce : —
"The object of the Report, lately put into my hands,
appears to be, to furnish a pretext for abridging religious
liberty, in reference to village preaching. It is drawn up
¦with great caution, and an affected moderation towards the
privileges of dissenters. Much is said of other evils, as well
as that of village preaching ; but if that evil had not existed,
nothing, I am persuaded, would have been said or done con
cerning any others. This is the eye-sore, for the removal of
which every thing else is introduced as a cover. Dissenters
are allowed in this Report to be decent and sober people,
and aU the complaint is made of the ' wandering tribes ' of
Methodists. What, then, have the Methodists done, to
deserve the restraint of the legislature ? Have they not
wrought much good by their wanderings ? There may be
some things among them which we do not approve ; but still
we should be very sorry to see their reUgious liberties
abridged. The Act of Toleration might not originaUy be.

86 MEMOIR.
intended to include them ; but if it were now construed .so
as to exclude them, the consequence would be that they
must become dissenters, in order to be comprehended under
its provisions.
" The clergy complain in their Report of the stnaU number
of ¦worshippers in their diocese, and weU they may, for those
counties are almost in a state of heathenism; not o^wing
indeed to village preaching, bnt rather to the want of it.'
Huntingdonshire, Rntiand, Lincolnshire, and the Isle of Ely
are remarkable for profaneness, beyond any other district in
the kingdom ; yet the clergy have nearly had these counties
to themselves, there being very few dissenters in them. Why
then do they want to punish us for the effects of their own
remissness ?
" If there are to be no places Ucensed for pubUc worship
which are occupied as dwelling-houses, it ¦will seriously
affect great numbers of the branches of our congregations,
forty or fifty of whom meet together for worship on a Lord's
day evening, and at other times. If no ministers are eUgible
to be Ucensed before the age of twenty-three, and until they
are pastors of congregations, what are we to do ¦with proba
tioner.?, and how are our young men to be formed for the
mini.stry but by exercise ? If it be left with the magistrates
to withhold Ucences for either places or persons, they being
generaUy clergymen, we shaU have very Uttle justice done
us. '• You -wUl excuse, dear sir, the freedom of these remarks.
I cannot persuade myself that you, or any friend to evange-
Ucal reUgion, wiU concur in such an enactment, but ¦will
rather use aU your influence against it. Is it not manifest,
that evangeUcal reli^on is the only thing that will suffer by
this bUl ? The clergy talk of deism and Socinianism ; but
they ¦wUI not be affected by it. What then has evangeUcal
preaching done against the s&te, to provoke this treatment ?
It cannot be that it fosters poUtical principles which give
offence ; for the friends of evangeUcal preaching, both in
towns and villages, are not the men who have distinguished
themselves in poUtical disputes. Nor has poUtical dispute
anything to do among viUage preachers. Neither do they
who go into the villages, so far as my knowledge extends.

DEFEAT OF LORD SIDMOUTH'S BILL. 87
ever rail at the clergy or at the church, they direct their
whole aim in promoting repentance towards God and faith
in our Lord Jesus Christ.
" The whole of the projected measure appears to originate
in the jealousy of the anti-evangeUcal clergy, who. wish to
curry fevour with the state, that they may be permitted once
more to renew the work of persecution, from which for
upwards of a century they have, sorely against their inclina
tion, been compeUed to desist."
The object of the enemies of reUgious toleration was hap
pily defeated ; and, as it wiU be seen by a letter addressed to
Mr. FuUer many years after, its defeat was effected by the
influence of Mr. Wilberforce with the premier.
The occasion of this letter was the memorable attempt of
Lord Sidmouth, secretary of state in 1811, to place evange
Ucal itineracy under certain regulations, which, under the
pretext of rendering it more respectable, would have robbed
it of aU its freedom and efficiency. It is difficult for those
who did not vritness it to conceive of the ferment in which
this proceeding placed the whole of the dissenting and Wes-
leyan bodies. 'The tables of the House of Lords groaned
with petitions, and many and pointed were the admonitions
addressed to the noble viscount from both sides of the house
to beware, lest he should undermine the institutions which
he was most concerned to uphold. Among these the late
Lord Holland was most conspicuous.
The project was signaUy defeated, not -without a signi
ficant iutimation from Lord Sidmouth, that he had been led
into an erroneous course by those who assumed to represent
the opinions of dissenters and Methodists, that the measure
would be generaUy acceptable to them. A rumour had
obtained currency, that Mr. Wilberforce, though ostensibly
against the bill, secretly influenced Lord Sidmouth to persist
in it. Mr. Fuller ha-ving heard this report from a corre
spondent was anxious for the opportunity which a direct
inquiry would afford him to contradict it, and probably,
either kno-wing of his absence from home, or suspecting that
his pressing engagements would render it difficult for him to
reply, addressed his letter to Mrs. Wilberforce. The reply
was as follows : —

88

MEMOIR.

"¦ Herstmonceaux, near Battel, July 22nd, 1811.
"Mt dear Sir,
" This place being at a considerable distance from the post
town, the letters go off at so early an hour, that I shaU be
able to send you a much less complete and weU weighed
reply than I wish, to the friendly communication from you,
which Mrs. Wilberforce has this morning put into my hands.
I cannot, however, bring myself to delay -writing to you 1^11
to-morrow ; indeed, though it might take up many hours to
put you in possession of aU which, if we were conversing
together, I might wish to say to you on the different parts of
your letter, all that is really important may be stated in a
few minutes, for I here solemnly assure you that the main
substance of the report you have heard, that I was secretly
friendly to Lord Sidmouth's biU, or, that either directly or
indirectly, by information, suggestion, or in any other man
ner, I, in any the sUghtest degree whatever instigated Lord
Sidmouth, either to undertake or persist in the measure, is
not only untrue, but it is the direct opposite to truth ; for,
on the contrary, from the first of my believing that it would
reaUy come forward (for I own I always hoped he would be
persuaded to relinquish his design), I was most unfeignedly
and warmly hostile to it, both in heart and conduct ; and in
every quarter where I thought my efforts Ukely to be of any
avail, I used my best endeavours in opposition to it. On
Mr. Perceval, for instance, -with whom I hoped' that what I
might state would be Ukely to have weight, and whose sup
porting the biU, or opposing it, would be so infiuential on its
fate,— on Mr. Percival, I urged in the plainest and .strongest
manner, the evils to be apprehended from it. Happily these
dispositions of mine do not rest on my own assertion; for I have
as many witnesses to them, as I have friends or acquaintances
with whom I conversed, or correspondents to whom I wrote
about the measure, though, my mind and time, being then
extremely engrossed by the actually depending discussions
concerning the buUion question, and not being fully in
formed about the nature and effects of Lord Sidmouth's biU
I neither talked nor -wrote so much about it as I should have
done if my time and thought had not been so much engrossed
by another subject on which the debates were actually com-

LETTER FROM MR. WILBERFORCE. 89
ing forward, often till so late an hour as to render the
interval very short between my going from my chambers
and the meeting of the house.
" It may perhaps be right for me to explain, consideriiig the
deep interest I might be supposed to take in the result of
such a question ; considering also my friendly intimacy with
Lord Sidmouth, why it happened that we never, either per-
sonaUy or by letter, interchanged one word on the subject
tiU either the bill was in the House of Lords, or the notice
had been given, I am not sure which. I then (that is,
during the progress of the measure, and before it was thrown
out) had two short and hurried interviews with him, at a
time when, it is fair and due indeed both to him and to
myself to say, that he was employed almost aU day long, in
interviews with one deputation or person and another, on
the depending business ; and it is no very serious imputation
on Lord Sidmouth to suppose, that he inight not always
recoUect quite accurately what was said by each party he
talked -with. The fact however is, that without meaning to
imply anything to Lord Sidmouth's prejudice, I was con
vinced, that my talking over the subject with him would in
various ways rather do harm than good. It would take up,
howe^r, on reflection, too much time to state to you as I
was/about to do, the grounds of that persuasion, and it is
su'idcient to assure you that this was my real opinion ; while
j& also entertained, as I have already said, a strong hope that
' Lord Sidmouth on proceeding, would find difficulties and
obstacles increase upon him so much as, on the whole, to
deter his further advances. So far, as to that part of what
your correspondent has stated to you which respects my
opinions and conduct concerning Lord Sidmouth's late bill.
As to the latter part of his statement wherein truth and
falsehood are blended together (for aU about my exclamation
that Lord Sidmouth has betrayed me is utterly false) let me
beg it from you as a particular favour that you would write
to Mr. Thompson (Thomas Thompson, Esq. M.P.), of Hull
to know what really did pass, for it is he, I conceive, that
must be meant by Mr. Taylor, not remembering any one of
the latter name, with whom I had any intercourse on this
subject, whereas, it was Mr. Thompson, who being one of
the deputation of the Wesleyan Methodists, which had

90 MEMOIR.
been with Lord Sidmouth, did first mention to me LcMcd
Sidmouth's statement. Mr. Thompson, I wiU add, is a man
of uncommon excellence as weU as talents ; with whom from
my earUest youth I have lived on the most friendly terms,
and to whom I owe the highest obUgations. He, by the
way, was aU this time in the habit of seeing me almost daily,
when, though I do not particularly remember what passed
between us. Lord Sidmouth's biU, I have no doubt, was
frequently the subject of our conversation, and I have as
littie that we entirely agreed on it.
" With respect to my opinions and feeUngs concerning the
Methodists (by this term I always mean the Wesleyans), it
is gratifying to me that I can speak of what I have done,
rather than what I have thought or felt about them. You,
I find, remember something about the measure started many
years ago by Mr. M. A. Taylor, but afterwards transferred
by liim to the then government, but perhaps you never knew
(indeed I had forgot that there had been any intercourse
between us on that subject) what, however, I have always
beUeved, that I was myself the instrument of preventing
Mr. Pitt from proceeding ¦with that measure to which he
was strongly urged by some persons of superior talent and
weight, and whose influence with him was very considerable.
That far more formidable attempt against religious toleration
was aimed indeed more pecuUarly against the system of the
Methodists, and though from the manner in which the service
was performed it attracted no pubUc observation, I have long
thought that this was perhaps the greatest service that I ever
rendered my country, and I know not if there is any event
of my life on which I look back -with equal pleasure. But
as to what respects the Methodists, it is worthy of remem
brance that some days before Lord Sidmouth's bill was thrown
out, and of course before I first heard of this injurious report,
I had aotuaUy transmitted to Lord Sidmouth a most interest
ing and most pleasing account of their proceedings in Corn
wall (which I had received from a correspondent in that
county), with a view to impress him ¦with a sense of the
value of their labours on the one hand, and of their appre
hensions from his bill on the other. In truth I have been
in the habits of friendly intercourse ¦with various members
of the Methodist body ever since the year 1786, and having,

LETTER FROM MR. WILBERFORCE. 91
by subscriptions, &c., sho^wn my goodwiU to them for so
many years, it would be very strange and contrary to the
ususd conduct even of bad men, if I should have begun to
be iU-disposed towards them so soon after the friendly con
nection between us, having been strengthened by the kind
and zealous services wMch, in a way that I can never forget,
they rendered me on the occasion of my last contest for
Yorkshire. " In spite of my ¦wishes to the contrary I am running into
length, and it yet remains to say something on one point of
the first importance. I mean what it could be that I really
did say, which led to such a misunderstanding in Lord
Sidmouth of my sentiments and feelings respecting the
Methodists ; for I reaUy have never for a moment imputed
to him the teUing of a deUberate falsehood. I have been
endeavouring to recoHect, since I got your letter, what it
could be that led to the misconception, for though I heard
of the report from various quarters before I left London, I
was too much engaged in parUamentary business to be able
to bestow much time or thought on it. I remember weU
that the first interview (a short one) between Lord Sidmouth
and myself, was almost entirely employed in stating to me
the grounds and principles of his measure and of the neces
sity for a new law, and, by the way, any one would have
supposed from his language (and here again I firmly beUeve
he had not the least idea of deceiving), that the leaders of the
Methodists, whose names he mentioned, and ¦with one of the
chief of whom he said he had been conversing for above an
hour only the day before, were satisfied that his intended
bUl would do them no manner of harm ; indeed any one who
had not Uved as long in pubUc Ufe as myself would have
supposed the same of some other leaders. Of the only other
interview I had with Lord Sidmouth, the greater part passed
in his again stating and clearing up doubts about the con
tents, construction, and legal bearings of his intended mea
sure, and I weU remember that my fears were chiefly excited
by the probable check which his biU would give to social
reUgion (I mean meetings in private houses for prayer,
preaching, &c. &c.) This naturaUy led me to speak of the
proceedings of the Methodists, and of their pecuUar system
in this respect, and of the benefits they derived from them.

92 MEMOIR.
I spoke of all these topics, I doubt not, in strong terms,
because I have long thought their system admirable, both
for making and retaining converts, and as was natural for a
man attached as I reaUy am to the estabUshed church, and
beUeving that it has been and is Ukely to be the means,
under God, of maintaining true reUgion in this country, I
might very probably regret, as I am sure I have heard
several of the most repectable of the Methodist body them
selves, especiaUy those of the older school, regret, that their
body had, appeared of late years to be drawing off farther
from the church of England, contrary to the express ¦wishes
and even injunctions of their great founder and his excellent
brother Charles, and I might speak of the danger to be
apprehended from all this. I rather think also that I stated
to Lord Sidmouth that, by preventing the meetings for social
religion in the church he would drive people into the arms
of the Methodists and dissenters. But surely aU this implies
no hostiUty to either the one or the other, and it was an
argument likely to have great weight with Lord Sidmouth
himself. In truth, by repeating with the Uttle unintentional
alterations and exaggerations incident to such second-hand
statements, what any man has said, with one view or relation,
and placing it in another, a man may be represented as hav
ing principles the most opposite to his own real opinions. I
am myself a sincere friend to the church of England ; at the
same time I cannot deny that, owing to the state of our
church and its ministers, the ultimate consequence of evan
gelical ministers' successful labours in any place is commonly,
I mean when they are not succeeded by ministers of similar
principles, that on their death or removal, the greater part oi
their converts go over to the dissenters or Methodists. Now
any one who was to hear me state these propositions and
no more, might go away and represent me (how falsely I
need not declare) to be hostile to the increase and settlement
of evangelical ministers. Ah, my dear sir, would it not tend
to lessen these misconceptions if we adhered more steadily to
the apostle's injunction to cultivate that charity which hopeth
all things and beUeveth aU things ? I mean not to acquit
myself of needing to be reminded of this heavenly precept,
though, having Uved so long in the world where the winds
and waves are for .ever blowing and swelling with eonten-

LETTER FROM MR. WILBERFORCE. 93
tious fury, I have more often had occasion to remark that a
disposition to put a favourable construction on, and hope and
believe the best about, the doubtful words or actions of men,
of whom on the whole we have reason to think favourably,
is the part most commonly not. merely of candour and
Christian love, but also of truth and justice, and I am here
naturally led to express my sense of the kindness as well as
wisdom of your conduct in writing at once to me (for as my
better half, justly so called, would be likely to tell me of
your letter to her, I may consider it as addressed to myself),
instead of either taking any indirect means of discovering
the truth or going about with an unexplained doubt in your
mind as to my real principles and character.
"I little thought I should detain you or myself so long
when I began my letter. Mrs. Wilberforce expressed a wish
which I did not discourage to write to you herself; and she,
I hope, would account for your not hearing from me sooner,
indeed she herself can speak to what have been my uniform
sentiments and feeUngs, both about Lord Sidmouth's bill
and about the Methodists, and though in a court of law a
wife's testimony cannot be admitted either for or against her
husband, yet in a case of the kind now in question, a better
witness could not be found, than Mrs. Wilberforce would be
deemed by those who know her real character. I must again
entreat you to write to Mr. Thompson, for I repeat it he
must be meant by Mr. Taylor, and in one or two other
places whence I have heard this same report, Mr. Thomp
son's was the name mentioned. Let me also beg you to let
me know without reserve whether there is any point on
which you think farther explanation necessary. You will
excuse the interlineations, bad writing, &c. of this letter, the
too natural effects of being forced to scribble in great haste.
" I am always, with esteem and regard,
" My dear Sir,
" Yours very sincerely,
"The Rev. A. FuUer." "W. Wilberforce.
It was Mr. FuUer's happiness amidst his numerous
ioumeys on behalf of the mission, to meet with some of the
most distinguished and valuable characters of various de
nominations. Among these were the Rev. Messrs. Richard-

94 MEMOIR.
son, Overton, and Graham, clergymen of York. Mr. FuUer
relates a conversation of some interest with these gentlemen.
" 0. 'In the course of my work I have said some things
which some dissenters have thought severe.' — F. ' I suppose
you mean in calUng them schismatics.' — 0. 'Yes, in part.'
— F. ' I never felt it ; for it did not appear to be aimed to
hurt us, but merely to screen yourselves in the view of your
bishops from the suspicion of favouring us.' He admitted
this a fair construction. I added, ' It did not hurt me,
because I perceived no justice in it. The term schism is
relative, and has reference to the society from which separa
tion is made. Before you can fiLx the guilt of schism upon
us, you must prove — I. That the Church of England is a
true church. Yea, more. 2. That it is the only true church
in this kingdom.' He did not go about it, and we were very
sociable till eleven o'clock, when I went to bed at Mr.
Hepworth's." Li a subsequent conversation, "Mr. Richardson, after
saying many friendly and respectful things, added in a tone
of familiarity, ' I had almost thrown your " Gospel its own
Witness" aside, owing to what you said against establishments
in the Preface.' — F. ' Why, sir, could you not have con
strued it as the 'British Critic' has?' — R. 'How is that?' —
F. ' I think they say to this effect : The author protests
again.st establishments of Chns,\hz,mty for political purposes ;
but as ours assuredly is not for such ends, he cannot mean
that ; and, therefore, we recommend it to our readers. — Both
replied, ' We apprehend they construed you more favourably
than you deserved.' — F. ' WeU ; it seems then I should have
put it at the end instead of the beginning of the book.' — R.
'I see you do not approve of estabUshments.' — F. ' I do not,
sir.' — R. 'Well ; I am persuaded we are greatly indebted to
ours.' — F. ' The friends of Christ would be such without it.'
¦ — R. ' True ; but the enemies would not be kept in such
decency.' — F. ' I was riding last night from Hull to York,
with a drunken sea-officer ; passing through Beverley, he
pointed to the cathedral and said, ' That is our relision ....
we are all for relision !' — 0. ' Ah ! that was honey to you.'
— F. 'I felt for the poor man.'— O. 'You think hard of
Bishop Horsley ?' — F. ' I do.' — 0. ' I think his remarks
about Sunday schools have been made too much of ; he does

CONVERSATION WITH CLERGYMEN. <)5
not condemn the institution, but the abuse of it.' F. ' He
represents viUage preaching as a poUtical measure, and as
pursued, under the newly assumed garb of zeal and spiritu
ality, by the same men as formerly cried up rationaUty ;
which is absolutely false.' — R. ' He had heard some things
of dissenters.' — F. ' Yes ; and I have heard some things of
Torkshiremen.'— O. ' What, that they are bites T—F. ' WeU ;
you would not be ¦wiUing I should condemn you all on
hearsay ?' — R. ' He is a man of a bad temper.' — F. ' I have
heard that he is, after aU, an infldel : I do not know how true
that may be ; but he is a violent man, and fuU of misrepre
sentation.' — R. ' What he has said of the body of the
dissenters being turned from Calvinism is true of the old
dissenters : those that you now caU the body of your people
have come from the church.' — F. ' That may be true, in
part, especiaUy respecting the Presbyterians, but not of the
Independents or Baptists ; and we can account for the
decline of Presbyterianism in England, on the ground of
their psdobaptism.' — [All laughed, as though they should
say, ' Bravo ! How is that T\—F. ' The old orthodox
EngUsh Presbyterians made so much of their seed, and the
de(Ucation of them to God, as they called it, by baptism,
that, presuming on their conversion, they sent them to
seminaries of learning, to be ministers, before they were
Christians ; and as they grew up, being destitute of any
principle of religion, they turned aside to anything rather
than the gospel. The effect of this was, some of the people,
especiaUy the young and graceless, foUowed them ; the rest
have become Independents of Baptists.' — R. ' AH your old
places that were opened at the Revolution are now Socinian-
ized.' — F. ' The Presbyterian places are mostly so ; but we
do not mind the places being Sociman, so long as the people
have left them. As to the body of our people coming from
the Church, it is Uttie more than fifty years since the Church
was almost destitute of serious ministers and people ; yet
there were, at that time, perhaps, nearly as many serious
dissenters as now."
An individual at Portsea, from whom Mr. Fuller had
received hospitable attentions, thus accosted him : " ' Sir, I
was greatly disappointed in you.' ' Yes, and I in you. ' ' I
mean in hearing you last Lord's day morning ; I did not

96 ME3C0IR.
expect to hear such a s^mon from yoo." " Pteciia^ so : and
I £d not espeet sach treatment &am too, I had heard
things rf the Fortsea pe<^e -irhich gave me bot a mean
ftfimfsa o£ tiiem : bat I have bitheito no caose to comflain.
so that we are both agreeably disaHpointed." • ^^ bot I
do not like jour book." 'Tou do not raideistand it." " O.
I cannot bdBeve feiith to be a duty: we cannot beKer©.*
' Ton seem to think -wv ought to do nodung but iiiiat ¦(re can
doi.' •Tme." • And we cm do nodiii^?' 'True." Tljea
¦we ot^ht to do nothing .... and. if so, ¦«re have no sin, and
need no Saviour.' ' O. no, noi, no ! I irant to talk more
¦with Tou.' ' Yes, bnt the mischief is, you cannot ov>unt five."
' What do you mean ? • First you say, ^we ought to do
nothing but what we can do. Secondly, we can do nothing.
Then I say, flurdly, we ooght to do tt<^hii^. Fonrthfy, ire
hare no sin. FiMdy, ire need no Saviour." After all, this
person, and all of that stamp, ¦were greatly interested in the
preaching, and pressed me to go to their houses ; ¦would have
it that I ¦was df their principle &o.. and irere much con
cerned when I -went away. I told tiiem I thought very
differently finan them in ¦various respects : bnt they took all
well, and I prayed -with them before -we parted.'"
Ha^ring been called to preach in a place frhere stnuog
pr^udices tvere oitertained concerning his religious senti-
ments, he was addresed at the close by a venerable ''mother
in Biael," who ¦was ignorant of his name, irith expressions
of deUght. and the utterance of a -wish '• that Andrew Fuller
had been there to hear his system exposed." She acknow
ledged that she had neTer read his writings : and on disco
vering who be ¦was, wisely resohred "not to see ¦with other
people's eyes again.'"
An incident was related to the ¦writer, on a -risit to Edin
burgh, which ¦wUl serve to show the little sympathy Mr.
FuUer had ¦with the conventional ^timate of personal
importance. On entering the Tabernacle in that metropolis,
he di^mvered a lad of ragged apprarance attaching himself
to the skirts of his coat On Mr. Fuller accosting him, he
said, " Sir, I want to hear you preach, and they won't let me
go in." Taking the boy by tixe hand, Mr. Fuller led him to
the pnlj^t stairs, on whidi he denied him a place beyond
the reach of intermption. Through what precedes the

DISCUSSION WITH A JEW. 97
diaracter of this youth was afterwards formed does not
altogether appear, but he became in after Ufe a minister of
no small eminence.
On the fifth and last occasion of Mr. Fuller's visiting that
city, having learnt that the Northamptonshire miUtia were
in quarters at tiie Castie, he visited them, and found four
young men fi-om Kettdring, with whom he entered into con
versation. One of them observing that the Scotch ministers
laid more stress on faith than in his opinion it was entitied
to, Mr. Fuller replied, " probably they mean more by it than
you do;" wliicli he admitted might be the case. Having
presented one of their number with a bible, he took his
leave. Among these incidents of ti-avel, a conversation ¦with a
son of Abraham with whom he travelled post from Glasgow
to Liverpool, is not without interest, as related by himself : —
" We had much talk on Christianity, and sometimes I
thought him somewhat impressed. We had scarcely got
out of Glasgow before he observed something of the dissatis
faction we found in all our enjoyments. I acquiesced, and
suggested that there must be some defect in the object, and
thence infei-red a future state. He did not seem free to
pursue the subject, but said, 'I am a Jew, and I consider
j-ou as a Christian divine ; I wish to do every thing to
accommodate you during the journey.' I thanked him, and
said I wished to do the same towards him in return. I pre
sently found, however, that he was a Sadducee, holding with
only the five books of Moses, and those very loosely ; suggest
ing of Mosos, that though he was a great and good man in
his day, yet it wsis his opinion there had been much more
learned men since. He also began ' accommodating' me with
curees and oaths on the most tiifling occasions. Finding I
had a compound of infidelity and profligacy to contend with,
and about a fifty-hours' journey before me, in which I should
be cooped up witli liim night and day, I did not oppose him
much at first, but let him go on, ^^'aiting for fit occasions. I
asked for a proof of Moses's ignorance. — Jew. ' He spoke of
the oarth as stationary, and tlie sun as rising and setting."
— Fuller. ' And do not those you call learned men speak tilie
same in tlieir ordinary conversation ?' — J. ' To be sure they
do.' — F. 'They could not be understood, nor undei'stand
VOL. I. H

98 MEMOIR.
themselves, could they, if they were to speak of the earth's
rising and setting?'— Jl ' True.' After a while, he praised
the ten commandments. I acquiesced, and added, 'I have
been not a Uttle hurt, sir, in observing, since we have been
together, how Ughtly you treat one of them. Thou shalt not
take the name of the Lord thy God in vain P — J. ' I must
own that is a bad habit : I have been told of it before.' We
had no more swearing.
" He talked, after this, of the merit of good works, and
told me, at my request, much about their worship and cere
monies ; particularly their great day of atonement, which he
said was very impressive. — F. 'Do you offer sacrifices?' —
J. ' No ; not since the destruction of the temple ; except it
be a fowl or so, just as a representation of what has been.' —
F. ' And do you really think that the blood of any animal,
or any of those ceremonies, can take away sin ?' — J. 'If you
deny that, you deny the laws of Moses.' — F. ' No ; the sacri
fices of Moses were not designed to take away sin, but to
prefigure a greater sacrifice.' He paused  I added,
' Sir, you are a sinner, and I am a sinner ; we must both
shortly appear before God. I know not upon what you rest
your hopes. You have talked of human merit. I have no
thing of the kind on which to place my trust. I beUeve
we have aU merited the displeasure of our Creator, and, if
dealt ¦with according to our deserts, must perish for ever.
Sir, if our sins be not atoned for by a greater sacrifice than
any that were offered under the law of Moses, we are
undone.' He seemed impressed by this, and owned that
according to their law, and confessions on the day of atone
ment, they were aU sinners, and that their good works could
not save them. I then endeavoured to point him to Christ,
as the only hope ; but he began to make objections to his
conception by the power of the Holy Spirit. — F. ' That was
no more impossible than God's making the first man and
woman.' — J. ' True ; but God having made these, the rest
are born by ordinary generation.'— i^^. 'You might as weU
say that God having given the sea its laws, it moves in
future according to them ; and therefore the Red Sea could
not have been divided. Your argument goes to deny aU
miracles.' — J. 'We think charitably of you, but you do not
of us.' — F. ' How can you think weU of us, when you consi-

DISCUSSION WITH A JEW. 99
der us as deluded by an impostor ?' — J. ' We think wdl of
all that do good.' — F. ' So do we. But what a singular
impostor must Jesus have been, if he was one ! ZMd you
ever know or read ®f such a one, either as to doctrine or
manners ?' — J. 'Who -wrote the life of Jesus ?' — F. 'Mat
thew, Mark, Luke, and John.' — J. 'Very w^ : were not
they his disciples, and therefore partial to him ?'~-F. 'Yon
might as weU object to aU the books of the Old Testa
ment ; they were not written by adversaries.' 
J. ' Ah, he should have come down from the cross, and theu
all would have beUeved on him !' — F. ' If evidence had been
the thing ithat was wanted, why did not the resurrection .of
Lazarus satisfy them ?' — J. ' That was a doubtful matter. I
reckon Jesus was a learned man ; Lazarus might not be
dead, but only apparently so, and he might make an experi
ment upon him, as many have done since, and restored sus
pended animation.' — F. ' Did you ever read the New Testa
ment ?' — J. ' Yes ; I read it when a hoy of eight years old.'
F. ' And not since ?'— J". ' No.' — ' F. ' What, then, can you
•know about it ? You only take up the otgections of your
rabbis' (whom he had a Uttle before acknowledged to be,
many of them, no better than learned knaves); 'if you had
read and considered the history of the resurrection .of Laza
rus, you could not object as you do.'
" After this I asked him what he thought of prophecy ?
'Prophecy !' said he, 'I have often, when a boy, looked at
the clouds, and seen in them horses and chariots, and I know
not what!' — F. 'I understand you,; but it is strange that
imagination should find, in the prophecies, the substance of
iall succeeding history. Were not all the great empires tha<t
have been in the world, from the times of Daniel to this day,
namely, the Babylonian, the Persian, the Grecian and the
the Roman, with their various subdivisions, clearly foretold
by him ? ' He would make no answer to thi% but treated it
all as fable. ' They talk,' said he, 'of our being restored to the
promised laud. I will tell you the whole .mystery of it.
Those .of us who have plenty wish for no other promised
land ; but those that are poor would be glad enough to better
their condition !'
" He complained of the persecutions that ,the Jews had
undergone from Christians. I disavowed all, such treatmoit
h2

idO MEMOIR.
as the conduct of wicked men. 'But,' said he, 'you have
been, even in this war, fighting for your religion.^ I
answered, ' Those who profess to fight for reUgion, fight for
the want of it ; and Christianity employs none but spiritual
weapOns.' I also assured him that real Christians felt a
tender regard towards them, and loved them for their
fathers' sake. 'Yes,' said he, sneeringly, 'the good people
at Glasgow pray every Sunday for our conversion ! ' I
answered,- 'Very Ukely ; it is what I have often done my-
seU:' " When we got to Liverpool, he requested that, when I
came to London, I would call and see him. I told him I
would, on one condition, which was that he would permit
me to present him with a New Testament, and promise to
read it carefuUy. He consented ; but, that he might put far
from him the evil day, proposed that if, when I called to see
lum, I would bring one with me, he would read it. I saw
no more of him, but meeting with a 'Gospel its own Wit
ness,' in Liverpool, in which is an ' Address to the Jews,' I
¦wrapt it up in paper, and sent it to him at his inn, having
written vrithinside as follows : ' A small token of respect
from the author, to Mr. D. L. A., for his friendly attentions
to him on a journey from Glasgow to Liverpool, Sept. 23,
24. 25, 1802.'
" After aU, in reflecting upon it, I felt guilty in having
said so little to the purpose ; and was persuaded that, if I
had been more spiritually-minded, I should have recom
mended my Lord and Saviour better than I did."
The death of his beloved friend, Mr. Sutcliffe, in the
the spring of 1814, was accepted by him as a premonition of
his own. " WeU ;" said he, -writing to Dr. Ryland in imme
diate anticipation of this event, " the government is on his
shoulders ; ours will soon be froift under the load ; but
while we are reducing in number and increasing in labour.
it may be the heavier for a time. God grant we may, finish
our course with joy."
The loss of his valuable coadjutor appeared but to stimu
late Mr. FuUer to intense labour, as if under the conviction
that much required to be done in a little space. Within the
last year of his Ufe, he writes to Dr. Ryland : —
" -"Between now and the first week in August I have no

LAST JOURNEY. 101
rest. I give you my routes, that you may write no letters
to me at Kettering while 1 am out, and may write, if occa
sion should require, to other places. June 6, I set off for
Essex, where I shall coUect between the 8th and the 20thi
thence I go to London, to the annual meeting, on the 22nd ;
come down to Kettering on the 24th or 25th ; set off for the
north of England on the 27th for five Lord's days. I expect
to spend the first at Liverpool, the second at Manchester, the
third at Leeds, the fourth at Newcastle, and the fifth at
Hull." During the journey referred to in the above extract, he
forwarded an application from Durham to the East India
directors for the passage of Mr. Yates (afterwards Dr. Yates,
whose celebrity as a Unguist and translator of the scriptures
was universal), in conformity with the provisions of the
"recent enactment. A contumacious opposition to this
request obliged him, after repeated and respectful soUcita-
tions, to appeal to the Board of Control. Visiting London
once more, he obtained an interview with the Earl of Buck
inghamshire. Having succeeded in the object of his visit, he returned
home, and summoning his remaining strength preached with
unusual solemnity at the service at Leicester, when Mr.
Yates was set apart for missionary labour. At the close of
this service he took leave of his friends, saying, " I am very
ill. I shaU probably see you no more ; my work is nearly
done, but I cannot spare time to nurse ; I must labour as
long as I can."
Under date of September 18, he writes to his friend. Dr.
Ryland : —
" For the last fortnight I have been laid by, and nearly
confined to my bed. I know not when I have had so violent
an attack of the bile. I^had an infiammation about the liver,
the effects of which are still upon me, so that I can scarcely
walk. I hope to get out to meeting once to-day. I know
not what to do "with the misionary students (from Olney),
being utterly unfit to entertain care of any kind. I thought
it Tbest to let them come to you. Here I must leave it. The
writing of this letter has overcome me."
After a partial recovery he attempted another journey
into the north of England, in company •w;ith two friends, but

102 MEMOIR.
could not reach further than Newark. Writing to A friend
this timej he says : —
" I have preached only twice fo» the last five or six vyeeka,
but am gradually though slowly recovering. Since I was
laid by from preaching, I have written out my sermon, and
drawn up a memoir for my dear brother Sutcliff. Your
partiaUty for the memoir of dear Pearce wUl ensure me one
reader at least for that of Sutcliff. I hope the great and
good Mr. Charles, of Bala,- will find some one who will do
justice to his memory. Mrs. SutcUff died on the 3rd of
September, less than eleven weeks after her husband. Death
has swept away almost all my old friends, and I seem to
stand expecting to be called for soon. It matters not when.
so that we be found in Christ."
To another friend; he says : —
" Brother Suteliff's last end was enviable : may mine be
Uke Ms ! Death has been making havoc of late among us.
Yesterday I preached a funeral sermon, if so it might be
called, for three of the members rf our diurch, lately
deceased. I feel as one who has the sentence of death, and
whose great concern it is whether my reUgion will bear the
test ! Almost all my old friends are dead^ or dying. Well,
I have a hope that bears me up ; and it is, through giace.
In reviewing my Ufe, I see much e^ril ; God be merciful to
me a sinner I"
The close of the year found him so far improved in strength
as to be able to pay one more ¦visit to the metropoUs, when
he deUvered what might be called his fareweU sermon, on
behalf of the British and Foreign School Society. This his
last effort there not only evinced undiminished energy, but
appeared to surpass most of his previous pulpit labours.
In the beginning of 1815, whUe labouring under the
effects of an indurated liver, he sat*at his desk twelve hours
a day, intent on the mission correspondence. To his brother
in Cambridgeshire, under date of February 1, he thus
writes : —
" WeU ; the Lord livetb, and blessed be my rock ! I
am conscious of no vricked way in me ; but I feel myself to
be an unprofitable servant. We shaU soon finish our course:
may it be ¦with joy ! If I am able next summer, it is in my
mind to take a tour eastward to Wisbeach, Lynn, Fakenhaqi

LAST SERMON. 103
Norwich, Yarmouth, and some other places in Norfolk and
Suffolk, and return by Isleham and Soham ; but perhaps I
may prove like Sampson, who went out to do as at other
times, and wist not that his strength was departed from
him." On the 29th of March he attended the ordination of the
Rev. J. Mack at CUpstone, in Northamptonshire. On leav
ing the pulpit, where he had preached with more than his
usual solemnity and pathos, he said, " I am very ill ; a dying
man : all is over : my work is nearly finished. I shall' see
you no more ; the blessing of the Lord attend you. Fare
well." On the first Lord's day in April he preached his last
sermon, from Isaiah Ixvi. 1, 2, " Thus saith the Lord, The
heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool," &c.
His address at the Lord's table was sententious and pecu
liarly affecting ; a mutual impression evidently prevailed
that this was the last time they should partake together of
those sacred memorials. He cited with peculiar feeling the
Unes, " Jesus is gone above the skies," &c.
The following Lord's day from his bed he addressed a few
lines to the Rev. G. Barclay of Kilwinning, in the county of
Ayr : " My health has been very low of late. It is hard
work to write a letter. I must go to Cheltenham shortly,
when I shall be obliged to aU my friends to let me rest from
correspondence. I cannot preach." To carry into effect the
intention hero referred to, the people of his charge promptly
presented him with a purse of £50 ; notwithstanding which,
his increasing debility compeUed the abandonment of this
purpose. On the 28th of April, the last day on which he was down
stairs, he dictated the following letter to his friend Dr. Ry^
land of Bristol, subscribing only his initials : —
" Mt DEAREST Friend, — We have enjoyed much together,
which, I hope, wiU prove an earnest of greater enjoyment in
another world. We have also wrought together in the Lord's
vineyard, and he has given us to reap together in his vintage,
I expect this is nearly over : but I trust we shall meet, and
part no more. I have very little hope of recovery ; but I
am satisfied to drink of ihe cup which my heavenly Father
giveth me to drink. Without experience, no one can con-

104 MEMOIR.
ceive of the depression of my spirits; yet I have no despon
dency. ' I know whom I have believed, and that He is able
to keep that which I have committed to him against^ that
day.' I am a poor guilty creature, but Christ is an almighty
Saviour. I have preached and written much .against the
abuse of the doctrine of grace ; but that doctrine is all my
salvation and all my desire. I have no other hope than
from salvation by mere sovereign, eflicacious grace, through
the atonement of my Lord and Saviour. With this hope, I
can go into eternity with composure. Come, Lord Jesus !
Come when thou wilt ! Here I am ; let him do with me as
seemeth him good !
" We have some who have been giving out of late, that
if Sutcliffe and some others had preached more of Christ,
and less of Jonathan Edwards, they would have been mora
useful. If those who talk thus preached Christ half aa
much as Jonathan Edwards did, and were half as useful
as he was, their usefulness would be double what it is. It
is very singular that the mission to the east should have
originated with men of these principles ; and, without pre
tending to be a prophet, I may say, if ever it falls into the
hands of men who talk in this strain, it will soon come to
nothing. " If I should never see your face in the fle.sh, I could
wish one last testimony of brotherly love, and of the truth
of the gospel, to be expressed by your coming over and
preaching my funeral sermon, if it can be, from Rom. viii.
10. I can dictate no more, but am, ever yours, A. F."
On the same pay he complained to Mr. Satchell, one of
the deacons of the church of great depression and sinking,
as if he must die ; he repUed, " I know, sir, of no person
who is in a more happy situation than yourself ; a good man,
on the borders of a blessed immortality." He said, that he
hoped it was so. Mr. Satchell added, " There is not a person
on the face of the earth who fears the contrary." Lifting
up both hands, he exclaimed, " I am a great sinner ; and if
I am saved, it must be by great and sovereign grace — by
great and sovereign grace! All my feeUngs," said he,
"are sinking, dying feelings." To Mrs. FuUer, who was
weeping before him, he said, " we shall meet again ; it will
be weU." tJnder the utmost depression of the animal spirits

DEATH. 105
he preserved a calmness which nothing could disturb, so
much so as to surpass all his former experience. He fre
quently said, " My mind is calm ; no raptures, no despon
dency. My hope is such that I am not afraid to plunge into
eternity." Putting his hand to his side, he said, " All misery
is concentrated here." "Bodily misery only?" "Yes, I
can think of nothing else ; my breath is corrupt, my days
are extinct."
On Lord's day. May 7, in his room adjoining the chapel,
he heard the congregation singing ; addressing his daughter
Sarah, he said, " I wish I had strength." " To do what,
father? " " To worship, child : " he added, " my eyes are
dim." Observing his eldest daughter approach his bedside,
he said, " Come, Mary, come and help me." On being
raised in bed, he clasped his hands in fervent yet silent
prayer, remaining in that attitude nearly half an hour. The
only audible words that he uttered were, " help me : " when,
with his hands clasped and his eyes flxed upwards, he breathed
his last.
His beloved flock were then listening to an impressive
discourse from his colleague, the Rev. J. K. Hall, from the
words, " Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I •wiU fear no evil ; for thou art with me, thy rod and
thy staff they comfort me." An intimation was made to the
weeping congregation of the solemn event before the close
of the sermon. The following extract from a letter of Mr.
Hall will supply other particulars : —
"I intend to fiU this letter with news ; though, as it will
chiefly relate to Mr. Fuller's death, it will be news of a dole
ful kind. You have heard, I suppose, that this great and
good man departed this life about half-past eleven, last
Lord's day morning. I was, at the time, preaching from
Psalm xxiu. 4, ' Yea, though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I •wiU fear no evil,' &c. He expe
rienced what, at that moment, I was attempting to describe.
Mr. Toller, the independent minister, was, at the same time,
preaching from Psalm Ixxiii. 26, ' My flesh and my heart
faileth ; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion
for ever.' As soon as we left our places of worship, every
individual in the town probably heard the afflictive ivords,
' He is gone ! he is gone ! ' and the melancholy news was

106 MEMOIR.
soon despatched to different parts of the kingdom. As I had
to preach in the afternoon, you may easily suppose that this
circumstance would increase those feelings which I could not
prevent on so solemn an occasion. I preached from Isa. ix.
6, ' And the government shall be upon his shoulder.' This
was the text from which Mr. Fuller preached when he
returned from my grandfather's funeral."
After describing the particulars of his illness and death, he
adds, " The funeral is to be next Monday. T shall not send
this off till it is over. You know that Dr. Ryland, by Mr.
Fuller's request, is to preach ; and my uncle is to deliver the
the funeral oration." " Tuesday afternoon. May 16.
" Mr. HaU has resigned to me (says Mrs. Hall), the task
of finishing this letter ; but, as the mail will leave Kettering
very soon, I can do little more than just mention that the last
sad tribute of respect was yesterday evening paid to the
remains of the great and good Mr. FuUer. The crowd which
attended was immense. All the ministers in the town were
invited, both churchmen and dissenters. Mi. Toller, Mr. Hogg,
Mr. Bugg, with Mr. Brown and Mr. Towers, the Methodist
preachers. No formal invitation was sent to any minister in
the country, it being difficult to know where to draw the line ;
but numbers were attracted to the spot by motives of respect
and affection. Mr. Grimshaw, a clergyman of the establish
ment, came on purpose from Bedford. Mr. Hinton, of Oxford,
and many others, with whom I was not acquainted, were
there. I Went to the meeting through Mr. Fuller's house,
the doors not being open quite so soon, at three o'clock in
the afternoon. About a quarter of an hour afterwards, the
crowds assembled at the doors were admitted. The rush of
people was astonishing ; but no one, that I have heard of,
received any injury. It was supposed there might be two
thousand persons. The gaUeries were propped in several
places, to prevent any accident ; and, I am happy to say,
there was not the sUghtest alarm. A quarter before five the
funeral procession entered. The coffin was placed in the
table-pew ; the mourners in the seats on the right hand of
the pulpit. Mr. J. H. first gave out a hymn. Mr. ToUer
then engaged in prayer, with great fervour and devo
tion. Another hymn was sung. . Dr. Ryland preached from

funeral. 107
Eom. vUi. 10; and Mr. Robert aU, preceded by another
hymn, deUvered the funeral address. The corpse was thea
carried out and interred. A few words only were spoken,
by Dr. Ryland, after the body was put into the grave."
Among those who deplored the loss of Mr. FuUer, there
was not a more sincere mourner than his friend the Rev.
T. ToUer, the Independent minister of the place. With great
disparity in their natural temperament, tastes, and general
habits of thinking, Mr. Toller abounding in the discursive
and imaginative, there were yet the elements of a sound and
lasting friendship, founded on the highest mutual esteem and
Christian love. On the Lord's day foUowing, he addressed
his own congregation, and subsequently that of Mr. FuUer,
at their special request, from the following words, " Alas, my
brother," 1 Kings xiu. 30 ; concluding his discourse with
the following tribute.
" With regard to the much-respected friend and Christian
minister lately removed, it might appear unbecoming and
indeUcate in me to enter far into his character and case ;
particularly as this ¦wiU be done to so much greater advan
tage on the approaching day : but thus much I could hardly
satisfy myself without advancing on this occasion.
"I trust I am sincerely disposed to join in the general and
just tribute which his friends and the public are disposed to
pay to bis abilities, his sound sense, and soUd understanding,
and to his unwearied diligence and unconquerable ardour in
supporting and pursuing the interests of the best of causes ;
and that not only in the common duties of his profession, but
more particularly in the propagation of Christianity in the
foreign climes of India. Perhaps no individual, next to the
unequalled Carey, no individual, at least at home, has done
so much to promote that cause ; and considering the few
advantages of early education which he enjoyed, the emi
nence to which he has risen, the infiuence he acquired, and
the means of usefulness which he has collected and secured,
are so much the more extraordinary, and reflect the greater
credit on his memory. The variety and compass of his
writings, though all bearing on one grand point, yet serve to
show what sheer abilities, sound principle, ardent zeal, and
persevering application can do. I have read his works,
some of them more than once, with much satisfaction, and, I

los MEMOIR.
trust, some improvement : that that improvement has not
amounted to more, ought to be attributed to myself I have
not a doubt but that they have been of a real and extensive
use in the Christian church, in support of the radical princi
ples of evangeUcal religion, and will continue to be so after
his dust shall iningle with the 'clods of the vaUey.' It is a
satisfaction to me to reflect that, in the great leading views
of vital Christianity, he expresses very nearly my own senti
ments ; though it is not to be expected that persons who think
for themselves on sacred subjects should, in every point, ' see
eye to eye.' You wiU not, therefore, expect that I should
profess myself able to subscribe to every article in his theo
logical creed ; stiU, however, it is a pleasure to me to reflect
now, that, differing only on points of subordinate importance,
wherever that was the case we always agreed to differ.
" Though Uving in the same town, engaged in the same
profession, and that, under the banners of different denomi
nations, for about thirty years, I do not recoUect that ever
an angry word passed between us, or a single jar occurred,
by our means, among our respective connections. At the
same time, I would not mention this in the spirit of a vain
compliment, either to him or to myself; but desire to be
deeply sensible of a thousand deficiencies and errors in other
respects ; nor would I be understood, in a servile spirit of
fulsome flattery, as representing him as a faultless character,
or holding him up, in aU respects, as a model of the Christian
temper and disposition ; for, alas ! of whom can you say,
'Be ye followers of him,' unless you insert the restrictive
clause, 'so far as he was a foUower of Christ ?'
" WhUe, then, I think him an eminent loss to his family,
a general loss to society and the church of Christ, and, per
haps, an irreparable loss to his own denomination, I trust I
can, with truly Christian cordiaUty, foUow him up to the
footstool of his Master's throne, and congratulate him on
that ' WeU done, good and faithful servant,' which, I have
no doubt, he has received.
" I conclude with remarking that, in no one point, either
from his writings, which I have read, or the sermons I have
heard from him, or the interviews and conversations I have
had with him, in nothing can I so fully join issue with him
as in the manner of his dying. Had he gone off fuU of rap-

TESTIMONY OF MR. TOLLER. lOg
ture and transport, I might have said, ' 0 let me die the
triumphant death of the righteous ! ' But it would have been
far more than I could have realized or expected in my own
case ; but the state of his mind towards the last appears to
have been, if I may so express it, ' after my own heart.' He
died as a penitent sinner at the foot of the cross. At my
last parting with him, I shook hands with him t^wice, and
observed, with some emotion, not expecting to see him more
'We have Uved harmoniously, many years in the same
place ; I trust we shaU, one day, meet above.' I think the
last reUgious sentence he dropped to me was, ' Looking for
the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal Ufe.' He
said to a young minister, ' I have no reUgious joys ; but I
have a hope, in the strength of which I think I could plunge
into eternity.'
"Being reminded of his missionary labours, he replied,
' Ah ! the object was unquestionably good ;' but advert
ed to the mixture of motives to the influence of which we
are liable in supporting the best of causes. To another
friend, who was congratulating him in a similar style, he
replied, " I have been a great sinner ; and if I am saved at
all, it must be by great and sovereign grace.' Here the
-dying minister, the dying friend, speaks all my heart. Here,
I come nearer to him at his death than I have ever done
through the whole course of his life. The testimony of a
Christian conscience is, at all times, invaluable ; but in the
dying moments of a fallen creature, it can afford no more
than auxiUary support ; the grand prominent hold of the
trembling soul must be 'the golden chain that comes down
from heaven.' It is the immediate, personal, realizing appU
cation ; it is the broad palpable hope of salvation for penitent
sinners, through the riches of divine grace in Christ Jesus
our Lord, that throws every thing else into shades. It is
not the voice of congratulation on the best spent Ufe, how
ever just, that is most acceptable, in those awful moments,
to pious minds : that is often heard with trembUng diffidence
and conscious apprehension of contaminating motives and
counteracting defects. The sweetest music, in the ears of
expiring piety, must be struck from another string : ' This is
the record, that God hath given us eternal Ufe, and this life

I-IO MEMOIR.
is in his Son— The wages of sin is death ; but the gift of
G«d is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'
" In aU probabiUty, my bones will be deposited not far
from his. God grant that I may die in the same temper and
the same hope ; and that our spirits may be united in I3ie day
of the Lord 1 Amen,"
Many and sincere were the tributes of honour and affection
paid to him both by distinguished individuals and pubUc
bodies ; of the former one from the pen of the Rev. Robert
Hall, M.A. is subjoined: —
"I cannot refrain from expressing, in a few words, the
sentiments of affectionate veneration with which I always
r^arded that excellent person while living, and cherish his
memory now that he is no more ; a man, whose sagacity
enabled him to penetrate to the depths of every subject he
explored ; whose conceptions were so powerful and luminous,
that what was recondite and original appeared familiar, what
was intricate, easy and perspicuous, in his hands; equally
successful in enforcing the practical, in stating the theore
tical, and (Uscussing the polemical branches of theology.
Without the advantages of early education, he rose to high
distinction among the reUgious writers of his day, and, in
the midst of a most active and laborious life, left monuments
of his piety and genius which will survive to distant pos
terity. Were I making his eulogium, I should necessarily
dwell on the spotless integrity of his private life, his fidelity
in friendship, his neglect of self-interest, his ardent attach
ment to truth, and especially the series of his unceasing
labours and exertions in superintending the mission to
India. He had nothing feeble or indecisive in his character;
but, to every undertaking in which he engaged he brought
aU the powers of his understanding, all ithe energies of his
heart ; and, if he were less distinguished by the comprehen
sion than the acumen and soUdity of his thoughts, less
eminent for the gentler graces than for stern integrity and
native grandeur of mind, we have only to remember the
necessary Umitation of human excellence. While he en
deared himself to his denomination by a long course of most
useful labour, by his exceUent works on the Socinian and
deistical controversies, as well as his devotion to the cause
of missions, he laid the world under lasting obligations."

TESTIMONY OF ROBERT HALL. IU
In the memoir of Mr. Toller by the same eloquent writer,
appears a masterly comparison of the peculiarities of both: —
" It has rarely been the privUege of one town, and that
not of considerable extent, to possess, at the same time, and
for so long a period, two such eminent men as Mx. Toller
and.Mr. FuUer. Their merits as Christian ministers were
so equal, and yet so different, that the exercise of their
religious functions in the same place was as little adapted to
produce jealousy as if they had moved in distant spheres.
The predominant feature in the intellectual character of Mr.
FuUer was the power of discrimination, by which he detected
the minutest shades of difference among objects which most
minds would confound. Mr. Toller excelled in exhibiting
the common sense of mankind in a new and impressive form.
Mr. FuUer never appeared to so much advantage as when
occupied in detecting sophistry, repelUng objections, and
ascertaining, ¦with a microscopic accuracy, the exact bounda
ries of truth and error. Mr. Toller attached his attention
chiefly to those parts of Christianity which came most into
contact with the imagination and the feelings, over which he
exerted a sovereign ascendency. Mr. FuUer convinced by
his arguments, Mr. Toller subdued by his pathos; the former
made his hearers feel the grasp of his intellect, the latter the
contagion of his sensibiUty. Mr. Fuller's discourses identified
themselves after they were heard with trains of thought ;
Mr. Toller's with trains of emotion. The iUustrations em
ployed by Mr. FuUer, for he also excelled in iUustration,
were generally made to subserve the clearer comprehension
of his subject; those of Mr. ToUer consisted chiefly of appeals
to the imagination and the heart. Mr. Fuller's ministry was
peculiarly adapted to detect hypocrites, to expose fallacious
I^'etensions to religion, and to separate the precious from the
vile. Mr. ToUer was most in his element when exhibiting
the consolations of Christ, dispelUng the fears of death, and
painting the prospects of eternity. Both were original; but
the originaUty of Mr. Fuller appeared chiefly in his doctrinal
statements ; that of Mr. ToUer in his practical remarks. The
former was unquestionably most conversant with speculative
truth ; the latter possessed, perhaps, the deeper insight into
the human heart.
"Nor were the characters of these eminent men, within

112

MEMOIR.

the Umits of that moral excellence which was the attribute
of both, less diversified than their mental endowments. Mr.
Fuller was chiefly distinguished by the qualities that com
mand veneration; Mr. 'Toller by those which excite love.
Laborious, zealous, intrepid, Mr. Fuller passed through a
thousand obstacles in the pursuit of objects of public interest
and utility; .Mr. Toller loved to repose, deUghting and de
lighted, in the shade of domestic privacy. The one Uved
for the world ; the other for the promotion of the good of
his congregation, his family, and friends. An intense zeal
for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ, sustained by
industry that never tired, a resolution not to be shaken, and
integrity incapable of being warped, conjoined to a certain
austerity of manner, were the leading characteristics of Mr.
Fuller; gentleness, humility, and modesty, those of Mr.
Toller. Mr. Fuller attached, in my opinion, too much im
portance to a speculative accuracy of sentiment, while Mr.
ToUer leaned to the contrary extreme. Mr. FuUer was too
prone to infer the character of men from their creed ; Mr.
Toller to lose sight of their creed in their character.
" Between persons so dissimilar, it was next to impossible
a very close and confidential intimacy should subsist : a sin
cere admiration of each other's talents, and esteem for the
virtues which equally adorned them both, secured, without
interruption, for more than thirty years, those habits of kind
and respectful intercourse which had the happiest effect in
promoting the harmony of their connexions, and the credit
of religion.
" Much as Mr. FuUer was lamented by the religious public
in general, and especially in his own denomination, I have
reason to believe there was not a single individual, out of
the circle of his immediate relatives, who was more deeply
affected by his death than Mr. Toller. From that moment
he felt himself nearer to eternity ; he accepted the event as
a most impressive warning of his own dissolution; and,
while a thousand solemn and affecting recollections accom
panied the retrospect of a connexion which had so long and
so happily subsisted, one of his favourite occupations was to
revive a mental intercourse, by the frequent perusal of the
sermons of his deceased friend. It is thus that the friend
ship of high and sanctified spirits loses nothing by death but

TESTIMONY OF MR. WILBERFORCE. 113
its alloy ; failings disappear, and the virtues' of those whose
' faces we shall behold no more ' appear greater and more
sacred when beheld through the shades of the sepulchre."
From Mr. Wilberforce the following brief reference was
received by a friend of Mr. Fuller: — "But all this time I
have been thinking of our departed friend; for ours, not
yours, I must term him ; at least, it will go ill with me and
¦with any one who does not belong to that blessed society to
which he belongs. There is a part of his works, ' The Gospel
its own Witness,' which is enough to warm the coldest heart."
The pen of his friend Dr. Stuart has exhibited his cha
racter in some points of view scarcely touched upon in the
preceding deUneations. "He was distinguished by talents
rarely united, by strong reasoning powers, and a very vivid
and inventive imagination, accompanied with the more un
usual attendants of extreme diUgence, application, activity,
and perseverance. His conceptions were clear and precise,
his language perspicuous and animated. Though no orator,
if graceful action and melody of voice are requisite in one
so deemed, he yet possessed a force, a vehemence, and a ten
derness also of address, which qualified him to rouse and
awaken as weU as persuade, indeed, to soothe and plead in
pathetic tones, the effect of which has been witnessed in
audiences of aU descriptions. Perhaps more beautiful in
stances wiU not any where be found of picturesque writing
than several parts present of his ' Expository Discourses on
Genesis,' the reference here is chiefly to his remarks on the
history of Joseph. Let the reader judge if he does not
display here singular felicity of taste and very skilful dis
position, arrangement and selection of circumstances worked
up, but not artfuUy, so as to excite the most affecting feeUngs
in every susceptible mind. His usual conversation with his
friends was rich, profitable, and interesting in no common
degree; and had they foUowed the example of Lauterbach
and Aurifaber with respect to Martin Luther, or of Boswell
towards Johnson, preserved in writing memorandums of his
daily discourse, perhaps instruction as interesting might now
be laid before the public, and even entertainment as rich and
inviting, as the Colloquia Mensalia of the former, or the life
and conversation of the latter. His natural temper, although
it might have been thought deficient in %ohat is amiable by
VOL. I. I

114 MEMOIR.
some who have smarteSr perhaps under his castigatiom,, not
undeservedly, to his friends was not only agreeable but cap
tivating, and productive of the warmest attachment; and by
his friends I mean not those only whose sentiments were the
same as his in all respects."
To these testimonies of friend^ip may be appropriately
added that of his bereaved widow in a letter to Dr. Ryland:
" I think, dear sir, there was no one better acquainted
with the dear deceased, in his pubUc character, than your
self: we can, therefore, give you no information on that
head ; but far be it from me to wish it to be held up in the
style of panegyric. I am certain that would have ill accorded
with his sentiments and feelings ; and I know that this may
be safely left to your discretion. But I cannot forbear adding
my testimony to my late dear husband's conduct in his do
mestic character ; which, so far as his mind was at liberty
to indulge in such enjoyments, I must testify to have been,
ever since I had the happiness of being united to him, of the
most amiable and endearing kind. But to so great a degree
was he absorbed in his work, as scarcely to allow himself
any leisure or relaxation from the severest application; espe
cially since, of late years, his work so accumulated on hi.s
hands. I was sometimes used to remark, how much we
were occupied, for, indeed, I had no small share of care
devolved upon me in consequence; his reply usually was,
'Ah, my dear, the way for us to have any joy is to rejoice
in all our labour, and then we shall have plenty of joy.' If
I complained that he aUowed himself no time for recreation,
lie would answer, ' O no ; all my recreation is a change of
work.' If I expressed an apprehension that he would soon
wear himself out, he would reply, ' I cannot be worn out in
a better cause. We must work while it is day ; ' or, ' What
soever thy hand flndeth to do, do it with thy might.'
" There was a degree of bluntness in his manner, whicli
yet did not arise from an unsociable or churUsh disposition,
but from an impatience of interruption in the grand object
of his pursuit. In this sense, he seemed not to know his
relations or friends. Often, when a friend or an acquaint
ance on a journey has called, when they had exchanged a
few word.s, he would ask, 'Have you any thing more to say? '
or something to that effect, ' if not, I must beg to be excused ;'^

ANECDOTES. 115
at the same time, asking them to stay and take some refresh
ment, if they chose. Yet, you know, dear sir, he had a
heart formed for the warmest and sincerest friendship witli
those whose minds were congenial with his oyn, and who
were engaged in similar pursuits ; and I never knew him to
•be weary of their company. I am fuUy persuaded that my
dear husband fell a sacrifice to his unremitting application
to the concerns of the mission; but I dare not murmur.
The Lord has done as it pleased him; and I know that
whatever he does is right."
An anecdote or two may serve to illustrate some peculiar
features of his character. Speaking of Dr. Franklin as an
example of a philosopher : —
" WeU," said Mr. Fuller, " what do you caU a phibsppher,
or in what respect was he one ? " " Oh, he seems to have
made rules for himself in childhood, which regulated him
even in old age." Mr. Fuller replied, " If this be any mark
of a philosopher, you wiU make me one. My father was a
farmer, and in my younger days it was one great boast
among the ploughmen, that they could plough a straight line
across the furrows or ridges of a fleld. I thought I could
do this as well as any of them. One day, I saw such a line,
which had just been drawn, and I thought, 'Now I have it.'
Accordingly, I laid hold of the plough, and, putting one of
the horses into the furrow which had been made, I resolved
to keep him walking in it, and thus secure a parallel line.
By and by, however, I observed that there were what might
be called wriggles in this furrow ; and, when I came to them,
they turned out to be larger in mine than in the original. On
perceiving this, I threw the plough aside, and determined'
never to be an imitator."
The late Mr. Hinton, of Oxford, relates of him that pass-
iiig down some of the college walks in that university, his
attention was directed to the grandeur of the buildings.
" Brother," said he, " I think there is one question which
after all that has been written on it, has not yet been
answered: 'What isjustification?' Mr. Hinton proposed re
turning to discuss the subject; to which Mr. FuUer agreed,
adding, " that inquiry is far more to me than all those fine
buildings." Yet he was far from being insensible to these
memorials of genius, stiU less to the charms of natural
I 2

116 MEMOIR.
scenery, as his -graphic allusions to York, Lincoln, Stirling,
and many other places referred to in his letters to Mrs. FuUer
evince. Though.Mi'. Fuller's celebrity was chiefly derived fromhis
writings, his preaching was characterized by great power,
which resulted not less from a tender pathos both, of tone
and sentiment, than from the unaffected gravity and au
thority which distinguished it. As an expositor of the
scriptures he was singularly happy, both in the light which
he shed on difficult passages, and the rich evangeUcal unction
which attended his application of them. During his ministry
he went over the greater part of the Old and New Testa
ments. His expositions of Genesis and the Revelation are
all that remain, with the exception of some fragments which
appeared in various periodicals, which, with numberless other
communications, are comprised in his published works. The
comment on the Apocalypse does not appear to have thrown
much additional Ught on that prophecy. A volume of
sermons published in 1814, some of which had appeared
singly in preceding years, afford a favourable specimen of
t!ie originality, simplicity, and power of his pulpit labours.

GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS;

THE HOLY NATURE AND DIVINE HARMONY OF THE
CHRISTIAN RELIGION
COMEASTBD -(VITH TUB
IMM0R.4.LITY AND ABSURDITY OF DEISM.

Laying his hand on the bible, he would say, " There is true philosophy. This is the
¦wisdom that speaks to the heart. A bad life is the only grand objection to this book,"
Earii of RoCHRSTEn.

PREFACE.

The struggle between religion and irreligion has existed
in the world in all ages ; and if there be two opposite in
terests which divide its inhabitants, the kingdom of Satan
and the kingdom of God, it is reasonable to expect that the
contest will continue till one of them be exterminated. The
peaceful nature of Christianity does not require that we
should make peace with its adversaries, or cease to repel
their attacks, or even that we should act merely on the
defensive. On the contrary, we are required to make use
of those weapons of the divine warfare with which we are
furnished, for the pulling down of strong holds, casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ.
The opposition of the present age has not been confined
to the less important points of Christianity, nor even to its
first principles : Christianity itself is treated as imposture.
The same things, it is true, have been advanced and as fre-
queitly repelled, in former ages ; but the adversaries of the
gospel of late, encouraged it should seem by the temper of
the times, have renewed the attack with redoubled vigour.
One of their ^ost popular writers, hoping to avail himself
of this circumstance, is pleased to entitle his performance
"The Age of Reason." This writer is aware that flattery is
one of the most powerful means of gaining admission to the
human mind; such a compliment, therefore, to the present
age, was doubtless considered as a master-stroke of policy.
Nor is Mr. Paine less obUging to himself than to his readers,
but takes it for granted that the cause for which he pleads
is that of reason and truth. The considerate reader, how
ever, may remark, that those writers who are not ashamed

?fgO PREFACE.
'to beg.;the q\ie's>ion in the title-page are seldom the most
liber^ or ii^ar.tial in the execution of the work.
"On^^t^ng.yhich has contributed to the advantage of in-
^dfUtj&'Ts the' height to which poUtical disputes have arisen,
•anS.theiiegree in which they have interested the passions
¦M* prejudices of mankind. Those who favour the senti
ments of a set of men in one thing wiU be in danger of
thinking favourably of them in others; at least they will
not be apt to view them in so iU a Ught as if they had been
advanced by persons of different sentiments in other things,
as well as in reUgion. It is true there may be nothing more
friendly to infldeUty in the nature of one political system
than another; nothing that can justify professing Christians
in accusing one another, merely on account of a difference
of this kind, of favouring the interests of atheism and
irreligion : nevertheless it becomes those who think favour
ably of the political principles of infidels to take heed, lest
they be insensibly drawn away to think Ughtly of religion.
AU the nations of the earth, and all the disputes on the best
or worst modes of government, compared with this, are less
than nothing and vanity.
To this it may be added that the eagerness with which
men engage in political disputes, take which side they may,
is unfavourable to a zealous adherence to the gospel. Any
mere worldly object, if it become the principal thing which
occupies our thoughts and affections, Vv^ill weaken our attach
ment to reUgion ; and, if once we become cool and indifferent
to this, we are in the high road to infidelity. There^are
cases, no doubt, relating to civil government, in which it is
our duty to act, and that •with firmness ; but to make such
things the chief object of our attention, or the principal
topic of our conversation, is both sinful and injHirious. Many
a promising character in the religious world has, by these
things, been utterly ruined.
The writer of the following pages is not induced to offer
them to the public eye from an apprehension that the church
of Christ is in danger. Neither the downfall of Popery, nor
the triumph of infidels, as though they had hereby over
turned Christianity, have ever been to him the cause of a
moment's uneasiness. If Christianity be of God, as he
verily beUeves it to be, they cannot overthrow it. He must

PREFACE.
be possessed of but little faith who can tr
storm, for the safety of the vessel which
and Master. There would be one argum^
divinity of the scriptures, if the same powe?
existence to the anti-Christian dominion had not^^ei^
ployed in taking it away.* But, though truth has nOfMajpS
to fear, it does not follow that its friends should be inactive ;
if we have no apprehensions for the safety of Christianity,
we may, nevertheless, feel for the rising generation. The
Lord confers an honour upon his servants in condescending
to make use of their humble efforts in preserving and pro
moting his interest in the world. If the present attempt
may be thus accepted and honoured by Him to whose name it
is sincerely dedicated, the writer will receive a rich reward.
Kettering, Oct. 10, 1799.
* The powers of Europe (agnified by the ten horns, or kings) into
which the Roman empire should be divided, were to give their kingdoms
to the beast. ¦ They did so ; and France particularly took the lead. The
siime powers, it is predicted, shall hate the whore, and bum her flesh with
fire. They have begun to do so; and in this business also France has
taken the lead. Rev. xvii. 12, 13, 16—18.

P.S. The reader will observe the date when this observation was penned.
Present appearances may indeed contravene the conclusion to which
Mr. Fuller had arrived ; but it will be wise to wait awhile before an
opposite theory is maintained. There is enough in the natural character of
the French to justify the anticipation suggested by Mr. Fuller, whatever
may be the present aspect of their social institutions. Of all European
nations, France lives most on the present, and less on the future. No
one can teU what its morrow will be !

However unusual the practice, may the pkiniee, be allowed to indulge
an innocent, aud to him a grateful reminiscence, that in printing an edition
of the Works of the Rev. Andrew Fuller, he is reprinting at an advanced
period of life the very work upon which he commenced his labours in the
art in the last year of the last century, having been called to this employ
ment with the special design of printing Mr. Fuller's publications, and
those of the Society of which he was the laborious secretary. — J. H.

INTRODUCTION.

The conti^oversies between beUevers and unbelievers are
confined to a narrower ground than those of professed be
lievers with one another. Scripture testimony, any farther
than as it bears the character of truth, and approves itself to
the conscience, or is produced for the purpose of explaining
the nature of genuine Christianity, is here out of the
question. Reason is the common ground on which they
must meet to decide their contests. On this ground Chris
tian writers have successfully closed ¦with their antagonists :
80 much so that, of late ages, notwithstanding all their boast
of reason, not one in ten of them can be kept to the fair and
honourable use of this weapon. On the contrary, they are
driven to substitute dark insinuation, low wit, profane
ridicule, and gross abuse. Such were the weapons of
Shaftesbury, Tindal, Morgan, Bolingbroke, VoltairCj Hume,
and Gibbon : and such are the weapons of the author of
" The Age of Eeason." Among various well-written per
formances, in answer to their several productions, the reader
may see a concise and able refutation of the greater part of
them in "Leland's Review of the Deistical Writers."
It is not my design to go over the various topics usually
discussed in this controversy, but to select a single one,
which, I conceive, has not been so fully attended to but that
it may yet be considered with advantage. The internal
evidence which Christianity possesses, particularly in respect
of its holy nature and divine harmony, will be the subject of
the present inquiry.
Mr. Paine, after the example of ma^y others, endeavours
to discredit the Scriptures by representing the number of
hands through which they have passed, and the uncertainty
of the historical evidence by which they are supported. " It
is a matter altogether of uncertainty to us," he says,
" whether such of the writings as now appear under the

INTRODUCTIOSr. ] 23
names of the OH and New Testament are in the same state
in which those collectors say they found them ; or whether
they added, altered, abridged, or dressed them up."* It is a
good work which miany writers have undertaken, to prove
the validity of the Christian history, and to show tliat we
have as good e^vidence for the truth of the great facts which
it relates as we have for the . truth of any ancient events
whatever.! But if, in addition to this, it can be proved
that the Scriptures contain internal characteristics of di
vinity, or that they carry in them the evidence of their
authenticity, this wiU at once answer all objections from the
supposed uncertainty of historical evidence.
Historians inform us of a certain valuable medicine called
Mithridate, an antidote to poison. It is said that this
medicine was invented by Mithridates, king of Pontus ; that
the receipt of it was found in a cabinet, written with his own
hand, and was carried to Eome by Pompey ; that it was
translated into verse by Damocrates, a famous physician ;
and that it was afterwards translated by Galen, from whom
we have it.J Now, supposing this medicine to be eflicacious
for its professed purpose, of what account would it be to
object to the authenticity of its history ? If a modern
caviller should take it into his head to allege that the pre
paration has passed through so many hands, and that there
is so much hearsay and uncertainty attending it, that no
dependence can be placed upon it, and that it had better be
rejected from our Materia Medica, — he would be asked, Mas
it not been tried, and found to be effectual ; and that in a
great variety of instances? Such are Mr. Paine's objections
to the Bible ; and such is the answer that may be given.
him. This language is not confined to infidel writers. Mr.
Locke speaks of what he calls " traditional revelation," or
revelation as we have it, in such a manner as to convey the
idea that we have no evidence of the scriptures being the
word of God, but from a succession of witnesses having told
us so.§ But I conceive these sacred writings may contain
* Age of Reason, part i., pp. 10, II.
•f Lardner, .Strrpson, and others.
J Chambers' Dictionary, Art. Mithridate.
§ Human Understanding, book iv., chap, xviii.

124 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
such internal evidence of their being what they profess to be
as that it might, with equal reason, be doubted whether the
world was created by the power of God, as whether they
were written by the inspiration of his Spirit : and, if so, our
dependence is not upon mere tradition.
It is true, the Scriptures having been conveyed to us
through the medium of man, the work must necessarily, in
some respects, have been humanized; yet there may be suffi
cient marks of divinity upon it to render it evident, to every
candid mind, that it is of God.
We may call the Mosaic account of the creation a tradition,
and may be said to know through this medium that the
heavens and the earth are the productions of divine power.
But it is not through this medium only that we know it : the
heavens and the earth carry in them evident marks of their
divine original. These works of the Almighty speak for
themselves ; and in language which none but those who are
wilfully deaf can misunderstand: "Their line is gone
out through aU the earth,, and their words to the end of
the world." Were any man to pretend that its being a
matter of revelation, and to us merely traditional revelation,
that God made the heavens and the earth, and therefore that
a degree of uncertainty must necessarily attend it, he would
be reminded that the thing itself carried in it its own
evidence. Let it be candidly considered whether the same
may not be said of the holy scriptures.' They will admit of
historical defence ; but they do not require it. Their
contents, come through whose hands they may, prove them
to be of God. It was on this principle that the gospel was
proclaimed in the form of a testimony. The primitive
preachers were not required by Him who sent them to prove
their doctrine in the manner in which philosophers were
wont to estabUsh a proposition ; but to " declare the counsel
of God," and leave it. In delivering their message, they
" commended themselves to every man's conscience in the
sight of God."
It is no objection to this statement of things that the
scriptures are not embraced by every man, whatever be the
disposition of his mind. This is a property that no divine
production whatever possesses ; and to require it is equally
unreasonable as to insist that for a book to be perfectly

INTRODUCTION. 125
legible it must be capable of being read by those who. shut
their eyes upon it. Mr. Paine holds up the advantages of
the book of nature in order to disparage that of scripture,
and says, "No Deist'can doubt whether the works of nature
be God's works." An admirable proof this that we have
arrived at the age of reason ! Can no Atheist doubt it ? I
might as well say. No Christian doubts the truth of the
scriptures : the one proves just as much as the other. A
prejudiced mind discerns nothing of divine beauty either in
nature or scripture ; yet each may include the most in
dubitable evidence of being wrought by the finger of God.
If Christianity can be proved to be a religion that inspires
the love of God and man ; yea, and the only religion in the
world that does so ; if it endues the mind of him that
embraces it with a principle of justice, meekness, chastity,
and goodness, and even gives a tone to the morals of society
at large ; it wiU then appear to carry its evidence along with
it. The effects which it produces will be its letters of
recommendation, written, " not with ink, but with the Spirit
of the living God ; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly
tables of the heart." Moreover, if Christianity can be
proved to be in harmony with itself, correspondent with
observation and experience, and consistent with the clearest
dictates of sober reason, it will further appear to carry in it
its own evidence : come through whose hands it may, it will
evince itself to be what it professes to be — a religion from
God. I •will only add, in this place, that the Christianity here
defended, is not Christianity as it is corrupted by popish
superstition, or as interwoven with national estabUshments,
for the accomplishment of secular purposes ; but as it is
taught in the New Testament, and practised by sincere
Christians. There is no doubt but that, in many instances,
Christianity has been adopted by worldly men, even by infi
dels themselves, for the purpose of promoting their political
designs. Finding the bulk of the people inclined to the
Christian religion under some particular form, and attached
to certain leading persons among them who sustained the
character of teachers, they have considered it as a piece of
good policy to give this religion an establishment, and these
teachers a share in the government. It is thus that religion.

126 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
to its great dishonour, has been converted into an engine of
state. The poUtieian may be pleased with his success, and
the teacher with his honours, and even the people be so far
misled as to love to have it so ; but the mischief resulting
from it to religion is incalculable. Even where such esta
bUshments have arisen from piety, they have BOt failed to
corrupt the minds of Christians from the simpUcity which
is in Christ. It was by these means that the church, at an
early period, from being the bride of Christ, graduaUy dege
nerated to a harlot, and, in the end, became the mother of
harlots, and abominations of the earth. The good that is
done in such communities is not in consequence of their
peculiar ecclesiastical constitution, but in spite of it : it
arises from the virtue of individuals, which operates not
withstanding the disadvantages of their situation.
These are the things that afford a handle to unbelievers.
They seldom choose to attack Christianity as it is drawn in
the sacred writings, and exempUfied in the lives of real
Christians, who stand at a distance from worldly pai'ade,
political struggles, or state intrigues ; but as it is corrupted
and abused by worldly men. Mr. Paine racks his imagina
tion to make out a resemblance between the heathen mytho
logy and Christianity. While he is going over the ground
of Christianity as instituted by Christ and his apostles, the
resemblance is faint indeed. There are only two points in
which he even pretends to find an agreement ; and these are
formed by his misrepresenting the scriptures. " The heathen
deities were said to be celestially begotten; and Christ is
caUed the Son of God.* The heathens had a plurality of
deities, even twenty or thirty thousand ; and Christianity
has reduced them to three ;" It is easy to see that this is
ground not suited to Mr. Paine's purpose : he therefore
hastens to corrupted Christianity ; and here he finds plenty
of materials. '^ The statue of Mary," he says, " succeeded
the statue of Diana of Ephesus. The deification of heroes
changed into the canonisation of saints. The mythologists
bad gods for every thing. The Christian mythologists had
saints fi>r eyery thing. The church became as crowded with
* To give a colour to this statement, he is obliged to affirm a most
palpable falsehood, that only -Gentiles believed Jesus to be the Sou of
6od.

INTRODUCTION. 127
the one as the pantheon had been with the other ; and Gome
was the place of both."* Very true, Mr. Paine ; but you are
not so ignorant as to mistake this for Christianity. Had you
been born and educated in Italy, or Spain, you might have
been excused in calling this "The Christian theory ;" but to
write in this manner, with your advantages, is disingenuous.
Such conduct would have disgraced any cause but yours. It
is capable, however, of some improvement. It teaches us to
defend nothing but the truth as it is in Jesus. It also affords
presumptive evidence in its favour ; for, if Christianity itself
were false, there is little doubt but that you, or some of your
fellow labourers, would be able to prove it so; and this would
turn greatly to your account. Your neglecting this, and
directing your artillery chiefly against its corruptions and
abuses, betray a consciousness that the thing itself, if not
invulnerable, is yet not so easy of attack. If Christianity
had really been a relic of heathenism, as you suggest, there
is little reason to think that you would have so strenuously
opposed it. * Age of Bea8o% part i., p. 5.

GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS,

PART I.
THE HOLY NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION CON
TRASTED WITH THE IMMORALITY OP DEISM.
The greatest enemies of Christianity would still be thought
friendly to morality, and will plead for it as necessary to the
well-being of mankind. However immoral men may be in
their practice, and to whatever lengths they may proceed in
extenuating particular vices, yet they cannot plead for im-
moraUty in the gross. A sober, upright, humble, chaste, and
generous character, is allowed, on all hands, to be preferable
to one that is profligate, treacherous, proud, unchaste, or
cruel. Such, indeed, is the sense which men possess of right
and wrong, that, whenever they attempt to disparage the
former, or vindicate the latter, they are reduced to the neces
sity of covering each ¦with a false guise. They cannot traduce
good as good, or justify evil as evil. The love of God must
be called fanaticism, and benevolence to men methodism, or
some such opprobrious name, before they cap, depreciate
them. Theft, cruelty, and murder, on the other hand, must
assume the names of wisdom and good policy, ere a plea can
be set up in their defence. Thus were the arguments for the
abolition of the slave trade answered, and in this manner was
that iniquitous traffic defended in the British Parliament.
Doubtless there is a woe hanging over the heads of those
men who thus called evil good, and good evil. Nevertheless
we see, even in their conduct, the amiableness of righteous
ness, and the impossibility of fairly opposing it. '

MORAL CHARACTER OF THE DEITY. 129
CHAPTER L
CHRISTIANITY REVEALS A GOD GLORIOUS IN HOLINESS :
BUT DEISM, THOUGH IT ACKNOWLEDGES A GOD, YET
DENIES OR OVERLOOKS HIS MORAL CHARACTER.
There are certain perfections which all who acknowledge a
God agree in attributing to him : such are those of wisdom,
power, immutability, &c. These, by Christian divines, are
usually termed his natural perfections. There are others
which no less evidently belong to deity ; such as goodness,
justice, veracity, &c., all which may be expressed in one
word — holiness; and these are usually termed his moral per
fections. Both natural and moral attributes tend to display
the glory of the divine character, but especially the latter.
Wisdom and power, in the Supreme Being, render him a
proper object of admiration ; but justice, veracity, and good
ness, attract our love. No being is beloved for his greatness,
but for his goodness. Moral excellence is the highest glory
of any intelligent being, created or uncreated. Without this,
wisdom would be subtilty, power tyranny, and immutability
the same thing as being unchangeably wicked.
We account it the glory of revelation that, while it dis
plays the natural perfections of God in a way superior to
any. thing that has been called religion, it exhibits his moral
excellence in a manner peculiar to itself. It was with gpod
reason that Moses affirmed, in behalf of Israel, " Their rock
is not as our ropk, our enemies themselves being judges."
The God, or Rock of Israel, is constantly described as a
being " glorious in holiness," and as requiring pure and holy
worship : " The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious,
long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and in truth."
"The Lord our God is holy." "Holy and reverend is his
name." " Glory ye in his holy name." "And one cried to
another, and said. Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts ; the
whole earth is full of his glory." " He is of purer eyes than
to behold evil ; and cannot look on iniquity." "A God of
truth, and without iniquity ; just and right is he." Is any
thing like this to be found in the writings of the ancient
heathens? No. The generality of their deities were the
patrons of vice, and their worship was accompanied with the
VOL. I K

130 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
foulest abominations that could disgrace the nature of man.
Justice, benevolence, and veracity, were not considered as
necessary in any part of their religion ; and a large propor
tion of it consisted in drunkenness, lewdness, and the offer
ing up of human sacrifices.
The object of Christian adoration is Jehovah, the God of
Israel ; whose character for holiness, justice, and goodness,
is displayed in the doctrines and precepts. of the gospel, in a
more affecting Ught than by any of the preceding dispensa
tions. But who or what is the God of Deists ? It is true
they have been shamed out of the polytheism of the hea
thens. They have reduced their thirty thousand deities into
one : but what is his character ? What attributes do they
ascribe to him ? For any thing that appears in their writ
ings, he is as far from the holy, the just, and the good, as
those of their heathen predecessors. They enjoy a pleasure
it is aUowed, in contemplating the productions of wisdom
apd power ; but, as to holiness, it is foreign from their
inquiries : a holy God does not appear to be suited to their
wishes. Lord Bolingbroke acknowledges a God, but is for reducing
all his attributes to wisdom and power, blaming divines for
distinguishing between his physical and moral attributes ;
asserting that " we cannot ascribe goodness and justice to
God, according to our ideas of them, nor argue with any
certainty about them ; and that it is absurd to deduce moral
obligations from the moral attributes of God, or to pretend
to imitate him in those attributes."*
Voltaire admits " a supreme, eternal, incomprehensible
Intelligence ;" hut passes over his moral character. ¦!¦
Mr. Paine says, " I believe in one God; and no more ;"|
and in the course of his work ascribes to him the natural
perfections of wisdom and power, but is very sparing in
what he says of his moral excellence, of his being the moral
governor of the world, and' of man's being an accountable
creature. He affects, indeed, to be shocked at the impurity
of the ideas and expressions of the bible, and to feel for "the
honour of his Creator in having such a book called after his
* See Leland's Review, let. xxiii.
¦)¦ Ignorant Philosopher, Nos. xv., xvi., xvii.
J Age of Reason, part i., p. 1.

MORAL CHARACTER OF THE DEITY. 131
name."* This is the only passage, that I recollect, in which
he expresses any concern for the moral character of God,
and whether this would have appeared, but for the sake of
giving an edge to reproach. Jet the reader judge.
How are we to account for these writers thus denying or
overlooking the moral character of the Deity, but by sup
posing that a holy God is not suited to their incUnations ?
If we bear a sincere regard to moral excellence, we shall
regard every being in proportion as he appears to possess it ;
and if we consider the Di-vine Being as possessing it
supremely, and as the source of it to aU other beings, it vrill
be natural for us to love him supremely, and all other beings
in subserviency to him. And if we love him supremely on
account of his moral character, it will be no less natural to
take pleasure in contemplating him under that character.
On the other hand, if we be enemies to moral exceUence,
it wiU render every being who possesses it unlovely in our
eyes. Virtuous or holy characters may indeed command
our respect, and even admiration; but will not attract our
affection. Whatever regard we may bear to them, it •will
not be on account of their virtue, but of other qualities of
which they may be possessed. Virtuous characters may be
also wise and mighty ; and we may admire their ingenuity,
be delighted with their splendour, and take pleasure in
visiting them, that we may inspect their curiosities ; but, in
such cases, the more things of a moral nature are kept at a
distance, the more agreeable wiU be our visit. Much the
same may be said of the Supreme Being. If we be enemies
to moral excellence, God, as a holy being, wiU possess no
loveUness in our eyes. We may admire him with that kind
of admiration which is paid to a great genius, and may feel
a pleasure in tracing the grandeur and ingenuity of his ope
rations ; but, the farther his moral character is kept out
of sight, the more agreeable it will be to us.
Lord Shaftesbury, not contented -with overlooking, at
tempts to satirize the scripture representations of the divine
character. "One would think," he says, "it were easy to
understand that provocation and offence, anger, revenge,
jealousy in point of honour or power, love of fame, glory,
and the like, belong only to limited beings, and are necessa-
* Age of Reason, part i., p. 16.
k;2

132 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
rily excluded a Being which is perfect and universal."*
That many things are attributed to the Divine Being in a
figurative style, speaking merely after the manner of men,
and that they are so understood by Christians, Lord Shaftes-
hury must have weU known. We do not think it lawful,
however, so to explain away these expressions as to consider
the Great Supreme as incapable of being offended with sin
and sinners, as destitute Of pleasure or displeasure, or as
unconcerned about his own glory, the exercise of which
involves the general good of the universe. A being of this
description would be neither loved nor feared, but would
become the object of universal contempt.
It is no part of the imperfection of our nature that we are
susceptible of provocation and offence, of anger, of jealousy,
and of a just regard to our own honour. Lord Shaftesbury
himself would have ridiculed the man, and still more the
magistrate, that should have been incapable of these proper
ties on certain occasions. They are planted in our nature
by the Divine Being, and are adapted to answer valuable
purposes. If they be perverted and abused to sordid ends,
Tvhich is too frequently the case, this does not alter their
nature, nor lessen their utUity. What would Lord Shaftes
bury have thought of a magistrate who should have wit
nessed a train of assassinations and murders, without being
in the least offended at them, or angry with the perpetrators,
or inclined to take vengeance on them, for the public good ?
What would he think of a British House of Commons which
should exercise no jealousy over the encroachments of a
minister ; or of a king of Great Britain who should, suffer,
with perfect indifference, his just authority to be contemned?
" But we are limited beings, and are therefore in danger
of having our just rights invaded." True ; and though
¦ God be unlimited, and so in no danger of being deprived of
his essential glory, yet he may lose his just authority in the
esteem of creatures ; and, were this to take place universaUy,
the whole creation would be a scene of anarchy and misery.
But we understand Lord Shaftesbury. He wishes to com
pliment his Maker out of all his moral excellences. He
has no objection to a god, provided he be one after his own
heaii;, one who shaU pay no such regard to human affairs as
* Characteristics, vol. i. § 5.

THE WORSHIP OF GOD. 133
to call men to account for their ungodly deeds. If he
thought the Creator of the world to bear such a character,
it is no wonder that he should speak of him with what he
calls "good humour, or pleasantry."* In speaking of such
a being, he can, as Mr. Hume expresses it, " feel more at
ease " than if he conceived of God as he is characterized in
the holy scriptures. But let men beware how they play
with such subjects. Their conceptions do not alter the
nature of God ; and, however they suffer themselves to
trifle now, they may find in the end that there is not only a
God, but a God thatjvdgeth in the earth.

CHAPTER IL

CHRISTIANITY TEACHES US TO ACICNOWLEDGE GOD, AND TO
DEVOTE OURSRLVES TO HIS SERVICE : BUT DEISM, THOUGH
IT CONFESSES ONE SUPREME BEING, YET REFUSES TO
WORSHIP HIM.
If there is a God, he ought to be worshipped. This is a
principle which no man will be able to eradicate from his
bosom, or even to suppress, but at great labour and expense.
The scriptures, it is well known, both inculcate and inspire
the worship of God. Their language is, " 0 come, let us
sing unto the Lord ; let us make a joyful noise to the Eock
of our salvation. Lef us come before his presence with,
thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with
psalms." " 0 come, let us worship and bow down : let us
kneel before the Lord our Maker." " Give unto the Lord
glory and strength ; give unto the Lord the glory due unto
his name : bring an offering, and come into his courts. 0
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness ; fear before him
all the earth." " Give thanks unto the Lord ; call upon his
name ; make known his deeds among the people." . " Glory
ye in his holy name : let the heart of them rejoice that seek
the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength ; seek his face
evermore." The spirit also which the scriptures inspire is favourable
to divine worship. The grand lesson which they teach is
love ; and love to God delights to express itself in acts of
* Characteristics, vol. i. § 3.

134 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
obedience, adoration, supplication, and praise. The natural
language of a heart weU affected to God is, " I will caU
upon him as long as I Uve."—" Bless the Lord, O my soul ;
and aU that is vrithin me, bless his holy name."— "Be
careful for nothing ; but in every thing, by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known unto God-"
Is it thus with our adversaries ? They speak, indeed, of
"true and fabulous theology," and of " true and false reU
gion ;" and often talk of " adoring " the Supreme Being.
But, if there be no true religion among Christians, where
are we to look for it ? Surely not among Deists. Their
" adorations " seem to be a kind of exercises much re
sembling the benevolent acts of certain persons, who are so
extremely averse from ostentation that nobody knows of
their being charitable but themselves.
Mr. Paine professes to believe in the equality of man,
and that reUgious duty consists in " doing justice, loving
mercy " — and what ? I thought to be sure he was going to
add, " walking humbly with God." But I was mistaken.
Paine supplies the place of walking humbly with God, by
adding, " and endeavouring to make our fellow creatures
happy."* Some people would have thought that this was ,
included in doing justice and loving mercy : but Mr. Paine
had rather use words without meaning than write in favour
of godUness. " Walking humbly with God " is not compre
hended in the list of his "religious duties." The very
phrase offends him. It is that to him, in quoting scripture,
which a non-conductor is to the electrical fluid : it causes
him to fly off in an obUque direction ; and, rather than say
anything on so offensive a subject, to deal in unmeaning
tautology. Mr. Paine not only avoids the mention of " walking
humbly with God," but attempts to load the practice itself
with the foulest abuse.t He does not consider himself as
"an outcast, a beggar, or a worm ;" he does not approach
his Maker through a Mediator ; he considers "redemption
as a fable," and himself as standing in an honourable situa
tion with regard to his relation to the Deity. Some of this
may be true ; but not the whole. The latter part is only a
piece of religious gasconade. If Mr. Paine really thinks so
• Age of Reason, part i., p. 2. Jf ibid. p. 21.

THE WORSHIP OF GOD. 135
well of his situation as he pretends, the belief of an here
after would not render him the slave of terror.* But,
allowing the whole to be true, it proves nothing. A high
conceit of one's self is no proof of excellence. If he choose
to rest upon this foundation, he must abide the consequence :
but he had better have forborne to calumniate others.
What is it that has transported this child of reason into a
paroxysm of fury against devout people ? By what spirit
is he inspired, in pouring forth such a torrent of slander ?
Why is it that he must accuse their humiUty of " ingrati
tude," their grief of- " affectation," and their prayers of
being " dictatorial " to the Almighty ? " Cain hated his
brother ; and wherefore hated he him ? Because his own
works were evil, and his brother's righteous." Prayer and
devotion are things that Mr. Paine should have let alone, as
being out of his province. By attempting, however, to
deprecate them, he has borne witness to the devotion of
Christians, and fulfilled what is written in a book which he
affects to despise, "Speaking evil of the things which, he
understands not."
To admit a God, and yet refuse to worship him, is a
modern and inconsistent practice. It is a dictate of reason,
as weU as of revelation, " If the Lord be God, worship
him ; and if Baal, worship him." It never was made a
question, whether the God in whom we believe should re
ceive our adorations. All nations, in all ages, paid reUgious
homage to the respective deities, or supposed deities, in
which they beUeved. Modern unbeUevers are the only men
who have deviated from this practice. How this is to be
accounted for, is a subject worthy of inquiry. To me it
appears as follows : —
In former times, when men were weary of the worship of
the true God, they exchanged it for that of idols. I know
of no account of the origin of idolatry so rational as that
which is given by revelation. " Men did not Uke to retain
God in their knowledge ; therefore they were given up to a
mind void of judgment ; to change the glory of the incor
ruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man,
and to birds, and to four-footed beasts, and creeping things ;
and to defile themselves by abominable vrickedness." "f It
* Age of Reason, part ii., near the end. f Rom. i.

136 THE GOSPEL ITS O'WN WITNESS.
was thus with the people who came to inhabit the country
of Samaria after the Israelites were carried captives into
Assyria. At first, they seemed desirous to know and fear
the Cod of Israel ; but when they came to be informed of
his holy character, and what kind of worship he required,
they presently discovered their dislike. They pretended to
fear him, but it was mere pretence ; for every nation " made
gods of their own."* Now gods of their own making
would doubtless be characterized according to their own
mind : they would be patrons of such vices as their makers
wished to indulge ; gods whom they could approach without
fear, and in addressing whom they could " be more at ease,"
as Hume says, than in addressing the one living and true
God ; gods, in fine, the worship of whom might be accom
panied with banquetings, revellings, drunkenness, and lewd
ness. These, I conceive, rather than the mere falling down
to an idol, were the exercises that interested the passions of
the worshippers. These were the exercises that seduced
the ungodly part of the Israelitish nation to an imitation of
the heathens. They found it extremely disagreeable to be
constantly employed in the worship of a holy God. Such
worship would awe their spirits, damp their pleasures, and
restrain their inclinations. It is not surprising, therefore,
that they should be continually departing from the worship
of Jehovah, and leaning towards that which was more con
genial with their propensities. But the situation of modern
unbelievers is singular. Things are so circumstanced vpith
them, that they cannot worship the gods which they prefer.
They never fail to discover a strong partiality in favour of
heathens ; but they have not the face to practise or defend
their absurd idolatries. The doctrine of one living and true
God has appeared in the world, by means of the preaching
of the gospel, with such a blaze, of evidence, that it has
forced itself into the minds of men, whatever has been the
temper of their hearts. The stupid idolatry of past ages is
exploded. Christianity has driven it out of Europe. The
consequence is, great numbers are obliged to acknowledge
a God whom they cannot find in their hearts to worship.
If the light that is gone abroad in the earth would permit
the rearing of temples to Venus, or Bacchus, or any of the
* 2 Kings xvii. 29.

THE WORSHIP OF GOD. 137
rabble of heathen deities, there is Uttle doubt but that
modern unbelievers would, in great numbers, become their
devotees : but, seeing they cannot have a god whose worship
shall accord with their inclinations, they seem determined
not to worship at all. And t6 come off with as good a
grace as the affair will admit, they compliment the Deity
out of his sovereign prerogatives ; professing to " love hira
for his giving them existence, and all their properties, with
out interest, and without subjecting them to any thing but
their own nature.*"
The introduction of so large a portion of heathen mytho
logy into the songs and other entertainments of the stage,
sufiiciently shows the bias of people's hearts. The house of
God gives them no pleasure ; but the resurrection of the
obscenities, intrigues, and Bacchanalian revels of the old
heathens, affords them exquisite delight. In a country
where Christian worship abounds, this is plainly saying,
' What a weariness is it ! O that it were no more ! Since,
however, we cannot introduce the worship of the gods, we
will neglect all worship, and celebrate the praises of our
favourite deities in another form.' In a country where
Deism has gained the ascendency, this principle is carried
still farther. Its language there is, ' Seeing we cannot,
for shame, worship any other than the one living and true
God, let us abolish the day of worship, and substitute in its
place one day in ten, which shall be devoted chiefiy to
theatrical entertainments, in which we can introduce as
itiuch heathenism as we please.'
Mr. Hume acknowledges the justice of considering the
Deity as infinitely superior to mankind ; but he represents
it, at the same time, as very generally attended with un
pleasant effects, and magnifies the advantages of having gods
which are only a little superior to ourselves. He says,
" While the Deity is represented as infinitely superior to
mankind, this belief, though altogether just, is apt, when
joined with superstitious terrors, to sink the human mind
into the lowest submission and abasement, and to represent
the monkish virtues of mortification, penance, humiUty, and
passive suffering, as the only qualities which are acceptable
to him. But where the gods are conceived to be only a
• Ignorant Philosopher, No. xxiv. ,

138 THE GOSPEL ITS O^WN ¦WITNESS.
little superior to mankind, and to have been many of them
advanced from that inferior rank, we are more at our ease
in our addresses to them, and may even, without profaneness,
aspire sometimes to a rivalship and emulation of them.
Hence activity, spirit, courage, magnanimity, love of liberty,
and aU the virtues which aggrandize a people."* It is easy
to perceive, from this passage, that though Mr. Hume ac
knowledges the justice of conceiving of a God infinitely
superior to us, yet his inclination is the other way. At
least, in a nation the bulk of which wiU be supposed to be
inclined to superstition, it is better, according to his reason
ing, and more friendly to virtue, to promote the worship of
a number of imaginary deities, than of the One only Uving
and true God. Thus "the fool saith in his heart. No
Gfld!" The sum of the whole is this : Modern unbelievers are
Deists in theory, Pagans in incUnation, and Atheists in
practice. If Deists loved the One living and true God, they would
delight in worshipping him ; for love cannot be inoperative,
and the only possible way for it to operate towards an
infinitely glorious and all-perfect Being, is by worshipping
his name and obeying his will. If Mr. Paine really felt for
"the honour of his Creator," as he affects to do,-f he would
mourn in secret for all the great wickedness which he has
committed against him ; he would lie in the dust before him,
not merely as "an outcast, a beggar, and a worm," but as a
sinner, deserving his eternal displeasure. He would be glad
of a Mediator, through whom he might approach his offended
Creator ; and would consider redemption by his blood, not
as "a fable," but a divine reality, including all his salvation,
and aU his desire. Yea, he himself would " turn devout ;"
and it would be said of him, as of Saul of Tarsus, " Behold
he prayeth !" Nor would his prayers, though importunate,
be " dictatorial," or his grief " affected." On the contrary,
he would look on Him whom he had pierced, and mourn, as
one that mourneth for an only son ; and be in bitterness, as
one that is in bitterness for his first-born. But these are
things pertaining to godliness ; things, alas for him ! the
* Dissertation on the Natural History of ReUgion, § 10.
+ Age of Reason, part i., p. 16.

THE STANDARD OP MORALITY. 139
mention of which is sufficient to inflame his mind with ma
lignity, and provoke him to the most outrageous and abusive
language.

CHAPTER in.
THE CHRISTIAN STANDARD OF MORALITY IS ENLARGED, AND
FREE FROM IMPURITY : BUT DEISM CONFINES OUR OBLIGA
TIONS TO THOSE DUTIES WHICH RESPECT OUR OWN
SPECIES, AND GREATLY PALLIATES VICE WITH REGARD
TO A BREACH EVEN OP THEM.
Persons who profess the strictest regard to the rule of
duty, and carry the extent of it to the highest pitch, may, it
is allowed, be insincere, and contradict by their practice what
they advance in their professions. But those whose ideas
of virtue are low and contracted, and who embrace every
opportunity to reconcile the vices of the world vrith its sa
cred precepts, cannot possibly be accounted any other than
its enemies.
That which the scriptures caU holiness, spirituality, &c.,
as much surpasses everything that goes under the names of
moraUty and virtue among unbelievers as a Uving man sur
passes a painting, or even a rude and imperfect daubing. If,
in this controversy, I have used these terms to express the
scriptural ideas, it is not because, in their ordinary accepta
tion, they are equal to the purpose, but for the sake of
meeting unbelievers upon their own ground. I have a right,
however, to understand by them those dispositions of the
mind, whatever they be, which are right, fit, or amiable ;
and, so explained, I undertake to prove that the moraUty
and virtue inculcated by the gospel is enlarged and free from
impurity, while that which is taught by its adversaries is
the reverse.
It is a distinguishing property of the Bible that aU its
prec,epts aim directly at the heart. It never goes about to
form the mere exterior of man. To merely external duties
it is a stranger. It forms the lives of men no otherwise
than by forming their dispositions. It never addresses itself
to their vanity, selfishness, or any other corrupt propensity.

140 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
You are not pressed to consider what men will think of you,
or how it will affect your temporal interest ; but what is
right, and what is necessary to your eternal well-being. If
you comply with its precepts, you must be, and not merely
seem to be. It is the heart that is required; and all the
different prescribed forms of worship and obedience are but
so many modifications or varied expressions of it.
Is anything like this to be found in the writings of Deists ?
No. Their deity does not seem to take cognizance of the
heart. According to them, " There is no merit or crime in
intention."* Their morality only goes to form the exterior
of man. It allows the utmost scope for wicked desires, pro
vided they be not carried into execution to the injury of
society. The morality which the Scriptures inculcate is summed
up in these few words : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, with
all thy strength ; and thy neighbour as thyself." This single
principle is competent to the government of all intelligent
nature. It is a band that would hold together the whole
rational creation, and diffuse peace, order, and happiness,
wherever it existed.
If mankind loved God supremely, there would be no
idolatry upon earth, nor any of its attendant abominations ;
no profaning the name of God, nor making a gain of godli
ness ; no opposing, corrupting, perverting, nor abusing the
truth ; no perjuries, nor hypocrisies ; no despising of those
that are good ; no arrogance, ingratitude, pride, nor self-
complacency, under the smiles of providence : and no mur
muring, heart-rising, sullenness, nor suicide, under its
frowns. Love would render it their meat and drink to
fear, honour, and obey him, and induce them to take every
thing well at his hands. And if they loved their fellow
creatures as themselves, for his sake, there would be no
wars, rivalships, antipathies, nor breach of treaties between
nations ; no envyings, strifes, wrongs, slanders, duels, Uti-
garions, nor intrigues between neighbours ; no flattering
complaisance, nor persecuting bitterness in religion ; no
deceit, fraud, nor over-reaching in trade ; no tyranny, ve
nality, haughtiness, nor oppression among the great ; no
' • Volney 's Law of Nature, p. 18.

THE STANDARD OF MORALITY. 141
envy, discontent, disaffection, cabals, nor evil-devisings
among common people ; no murders, robberies, thefts, bur
glaries, nor brothels, in city or country ; no cruelty in pa
rents or masters ; no ingratitude nor disobedience in children
or servants ; no unkindness, treachery, nor implacable re
sentments between friends ; no illicit connexions between
the sexes ; no infideUties, jealousies, nor bitter contentions
in families ; in short, none of those streams of death, one
or more of which flow through every vein of society, and
poison its enjoyments.
Such is the principle and rule of Christian morality ;
and what has Deism to substitute in its place ? Can it find
a succedaneum for love ? No, but it proposes the love of
ourselves instead of the love of God. Lord Bolingbroke
resolves all morality into self-love, as its first principle.
" We love ourselves," he says, " we love our families, we
love the particular societies to which we belong ; and our
benevolence extends at last to the whole race of mankind.
Like so many different vortices, the centre of all is self-
love."'* Such also are the principles of Volney.
Could this disposition be admitted as a proper source of
moral action, the world would certainly not be wanting in
morality. All men possess at least the principle of it,
whether they carry it to the extent which Lord BoUngbroke
proposes or not ; for though some may err in the choice of
their end, and others in the means of obtaining it, yet no
man was ever so wanting in regard to himself, as intentionally
to pursue his own injury. But if it should prove that to
render self-love the source of moral action is the same
thing as for every individual to treat himself as the Supreme
Being, and therefore that this principle, instead of being a
source of virtue, is of the very essence of vice, and the
source of all the mischief in the universe, consequences may
follow of a very different complexion.
To subordinate self-love, I have no objection. It occupies
a place in the Christian standard of moraUty, being the
measure of that love which we owe to our fellow creatures.
And, as the universal love which we owe to them does not
hinder but that some of them, by reason of their situation or
pecuUar relation to us, may require, a larger portion of our
* Posthumous Works, vol. v., p. 82.

142 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
regard than others, it is the same with respect to ourselves.
Our own concerns are our own immediate charge ; and
those which are of the greatest importance, such as the
concerns of our souls, undoubtedly require a proportionate
degree of attention. But aU this does not affect the present
subject of inquiry. It is our supreme, and not our subordinate
regard, that wiU ever be the source of action.
I take it for granted that it is the intention of every good
government, human or divine, to unite its subjects, and not
to set them at variance. But there can be no union without
a common object of regard. Either a character whom all
love and venerate, or an end which all pursue, or both, is
that to a community which a head-stone is to an arch ; nor
can they keep together without it. It is thus that the love
of God holds creation together. He is that lovely character
to whom all holy intelligences bear supreme affection ; and
the display of his glory, in the universal triumph of truth
and righteousness, is that end which they all pursue. Thus
united in their grand object, they cannot but feel a union of
heart with one another, arising from what is common to
every other voluntary union — a congeniaUty of sentiments
and pursuits.
But if our supreme affection terminate on ourselves, and
no being, created or uncreated, be regarded but for or..T own
sakes, it is manifest there can be no union beyond the sphere
in which other beings become voluntarily subservient to our
¦wishes. The Supreme Being, if our plan do not comport
with his, wiU be continually thwarting us ; and so we shall
be always at variance with him.. And as to created beings,
those individuals whom we desire to be subservient to our
wishes, having the same right, and the same inclination, to
require that we should be subservient to theirs, will also be
continually thwarting us; and so we shall always be at
variance with them. In short, nothing but an endless suc
cession of discord and confusion can be the consequence.
Every one setting up for pre-eminence, every one must, of
course, contribute to the general state of anarchy and misery
which will pervade the community. Such is, in fact, the
state of this apostate world ; and but for divine Providence,
wliich for wise ends balances aU human affairs, causing one
set of evUs to counteract the influence of another, and all to

THE STANDARD OF MORALITY 143
answer ends remote from the intention of the perpetrators,
it must be overset by its own disorders.
To regard every other being, created or uncreated, only
for our own sakes, is supreme self-love ; and, instead of being
a source of virtue, is itself abominable, and the source of all
the mischief and misery in the universe. All the evils just
enumerated are to be traced to this principle as their common
parent ; nor is there any ground of hope that it will ever
produce effects of a different nature. Some persons have
talked much of " self-love ripening into benevolence." Had •
it been said malevolence, it had been nearer the truth ; for it
is contrary to all experience that anything should change its
nature by becoming more mature. No, a child in knowledge
may discern that, if ever genuine benevolence exist in the
breast of an individual, or extend its healing wings over a
bleeding world, it must be by the subversion of this principle,
and by the prevalence of that religion which teaches us to
love God supremely, ourselves subordinately, and our feUow
creatures as ourselves.
To furnish a standard of moraUty, some of our adversaries
have had recourse to the laws of the state ; avowing them to
be the rule or measure of virtue. Mr. Hobbes maintained
that the civil law was the sole foundation of right and wrong,
and that religion had no obligation but as enjoined by the
magistrate. And Lord BoUngbroke often writes in a strain
nearly similar, disowning any other sanction or penalty by
which obedience to the law of nature is enforced, than those
which are provided by the laws of the land.* But this rule
is defective, absurd, contradictory, and subversive of all true
moraUty. First, It is grossly defective. This is justly
represented by a prophet of their o^wn. "It is a narrow
notion of innocence," says Seneca, "to measure a man's good
ness only by the law. Of how much larger extent is the
rule of duty, or of good offices, than that of legal right ! How
many things are there which piety, humanity, Uberality,
justice, and fidelity require, which yet are not within the
compass of the public statutes \"'\ Secondly, It is absurd;
* Works, vol. v., p. 90.
f In Leland's Advantages and Necessity of Revelation, vol. ii., part ii.,
chap, iii., P- ¦42.

144 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
for, if the public statutes be the only standard of right and
wrong, legislators in framing them could be under no law :
nor is it possible that in any instance they should have
enacted injustice. Thirdly, It is contradictory. Human
laws, we aU know, require different and opposite things in
different nations ; and in the same nation at different times;
If this principle be right, it is right for Deists to be per
secuted for their opinions at one period, and to persecute
others for theirs at another. Finally, It is subversive of all
true morality. " The civil laws," as Dr. Leland has observed,
" take no cognizance of secret crimes, and provide no punish
ment for internal bad dispositions, or corrupt affections. A
man may be safely as wicked as he pleases, on this principle,
provided he can manage so as to escape punishment from the
laws of his country, which very bad men, and those that are
guilty of great vices, easily may, and frequently do evade."
Rousseau has recourse to feelings as his standard. " I
have only to consult myself," he says, "concerning what I
ought to do. All that \feel to be right is right. Whatever
\feel to be wrong is wrong. All the morality of our actions
lies in the judgment we ourselves form of them."* By this
rule his conduct through life appears to have been directed ;
a rule which, if universally regarded, would deluge the world
with every species of iniquity.
But that on which our opponents insist the most, and with
the greatest show of argument, is the law and light of nature.
This is their professed rule on almost all occasions ; and its
praises they are continually sounding. I have no desire to
depreciate the light of nature, or to disparage its value as a'
rule. On the contrary, I consider it as occupying an im
portant place in the divine government. Whatever may be
said of the Ught possessed by the heathen as being derived
from revelation, I feel no difficulty in acknowledging that
the grand law which they are under is that of nature.
Revelation itself appears to me so to represent it ; holding it
up as the rule by which they shaU be judged, and declaring
its dictates to be so clear as to leave them without excuse.\
Nature and scripture appear to me to be as much in
• Emilius, vol. i., pp. 166 — 163.
t Rom. ii. ri— 16; i. 20.

THE STANDARD OF MORALITY. 14S
harmony as Moses and Christ ; both are celebrated in the
same Psalm. *
By the light of nature, however, I do not mean those ideas
which heathens have actually entertained, many of which
have been darkness, but those which were presented to
them by the works of creation, and which they might have
possessed had they been desirous of retaining God in their
knowledge. And by the dictates of nature, with regard to
right and wrong, I understand those things which appear, to
the mind of a person sincerely disposed to understand and
practise his duty, to be natural, fit, or reasonable. There
is, doubtless, an eternal difference between right and wrong ;
and this difi'erence, in a vast variety of instances, is manifest
to every man who sincerely and impartially considers it. So
manifest have the power and godhead of the Creator been ren
dered, in every age, that no person of an upright disposition
could, through mere mistake, fall into idolatry or impiety; and
every one who has continued in these abominations is with
out excuse. The desire also which every human being feels
of having justice done to him from all other persons must
render it sufficiently, manifest, to his judgment, that he ought
to do the same to them ; and, wherein he acts otherwise, his
conscience, unless it be seared as with a hot iron, must
accuse him.
But does it follow from hence that revelation is unneces
sary ? Certainly not. It is one thing for nature to afford
so much light, in matters of right and wrong, as to leave the
sinner without excuse ; and another to afford him any well-
grounded hope of forgiveness, or to answer his difficulties
concerning the account which something within him says he
must hereafter ;give of his present conduct.
Farther : It is one thing to leave sinners without excuse
in sin, and another thing to recover them from it. That the
light of nature is insufficient for the latter is demonstrated
by melancholy fact. Instead of returning to God and virtue,
those nations which have possessed the highest degrees of it
have gone farther and farther into immoraUty. There is not
a single example of a people, of their own accord, returning
to the acknowledgment of the true God, or extricating them
selves from the most irrational species of idolatry, or desist-
* Ps. xix.
VOL. L L

146 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
ing from the most odious kinds of vice. Those nations
where science diffused a more than ordinary lustre were as
superstitious and as wicked as the most barbarous, and in
many instances exceeded them; It was, I doubt not, from a
close observation of the difierent efficacy of Nature and
Scripture that the writer of the nineteenth Psalm (a Psalm
which Mr. Paine pretends to admire), after having given a
just tribute of praise to the former, affirmed of the latter,
" The law of Jehovah is perfect, converting the soul."
Again: It is one thing for that which is natural, fit, or
reasonable, in matters of duty, to approve itself to a mind
sincerely disposed to understand and practise it, and another
to approve itself to a mind of an opposite description. The
judgments of men concerning the dictates of nature are
greatly influenced by their prevailing inclinations. If under
certain circumstances they feel prompted to a particular
course of conduct, they will be apt to consider that incite
ment as a dictate of nature, though it may be no other than
corrupt propensity : and thus, while the law of nature is
continually in their mouth, their principles, as weU as their
conduct, are a continual violation of it. How was it that,
notwithstanding the light of nature shone around the old
philosophers, their minds, in matters of moraUty, were dark
as night, and their precepts, in many instances, full of
impurity? Did nature inspire Plato to teach the doctrine
of a community of wives ? Lycurgus to tolerate dextrous
thieving ? Solon to allow of sodomy ? Seneca to encourage
drunkenness and suicide? and almost all of them to declare
in favour of lewdness?* No, verUy; it is a perversion of
language to call the principles of such men the dictates of
nature ; they are unnatural and abominable ; as contrary to
reason as to religion.
It is true, what is called nature, by modern infidels, is not
quite so gross as the above ; but it falls very littie short of
it. So far as relates to the encouragement of theft, and
perhaps of unnatural crimes, they would disavow ; and for
this we are indebted to Christianity : but, as to fornication
and adultery, they are not a whit behind their predecessors.
Lord Herbert, the father of the English Deists, and whose
* See Leland's Advantages and Necessity of Revelation vol i' no 147
50,59,210,213. . -.ip- ./,

THE STANDARD OF MORALITY. 147
writings are far more sober than the generality of those who
have come after him, apologizes for lewdness, in certain
cases, as resembling thirst in a dropsy and inactivity in a
lethargy.* Lord Bolingbroke unblushingly insinuates that
the only consideration that can reconcile a man to confine
himself by marriage to one woman, and a woman to one
man, is this, that nothing hinders but that they may indulge
their desires with others, "f This is the same as accusing the
whole human race of incontinency, and denying that there is
any such thing as conjugal fideUty ; a plain proof that, who
ever was clear of this indecent charge. Lord Bolingbroke
was not. Mr. Hume, who has written a volume on the
principles of moraUty, scruples not to stigmatize self-denial
as a "monkish virtue;" and adopts the opinion of a French
writer, that " adultery must be practised if we would obtain
all the advantages of life ; that female infidelity, when known,
is a small thing, and, when unknown, nothing." These
writers will, on some occasions, descant in favour of chastity,
as being conducive to health and reputation ; but on others
they seldom fail to apologize for the contrary, and that under
the pretence of indulging the dictates of nature. Yet the
same things might be aUeged in behalf of oppression, revenge,
theft, duelling, ambitious war, and a thousand other vices
which desolate the earth: they are practices which men,
placed in certain circumstances, will feel themselves prompted
to commit : nor is there a vice that can be named but what
would admit of such an apology.
Finally: It is one thing for the light of nature to be so
clear as to render idolatry, impiety, and injustice, inexcus
able ; and another thing to render the whole will of our
Creator evident, and that in the most advantageous manner.
If a person, possessed of only the light of nature, were ever
so sincerely desirous of knowing God ; or grieved for the
sins of which his conscience accused him; or attached to the
holy, the just, and the good; or disposed to obey his Creator's
will, if he did but understand it : though he should be in no
danger of confounding the dictates of nature •with those of
corrupt propensity; yet he must labour under great disadvan
tages, which, allowing they might not affect his eternal state,
yet would greatly injure his present peace and usefulness.
¦* Xeland's Review, &c., vol. i., let. I, f Works, vol. v., p. 167.
l2

148 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
To Ulustrate this remark, let us suppose the_ inhabitants of
a province to throw off the government of a just and lawful
prince. Being once engaged, they may feel themselves im-
peUed to go forward. They may choose new rulers, and use
aU possible means to efface every sign and memorial of the
authority of their ancient sovereign. They may even labour
to forget, and teach their children to forget, if possible, that
there ever was such a character in being, to whom they owed
allegiance. Yet after aU, there may be certain traces and
memorials of his government which it is not in their power
to efface. Yea, there may be continued instances of forbearance
and clemency, which, in spite of all their efforts, will bear
witness of his goodness and just authority over them. Thus it
was that God, while he " suffered all nations to walk in their
own ways, nevertheless left not himself without witness, in
that he did good, and gave them rain from heaven, and fruitful
seasons, filUng their hearts with food and gladness." But as
the memorials of just authority, in the one case, though suf
ficient to leave the rebellious without excuse, would not
contain &full expression of the prince's will, nor be conveyed
in so advantageous a manner as that in which he treated his
professed subjects ; so the light afforded by the works of na
ture and the continued goodness of God, in the other, though
sufficient to leave the world without excuse, does not express
his whole will, nor convey what it does express so advan
tageously as by revelation. And as an individual, residing
in the midst of the rebelUous province, whose heart might
relent, and who might long to return to his allegiance, would
be under inexpressible disadvantages, so it must necessarily
be with a heathen whose desire should be towards the God
against whom he had sinned.
The amount is, that modern unbeUevers have no standard
of morals, except it be their own inclinations. Morality with
them is auything or nothing, as convenience requires. On
some occasions they will praise that of Jesus Christ; but ere
we can have time to ask them. Why then do you not submit.
to it ? they are employed in opposing it. Attend to their
general declamations in favour of virtue, and you will be
ready to imagine they are its warmest friends ; but follow
them up, and observe their exposition of particular precepts,
and you will be .convinced that they are its decided enemies.

THE STANDARD OF MORALITY. 149
applauding in the gross that which they are ever under
mining in detail.
By the foolish and discordant accounts which these writers
give of morality, it should seem that they know not what it
is. Every new speculator is dissatisfied with the definition
of his predecessor, and endeavours to mend it. "Virtue,"
says Lord Shaftesbury, " is a sense of beauty, of harmony,
of order, and proportion, an affection towards the whole of
our kind, or species." "It is," says Lord Bolingbroke, "only
the love of ourselves." " It is every thing that tends to pre
serve and perfect man," says Volney; and, as "good reputa
tion" has this tendency, it is, in his account, " a moral good."*
"It is whatever is useful in society," says Mr. Hume; and,
as "health, cleanliness, facility of expression, broad shoulders,
and taper legs," are of use, they are to be reckoned among
the virtues. To this might be added, a large portion of
effrontery, as the last-named writer assures us (it may be
from his own experience) that "nothing carries a man through
the world like a true, genuine, natural impudence."t Mr.
Paine brings up the rear, and informs us, " It is doing justice,
loving mercy, and .... endeavouring to make our fellow
creatures happy." Oh Paine! had you but for once suffered
yourself to be taught by a Prophet, and quoted his words as
they stand, you would undoubtedly have borne away the
palm : but you had rather write nonsense than say anything
in favour of godliness.
It is worthy of notice that, amidst all the discordance of
these writers, they agree in excluding the Divine Being from
their theory of morals. They think after their manner ; but
" God is not in all their thoughts." In comparing the
Christian doctrine of morality, the sum of which is love, with
their atheistical jargon, one seems to hear the voice of the
Almighty, saying, " Who is this that darkeneth counsel with
words without knowledge ? Fear God, and keep his com
mandments ; for this is the whole of man."
The words of scripture are spirit and life. They are the
language of love. Every exhortation of Christ and his
apostles is impregnated with this spirit. Let the reader turn
* Law of Nature, p. 17.
•|- Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, sec. 6, 7, B. Essays
Moral and Political, Essay iii., p. 15.

150 THE GOSPEL ITS QWS WITNESS.
to the twelfth chapter to the Romans, for example, and read
it carefully; let him find, if he can, anything in the purest
part of the writings of Deists, that is worthy of being com
pared with it. No ; virtue itself is no longer virtue in their
hands. It loses its charms when they affect to embrace it.
Their touch is that of the cold hand of death. The most
lovely object is deprived by it of life and beauty, and
reduced to a shriveUed mass of inactive formality.

CHAPTER IV.

CHRISTIANITY FURNISHES MOTIVES TO A VIRTUOUS LIFE,
¦WHICH DEISM EITHER REJECTS OR ATTEMPTS TO UNDER
MINE.
So long as our adversaries profess a regard to virtue, and,
¦with Lord Bolingbroke,* acknowledge that " the gospel is in
all cases one continued lesson of the strictest morality, of
justice, of benevolence, and of universal charity," they must
allow those to be the best principles which furnish the most
effectual motives for reducing it to practice.
Now there is not a doctrine in the whole compass of Chris
tianity but what is improvable to this purpose. It is a
grand peculiarity of the gospel that none of its principles are
merely speculative : each is pregnant with a practical use.
Nor does the discovery of it require any extraordinary degree
of ingenuity: real Christians, however weak as to their
natural capacities, have always been taught by the gospel of
Christ, that,. " denying ungodKness and worldly lusts, they
should Uve soberly, righteously, and godly in the present
world." Ancient philosophers have taught many things in favour
of morality, so far at least as respects justice and goodness
towards our feUow creatures : but where are the motives by
which the minds of the people, or even their own minds,
have been moved to a compUance with them ? They framed
a curious machine : but who among them could discover a
power to work it? What principles have appeared in the
world, under the name either of philosophy or religion, that
* Works, vol. v., p. 188.

MOTIVES TO A VIRTUOUS LIFE. ISl
can bear a comparison with the following ? " God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
beUeveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us,
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." " Be
loved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."
" Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and
evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice : and be
ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." " Be ye
therefore followers (or imitators) of God, as dear children :
and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath
given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God of a
sweet-smelling savour." "Ye are a chosen generation, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye
should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out
of darkness into his marvellous light." " Come out from
among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch
not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, and will be a
Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith
the Lord Almighty." " Having therefore these promises,
dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of
the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
" If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any
comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any
bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy : — be of one accord, of
one mind." " Let nothing be done through strife or vain
glory ; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better
than themselves." "Dearly beloved, I beseech you, as
.strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which
war against the soul: having your conversation honest
among the Gentiles : that, whereas they speak against you
as evil doers, they may, by your good works which they
shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." "Ye
are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God's." " The love of
Christ constraineth us ; because we thus judge, that, if one
died for all, then were all dead : and that he died for all,
that they which Uve should not henceforth live unto them
selves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again."
" The day of the Lord -will come as a thief in the night ; in

152 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
the which the heavens shaU pass away with a great noise,
and the elements shaU melt with fervent heat; the earth
also, and the works that are therein, shall be burnt up.
Seeing then that aU these things shall be dissolved, what
manner of persons ought ye to be, in aU holy conversation
and godliness ; looking for, and hasting unto, the coming of
the day of God?" "Hold that fast which thou hast, that
no man take thy crown." " To him that overcometh wiU I
grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame,
and am set down with my Father in his throne."
These are motives by which Christians in every age have
been induced to practise that moraUty which, while writing
against Christianity, Paine, Bolingbroke, and many others,
have been compelled to applaud. But the far greater part
of them are rejected by Deists ; and what will they substi
tute, of equal efficacy, in their place ? The love of Christ
constraineth us; but what have they to constrain them?
Will self-love, or the beauty or utility of virtue, answer the
purpose ? Let history and observation deternyne.
It may be alleged, however, that Deists do not reject the
whole of these important motives ; for that some, at least,
admit the doctrine of a future life, which, with the acknow
ledgment of one living and true God, may be thought suffi
cient for aU the purposes of morality.
, That the doctrine of a future life is of great importance in
the moral system is allowed ; but the greatest truth, if disse
vered from other truths of equal importance, will be divested
of its energy. As well might a hand dissevered from the
body be represented as sufficient for the purposes of labour, as
one or two unconnected principles for the purpose of moral
ity. This is actually the case in the present instance. The
doctrine of a future life, as held by Christians, has stimulated
them to labour and suffer without intermission. From a
"respect to this recompence of reward," a kingdom has been
refused, where the acceptance of it would have interfered
with a good conscience. Yea, Ufe itself has been sacrificed,
and that not in a few, but in innumerable instances, where it
could not be retained but at the expense of truth and up
rightness. But is it thus among Deists ? Does the doctrine
of a future life, as held by them, produce any such effects ?
When was it known, or heard, that they sacrificed anything

MOTIVES TO A VIRTUOUS LIFE. 153
for this or any other principle of a moral nature ? Who
among them ever thought of such a thing ; or who expected
it at their hands ?
But this is not all : There is such a connexion in truth,
that, if one part of it be given up, it will render us less
friendly towards other parts, and so destroy their efficacy.
This also is actually the case in the present instance. Our
adversaries do not cordially embrace even this truth ; but, on
the contrary, are continually undermining it, and rendering
it of no effect. Lord Herbert, it is true, considered it as an
essential article of natural religion ; and it was his opinion
that he could scarcely be accounted a reasonable creature
who denied it ; but this is far from being the case with later
deistical writers, the greater part of whom either deny it or
represent it as a matter of doubt. Some of them disown
every principle by which it is supported, and others go so
far as to hold it up to ridicule, labouring withal to prove the
hope of it unfriendly to the disinterested love of virtue.
Volney, in his "Law of Nature, or Catechism for French
Citizens," says nothing about it. Paine just touches upon it
in his "Age of Reason," by informing us that " he hopes for
happiness beyond this life ; " but as happiness has its coun
terpart, and stands upon the general doctrine of retribution,
he is afraid to say he believes it. It must be reduced to a
mere matter of "probability," lest the thought of it should
damp him in his present pursuits, and render him " the slave
of terror."* Bolingbroke, though he acknowledges its anti
quity, and great utility in promoting virtue, yet represents
it as a " mere invention of philosophers and legislators," and
as being "originally an hypothesis, and which may, there
fore, be a vulgar error." "Reason,'' he says, "wiU neither
affirm nor deny a future state." By this the reader might
be led to expect that this writer was neither for it nor
against it ; yet the whole of his reasonings are directed to
undermine it.f Hume, like the writer last mentioned,
acknowledges the utility of the doctrine, but questions its
truth. He would not have people disabused, or delivered
from such a prejudice, because it would free them from one
restraint upon their passions. Any person who should
* Age of Reason, part i., p. 1. Part ii., pp. 100, 101.
t Works, vol. V.

154 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
undertake this work, he allows, would be a bad citizen ; yet
he might, for aught he knows, be a good reasoner.* Shaftes
bury employs all his wit and satire in endeavouring to raise
a laugh at the very idea, representing the heathen world as
very happy till Christianity arose, and teased them about an
hereafter. "A new sort of policy," he says, "which extends
itself to another world, and considers the future lives and
happiness of men rather than the present, has made us leap
beyond the bounds of natural humanity, and, out of a super
natural charity, has taught us the way of plaguing one
another most devoutly."*
Lord Shaftesbury's wit may very well be passed by, as
being what it is: in connexion with the foregoing quotations,
it suffices to show us what efficacy the doctrine of a future
life, as held by Deists, may be expected to possess. But
this writer is not contented with raillery: he must also
attempt to reason against the doctrine ; contending that it
has a pernicious influence on the morals of men ; that it is a
mercenary principle, and opposed to the disinterested love of
virtue, for its own sake. " The principle of self-love," he
observes, "which is naturaUy so prevaiUng in us, is im
proved and made stronger by the exercise of the passions
on a subject of more extended interest: and there may be
reason to apprehend that a. temper of this kind wiU extend
itself through all the parts of life. And this has a tendency
to create a stricter attention to self-good and private interest,
and must insensibly diminish the affection towards public
good, or the interest of society, and introduce a certain nar
rowness of spirit, which is observable in the devout persons
and zealots of almost every reUgious persuasion."^
This objection, the reader will recollect, is in direct con
tradiction to the principles of Bolingbroke, and, it may be
added, of Volney, and other deistical writers, who maintain
self-love to be the origin of virtuous affection. Some-Chris
tian writers, in answering it, have given up the doctrine of
disinterested love, aUowing that aU reUgious affection is to
be_ traced to the love which we bear to ourselves, as its flrst
principle. To me, this appears no other than betraying the
truth, and ranking Christianity with every species of apos-
?. PhUosophical Essays, p. 231. f Characteristics, vol. i., p. 18
I Ibid., vol. ii., p. 58. ' > r

MOTIVES TO A VIRTUOUS LIFE. 155
tasy and false reUgion which have at any time prevailed in
the world. A clear idea of the nature of self-love, if I
mistake not, wUl enable us to determine this question, and
to answer the deistical objection without rendering Chris
tianity a mercenary systeru.
Every man may be considered either singly, or connect
edly : either as a being by himself, or as a link in a certain
chain of beings. Under one or other of these views every
man considers himself, while pursuing his own interest. If
the former, this is to make himself the ultimate end of his
actions, and to love all other beings, created or uncreated,
only as they subserve his interest or his pleasure : this is
private self-love : this is mean and mercenary, and what we
commonly understand by the term selfishness. But, if the
latter, there is nothing mean or selfish in it. He who seeks
his own well-being in connexion with the general good, seeks
it as he ought to do. No man is required directly to oppose
his own welfare, though, in some instances, he may be re
quired to sacrifice it for the general good. Neither is it
necessary that he should be indifferent towards it. Reason,
as well as scripture, requires us to love ourselves as we love
our neighbour. To this may be added, every man is not
only a link in the chain of intelligent beings, and so deserv
ing of some regard from himself, as well as from others, but
every man's person, family, and connexions, and still more
the concerns of his soul, are, as it were, his own vineyard,
over the interests of which it is his peculiar province to
exercise a watchful care. Only let the care of himself and
his immediate connexions be in subserviency to the general
good, and there is nothing mercenary in it.
I need not multiply arguments to prove that the doctrine
of rewards does not necessarily tend to encourage a mer
cenary spirit, or that it is consistent with the disinterested
love of virtue. Lord Shaftesbury himself has acknowledged
this : " If by the hope of reward," he says, " be understood
the love and desire of virtuous enjoyment, or of the very
practice or exercise of virtue in another life, the expectation
or hope of this kind is so far from being derogatory to
virtue, that it is an evidence of our loving it the more sin
cerely, and for its own sake." * This single concession con-
* Characteristics, vol. u., pp. 66, 66.

1.56 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
tains an answer to all that his lordship has advanced on the
subject; for the rewards promised in the gospel are all
exactly of the description which he mentions. It is true
they are often represented under the images of earthly
things; but this does not prove that, in themselves, they
are not pure and spiritual. That tliere is nothing in them
adapted to gratify a mercenary spirit, the following observa
tions will render plain to the meanest capacity : —
First : The nature of heavenly enjoyments is such as to
admit of no monopoly, and consequently to leave no room
for the exercise of private self-love. Like the beams of the
sun, they are equally adapted to give joy to a world as to an
individual: nay, so far is an increase in the number of the
participants from diminishing the quantum of happiness
possessed by each individual, that it has a tendency to
increase it. The interest of one is the interest of aU ; and
the interest of all extends to every one.
Secondly: The sura of heavenly enjoyments consists in a
holy likeness to God, and in the eternal enjoyment of his
favour.* But holy likeness to God is the same thing as
"the very practice or exercise of virtue," the hope of which.
Lord Shaftesbury acknowledges, " is so far from being dero
gatory to it, that it is an evidence of our loving it the more
sincerely, and for its own sake." And, as to the enjoyment of
the divine favour, a proper pursuit of this object, instead of
being at variance with disinterested affection, clearly implies
it ; for no man can truly desire the favour of God as his
chief good, without a proportionate esteem of his character
and that for its own excellency. It is impossible that the
favour of any being whose character we disapprove should
be sought as our chief good, in preference to every other
object in the universe. But a cordial approbation of the
divine character is the same thing as a disinterested affection
to virtue. Thirdly : The only method by which the rewards of the
gospel are attainable, faith in Christ, secures the exercise of
disinterested and enlarged virtue. No man has any warrant
from the scriptures, to expect an interest in the promises of
the gospel, unless he cordially acquiesce in his mediation.
But. to acquiesce in this is to acquiesce in the holy govern-
* 1 John iii. 2. Rev. xxi. 3, 4.

MOTIVES TO A VIRTUOUS LIFE. 157
ment of God, which it was designed to glorify — to feel and
acknowledge that we deserved to have been made sacrifices
to divine displeasure — to forego all claim or hope of mercy
from every selfish consideration ; and be willing to receive
forgiveness as an act of mere grace, and along with the chief
of sinners. In fine, to acquiesce in this is to be of one heart
with the Saviour of sinners, which, our adversaries them
selves being judges, is the same thing as to be filled with
devotedness to God and benevolence to men; and this, if
any thing deserves that name, is true, disinterested, and
enlarged virtue.
It is very possible that the objections which are made by
this writer, as well as by Mr. Paine and others, against the
doctrine of rewards, as being servile and mercenary, may,
after all, in reality be against their counterpart. It does not
appear to be " the hope of happiness beyond this life " that
excites their disgust, though the nature of the Christian's
happiness might be disagreeable to them; but the fear of
being " called to account for the manner in which they have
Uved in this world." This it is which even the daring
author of " The Age of Reason '' cannot endure to consider
as a certainty, as the thought of it would render him " the
slave of terror." Yet, as though he would not have it
thought that the dread of futurity rendered hira afraid of
believing it, he alleges another reason : " Our belief, on this
principle," he says, " would have no merit, and our best
actions no virtue." * In order then to our actions being
virtuous, it is necessary, it seems, that we be under no law
but that of our own incUnation ; and this will be loving
virtue for its own sake. This is at once shaking off the
divine authority ; which, if it could be accomplished, might
be very agreeable to some men ; and, if with this they could
get fairly rid of a judgment to come, it might be stiU more
agreeable ; but alas, if they should be mistaken !
It is a fact that the passions of hope and fear are planted
in our nature by Him who made us ; and it may be pre
sumed they are not planted there in vain. The proper
exercise of the former has, I conceive, been proved to be
consistent with the purest and most disinterested love ; and
the same thing is provable of the latter. The hope and
' Age of Reason, part ii., pp. 100, 101.

158 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
fear against which these writers declaim are those of a slave;
and, where love is absent, these, it is granted, are the only
effects which the doctrine of rewards and punishments wiU
produce. But even here they have their use. Terror is the
grand principle by which vicious minds are kept in awe.
Without this their Ucentiousness would be intolerable to
society. It is not, however, for the mere purpose of restraint,
that threatenings are exhibited, but to express the displea
sure of God against aU unrighteousness and ungodUness of
men, and his resolution to punish them. Some are hereby
taught the evil of their ways to a good purpose, and all are
fa,iriy warned, and their perseverance in sin is rendered
inexcusable. Before our adversaries object to this, they should show
the impropriety of human laws being accompanied •with
penalties. Let them furnish us with a system of govern
ment in which men may be guilty of crimes "without fear of
being caUed to account for them, and in which those who
are enemies to virtue are to be governed by merely the love
of it. If it be improper to threaten sinners, it is improper
to punish them; and, if it be improper to punish them, it
is improper for moral government to be exercised. But, il
it be thus in the government of God, there is no good reason
to be given why it should not be the same in human govern
ments ; that is, there is no good reason why servants, unless
they choose to do otherwise, should not disobey their masters,
children their parents, and private individuals in a state be
continually rising up to destroy all just authority.
The above may suffice to ascertain the weight of Lord
Shaftesbury's objections to the doctrine of rewards ; and
now I shall take the liberty to ret-ort the charge, and attempt
to prove that the epithets "narrow and selfish," which he
applies to the Christian system, properly belong to his own.
In his "Inquiry concerning Virtue," contained in the
second volume of his "Characteristics," though he aUows it
to consist in our being proportionably affected towards the
whole system to which we bear a relation (p. 17), and ac
knowledges that this world may be only a part of a more
extended system (p. 20), yet he studiously leaves out God
as the head of it. Among all the relations which he enu
merates, there is no mention of that between the creature

MOTIVES TO A VIRTUOUS LIFE. 159
and the Creator. His enlarged and disinterested scheme of
morality is at last nothing more than for a creature to regard
those "of its own kind, or species." Not only is aU gentle
ness, kindness, and compassion to inferior creatures left out,
but the love of God is not in it. On the contrary, it is the
professed object of his " Inquiry " to prove that -vdrtue, good
ness, or moral exceUence, may exist without religion, and
even "in an Atheist " (p. 6). In short, it is manifest that
it is the love of God, and not self-love, to which his love of
virtue, for its own sake, stands opposed. That for which he
pleads is the impious spirit of a child who, disregarding his
father's favour, pays no attention to his commands as his
commands ; but complies with them only on account of their
approving themselves to his own mind. But this is no other
than self-wiU, which, instead of being opposed to self-love,
is one of its genuine exercises.
" Our holy religion," says this sneering writer, " takes
but little notice of the most heroic virtues, such as zeal for
the pubUc, and our country."* That Christianity takes but
Uttle notice of what is commonly called patriotism is ad
mitted ; and, if Lord Shaftesbury had been free from that
"narrowness of mind" which it is his intention here to
censure ; yea, if he had only kept to his own definition of
virtue — " a regard to those of our own kind, or species," he
. would have taken as little. By the public good, he evidently
means no more than the temporal prosperity of a particular
country, which is to be sought at the expense of all other
countries with whom it happens, justly or unjustly, to be at
variance. Christianity, we acknowledge, knows nothing of
this spirit. It is superior to it. It is not natural for a
Christian to enter into the antipathies, or embroil himself in
the contentions of a nation, however he may be occasionally
drawn into them. His soul is much more in its element
when breathing after the present and future happiness of a
world. In undertakings, both public and private, which
tend to alleviate the miseries and enlarge the comforts of
human Ufe, Christians have ever been foremost ; and, when
they have conceived themselves lawfully called even into the
field of battle, they have not been wanting in valour. But
the heroism to which they principally aspire is of another
* Characteristics, vol. i., pp. 98, 99.

160 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNlISS.
kind : it is that of subduing their own spirit, doing good
against evil, seeking the present and eternal well-being of
those who hate them, and laying down their Uves, if re
quired, for the name of the Lord Jesus.
Such is the " narrow spirit" of Christians ; and such have
been their "selfish pursuits." But these are things which
do not emblazon their names in the account of unbelievers.
The murderers of mankind wiU be applauded before them.
But they have enough : their blood is precious in the sight
of the Lord, and their names are embalmed in the memory
of the upright.

CHAPTER V.'

THE LIVES OF THOSE "WHO REJECT THE GOSPEL "WILL NOT
BEAR A COMPARISON WITH 'THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO
EMBRACE IT.
No books are so plain as the lives of men ; no characters
so legible as their moral conduct. If the principles of a
body of men will not bear this criterion, we may expect to
hear them exclaim against it as unfair and uncertain ; but,
when they have said all, they will endeavour to avail them
selves of it, if possible. It is thus that the virtues of
idolaters are the constant theme of deistical panegyric ; and
all the corruptions, intrigues, persecutions, wars, and mis
chiefs, which of late ages have afflicted the earth, are charged
to the account of Christians. It is thus that Christian
ministers, under the name of priests, are described as mer
cenary, designing, and hypocritical ; and the lives of hec
toring profligates praised in comparison of them.* In short,
it is thus Christians are accused of fanaticism, affectation,
ingratitude, presumption, and almost every thing else that
is mean and base ; and men are persuaded to become Deists,
with an assurance that, by so doing, they will live more
consistently, and morally, than by any other system.^V
But let us examine whether these representations accord
with fact. Is it fact that the ancient philosophers of Greece
* Hume's Essays, Moral and Political, Essay xxiv.
•[¦ Age of Reason, part i., p. 21.

CONDUCiP OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS. 161
and Rome were virtuous characters ? It is true that, like
the Deists, they talked and wrote much about virtue ; and,
if the latter may be believed, they were very virtuous.
" They opposed each other," says Voltaire, " in their dogmas ;
but in moraUty they were all agreed. After loading each
of them with encomiums, he sums up by affirming, " There
has been no philosopher in all antiquity who has not been
desirous of making men better." * This is a very favourable
report ; and, if well founded, the writer of the first chapter
of the Epistle to the Romans must not only have dealt
largely in calumny, but must have possessed the most con
summate effrontery to address such an epistle to the citizens
of Rome, who from their own knowledge must have lieen
able to contradict him. There are other reports, however,
of a very different complexion.
It is no part of my design to enter minutely into this
subject ; nor is it necessary. Many able writers have proved,
from the most authentic sources of information, that the
account given of the heathens by the apostle is not exagge
rated. An extract or two from their writings will be suffi
cient for my purpose.
"Epictetus bids you 'temporize, and worship the gods
after the fashion of your country.'t Pythagoras forbids you
to ' pray to God, because you know not what is convenient.'!
Plutarch commends Cato Uticensis for killing himself amidst
philosophic thoughts, with resolution and deliberation, after
reading Plato on " The ImmOrtality of the Soul.§'' Cicero
pleads for self-murder. Herein he was seconded by Brutus,
Cassius, and others who practised it. Many of their learned
men applauded their opinion and practice. Seneca thus
pleads for it : 'If thy mind be melancholy and in misery,
thou mayest put a period to this wretched condition : wher
ever thou lookest, there is an end to it. See that precipice !
there thou mayest have liberty. Seest thou that sea, that
river, that well ? liberty is at the bottom of it : that little
tree ? freedom hangs upon it. Thy own neck, thy own
* Ignorant Philosopher, p. 60.
+ Enchiridion, cap. 38, p. m. 56.
J Diog. Laertius,
§ Plutarch's Life of Plato, near the end.
VOL. L M

162 THE GOSPEL ITS Q-WN WITNESS.
throat, may bfe a refuge to thee from such servitude ; yea,
every vein of thy body.'*
"We may find in the heathen philosophers customary
swearing commended, if not by their precepts, yet by the
examples of their best moraUsts, Plato, Socrates, Seneca, and
JuUan the emperor ; in whose works numerous oaths by
Jupiter, Hercules, the Sun, Serapis, and the like, do occur.
In the same manner we see the unnatural love of hoys
recommended.^f Aristippus maintained that it was ' lawful
for a wise man to steal, commit adultery, and sacrilege, when
opportunity offered ; for that none of these actions were
naturally evil, setting aside the vulgar opinion, which was
introduced into the world by silly and iUiterate people, — that
a wise man might pubUcly, without shame or scandal, keep
company with common harlots, if his inclinations led him to
it.' ' May not a beautiful woman he made use of,' he asks,
' because she is fair ; or a youth because he is lovely ?
Certainly they may.' "I
If, as Voltaire asserts, it was the desire of these philo
sophers to make men better, assuredly they employed very
extraordinary means to accomplish their desire.
What are the lives recorded by Plutarch ? Many of them,
no doubt, entertained a high sense of honour, and possessed
a large portion of patriotism. But was either of these
morality ? If by this term be meant such dispositions of the
mind as are right, fit, and amiable, it was not. Their sense
of honour was not of that kind which made them scorn to do
evil ; hilt, like the false honour of modern duellists, consisted
merely in a dread of disgrace. It induced many of them to
carry about them the fatal means of self-destruction ; and,
rather than faU into the hands of an adversary, to make use
of them. And as to their patriotism, generally speaking, it
Operated not merely in the preservation of their country, but
in endeavours to extend and aggrandize it at the expense of
other nations. It was a patriotism inconsistent with justice
and good will to men. Add to this, that fornication, adultery,
and unnatural crimes, were common among them.
• De Ira, lib. iii., cap. 15, p. m. 319.
•)• Juvenal, Satyr II., ver. 10.
t I>iog. Laertius, vol. i., p.m. 1.65,166. See in Millar's History of the
Propagation of Christianity, vol. i., pp. 63 — 65.

CONDUCT OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVEP.S. 163
As to the moral state of society among heathens, both
ancient and modern, we may have occasion to consider this a
little more particularly hereafter. At present I would in
quire. Is it fact that the persecutions, intrigues, wars, and
mischiefs of late ages, are to be charged to the account of
Christianity ?
With regard to persecution, nothing is moije common with
our adversaries than to lay it wholly at our door. They are
continually alleging that the heathens all agreed to tolerate
each other till Christianity arose. Thus writes Shaftesbury,*
HuHie,"!" Voltaire,^ Gibbon,§ and Paine. || That the heathen
tolerated each other before the introduction of Christianity is
allowed ; and they did the same after it. It was not against
each other that their enmity was directed. In the diversity
of their idols, and modes of worship, there were indeed
different administrations, but it was the same lord : whereas,
in the religion of Jesus Christ, there was nothing that could
associate with heathenism, but every thing that threatened
its utter subversion.
It is allowed also that individual persecution, except in a
few instances, commenced with Christianity : but who began
the practice ? Was it Jesus that persecuted Herod and
Pontius Pilate ; or they him ? Did Peter and James and
John and Paul set up for inquisitors, and persecute the Jews
and Romans ; or the Jews and Romans them ? Did the
primitive Christians discover any disposition to persecute ?
By whom was Europe deluged with blood in ten successive
persecutions during the first three centuries ? Were Chris
tians the authors of this ? When the church had so far
degenerated as to imbibe many of the principles and super
stitions of the heathen, then indeed it began to imitate their
persecuting spirit ; but not before. When Christ's kingdom
was transformed into a kingdom of this world, the weapons
of its warfare might be expected to become carnal, and to be
no longer, as formerly, mighty through God.
The religious persecutions among Christians nave been
compared to the massacres attending the French Revolution
in the times of Robespierre. The horrid barbarities of the
• Characteristics, vol. i., p. 18. + Essay on Parties.
J Ignorant Philosopher, p. 83. § History of Dec. chap, ii., p. 29.
II Age of Reason, part ii.. Preface.
m2

164 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
latter, it has been said, by way of apology, "have not even
been equal to those of the former." If Deists may be aUowed
to confound Christianity and popery, I shaU not dispute the
justness of the comparison. There is, no doubt, a great
resemblance between the papal and the infidel spirit ; ^ or
rather they are one. Both are the spirit of this world, which
is averse from true religion. The difference between them
is hut as that between the wolf and the tiger.* But those
who reason thus should prove that the reformers in religion
have been guilty of excesses equal to those of the deistical
reformers in politics. Were there any such assassinations
among the Protestants towards one another, or towards the
Papists, as have been wantonly committed by Infidels ? It
is true there were examples of persecutions among Pro
testants, and such as will ever remain a dishonour to the
parties concerned ; but those which affected the lives of
men were few in number compared with those of the other,
and these few, censurable as they are, were not performed
by assassination.
Mr. Paine affirms that " all sects of Christians, except the
Quakers, have persecuted in their turn." That much of this
spirit has prevailed is too true : but this assertion is un
founded. I could name more denominations than one whose
hands, I believe, were never stained with blood, and whose'
avowed principles have always been in favour of universal
liberty of conscience.
But let us inquire into the principles and spirit of our
adversaries on this subject. It is true that almost all their
writers have defended the cause of liberty, and levelled
their, censures against persecution. But where is the man
that is not an enemy to this practice, when it is directed
against himself ? Have they discovered a proper regard to
the rights of conscience among Christians ? This is the
question. There may be individuals among them who
have ; but the generality of their writers discover a shameful
partiaUty in favour of their own side, and a contemptuous
* The resemblance between Popery and Infidelity is pointed oiit with
great beauty and energy in a piece which has appeared in some of the
periodical publications, entitled " The Progress of the Modems in Know
ledge, Refinement, and Virtue." See Theological Magazine, vol. i., No. v.,
p. 344. Evangelical Magazine, vol. iv., p. 405.

CONDUCT OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS. 163
disregard of all who have suffered for the name of Christ.
While they exhibit persecution in its deservedly infamous
colours, they as constantly hold up the persecuted, if found
among Christians, in a disadvantageous point of view. Mr.
Hume allows that "the persecutions of Christians in the
early ages were cruel ;" but lays the blame chiefly on them
selves :* and all through his "History of England" he pal
liates the conduct of the persecutors, and represents the
persecuted in an unfavourable light. The same may be said
of Gibbon, in his " History of the Decline of the Roman Em
pire ;" of Shaftesbury, in his " Characteristics ;" and indeed
of the generaUty of deistical writers. Voltaire, boasting of
the wisdom and moderation of the ancient Romans, says,
" They never persecuted a single philosopher for his opinions,
from the time of Romulus, till the popes got possession of
their power." f But did they not persecute Christians ?
The miUions of lives that fell a sacrifice in the first three
centuries after the Christian era are considered as nothing
by Voltaire. The benevolence of this apostle of Deism
feels not for men if they happen to be believers in Christ.
¦If an Aristotle, a Pythagoras, or a Galileo suffer for his
opinions, he is a "martyr :" but if a million of French Pro
testants, " from a desire to bring back things to the primitive
institutes of the church," endure the most cruel treatment,
or quit their country to escape . it, they, according to this
writer, are " weak and obstinate men." Say, reader, are
these men friends to religious Uberty ? To what does all
their declamation against persecution amount but this — that
such of them as reside in Christianized countries wish to
enjoy their opinions without being exposed to it ?
Till of late, Deists have been in , the minority in all the
nations of Europe, and have therefore felt the necessity of a
free enjoyment of opinion. It is not what they have pleaded
under those circumstances, but their conduct when in power,
that must prove them friends to religious liberty. Few men
are known to be what they are tiU they are tried. They
and Protestant dissenters have, in some respects, been in a
similar situation. Of late, each, in a different country, have
become the majority, and the civil power has been entrusted
in their hands. "The descendants of the Puritans, in the
•* Essay on Parties in general. f Ignorant Philosopher, pp. 82, 83.

166 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
western world, by dispensing the blessings of liberty even
to EpiscopaUans, by whose persecutions their ancestors were
driven from their native shores, have shown themselves
worthy of the trust. But have the Deists acted thus in
France, and other countries which have fallen into their
hands ? It is true, we believe them to have been the instru
ments, in the hand of God, of destroying the papal anti
christ, and in this view we rejoice : howbeit they meant not
so. If we judge of their proceedings towards the Catholics
in the ordinary way of judging of human actions, which'
undoubtedly we ought, I fear it wUl be found not only per
secuting, but perfidious and bloody in the extreme.
I am not without hope that liberty of conscience will be
preserved in France ; and, if it should, it will be seen whe
ther the subversion of the national establishment will prove,
what the advisers of that measure without doubt expected,
and what others who abhorred it apprehended — the extinc
tion of Christianity. It may prove the reverse, and issue in
things which will more than balance all the ills attending
the revolution. These hopes, however, are not founded on
an idea of the just or tolerant spirit of infidelity ; but, so far
as human motives are concerned, on that regard to consis
tency which is known to influence all mankind. If the
leading men in France, after having so liberally declaimed
against persecution, should ever enact la-ws in favour of it,
or in violation of the laws encourage it, they must appear in
a most disgraceful light in the opinion of the whole civilized
world. Not only persecution, but unjust wars, intrigues, and other
mischiefs, are placed to the account of Christianity. That
such things have existed, and that men who are called
Christians have been deeply concerned in them, is true.
Wicked men will act wickedly, by whatever name they are
called. Whether these things be fairly attributable to the
Christian religion, may be determined by a few plain in
quiries. First : Did these evils commence with Christianity, or
have they increased under its influence ? Has not the world,
in every age with which history acquaints us, been a scene
of corruption, intrigue, tumult, and slaughter? AU that can
plausibly be objected to Christianity is, that these things

CONDUCT OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS. 167
have continued in the world notwithstanding its influence ;
and that they have been practised in as great a degree by
men calling themselves Christians, as by any other persons.
Secondly : Are those who ordinarily engage in these prac
tices real Christians ; and do our adversaries themselves
account them so ? They can distinguish, when they please,
between sincere and merely nominal Christians. They need
not be told that great numbers, in every nation, are of that
religion which happens to prevail at the time ; or, rather,
that they are of no religion.
Thirdly : Have not the courts of princes, notwithstanding
Christianity may have been the professed religion of the
land, been generally attended by a far greater proportion of
Deists than of serious Christians ? and have not public mea
sures been directed by the counsels of the former much more
than by those of the latter ? It is well known that great
numbers among the nobility and gentry of every nation con-:
sider religion as suited only to vulgar minds ; and therefore
either wholly absent themselves from worship, or attend but
seldom, and then only to save appearances towards a national
establishment by which provision is made for the younger
branches of their families. In other words, they are unbe
lievers. This is the description of men hj whom pubUc
affairs are commonly managed, and to whom the good or the
evil pertaining to them, so far as human agency is concerned,
is to be attributed.
Finally : Great as have been the evils abounding in na
tions professing Christianity (and great they have been, and
ought greatly to be deplored), can unbelievers pretend to
have given us any hope, at present, of the state of things
being meliorated ? It is true they have talked and written
much in this way; and many well-wishers to the human race
have been disposed to give them credit. But it is not words
that will prove any thing. Have they done any thing that
justifies a hope of reformation? No ; they themselves must
first be reformed; or rather, to use an appropriate term of
their own, regenerated. Far be it fsom me that, in such a
cause as this, I should write under the influence of national
prejudice, or side with the enemies of civil and religious
freedom ; but I must say, there never was a representation
more necessary than that which was given in an address

168 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
from the Executive Directory of France to the CouncU of
Five Hundred, about the beginning of the year 1796. In
this address they " request the most earnest attention of the
Council towards adopting some measure for the regeneration
of the public morals." This is the regeneration wanted, and
which, having rejected Christianity, they may be ever seek
ing, but wiU never be able to obtain. They may continue to
revolutionize as long as a party shall be found that wishes
for an increase of power, and perceives an opportunity of
gaining it ; and every party in its turn may talk of " saving
liberty ;" but never wiU they be free indeed until they are
emancipated in some good degree from the dominion of vice ;
and never will this be effected but by a knowledge of evan
gelical truth.
The friends of legitimate Uberty have deeply to regret
that, under that revered name, has been perpetrated almost
every species of atrocity ; and that not only towards indi
viduals, but nations, "and nations the most pealceable and
inoffensive, whose only crime was that of being unable to
resist. Liberty has suffered more from the hands of infidels,
amidst all their successes and declamations, than from its
professed enemies ; and still it bleeds beneath their wounds.
Without entering into political disputes, I may safely affirm
that, if ever the nations of the earth be blessed with equal
liberty, it will be by the prevalence, not of the pretended
illuminations of infidel philosophy, but of that doctrine which
teaches us "to do unto others as we would that others should
do unto us."
Finally : Mr. Paine affirms that men, by becoming Deists,
would "live more consistently and morally than by any other
system." As to living more consistently, it is possible there
may be some truth in it ; for the best Christians, it must be
allowed, have many imperfections, which are but so many
inconsistencies ; whereas, by complying with this advice, they
would be uniformly wicked. And, as to their living more
morally, if Mr. Paine could coin a new system of morals, from
which the love of God should be excluded, and intempe
rance, incontinency, pride, profane swearing, cursing, lying,
and hypocrisy, exalted to the rank of virtues, he might very
probably make good his assertion.
Mr. Paine professes to " detest the Bible on account of its

CONDUCT OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS. 169
obscene stories, voluptuous debaucheries, cruel executions,
and unrelenting vindictiveness."* That the bible relates
such things is true ; and every impartial history of mankind
must do the same. The question is, whether they be so
related as to leave a favourable impression of them upon the
mind of a serious reader* If so, and if the bible be that
immoral book which Mj. Paine represents it to be, how is it
that the reading of it should have reclaimed millions from
immorality ? Whether he will acknowledge this, or not, it
is a fact too notorious to be denied by impartial observers.
Every man residing in a Christian country will acknowledge,
unless he have an end to answer in saying otherwise, that
those people who read the bible, believe its doctrines, and
endeavour to form their lives by its precepts, are the most
sober, upright, and useful members of the community : and,
on the other hand, that those who discredit the bible, and
renounce it as the rule of their lives, are, generally speaking,
addicted to the grossest vices : such as profane swearing,
lying, drunkenness, and lewdness. It is very singular, I
repeat it, that men, by regarding an immoral book, should
learn to practise morality ; and that others, by disregarding
it, should learn the contrary.
How is it that, in countries where Christianity has made
progress, men have almost universally agreed in reckoning
a true Christian, and an amiable, open, modest, chaste, con
scientious, and benevolent character, as the same thing ?
How is it, also, that to say of a man, He rejects the bible,
is nearly the same thing, in the account of people in general,
as to say. He is a man of a dissolute life ? If there were
not a general connexion between these things, pubUc opinion
would not so generally associate them. Individuals, and
even parties, may be governed by prejudice ; but public
opinion of character is seldom far from truth. Besides, the
prejudices of merely nominal Christians, so far as my obser
vation extends, are as strong against those Christians who
are distinguished by their devout and serious regard to the
scriptures as against professed infidels, if not stronger.
How is it then to be accounted for, that, although they will
caU them fanatics, enthusiasts, and other unpleasant names,
* Age of Reason, part i., p. 12.

170 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
yet. it is very rare that they reckon them immoral ? If, as
is sometimes the case, they accuse them of unworthy mo
tives,' and insinuate that in secret they are as wicked as
others, either such insinuations are not seriously believed,
or, if they be, the party is considered as insincere m hife
profession. No man thinks that genuine Christianity con
sists with a wicked life, open or secret. But the ideas of
infldeUty and immorality are associated in the pubUc mind,
and the association is clear and strong ; so much so, as to
become a ground of action. Whom do men ordinarily
choose for umpires, trustees, guardians, and_ the^ like ?
Doubtless they endeavour to select persons of intelUgence :
but, if to this be added Christian principle, is it not of
weight in these cases ? It is seldom known, I believe, but
that a serious intelligent Christian, whose situation in the
world renders him conversant with its concerns, will have
his hands full of employment. Ask bankers, merchants,
tradesmen, and others who are frequently looking out for
persons of probity to occupy situations of trust, in whose
hands they would choose to confide their property ? They
might object, and with good reason, to persons whose reli
gion rendered them pert, conceited, and idle ; but would
they not prefer one who really makes the bible the rule of
his life to one who professedly rejects it ? The common
practice in these cases affords a sufficient answer.
How is it that the principles and reasonings of infidels,
though frequently accompanied with great natural and ac
quired abilities, are seldom known to make any impression
on sober people ? Is it not because the men and their com
munications are known ? * How is it that so much is made
* It is said of a gentleman lately deceased, who was eminent in the
literary world, that in early life he drank deeply into the free-thinking
scheme. He and one of his companions, of the same turn of mind, often
carried on their conversations in the hearing of a religious but illiterate
coimtryman. This gentleman, afterwards becoming a serious Christian,
was concerned for the countryman, lest his faith in the Christian religion
should have been shaken. One day he took the liberty to ask him,
whether what had so frequently been advanced in his hearing had not
produced this effect upon him \ " By no means," answered the country
man, " it never made the least impression upon me." " No impression
upon you !" said the gentleman, "why, you must know that we have read
and thought on these things much more than you had any opportunity of
doing." "0 yes," said the other, "but I knew also your manner of

CONDUCT OF BELIEVERS AUD UNBELIEVERS. 171
of the falls of Noah, Lot, David, Jonah, Peter, and others ?
The same things in heathen philosophers, or modern un
believers, would be passed over without notice. All the
declamations of our adversaries on these subjects plainly
prove that such instances with us are more singular than
with them. With us they are occasional, and afford matter
for deep . repentance : with them they are habitual, and
furnish employment in the work of palliation. The spots
on the garments of a child attract attention ; but the filthy
condition of the animal that wallows in the mire is disre
garded, as being a thing of course.
The morality, such as it is, which is found among Deists,
amounts to nothing more than a little exterior decorum.
The criminality of intention is expressly disowned.* The
great body of^ these writers pretend to no higher motives
than a regard to their safety, interest, or reputation. Ac
tions proceeding from these principles must not only be des
titute of virtue, but ¦wretchedly defective as to their influence
on the well-being of society. If the heart be towards God,
a sober, righteous, and godly life becomes a matter of
choice ; but that which is performed, not for its own sake,
but from fear, interest, or ambition, will extend no farther
than the eye of man can follow it. In domestic life it will
be but little regarded, and in retiremeat not at aU. Such,
in fact, is the character of infidels. " Will you dare to
assert," says Linguet, a French writer, in an address to
Voltaire, " that it is in philosophic famiUes we are to look
for models of filial respect, conjugal love, sincerity in friend
ship, or fldelity among domestics ? Were you disposed to
do so, would not your own conscience, your own experience,
suppress the falsehood, even before your lips could utter it ?"|
" Wherever society is established, there it is necessary to
have religion ; for religion, which watches over the crimes
that are secret, is, in fact, the only law which a man carries
about with him ; the only one which places the punishment
at the side of the guilt, and which operates as forcibly in
living : I knew that, to maintain such a course of conduct, you found it
necessary to renounce Christianity."
? Volney's Law of Nature, p. 18.
f Linguet was an admirer of Voltaire; but disapproved of his opposition
to Christianity. See his Review of that author's Works, p. 264.

172 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
soUtude and darkness as in the broad and open face of day."
Would the reader have thought it ? These are the words of
Voltaire.* Nothing is more common than for deistical writers to level
their artillery against the Christian ministry. Under the
appellation of priests, they seem to think themselves at
Uberty to load them with every species of abuse. That there
are great numbers of worldly men who have engaged in the
Christian ministry, as other worldly men engage in other
employments, for the sake of profit, is true ; and, where this
is the case, it may be expected that hunting, gaming, and
such kinds of amusements, wiU be their favourite pursuits,
while religious exercises will be performed as a piece of
necessary drudgery. Where this is the case, " their devotion
must be feigned, and their seriousness mere hypocrisy and
grimace." But, that this should be, represented as a general
case, and that the ministry itself should be reproached on
account of the hypocrisy of worldly men, who intrude them
selves into it, can only be owing to malignity. Let the
fullest subtraction be made of characters of the above de
scription, and I appeal to impartial observation whether
there will not still remain in only this particular order of
Christians, and at almost any period, a greater number of
serious, upright, disinterested, and benevolent persons, than
could be found among the whole body of Deists in a succes
sion of centuries.
It is worthy of notice that Mr. Hume, in attempting to
plunge Christian ministers into the mire of reproach, is
obUged to descend himself, and to drag aU mankind with
him, into the same situation. He represents ministers as
" drawn from the common mass of mankind, as people are
to other employments, by the views of profit ;" and suggests
that "therefore they are obUged, on many occasions, to
feign more devotion than they possess," which is friendly
to hypocrisy.f The leading motive of aU pubUc officers,
it seems, is to aggrandize themselves. If Mr. Hume had
accepted of a station under government, we can be at no loss
therefore, in judging what would have been his predominant
principle. How weak, as weU as wicked, must that man
• In Sullivan's Survey of Nature.
•'• Essay on National Characters, Note.

CONDUCT OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS. 173
have been, who, in ofder to wound the reputation of one
description of men, could point bis arrows against the
integrity of aU ! But the world must forgive hira. He had
no iU design against them, any more than against himself.
It was for the purpose of destroying these Philistines that he
aimed to demolish the temple of human virtue.
Nor is his antipathy, or that of his brethren, at all to be
wondered at. These are the men who, in every' age, have
exposed the sophistry of Deists, and vindicated Christianity
from their malicious aspersions. It is reasonable to suppose,
therefore, that they will always be considered as their natu
ral enemies. It is no more a matter of surprise that they
should be the objects of their invective, than that the wea
pons of nightly depredators should be pointed against the
watchmen, whose business it is to detect them, and expose
their nefarious practices.
After all, Mr. Hume pretends to respect '' clergymen, who
are set apart by the laws to the cure of sacred matters ;" and
wishes to be understood as directing his censures only
against priests, or those who pretend to power and dominion,
and to a superior sanctity of character, distinct from virtue
and good morals.* It should seem, then, that they are dis
senting ministers only that incur Mr. Hume's displeasure :
but if, as he represents them, they be "drawn to their
employment by the views of profit," they certainly cannot
possess the common understanding of men, since they could
scarcely pursue an occupation less likely to accomplish their
design. The truth is, Mr. Hume did not mean to censure
dissenting ministers only ; nor did he feel any respect for
clergymen set apart by the laws. Those whom he meant to
spare were such clergymen as were men after his own heart ;
and the objects of his dislike were truly evangelical minis
ters, whether churchmen or dissenters, who were not satis
fied with his kind of morality, but were men of holy Uves,
and consequently were respected by the people. These are
the men against whom the enmity of Deists has ever been
directed. As to other priests they have no other difference
with them than that of rivalship, wishing to possess their
wealth and influence, which the others are not always the
* Essays Moral and Political, Essay xii., pp. 107, 1(18, note.

174 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
most wiUing to reUnquish. In professing, however, to
"respect" such clergymen, Mr. Hume only means to flatter
them, and draw them on to a little nearer alliance with his
views. Respect is excited only by consistency of character,
and is frequently involuntary. A clergyman of loose morals
may be preferred, and his company courted, but respected he
cannot be.
As to those ministers against whom Mr. Hume levels his
artillery, and against whom the real enmity of his party h^s
always been directed, there is not a body of men in the
world, of equal talents and industry, who receive less, if so
little, for their labours. If those who have so liberally
accused them of interested motives gained no more by their
exertions than the accused, they would not be so wealthy as
many of them are.
Compare the conduct of the leading men among Deists
with that of the body of serious Christian divines. Amidst
their declamations against priestly hypocrisy, are they honest
men ? Where is their ingenuousness in continually con
founding Christianity and Popery ? Have these workers of
iniquity no knowledge ? " No," say some, " they do not
understand the difference between genuine and corrupted
Christianity. They have .never had opportunity of viewing
the religion of Jesus in its native dress. It is popish super
stition against which their efforts are directed. If they
understood Christianity they would embrace it." Indeed !
And was this the case with Shaftesbury, Bolingbroke,, Hume,
or Gibbon ? or is this the case with Paine ? No ; they have
both seen and hated the light : nor will they come to it, lest
their deeds should be made manifest.
It may be thought, however, that some excuse may be
made for infidels residing in a popish country ; and this I
shall not dispute as it respects the ignorant populace, who
may be carried away by their leaders ; but, as it respects the
leaders themselves, it is otherwise. 'The National Assembly
of France, when they wished to counteract the priests, and
to reject the adoption of the ,Roman Catholic faith as the
established reUgion, could clearly distinguish between genuine
and corrupted Christianity.* Deists can distinguish between
Cliristianity and its abuses, when an end is to be answered
• Mirabeau's Speeches, ¦vol. ii., pp. 269 — 274.

CONDUCT OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS. 175
by it ; and, when an end is to be answered by it, they can,
with equal facility, confound them.
Herbert, Hobbes, Shaftesbury, Woolston, Tindal, Chubb,
and Bolingbroke, are all guilty of the vile hypocrisy of pro
fessing to love and reverence Christianity, while they are
employed in no other design than to destroy it. Such faith-
less professions, such gross violations of truth, in Christians,
would have been proclaimed to the universe by these very
writers, as infamous desertions of principle and decency. Is
it less infamous in themselves ? All hypocrisy is detestable ;
but I know of none so detestable as that which is cooUy
written, with full premeditation, by a man of talents, as
suming the character of a moral and religious instructor.
Truth is a virtue perfectly defined, mathematically clear,
and completely understood by all men of comraon sense.
There can be no baitings between uttering truth and false
hood ; no doubt, no mistakes, as between piety and enthusi
asm, frugality and parsimony, generosity and profusion.
Transgression, therefore, is always a known, definite, de
liberate villainy. In the sudden moment of strong tempta
tion, in the hour of unguarded attack, in the flutter and
trepidation of unexpected alarm, the best man may, perhaps,
be surprised into any sin ; but he who can coolly, of steady
design, and with no unusual impulse, utter falsehood, and
vend hypocrisy, is not far from finished depravity.
The morals of Rochester and Wharton need no comment.
Woolston was a gross blasphemer. Blount solicited his
sister-in-law to marry him, and, being refused, shot himself.
Tindal was Originally a Protestant, then turned Papist, then
Protestant again, merely to suit the times ; and was at the
same time infamous for vice in general, and the total want
of principle. He is said to have died with this prayer in his
mouth, "If there be a God, I desire that he may have
mercy on me." Hobbes wrote his " Leviathan" to serve the
cause of Charles I., but, finding him fail of success, he turned
it to the defence of Cromwell, and made a merit of this fact
to the usurper, as Hobbes himself unblushingly declared to
Lord Clarendon. Morgan had no regard to truth, as is
evident from his numerous falsifications of Scripture, as well
as from the vile hypocrisy of professing himself a Christian
in those very writings in which he labours to destroy Chris-

176 THE GOSPEL ITS O'WN WITNESS.
tianity. Voltaire, in a Letter now remaining, requested his
friend D'Alembert to teU for him a direct and palpable lie,
by denying that he was the author of the Philosophical
Dictionary. D'Alembert, in his answer, informed him that
he had told the Ue. Voltaire has, indeed, expressed his
own moral character perfectly in the following words,
" Monsieur Abbe, I must be read, no matter whether I am
beUeved or not." He also solemnly professed to beUeve the
Catholic reUgion, although at the same time he doubted the
existence of a God. Hume died as a fool dieth. The day
before his death he spent in a Jjitiful and affected unconcern
about this tremendous subject, playing at whist, reading
Lucian's Dialogues, and making silly attempts at wit, con
cerning his interview with Charon, the heathen ferry-man
of Hades.*
Collins, though he had no belief in Christianity, yet
qualified himself for civil office by partaking of the Lord's
supper. Shaftesbury did the same ; and the same is done
by hundreds of infidels to this day. Yet these are the men
who are continually declaiming against the hypocrisy of
priests ! Godwin is not only a lewd character, by his own
confession, but the unblushing advocate of lewdness. And,
as to Paine, he is well known to have been a profane swearer
and a drunkard. We have evidence upon oath that " reli
gion was his favourite topic when intoxicated ; " f and, from
the scurrility of the performance, it is not improbable that
he was frequently in this situation while writing his " Age
of Reason."
I shall conclude this catalogue of worthies with a brief
abstract of the " Confessions of J. J. Rousseau." After a
good education in the Protestant religion, be was put ap
prentice. Finding his situation disagreeable to him, he felt
a strong propensity to vice — inclining him to covet, dis
semble, lie, arid at length to steal — a propensity of which he
was never able afterwards to divest himself. " I have been
a rogue," says he, "and am so still sometimes, for trifles
which I had rather take than ask for. "J
* The last two paragraphs are taken from Dr. Dwight's excellent Dis
courses on " The Nature and Danger of Infidel Philosophy," pp 45  47
+ See Trial of T. Paine at Guildhall, for a Libel, &c., p. isf
j Confessions, London Ed. 1796, vol. i., pp. 52, 65, 68.

CONDUCT OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS. 177-
He abjured the Protestant religion, and entered tlie hos
pital of the Catechumens at Turin, to be instructed in that
of the Catholics ; " For which ift return," says he, " I was
to receive subsistence. From this interested conversion," he
adds, "nothing remained but the remembrance of my having
been both a dupe and an apostate."*
After this he resided with a Madame de Warrens, with
whom he " lived in the greatest possible famiUarity." This
lady often suggested that there would be no justice in the
Supreme Being, should he be strictly just to us ; because,
not having bestowed what was necessary to make us essen
tially good, it would be requiring more than he had given.
She was, nevertheless, a very good Catholic, or pretended at
least to be one, and certainly desired to be such. If there
had been no Christian morality estabUshed, Rousseau sup
poses she would have lived as though regulated by its
principles. All her morality, however, was subordinate to
the principles of M. Tavel (who first seduced her from
conjugal fidelity by urging, in effect, that exposure was the
only crime) ; or, rather, she saw nothing in religion that
contradicted them. Rousseau was far enough from being
of this opinion ; yet he confessed he dared not combat the
arguments of the lady ; nor is it supposable he could, as he
appears to have been acting on the same principles at the
time. "Finding in her," he adds, "all those ideas /Aarf
occasion for, to secure me from the fears of death and its
future consequences, I drew confidence and security from
this source."]-
The writings of Port Royal, and those of the Oratory,.
made him half a Jansenist ; and, notwithstanding aU his
confidence, their harsh theory sometimes alarmed him. A
dread of hell, which, till then, he had never much appre
hended, by little and little disturbed his security, and had
not Madame de Warrens tranquillized his soul, would at
length have been too much for him. His confessor also, a
Jesuit, contributed all in his power to keep up his hopes.J
After this, he became familiar with another female, The
resa, He began by declaring to her that he would never
either abandon or marry her. Finding her pregnant with
* Vol. i., pp. 125, 126. t Vol. ii., pp. 88, 89, 103—106.
J Vol. ii., p. 127.
VOL. I. N

178' THE GOSPEL ITS OWN -WITNESS.
het first child, and hearing it observed, in an eating-house,
that'/te who had the best filled the Foundling hospital was
alw&ys'the most applamded, " I said tio myself," he tells us,
" since it is the custom of the country, they who_ live here
may adopt it. I cheerfully determined upon it without tbe
least scruple : and the only one I had to overcome was that
of Theresa ; whom, with the greatest imaginable difficulty,
I persuaded to coiuply." The year following a similar in
convenience was remedied by the same expedient ; no more
reflection on bis part, nor approbation on that of the mother.
"She obliged with trembling. My fault," says he, "was
great ; but it was an error." *
He resolved on settling at Geneva : and, on going thither
and being mortified at his exclusion from the rights of a
citizen by the profession of a religion different from his
forefathers', he determined openly to return to the latter.
" I thought," says he, " the gospel being the same for every
Christian, and the only difference in reUgious opinions the
result of the explanations given by men to that which they
did not understand, it was the exclusive right of the sove
reign power in every country to fix the mode of worship,
and these unintelligible opinions ; and that, consequently, it
was the duty of a citizen to admit the one, and conform to
the other, in the manner prescribed by the law." Accx)rd-
ingly, at Geneva he renounced popery, t
After passing twenty years with Theresa, he made her
his wife. He appears to have intrigued with a Madame de
H  . Of his desires after that lady, he says, " Guilty
without remorse, I soon became so without measure." |
Such, according to his own account, was the Ufe of upright
ness and honour which was to expiate for a theft which he
had committed when a young man, and laid to a female servant,
by which she lost her place and character.§ Such was
Rosseau, the man whom the rulers of the French nation have
deUghted to honour ; and who, for writing this account, had
the vanity and presumption to expect the applause of his
Creator. "Whenever the last trumpet shall sound," says
he, " I wiU present myself before the sovereign Judge, with
* Partii., vol. i., pp. 123, 154, 155, 183, '87, 315.
t Ibid,, pp. 263, -264. $ Vol. i., pp. 31 1, 378.
§ Vol. i., pp. 155, 160.

EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY ON SOCIETY. 179
this book in my hand, and loudly proclaim. Thus have I
acted ; these were my thoughts ; such was I, Power eternal !
Assemble round thy throne the innumerable throng of my
fellow mortals. Let them listen to my confessions ; let them
blush at my depravity ; let them tremble at my sufferings ;
let each in his turn expose, with equal sincerity, the failings,
the wanderings of his heart ; and, if he dare, aver — I was
better than that man." *

CHAPTER VL
CHRISTIANITY HAS NOT ONLY PRODUCED GOOD EFFECTS IN
THOSE WHO CORDIALLY BELIEVE IT, BUT HAS GIVEN TO
THE MORALS OP SOCIETY AT LARGE A TONE, WHICH DEISM,
SO PAR AS IT OPERATES, GOBS TO COUNTERACT.
No man walks through life without a rule of some kind,
by which his conduct is directed, and his inclinations
restrained. They who fear not God are influenced by a
regard to the opinions of men. To avoid the censure, and
gain the applause of the public, is the summit of their ambi
tion. Public opinion has an influence, not only on tbe conduct
of individuals in a community, but on the formation of its
laws. Legislators will not only conform their systems to
what the humours of the people will bear, but will them
selves incline to omit those virtues which are the most
ungrateful, and to spare those vices which are most agree
able. Nor is this all : so great is the influence of "public opinion
that it will direct the conduct of a community against its
own laws. There are obsolete statutes, as we all know, the
breach of which cannot be punished : and even statutes
which are not obsolete, where they operate against this
principle, have but Uttle effect ; witness the connivance at
the atrocious practice of duelling.
Now, if public opinion be so potent a principle, whatever
has a prevailing influence in forming it must give a decided
tone to what are considered as the morals of a nation. I say
* Vol. i., p. 1.
n2

180 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
to what are coiisidered as the morals of a nation ; for, strictly
speaking, so much of the love of God and man as prevai^ in
a nation, so much morality is there in it, and no more. But,
as we can judge of love only by its expressions, we call those
actions moral, though it is possible their morality may only
be counterfeit, by which the love of God and man is ordinarily
expressed. If we perform from some other motive, those
actions which are the ordinary expressions of love, our good
deeds are thereby rendered evil in the sight of Him who
views things as they are : nevertheless, what we do may be
equally beneficial to society as though we acted from the
purest motive. In this indirect way Christianity has operated
more than anything that has been called by the name of
religion, or by any other name, towards meUorating the state
of mankind.
It has been observed, and with great propriety, that, in
order to know what religion has done for an individual, we
must consider what he would have been without it. The
same may be said of a nation, or of the world. What would
the nations of Europe have been at. this time if it had not
been for the introduction of Christianity ? It cannot reason
ably be pretended that they would have been in any better
situation, as to morality, than that in which they were pre
viously to this event ; for there is no instance of any people
having, by their own efforts, emerged from idolatry and the
immoralities which attend it. Now, as to what that state
was, some notice has been taken already, so far as relates to
the principles and lives of the old philosophers. To this I
shall add a brief review of the state of society among them.
Great praises are bestowed by Plutarch on the customs
and manners of the Lacedemonians. Yet the same writer
acknowledges that theft was encouraged in their children by
a law, and that in order to " sharpen their wits, to render
them crafty and subtle, and to train them up in all sorts of
wiles and cunning, watchfulness and circumspection, where-^
by they were more apt to serve them in their wars, which
was upon the matter the whole profession of this common
wealth. And, if at any time they were taken in the act of
stealing, they were most certainly punished with rods, and
the penance of fasting ; not because they esteemed the stealth
criminal, but because they wanted sldll and cunning in the

EFFECTS OF CHRISTLiNITY ON SOCIETY. 181
management and conduct of it."* Hence, as might be
expected, and as Herodotus observes, their actions were
geperally contrary to their words ; and there was no depend
ence upon them in any matter.
As to their chastity, there were common baths in which
the men and women bathed together : and it was ordered
that tbe young maidens should appear naked in the public
exercises, as well as the young men, and that they should
dance naked with them at tbe solemn festivals and sacrifices.
Husbands also were allowed to impart the use of their wives
to handsome and deserving men, in order to the producing
of healthy and vigorous children for the commonwealth.
Children which were deformed, or of a bad constitution,
were murdered. This inhuman custom was common all
over Greece ; so much so that it was reckoned a singular
thing, among tbe Thebans, that tbe law forbade any Theban
to expose his infant, under pain of death. This practice,
with that of procuring abortion, was encouraged by Plato
and Aristotle.
The unnatural love of hoys was so common in Greece that
in many places it was sanctioned by the public laws, of which
Aristotle gives the reason : namely, to prevent their having
too many children. Maximus Tyrius celebrates it as a sin
gularly heroic act of Agesilaus, that, being in love with a
beautiful barbarian boy, he suffered it to go no farther than
looking at him and admiring him. Epictetus also praises
Socrates in this manner : " Go to Socrates, and see him lying
by Alcibiades, yet slighting his youth and beauty. Consider
what a victory he was conscious of obtaining ? What an
Olympic prize ! So that, by heaven, one might justly salute
him, Hail, incredibly great, universal victor!" What an
impUcation does such language contain of the manners of
those times !
The Romans were allowed by Romulus to destroy all their
female children, except the eldest : and even with regard to
their male children, if they were deformed, or monstrous, he
permitted the parents to expose them, after having shown
them to five of their nearest neighbours. Such things were
in common use among them, and were celebrated upon their
theatres. • Piutarch''s Morals, vol. i., p. 9S.

182 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
Such was their cruelty to their slaves that it was not
unusual for the masters to put such of them as were old,
sick, and infirm, into an island in the Tiber, where they left
them to perish. So far did some of them carry their luxury
and wantonness as to drown them in the fish-ponds, that
they might be devoured by the fish, to make the flesh more
delicate. Gladiatory shotos, in which a number of slaves were en
gaged to fight for the diversion of the multitude till each one
slew or was slain by his antagonist, were common among
them. Of these brutish exercises the people were extremely
fond ; even the women ran eagerly after them, taking plea
sure in seeing the combatants kill one another, desirous only
that they should fall genteelly, or in an agreeable attitude !
They were exhibited at the funerals of great and rich men,
and on many other occasions. So frequent did they become,
that no war, it is. Said, caused such slaughter of mankind as
did these sports of pleasure, throughout the several provinces
of the Roman empire.
That odious and unnatural vice, which prevailed among
the Greeks, was also common among the Romans. Cicero
introduces, without any mark of disapprobation, Cotta, a
man of the first rank and genius, freely and familiarly own
ing, to other Romans of the same quality, that worse than
beastly vice as practised by himself, and quoting the authori
ties of ancient philosophers in vindication of it. It appears
also, from Seneca, that in his time it was practised at Rome,
openly and without shame. He speaks of flocks and troops
of boys, distinguished by their colours and nations, and
affirms that great care was taken to train them up for that
detestable employment.
The religious rites performed in honour of Venus, ia
Cyprus, and at Aphac, on Mount Libanus, consisted in lewd
ness of the grossest kinds. The young people, of both sexes,
crowded from all parts to those sinks of poUution ; and, fiUing
the groves and temples with their shameless practices, com
mitted whoredom by thousands, out of pure' devotion.
AU the Babylonian women were obliged to prostitute them
selves once in their lives, at the temple of Venus or Mylitta,
to the first man that asked them : and the money earned by
this means was always esteemed sacred.

EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY ON SOCIETY. 183
Human sacrifices were offered up in almost all heathen
countries. Children were burnt alive by their parents, to
Baal, Moloch, and other deities. The Carthaginians, in
times of public calamity, not only burnt alive the children
of the best families to Saturn, and that by hundreds, but
sometimes sacrificed themselves in tbe same manner, in great
numbers. Here in Britain, and in Gaul, it was a common
practice to surround a man with a kind of wicker-work, and
burn him to death, in honour of their gods.*
In addition to tbe above, Mr. Hume has written as fol
lows : " What cruel tyrants were the Romans over the
world, during the time of their commonwealth ! It is true
they had laws to prevent oppression in their provincial
magistrates ; but Cicero informs us that the Romans could
not better consult the interest' of the provinces- than by
repealing these very laws. For in that case, says he, our
magistrates, having entire impunity,, would plunder no more
than would satisfy their own rapaciousness : whereas, at
present, they must also satisfy that of their judges, and of
all the great men of Rome, of whose protection they stand
in need."
The same writer, who certainly was not prejudiced
against them, speaking of their commonwealth in its more
early times, farther observes, " The most illustrious period
of tbe Roman history, considered in a political view, is that
between the beginning of the first and end of tbe last Punic
war ; yet, at this very time, the horrid practice of poisoning
was so common, that, during part of a season, a prastor
punished capitally, for this crime, above three thousand
persons in a part of Italy, and foimd informations of this
nature still multiplying upon him ! So depraved in private
life," adds Mr. Hume, '"were tbe people, whom, in their
history, we so much admire."^^
From the foregoing facts we may form some judgment of
the justness of Mr. Paine's remarks. "We know nothing,"
says be, "of what the ancient Gentile world was before the
• The authorities on which this brief statement of facts is founded may
be seen in Dr. Leland's Advantages and Necessity of tlie Christian Revela
tion, vol. ii., part ii., chap. iii. iv., where the subject is more particularly
, handled. See also Deism Revealed, vol. i., pp. 77, 78.
t Essay on Politics a Science.

-184 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
tijae"'of the Jews, whose practice has been to calumniate
atfiS blacken the character of aU other nations. As far as
-we know to the contrary, they were a just and moral people,
and not addicted, Uke the Jews, to cruelty and revenge, but
of whose profession of faith we are unacquainted. _ It
appears to have been their custom to personify both virtue
and vice by statues and images, as is done now-a-days l)y
statuary and painting : but it does not follow from this that
they worshipped them any more than we do."
Unless heathens, before the time of the Jews, were totally
different from what they were in all after ages, there can
be no reasonable doubt of their worshipping a pluraUty of
deities, of which images were supposed to be the represen
tations. Mr. Paine himself allows, and that in the same
performance, that prior to the Christian era they were
"idolaters, and had twenty or thirty thousand gods."*
Yet, by his manner of speaking in this place, he manifestly
wishes to insinuate, in behalf of all the heathen nations,
that they might worship idols no more than we do. It
might be worth while for this writer, methinks, to bestow a
Uttle more attention to the improvement of his memory.
With respect to their being "just and moral people,"
unless they were extremely different before the time of the
Jews from what they were in all after ages, there can be no
reasonable doubt of their being what the sacred writers have
represented them. If those writers have said nothing worse
of them than has been said by the most early and authentic
historians from among themselves, it wiU be easy for an
impartial reader to decide whether heathens have been
" calumniated and blackened " by the Jewish writers, or the
Jewish writers by Mr. Paine.
But it is not by the state of the ancient heathens only that
we discover the importance of Christianity. A large part
of tbe world is still in the same condition ; and the same
immoralities abound among them which are reported to
have abounded among the Greeks and Romans.
I am aware that deistical writers have laboured to hold
up the modern as well as the ancient heathens in a very
favourable Ught. In various anonymous publications, much
is said of their simplicity and virtue. One of them suggests
» Age of Reason, part ii., pp. 39, 40. f Ibid., p. 5.

EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY ON SOCIETY.^i^v^^^S'S'^s., V

that the Chinese are so " superior to Christians, in ^Ja:
to moral virtues, that it may seem necessary that^^e
should send missionaries to teach us the use and practice^^
natural theology, as we send missionaries to them to teach
them revealed religion."* Yea, and some who wish to rank
as Christians, have, on this ground, objected to all missionary
undertakings among the heathen. Let us examine this
matter a little closely. "
Almost all tbe accounts which are favourable to heathen
virtue are either written by tbe adversaries of Christianity,
and with a design to disparage it, or by navigators and
travellers, who have touched at particular places, and made
their reports according to the treatment they have met with,
rather than from a regard to universal righteousness. An
authentic report of the morals of a people requires to be
given, not from a transient visit, but from a continued
residence among them ; not from their occasional treatment
of a stranger, but from their general character; and not
from having an end to answer, but with a rigid regard to
truth. It is worthy of notice that the far greater part of these
representations respect people •with whom we have little or
no acquaintance, and therefore, whatever the truth may be,
are less liable to contradiction. As to China, Hindostan,
and some other parts of tbe world, with whose moral state
we have had the means of acquiring some considerable
degree of knowledge, the praises bestowed on them by our
adversaries have proved to be unfounded. From the
accounts of those who have resided in China, there does
not seem to be much reason to boast of their virtue. On
the contrary, their morals appear to be full as bad as those
of the ancient heathens. It is allowed that they take great
care of their outward behaviour, more perhaps than is taken
in any other part of the world besides ; that whatever they
do or say is so contrived that it may have a good appear
ance, please all, and offend none; and that they excel in
outward modesty, gravity, good words, courtesy, and civility.
But, notwithstanding this, it is said that tbe sin against
nature is extremely common ; that drunkenness is consi
dered as no crime ; that every one takes as many concubines
* -Christianity as old as the Creation, pp. 366, 367.

186 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
as he can keep; that many of the common people pawn
their wives in time of need, and some lend them for a
month, or more, or less, according as they agree; that
marriage is dissolved on the most trifling occasions; that
sons and daughters are sold whenever their parents please,
and that is frequently ; that many of the rich, as well as the
poor, when they are delivered of daughters, stifle and kiU
them; that those who are more tender-hearted will leave
them under a vessel, where they expire in great misery;
and, finaUy, that notwithstanding this, they aU, except the
learned, plead humanity and compassion against killing other
living creatures, thinking it a cruel thing to take that life
which they cannot give. Montesquieu says, " The Chinese,
whose whole life is governed by the established rites, are the
most void of common honesty of any people upon earth ; and
the laws, though they do not allow them to rob or to spoil
by violence, yet permit them to cheat and defraud." With
this agrees the account given of them in Lord Anson's
"Voyages," and by other navigators — that lying, cheating,
stealing, and all the little arts of chicanery abound among
them ; and that, if you detect them in a fraud, they calmly
plead the custom of the country.* Such are the people by
whom we are to be taught the use and practice of natural
theology !
If credit could be given to what some writers have
advanced, we might 'suppose the moral philosophy and
virtuous conduct of the Hindoos to be worthy of being a
pattern to the world. The rules by which they govern
their conduct are, as we have been told, " Not to tell false
tales, nor to utter anything that is untrue ; not to steal any
thing from others, be it ever so little ; not to defraud any
by their cunning in bargains or contracts ; not to oppress
any when they have power to do it."')'
Very opposite accounts, however, are given by numerous
and respectable witnesses, who do not appear to have writ
ten under the influence of prejudice. I shaU select but two
or three.
Francis Bernier, an intelUgent French traveller, speajiing
• See Leland's Advantages and Necessity of Revelation, vol. ii., part ii.,
chap. iv.
t Harris's, Voyages and Travels, vol. i., chap. ii. § 11, 13.

EFFECTS OF CHRISTLiNITY ON SOCIETY. 187
of the Hindoos, says, " I know not whether there be in the
world a more covetous and sordid nation. The Brahmins
keep these people in their errors and superstitions, and
scruple not to commit tricks and villainies so infamous that
I could never have believed them if I had not made an
ample inquiry into them."*
Governor Holwell thus characterizes them : " A race of
people who, from their infancy, are utter strangers to the
idea of common faith and honesty." — " This is tbe situation
of the bulk of the people of Indostan, as well as of the
modern Brahmins : amongst the latter, if we except one in
a thousand, we give them over measure. The Gentoos in
general are as degenerate, superstitious, litigious, and
wicked a people as any race of people in the known world,
if not eminently more so ; especially the common run of
Brahmins : and we can truly aver that, during almost flve
years that we presided in the Judicial Cutchery Court of
Calcutta, never any murder, or other atrocious crime, came
before us, but it was proved, in tbe end, a Brahmin was at
the bottom of it.t
Mr., afterwards Sir John, Shore, and governor general of
Bengal, speaking of the same people, says : " A man must be
long acquainted with them, before be can believe them capa
ble of that bare-faced falsehood, servile adulation, and deli
berate deception, which they daily practise. It is tbe busi
ness of all, from the Ryott to the Dewan, to conceal and
deceive ; the simplest matters of fact are designedly covered
with a veil, through which no human understanding can
penetrate."! In perfect agreement with these accounts are others which
are constantly received from persons of observation and
probity, now residing in India. Of these tbe foUowing are
extracts : — " Lying, theft, whoredom, and deceit are sins
for which the Hindoos are notorious. There is not one man
in a thousand who does not make lying his constant practice.
Their thoughts of God are so very light that they only con
sider him as a sort of plaything. Avarice and servility are
• Voyages de Francois Bernier, tome i.,pp. 150, 162, et tome ii., p. 195.
f Holwell's Historical Events, vol. i., p.. 228, vol. ii., p. 151.
J Parliamentjiy Proceedings against Mr. Hastings, Appendix to vol. ii.,
p. 65. .

188 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
so united in almost every individual, that cheating, juggUng,
and lying are esteemed no sins with them ; and the best
among them, though they speak ever so great a falsehood,
yet consider it no evU unless you flrst charge them to speak
the truth. When they defraud you ever so much, and you
charge them with it, they coolly answer. It is the custom of
the country. In England, the poor receive the beneflt of the
gospel, in being fed and clothed by those who know not by
what principles they are moved. For, when the gospel is
generally acknowledged in a land, it puts some to fear and
others to shame ; so that to reUeve their own smart they
provide for the poor : but here (O miserable state !) I have
found tbe pathway stopped up by sick and wounded people,
perishing with hunger, and that in a populous neighbour
hood, where numbers pass by, some singing, others talking,
but none showing mercy ; as though they were dying weeds,
and not dying men."*
Comparing these accounts, a reader might be apt to sup
pose that the people must have greatly degenerated since
their laws were framed ; but the truth is, the laws are nearly
as corrupt as the people. Those who examine the Hindoo
Code ^ will find them so ; and will perceive that there is
scarcely a species of wickedness which they do not tolerate,
especially in favour of the Brahmins, of which order of
men, it may be presumed, were the first framers of the con
stitution. Let the reader judge, from this example of the Hindoos,
what degree of credit is due to antichristian historians, when
they undertake to describe the virtues of heathens.
From this brief statement of facts it is not very difficult to
perceive somewhat of that which Christianity has accom
plished with regard to tbe general state of society. It is by
no means denied that the natural dispositions of heathens, as
well as other men, are various. The scriptures themselves
¦record instances of their amiable deportment towards their
fellow creatures. J Neither is it denied that there are
characters in Christianized nations, and those in great num-
*' Periodical Accounts of the Baptist Mission, No. ii., p. 129 No iii ,
pp. 1.91, -230, No. iv., p. 291.
! Translated from the Sanscrit, and published in 1773.
Gen. xxiii.

EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY ON SOCIETY. 189
hers, whose wickedness cannot be exceeded, nor equalled,
by any who are destitute of their advantages. There is no
doubt but that the general moral character of heathens is
far less atrocious than that of Deists who reject tbe light
of revelation, and of multitudes of nominal Christians who
abuse it. The state of both these descriptions of men, with
respect to unenlightened pagans, is as that of Chorazin and
Bethsaida with respect to Sodom and Gomorrha. But that
for which I contend is the effect of Christianity upon the
general state of society. It it an indisputable fact that it
has banished gross idolatry from every nation in Europe. It
is granted that, where whole nations were concerned, this
effect might be accompUshed, not by persuasion, but by force
of arms. In this manner many legislators of former times
thought they did God service. But, whatever were the
means by which tbe worship of the one living and true God
was at first introduced, it is a fact, that the principle is now
so fully established, in the minds and consciences of men,
that there needs no force to prevent a return to the old
system of polytheism. There needs no greater proof of this
than has been afforded by unbelievers of a neighbouring
nation. Such evidently has been their predilection for
pagan manners that, had the Ught that is gone abroad among
mankind permitted it, they would at once have plunged into
gross idolatry, as into their native element. But this is
rendered morally impossible. They must be Theists or
Atheists ; Polytheists they cannot be.
By accounts, which from time to time have been received,
it appears that the prevaiUng party in France has not only
laboured to eradicate every principle of Christianity, but,
in one instance, actually made the experiment for restoring
something like the old idolatry. A respectable magistrate
of the United States,* in his Address to the Grand Jury in
Luzerne County, has stated a few of these facts to the public.
" Infidelity," says be, " having got possession of tbe power of
the state, every nerve was exerted to efface from the mind
all ideas of religion and morality. The doctriije of the.
immortality of the soul, or a future state of rewards and
punishments, so essential to the preservation of order in
society and to tbe prevention of crimes, was publicly ridi-
* Judge Rush.

190 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
culed, and the people taught to beUeve that death was an
everlasting sleep."
"They ordered the words 'Temple of Reason' to be
inscribed on the churches, in contempt of the doctrine of
revelation. Atheistical and Ucentions homiUes have been
pubUsbed in the churches, instead of the old service ; and a
ludicrous imitation of the Greek mythology exhibited, under
the titie of ' Tbe ReUgion of Reason.' Nay, they have gone
so far as to dress up with the most fantastic decorations a
common strumpet, whom they blasphemously styled 'The
Goddess of Reason,' and who was carried to church on the
shoulders of some Jacobins selected for the purpose, escorted
by the National Guards and the constituted authorities.
When they got to the church, the strumpet was placed on
the altar erected for the purpose, and harangued the people,
who, in return, professed the deepest adoration to her, and
sang the Carmagnole and other songs, by way of worship
ping her. This horrid scene — almost too horrid to relate
— was concluded by burning the prayer-book, confessional,
and everything appropriated to the use of public worship ;
numbers, in tbe meantime, danced round the flames with
every appearance of frantic and infernal mirth."
These things sufficiently express the inclinations of the
parties concerned, and what kind of blessings the world is
to expect from atheistical philosophy. But all attempts of
this kind are vain : the minds of men throughout Europe,
if I may for once use a cant term of their own, are too en
lightened to stoop to the practice of such fooleries. We
have a gentleman in our own country who appears to be a
sincere devotee to the pagan worship, and who, it seems,
would wish to introduce it ; but, as far as I can learn, all
the success which he has met with is to have obtained from
the public the honourable appellation of the gentile priest.
Whatever we are, and whatever we may be, gross idolatry,
I presume, may be considered as banished from Europe ;
and, thanks be to God, a number of its attendant abomina
tions, with various other immoral customs of tbe heathen,
are, in a good measure, banished with it. We have no
human sacrifices ; no gladiatory combats ; no pubUc inde
cencies between tbe sexes ; no law that requires prostitution;
no plurality or community of wives ; no dissolving of mar-

EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY ON SOCIETY. 191
riages on trifling occasions ; nor any legal murdering of
children, or of the aged and infirm. If unnatural crimes
be committed among us, they are not common ; much less
are they tolerated by the laws, or countenanced by public
opinion. On the contrary, tbe odiUm which follows such
practices is sufficient to stamp with perpetual infamy the
first character in the land. Rapes, incests, and adulteries
are not only punishable by law, but odious in the estimation
of the public. It is with us, at least in a considerable
degree, as it was in Judea, where he that was guilty of such
vices was considered as a fool in Israel. Tbe same, in less
degrees, may be said of fornication, drunkenness, lying, theft,
fraud, and cruelty : no one can Uve in the known ptactice
of these vices, and retain his character. It cannot be pleaded
in excuse with us, as it is in China, Hindostan, and Otaheite,
that " such things are the custom of the country."
We freely acknowledge that if we turn our eyes upon tbe
great evils which still exist, even in those nations where
Christianity has bad tbe greatest influence, we find abundant
reason for lamentation ; but, while we lament the evil, there
is no reason that we should overlook tbe good. Comparing
our state with that of former times, we cannot but with
thankfulness acknowledge. What hath God wrought I
I can conceive of but one question that can have any
tendency to weaken the argument arising from the foregoing
facts; viz.. Are they the effects of Christianity? If they
be not, and can be fairly accounted for on other principles,
the argument falls to the ground : but if they be, though
Shaftesbury satirize, Hume doubt, VoUaire laugh. Gibbon
insinuate, and Paine pour forth scurrility like a torrent, yet
honest men will say, " An evil tree bringeth not forth good
fruit : If this reUgion were not of God, it could do nothing."
If there be any adequate cause, distinct from Christianity,
to which these effects may be ascribed, it becomes our ad
versaries to state it. Meanwhile, I may observe, they are
not ascribable to anything besides Christianity that has
borne the name of religion. As to that of the ancient
heathens, it had no manner of relation to morality. The
priests, as Dr. Leland has proved, "made it not their busi
ness to teach men virtue.'"*' It is the same with modern
• Advantages and Necessity of Revelation, vol. ii., p. f 8.

192 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
heathens : their religion has nothing of moraUty pertaining
to it. They perform a round of superstitious observa,nces,
which produce no good effect whatever upon their Uves.
What they were yesterday, they are to-day ; " No man re-
penteth himself of his wickedness, saying. What have I
done!" Nor is it materiaUy different with Mahometans.
Their reUgion, though it includes the acknowledgment of
one Uving and true God, yet, rejecting the Messiah as the
Son of God, and attaching them to a bloody and lascivious
impostor, produces no good effect upon their morals, but
leaves them under the dominion of barbarity and voluptuous
ness. In short, there is no religion but that of Jesus Christ
that so much as professes to " bless men by turning them
from their iniquities."
Neither can these effects be attributed to philosophy. A
few great minds despised the idolatries of their countrymen;
but they did not reform them: and no wonder, for they
practised what they themselves despised. Nor did all their
harangues in favour of virtue produce any substantial effect
either on themselves or others. The heathen nations were
never more enlightened as to philosophy than at the time of
our Saviour's appearance ; yet, as to morality, they never
were more depraved.
It is Christianity then, and nothing else, which has de
stroyed the odious idolatry of many nations, and greatly con
tracted its attendant immoralities. It was in this way that
the gospel operated in the primitive ages, wherever it was
received; and it is in the same way that it continues to'
operate to the present tirae. Real Christians must needs be
adverse to these things ; and they are the only men living
who cordially set themselves against them.
This truth will receive additional evidence from an ob
servation of the different degrees of morality produced in
different places, according to tbe degree of purity with which
the Christian religion has been taught, and liberty given it
to operate. In several nations of Europe popery has long
been established, and supported by sanguinary laws. By
these means the bible has been kept from the common people.
Christian doctrine and worship corrupted, and the consciences
of men subdued to a usurper of Christ's authority. Chris
tianity is there in prison ; and auti-christianism exalted in

EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY ON SOCIETY. 193
its place! In other nations this yoke is broken. Every
true Christian has a Bible in his family, and measures his
religion by it. The rights of conscience also being re
spected, men are allowed, in religious matters, to judge and
act for themselves ; and Christian churches are formed
according to the primitive model. Christianity is here at
liberty ; here, therefore, it may be expected to produce its
greatest effects. Whether this does not correspond with
fact, let those who are accustomed to observe men and things
with an impartial eye determine.
In Italy, France, and various other countries, where tbe
Christian reUgion has been so far corrupted as to lose nearly
all its influence, illicit connexions may be formed, adulterous
intrigues pursued, and even crimes against nature committed,
with but little dishonour. Rousseau could here send bis
illegitimate offspring to tbe Foundling Hospital, and lay bis
accounts with being applauded for it, as being the custom of
the country. It is not so in Britain, and various other
nations, where the gospel has bad a freer course ; for, though
the same dispositions are discovered in great numbers of
persons, yet the fear of the public frown holds them in awe.
If we except a few abandoned characters who have nearly
lost aU sense of shame, and who by means either of their
titles or fortunes on the one hand, or their well-known base
ness on the other, have almost bid deflance to the opinion of
mankind, this observation will bold good, I believe, as to the
bulk of tbe inhabitants of protestant countries.
And it is worthy of notice that, in those circles or con
nexions where Christianity has had the greatest influence, a
sobriety of character is carried to a much higher degree than
in any other. Where there is one divorce from among
protestant dissenters, and other serious professors of Chris
tianity, there are, I believe, a hundred from among those
whose practice it is to neglect tbe worship of God, and to
frequent the amusements of the theatre. And, in proportion
to the singularity of cases, such is tbe surprise, indignation,
and disgrace, which accompany them. Similar observations
might be made on public executions for robbery, forgery,
tumults, assassinations, murders, &c. It is not among tbe
circles professing a serious regard to Christianity, but among
its adversaries, that these practices ordinarily prevail.
VOL. I. 0

194 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
Some have been incUned to attribute various differences
in these things to a difference in national character; but
national character, as it respects morality, is formed very
much from the state of society in different nations. A
number of painful observations would arise from_ a view of
tbe conduct and character of EngUshmen on foreign shores,
To say nothing of the rapacities committed in tbe East,
whither is our boasted humanity fled when we land upon the
coasts of Guinea ?, The brutaUty with which miUions of our
feUow creatures have been torn from their connexions, bound
in irons, thrown into a floating dungeon, sold in the public
markets, beaten, maimed, and many of them murdered for
trivial offences, and all this without any effectual restraint
from the laws, must load our national character with ever
lasting infamy. Tbe same persons, however, who can be
guilty of these crimes at a distance, are as apparently
humane as other people when they re-enter their native
country. And wherefore ? Because in their native country
the state of society is such as will not admit of a contrary
behaviour. A man who should violate the principles of
justice and humanity here would not only be exposed to the
censure of the laws, but, supposing he could evade this, his
character would be lost. The state of society in Guinea
imposes no such restraints ; in that situation, therefore,
wicked men will indulge in wickedness. Nor is it much
otherwise in our West India islands. So little is there of
Christianity, in those quarters, that it has hitherto bad
scarcely any influence in the framing of their laws, or the
forming of tbe public opinion. There are, doubtless, just
and humane individuals in those islands ; but the far greater
part of them, it is to be feared, are devotees to avarice, to
which, as to a Moloch, one or other of them is continuaUy
offering up human victims.
Vicious practices are commonly more prevalent in large
and populous cities than in other places. Hither the worst
characters commonly resort, as noxious animals to a covert
from their pursuers. In places but thinly inhabited, the
conduct of individuals is conspicuous to the community ; but
here they can assemble with others of their own description,
and strengthen each other's hands in evil, without much fear
of being detected. Christianity, therefore, may be supposed

EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY ON SOCIETY. 195
to have less effect in the way of restraining immoral cha
racters in the city, than in the country. Yet even here it is
sensibly felt. Though the metropolis of our own nation
abounds with almost every species of vice, yet what reflect
ing citizen wiU deny that it would be much worse but for
the influence of the gospel ? As it is, there are numbers, of
different reUgious denominations, who constantly attend to
public and family worship ; who are as honourable in their
dealings as they are amiable in domestic life ; and as Uberal
in their benefactions as they are assiduous to find out deserv
ing cases. Tbe influence which this body of men nave
upon the citizens at large, in restraining vice, promoting
schemes of benevolence, and preserving peace and good
order in society, is beyond calculation. But for their ex
amples and unremitted exertions, London would be a Sodom
in its guUt, and might expect to resemble it in its punish
ment. ,
In country towns and villages it is easy to perceive tbe
influence which a number of serious Christians will have
upon the manners of tbe people at large. A few families in
which tbe bible is daily read, the worship of God performed,
and a Christian conversation exemplifled, will have a power
ful effect. Whether characters of an opposite description
regard their conduct or not, their consciences favour it.
Hence it is that one upright man, in a question of right and
wrong, will often put to silence a company of tbe advocates
of unrighteousness ; and that three or four Christian families
have been known to give a turn to tbe manners of a whole
neighbourhood. In fine, let it be closely considered whether a great part
of that sobriety which is to be found among Deists them
selves (as there are, doubtless, sober characters among Deists,
and even among Atheists) be not owing to Christianity. It
has often been remarked, and justly too, that much of the
knowledge which our adversaries possess is derived from this
source. To say nothing of the best ideas of tbe old philoso
phers on moral subjects being derived from revelation, ot
which there is considerable evidence, it is manifest that, so
far as the moderns exceed them, it is principally, if not
entirely, owing to this medium of instruction. The Scrip-
02

196 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
tures having diffused the Ught, they have insensibly imbibed
it ; and, finding it to accord with reason, they flatter them
selves that their reason has discovered it. " After grazing,"
as one expresses it, " in the pastures of revelation, they boast
of having grown fat by nature." And it is the same with
regard to their sobriety. So long as they reside among
people whose ideas of right and wrong are formed by the
morality of the gospel, they must, unless they wish to be
stigmatized as profligates, behave with some degree of
decorum. Where tbe conduct is uniform and consistent,
charity, I allow, and even justice, will lead us to put tbe
best construction upon tbe motive; but when we see men
uneasy under restraints, and continually writing in favour
of vices which they dare not openly practise, we are justified
in imputing their sobriety, not to principle, but to the cir
cumstances attending their situation. If some of those
gentlemen who have deserted the Christian ministry, and
commenced professed infidels, had acted years ago as licen
tiously as they have done of late, they must have quitted
their situation sooner; and were they now to leave their
country and connexions, and enter into such a state of society
as would comport with their present wishes, their conduct
would be more licentious than it is.
On these principles that great and excellent man Wash
ington, in his farewell address to the people of the United
States, acknowledges the necessity of religion to the well-
being of a nation. " Of all the dispositions and habits which
lead to political prosperity," he says, " religion and morality
are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim
tbe tribute of patriotism who should labour to subvert these
great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of men
and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious
man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could
not trace all their connexions with private and public felicity.
Let it be simply asked, Where is the security for property,,,
for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obUgation,i
desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation
in the courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge
the supposition that moraUty can be maintained without
reUgion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of

CHRISTIANITY A SOURCE OF HAPPINESS. 197
refined education on minds of a peculiar structure, reason
and experience both forbid us to expect that national
morality can prevail in exclusion of reUgious principle
Upon the whole, tbe evidence of this chapter proves not
only that Christianity is a living principle of virtue in good
men, but that it affords this farther blessing to society, that
it restrains the vices of the bad. It is a tree of life whose
fruit is immortality, and whose very leaves are for the heal
ing of tbe nations.

CHAPTER VIL

CHRISTIANITY IS A SOURCE OP HAPPINESS TO INDIVIDUALS
AND SOCIETY : BUT DEISM LEAVES BOTH THE ONE AND
THE OTHER •WITHOUT HOPE.
Though the happiness of creatures be not admitted to be
the final end of God's moral government, yet it is freely
allowed to occupy an important place in the system. God
is good, and his goodness appears in having so blended the
honour of his name with the felicity of his creatures that in
seeking the one they should find the other. In so important
a Ught do we consider human happiness as to be •willing to
allow that to be the true religion which is most adapted to
promote it.
To form an accurate judgment on this subject, it is neces
sary to ascertain wherein happiness consists. We ought
neither to expect nor desire, in the present Ufe, such a state
of mind as wholly excludes painful sensations. Had we
less of the exercises of godly sorrow, our sacred pleasures
would be fewer than they are ; or, were we unacquainted
with the afflictions common to men, we should be less able
to sympathize with them, which would be injurious, not only
to society, but to ourselves, as it would deprive us of one of
the richest sources of enjoyment.
Mr. Hume, in one of his Essays, very properly called
" The Sceptic," seems to think that happiness Ues in having
one's inclinations gratified ; and as different men have
different incUnations, and even the same men at different
times, that may be happiness in one case which is misery in

198 THE GOSPEL ITS O'WN WITNESS.
another. This sceptical writer, however, would hardly
deny that in happiness, as in other things, there is a false
and a true, an imaginary and a real ; or that a studied
indulgence of the appetites and passions, though it should
promote the one, would destroy tbe other. The light of
nature, as acknowledged even by Deists, teaches that self-
denial, in many cases, is necessary to self-preservation ; and
that to act a contrary part would be to ruin our peace and
destroy our health."* I presume it will be granted that no
definition of happiness can be complete which includes not
peace of mind, which admits not of perpetuity, or which
meets not the necessities and miseries of human life.
But, if nothing deserves the name of happiness which
does not include peace of mind, aU criminal pleasure is at
once excluded. Could a life of unchastity, intrigue, dis
honour, and disappointed pride, Uke that of Rousseau, be a
happy life ? No ; amidst the brilUancy of bis talents, re
morse, shame, conscious meanness, and the dread of an
hereafter, must corrode his heart, and render him a stranger
to peace. Contrast with the life of this man that of Howard.
Pious, temperate, just, and benevolent, he lived for the good
of mankind. His happiness consisted in " serving bis gene
ration by the will of God." If all men were Uke Rousseau,
the world would be abundantly more miserable than it is :
if all were like Howard, it would be abundantly more
happy. Rousseau, governed by the love of fame, is fretful
and peevish, and never satisfied with the treatment be re
ceives : Howard, governed by tbe love of mercy, shrinks
from applause, vrith this modest and just reflection, " Alas !
our best performances have such a mixture of sin and folly,
that praise is vanity, and presumption, and pain to a think
ing mind." Rousseau, after a life of debauchery and shame,
confesses it to the world, and makes a merit of his confession,
and even presumptuously supposes that it will avail him
before the Judge of all : Howard, after a Ufe of singular
devotedness to God and benevolence to men, accounted
himself an unprofitable servant, leaving this for his motto,
his last testimony, " Christ is my hope." Can there be any
doubt which of the two was the happier man ?
Further : If nothing amounts to real happiness which
* Volney's Law of Nature, p. 12.

CHRISTIANITY A SOURCE OF HAPPINESS. 199
admits not of perpetuity, all natural pleasure, when weighed
against the hopes and joys of tbe gospel, wUl be found
wanting. It is an expressive characteristic of the good
things of this Ufe, that "they aU perish with the using."
The charms of youth and beauty quickly fade. The power
of reUshing natural enjoyments is soon gone. The pleasures
of active Ufe, of building, planting, forming schemes, and
achieving enterprises, soon follow. In old age none of them
wiU flourish ; and in death they are exterminated. " The
mighty man, and the man of war, tbe judge, and the pro
phet, and the prudent, and the ancient, the captain of flfty,
and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning
artificer, and the eloquent orator," aU descend in one undis
tinguished mass into obUvion. And, as this is a truth which
no man can dispute, those who have no prospects of a higher
nature must often feel themselves unhappy. Contrast with
this the joys of the gospel. These, instead of being dimin
ished by time, are often increased. To them the soil of
age is friendly. While nature has been fading, and perish
ing by slow degrees, bow often have we seen faith, hope,
love, patience, and resignation to God, in full bloom ! Who
but Christians can contemplate the loss of all present enjoy
ments with satisfaction ? Who else can view death, judg
ment, and eternity, with desire ? I appeal to the hearts of
Ubertines and unbelievers, whether they have not many
misgivings and revoltings within them ; and whether, in the
hour of solitary reflection, they have not sighed the wish of
Balaam, " Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my
last end be like his !"
The foUowing extract from a letter of a late nobleman, of
loose principles, well known in the gay world, and published
as authentic by a respectable prelate, deceased, will show
the dreadful vacancy and wretchedness of a mind left to
itself in the decline of life, and unsupported by Christian
principle. — "I have seen tbe silly round of business and
pleasure, and have done with it aU. I have enjoyed all the
pleasures of the world, and consequently know their fu-
tility, and do not regret their loss. I appraise them at their
real value, which in truth is very low : whereas those who
have not experienced always overrate them. They only see
their gay outside, and are dazzled with their glare ; but I

200 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
have been behind the scenes. I have seen aU the coarse
puUeys and dirty ropes which exhibit and move the gaudy
machine ; and I have seen and smeUed the tallow candles
which iUuminate tbe whole decoration, to the astonishment
and admiration of the ignorant audience. When I reflect on
what I have seen, what I have heard, and what I have done,
I cannot persuade myself that all that frivolous hurry of
bustle and pleasure of the world had any reality ; but I look,
on all that is past as one of those romantic dreams which
opium commonly occasions ; and I do by no means wish toi
repeat the nauseous dose for the sake of tbe fugitive dream.
ShaU I teU you that I bear this melancholy situation withj
that meritorious constancy and resignation that most men
boast ? No, sir, I really cannot help it. I bear it because
I must bear it, whether I vill or no. I think of nothing
but kUling time the best way I can, now that time is becom^
my enemy. It is my resolution to sleep in the carriage
during the remainder of the journey." i
"You see," reflects the worthy prelate, "in how poor,
abject, and unpitied a condition, at a tirae when he most
wanted help and comfort, the world left hira, and he left th^
world. Compare these words with those of another person;,
who took bis leave in a very different manner : ' I am now
ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have
kept tbe faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown
of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge shall
give me at that day : and not to me only, but unto aU them
also who love bis appearing.' It is observable that even Rous
seau himself, though the language certainly did not become
his lips, affected in advanced life to derive consolation from
Christian principles. In a letter to Voltaire, he says, 'I
cannot help remarking, sir, a very singular contrast between
you and me. Sated with glory, and undeceived with the
inanity of worldly grandeur, you Uve at freedom, in the
midst of plenty, certain of imnaortality ; you peaceably phi
losophize on the nature of the soul ; and, if the body or tbe
heart be indisposed, you have Troncbin for your physician
and friend. Yet with all this you find nothing but evil on
tbe face of the earth. I, on the other hand, obscure, indi
gent, tormented with an incurable disorder, meditate with

CHRISTIANITY A SOURCE OF HAPPINESS. 201
pleasure in my solitude, and find everything to be good.
Whence arise these apparent contradictions ? You "have
yourself explained them. You live in a state of enjoyment,
I in a state of hope ; and hope gives charms to everything."*
FinaUy : If nothing deserves the names of happiness which
meets not the necessities, nor relieves the miseries of human
life, Christianity alone can claim it. Every one who looks
,j,^into his own heart, and makes proper observations on the dis
positions of others, will perceive that man is possessed of a
desire after something which is not to be found under the sun
— after a good which has no Umits. We may imagine our de
sires are moderate, and set boundaries beyond which we may
flatter ourselves we should never wish to pass ; but this is
self-deception. He that sets his heart on an estate, if be gain
it •will wish for something more. It would be tbe same if
it were a kingdom, or even if all the kingdoms of the world
were united in one. Nor is this desire ,to be attributed
merely to human depravity ; for it is the same with regard
to knowledge : the mind is never satisfied •with its present
acquisitions. It is depravity that directs us to seek satis
faction in something short of God ; but it is owing to the
nature of the soul that we are never able to find it. It is
not possible that a being created immortal, and with a mind
capable of continual enlargement, should obtain satisfaction
in a limited good. Men may spend their time and strength,
and even sacrifice their souls in striving to grasp it, but it
will elude their pursuit. It is only from an uncreated source
that the mind can drink its fiU. Here it is that the gospel
meets our necessities. Its language is, " Ho, every one that
thirsteth, come ye to tbe waters, and he that hath no money ;
come ye, buy and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk with
out money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend
money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that
which satisfieth not ? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat
ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fat
ness. IncUne your ear, and come unto me ; hear, and your
soul shall live." " In the last day, that great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried, saying. If any man thirst, let him
come unto me, and drink." " He that cometh to me shall
never hunger ; and be that beUeveth on me shaU never
* •Works, vol. ix., p. 336.

202 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
thirst." How this language has been verified, aU who have
made the trial can testify. To them, as to the only compe
tent witnesses, I appeal.
It is not merely the nature of the soul, however, but its
depravity, whence our nec^sities arise. We are sinners.
Every man who believes there is a God, and a future state,
or even only admits the possibiUty of them, feels the want of
mercy. The first inquiries of a mind awakened to reflection
•wiU be how he may escape the wrath to come — how he shall
get over bis everlasting ruin. A heathen, previously to any.
Christian instruction, exclaimed, in tbe moment of alarm,
"What must I do to be saved?"* And several Mahomet
ans, being lately warned by a Christian minister of their
sinful state, came the next morning to him with this very
serious question — Keman par hoibo? "How shall we get
over ?"¦}¦ To answer 'these inquiries is beyond the power- of
any principles but those of the gospel. Philosophy may
conjecture, superstition may deceive, and even a false system
of Christianity may be aiding and abetting ; each may labour
to luU the conscience to sleep, but none of them can yield it
satisfaction. It is only by believing in Jesus Christ, the
great sacrifice that taketh away tbe sin of the world, that the
sinner obtains a relief which will bear reflection — a relief
which, at the same time, gives peace to the mind and purity
to the heart. For the truth of this also I appeal to all who
have made the trial.
Where, but in the gospel, wiU you find reUef under the
innumerable iUs of the present state ? This is the well-
known refuge of Christians. Are they poor, afflicted, per
secuted, or reproached ? They are led to consider Him who
endured the contradiction of sinners, who lived a life of
poverty and ignominy, who endured persecution and re
proach, and death itself, for them ; and to realize a blessed
immortality in prospect. By a view of such things their
hearts are cheered, and their afflictions become tolerable.
Looking to Jesus, who for the joy set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is now set down at tbe right
hand of the throne of God, they run with patience the race
which is set before them. — But what is the comfort of un
believers ? Life being short, and having no ground to hope
* Acts xvi. 30.
•jj- Periodical Accounts of the Baptist Missionary Society, No. iv., p. 326.

CHRISTLiNITY A SOURCE OF HAPPINESS. 203
for any thing beyond it, if they be crossed here they become
inconsolable. Hence it is not uncommon for persons of this
description, after the example of the philosophers and states
men of Greece and Rome, when they find themselves de
pressed by adversity, and have no prospect of recovering
their fortunes, to put a period to their Uves ! Unhappy men !
Is this the feUcity to which ye would introduce us ? Is it in
guilt, shame, remorse, and desperation that ye descry such
charms ? Admitting that our bope of immortality is vision
ary, where is tbe injury ? If it be a dream, is it not a
pleasant one ? To say the least, it beguiles many a melan
choly hour, and can do no mischief : but, if it be a reality,
what will become of you ?
I may be told that, if many put a period to their lives
through unbelief, there is an equal number who fall sacri
fices to reUgious melancholy. But, to render this objection
of force, it should be proved that tbe religion of Jesus Christ
is the cause of this melancholy. Reason may convince us of
tbe being of a God, and conscience bear witness that we are
exposed to his displeasure. Now, if in this state of mind
the heart refuse to acquiesce in the gospel way of salvation,
we shall of course either rest in some delusive hope or sink
into despair. But here it is not religion, but tbe want of
it, that produces the evil ; it is unbelief, and not faith, that
sinks tbe sinner into despondency. Christianity disowns
such characters. It records some few examples, such as
Saul, Abithophel, and Judas ; but they are all branded as
apostates from God and true religion. On the contrary, the
writings of unbelievers, both ancient and modern, are known
to plead for suicide, as an expedient in extremity. Rousseau,
Hume, and others, have written in defence of it. The
principles of such men both produce and require it. It is
tbe natural offspring of unbelief, and the last resort of dis
appointed pride.
Whether Christianity or the want of it be best adapted to
relieve the heart, under its various pressures, let those testify
who have been in the habit of visiting the afflicted poor.
On this subject the writer of these sheets can speak from his
own knowledge. In this situation characters of very oppo
site descriptions are found. Some are serious and sincere
Christians ; others, even among those who have attended the

204 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
preaching of the gospel, appear neither to understand nor to
feel it. Tbe tale of woe is told perhaps by both ; but the
one is unaccompanied with that discontent, that wretched
ness of mind, and that incUnation to despair, which is mani
fest in the other. Often have I seen the cheerful smile of
contentment under circumstances the most abject and afflic
tive. Amidst tears of sorrow, which a full heart has
rendered it impossible to suppress, a mixture of hope and
joy has gUstened. " The cup which my Father hath given
me to drink, shaU I not drink it ?" Such have been their
feelings, and such their expressions ; and, where this has
been the case, death has generaUy been embraced as the
messenger of peace. Here, I have said, participating of their
sensations — "here is tbe patience, and tbe faith of the saints.
Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the
faith of Jesus. This is the victory that overcometh the
world, even our faith. — Who is he that overcometh the
world, but he that beUeveth that Jesus is the Son of God ?"
From individual happiness, let us proceed to examine that
of society. Let us inquire whether there be any well-
grounded hope of the future melioration of tbe state of man
kind, besides that which is afforded by the gospel. Great
expectations have been raised of an end being put to wars,
and of universal good-will pervading tbe earth, in conse
quence of philosophical illumination, and the prevalence of
certain modes of civil government. But these speculations
proceed upon false data. They suppose that the cause of
these evils is to be looked for in the ignorance, rather than
in tbe depravity of men : or, if depravity be allowed to have
any infiuence, it is confined to the precincts of a court.
Without taking upon me to decide which is tbe best mode of
civil government, or what mode is most adapted to promote
the peace and happiness of mankind, it is sufficient, in this
case, to show that wars generally originate, as tbe apostle
James says, in the lusts, or corrupt passions, of mankind.
If this be proved, it will follow that, however some forms of
government may be more friendly to peace and happiness
than others, yet no radical cure can be effected till the dis
positions of men are changed. Let power be placed where
it may, with one or with many, still it must be in tbe hands
of men. If all governments were so framed as that every

CHRISTIANITY A SOURCE OF HAPPINESS. 205
national act should be expressive of the real will of the
people, still, if the preponderating part of them be governed
by pride and self-love rather than equity, we are not much
the nearer. Governors taken from tbe common mass of
society must needs resemble it. If there be any difference
at tbe time of their first elevation to office, owing, as may be
supposed, to the preference which all men give to an upright
character for tbe management of their concerns, yet this
advantage ¦will be balanced, if not over-balanced, by the
subsequent temptations to injustice which are afforded by
situations of wealth and power.
What is the source of contentions in common life ? Ob
serve tbe discords in neighbourhoods and families, which,
notwithstanding all the restraints of relationship, interest,
honour, law, and reason, are a fire that never ceases to burn,
and which, were they no more controlled by the laws than
independent nations are by each other, would in thousands
of instances break forth into assassinations and murders.
Whence spring these wars ? Are they tbe result of igno
rance ? li so, they would chiefly be confined to tbe rude
or uninformed part of the community. But is it so ? There
may, it is true, be more pretences to peace and good will,
and fewer bursts of open resentment in the higher, than in
the lower orders of people ; but their dispositions are much
the same. Tbe laws of politeness can only polish the sur
face ; and there are some parts of the human character which
still appear very rough. Even politeness has its regulations
for strife and murder, and establishes iniquity by a law.
The evil disposition is a kind of subterraneous fire ; and in
some form it will have vent. Are they the result of court
infiuence ? No. The truth is, if civil government in some
form did not influence tbe fears of tbe unjust and contentious
part of tbe community, there would be no security to those
who are peaceably inclined, and especially to those who are
withal religious, and whose pious conduct, Uke that of Noah,
condemns tbe world. Now the same disposition which, in
persons whose power extends only to a cottage, will operate
in a way of domestic discord, in others, whose influence
extends to the affairs of nations, ¦will operate on a more
enlarged scale, producing war and all the dire calamities
which attend it. Tbe sum of the whole is this : When tbe

206 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS,
preponderating part of the world shall cease to be proud,
ambitious, envious, covetous, lovers of their own selves,
false, maUgnant, and intriguing^when they shall love God
and one another out of a pure heart — then, and not till then,
may we expect wars to cease, and the state of mankind to
be essentially meliorated. While these dispositions remain,
they will be certain to show themselves. If the best laws
or constitution in the wOrld stand in their way, they will, on
certain occasions, bear down all before them.
An anonymous writer in the " Monthly Magazine " * (a
work which, without avowing it, is pretty evidently devoted
to the cause of infldeUty) has instituted an inquiry into " the
probability of tbe future melioration of mankind." A dismal
prospect indeed it is which be holds up to his fellow crea
tures ; yet were I an infldel, Uke him, I should acquiesce in
many things which be advances. The anchor of bis hopes
is an increase of knowledge, and the effects of this are cir
cumscribed within a very narrow boundary. With respect
to what we call civilization, he reckons it to have undergone
all tbe vicissitudes of which it is capable. Scientifie refine
ment may contribute to the happiness of a few individuals ;
but, be fears, cannot be made a ground of much advantage
to the mass of mankind. Great scope, indeed, remains for
the operation of increased knowledge in improvement in
government; but even here it can only cure those evils which
arise from ignorance, and not those which proceed from
intention, which, "while tbe propensity to prefer our own
interests above that of the community is," as be acknow
ledges, " interwoven into our very nature," will always form
the mass of existing iUs. If, indeed, the majority of a com
munity, he says, became so enlightened concerning their
interests, and so wise, steady, and unanimous in the pursuit
of them, as to overcome all that resistance which the pos
sessors of undue advantages wiU always make to a change
unfavourable to themselves, something might be hoped for.
But this, while they are under their old masters, be reckons
as next to impossible. As to political revolutions, he did
form high expectations from them ; but his hopes are at an
end. "I have only the wish left," says he; "the confidence
is gone." As to improved systems of morality, which he
* For February, 1799, p. 9.

CHRISTIANITY A SOURCE OF HAPPINESS. 207
considers as the art of living happy, though it might seem
promising, yet history, he very justly remarks, does not
allow us to expect that men, in proportion as they advance
in this species of knowledge, will become more just, more
temperate, or more benevolent. Of tbe extinction of wars
he has no hope. The new order of things which seemed
opening in Europe, and to bid fair for it, has rather increased
the evil : and, as to Christianity, it has been tried, it seems,
and found to be insufficient for the purpose. Commerce^
instead of binding the nations in a golden chain of mutual
peace and friendship, seems only to have given additional
motives for war.
The amount is. There is little or no hope of tbe state
of mankind being meliorated on public principles. All
the improvement be can discern in this way consists in
there being a Uttle more lenity in tbe government of some
countries than formerly : and, as to this, it is balanced
by the prodigious increase of standing armies, and other
national burdens.
The only way in which an increase in knowledge is to
operate to tbe melioration of the state of mankind, is in
private life. It is to soften and humanize men's manners,
and emancipate their minds from the shackles of superstition
and bigotry — names which writers of this class commonly
bestow upon Christianity. This is the boundary beyond
which, whatever be his wishes, tbe hopes of this writer will
not suffer him to pass : and even this respects only Europe
and her immediate connexions, and not the whole of them.
The great mass of mankind are in an absolutely hopeless
condition ; for there are no means of carrying our improve
ments among them but by conquest, and conquest is a
Pandora's box, at the mention of which be shudders.
Such are the prospects of unbelievers ; such is the horrid
despondency under which they sink when Pro-ridence coun
teracts their favourite schemes ; and such the spirit which
they labour to infuse into the minds of men in order to
make them happy ! Christian reader. Have you no better
hopes than these ? Are you not acquainted with a principle
which, like the machine of Archimedes, will remove this
mighty mass of evils ? Be they as great and as numerous
as they may, if all can be reduced to a single cause, and that

208 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
cause removed, the work is done. All the evils of which
this writer complains are reducible to that one principle,
which, be says (and it is weU he says it), " is interwoven
into our very nature ; namely, The propensity to prefer our
own interest above that of the community." It is this
propensity that operates in the great, and induces them to
"oppose every thing that would be unfavourable to their
power and advantage ; and the same thing operates among
common people, great numbers of whom, it is well known,
would sell their country for a piece of bread. If this prin
ciple cannot be removed, I shall, with this writer, for ever
despair of any essential changes for the better in the state of
mankind, and will content myself with cultivating private
and domestic happiness, and hoping for the blessedness of
a future life : but, if it can, I must leave him to despair
alone. My hopes are not founded on forms of government, nor
even on an increase of knowledge, though each may have its
value ; but on the spirit by which both the rulers and the
people vnll be governed. All forms of government have
hitherto rested on the basis of self-love. The wisest and
best statesmen have been obliged to take it for granted that
tbe mass of every people will be governed by this principle ;
and, consequently, all their schemes have been directed to the
balancing of things in such a manner as that people, in pur
suing their own interest, should promote that of the pubUc.
If in any case they have presumed on the contrary, ex
perience has soon taught them that all their schemes are
visionary, and inappUcable to real life. But if the mass of
the people, composed of all the different orders of society,
were governed by a spirit of justice and disinterested bene
volence, systems of government might safely be formed on
this basis. It would then be sufficient for statesmen to
ascertain what was right, and best adapted to promote the
good of the community, and tbe people would cheerfully
pursue it ; and, pursuing this, would find their own good
more effectually promoted than by all the little discordant
arts of a selfish mind.
The excellence of the most admired constitutions which
have hitherto appeared in the world, has chiefly consisted in
the balance of power being so distributed, among the dif-

CHRISTIANITY A SOURCE OF HAPPINESS. 209
ferent orders of society, as that no one should materially
oppress or injure the other. They have endeavoured to set
boundaries to each other's encroachments, and contrived, in
some degree, to counteract venality, corruption, and tumult.
But all this supposes a corrupt state of society, and amounts
to no more than making tbe best of things, taking them as
they are. As things are, locks and keys, and bolts and bars,
are necessary in our houses ; but it were better if there
were no occasion for them. I do not take upon me to say
that things will ever be in such a state as that there shall be
no need of these political precautions ; but I believe they
will be far less necessary than at present.
If the bible be true,, the knowledge of the Lord will cover
the earth as tbe waters cover tbe sea ; tbe kingdoms of this
world ¦will become tbe kingdoms of our Lord and of his
Christ ; idolatry, and every species of false religion, shall
be no more ; the arts and instruments of war shall be laid
aside, and exchanged for those of husbandry ; tbe different
tribes of man shall be united in one common band of
brotherly love ; slavery and oppression will cease ; righte-.
ousness will be established in the earth ; and " the work of
righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness
quietness and assurance for ever."
But " Christianity has been tried," it seems, " and found
insufficient." That it has not been, as yet, sufficient to
banish unjust wars from the earth is true ; and it were more
than wonderful if it had, seeing it has never yet been cor-
diaUy embraced by the majority, nor perhaps by the pre
ponderating part of any nation. Nevertheless it has had its
influence. This gloomy writer himself acknowledges that
the state of society in Europe and America, that is to say, in
Christendom, is far preferable to what it is in other parts of
the earth. Of the rest of tbe world he has no hope. Has
Christianity done nothing in this case ? That thousands in
diff'erent nations are, by a cordial beUef of it, rendered
sober, just, disinterested, and peaceable, and that the state
of society at large is greatly meliorated, have, I hope, been
already proved.* To believe then in the future accomplish
ment of tbe foregoing prophecies is only to believe that
what is already effected in individuals will be extended to
• Chaps, v., vi.
VOL. I. P

210 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
the general body of mankind, or, at least, to such a propor
tion of them as shaU be sufficient to give a preponderance in:
human affairs.
Moreover, the same book which declares that the kingdoms
of this world shall become tbe kingdoms of our Lord and of
his Christ has foretold, in great variety of language, tbe
downfaU of tbe papal Antichrist, and that by means of tbe
same powers from which its dominion was fifst derived.
We have, in part, seen the fulfilment of the one, and live in
expectation of the other. We are not ignorant of the evil
designs of infidels ; but we believe that God is above. them,
and that they are only instruments in his hand in the fulfil
ment of his word. While, therefore, we feel for the miseries
of mankind, occasioned by tbe dreadful devastations of war,
we sorrow not as those who have no hope ; but are per
suaded that all things, even now, are •rt'orking together for
good ; and, while we pity individual sufferers, we cannot
join the whining lamentations of interested men — "Alas,'
alas, that great city !" On the contrary, we feel disposed-'
to join tbe song of the heavenly host, " Alleluia ; salvation,
and glory, and honour, and power, unto tbe Lord our God ;
for true and righteous are his judgments. — Let us be glad
and rejoice, and give honour to him ; for the marriage of
the Lamb is come, and his bride hath made herself ready."
If, according to tbe doctrine of Bolingbroke, Volney, and
other Deists, we knew no other source of virtue and hap
piness than self-love, we should often be less happy than we
are. Our blessedness is bound up with that of Christ and
his followers throughout the world. His friends are our
friends, and his enemies our enemies ; they that seek bis Ufe
seek ours ; the prosperity of his kingdom is our prosperity,
and we prefer it above our chief joy. From the public
stock of blessedness being thus considered as the common
property of every individual, arises a great and constant
influx of enjoyment. Hence it is that, in times when tem
poral comforts faU, or family troubles depress, or a cloud
hangs over our particular connexions, or death threatens to
arrest us in a course of pleasing labour, we have still our
resources of consolation. ' Affairs with me are sinking ;
but he must increase.' — ' My house is not so with God • but
the kingdom of my Lord shaU be estabUshed for ever.'—

CHRISTIANITY A SOURCE OP HAPPINESS. 211
' His interest sinks in this congregation ; but it rises else
where.' — ' I die ; but God vriU surely visit you !' Such is
the heritage of the servants of the Lord ; and such the
blessedness of those whose chief desire it is " that they may
see the good of bis chosen, that they may rejoice in the
gladness of his nation, and that they may glory with his
inheritance."

P 2

212 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.

PAET II.
THE HARMONY OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION CONSIDERED
AS AN B-VIDENCE OF ITS DIVINITY.
If Christianity be an imposture, it may, Uke all other
impostures, be detected. Falsehood may always be proved
to clash with fact, vrith reason, or with itself; and often
with them aU. If, on the contrary, its origin be divine, it
may be expected to bear tbe character of conisistency, which
distinguishes every other divine production. If the scrip
tures can be proved to harmonize with historic fact, with
truth, with themselves, and with sober reason, they must,
considering what they profess, be divinely inspired, and
Christianity must be of God.

CHAPTER L

THE HARMONY OF SCRIPTURE 'WITH HISTORIC PACT E^TINCED
BY THE FULFILMENT OP PROPHECY.
If the pretence which the scriptures make to divine in
spiration be unfounded, it can be no very difficult under
taking to prove it so. The sacred writers, besides abounding
in history, doctrine, and morality, have dealt largely in pro
phecy — -and this not in tbe manner of the heathen priests,
who made use of dark and dubious language. Their mean
ing, in general, is capable of being understood, even at this
distance of time, and, in many instances, cannot be mistaken.
Tbe dispute, therefore, between believers and unbeUevers is
reducible to a short issue. If scripture prophecy be divinely
inspired, it will be accompUshed : if it be imposture, it will
not. Let us suppose that by digging in the earth a chest were
discovered containing a number of ancient curiosities, and,
among other things, a tablet inscribed with calculations of

FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. 213
the most remarkable eclipses that should take place for a
great while to come. These calculations are examined and
found to correspond with fact for more than two thousand
years past. Tbe inspectors cannot agree, perhaps, in de
ciding who was the author, whether it bad not gone through
several hands when it was deposited in the chest, and various
other questions; but does this invalidate tbe truth of the
calculations, or diminish tbe value of the tablet ?
It cannot be objected that events have been predicted from
mere political foresight which have actually come to pass ;
for, though this may have been tbe case in a few instances,
wherein causes have already existed which afforded ground
for tbe conclusion, yet it is impossible that the successive
changes and revolutions of empires, some of which were
more than a thousand years distant, and depended on ten
thousand unknown incidents, should be the objects of human
speculation. Mr. Paine seems to feel the difficulty attending his cause
on this subject. His method of meeting it is not by soberly
examining the agreement or disagreement of prophecy and
history ; that would not have suited his purpose. But, as
though he had made a wonderful discovery, he in the first
place goes about to prove that the prophets wrote ^oefry ;
and hence would persuade us that a prophet was no other
than an ancient Jewish bard. That the prophecies are what
is now called poetic, Mr. Paine need not have given himself
the trouble to prove, as no person of common understanding
can doubt it : but the question is. Did not these writings, in
whatever kind of language they were written, contain pre
dictions of future events ? yea, and of the most notorious and
remarkable events, such as should form tbe grand outlines
of history in the following ages ? Mr. Paine will not deny
this ; nor will he soberly undertake to disprove that many of
those events have already come to pass. He will, however,
take a shorter method — a method more suited to his turn of
mind. He wiU call tbe prophets "impostors and liars ;" he
will roundly assert, without a shadow of proof, and in de
fiance of lustoric evidence, that the prediction concerning
Gyrus was written after the event took place ; he will labour
to pervert and explain away some few of the prophecies,
and get rid of the rest by calUng the writer " a false pro-

214 THE GOSPEL ITS OWS 'WITNESS.
phet," and his production " a book of falsehoods."* These
are weapons worthy of Mr. Paine's warfare. But why all
this rage against an ancient bard ? Just now a prophet
was only a poet, and tbe idea of a predictor of future events
was not included in the meaning of the term. It seems,
however, by this time, that Mr. Paine has found a number
of predictions in the prophetic writings, to dismiss which he
is obUged, as is usual •with him in cases of emergency, to
summon aU his talents of misrepresentation and abuse.
I take no particular notice of this writer's attempts to
explain away a few of the predictions of Isaiah and other
prophets. 'Those who have undertaken to answer him have
performed this part of the business. I shaU only notice that
he has not dared to meet the great body of scripture pro
phecy, or fairly to look it in the face.
To say nothing of the predictions of the destruction of
mankind by a flood ; of that of Sodom and Gomorrah by
fire ; of tbe descendants of Abraham being put in possession
of Canaan within a Umited period ; and of various other
events, tbe history as weU as the prophecy of which is con
fined to the scriptures ; let us review those predictions the
fulfilment of which has been recorded by historians who
knew nothing of them, and, consequently, could have no
design in their favour.
It is worthy of notice that sacred history ends where
profane history, that part of it at least which is commonly
reckoned authentic, begins. Prior to the Babylonish cap
tivity, the scriptural writers were in the habit of narrating
the leading events of their country, and of incidentally in
troducing those of the surrounding nations ; but shortly
after this time the great changes in the world began to be
recorded by other hands, as Herodotus, Xenophon, and
others. From this period they dealt chiefly in prophecy,
leaving it to common historians to record its fulfilment.
Mr. Paine says, the scripture prophecies are " a book of
falsehoods." Let us examine this cha,rge. Isaiah, above a
hundred years before the captivity, predicted the destruction
of tbe Babylonish empire by the Modes and Persians, and
Judah's consequent deliverance. "The plunderer is plun
dered, and the destroyer is destroyed; Go up, O Elam;
• Age of Reason, part ii., pp. S3, 44, 47

FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. 21
form the siege, O Media ! I have put an end to all h(
vexations."* Ask Herodotus and Xenophon, Was this
falsehood ?
Daniel, fourteen years before tbe establishment of tl
Medo-Persian dominion by the taking of Babylon, describe
that dominion with its conquests, and the superiority of tl
Persian influence to that of the Median, under the symbol i
a ram with two boms. " I lifted up mine eyes and saw, an
behold, there stood before the river a ram which had tvs
horns, and the two horns were high ; but one" was highi
than the other, and tbe higher came up last. I saw the ra
pushing westward, and northward, and southward ; so thi
no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any th
could deUver out of his hand ; but he did according to h
•will, and became great." This is expounded as follow!
" The ram which thou sawest having two horns are t]
kings of Media and Persia." * Ask the afore-mention(
historians. Was this a falsehood ?
The same Daniel, at the same time, two hundred ai
twenty-three years before tbe event, predicted the overthro
of this Medo-Persian dominion, by tbe arms of Greec
under the command of Alexander ; and described the latt
government under the symbol of a he-goat, with a notal
horn between his eyes. "As I was considering, behold
he-goat came from the west, on the face of the whole earf
and touched not the ground : and the goat had a notal
horn between bis eyes. And he came to the ram that hi
two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, ai
ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw hi
come close unto the ram, and he was moved with chol
against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two born
and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, b
he cast him down to tbe ground, and stamped upon hiu
and there was none that could deliver tbe- ram out of 1
hand." Tbe exposition of this vision follows : "Therou|
goat is the king of Grecia ; and the great horn that is l
• Lowth's translation of Isaiah xxi. 2. Other prophecies of the sa
event may be seen in Isa. xiii.,xiv., xxi., xliii. 14 — 17; xliv. 28; xiv. 1—
xlvii.; Jer. xxv. 12—26; 1., li.; Hab. ii.
¦|- Dan. viii. 8, 4, 20. See also chap. vii. 5.

216 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
tween his eyes is tbe flrst king." * Ask Diodorus Siculus,
Plutarch, and other historians of those time. Was this a
falsehood ?
The same Daniel, at the same time, two hundred and
thirty years before the event, predicted the death of Alex
ander, and the division of his empire among four of his
principal commanders, each of whom bad an extensive do
minion. " The he-goat waxed very great ; and, when he
was strong, the great born was broken ; and for it came up
four notable ones, toward the four winds of heaven." Tbe
interpretation of this was as follows : " Now that being
broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall
stand up out of the nation, but not in his power."-|- Ask the
afore-mentioned historians of those times. Was this a false
hood ?
The same Daniel, at the same time, three hundred and
eighty years before the event, foretold the outrageous reign
and sudden death of Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria:
particularly, that by flattery and treachery he should accom
plish his end ; and, on account of tbe degeneracy of the
Jews, should be permitted for a time-to ravage their country,
interrupt their ordinary course of .worship, profane their
temple, and persecute, even to death, those who refused to
comply with his heathen abominations ; but that, in the
midst of his career, be should be cut off by a sudden visita
tion from heaven. "And out of one of them (the four
branches of the Grecian empire) came forth a little born,
which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward
the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great,
even to the host of heaven ; and it cast down some of the
host and of the stars to tbe ground, and stamped upon them.
Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host,
and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place
of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given
l.im against the daily sacrifice, by reason of transo^ression,
and it cast down tbe truth to the ground ; and it practised,
and prospered." Of this the following is the exposition :
"In tbe latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors
* Dan. viii. 5 — 7, 21. See also chap. xi. 2 —4.
f Dan. viii. 8, 22. See also chap. vii. 6.

FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. 217
are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and under
standing dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power
shall be mighty, but not by his own power ; and he shall
destroy wonderfully, and shaU prosper, and practise, and
shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through
his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand ;
and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall
destroy many ; be shall also stand up against the prince of
princes ; but he shall be broken without band." *
Daniel also foretells, in the eleventh chapter of bis pro
phecies, the wars between this king of Syria and Ptolemy
Philometor king of Egypt, with the interposition of the
Romans, whose ambassadors should come over in ships from
Chittitn, and compel him to desist : also that, being thus dis
appointed of his object in Egypt, be should return fuU of
wrath and indignation to his own land, and wreak bis
vengeance upon tbe Jews, whose country lay in bis way,
though they had done nothing to offend him. I will not say,
ask Josephus, Diodorus Siculus, and Polybius, if these were
falsehoods ; ask Porphyry, a professed enemy to the holy
scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, and who
vn:ote against them about tbe middle of the third century.
He has proved, from the testimony of six or seven historians
of those times, that these predictions were all exactly ful
filled; and. like Mr. Paine by the prophecies concerning
Cyrus, is driven, merely on account of their being true, to
fly in the face of historic evidence, and maintain that they
could not be tbe production of Daniel, but must have been
•written by some Jew after the events took place. "!•
As, in the eighth and eleventh chapters of his prophecies,
Daniel has foretold tbe Persian and Grecian governments,
with the subdivisions of tbe latter, and how they should
affect the Jewish people ; so, in the seventh chapter, be has,
in connexion with them, foretold the government of Rome.
This singular empire he represents as exceeding all that had
gone before in power and terror ; and as that of Greece,
soon after the death of Alexander, should be divided into
* Dan. viii. 9—12, 28—25.
+ See Prideaux's Connexion, part i., book ii., viii., part ii., book iii.,
where the accomplishment of all the foregoing events is clearly narrated,
and tbe authorities cited.

218 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
four kingdoms, signified by the four heads of the third beast,
so this, it is foretold, should be, at the time of its dissolution,
divided into ten kingdoms, which are signified by the ten
horns of the fourth beast. Ask universal history. Is this a
falsehood ? Those who adopt the cause of Porphyry must,
in this instance, desert bis hypothesis : they cannot say that
this part of the prophecy was written by some Jew after tbe
event took place, seeing Porphyry himself has acknowledged
its existence some hundreds of years before it was accom
plished. The predictions of this prophet did not end here : he at
the same time foretold that there should arise among the ten
kingdoms, into which the Roman empire should be broken, a
power diverse from aU tbe rest, " a little horn " which should
*' speak great words against the Most High, and wear out
tbe saints of the Most High ;" and that this power should
continue until " a time, and times, and tbe dividing of time."
At the end of this period, be adds, "tbe judgment ^haU sit,
and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and , to
destroy unto the end." Are these falsehoods ? Let ths--
history of the last twelve hundred years, and the present
state of the papal hierarchy, determine.
Passing over tbe predictions of the Messiah, whose birth,
place of nativity, time of appearance, manner of life, doctrine,
miracles, death, and resurrection, were each particularly
pointed out;'* let us examine a few examples from the New
Testament. Our Lord Jesus Christ foretold the destruction,
of Jerusalem by tbe Romans, and limited the time of its
accompUshment to the then "present generation." f Ask
Josephus, the Jewish historian, Is this a falsehood ?
It was intimated, at the same time, that the Jevrish people
should not only fall by the edge of the sword, but that great
numbers of them should be "led away captive into all
nations;" and that "Jerusalem should be trodden down of
the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles should be ful
filled." J Ask the present descendants of that unhappy
people, Is this a falsehood ?
• Tsa. ix. 6. Micah v. 2. Dan. ix. 20—27. Isa. xlii. 2 ; xxxv. 6, 6;
liii. P8.xvi. 10, 11.
t Matt. xxiv. 1 — 35. Luke xxi.
j: Luke xxi. 24.

FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. 219
The apostle of the Gentiles foretold that there should be
"a falling away," or a grand apostasy, in the Christian
church ; wherein " the man of sin should be revealed, even
the son of perdition ; who would oppose and exalt himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshipped ; and
who as God would sit in the temple of God, showing himself
to be God." * Also in his Epistie to Timothy : " Now the
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and
doctrines of derils; speaking lies in hypocrisy ; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron ; forbidding to marry, and
commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created
to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and
know tbe trutb."t
A large proportion of tbe Apocalypse of John respects
this grand apostasy, and tbe corrupt community in which it ,
was accompUshed. He describes it ¦with great variety of
expression. On some accounts it is represented under the
form of a "city," on others of a "beast," and on others of a
"woman sitting upon a beast." That we might be at no
loss to distinguish it on its appearance, it is intimated that
it should not be so much a civil as an apostate ecclesiastical
power : it is a " harlot," opposed to tbe bride, the Lamb's
wife ; — ^that it should greatly abound in wealth and worldly
grandeur : " The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet,
and decked ¦with gold, and precious stones, and pearls;" — that
its dominion should not be confined to its own immediate
territories: "Power was given it over aU kingdoms and
tongues and nations ;" — that its authority should not be
derived from its own conquest, but from the voluntary con
sent of a number of independent kingdoms to come under
its yoke : " The kings of the earth have one mind, and shall
give their power and strength unto the beast ; " — that it
should be distinguished by its blasphemies, idolatries, and
persecuting spirit : " Upon her were the names of blasphemy.
They should make an image of tbe beast, and as many as
would not worship tbe image of the beast were to be kiUed.
And the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints ; " —
that its persecutions should extend to such a length as for
no man to be allowed the common rights of men, unless he
* 2 Theas. ii. 3, 4. t 2 Tim. iv. 1—3.

220 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
became subject to it: "No man might buy or seU, save he
that had the mark, or tbe name of the beast, or the nuinber
of his name ; " — that its power .should continue for " a time,
times, and half a time, forty and two months, or one thou
sand two hundred and sixty days ; " during which long period
God's witnesses should prophesy in sackcloth, be dri^^ren as
into a wilderness, and, as it were, .slain, and their bodies Ue
unburied :— finally, that they who gave it an existence should
be the instruments in taking it away : " The kings," or
powers, "of tbe earth shall hate the whore, and burn her
flesh with fire."* Whether aU, or any part of this, be false
hood, let history and observation determine.
It has often been observed that the prophecies of the
Messiah were so numerous and explicit that, at the time of
his appearance, there was a general expectation of it, not
only in Judea, but in all tbe neighbouring nations; and is
not the same thing observable at this time, of tbe fall of
Antichrist, the conversion of the Jews, and the general
spread of the gospel ?
Once more : The sacred writers have predicted the oppo
sition which Christianity should encounter, and described
the characters from whom it should proceed : " In the last
days," say they, " perilous times shaU come. For men shall
be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, in,'»
continent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, '
heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of
God." Again: "There shall be mockers in tbe last time,,
who shall walk after their own ungodly lusts: filthy dreamers**
who defile tbe flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of
dignities; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their owU
shame ; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness
of darkness for ever." f Let Mr. Paine, and other infidels,
consider well the above picture, and ask their own con
sciences. Is this a falsehood ?
Bishop Newton, in his "Dissertations," has clearly evinced
the fulfilment of several of these and other scripture pro
phecies ; and has shown that some of them are fulfilUng at
this day. To those Dissertations I refer the reader. Enough
* Rev. xi,; xiii.; xvii. + 2 Tun. iii. 1—4 ; Jude.

CORRESPONDENCE OF SCRIPTURE WITH TRUTH. 221
has been said to enable us to determine which production it
is that deserves to be called "a book of falsehoods," — the
prophecies of scripture, or the " Age of Reason."

CHAPTER II.
THE HARMONY OP SCRIPTURE "WITH TRUTH E'VINCED FROM
ITS AGREEMENT 'WITH THE DICTATES OP AN ENLI6HTENF.D
CONSCIENCE, AND THE RESULT OP THE CLOSEST OBSER
VATION.
If a brazen mirror were found in some remote, uninhabited
island, it might be a doubtful matter how it came thither ;
but, if it properly reflected objects, there could be no doubt
of its being a real mirror.
Tbe bible was written with the professed design of being
"profitable for reproof;" nor was there ever a book so
adapted to the purpose, or so effectual in its operation in
disclosing the inward workings of tbe human mind. Thou
sands can bear witness, from experience, that it is " quick
and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and a dis-
cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Its entrance
into tbe mind gives light; and light which discovers the
works of darkness. Far from flattering the vices of man
kind, it charges, without ceremony, every son of Adam with
possessing the heart of an apostate. This charge it brings
home to tbe conscience, not only by its pure precepts and
awful threatenings, but oftentimes by the very invitations
and promises of mercy, which, while they cheer the heart
with lively hope, carry conviction by their import to the very
soul. In reading other books you may admire the ingenuity
of the writer; but here your attention is turned inward.
Head it but seriously, and your heart will answer to its
descriptions. It •wiU touch the secret springs of sensibility ;
and, if you have any ingenuousness of mind towards God,
the tears of grief, mingled with those of bope and gratitude,
•will, ere you are aware, trickle from your eyes.
To whatever particular vices you may have been addicted,
here you will discover your likeness ; and that, not as by a

222 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
comic representation on the theatre, which, where it reclaims
one person by shaming him out of its follies, corrupts a thou
sand; but in a way that wiU bring conviction to your bosom.
" Come see a man which told me aU things that ever I
did: is not this tbe Christ?" Such was the reasoning of
the woman of Samaria ; and who could have reasoned better?
That which makes manifest must be Ught. But this reason
ing is applicable to other things, as weU as to the Messiah-
ship of Jesus. No man can forbear saying of that book,
that doctrine, or that preaching which tells him aU that ever
he did. Is not this the truth ? Tbe satisfaction afforded by
such evidence approaches near to intuitive certainty ; it is
having the witness in ourselves.
Should it be objected that though this may satisfy our own
minds, yet it can afford no evidence to others, I answer : It
is true that they who shun tbe light cannot be supposed to
possess tbe same evidence of its being what it is, as those
who have come to it that their deeds may be made manifest ;
yet even they, if at all acquainted with the bible, must be
aware that tbe likenesses which it draws are, in a consider
able degree, their own. It is not to serious Christians only
that tbe gospel is a mirror. Many who never look into that
perfect law of liberty from choice and delight, so as to be
blessed in their work, but only glance at it in a transient and
occasional way, yet perceive so much of their own character
in it as to be convinced that it is right, and that they are
'wrong. The secret conviction of thousands who hear the
word, and do it not, resembles that of Pharaoh, " The Lord
is righteous, and I and my people are wicked." The im
pressions of such people, it is true, are frequently short in
their duration : Uke a man who seeth his natural face in a
glass, they go away, and straightway forget what manner
of persons they are : but tbe aversion which they discover '
seriously to resume tbe subject places it beyond aU reason
able doubt that, let their hearts be as they may, the scrip
tures have commended themselves to their consciences.
They have felt tbe point of this two-edged sword, and are
not disposed to renew tbe encounter. That this is tbe case
not only 'with nominal Christians, but with great numbers of
professed Deists, is manifest from the acknowledgments of
such men as the Earl of Rochester, and many others who

CORRESPONDENCE OP SCRIPTURE WITH TRUTH. 223
have relented on tbe near approach of death. This is often
a tirae in which conscience must and will be heard ; and,
too often for tbe happiness of surviving acquaintances, it
proclaims to the world that the grand source of their hatred
to the bible has been that for which Ahab hated Micaiah —
its prophesying no good concerning them.
Tbe scriptures are a mirror in which we see not only
individual characters, our own and others, but the state of
things as they move on in the great world. They show us
the spring head whence all tbe maUgnant streams of idolatry,
atheism, corruption, persecution, war, and every other evil
originate ; and, by showing us the origin of these destructive
maladies, clearly instruct us wherein must consist their cure.
It has already been observed * that Christian morality is
summed up in the love of God and our neighbour, and that
these principles, carried to their fuU extent, would render
the world a paradise. But the scriptures teach us that man
is a rebel against his Maker ; that his carnal mind is enmity
against God, and is not subject to the law of God, neither
indeed can be ; that, instead of loving God, or even man in'
tbe order which is required, men are become " lovers of their
own selves," and neither God nor man is regarded but as
they are found necessary to subserve their wishes.
'Phis single principle of human depravity, supposing it to
be tBue, wiU fuUy account for all tbe moral disorders in the
world; and the actual existence of those disorders, unless
they can be better accounted for, must go to prove the truth
of this principle, and, by consequence, of the Christian
system which rests upon it.
We are affected in considering the idolatry of so great a
part of tbe human race ; but we are not surprised at it. If
men be destitute of the love of God, it is natural to suppose
they will endeavour to, banish him from their thoughts,
and, provided the state of society will admit of it, from their
worship ; substituting gods more congenial with their incli
nations, and in the worship of which they can indulge them
selves without fear or control.
Neither are we surprised at the practical atheism which
abounds among unbeUevers, and even among nominal Chris
tians, in European nations. If the state of things be such
* Part i., chap. iii.

224 THE GOSPEL ITS OVm 'WITNESS.
as to render gross idolatry inadmissible, stiU, if aversion to
God predominate, it wUl show itself in a neglect of all wor
ship, and of aU serious conversation, or devout exercises ; m
a wish to think there is no God, and no hereafter; and m
endeavours to banish everything of a religious nature trom
society. Or, if this cannot be, and anything relating to
such subjects become matter of discussion, they will be so
explained away as that nothing shaU be left which can
approve itself to an upright heart. The holiness of the
divine character wiU be kept out of sight, his precepts dis
regarded, and moraUty itself made to consist in something
destitute of all true virtue.
We are not surprised at the corruption which Christianity
has undergone. Christianity itself, as we have already seen,
foretold it ; and tbe doctrine of human depravity fully ac
counts for it. When tbe Christian reUgion was adopted by
tbe state, it is natural to suppose there were great numbers
of unprincipled men who professed it ; and, where its lead
ing characters in any age are of this description, it wiU
certainly be corrupted. The pure doctrine of Christ is
given up in favour of some flesh-pleasing system, the holy
precepts of Christian moraUty are lowered to tbe standard
of ordinary practice, and the worship and ordinances of
Christ are mingled with superstition, and modelled to a
worldly temper. It was thus that Judaism was corrupted
by the old Pharisees, and Christiamty by tbe papal hierarchy.
The success with which evil men and seducers meet, in
propagating false doctrine, is no more than, from tbe present
state of things, may be expected. So long as a large pro
portion of the professors of Christianity receive not the love
of tbe truth, error will be certain to meet with a welcome
reception. The grossest impostor has only to advance a
system suited to corrupt nature, to assert it with effrontery,
and to flatter his adherents with being the favourites of
heaven, and he will be followed.*
The persecutions which have been carried on against
reUgion are grievous to humanity, and equally repugnant
• Men are much more easily deceived in these matters than in the
ordinary concerns of life. If a London merchant were to open warehouses
in different parts of the city, and make it his business to traduce the
characters and commodities of all other merchants ; if his opposition were

CORRESPONDENCE OF SCRIPTURE WITH TRUTH. 225
to justice and to good policy : but they are not in tbe least
surprising. There was not a truth more prominent in our
Saviour's addresses to his followers than this, that, having
received his word, tbe world would hate them ; because they
were not of tbe world, as be was not of the world. When
he sent them forth to preach the gospel, it was " as sheep
among wolves;" and they were treated accordingly. When
he took leave of them, previously to his death, he left them
his peace, as knowing that in tbe world they should have
tribulation. All this was no more than might be expected ;
for, if it be the character of true religion that it sets itself
against every vicious propensity of the human heart, it is
natural to suppose that every one who is under the dominion
of such propensity •will feel averse from true reUgion, and
from those who adhere to it. The manner in which man
kind have stood affected towards godly men has been nearly
uniform from the beginning. Cain slew his brother. And
wherefore slew he him ? Because his own works were evil,
and his brother's righteous. Sarah saw the son of Hagar
the Egyptian mocking : as he that was born after the flesh
then persecuted hira that was born after tbe Spirit, even so
it is now. Why was Jerusalem a burdensome stone to the
nations ? Why were they continually forming leagues to
root out its remembrance from tbe earth ? The same spirit
that was discovered by Edom, Moab, and the children of
Ammon towards Israel, was apparent in Sanballat, Tobiah,
Geshem, and their companions, towards Judah ; and tbe
part acted by tbe Horonite, tbe Ammonite, and the Ara
bian, was afterwards re-acted, with additional zeal, by Herod
and Pontius Pilate, and the governors and people of Israel.
Those who could agree in nothing else could agree in this.
The persecutions of pagan and papal Rome, and of all who
have symboUzed •with her, have been only a continuation of
directed especially against men of probity and eminence, whose situations
were contiguous to his own ; in fine, if the only traders in the kingdom
who could obtain his good word were certain agents whom he had stationed
in different parts of the country for the purpose of retailing his wares,
would not his designs be evident ? He might puff, and pretend to have
the good of the public much at heart ; but the public would despise him,
as a man whose object was a fortune, and whose practices evinced that ha
:would hesitate at no means to accomplish his end. Yet, in religion, such
deceptions may be practised with success.
VOL. L Q *

226, THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
the same system : and the descriptions which deistical histo
rians give of these works of darkness, notwithstanding their
pretended regard to reUgious liberty, bear witness that they
allow tbe deeds of their fathers, and inherit their disposi
tions. The same malignant spirit which was discovered by
the heathens towards the ancient Israelites, is discoverable
in all the writings of unbeUevers towards that people to this
day. It is true they are more reconciled to tbe modern
Jews ; and for a very plain reason : they feel them to be
near akin to themselves. Herod and PUate were made
friends by the cruciflxion of Christ. Since that time, the
old enmity has been transferred to believing Gentiles, who,
being grafted into tbe Jewish oUve, and partaking of its
advantages, partake also of its persecutions ; and by how
much the Christian church, at any period, has exceeded the
Jewish in purity and spirituality, by so much more force
has the wrath of a wicked world burned against it.
After all the pains that unbelievers take to shift tbe
charge of persecution, and to lay it at the door of Christi
anity, it is manifest, to an observant eye, that there is a
deep-rooted enmity in all wicked men, whether they be
pagans. Papists, Protestants, or Deists, towards all godly
men, of every nation, name, and denomination. This
enmity, it is true, is not suffered to operate according to its
native tendency. He who holdeth the winds in his hand
restrains it. Men are withheld by laws, by policy, by in
terests, by education, by respect, by regard founded on
qualities distinct from reUgious, and by various other things.
There are certain conjunctions of interests, especially, which
occasionaUy require a temporary cessation of hostilities ;
and it may seem on such occasions as if wicked men were
ashamed of their animosities, and were all on a sudden be
come friendly to the followers of Christ. Thus at the Revo
lution, in 1668, those who for more than twenty years bad
treated the nonconformists with unrelenting severity, when
they found themselves in danger of being deprived of their
places by a popish prince, courted their friendship, and pro
mised not to persecute them any more. And thus, at the
commencement of the French revolution. Deists, Catholics,
and Protestants, who were engaged in one political cause,
seemed to have forgotten their resentments, all amicably

CORRESPONDENCE OF SCRIPTURE WITH TRUTH. 227
uniting together in tbe opening of a place for protestant
worship. But let not the servants of Christ imagine that
any temporary conjunction of interests will extinguish the
ancient enmity. It may seem to be so for a time ; and, aU
things being under the control of Providence, such a time
may be designed as a season of respite for the faithful ; but
when self-interest has gained its end, if other wroldly con
siderations do not interpose, things will return to their
former channel. The enmity it not dead, but sleepeth.
Finally : tbe wars which, from the earUest period of his
tory, have desolated the earth, grievous as they are to a
feeling mind, contain in them nothing surprising. The
scriptures, with singular propriety, describe the world as a
great sea which is ever casting up its raire and dirt ; and
great conquerors as so many wild beasts, which, in succes
sion, rise from its troubled waters and devour the inhabit
ants of the earth.'* Nor is this all : they describe not only
the fact, but the cause of it. Wars among men, as has been
already stated,"!" have their immediate causes in " the lusts
which war in their merabers : " but, besides this, the scrip
ture leads us to a cause more remote, and of still greater
importance. They denominate tbe sword of war "the sword
of the Lord," and constantly intimate that it is one of those
means by which he " pleadeth with all flesh." A part of
the curse entailed on men for their departure from the living
God consists in this, that, till they return to him, they shaU
not be able, for any length of time, to maintain amity among
themselves. It appears to be one of those laws by which
God governs the world, that people engaged in an e"Vil
CAUSE, HOWEVER HARMONIOUS THEY MAY BE IN THE OUT
SET, SHALL PRESENTLY BE AT VARIANCE. ThuS it waS
between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, as Jotham
had forewarned them in bis parable. Though at first they
appeared to rejoice in each other ; yet, in a little time, " fire
came out from Abimelech and devoured the men of Shechem,
and fire came out from tbe men of Shechem and devoured
Abimelecb.lj: Such is commonly the issue of all unprincipled
confederacies, traiterous conspiracies, illegal combinations,
and UUcit amours. Union, in order to be lasting, requires
to be cemented with honour. Where this is wanting, how-
* Dan. vii. f Part i., chap. ni. J Judges ix.
q2

228 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
ever appearances may for a while be flattering, aU wiU prove
transitory : mutual jealousies will produce mutual enmities,
which are certain to issue in confusion and every evil work..
These remarks are no less appUcable to the whole human
race than to particular parts of it. Men have revolted from
God ; and yet think to Uve in harmony among themselves.
God, in just judgment, appears to have determined the con
trary; and that, tiU they return to him, they shaU be given
up to an evil spirit towards each other, and to the ravages of
a succession of ambitious leaders, who shall destroy them in
great numbers from tbe face of the earth. It is moraUy im
possible, indeed, that it should be otherwise ; for the same
principle which induces them to renounce the divine govern
ment dissolves the bands of human society. Supreme self-
love is the origin of both, and is sufficient to account for all
the disorder in the universe.
Candid reader, review tbe subject of this chapter. In the
last, we traced the agreement of the holy scriptures with
historic fact ; in this we have seen their correspondence with
living truth, or with things as they actually exist, in the mind
and in the world. Similar arguments might also have been
drawn from the characters of believers and unbeUevers. Not
many wise, not many mighty, not many noble were caUed in
the early ages of Christianity ; and it has been the same in
every age. To tbe Jews the gospel was from the first a
stumbling-block, and to philosophers foolishness ; and such
it continues to this day. The existence of the Jews as a
distinct people, their dispersion, their attachment to the Old
Testament and rejection of the New, their expectation of a
Messiah, their acknowledgment of the truth of the historical
facts concerning our Lord, the malignity of their spirit ; in a
word, their exact resemblance, even at this remote period, to
the picture drawn of them in the New Testament, are facts
which cannot be controverted. Judge impartially : Is there
anything in all this that bears the marks of imposture ? A
connoisseur will distinguish between paintings taken from
life and such as are the work of mere iraagination. An
accurate judge of moral painting wiU do the same. If the
scriptures gave false descriptions of men and things, if they
flattered the vices of mankind, or exhibited tbe moral state
of the world contrary to well-known fact, you would con-

THE SPIRIT AND STYLE OF SCRIPTURE. 229
tlude them to be a work of falsehood. On the other hand,
if they speak of things as they are, if conscience echo to
their charges, and fact comport with their representations^
they must have been taken from life : and you must conclude
them to be what they profess to be — a work of truth. And,
since the objects described are many of them beyond the ken
of human observation, you must conclude that they are not
only a work of truth, but what they also profess to be — The
true sayings of God.

CHAPTER in.
THE HARMONY OF SCRIPTURE WITH ITS O^WN PROFESSIONS
ARGUED FROM THE SPIRIT AND STYLE IN WHICH IT IS
WRITTEN.
If the scriptures be what they profess to be — tbe word of
God, it may be presumed that the spirit which they breathe,
and even the style in which they are composed, will be
different from what can be found in any other productions.
It is true that, having been communicated through human
mediums, we may expect them, in a measure, to be hu
manized ; the pecuUar. turn and talents of each writer will
be visible, and this will give them the character of variety ;
but amidst all this variety, a mind capable of discerning
the divine exceUence ¦will plainly perceive in them the finger
of God.
With respect to style, though it is not on the natural, but
tbe moral, or rather the holy beauties of scripture that I
would lay the principal stress ; yet something may be ob
served of the other. So far as the beauty of language
consists in its freedom from affectation, and in its conformity
to the nature of the subject, it may be expected that a book
written by holy men, inspired of God, will be possessed of
this excellence. A divinely-inspired production wiU not
only be free from such blemishes as arise from vanity, and
other evil dispositions of the mind, but will abound in those
beauties which never fail to attend the genuine exercises of
modesty, sensibility, and godly simplicity. It wiU reject
the meretricious ornaments of art ; but it will possess tbe

230 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
more substantial beauties of nature. That this is true of
the scriptures has been proved by several able writers.'*^
Mr. Paine, however, can see nothing great, majestic, or
worthy of God, in any part of the bible. Among the
numerous terms of reproach with which be honours it, he is
pleased to censure the writings of Isaiah as " bombast, be
neath tbe genius of a schoolboy ;" and to compare the com
mand of the great Creator, in tbe first chapter of Genesis,
" Let there be Ught," to the " imperative manner of speaking
used by a conjurer." | This writer has given us no example
of the bombast from Isaiah. Bombast is that species of
writing in which great swelling words are used to convey
Uttle ideas. But is it thus in the writings of Isaiah ?
" And one cried unto another, and said. Holy, holy, holy is
the Lord of hosts ; tbe whole earth is full of his glory. —
Who hath measured the waters in tbe boUow of his hand,
and meted out heaven with tbe span, and comprehended tbe
dust of tbe earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains
in scales, and the hills in a balance ? Who hath directed
the Spirit of the Lord, or, being bis counsellor, hath taught
him ? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed
him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught
him knowledge, and showed to him tbe way of understand
ing ? Behold, tbe nations are as a drop of a bucket, and
are counted as the small dust of tbe balance : behold, he
taketh up tbe isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is
not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a
burnt-offering. All nations before him are as nothing ; and
they are counted to him less than nothing and vanity." |
Are tbe ideas too little, in these instances, for the words ?
The prophets wrote in a poetic style ; and how could they
write otherwise ? Poetry is the language of passion ; and
such as theirs of pas.sion raised and inflamed by great and
affecting objects. Their language is not that of common
poetry, but, as an elegant writer expresses it, "It is the
burst of inspiration."
• See Blackwall's Sacred Classics. Also Melmoth's Sublime and
^Beautiful of Scripture ; to which is added, Dwight's Dissertation on the
Poetry, History, and Eloquence of the Bible.
t Age of Reason, part ii., p. 105, note.
j Isa. vi. 3; xl. 12— 17

THE SPIRIT AND STYLE OF SCRIPTURE. 231
As to the objection against the sublimity of the passage in
the first chapter of Genesis, it is sufficient to observe that
there is nothing, be it ever so majestic and worthy of God,
but a profane and ludicrous imagination may distort it. A
rainbow may be compared to a fiddle-stick ; but it does not
follow that it is an object of equal insignificance. Thunder
and lightning may be imitated by a character not less con
temptible than a conjurer ; but should any one infer that
there is nothing more grand, more awful, or more worthy of
God, in these displays of nature, than in tbe exhibitions of
a country show, he would prove himself to be possessed of
but a small portion of either wit or good sense.
I do not pretend to any great judgment in the beauties of
composition ; but there are persons of far superior judgment
to this writer who have expressed themselves in a very
different language. Tbe late Sir Williara Jones, who for
learning and taste, as well as character, has left but few
equals, thus expresses himself : " I have regularly and at
tentively read these holy scriptures, and am of opinion that
this volume, independent of its divine origin, contains more
sublimity and beauty, more pure morality, more important
history, and finer strains of poetry and eloquence, than can
be collected from all other books, in whatever age or lan
guage they may have been composed."
The acknowledgments of Rousseau, likewise, whose taste
for fine writing, and whose freedom from prejudice in favour
of Christianity, none will call in question, will serve to con
front the assertions of Mr. Paine. After declaring that, as
there were some proofs in favour of revelation which he
could not invalidate, so there were many objections against
it which he could not resolve ; that he neither admitted nor
rejected it ; and that he rejected only the obligation of sub
mitting to it, he goes on to acknowledge as follows : " I will
confess to you, farther, that the majesty of tbe scripture
strikes me with admiration, as the purity of the gospel hath
its influence on my heart. Peruse tbe works of our pliilo-
spphers ; with all their pomp of diction, how mean, how
contemptible are they, compared with the scripture ! Is
it possible that a book at once so simple and sublime should
be merely the work of man ? Is. it possible that the sacred
Personage whose history it contains should be himself a

232 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
mere man ? Do we iSud that he assumed tbe air of an
enthusiast or ambitious sectary ? What sweetness, what
purity in his manners ! What an affecting gracefulness in
his deUvery ! What subUmity in his maxims ! What pro
found wisdom in his discourses ! What presence of mind !
What subtilty ! What truth in his repUes ! How great
the command over his passions ! Where is the man, where
the philosopher, who could so Uve and die, without weakness,
and without ostentation ? — Shall we suppose the evangeUc
history a mere fiction ? Indeed, my friend, it bears not the
marks of fiction. On the contrary, the history of Socrates,
which nobody presumes to doubt, is not so well attested as
that of Jesus Christ. The Jewish authors were incapable
of tbe diction, and strangers to the morality contained in
the gospels ; the marks of whose truth are so striking and
invincible that the inventor would be a more astonishing
character than the hero." *
Rousseau's praises of the scripture remind us of the high
encomiums bestowed by Balaam on the tabernacles of Israel.
It is no unusual thing for men to admire that which they do
not love.
Let us examine a little more minutely the spirit in which
the scriptures are written. It is this which constitutes their
holy beauty, distinguishes them from all other writings, and
affords the strongest evidence of their being written by
inspiration of God.
In recording historical events, the sacred writers in
variably eye the hand of God; in some instances they
entirely overlook second causes ; and in others, where they
are mentioned, it is only as instruments fulfiUing the divine
wiU. Events that come to pass according to the usual
course of things, and in which an ordinary historian would
have seen nothing divine, are recorded by them among the
works of the Lord : " Tbe Lord was very angry with Israel,
and removed them out of his sight. — And the Lord sent
against Jehoiakim bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the
Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the
children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy
it, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by
his servants the prophets. Surely at the commandment of
* Works, vol, v., pp. 216-^218.

THE SPIRIT AND STYLE OF SCRIPTURE. 233
the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of bis
sight for tbe sins of Manasseb, according to all that he did ;
and also for the innocent blood that be shed (for he filled
Jerusalem with innocent blood), which tbe Lord would not
pardon." *
In their prophecies, while they foretold tbe heaviest cala
mities upon nations, their own and others, and, viewing the
hand of God in all, acquiesced in them, as men they felt
tenderly for their feUow creatures, even for their enemies :
" My bowels, my bowels ! I am pained at my vei'y heart ;
my heart maketb a noise in me : I cannot bold my peace,
because thou hast heard, 0 my soul, the sound of the trum
pet, tbe alarm of war. — 0 thou sword of tbe Lord, how long,
will it be ere thou be quiet ? Put up thyself into thy
scabbard, rest, and be still." "f When Israel was exposed to
calamities, aU the neighbouring nations, who hated them on
account of their reUgion, exulted over them ; but, when the
cup went round to them, the prophets who foretold it were
tenderly affected by it : "I wiU bewail with the weeping of
Jazer tbe vine of Sibmah : I wiU water thee with my tears,
0 Heshbon, and Elealeh ; for the shouting for thy summer-
fruits and for thy harvest is fallen : and gladness is taken
away, and joy out of tbe plentiful field ; and in tbe vine
yards there shaU be no singing, neither shall there be shout
ing : tbe treaders shaU tread out no wine in their presses ;
I have made shouting to cease. Wherefore my bowels shall
.sound Uke a harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for
Kirharesb." %
The miracles which they record are distinguished from
the signs and lying wonders of foUowing ages in that there
is always to be seen in them an end worthy of God. The
far greater part of them were works of pure compassion to
the parties, and tbe whole of them of benevolence to society.
There is nothing in the scriptures adapted to gratify
presumptuous speculation or idle curiosity. Such a spirit,
on the contrary, is frequently checked, and everything is
directed to tbe renovation or improvement of the heart.
The account given of tbe creation of the sun, moon, and
stars, is not intended, as Mr. Henry observes, to describe
• 2 Kings xvii. 18; xxiv. 2 — 4. + Jer. iv. 19; xlvii. 6.
X Isa. xvi. 9 — 11.

234 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
things " as they are in themselves, and in their own nature,
to satisfy the curious ; but as they are in relation to this
earth, to which they serve as lights; and this is_ enough to
furnish us with matter for praise and thanksgiving." _ "The
miracles of Jesus were never performed to gratify curiosity.
If the affiicted, or any on their behalf, present their petition,
it is invariably heard and answered ; but if tbe pharisees
come and say, " Master, we would see a sign from thee," or
if Herod " hope to see a miracle done by him," it is refused.*
When one said to him, "Lord, are there few that be saved?"
he answered, " Strive to enter in at tbe strait gate ; for
many, I say unto vou, will seek to enter in, and shall not be
able."t ~ "
There is nothing in tbe scriptures tending, in its own
nature, to excite levity or folly. They sometimes deal in
the most cutting irony ; but it is never for the sake of dis
playing wit or raising a laugh, but invariably for the accom
plishment of a serious and important end. A serious mind
finds every thing to gratify it, and nothing to offend it : and
even the most profligate character, unless he read them in
search of something which he may convert into ridicule, is
impressed with awe by the pointed and solemn manner in
which they address hira.
It may be said of the scriptures, and of them only, that
they Sire free from affectation and vanity. You may some
times find things of this sort described by tbe sacred writers ;
but you will never discern any such spirit in tbe descriptions
themselves. Yet, as men, they were subject to human
imperfections : if, therefore, they had not been influenced
by divine inspiration, blemishes of this kind must have
appeared in their writings, as well as in those of other men.
But in what instance have they assumed a character
which does not belong to them, or discovered a wish to
be thought more religious, more learned, or more accom
pUshed in any way than they were ? Nor were they less
free from affectation. They were as far from making
the most of what they were as from aiming to appear
what they were not. Instead of trumpeting their own
praise, or aiming to transmit their fame to posterity,
• Matt. xii. 38. Luke xxiii. 8, 9.
f Luke xiij. 24. See also xxi. 5 — 19.

THE SPIRIT AND STYLE OF SCRIPTURE. 235
several of them have not so much as put their names
to their writings ; and those who have are generally out
of sight. As you read their history, they seldora occur
to your thoughts. Who thinks of the evangelists when
reading the four Gospels ? or of Luke while reading the
Acts of the Apostles ? Mr. Paine weaves the laurel on bis
own brows, vainly boasting that be has " written a book
under the greatest disadvantages, which no bible-believer
can answer ;" and that, with bis axe upon his shoulder, like
another Sennacherib, he has passed through, and cut down
tbe tall cedars of our Lebanon.* But thus did not the
sacred writers, even with regard to heathenism, because of
the fear of God. Paul, in one instance, for the sake of
answering an important end, was compelled to speak tbe
truth of himself, and to appear to boast ; yet it is easy to
perceive how much it was against bis inclination. A boaster
and a, fool were, in his account, synonymous terms.f
The sacred writers, while thej'^ respect magistracy, and
frown upon faction, tumult, and sedition, are never known to
flatter the great. Compare tbe fustian eloquence of Tertul-
lus with the manly speeches of Paul. Did be flatter Felix ?
No ; be "reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judg
ment to come ; and Felix trembled." Did he flatter Festus
or even Agrippa ? No ; the highest compliment which
proceeded from him was, that "be knew" the latter " to be
expert in all customs and questions among tbe Jews,'' and to
maintain the divine inspiration of tbe prophets ; which
declaration, with tbe whole of this admirable apology, con
tained only tbe words of truth and soberness.
They discover no anxiety to guard against seeming incon
sistencies, either with themselves or one another. In works
of imposture, especially where a number of persons are con
cerned, there is need of great care and caution, lest one part
should contradict another ; and such caution is easily per
ceived. But the sacred writers appear to have bad no such
concern about them. Conscious that all they wrote was
true, they left it to prove its own consistency. Their pro
ductions possess consistency ; but it is not a studied one, nor
* Age of Reason, part ii., Preface, p. vi., and p. 64.
f 2 Cor. xii.

236 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
always apparent at first sight : it is that consistency which
is certain to accompany truth.'*
There is an inimitable simplicity in all their wdtings, and
a feeling sense of what they write. They come to the point
without ceremony or preamble ; and, having told the truth,
leave it without mingUng their own reflections. This remark
is particularly exemplified by tbe four EvangeUsts, in nar
rating tbe treatment of their Lord. Writers who had felt
less would have said more.
There is something in all they say which leaves behind it
a sensation produced by no other writings ; something
peculiarly suited to the mind when in its most serious frames,
oppressed by affliction, or thoughtful about a future Ufe ;
something which gives melancholy itself a charm, and pro
duces tears more delicious to tbe mind than tbe most high-
flavoured earthly enjoyments. By what name shaU I express
* " There is one argument," says Mr. Wilberforce, in his late excellent
Treatise, " which impresses my mind with particular force. This is, the
great variety of the hinds of evidence which have been adduced in proof
of Christianity, and the confirmation thereby afforded of its truth : — the
proof from prophecy — ^from miracles — from the character of Christ — ^from
that of his apostles — ^from the nature of the doctrines of Christianity — ^from
the nature and excellence of her practical precepts — from the accordance
we have lately pointed out between the doctrinal and practical system of
Christianity, whether considered each in itself, or in their mutual relation
to each other — from other species of internal evidence, afforded in the
more abundance in proportion as the sacred records have been scrutinized
with greater care — from the accounts of contemporary or nearly contempo
rary writers — from the impossibility of accounting, on any other supposition
than that of the truth of Christianity, for its promulgation and early pre
valence : these and other lines of argument have all been brought forward,
and ably urged by different writers, in proportion as they have struck the
minds of different observers more or less forcibly. Now, granting that
some obscure and iUiterate men, residing in a distant province of the
Roman empire, had plotted to impose a forgery upon the world ; though
Some foundation for the imposture might, and indeed must, have been
attempted to be laid; it seems, at least to my understanding, morally
impossible that so many different species of proofs, and all so strong,
should have lent theu: concurrent aid,, and have united their joint force,
in the establishment of the falsehood. It may assist the reader in esti
mating the value of this argument, to consider upon how different a
footing, in this respect, has rested every other religious system, without
exception, which was ever proposed to the world ; and indeed every other
historical fact of which the truth has been at all contested "-^Practical
View, &.C., pp. 361—363. Third edition.

THE SPIRIT AND STYLE OF SCRIPTURE. 237
it ? It is a savour of life ; a savour of God; an unction from
the Holy One.
Mr. Paine can see no beauty in tbe New Testament
narratives : to him there appears nothing but imposture,
folly, contradiction, falsehood, and everything that marks an
evil cause. And I suppose be could say the same of the
things narrated ; of tbe labours, tears, temptations, and
sufferings of the Lord Jesus, and of everything else in tbe
New Testament. Mr. Paine, however, is not tbe only
instance wherein men have lacked understanding. Tbe
Jews saw no beauty in the Saviour that they should desire
him : and there are persons who can see no beauty in any
of the works of God. Creation is to them a blank. But
though " the eyes of a fool are at the ends of tbe earth," for
want of objects to attract them, yet "wisdom is before him
that understandeth." If Mr. Paine can see no beauty in tbe
sacred pages, it does not follow that there is no beauty to be
seen. Let any person of candour and discernment read over
tbe four EvangeUsts, and judge whether they bear tbe marks
of imposture. If he have any difficulty, it will be in pre
serving the character of a critic. Unless be be perpetually
on his guard, be will insensibly lose sight of the writers, and
be all enamoured of the great object concerning which they
Write. In reading the last nine chapters of John, he will
perceive the writer to be deeply affected. Though a long
time had elapsed since the events had taken place, and he
was far advanced in years, yet his heart was manifestly over
whelmed with bis subject. There is reason to think that
the things which Mr. Paine attempts to ridicule drew tears
from his eyes while be narrated them ; as an ingenuous
mind will flnd it difficult to review the narrative without
similar sensations.
Mr. Paine is pleased to say, " Any person that could read
and write might have written such a book as the bible ;" but
nothing can be farther from the truth. It were saying but
little to affirm that he could not produce a single page or
sentence that would have a similar effect. Stranger as he
has proved himself to be to the love of God and righteous
ness, he could not communicate what he does not feel. Tbe
croaking raven might as well endeavour to imitate the voice
of the dove or the song of the nightingale, as he attempt to

238 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
emulate tbe holy scriptures Mr. Paine's spirit is suffi
ciently apparent in bis page, and that of the sacred writers
in theirs. So far from writing as they wrote, he cannot
understand their writings. That which the scriptures teach
on this subject is sufficientiy verified in hira, and aU others
of his spirit : " The natural man receiveth not tbe things of
the Spirit of God, neither can be know them, for they are
spiritually discerned."* As easily might the loveliness of
chastity be perceived, or tbe pleasures of a good, conscience
appreciated by a debauchee, as the things of God be received
by a mind like that of Mr. Paine.
Finally : If tbe bible be tbe word of God, it may be
expected that " such an authority and divine sanction
should accompany it," that, while a candid mind shall
presently perceive its evidence, those who read it either with
negligence or prejudice shall only be confirmed in their un
belief. It is fit that God's word should not be trifled with.
When the Pharisees captiously demanded a sign, or miracle,
they were sent away without one. They might go, if they
pleased, and report tbe inability of Jesus to work a miracle.
The evidence attending the resurrection of Christ is of this
description, He had exhibited proofs of his divine mission
publicly and before the eyes of all men ; but, seeing they
were obstinately rejected, he told his enemies that they
should see him no more till be should come on a different
occasion :t and they saw him no more. They might insist,
if they pleased, that the testimony of his disciples, who
witnessed his resurrection, was insufficient. It is thus that
heresies, offences, and scandals are permitted in the Christian,
church ; that they who are approved may be made manifest;
and that occasion may be furnished for them who seek
occasion to reproach religion and persist in their unbeUef.
If men choose delusion, God also wiU choose to give them
up to it. " Tbe scorner shall seek wisdom, and shaU not
find it ;" and tbe word of Ufe shall be a " savour of death
unto death to them that perish." Mr. Paine, when he wrote
tbe First Part of bis " Age of Reason," was without a Bible.
Afterwards, he tells us, he procured one ; or, to use his own
schoolboy language, "a Bible and a Testament ; and I have
found them," he adds, " to be much worse books than I had
• I Cor. ii. 14. .[. iJatt. xxiii. 39.

CHRIST'S MEDIATION CONSISTENT WITH REASON. 239
conceived."* In all this there is nothing surprising. On the
contrary, if such a scorner bad found wisdom, the scriptures
themselves bad not been fulfiUed.f
If an insolent coxcomb bad been of opinion that Sir Isaac
Newton was a mere ignoramus in philosophy, and bad gone
into his company that he might catechize, and afterwards, as
occasion should offer, expose him ; it is not unlikely that this
great writer, perceiving bis arrogance, would have suffered
hira to depart without answering bis questions, even though
he might know at the time that bis unfavourable opinion of
hira would thereby be the raore confirmed. Let us but come
to the scriptures in a proper spirit, and we shall know of the
doctrine whether it be of God ; but, if we approach them in
a cavilling humour, we may expect not only to remain in
ignorance, but to be hardened more and more in unbeUef.

CHAPTER IV.

THE CONSISTENCY OF THE CHKISIIAN DOCTRINE, PARTICU
LARLY THAT OP SALVATION THROUGH A MEDIATOR, WITH
SOBER REASON.
If there is a God who created us, if we have all sinned
against him, and if there is reason to believe that he will
call us to account for our conduct, all which principles are
admitted by Mr. Paine, | a gloomy prospect must needs pre
sent itself, sufficient indeed to render man "the slave of
terror." It is not in the power of this writer, nor of any
man Uving who rejects the bible, to assure us that pardon
will have any place in the divine government ; and, however
Ught be may make of tbe scripture doctrine of hell. He that
calls men to account for their deeds will be at no loss how or
where to punish them. But, allowing that God is disposed
to show mercy to the guilty, tbe question is. Whether his
doing so by or without a mediator be most consistent vrith
what we know of fitness or propriety ?
That pardon is bestowed through a mediator in a vast
variety of instances among men cannot be denied ; and that
* Age of Reason, part ii., preface, p. xii. f Prov. xiv. 6.
I Age of Reason, part i., p. 1 ; part ii. p. 100.

240 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
it is proper it should be so must be evident to every think
ing mind. AU who are acquainted with the common affairs
of Ufe must be aware of the necessity of such proceedings,
and the good effects of them upon society. *
It is far less humbling for an offender to be pardoned^ at
his own request than through tbe interposition of a third
person ; for, in the one case, be may be led to think that it
was his virtue and penitence which influenced the decision :
whereas, in tbe other, he is compelled to feel his own un-
worthiness : and this may be one reason why the mediation
of Christ is so offensive. It is no wonder, indeed, that those
who deny humility to be a virtue "f should be disgusted with
a doctrine the professed object of which is to abase tbe pride
of man.
As forgiveness without a mediator is less humbling to the
offender, so it provides less for the honour of the offended,
than a contrary proceeding. Many a compassionate heart
has longed to go forth, like David towards Absalom ; but,
from a just sense of wounded authority, could not tell how
to effect it ; and has greatly desired that some common
friend would interpose, to save his honour. He has wished
to remit the sentence ; but has felt the want of a mediator,
at the instance of whom be might give effect to his desires,
and exercise mercy without seeming to be regardless of
justice. An offender who should object to a mediator would
ise justly considered as hardened in impenitence, and regard
less of tbe honour of the offended : and it is difficult to say
what other construction can be put upon tbe objections of
sinners to the mediation of Christ.
Again : To exercise pardon without a mediator would be
fixing no such stigma upon the evil of the offence as is done
by a contrary mode of proceeding. Every man feels that
those faults which may be overlooked on a mere acknow
ledgment are not of a very heinous nature; they are such
as arise frora inadvertence, rather than from ill design ; and
include little more than an error of the judgment. On tbe
other hand, every man feels that the calUng in of a third
person is making much of the offence, treating it as a serious
• See President Edwards's Remarks on Impoi'tant Theological Con
troversies, chap. vi.
f 'Volney's Law of Nature, p. 49.

CHRIST'S MEDIATION CONSISTENT WITH REASON. 241
affair, a breach that is not to be lightly passed over. This
may be another reason why the mediation of Christ is so
offensive to the adversaries of the gospel. It is no wonder
that men who are continuaUy speaking of moral evil under
the palliating names of error, frailty, imperfection, aud the
like, should spurn at a doctrine the implication of which
condemns it to everlasting infamy.*
Finally : To bestow pardon without a mediator would be
treating the offence as private, or passing over it as a matter
unknown, an affair which does not affect the well-being of
society, and which therefore requires no public manifestation
of displeasure against it. Many a notorious offender would,
doubtless, wish matters to be thus conducted, and, from an
aversion to public exposure, would feel strong objections to
tbe formal interposition of a third person. Whether this
may not be another reason of dislike to the mediation of
Christ I shall not decide ; but of this I am fuUy satisfied,
that the want of a proper sense of the great evil of sin, as
itaffects tbe moral government of the universe, is a reason
why its adversaries see no necessity for it, nor fitness in it.
They prove, by all their writings, that they have no delight
in tbe moral excellency of the divine nature, no just sense of
tbe glory of moral government, and no proper views of the
pernicious and widely extended influence of sin upon the
moral system ; is it any wonder, therefore, that they should
be unconcerned about tbe plague being stayed by a sacrifice ?
Such views are too enlarged for their selfish and contracted
minds. Tbe only object of their care, even in their most
serious moments, is to escape punishment : for the honour of
God, and the real good of creation, they discover no con
cern. The amount is this : If it be indeed improper for a guilty
creature to lie low before his Creator, if it be unfit that any
regard should be paid to the honour of his character, if the
offence committed against him be of so small account that it
is unnecessary for him to express any displeasure against it,
and if it have been so private and insulated in its operations
as in no way to affect the well-being of tbe moral system, the
doctrine of forgiveness through a mediator is unreasonable.
But if the contrary be true ; if it be proper for a guilty
* Rom. viii. 3.
VOL. L R

2'42 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
creature to lie in the diist before bis offended Creator, if the
honour of the divine character deserve the first and highest
regard, if moral evU be the greatest of aU evUs, and require,
even where it is forgiven, a strong expression of divine dis
pleasure against it, and if its pernicious influence be such
that, if suffered to operate according to its native tendency,
it would dethrone the Almighty and' desolate the UhiverSe,
the doctrine in question must accord •with the plainest
dictates of reason.
The sense of mankind, with regard to the necessity of A
mediator, may be illustrated' by the following simiUtude :—
Let us suppose a division of the army of one of the wikest
and best of kings, through tbe evil counsel Of a foreign
enemy, to have been disaffected to bis government'; and
th'at, without any provocation on his part, they traitoi'Ously
conspired against bis crown and life. The' attempt fSiled ;
and 'the offenders were seized, disa^rmed, tried by the laws of*
their country, and condemned to die. A respite, hovirever,.
v(ras granted them during his majesty's pleasure. At' this"
solemn period, while every part of tHe army and of the
empire was expecting tbe fatal ordOr fOr execution; the kitlg
was employed in meditating mercy. But how could mercy
be sho'wn? "To make Ught of a conspiracy,"' said he to bis
friends, "would loosen the bands of good government':' other'
divisions of the army might be tempted to follow their
example ; and the nation at' large be in danger of iiiiputing;
it to tameness, fear, or some unworthy motive."
Every one felt, in this case, the necessity of a mediator,
and agreed as to the general line of conduct proper for him
to pursue. "He must not attempt," say they, "to com
promise tbe difference by dividing the blame : that would'
make things worse. He must justify the king, and condemn
the outrage committed against him ; he must offer, if possible,
some honourable expedient; by means of Which tb'e beStOw-
ment of pardOn shall not relax, but strengthen just authority;
he must convince the conspirators of' their crime, and in
troduce them in the character of supplicants ; and mercy
must be shown thtem out of respect to him, or for his sake."
But who could be found to mediate in such a cause?
This was an important question. A work of this kind, it
was allowed on aU hands, required singular qualifications.

CHRIST'S MEDIATION CONSISTENT WITH EEASON. 243
"He must be perfectly clear of any participation in the
offence," said one, "or inclination to favour it ; for to pardon
conspira'tors at the intercession of One who is friendly to
their cause would be, not only fnaking light of the crime,
but giving a sanction to it."
"He must," said anothei-, "be otie wno, on abcount of his
character and services, itandS high in the esteem of the king
and of the public ; for to media;te in such a cause, is to
becoine, in a sort, responsible fo'r tbe issue. A mediator, in
effect, pledges his honour that flo evil ¦will result to the state
froni the granting of bis request. But, if a mean opinion be
entertained of him, no trust cail be placed in him, and, con
sequently, no good impression 'would be made by bis media
tion on the public taihd."
"I conceive it is necessary," said a third, "that the
weight of the mediation should be^r a proportion to the
magnitude Of the crime, and to tbe 'value of the favour
requested ; and that for this end ii is proper he should be a
person of great dignity. For bis majesty to pardon a com
pany of conspirators at the intei-cession of one of their
former comrades, or of any other obscure character, eteU
though he might be a worthy man, would convey a very
diuiinutive idea of the evil of the offence."
A fourth reiUafked that " he must possess a tender coin-
passion towards the unhappy offenders, or he would not
cdrflially interest himself on their behalf."
Finally : It -was suggested by a fifth " that, for the greater ,
fitness Of t'he p!foceeding, it would be proper that sOinfe
relatiim or confiexiort Should subsist betwefeii the parties."
" We feel the pi-opriety," said he, " of forgiving an offehce
at the intercession of a father or a brother ; or, if it be
committed by a soldief, of bis commanding officer. Without
some kind of, previous relation or Connexion, a mediation
would haive the appearance of an arbitrary and formal ^'ro'-
cess, and prove but little interestiUg to thei hearts of the
community." Such Were the reasonings of t'he king's friends ; hut vs^here
to find the character in whom the^e qualificaliohs were
United, and •rtrbat particiilar expedient coUld be de^vised,
by means of which, instead of relaxing, pardon should
r2

244 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
strengthen just authority, were subjects too difficult for them
to resolve.
Meanwhile, the king and bis son, whom be greatly loved,
and whom he had appointed generaUssimo of all his forces,
bad retired from the company, and were conversing about
the matter which attracted the general attention.
" My son ! " said the benevolent sovereign, " what can be
done in behalf of these unhappy men ? To order them for
execution -riolates every feeling of my heart : yet to pardon
them is dangerous. The army, and even tbe empire,^ would
be under a strong temptation to think lightly of rebellion. If
•nercy be exercised, it must be through a mediator ; and who
IS qualified to mediate in such a cause ? And what expe
dient can be devised by means of which pardon shall not
relax, but strengthen just authority ? Speak, my son, and
say what measures can be pursued ? "
" My father ! " said the prince, " I feel the insult offered
to your person and government, and the injury thereby
aimed at tbe empire at large. They have transgressed
without cause, and deserve to die without mercy. Yet I
also feel for them. I have the heart of a soldier. I cannot
endure to witness their execution. What shall I say ? On
me be this wrong ! Let me suffer in their stead. Inflict on
me as much as is necessary to impress the army and tbe
nation with a just sense of tbe evil, and of the importance
of good order and faithful allegiance. Let it be in their
presence, and in the presence of all assembled. When this
is done, let them be permitted to implore and receive your
majesty's pardon in my name. If any man refuse so to
implore, and so to receive it, let him die the death ! "
"My son!" replied the king, "you have expressed my
heart ! The same things have occupied my mind ; but it
was my desire that you should be voluntary in the under
taking. It shall be as you have said. I shall be satisfied ;
justice itself will be satisfied ; and I pledge my honour that
you also shall be satisfied in seeing the happy effects of your
disinterested conduct Propriety requires that I stand aloof
in the day of your affliction ; but I will not leave you utterly,
nor suffer the beloved of my soul to remain in that condition.
A temporary affliction on your part will be more than
equivalent to death on theirs. The dignity of your person

CHRIST'S MEDIATION CONSISTENT WITH REASON. 245
and character will render the sufferings of an hour of greater
account, as to the impression of the public mind, than if all
the rebeUious bad been executed : and by how much I am
known to have loved you, by so much will my compassion
to them, and my displeasure against their wicked conduct,
be made manifest. Go, my son, assume the Ukeness of a
criminal, and suffer in their place ! "
The gracious design being communicated at court, all
were struck with it. Those who bad reasoned on tbe quaU-
fications of a mediator saw that in the prince all were united
and were fiUed vrith admiration : but that be should be will
ing to suffer in the place of rebels was beyond all that could
have been asked or thought. Yet, seeing he himself bad gene
rously proposed it, would survive bis sufferings, and reap the
reward of them, they cordially acquiesced. The only diffi
culty that was started was among the judges of the realm.
They at first questioned whether the proceeding were admis
sible. " The law," said they, "makes provision for the trans
fer of debts, but not of crimes. Its language is, ' The soul
that sinneth shall die.' " But when they came to view
things on a more enlarged scale, considering it as an expe
dient on an extraordinary occasion, and perceived that the
spirit of the law would be preserved, and all the ends of
good government answered, they were satisfied. " It is not
a measure," said they, "for which the law provides': yet it
is not contrary to the law, but above it."
Tbe day appointed arrived. Tbe prince appeared, and
suffered as a criminal. The hearts of tbe king's friends bled
at every stroke, and burned with indignation against the
conduct which rendered it necessary. His enemies, bow-
ever, even some of those for whom be suffered, continuing to
be disaffected, added to the affliction, by deriding and insult
ing him all the time. At a proper period he was rescued
from their outrage. Returning to the palace, amidst the
tears and shouts of the loyal spectators, the suffering hero
was embraced by his royal father ; who in addition to the
natural affection which he bore to him as a son, loved him
for his singular interposition at such a crisis ; " Sit thou,"
said he, " at my right hand ! Though the threatenings of
the law be not literally accompUshed, yet the spirit of them
is preserved. The honour of good government is secured.

2^6 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
and tbe end of punishment more effectually answered than if
all the rebels had been sacrificed. Ask of me what I shaU
give thee ! No favour can be too great to be besto-«ved, even
upon the unwortbiest, nor any crime •too aggravated to bp
forgiven, in thy name. I will grant thee according to thine
own beart ! Ask of me, my sop, what I shall give thee ! "
He asked for tbe offenders to be introduced as supplicants
at the feet of bis father, for the forgiveness of their crimes,
and for the direction of affairs tiU p^rder ai|d happiness should
be perfectly restored.
A proclamation addressed tp tbe conspirators was now
issued, stating what bad been ^heir conduct, what tbe con
duct of the king, and what of the prince. Messengers also
were appointed tp carry it, with orders to read jt publicly,
and to expostulate with them individually, beseecbing them
to be reconciled tp their offended sovereign, ^nd to assure
them that, jf they rejected this, there remained no more hope
of mercy.
A spectator would suppose that in mercy so freely offered,
and so honourably communicated, every one would have
acquiesced ; and, if reason had governed the offenders, it
ha(i been so : but many among them continued under the
influence of disaffection, and disaffection gives a false colour
ing to every thing.
The time of tbe respite ba^ying proved longer than ¦was
at flrst expected, some had begun to ^muse themselves. Vith
idle speculations, flattering themselves that their fault was a
mere trifle, and that it certainly would hfi passed oyer.
Indeed, the greater part p^ them had turned their attention
to other things, cpncluding that the king w^s not in good
earnest. When the procl^ma,tion was read, many paid no manner
of attention to it ; some insinuatecj that the messengers were
interested men, and that there might be no truth in what
they said ; and some even abused them as impostpys. So,
having deUvered their message, they withdrey(r ; and the
rebels, finding themselves alone, such of them as paid any
attention to tbe subject expij-essed their mind as foUows : 
" My heart," says one, '^ rises against ejQ^y part pf this
proceeding. Why aU this adp ^bout a few words spoken one
to another ? Can such a message as this have proceeded from

CHRIST'S MEDIATION CONSISTENT WITH REASON. 247
the king ? What have we done so much against him that so
much should be made of it ? No petition of ours, it seems,
would avail anything ; and nothing that we could say or do
could be regarded, unless presented in tbe name of a third
person. Surely, if we present a petition in our own names,
in which we beg pardon and promise not to repeat the offence,
this might suffice. Even this is more than I can flnd in my
heart to .comply with ; but everything beyond it is unrea
sonable ; and who can believe that the king can desire it ? "
" If a third person," says another, " must be concerned in
the affair, what occasion is there for one so high in rank and
dignity ? To stand in need of ,swh a mediator must stamp
our characters with everlasting infamy. It is very unrea
sonable,: who can heUeve it ? If the king be just and good,
as they say he is, how can he wish thus publidy to expose
us?" '^'I observe," says a third, "that the mediator is wholly on
the kiaig's side.; and one whom, though be affects to pity us,
we have, from the outset, considered as no less our enemy
than the king himself If, indeed, he could compromise
matters, and would aUow that we bad our provocations, and
would promise us redress, and an .easier yoke in future, I
should feel inclined to hearken : but, if be have no conces
sions to offer, I can never be reconciled."
"I believe," says a fourth, "that the king knows very
w.eU .that we .have not had justice done us, and therefore this
mediation business is introduced to make us amends for the
injury. It is an affair settled somehow betwixt him and his
son. They call it grace, and I am not much concerned what
they caU it, so that my life is spared ; but this I say, if he
had not made this or some .kiud .of provision, I .should have
thought him a tyrant."
" You are aU wrong," says a flfth : " I comprehend the
design, and am well pleased with it. I hate tbe government
as much as any of you : biat I love tbe mediator; for I
und^stand it is bis intention to deliver me from its tyranny.
He has paid tbe debt, the king is satisfied, and I am free. I
wUl sue out for my right, and demand my Uberty !"
In addition to this, one of the company observed, he did
not see what the greater part of them bad to do with the
proclamation, unless it were to give it a bearing which they

248 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
bad done already. " For," said he, " pardon is promised only
to them who are willing to submit, and it is weU known that
many of us are unwiUing ; nor can we alter our minds on
this subject."
After a while, however, some of them were brought to
relent. They thought upon tbe subject matter of tbe pro
clamation, were convinced of tbe justness of its statements,
reflected upon their evil conduct, and were sincerely soi-ry
on account of it. And now tbe mediation of the prince
appeared in a very different light. They cordially said
Amen to every part of the proceeding. Tbe very things,
which gave such offence, while their hearts were disaffected,
now appeared to them fit, and right, and glorious. " It is
fit," say they, "that the king should be honoured, and that
we should be humbled; for we have transgressed without
cause. It is right that no regard should be paid to any
petition of ours, for its own sake ; for we have done deeds
worthy of death. It is glorious that we should be saved at
the intercession of so honourable a personage. Tbe dignity
of his character, together with his surprising condescension
and goodness, impresses us more than anything else, and
fills our hearts with penitence, confldence, and love. That
which in the proclamation is called grace is grace ; for we
are utterly unworthy of it; and, if we had all suffered
according to our sentence, the king and his throne had been
guiltless. We embrace tbe mediation of the prince, not as
a reparation for an injury, but as a singular instance of
mercy. And far be it from us that we should consider it as
designed to deliver us from our original and just allegiance
to his majesty's government ! No, rather it is intended to
restore us to it. We love our intercessor, and will implore
forgiveness in his name : but we also love our sovereign, and
long to prostrate ourselves at his feet. We rejoice in the
satisfaction which the prince has made, and all our hopes of
mercy are founded upon it : but we have no notion of being
freed by it previously to our acquaintance in it. Nor do we
desire any other kind of freedom than that which, while it
remits the just sentence of the law, restores us to his
majesty's government. O that we were once clear of this
hateful and horrid conspiracy, and might be permitted to
serve him with affection and fidelity all tbe days of our Ufe !

CHRIST'S MEDIATION CONSISTENT WITH REASON. 249
We cannot suspect the-' sincerity of the invitation, or acquit
our companions on the score of unwillingness. Why should
we ? We do not on this account acquit ourselves. On the
contrary, it is the remembrance of our unwiUingness that
now cuts us to tbe beart. We well remeraber to what it
was owing that we could not be satisfied with the just
governraent of the king, and afterwards could not comply
with tbe invitations of mercy : it was because we were under
the dominion of a disaffected spirit — a spirit which, wicked
as it is in itself, it would be more wicked to justify. Our
counsel is, therefore, the same as that of bis majesty's mes
sengers, with whom we now take our stand. Let us lay
aside this cavilling humour, repent, and sue for mercy in the
way prescribed, ere mercy be hid from our eyes ! "
The reader, in applying this supposed case to tbe mediation
of Christ, will do me tbe justice to remember that I do not
pretend to have perfectly represented it. Probably there is
no simiUtude fully adequate to the purpose. Tbe distinction
between the Father and tbe Son is not the same as that
which subsists between a father and a son among men : the
latter are two separate beings ; but to assert this of the former
would be inconsistent with the divine unity. Nor can any
thing be found analogous to the doctrine of divine influence,
by which tbe redemption of Christ is carried into effect.
And, with respect to the innocent voluntarily suffering for
tbe guilty, in a few extraordinary instances this principle
may be adopted ; but the management and application of it
generaUy require more wisdom and more power than mortals
possess. We may, by tbe help of a machine, collect a few
sparks of the electrical fluid, and produce an effect somewhat
resembling that of Ughtning : but we cannot cause it to blaze
like tbe Almighty, nor " thunder with a voice like Hira."
Imperfect, however, as the foregoing similitude may appear
in some respects, it is sufficient to show tbe faUacy of Mr.
Paine's reasoning. " The doctrine of redemption," says this
writer, " has for its basis an idea of pecuniary justice, and
not that of moral justice. If I owe a person money, and
cannot pay him, and be threatens to put me into prison,
another person can take the debt upon himself, and pay it
for me : but, if I have committed a crime, every circumstance
of the case is changed. Moral justice cannot take tbe inno-

250 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
cent for the guilty, even if the iunocent would offer itseV-
To suppose justice to do this is to destroy the pripciple ,ef
its existence, which is tbe thing itself. It is then no longer
justice, hut indiscpminatf revenge." * This objeC(tipn, whiob
is the same for substance as has been frequently urgecj by
Socini?.ns as well as Deists, is founded in misrepresentation.
It js not true that redemption h^s for its basis the ide* of
pecuniary justice, and pot fjbat of moral justice. That siji
is called a debt, and .the death of Christ a price, ^ r^ansonii,
&c., is true ; but it is np ujausual thiug for mpr^l obligations
and deliverances to be expressed in language borrowed fro.iu
pecuniary transactions, The obligations of a son to a father
are commoply expressed by sucb terras as owing and paying.:
he owes a debt of obe.dAence, and in yielding j(t he pays a
debt of gr^titfide. TI>,e sanjie may fee mi^ of an ohUgaition
to punishment. A mi'4r4erej' owes bis life to .the justice f>f
lus country; and, when be .suffers, he is said to pay th.e
awful debt. So also jf 3, great pharaster, by suffering deajib,
could deliver bis countj-y, such delivepaijice'iwould be spoken
of as obtained by the pripe of blood. No one ,mistake3 these
things by uiiderstanding them of pecuniary trahsactipns. In
such connexions, every pne perpeives that tbe terms are used
not literally, but metaphorically ; and it is thus that they are
to be understood with reference tp the desth pf Christ. As
sin is npt a peeuniary, but a moral debt, so the atonement /pf
it is npt a pecuniary, but a moral ransom-
There is, dpubtless, a ssfficiefit analogy between pecuniary
and moral proceedings to jusfify the use of .such language,
both in scripture and in common life; apd it is easy to
perceive the adyantageis which arise .frpfn it; as, besides
conveying much important truth, it renders it peculigyly
impressive to the jnind. J3ut jt is not always safe to reason
from the former to jthe latter; much Jess is if just to affirm
that \\e latter bss for its basis every principle which per
tains tp the former. The jJeUverance effected by the pri.qee,
in tbe case bpfore stated, might, yyith propriety, be called a
fedempfiofi ; and tbe f ecpUeotion of it, under this idea, would
be very impressive to the mjuds of those who were delivered-
¦They woijld scarcely be aWe to see or think of their pom-
mander-in-ehief, even though it might be years aftef the
* Age of Reason, part i., p. 20.

CHRIST'S MEDIATION CONSISTENT WITH REASON. 251
event, without being reminded of the price at wbicb their
pardon -was obtained, and dropping a tear of ingenuous grief
over tbeir unworthy conduct on this account. Yet it would
not be jiist to say that this redemption bad fpr its basis an
idea of pecupiary justice, and not that of moral justice.
It was moral justice which in tbjs case was satisfied: not,
however, jn its prdjnary form, but as exercised on an extra
ordinary occasion ; not tbe letter, but tbe spirit of it.
The scripture doctrine of atonement, being conveyed in
language borrowed from pecuniary transactions, is not only
improved by unbelievers into an argument against the trutji
of the gospel, but has been the occasion of mariy errors
among the prpfpssors of Christianity. gppinus, pn this
ground, attempts to explain away the necessity of a p^tjs-
faction. "God," says be, "is our creditpr. Our sjns are
debts which we have contracted with him; but eyery pne
rpay yield up bis right, and mpre especially God, who is the
supreme Lord of aU, and extolled in the scriptures for his
liberality and goodness. jEIence, then, ij; is evident tbat God
can pardpn sins without any satisfaction received." * Others,
who profess to embrace the doctrine of satisfactipn, haye, on
the same groijnd, perverted and abused it ; objecting to tbe
propriety of humble and continued applications fpr mercy,
and prpsjimipg to claim the forgiveness of their sins pasf,
present, and tp come, as their legal right, and yfhat it would
be unjust in the Supreme Being, haying received P9mplete
satisfaction, to withhold.
To the reasoning of Sopinus Dr. Oyven judiciously repU,es.
by distinguishing between rigbt as it respepts debts and as it
respects governnient. The former, he allows, may he giyen
up -without a satisfaction, but not tbe lattpr. "Our sins,"
be adds, " are called debts, not properly, but metaphpricaUy."-|-
This answer equally appUes to those who pervert tbe doctrine
as to those who deny it; for though in matters of debt and
credit a full satisfaction from a surety exclujips the idea 9f
free pardon on the part of the creditor, and admits of a clflim
on the part of the debtor, yet jt is ptherwise in relation to
crimes. In the interpcsition of the princp, as stated abqyp,
an honourable expedient was adppted, by means pf which
* Treatise of Jesus Christ the Saviour, part iii., chap. i.
t Dissertation on Divine Justice, chap, ix.,, sections vii., viii.

252 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
the sovereign was satisfied, and tbe exercise of mercy ren
dered consistent with just authority : but there was no less
grace in the act of forgiveness than if it had been without a
satisfaction. However well pleased the king might be with
the conduct of his son, the freeness of pardon was not at all
diminished by it ; nor must the criminals come before hira
as claimants, but as supplicants, imploring mercy in the
mediator's name.
Such are tbe leading ideas which the scriptures give us of
redemption by Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul especially
teaches this doctrine with great precision: "Being justified
freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus : whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through
faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remis
sion of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God ;
to declare, I say, at this time, his righteousness : tbat be
might be just, and the justifler of him which beUeveth in
Jesus." From this passage we may remark, flrst : That the
grace of God, as taught in tbe scriptures, is not tbat kind of
liberality which Socinians and Deists ascribe to him, which
sets aside the necessity of a satisfaction. Free grace, accord
ing to Paul, requires a propitiation, even the shedding of
the Saviour's blood, as a medium through which it may be
honourably comraunicated. Secondly : Redemption by Jesus
Christ was accomplished, not by a satisfaction that should
preclude tbe exercise of grace in forgiveness, but in which,
tbe displeasure of God against sin being manifested, mercy
to tbe sinner might be exercised without any suspicion of
his having relinquished his regards for righteousness. In
"setting forth Jesus Christ to be a propitiation," he "de
clared his righteousness for the remission of sins." Thirdly :
The righteousness of God was not only declared when Christ
was made a propitiatory sacrifice, but continues to be mani
fested in the acceptance of believers through his name. He
appears as just while acting the part of a justifler towards
every one that beUeveth in Jesus. Fourthly : Tbat which is
here appUed to tbe blessings of forgiveness and acceptance
with God is appUcable to all other spiritual blessings: aU,
according to the scriptures, are freely conimunicated tbrou^b
the same distinguished medium. See Ephes. i.*
* The Christian reader, it is presumed, may hence obtain a clear view

CHRIST'S MEDIATION CONSISTENT WITH EEASON. 253
; These remarks may suffice to show, not only that Mr.
Paine's assertion has no truth in it, but tbat all those pro
fessors of Christianity who have adopted his principle have
of the ends answered by the death of Christ, a subject which has occupied
much attention among divines. Some have asserted that Christ by his
satisfaction accomplished this only, " That God now, consistently with the
honour of his justice, may pardon (returning) sinners if he willeth so to
do." This is, doubtless, true, as far as it goes ; but it makes no provision
for the return of the sinner. This scheme, therefore, leaves the sinner to
perish in impenitence and unbelief, and the Saviour without any security
of seeing of the travail of his soul. For how can a sinner return 'without
the power of the Holy Spirit ? And the Holy Spuit, equally with every
other spiritual blessing, is given in consideration of the death of Christ.
Others, to remedy this defect, have considered the death of Christ aa
purchasing repentance and faith, as well as all other spiritual blessings, on
behalf of the elect. Tlie ¦writer of these pages acknowledges he never
could perceive that any clear or determinate idea was conveyed by the
term purchase, in this connexion ; nor does it appear to him to be appli
cable to the subject, unless it be in an improper or figurative sense. He
has no doubt of the atonement of Christ being a perfect satisfaction to
divine justice ; ncr of his being worthy of all that was conferred upon him,
and upon us for his sake ; nor of that which to us is sovereign mercy being
to him an exercise of remunerative justice : but he wishes it to be con
sidered. Whether the moral Governor of the world was laid under such a
kind of obligation to show mercy to sinners as a creditor is under to
discharge a debtor, on having received full satisfaction at the, hands of a
surety 3 If he be, the writer is unable to perceive how there can be any
room for fee forgiveness on the part of God ; or how it can be said that
justice and grace harmonize in a sinner's salvation. Nothing is farther
from his intention than to depreciate the merit of his Lord and Saviour :
but he considers merit as of two kinds; either on account of a benefit
conferred, which on the footing of justice requires an equal return, or of
something done or suffered, which is worthy of being rewarded by a Being
distinguished by his love of righteousness. In the first sense it cannot, as
he supposes, be exercised towards an infinite and perfect Being. The
goodness of Christ himself, in this way, extendeth not to him. It is in the
last sense that the scriptures appear to him to represent the merit of the
Redeemer. That he " who was in the form of God should take upon him
the form of a servant, and be made in the likeness of men, and humble
himself, and become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,"
was so glorious an undertaking, and so acceptable to the Father, that on
this account he " set hijai at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far
above all principality ahd power, and might and dominion, and every name
that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come :
and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the Head over
all things to the church." Nor was this all : so well pleased was he with
all that he did and suffered, as to reward it not only with honours con
ferred upon himself, but with blessings on sinners for his sake. Whatever
is asked in his name, it is given us.

254 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
SO far deviated frora tbe dOctrinte of redemption as it is
taught in tbe scriptures.
As to' 'what Mr. Paine alleges, that the innocent suffering
for tbe guilty, even though it be with his own consent, is
contrary to every principle of moral justice, he affirms the
same of God's " visiting tbe iniquities of the fathers upon
the children."* But this is a truth evident by universal
experience. It is Seen every day, in every part of the
world, if Mr. Paine indulge in intemperance, and leave
children behind him, they may feel the consequences of his
misconduct when he is in the grave. The sins of the father
may thus be risited upon the children to the third and fourth
generation. It would, however, be theii' affliction only,
and not tbeir punishment. Yet sucb visitations are wisely
ordered as a motive to sobriety. Nor is it between parents
and children only that such a connexion emsts as that the
hiappiness of one depends upon the conduct of othei's ; a
slight survey of society, in its various relations, must con
vince us that the same principle pervades creation. To call
It is true, as the writer apprehends, that a way was opened, by the
mediation of Christ, for the free and consistent exercise of mercy in all the
methods which Sovereign Wisdom saw fit to adojit.
Thfei^e are threie kinds of blesmngs, in particular, which God, olit Of
regatd to the death' Of his Son, bestows upon men : First, he sends forth
the gospel of salvation, accompanied with a free and indefinite invitation
to eni brace it, and an assurance that whosoever complies with the invitation
fforVhidh there is no ability wanting in any man who possesses ah honiett'
helarl) shall have everlasting life. This favour is bestowed oi/i sinners as
sinniers. God " giveth the true bread from heaven " in this Way to many
*ho never receive it. He inviteth those to the gospel stipjtei-' who refilse
and' make lifght Of it. John vi.'32 — 36; Matt. xxii. i, S. Secondly, he
bestows his Holy Spirit to renew and sanctify the Soul : gives a new heart
and a right spirit, and takes away the heart of stbne. "Christ is exalted
tb'give repentance." Act's V. 31. "Unto us it is giveii, in behalf of
Christ, to believe in' him." Phil. i. 29. " We have obtained like precious
faith through the righteousiiess of God, and' oui- Saviohi^ Jesus Christ."
2 Pet. i. 1. This' favbur is conferred on elect sinners. See Acts xiii. 48-
Brim. viii. 28 — 30i Thifdly', through the same mediuin is given the free
pafdbh of all our sins, acceptance with God, power to become the soh^ Of
God, ahd the promise ef everlasting' life. '' 'Your sins are forgiven you- for
his name's sake." 1 Johnii. 12. "'God for Christ's sake hath for^ven you."
Ephes. iv. 32. " We are accepted in the beloved." Ephes'. i. 6. IBy
rrieaiis of his death we " receive the promise of eternal inheritance." H^b.
ii'. \S. This kind of blessings is cotiferred on bilieving' sinners.
* Age of Reason, part i., p. 4, note. •

Christ's mediation consistent with reason. 26-5'
this injustice is to fly in the face of the Ci'eator. 'With
such an objector I have nothing to do : " He iSiat reproveth
God, let him aiiswdr it."
if the idea of the innocent suffering in the room of the
guilty were in all cases inadmissible, and utterly repugnant
to tbe humaii undei'stariding, how came the use of expiatory
sticrifices to prevail, as it has, in every age and nation ?
Whether the idea first proceeded from a divine command, as
Christians generally believe, or -whatever was ifs origin, it
has approved itself to the minds of men ; and not of the
most uncultivated part of mankind only, but of the' most
learned and polite. The sacrifices of the Gentiles, it is
true; were full of superstition, and widely different, as might
be expected, from tho^e which were regulated by tbe scrip
tures ; but tbe geheral priridple is tbe same : all' agree in
the idea of the displeasure of the Deity being appeiasable by
an innocent victim being sacrificed' ill the place of the guilty.
The idea of expiatory sacrifices, ^tad of a mediation founded
upon them, is beautifully expressed in tbe book of Job ; a
book not only Of great antiquity, but which seeihs tb haVe .
obtaitied the approbation of Mr. Paine, having, as he sup
poses, been written by a Gentile. " And it was so tbat,
after the Ijord Had spoken these 'wor'ds uhto Job, tbe Lord
said to Eliphaz the Teraanite, My'vyrath is kindled against
thee, and against thy two friends ; for ye have not spoken of
me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. There
fore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and
go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-
offering ; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for him
will I accept ; lest I deal vrith you after your folly, in' that
ye have not spoken of me the thing which is rigbt, like my
servant Job. So Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad tbe
Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamatbite, went and did according
as the Lord commanded theiU : the Lord also accepted Job."
The objections which are now made to the sacrifice Of Christ
equally apply tO all expiatory sacrifices, the offeri'ng up of
which, had not the former superseded them, would hsi^e
continued to this day.
If an innocent charactbr offer tb die in the room of a
guilty fellow ctefature, it is not ordinarily accepted^ nor'
would it be proper that it should. For be may have no jiiSt

,,256", ¦ THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
•rjgjit- to dispose of his Ufe ; or, if be have, he has no power
cto resume it ; there may likewise be no such relation be
tween the parties as tbat the suffering of the one should
'express displeasure against the conduct of tbe other. ^ Be
sides this, there may be no great and good end accomplished
to society by such a substitution : the loss sustained by the
death of the one might be equal, if not superior, to the gain
from the life of the other. If the evU to be endured might
be survived — if tbe relation between the parties were such
that, in tbe sufferings of the one, mankind would be im
pressed with tbe evil of the other— and if by such a pro
ceeding great advantage would accrue to society, instead of
being accounted inadmissible, it would be reckoned right,
and wise, and good. If a dignified individual, by enduring
some temporary severity from an offended nation, could ap
pease their displeasure, and thereby save his country from
tbe destroying sword, who would not admire his disinterested
conduct ? And if the offended, frora motives of humanity,
were contented with expressing their displeasure, by trans
ferring tbe effect of it from a whole nation to an individual
'Who thus stepped forward on their behalf, would their con
duct be censured as "indiscriminate revenge ?" The truth
is, the atonement of Christ affords a display of justice on too
large a scale, and on too humbling a principle, to approve
itself to a contracted, selfish, and haughty mind.

CHAPTER V.

THE CONSISTENCY OF THE SCRIPTURE DOCTRINE OF REDEMP
TION WITH THE MODERN OPINION OP THE MAGNITUDE OF
CREATION.
It is common for Deists to impute the progress of tbeir
principles to the prevalence of true philosophy. The world,
they say, is more enlightened ; and a great number of dis
coveries are progressively making, which render tbe credi-
biUty of the scriptures more and more suspicious. It
is now a commonly received opinion, for instance, among
inen of science, that this world is but a point in creation ;
that every planet is a world, and all the fixed stars so many

REDEMPTION CONSISTENT WITH CREATION.
suns in tbe centres of so many systems of worlds ; ani
as every part of creation within our knowledge teems"'
life, and as God has made nothing in vain, it is big*
probable that all these worlds are inhabited by intellige^
beings, who are capable of knowing and adoring their
Creator. But, if this be true, how incredible is it that so
great a portion of regard should be exercised by the Supreme
Being towards man as tbe scriptures represent ! how in
credible, especially, it must appear, to a thinking mind, tbat
Deity should become incarnate, should take human nature
into the most intimate union with himself, and thereby raisf!
it to sucb singular eminency in tbe scale of being ; though,
compared with tbe whole of tbe creation, if we comprehend
even the whole species, it be less than a nest of insects com
pared with the unnumbered millions of animated beings
wbicb inhabit tbe earth !
This objection, there is reason to think, has had a very
considerable influence on the speculating part of mankind.
Mr. Paine, in the first part of bis " Age of Reason " (pp. 40
— 47), has laboured, after bis manner, to make the most of
it, and thereby to disparage Christianity. "Though it is
not a direct article of the Christian system," he says, " that
this world which we inhabit is the whole of the habitable
creation ; yet it is so worked up therewith, from what is
called the Mosaic account of tbe creation, the story of Eve
and the apple, and the counterpart of that story— the death
of tbe Son of God, that to beUeve otherwise, that is, to
believe tbat God created a pluraUty of worlds, at least as
numerous as what we call stai-s, renders the Christian system
of faith at once little and ridiculous, and scatters it in the
mind Uke feathers in the air. The two beliefs cannot be
held together in tbe same mind ; and be who thinks he
believes both has thought but little of either." p. 40.
Again : Having discoursed on tbe vast extent of creation,
he asks, "But in the midst of these reflections, what are we
to think of the Christian system of faith, tbat forms itself
upon the idea of only one world, and that of no greater
extent than twenty-five thousand miles ?" — " Whence could
arise the solitary and strange conceit, tbat the Almighty,
who had millions of worlds equally dependent on bis pro
tection, should quit the care of aU the rest, and come to die
VOL. L S

258 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
in our world, because they say one man and one woman bad
eaten an apple ? And, on tbe other band, are we to suppose
that every world in tbe boundless creation had an Eve, an
apple, a serpent, and a Redeemer ? In this case, the person
who is irreverently called tbe Son of God, and sometimes
God himself, would have nothing else to do than to travel
from world to world, in an endless succession of death, with
scarcely a momentary interval of life," p. 46.
To animadvert upon all the extravagant and offensive
things, even in so small a part of Mr. Paine's performance
as the above quotation, would be an irksome task. A few
remarks, however, may not be improper.
First : Though Mr. Paine is pleased to say, in his usual
style of naked assertion, that " tbe two beUefs cannot be held
together, and that be who thinks he believes both has
thought but little of either ;" yet be cannot be ignorant tbat
many who have admitted tbe one have at tbe same time held
fast tbe other. Mr. Paine is certainly not overloaded with
modesty, when comparing his own abilities and acquisitions
with those of other men : but I am inclined to think that,
with all his assurance, be will not pretend that Bacon, or
Boyle, or Newton, to mention no more, had thought but Uttle
of philosophy or Christianity. I imagine it would be within
the compass of truth, were I to say tbat they bestowed
twenty times more thought upon these subjects than ever Mr.
Paine did. His extreme ignorance of Christianity, at least,
is manifest by the numerous gross blunders of which he has
been detected.
Secondly : Supposing the scripture account of the creation
to be inconsistent with the ideas which modern philosophers
entertain of its extent ; yet it is not what Mr. Paine repre
sents it. It certainly does not teach " that this world which
we inhabit is the whole of the habitable creation." Mr.
Paine will not deny tbat it exhibits a world of happiness,
and a world of misery ; though this, in the career of bis
extravagance, he seems to have overlooked.
Thirdly : If the two beliefs, as Mr. Paine caUs them,
cannot be consistently held together, we need not be at a loss
to determine which to relinquish. All tbe reasoning in
favour of a multiplicity of worlds, inhabited by intelligent
beings, amounts to no more than a strong probability. No

REDEMPTION CONSISTENT WITH CREATION. 259
man can properly be said to beUeve it : it is not a matter of
faith, but of opinion. It is an opinion too tbat has taken
place of other opinions, which, in their day, were admired by
the philosophical part of mankind, as much as this is in ours.
Mr. Paine seems to wish to have it thought that the doctrine
of a multiplicity of inhabited worlds is a matter of demonstra
tion: but the existence of a number of heavenly bodies,
whose revolutions are under the direction of certain laws,
and whose returns, therefore, are the objects of human
calculation, does not prove tbat they are all inhabited by in
telligent beings. I do not deny that, from other consider
ations, the thing may be highly probable ; but it is no more
than a probabiUty. Now, before we give up a doctrine
which, if it were even to prove fallacious, has no dangerous
consequences attending it, and wbicb, if it should be found a
truth, involves our eternal salvation, we should endeavour to
have a more solid ground than mere opinion on which to
take our stand.
But I do not wish to avail myself of these observations, as
I am under no apprehensions that the cause in which I
engage requires them. Admitting that the intelligent
CREATION IS AS extensive AS MODERN PHILOSOPHY SUPPOSES,
THE CREDIBILITY OP REDEMPTION IS NOT THEREBY WEAKENED;
BUT, ON THE CONTRARY, IN MANY RESPECTS, IS STRENGTH
ENED AND AGGRANDIZED. I shall offer a few observations on
each of tbe branches of tbe above position.
The scripture doctrine of redemption, it is acknowledged^
supposes that man, mean and Uttle as he is in tbe scale of
being, has occupied a pecuUar portion of the divine regard.
It requires to be noticed, however, tbat tbe enemies of
revelation, in order it should seem to give tbe greater force
to their objection, diminish the importance of man, as a
creature of God, beyond what its friends can admit. Though
Mr. Paine expresses bis "bope of happiness beyond this
life,'' and though some other deistical writers have admitted
the immortality of the soul ; yet this is more than others
of them will aUow. The hope of a future state, as we have
seen, is objected to by many of them as a selfish principle ;
and others of thera have attempted to bold it up to ridicule.
But tbe immortality of man is a doctrine which redemption
supposes ; and, if this be allowed, man is not so insignificant
s2

260 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
a being as they might wish to consider him. A being that
possesses an immortal mind, a mind capable of increasing
knowledge, and, consequently, of increasing happiness or
misery, in an endless duration, cannot be insignificant. It is
no exaggeration to say that the salvation of one soul, accord
ing to the scriptural account of things, is of inconceivably
greater moment than the temporal salvation of a nation, or
of all the nations in the world for ten thousand ages. The
eternal salvation, therefore, of a number of lost sinners,
which no man can number, however it may be a matter of
infinite condescension in the great Supreme to accomplish, is
not an object for creatures, even the most exalted, to con
sider as of small account.
Having premised thus much, I shall proceed, in the first
place, to offer a few observations in proof that there is
NOTHING IN THE SCRIPTURE DOCTRINE OP REDEMPTION
which IS INCONSISTENT "WITH THE MODERN OPINION OP
THE MAGNITUDE OF CREATION.
1. Let creation be as extensive as it may, and the number
of worlds be multiplied to the utmost boundary to which
imagination can reach, there is no proof that any of them, ex
cept men and angels, have apostatized from God. If our
world be only a small province, so to speak, of God's vast
empire, there is reason to hope that it is the only part of it
where sin has entered, except among the fallen angels, and
tbat the endless myriads of intelUgent beings, in other worlds,
are all the hearty friends of virtue, of order, and of God.
If this be true (and there is nothing in philosophy or
divinity I beUeve to discredit it), then Mr. Paine need not
have supposed, if be could have suppressed tbe pleasure of
the witticism, that the Son of God would have to travel
from world to world in the character of a Redeemer.
2. Let creation he ever so extensive, there is nothing in
consistent with reason in supposing, that some one particular
part of it should be chosen out from the rest, as a theatre on
which the great Author of all things would perform. his most
glorious works. Every empire that has been founded in this
world has had some one particular spot where those actions
were performed from which its glory has arisen. Tbe glory
of the Csesars was founded on tbe event of a battle fought
near a very inconsiderable city : and why might not this

REDEMPTION CONSISTENT WITH CREATION. 261
world, though less than " twenty-five thousand miles in cir
cumference," be chosen as tbe theatre on which God would
bring about events tbat should fill his whole empire with
glory and joy ? It would be as reasonable to plead tbe in
significance oi Actium or Agincourt, in objection to tbe com
petency of the victories there obtained (supposing them to
have been on the side of righteousness) to fill tbe respective
empires of Rome and Britain with glory, as tbat of our
world to fill tbe whole empire of God with matter of joy
and everlasting praise. Tbe truth is, tbe comparative
dimension of our world is of no account. If it be large
enough for the accomplishment of events which are suffi
cient to occupy the minds of all intelligences, tbat is all that
is required. 3. If any one part of God's creation, rather than another,
possessed a superior fitness to become a theatre on which he
might display his glory, it should seem to be that part where
the greatest efforts have been made to dishonour him. A re
bellious province in an empire would be the fittest place in
it to display the justice, goodness, and benignity of a govern
ment. Here would naturally be erected a banner of righteous
ness ; here the war would be carried on ; here pardons and
punishments to different characters would be awarded ; and
here the honours of the government would he established on
such a basis that tbe remotest parts of the empire might hear
and fear, and learn obedience. The part that is diseased,
whether in the body natural or the body politic, is tbe part
to which the remedy is directed. Let there be what number
of worlds there may, full of intelligent creatures, yet, if
there be but one world which is guilty and miserable, thither
will be directed the operations of mercy. Tbe good shep
herd of the sheep will leave the ninety and nine in the wil
derness, and seek and save that wbicb is lost.
4. The events brought to pass in this world, little and in
significant as it may be, are competent to fill all and every
part of God's dominions with everlasting and increasing joy.
Mental enjoyment differs widely from corporeal : the bestow-
ment of the one upon a great number of objects is neces
sarily attended with a division of it into parts ; and those
who receive a share of it diminish tbe quantity remaining
for others that come after them ; but not so the other. An

262 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
inteUectual object requires only to be known, a,nd it is
equally capable of affording enjoyment to a milUon as to
an individual, to a world as to those, and to tbe whole uni
verse, be it ever so extensive, as to a world. If, as the
scriptures inform us, " God was manifest in tbe flesh, justi
fied in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles,
beUeved on in the world, and received up into glory ;" if
there be enough in this mysterious transaction to fiU with
joy the hearts of aU who believe it ; if it be so interesting
tbat the most exalted intelUgences become comparatively
indifferent to every other object, " desiring to look into it ;"
then is it sufiicient to " fiU all things," and to exhibit the
divine glory " in aU places of bis dominion." *
Mr. Paine allows tbat it is not a direct article of the
Christian system tbat there is not a pluraUty of inhabited
worlds ; yet, he affirms, it is so worked up with the scripture
account that, to beUeve the latter, we must reUnquish the
•former as Uttle and ridiculous.
The scriptures, it is true, do not teach the doctrine of a
multitude of inhabited worlds ; but neither do they teach
tbe contrary. Neither the one nor the other forms any part
of their design. Tbe object they keep in view, though Mr.
Paine may term it " Uttle and ridiculous," is infinitely su
perior to this, both as to utility and magnitude. They were
not given to teach us astronomy or geography, or civil
government, or any science which relates to the present life
only ; therefore they do not determine upon any system of
any of these sciences. These are things upon which reason
is competent to judge, sufficiently at least for all the purposes
of human life, without a revelation from heaven. The great
object of revelation is to instruct us in things which pertain
to our everlasting peace ; and as to other things, even the
rise and fall of tbe mightiest empires, they are only touched
in an incidental manner, as tbe mention of them might be
necessary to higher purposes. The great empires of Baby
lon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, are predicted and described
in tbe scriptures by the rising and ravaging of so many
beasts of prey. Speaking of tbe European part of the
earth, which was inhabited by the posterity of Japheth,
they do not go about to give an exact geographical descrip-
* 1 Pet. i. 12. Ephes. iv. 10. Ps. ciii. 22.

REDEMPTION CONSISTENT WITH CREATION. 263
tjon of it ; but, by a synecdoche, call it the " isles of the
Gentiles ;" * and this, as I suppose, because its eastern
boundary, tbe Archipelago, or Grecian Islands, were situated
contiguous to the Holy Land. And thus, when speaking of
tbe whole creation, they call it " tbe heavens and the earth,"
as being the whole tbat comes within the reach of our
senses. It is no dishonour to the scriptures tbat they keep to theii
professed end. Though they gi-ve us no system of astronomy,
yet they urge us to study the works of God, and teach us to
adore him upon every discovefy. Though they give us no
system of gec^raphy, yet they encoui-age us to avail ourselves
of observation and experience to obtain one ; seeing the
whale earth is in prophecy given to the Messiah, and is
marked out as the field in which his servants are to labour.
Though they determine not upon any mode or system of
civil government, yet they teach obedience in civil matters
to all. And though their attention be mainly directed to
things which pertain to the life to come, yet, by attending to
their instructions, we are also fitted for the labours and
sufferings of the present life.
The scriptures are written in a popular style, as best
adapted to tbeir great end. If the salvation of philosophers
only bad been their object, tbe language might possibly have
been somewhat different ; though even this may be a matter
of doubt, since the style is suited to tbe subject, and to tbe
great end which they had in view ; but, being addressed to
men of every degree, it was highly proper tbat tbe language
should be fitted to every capacity, and suited to their comraon
modes of conception. They speak of the foundations of tbe
earth, the ends of the earth, tbe greater and less lights in
the heavens, the sun rising, standing still, and going down,
and many other things in tbe same way. If Deists object
to these modes of speaking, as conveying ideas which are
inconsistent with tbe true theory of the heavens and the
earth, let them, if they can, substitute others which are con
sistent : let them, in tbeir common conversation, when de
scribing the revolutions of evening and morning, speak of
the earth as rising and going down, instead of the sun ; and
the same with regard to the revolution of the planets ; and
' Gen. X. S. Isa. xlix. 1.

264 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
see if men, in common, -will better understand them, or
whether they would be able even to understand one another.
The popular ideas on these subjects are as much " worked
up" in tbe common conversation of philosophers as they are
in tbe scriptures : and tbe constant use of such language,
even by philosophers themselves, in common conversation,
sufficiently proves the futiUty and unfairness of their object
ing to revelation on this account.
By the drift of Mr. Paine's writing, he seems to -ndsh to
convey tbe idea that, so contracted were tbe views of the
scriptural writers, that even the globularity of the earth was
unknown to them. If, however, such a sentence as that of
Job, " He bangeth the earth upon nothing," * had been
found in any of the old heathen writers, be would readily
have concluded tbat " this idea was familiar to the ancients."
Or if a heathen poet had uttered such language as that of
Isaiah : " Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and
are counted as the small dust of the balance ; behold, he
taketh up tbe isles as a very little thing : all nations before
Him are as nothing ; and they are counted to him less than
nothing and vanity ;" — he might have been applauded as
possessing a mind as large, and nearly as well informed as
the geniuses of modern times. But the truth is, the scrip
tural writers were not intent on displaying tbe greatness of
tbeir own conceptions, nor even of creation itself ; but rather
of tbe glory of Him " who filleth all in all."
Tbe foregoing observations may suffice to remove Mr.
Paine's objection ; but if, in addition to them, it can be
proved tbat, upon the supposition of a great number of
inhabited worlds, Christianity, instead of appearing "little
and ridiculous," is tbe more enlarged, and that some of its
difficulties are the more easily accounted for, this will be
still more satisfactory. Let us therefore proceed, secondly,
to offer evidence that the Christian doctrine op redemp
tion IS STRENGTHENED AND AGGRANDIZED BY THE SUPPOSED
MAGNITUDE OF CREATION.
1. The scripture teaches that God's regard to man is an
astonishing instance of condescension, and that on account
of the disparity between him and the celestial creation.
"When I consider thy heavens," saith David, "tbe work of
Chap, xxvi. 7.

REDEMPTION CONSISTENT WITH CREATION. 265
thy fingers, the moon and tbe stars which thou hast ordained;
what is man, that thou art mindful of him ? and tbe son of
man, tbat thou visitest him?" "Will God in very deed,"
saith Solomon, " dwell with men upon tbe earth ?" *
Tbe divine condescension towards man is a truth upon
any system ; but, upon the supposition of the heavenly
bodies being so many inhabited worlds, it is a truth full of
amazeraent, and tbe foregoing language of David and Solo
mon is forcible beyond all conception. The idea of him
who upholds a universe of such extent " by tbe word of his
power," becoming incarnate, residing with men, and setting
up bis kingdom among them, that be might raise them to
eternal glory, as much surpasses all that philosophy calls
great and noble, as the Creator surpasses the work of his
hands. 2. The scriptures inform us that, before creation was
begun, our world was marked out by eternal wisdom as the
theatre of its joyful operations. This idea is forcibly ex
pressed in tbe eighth chapter of Proverbs : " Before the
mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
while as yet he bad not made the earth, nor the fields, nor
the highest part of the dust of tbe world. When be prepared
tbe heavens, I was there ; when he set a compass upon the
face of the depth ; when he established the clouds above ;
when be strengthened the fountains of the deep ; when be
gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass
his commandment ; when he appointed the foundations of
the earth : then I was by him, as one brought up with him :
and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him,
rejoicing in the habitable part of bis earth; and my de
lights were with the sons of men."
On this interesting passage I shall offer a few remarks.
First: Among the variety of objects which are here specified
as tbe works of God, the earth is mentioned as being, in a
sort, his peculiar property. Doubtless tbe whole creation is
the Lord's ; but none of his other works is here claimed as
» Ps. viii. 3, 4 ; 2 Chron. vi. 18. In this part of the subject considerable
use is made of the scriptures; but it is only for the purpose of ascertaining
what the Christian doctrine of redemption is: and this is undoubtedly
consistent with every rule of just reasoning, as whether they be true or
false, they are the standard by which this doctrine is to be measured.

266 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
his own, in the manner tbat tbe earth is. It is called Us
earth. And this seems to intimate a design of rendering it
the grand theatre on which his greatest work should be
performed ; a work that should fiU aU creation with joy and
wonder. Secondly: The wisdom of God is described as
rejoicing in the contemplation of this part of the creation.
Whether wisdom in this passage be understood of tbe pro
mised Messiah, or of a divine attribute personified, it makes
no difference as to the argument. Allow it to mean the
latter ; and tbat the rejoicing of wisdom is a figurative mode
of speaking, Uke tbat of "mercy rejoicing against judg
ment ;" '•' still, redemption by Jesus Christ is the object
concerning which it was exercised : nothing less can be
intimated than this, that the earth was the place marked out
by Eternal Wisdom as tbe theatre of its joyful operations.
Thirdly: Tbe habitable part of the earth was more especiaUy
the object of Wisdom's joyful contemplation. The abodes of
men, which through sin had become scenes of abomination,,
were, by the interposition of the mediator, to become the
abodes of righteousness. Here the serpent's bead was to be
bruised, bis schemes confounded, and his works destroyed :
and that by tbe " woman's seed," the human' nature, which
he had despised and degraded. Here a trophy was to be
raised to the glory of .sovereign grace ; and millions of sonls,i
delivered from everlasting destruction, were to present an
offering of praise to Him "tbat loved them, and washed
them from their sins in his own blood." Here, in a word,
the peculiar glory of tbe Godhead was to be displayed in
such a manner as to afford a lesson of joyful amazement to the
whole creation, " throughout all ages " of time, yea, " world
without end ! " f Lastly : Not Only were tbe abodes of men
contemplated with rejoicing, but the sons of men themselves
regarded with delight. The operations of Eternal Wisdom
were directed to their salvation : and their salvation was ap
pointed to become, in return, a mirror in which tbe whole
creation should behold tbe operations of Eternal Wisdom.
This expressive passage contains a fulness of meaning, let
the extent of the inteUigent creation be what it may : but, if
it be of that extent which modern philosophy supposes, it
contains a greater fulness stiU. It perfectly accords with all
* James ii. 13. •]- Ephes. iii. 21.

REDEMPTION CONSISTENT WITH CREATION. 267
those ideas suggested of this earth being the chosen theatre
upon which events should be brought to pass that shall fiU
creation with everlasting joy ; and well they may, if the
prospect of them rejoiced even tbe heart of God.
3. The mediation of Christ is represented in scripture as
bringing the whole creation into union with the church or
people of Ood. In tbe dispensation of tbe fulness of times,
it is said, that God would " gather together in one all things
in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth,
even in him."* Again : " It pleased tbe Father that in him
should aU fulness dwell ; and (having made peace through
the blood of his cross) by him to reconcile aU things unto
himself, by him, I say, whether things in earth, or things in
heaven."f The language here used supposes that the introduction of
sin has effected a disunion between men and tbe other parts
of God's creation. It is natural to suppose it should be so.
If a province of a great empire rise up in rebellion against
the lawful government, all communication between the in
habitants of such a province and tbe faithful adherents to
order and obedience, must be at an end. A line of separa
tion would be immediately drawn by tbe sovereign, and all
intercourse between the one and tbe other prohibited. Nor
would it less accord with the inclination than with tbe duty
of all the friends of righteousness to withdraw their con
nexion from those who were in rebellion against the supreme
authority and the general good. It must have been thus
with regard to tbe holy angels, on man's apostasy. Those
who at tbe creation of our world had sung together, and even
shouted for joy, would now retire in disgust and holy indig
nation. But, through the mediation of Christ, a re-union is effected.
By the blood of tbe cross we have peace with God ; and,
being reconciled to him, are united to all who love him
throughout the whole extent of creation. If Paul could
address the Corinthians, concerning one of tbeir excluded
members, who had been brought to repentance, " to whom
ye forgive any thing, I also ;" much more would the friends
of righteousness say, in their addresses to the great Supreme,
concerning an excluded member from tbe moral system, "To
* Ephes. i. 10. + Col. i. 19,. 20.

268 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
whom thou forgivest any thing, we also !" Hence angels
acknowledge Christians as brethren, and become ministering
spirits to them while inhabitants of tbe present world.*
There is another consideration which must tend to cement
the holy part of God's creation to tbe church ; which is,
tbeir being all united under one head. A central point of
union has a great effect in cementing mankind. We see
this every day in people who sit under the same ministry,
or serve under the same commander, or are subjects of tbe
same prince ; whether minister, general, or prince, if they
love him, they wiU be, more or less, united together under
him. Now it is a part of tbe reward of our Redeemer, for his
great humiUation, that be should be exalted as head over
the whole creation of God. " Being found in fashion as a
man, he bumbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even tbe death of tbe cross. Wherefore God also hath
highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name ; that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of heavenly beings, of earthly, and of those under tbe
earth, — He is the bead of all principality and power. — God
raised him from the dead, and set him at bis own right band
in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power,
and might, and dominion, and every name tbat is named,
not only in this world, but also in tbat which is to come :
and put all things under bis feet : and gave him to be the
bead over all things to the church, which is his body, the
fulness of him tbat filleth all in all."*
These passages, it is true, represent the dominion of Christ
as extending over tbe whole creation, enemies as well as
friends, and things as well as persons. But, if tbe very
enemies of God are caused to subserve tbe purposes of
redemption, much more his friends ; what the others do by
constraint, these do willingly; and the consideration of their
having one head must make them feel, as it were, nearer
akin. And, as Christ is "head over all things to the church,
which is bis body," it is hereby intimated that tbe happiness
of tbe church is by these means abundantly enlarged.
To what extent creation reaches I do not pretend to know:
* Rev. xix. 10. Heb. i. 14.
t Phil. ii. 8—10. Col. ii. 10. Ephes. i. 20—22.

REDEMPTION CONSISTENT WITH CREATION. 269
be that however what it may, tbe foregoing passages teach
us to consider the influence of redemption as commensurate
with it ; and in proportion to tbe magnitude of the one, such
must be the influence of tbe other, as to the accomplishment
of re-union and tbe restoration of happiness.
4. Through the mediation of Christ, not only is the whole
creation represented as augmenting the blessedness of the
church, but the church as augmenting the blessedness of the
whole creation. As one member, be it ever so small, cannot
suffer without the whole body, in some degree, suffering
with it ; so, if we consider our world as a member of the
great body or system of being, it might naturally be sup
posed that the ill or well-being of the former would, in some
measure, affect the happiness of the latter. Tbe fall of a
planet from its orbit in the solar system, would probably
have a less effect upon the other planets, than tbat of man
from the moral system upon the other parts of God's intelli
gent creation. And, when it is considered that man is a
member of the body, distinguished by sovereign favour, as
posses.sing a nature which the Son of God delighted to
honour, by taking it upon himself, tbe interest which the
universe at large may have in his fall and recovery may be
greatly augmented. The leprosy of Miriam was an event
that affected the whole camp of Israel : nor did they proceed
on their journeys till she was restored to her situation : and
it is not unnatural to suppose tbat something analogous to
this would be tbe effect of the fall and recovery of man on
the whole creation.
The happiness of the redeemed is not the ultimate end
of redemption ; nor the only happiness which will be pro
duced by it. God is represented in the scriptures as confer
ring his favours in such a way as that no creature shall be
blessed merely for his own sake, but that he might commu
nicate his blessedness to others. With whatever powers,
talents, or advantages we are endued, it is not merely for
our gratification, but that we may contribute to the general
good. God gives discernment to the eye, speech to tbe
tongue, strength to the arm, and agility to the feet ; not for
tbe gratification of these members, but for tbe accommoda
tion of the body. It is the same in other things. God
blessed Abraham ; and wherefore ? That be might be a

270 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
blessing. He blessed his posterity after him ; and for what
purpose ? That "in them aU the nations of the^ earth might
be blessed."* Though Israel was a nation chosen and
beloved of God ; yet it was not for tbeir righteousness, nor
merely with a view to tbeir happiness, that they were thus
distinguished: but that he "might perform the oath which
he sware unto tbeir fathers :"t the substance of which was
that the true reUgion should prosper among them, and be
communicated by them to aU other nations. The ungodly
part of tbe Jewish nation viewed things, it is true, in a
different light : they valued themselves as the favourites of
heaven, and looked down upon other nations with contemp
tuous dislike. But it was otherwise with the godly : they
entered into the spirit of tbe promise made to their fathers.
Hence they prayed that God would " be merciful to them,
and bless them, and cause his face to shine upon them ;" to
the end that his " way might be known upon earth, and his
saving health among aU nations, "f
The same spirit was manifested by tbe apostles and primi
tive Christians. They perceived that all tbat rich measure
of gifts and graces by which they were distinguished was
given them with the design of their communicating it to
others ; and this was their constant aim. Paul felt himself
a debtor both to Jews and Greeks, and spent his life in
diffusing the blessings of the gospel, though in return be was
continually treated as an evU doer ; and tbe same might be
said of the other apostles.
Nor is this social principle confined to the present Ufe.
According to scripture representations, tbe happiness of
saints in glory will be conferred on them, not that it might
stop there, but be communicated to the whole moral system.
Tbe redemption of the church has already added to the
blessedness of other holy intelligences. It has furnished a
new medium by which the glory of the divine perfections is
beheld and admired. To explore the wisdom of God in bis
works is the constant employment of holy angels, and that in
which consists a large proportion of their felicity. Prior to
the accompUshment of the work of redemption they contem
plated the divine character through the medium of creation
and providence ; but " now unto principalities and powers,
• Gen. xii. 2; xxii. 18. f Deut. ix. 5; vii. 7, 8. J Ps. Ixvii.

REDEMPTION CONSISTENT WITH CREATION. 271
in heavenly places, is known, by the church, the manifold
wisdom of God."* And so much does this last display of
divine glory^xceed aU that have gone before it, that those
who have once obtained a view of it, through this medium,
will certainly prefer it to every other : " which things the
angels desire to look into."t They do not, however, become
indifferent to any of the divine operations : creation and
providence Continue to attract tbeir attention, and are abun
dantly more interesting : they now study them according to
the order in which they exist in the divine mind, tbat is, in
subserviency to redemption.^
But that which is already accomplished is but small in
comparison of what is in reserve. At tbe final judgment,
when all the faithful will be coUected together, they will
become a medium through which the Lord Jesus will be
glorified and admired by tbe whole creation : " be shall
come to be glorified in bis saints ; and to be admired in aU
them that beUeve — in that day."§ It is a truth that the
saints of God will themselves glorify and admire their great
deUverer, but not the truth of this passage ; the design of
which is to represent them as a medium through which he
shall be glorified by all tbe friends of God in the universe.
The great Physician will appear with bis recovered millions ;
every one of whom will afford evidence of bis disinterested
love and efficacious blood to tbe whole admiring creation.
Much the same ideas are conveyed to us by those repre
sentations in wbicb tbe whole creation are either called upon
to rejoice on account of our redemption, or described as
actually rejoicing and praising the Redeemer. Thus David,
having spoken of God's mercy, which was from everlasting
to everlasting towards the children of men, addresses ai.l
HIS WORKS, IN ALL PLACES OF HIS DOMINION, " tO bleSS his
name."! John also informs us, saying, " I heard the voice
of many angels round about the throne, and the Uving crea
tures, and tbe elders : and the number of them was ten
thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands ;
saying with a loud voice. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
• Ephes. iii. 10. f 1 Pet. i. 1'2.
X Col. i. 16, by him, and for him. § 2 Thess. i. 10.
II Ps. ciii. 17—22.

272 THE GOSPEL. ITS OWN WITNESS.
honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which
is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and
such as are in tbe sea, and aU that are in them, !ieard I say
ing. Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto
hira that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for
ever and ever."*
Tbe phraseology of these passages is such tbat no one can
reasonably doubt whether the writers intended to express
tbe whole upright intelligent creation, be it of what extent
it may : and if it be of that extent which philosophy sup
poses, the greater must be the influence and importance of
tbe work of redemption.
5. The scriptures give us to expect that the earth itself, as
well as its redeemed inhabitants, shall at a future period be
purified and reunited to the whole empire of God. — We are
taught to pray, and consequently to bope, that, when "the
kingdom of God" shall universally prevail, "his will shaU
be done on earth as it is now in heaven :"f but, if so, earth
itself must become, as it were, a part of heaven.
That we may form a clear and comprehensive view of our
Lord's words, and of this part of tbe subject, be it observed
that tbe scriptures sometimes distinguish between the king
dom of God and that of Christ. Though the object of both
be tbe triuinph of truth and righteousness, yet tbe mode of
administration is different. The one is natural, the other
delegated : the latter is in subserviency to the former, and
shall be finally succeeded by it. Christ is represented as
acting in our world by delegation : as if a king had commis
sioned his son to go and reduce a certain rebellious province,
and restore it to his dominion. The period allotted for this
work extends from the time of the revelation of the promised
seed to tbe day of judgment. The operations are progressive.
If it had seemed good in his sight, he could have over
turned tbe power of Satan in a short period ; but his wisdom
saw fit to accomplish it by degrees. Like the commander of
an invading army, he first takes possession of one post, then
of another, then of a third, and so on, till by and by tbe
whole country falls into his hands. And as the progress of
a conqueror would be more rapid after a few of tbe strongest
fortresses bad surrendered (inasmuch as things would then
* Rev. T. 11— 13. t Matt. vi. 10.

REDEMPTION CONSISTENT WITS CREATION. 273
approach fast to a crisis, to a breaking up, as it were, of the
powers of the enemy), so it has been with tbe kingdom of
Christ, and such wiU be its progress before the end of time.
In the early ages of the world but little was done. At one
time true reUgion appears to have existed only in a few
famiUes. Afterwards it assumed a national appearance.
After tlus it was addressed to all nations. And before the
close of time all nations shaU be subjected to tbe obedience
of Christ. This shaU be the "breaking up" of Satan's
empire. Now as, on tbe conquest of a rebeUious province,
the delegated authority of tbe conqueror would cease, and
the natural government of tbe empire resume its original
form, so Christ is represented as " delivering up the king
dom to his Father, that God may be all in all."* This is
the ultimatum of the Messiah's kingdom ; and this appears
to be the ultimate object for which he taught bis disciples to
pi^y : but, as the final end involves tbe preceding gradations
which lead on to its accomplishment, in directing them to
pray for tbe coming of God's kingdom, he directed them to
pray for tbe present prevalence of his own.
As on the conquest of a rebellious province some would
be pardoned, and others punished ; as every vestige of rebel
lion would be effaced, and law, peace, and order flow in
their ancient channels ; such a period might with propriety
be termed "a restitution of all things. "f Such will be the
event of the last judgment, which is described as tbe con
cluding exercise of the delegated authority of Christ.
And, as on the conquest of a rebellious province, and the
restitution of peace and order, that province, instead of being
any longer separate from tbe rest of the empire, would
become a component part of it, and the king's will would be
done in it as it had been done without interruption in tbe
loyal part of bis territories ; such is tbe representation given
with respect to our world, and the holy parts of God's do
minions. A period will arrive when the will of God shall
be done on earth as it is now done in heaven. This,- how
ever, will never be the case while any vestige of moral
evil remains. It must be after tbe general conflagration;
which, though it will destroy every kind of evil, root and
branch, that now prevails upon the face of the earth, and
* 1 Cor. XV. 24, 28. t Acts iii. 21.
VOL. I. T

274 rHE GOSPEL ITS OWN 'WITNESS.
wiU terminate the generations of Adam, who have possessed
it, yet vriU not so destroy the earth itself but that it shall
survive its fiery trial, and, as I apprehend, become the ever
lasting abode of righteousness — a part of the holy empire of
God. This was to be the mark on which the disciples were
to keep their eye in all their prayers : but as, in desiring a
perfect conformity to Christ in their own souls, they would
necessarily desire the present progress of purity in the use
of all the appointed means, so in praying that God's wiU
might be perfectly done on earth, even as it is done in
heaven, they would pray for tbe progressive prevalence of
righteousness in tbe world, as tbat by which it should be
accomplished. It is not improbable that the earth, thus purified, may
ever continue the resort, if not the frequent abode of those
who are redeemed from it. Places where some of the most
interesting events have been transacted, when visited at some
distance of time, often become, in the present state of things,
a considerable source of deUght. Such was Bethel to Jacob,
and Tabor, no doubt, to tbe three disciples ; and, if any
remains of our present sensations should attend us in a state
of immortaUty, a review of the scenes of our Lord's birth,
life, agony, and crucifixion, as well as many other events,
may furnish a source of everlasting enjoyment.
However this may be, the scriptures give us to understand
that though " the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and
the earth, and the works that are therein, shaU be burnt
up ;" yet, " according to promise," we are to "look for new
heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."*
By the " new heavens" here is plainly to be understood so
much of the elements as shaU have been affected by the
general conflagration ; and, by "the new earth," the earth
after it is purified by it.
Much to the same purpose is the account given towards
tbe close of the Revelation of John. After a description of
the general judgment, it follows, "And I saw a new heaven
and a new earth ; for the first heaven and tbe first earth
were passed away. — And I John saw the holy city, New
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband." When the earth shaU
* 2 Pet. iii. 12, 13.

REDEMPTION CONSISTENT WITH CREATION. 275
have become a part of God's holy empire, heaven itself may
then be said to be come down upon it : seeing aU that is now
ascribed to the one •will be true of the other. " Behold, the
tabernacle of God shall be with men, and he wiU dweU with
them ; and they shaU be his people, aud God himself shaU be
with them, and shall be their God. And God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes ; and there shaU be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain ; for the former things shall be passed away. And
he that sat upon the tlirone said. Behold I make all things
new. And he said unto me. Write ; for these words are true
and faithful."*
If the great end of redemption be the re-union of this
world to the holy empire of God, and if such re-union be ac
companied with a mutual augmentation of blessedness, then
the importance of tbe one must bear some proportion to tbe
magnitude of the other. Upon any system of philosophy,
redemption is great ; bnt, upon that which so amazingly
magnifies inteUigent creation, it must be great beyond ex
pression. 6. The scriptures represent the ptmishnient of the finally
impenitent ols appointed for an example to the rest of the
creation. — " Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about
them, in giving themselves over to fornication, and going
after strange flesh, are set forth fiar an example, suffering the
vengeance of eternal fire." — " And her smoke (the smoke of
Babylon) rose up for ever and ever." " And the four and
twenty elders and the four Uving creatures feU down and
worsUpped God that sat on the throve, saying. Amen ;
Alleluia. "¦!¦
The miseries of tbe damned are never represented as
inflicted upon them from such a kind of wrath or vengeance
as bears no relation to the general. good. "God is love;"
and in none of his proceedings does he violate this principle,
or lose sight of the well-being of creation in general. Tbe
manifestation of his glory is not only inseparably connected
with this object, but consists in accomplishing it.
It is necessary for the general good that God's abhorrence
of moral evil should be marked by some strong and durable
expression of it ; so that no one subject of his empire can
" Rev. xxi. 1— S. f Jude 7. Rev. xix. 3, 4.
T 2

276 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
overlook it. Such an expression was the death of Christ,
his only begotten Son ; and this availeth on behalf of all
who acquiesce in his salvation : but aU who do not, or •who
possess not such a temper of heart as would acquiesce in it if
it were presented to them, must themselves be made sacri
fices to his justice ; and so, Uke enemies and traitors to a
human government, must be made to answer such an end by
their death as shaU counteract the iU exainple afforded by
their Ufe. What is said of the barren vine is appUcable to
the finally impenitent : "It is not fit for any work — ^it is
good for nothing but to be burned !"* The only way in
which they promote the general good is by their overthrow :
like tbe censers of Korab and his company which were made
into " broad plates for a covering to the altar ; that they
might be a sign to the children of Israel in future genera
tions ;"t or Uke Lot's vrife, who was converted into a "piUar
of salt," or a lasting monument of dirine displeasure !
If the grand end of future punishment be example,, this
must suppose the existence of an inteUigent creation, who
shall profit by it ; and it should seem of a creation of magni
tude ; as it accords with the conduct of neither God nor
man to punish a great number for an example to a few.
This truth affords a satisfactory idea of the divine govern
ment, whether there be a multiplicity of inhabited worlds or
not : but, if there be, it is stiU more satisfactory ; as on this
supposition the number of those who shall be finally lost
may bear far less proportion to the whole of the intelligent
creation than a single execution to the inhabitants of a great
empire. It is trua the loss to those who are lost wiU be
nothing abated by this consideration ; perhaps, on the con
trary, it may be augmented ; and to them the divine govern
ment will ever appear gloomy : but to those who judge of
things impartiaUy, and upon an extensive scale, it will
appear to contain no more of a disparagement to the govern
ment of tbe universe than the execution of a murderer, once
in a hundred years, would be to the government of a nation.
And now I appeal to the inteUigent, the serious, and tbe
candid reader, whether there be any truth in what Mr. Paine
, asserts, that to admit " that God created a plurality of worlds,
at least as numerous as what we caU stars, renders the Chris-
* Ezek. XV. 2—6. f Num. xvi. 38.

REDEMPTION CONSISTENT WITH CREATION. 277
tian system of faith at once Uttle and ridiculous, and scatters
it in the mind like feathers in the air." On the contrary, it
might be proved that every system of philosophy is little in
comparison of Christianity. PhUosophy may expand our
ideas of creation ; but it neither inspires a love to the moral
character of the Creator nor a weU-grounded hope of eternal
life. Philosophy, at most, can only place us at the top of
Pisgah : there, like Moses, we must die : it gives us no pos
session of the good land. It is the province of Christianity
to add, " All is yours ! " When you have ascended to the
height of human discovery, there are things, and things of
infinite moment too, that are utterly beyond its reach. Reve
lation is the medium, and tbe only meium, by which,, stand
ing, as it were, " on nature's Alps," we discover tbings'.wbicb
eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, and of which it never hath
entered into the heart of man to conceive.

278 THE GOSPEL US O'WN WITNESS.

CONCLUDING ADDRESSES

DEISTS, JEWS, AND CHEISTIANS.

Whether the writer of these sheets can justly hope that what he advances
¦will attract the attention of unbelievers, he does not pretend to say. If,
however, it should fall into the hands of individuals among tiiem, he
earnestly entreats that, for their own sakea, they would attend to what
follows with seriousness.

TO DEISTS.
Fellow Men,
It is hoped that nothing in the preceding pages can be
fairly construed into a want of good- will towards any of you.
If I know my heart, it is not you, but your mischievous
principles that are tbe objects of my dislike.
In the former part of this performance, I have endeavoured
to prove that the system which you embrace overlooks the
moral character of God, refuses to worship him, affords no
standard of right and wrong, undermines the most efficacious
motives to virtuous action, actuallv produces a torrent of
vice, and leaves mankind, under all their miseries, to perish
without hope ; in fine, that it is an immoral system, pregnant
with destruction to the human race. Unless you be able to
overlook what is there advanced, or at least be conscious
tbat it is not true -with regard to yourselves, you have reason
to be seriously alarmed. To embrace a system of immoraUty
is the same thing as to be enemies to all righteousness,
neither to fear God nor regard man ; and what good fruit
you can expect to reap from it, in this world or another, it
is difficult to conceive. But, alas ! instead of being alarmed
at the immoraUty of your principles, is there no reason to
suspect that it is on this very account you cherish them ?
You can occasionally praise the moraUty of Jesus Christ ;
but are you sincere? Why then do you not walk by it?

ADDRESS TO DEISTS. 279
However you may magnify other difficulties, which you have
industriously laboured to discover in tbe bible, your actions
declare that it is tbe holiness of its doctrines and precepts
that more than anything else offends you. The manifest
object at wbicb you aim, both for yourselves and the world,
is an exemption from its restraints. Your general conduct,
if put into words, amounts to this : " Come, let us break bis
bands, and cast away his cords from us."
Circumstances of late years have much favoured your
design. Your party has gained the ascendency in a great
nation, and ¦ has been consequently increasing in other
nations. Hence it is, perhaps, that your spirits are raised,
and that a higher tone is assumed in your speeches and
writings than has been usual on former occasions. You are
great, you are enlightened; yes, you have found out the
secret, and have only to rid the world of Christianity in
order to render it happy. But be not too confident. You
are not the first who have set themselves against the Lord,
and against bis Anointed. You have overthrown super
stition ; but vaunt not against Christianity. Of a truth
you have destroyed tbe gods of Rome, for they were no
gods ; but let this suffice you. It is hard to kick against
the pricks.
Whatever success may attend yoUr cause, if it be an im
moral one, and espoused on that very account, it cannot
possibly stand. It must fall, and you may expect to be
buried in its ruins. It may be thought sufficient for me to
reason on the system itself, without descending to the motives
of those who imbibe it ; but, where motives are manifested
by actions, they become objects of human cognizance. Nor
is there any hope of your unbelief being removed, but by
sometliing that shall reach the cause of it. My desire is
neither to insult nor flatter, but seriously to expostulate with
you, if God peradventure may give , you repentance to tbe
acknowledgment of tbe truth. 'Three things, in particular,
I would earnestly recommend to your serious consideration.
How it was that you first imbibed your present principles.
How it is tbat alnaost all your writers, at one time or other,
bear testimony in favour of Christianity. And, How it comes
to pass that your principles fail you, as they are frequently
known to do, in a dying hour.

280 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
First : How was it that you first renounced Chris
tianity AND IMBIBED YOUR PRESENT PRINCIPLES ? Retrace
the process of your minds, and ask your consciences, as you
proceed, whether aU was fair and upright. Nothing is more
common than for persons of relaxed morals to attribute their
change of conduct to a change of sentiments or views relative
to those subjects. It is gaUing to one's own feelings, and
mean in tbe account of others, to act against principle : but
if a nerson can once persuade himself to think favgurably
of those things which he has formerly accounted sinful, and
can furnish a plea for them, which, at least, may serve to
parry the censures of mankind, be will feel much more at
ease, and be able to put on a better face when be mingles in
society. Whatever inward stings may annoy his peace under
certain occasional qualms, yet he has not to reproach him
self,, nor can others reproach him, with that inconsistency
of character as in former instances. Rousseau confesses he
found, in tbe reasonings of a certain lady, with whom he
Uved in the greatest possible familiarity, all those ideas which
he had occasion for. Have you not found the same in the
conversation and writings of Deists ? Did you not, previously
to your rejection of Christianity, indulge in vicious courses ;
and, while indulging in tWese courses, did not its holy pre
cepts and awful threatenings gall your spirits ? Were you
not like persons gathering forbidden fruit amidst showers of
arrows : and bad you not recourse to your present principles
for a shield against them ? If you cannot honestly answer
these questions in the negative, you are in an evil case. You
may flatter yourselves, for a while, that perhaps there may
be no hereafter, or at least no judgment to come ; but you
know the time is not far distant when you must go and see ;
and then, if you should be mistaken. What will you do ?
Many of you have descended from godly parents, and have
had a religious education. Has not your infidelity arisen
from the dislike which you conceived in early life to religious
exercises ? Family worship was a weariness to you ; and
the cautions, warnings, and counsels, which were given you,
instead of having any proper effect, only irritated your cor
ruptions. You longed to be from under the yoke. Since
that time your parents, it may be, have been removed by
death ; or, if they live, they may have lost tbeir control over

ADDRESS TO DEISTS. 281
you. So now you are free. But still something is wanting
to erase the prejudices of education, which, in spite of aU
your efforts, wiU accompany you, and embitter your present
pursuits. For this purpose, a friend puts into your bands
" The Age of Reason," or sorae production of the kind. You
read it with avidity. This is the very thing you wanted.
You have long suspected tbe truth of Christianity ; but had
not courage to oppose it. Now then you are a philosopher ;
yes, a philosopher ! " Our fathers," say you, " might be well-
meaning people, but they were imposed upon by priests.
The world gets more enlightened now-a-days. There is no
need of such rigidness. The Supreme Being (if there be
one) can never have created the pleasures of life, but for the
purpose of enjoyment. Avaunt, ye self-denying casuists !
Nature is the law of man ! "
Was not this, or something nearly resembling it, tbe pro
cess of your minds ? And are you now satisfied ? I do not
ask whether you have been able to defend your cause against
assailants, nor whether you have gained converts to your way
of thinking : you may have done both ; but are you satisfled
with yourselves ? Do you really believe yourselves to be in
tbe right way ? Have you no misgivings of heart ? Is there
not something within you which occasionaUy whispers, " My
parents were righteous, and I am wicked : O tbat my soul
were in their souls' stead ? "
Ah, young men ! If such be tbe occasional revoltings of
your mind, what are you doing in labouring to gain others
over to your way of thinking ? Can you from experience
honestly promise them peace of mind ? Can you go about to
persuade them that there is no hell, when, if you would speak
the truth, you must acknowledge that you have already an
earnest of it kindled in your bosoms ? If counsels were not
lost upon you, I would entreat you to be contented with
destroying your own souls. Have pity on your fellow
creatures, if you have none upon yourselves ! Nay, spare
yourselves so much, at least, as not to incur the everlasting
execrations of your most intimate acquaintance. If Chris
tianity should prove what your consciences in your most
serious moments teU you it is, you are doing this every day
of your lives.
Secondly, Consider How it is that almost all your

282 the gospel its own witness.
WRITERS, at one TIME OE OTHER, BEAR TESTIMONY IN
FAVOUR OF Christianity. It were easy to collect, from
those very writings which were designed to undermine the
Christian religion, hundreds of testimonies in its' favour.
Voltaire and Rousseau, as we have seen aU-eady, have in
their fits gone far towards contradicting all which they have
written against it. Bolingbroke has done the same. Such
sentences as the foUo-wing may be found in his pubUcations :
" Supposing Christianity to have been a huraan invention, it
has been tbe most amiable invention that was ever imposed
on mankind for their good. — Christianity, as it came out of
the band of God, if I may use the expression, was a most
simple and intelligible rule of belief, worship, and manners,
which is the true notion of a religion. — The gospel is in
all cases one continued lesson of the strictest morality, of
justice, of benevolence, and of universal charity." * Paine,
perhaps, has said as little in this way as any of your writers,
yet he has professed a respect for the character of Jesus
Christ. " He was," says he, " a virtuous and an amiable
man. The morality he preached and practised was of the
most benevolent kind." "j"
In what manner will you go about to account for these
concessions ? Christian writers, those at least who are sin
cerely attached to the cause, are not seized with these fits of
inconsistency. How is it that yours, like the worshippers of
Baal, should thus be continually cutting themselves with
knives ? You must either give up your leaders as a set of
men who, while they are labouring to persuade tbe world of
the hypocrisy of priests, were themselves the most infamous
of all hypocrites ; or, which will be equally fatal to your
cause, you must attribute it to occasional convictions, which
they felt and expressed, though contrary to the general strain
of tbeir writings. Is it not an unfavourable character of
your cause, that in this particular it exactly resembles tbat
of vice iiself ? Vicious men wiU often bear testimony in
favour of virtue, especially on the near approach of death ;
but virtuous men never return the compliment by bearing
testimony in favour of vice. We are not afraid of Chris-
• "Worlds, vol. iv., pp. 394, 395. "Vol. v., pp. 188, 189.
•f Age of Reason, part i., p. 5.

address to deists. 283
tians thus betraying tbeir cause ; but neither your writers
nor your consciences are to be trusted in a serious hour.
" Thirdly : Consider How it comes to pass that your
principles fail you, as thet are frequently KNO'WN TO
DO, IN A dying hour. It is a rule with wise men, " so to live
as they shall wish they had when they come to die." How
do you suppose you shall 'wish you had lived in that day ?
Look at tbe deaths of your greatest men, and see what their
principles have done for them at last. Mark tbe end of
that apostle and high-priest' of your profession, Voltaire;
apd try if you can find in it either integrity, or hope, or any
thing that should render it an object of envy.* Why is it
that so many of you faint in the day of trial ? If your
cause were good, you would defend it with uprightness, and
die with inward satisfaction. But is it so ? Mr. Paine
flatters himself that his principles wUl bear him up in tbe
prospect of death ; | and it is possible that be may brave
it out in some such manner as David Hume did. Such
instances, however, are rare. For one unbeUever that main
tains his courage, many might be produced whose hearts
have failed them, and who have trembled for the con
sequences of their infidelity.
On tbe other hand, you cannot produce a single instance
of a Christian, who at the approach of death was troubled
or terrified in his conscience for having been a Christian.
Many have been afraid in tbat day lest their faith in Christ
should not prove genuine ; but who tbat has put bis trust in
' » The following particulars, among many others, are recorded of this
writer by his biographer, Condorcet, a man after his own heart. First :
that he conceived the design of overturning the Christian religion, and that
by his own hand. " I am wearied," said he, " of hearing it repeated that
twelve men were sufficient to establish Christianity; and I wish to prove
there needs but one to destroy it." Secondly : that in pursuit of this
object he was threatened with a persecution, to avoid which he received
the sacrament, and publicly declared his respect for the church, and his
disdain of his detractors, namely, those who had called in question his
Christianity ! Thirdly: that in his last illness, in Paris, being desirous of
obtaining what is called Christian burial, he sent for a priest, to whom he
declared that he " died in the Catholic faith, in which he was born."
Fourthly: that another priest (curate of the parish) troubled him -with
questions. Among other thmgs, he asked, " Do you believe the divinity
of Jesus Christ %" " In the name of God, sir," replied Voltaire, " speak
to me no more of that man, but let me die in peace."
f Age of Reason, part ii., preface.

284 THE gospel its own 'WITNESS.
him was ever known to be apprehensive lest he should at
last deceive him ? Can you account for this difference ?
If you have discovered the true religion, and ours be aU
fable and imposture, how comes it to pass tbat tbe issue of
things is what it is ? Do gold and silver and precious
stones perish in tbe fire ? and do wood and bay and stubble
endure it ?
I have admitted tbat Mr. Paine may possibly brave it out
to the last ; but, if be does, bis courage may be merely
assumed. Pride will induce men to disguise tbe genuine
feelings of their hearts on more occasions than one. We
hear much of courage among duellists ; but Uttle credit is
due to what they say, if, while the words proceed from their
lips, we see them approach each other with paleness and
trembling. Yea, more, if Mr. Paine's courage in death be
not different from what it already is in tbe prospect of it, it
certainly will be merely assuraed. He has given full proof
of what his courage amounts to in what be has advanced on
the certainty of a future state. He acknowledges tbe possi
bility of a future judgment ; yea, he admits it to be rational
to believe tbat there will be one. " The Power," he says,
" tbat called us into being, can, if be please, and when be
pleases, call us to account for the manner in which we have
lived here ; and therefore, without seeking any further
motive for the belief, it is rational to believe that be wiU,
for we know before hand that he can."* I shall not stop
to inquire into the justness of Mr. Paine's reasoning, from
what God can do to what he will do ; it is sufficient for me
tbat he admits it to be " rational to believe that God will call
men to account for the manner in which they have lived
here." And can be admit this truth, and not tremble ?
Mark his firmness. After acknowledging tbat a future
judgment is tbe object of rational belief, he retracts what he
has said by reducing it to only a probability, wbicb is to
have tbe influence of beUef ; yea, and as if that were too
terrible an idea, be brings it down to a mere possibility.
The reason which be gives for these reductions is, tbat " if
we knew it as a fact we should be the mere slaves of terror."
Indeed ! But wherefore ? Christians believe in a judg
ment to come, and they are not the slaves of terror. They
* Age of Reason, part ii., p. 100.

address to DEISTS. 285
have an Advocate as weU as a Judge, by beUeving in whom
the terror of judgment is removed. And though Mr. Paine
rejects this ground of consolation, yet, if things be as be has
represented them, I do not perceive why he should be
terrified. He writes as though be stood on a very respectable
footing with his Creator ; be is not " an outcast, a beggar,
or a worm :" he needs no mediator : no indeed ! He " stands
in the same relative condition with bis Maker he ever did
stand since raan existed."* Very well : of what then is he
afraid ? "^God is good, and will exceed tbe very best of us
in goodness." On this ground. Lord Shaftesbury assures
us, "Deists can have no dread or suspicion to render them
uneasy ; for it is maUce only, and not goodness, wbicb can
make them afraid."'!" Very weU, I say again, of what then
is Mr. Paine afraid ? If a Being fuU of goodness will not
hurt him, he wiU not be hurt. Why should he be terrified
at a certain hereafter. Why not meet his Creator with
cheerfulness and confidence ? Instead of this, he knows of
no method by which he may be exempted frora terror but
that of reducing future judgment to a mere possibility;
leaving room for some faint bope, at least, that what he pro
fesses to beUeve as true may, in tbe end, prove false. Such
is the courage of your blustering hero. Unhappy man !
unhappy people ! Your principles will not support you in
death, nor so much as in the contemplation of an hereafter.
Let Mr. Paine's hypothesis be admitted, and that in its
lowest form, tbat there is only a possibility of a judgment
to come, this is sufficient to evince your folly, and, if you
thought on the subject, to destroy your peace. This alone
has induced many of you in your last moments to wish tbat
you bad Uved like Christians. If it be possible tbat there
may be a judgment to come, why should it not be equally
possible that Christianity itself may be true ? And, if it
should, on what ground do you stand ? If it be otherwise.
Christians have nothing to fear. While they are taught to
deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world, whatever may
prove true with respect to another, it is presumed they are
safe ; but if that Saviour whom you have despised should be
indeed the Son of God — if that name which you have
* Age of Reason, part i., p. 21. f Characteristics, vol, i. § 5.

286 THE GOSPEL ITS OWS "WITNESS.
blasphemed should be the only one given under heaven and
among men by which you can be saved — what a situation
must you be in ! You may wish at present not to be told of
him ; yea, even in death it may be a vexation, as it was to
Voltaire, to hear of him ; but hear of him you must, an(^
what is more, you must appear before him.
I cannot conclude this address without expressing my
earnest desire for your salvation ; and, whether you will
hear or whether you will forbear, reminding you tbat our
Redeemer is merciful. He can have compassion on the
ignorant, and them who are out of the way. The door of
mercy is not yet shut. At present you are invited and even
entreated to enter in. But, if you still continue hardened
against him, you may find to your cost that tbe abuse of
mercy gives an edge to justice ; and that to be crushed to
atoms by falUng rocks, or buried in oblivion at tbe bottom of
mountains, were rather to be chosen than an exposure to the
wrath of the Lamb.

TO THE JEWS.

Beloved for the Fathers' saxes !
He whom you have long rejected looked upon Jerusalem
and wept over it. With tears he pronounced upon that
famous city a doom, which, according to your own writer
Josephus, was soon afterwards accomplished. In imitation
of our Lord and Saviour we also could weep over your
situation. There are thousands in Britain, as well as in
other nations, whose daily prayer is tbat you may be saved.
Hear me patientiy and candidly. Your present and ever
lasting good is tbe object of my desire.
It is not my design, in this brief address, to go over the
various topics in dispute between us. Many have engaged
in this work, and I hope to some good purpose. The late
addresses to you, both from tbe pulpit and the press, as they
were dictated by pure benevolence, certainly deserve, and I
trust have gained, in some degree, your candid attention.
AU I shall say wiU be comprised in a few suggestions, which
I suppose to arise from tbe subject of tbe preceding pages.

ADDRESS TO THE JEWS. 287
You have long sojourned among men who have been
called Christians. You have seen much evil in them, and
they have seen much in you. Tbe history of your own
nation, and that of every other, confirms one of the leading
doctrines of both your and our scriptures — the depravity of
human nature. But in your commerce with mankind, j'ou
must have had opportunity of distinguishing between nominal
and serious Christians. Great numbers in your nation,
even in its best days, were 'wicked men ; and great numbers
in every nation at present are tbe same. But cannot you
perceive a people scattered through various denominations of
Christians, who fear God and regard man ; who instead of
treating you with a haughty contempt, as being strangers;
scattered among the nations, discover a tender regard to
wards you on that very account ; who, while they are grieved
for the hardness of your hearts, and hurt at your scornful
rejection of Him whom their soul loveth, are nevertheless
ardently desirous of your salvation ? Are you not acquainted
with Christians whose utmost revenge, could they have their
will of you, for all your hard speeches, would be tO be in
strumental in turning you, from what they believe to be the
power of Satan, unto God !
Let me farther appeal to you. Whether Christians of this
description be not tbe true children of Abraham, the true
successors of your patriarchs and prophets, rather than those
of an opposite spirit, though literally descended from tbeir
loins. You must be aware that, even in the times of David,
a genuine Israelite was a man of a pure heart; and, in the
times of the prophets, apostate Israelites were accounted as
" Ethiopians."* Your ancestors were men of whom tbe world
was not worthy : but where wUl you now look for such
characters among you as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; as
Samuel, David, Hezekiah, and Josiah ; as Daniel, Ezra,
Nehemiah, and many others ? While you garnish their
sepulchres, have you not manifestly lost their spirit ' This
is a fact that ought to alarm you, and lead you seriously to
examine whether you have not forsaken tbeir faith. One
thing, which has particularly struck my mind, I would
earnestly recommend to your consideration ; namely, the
• Amos ix. 7-

288 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
temper of modern infidels towards ymtr fathers, towards you,
and towards us.
You need not be told that deistical writers invariably treat
your fathers with scorn and dislike. Just as Appion and
other Greek writers poured contempt upon your nation ;
just as the more ancient " Moabites " reproached, and
"proudly magnified themselves against the people of the
Lord of Hosts ;"* so do aU our modern infidels. But from
tbe time tbat your fathers rejected Him in whom we beUeve
as tbe Lord Messiah, though you have been exposed to the
chastisements of Heaven, and to much injurious treatment
from pretended Christians : yet Deists, the common [enemies
of revelation, have been, comparatively speaking, reconciled
to you. So, however, it appears to me. I do not recollect
to have met with a single reflection upon you in any of their
writings. On tbe contrary, they seem to feel themselves
near akin to you. Your enmity to Jesus seems to be the
price of tbeir forgiveness : Uke Herod and Eontius Pilate,
you became friends in the day of bis cruciflxion. Mr. Paine,
though his writings abound in sneers against your nation
prior to its rejection of Christ, yet appears to be weU recon
ciled to you, and wilUng to admit your lame account of the
body of Jesus being stolen away.-f- Ought you not to be
alarmed at these things ? Seriously examine whether you
have not forsaken the God of your fathers, and become the
friends and alUes of men who bate both him and them.
The hatred of infidels has long been transferred from you
to us. Whether, in the language of tbe New Testament, we
be the true " children of Abraham," or not, we inherit that
reproach and dislike from unbelievers which was heretofore
the portion of tbe goijly Israelites. On what account were
your fathers hated by the practical atheists of their day ?
Was it not because of their devotedness to God ? It was
this in Da'vid that provoked the resentment of the children
of BeUal, and rendered them bis determined enemies. They
were continually jeering at his prayers, his tears, and bis
trust in Jehovah ; turning that which in realty was his
glory, into shame; and afflicting him in bis affliction, by
scornfully inquiring, " Where is thy God ? " % Such is the
* Zeph. ii. 10. t Age of Reason, part i., pp. 6, 7.
t Ps. xxii. 8; iv. 2; xlu. 3; xl. IS. » i-i- , i

ADDRESS TO THE JEWS. 289
treatment Which the godly part of your nation received in
aU ages, both from heathens abroad and impious characters
at home ; '* and such is the treatment which serious Chris
tians continue to receive from ungodly men to this day : but
are you hated and reproached on this account ?
Of late years it has been frequently pleaded that the
principal objections to your embracing the Christian religion
are found in the doctrines of the Tpnity, the deity of Christ,
and atonement by his death ; doctrines which the greater
part of Christians hold to be taught in tbe New Testament.
But those who impute your conduct to these causes must
have nearly as mean an opinion of your rationality as they
have of ours, with whom, they say, " there is no reasoning ;
and that we are to be pitied, and considered as under a
debility of mind in one respect, however sensible and ra
tional in others." '[ What have the principles, which in our
,judgment are taught in the New Testament, to do with your
acknowledging Jesus to be the Messiah, and the Christian
'reUgion to be of God ? Let these positions be admitted, and
examine the New Testament for yourselves. If you were
not considered as possessing a sufficient degree of good
sense to distinguish between Christianity and the creed of
any particular party of Christians, it is surprising that
"rational Christians." should think of writing addresses to
you. For our parts, we could almost be satisfled that you
should decide the controversy, whether tbe doctrines before-
mentioned be taught in the New Testament, or not. As to
removing these stumbling-blocks, as some call them, out of
-your way, we have no inclination to attempt it. Only
imbibe the spirit of your ancestors, and they will presently
cease to be stumbling-blocks. Believe Moses, and you 'will
beUeve Jesus ; and, believing Jesus, neither bis claiming to
be tbe " Son of God," and consequently " equal with God,"
nor bis insisting upon his " flesh being the life of the world,"
wiU offend you. On the contrary, whenever the spirit of
grace and of supplications is poured out upon you, and you
come to look on Hira whom you have pierced, and mourn,
you will "oin in the worship > of him ; and tbe doctrine of
* Ps. Ixix. 10; cxv. 2. Joel ii. 17, Micah vii. 8— 10. Isa. Ixvi. S.
t Lindsey's Catechists, Inquiry 6.
VOL. I '0

290 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS.
atonement will be to you a fountain set open for sin and
uncleanness.* You Uve in expectation of being restored to your own
land. We expect the same thing, and rejoice in the belief
of it. The Old and tbe New Testament agree in predicting
it. t But tbe same prophets that have foretold your return
to Canaan have also foretold that you must be brought to
" repent of your sins, and to seek Jehovah your God, and
David your king." | Your holy land will avail you but
Uttle, unless you be a holy people.
FinaUy : You admit, I suppose, tbat though we should
err in beUeving Jesus to be the Messiah, yet, while we deny
ungodUness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously,
and godly, in this present world, it is an error tbat may not
affect our eternal salvation : but, if the error be on your
side, on what ground do you stand ? Your fathers, in this
case, were murderers of tbe Prince of Life ; and, by adopt
ing tbeir principles, you make the deed your own. His
blood lies upon you, and upon your children. The terrible*
destruction of your city by the Romans, and the hardness of
heart to which you have been given up, are symptoms of
that wrath which is come upon you to the uttermost. Re
pent and believe the gospel, that you may escape the wrath
to come !

TO CHRISTIANS.

Belo"vted Brethren !
It is witnessed of David, tbat he " served the wiU of
God in his generation." Every generation has its pecuUar
work. Tbe present age is distinguished, you know, by the
progress of infldeUty. We have long been exempted from
persecution : and He whose fan is in his hand, perceiving his
floor to stand in need of purging, seeras determined by ne'W
trials to purge it. Tbe present is a winnowing time, ff
we wish to serve the will of God in it, we must carefully
attend to those duties which such a state of things imposes
upon us.
In the flrst place. Let us look well to the sincerity of our
* Zech. xii. 10-rl4; xiii. 1. f Ezek. xxxvii. Luke xxi. 24. ,
t Hos. iii. 5.

ADDRESS TO CHPJSTIANS. 291
hearts ; and see to it that our Christianity is vital, practical,
and decided. An array called to engage after a long peace
requires to be examined, and every one should examine
himself. Many become soldiers when danger ii at a distance.
The mighty host of Midianites were overcome by a selected
band. A proclamation was issued through the army of
Israel, " Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return ;"
and, after a great diminution from cowardice, the rest must
be brought down to the water to be tried. Such, or nearly
such, may be the trials of the church : those who overcome
may be reduced to a smaU company in comparison of those
who have borne tbe Christian name. So indeed the scrip
tures inform us. They that obtain the victory with Christ
are "caUed, and chosen, and faithful." *
The manner in which things of late ages have moved on
in tbe reUgious world, has been sucb as to admit of a larger
outer court, if I may so speak, for a sort of half-worshippers.
A general religious reputation has been hitherto obtained at
a smaU expense. But should infldeUty prevail throughout
Christendom, as it has in France, tbe nominal extent of the
Christian church wiU be greatly reduced. In taking its
dimensions, tbe outer-court wiU, as it were, be left out and
given to the Gentiles. In this case, you must come in or
keep out ; be one thing or another ; a decided friend of
Chnst, or an avowed infidel. It is possible the time may
come when all parties wiU be reduced, in effect, to two —
believers and unbelievers.
" Never," says a late masterly and moving writer, " were
times more eventful and critical, than at present; never were
appearances more singular and interesting, in tbe political or
in the reUgious world. You behold, on the one hand, infi-
deUty with dreadful irruption extending its ravages far and
wide ; and, on the other, an amazing accession of zeal and
activity to the cause of Christianity. Error in all its forms
is assiduously and successfully propagated ; but tbe progress
of evangeUcal truth is also great. Tbe number of tbe appar
ently neutral party daily diminishes; and men are now either
becoming worshippers of the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, or receding fast through tbe mists of scepti
cism into tbe dreary regions of speculative and practical
* Rev. xvii. 14.
u2

292 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN 'WITNESS.
atheism. It seems as if Christianity and infldeUty were
mustering each the host of tbe battie, and preparing for
some great day of God. The enemy is come in like a flood:
but the Spirit of the Lord bath lifted up a .standard against
him. ' Who, then, is on tbe Lord's side ? Who ?— Let him
come forth to the help of the Lord, to tbe help of the Lord
against tbe mighty !'" *
Secondly : Let a good understanding be cultivated arnong
sincere Christians of different denominations. Let the friends
of Christ know one another ; and let not slighter shades of
difference keep them at variance. The enemies of Christi
anity know how to avail themselves of our discords. The
union which is here recommended, however, is not a merely
nominal one, much less one tbat requires a sacrifice of prin
ciple. Let us unite, so far as we can act in concert, in
promoting the interest of Christ : and hold ourselves open to
conviction with regard to other things. Let not the free
discussion of our differences be laid aside, or any sucb con
nexion formed as shall require it : only let them be con
ducted with modesty, frankness, and candour, and the godly
will find their account in them. Let it be the great concern
of all, not so much to maintain their own peculiarities, as to
know and practise the truth ; not so much to yield, and
come nearer to other denominations, as to approximate
towards the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ, as
expressed in his doctrines and precepts, must be the central
point in which we meet : as we approach this, we shall come
nearer to each other. So much agreement as there is among
us, so much is there of union ; and so much agreement as
there is in tbe mind of Christ, so much of Christian union.
Finally: Let not the heart of any man fail him, on account
of the high tone and scornful airs assumed by infidels. The
reign of infidelity may be extensive, but it must be short.
It carries in it tbe seeds of its own dissolution. Its immo
ralities are such that the world cannot long sustain them.
Scripture prophecy has clearly foretold all tbe great govern
ments of the world, from the time of the Jewish captivity
to this day — the Babylonian, Persian, Macedonian, and
Roman ; together with tbe ten kingdoms into which the last
of these empires has been divided, and tbe papal government
» Terrier's Two Discourses at Paisley, in June, 1798.

ADDRESS TO CHRISTIANS. 293
which sprung up among them ; but it makes no explicit
mention of this. It has no individual subsistence given it
in the system of prophecy. It is not a " beast," but a mere
putrid excrescence of the papal beast — an excrescence
which, though it may diffuse death through every vein of
tbe body on which it grew, yet shall die along with' it.
" The beast," and all which pertains to him, " goeth into
perdition."* There is no space of time allowed for this
government : no sooner is it said, "Babylon is fallen," than
voices are beard in heaven declaring tbat " the marriage of
tbe Lamb is come." No sooner does "the judgment sit, to
take away tbe dominion of tbe little horn, to consume and to
destroy it unto the end," than it follows, "And the kingdom
and dominion, and tbe greatness of the kingdom under the
whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of
the Most High."t
Popery is not yet destroyed, though it has received a
deadly blow ; and from what is said of tbe little horn, that
they shall take away his dominion, "to consume and to
destroy it unto tbe end," it should seera that its overthrow
wiU be gradual. While this is accomplishing, the reign of
infidelity may continue, with various success ; but no longer.
Only let us "watch and keep our garments clean" (a caution
given, it is probable, with immediate reference to , the pre
sent times) and we have nothing to fear. It is a source of
great consolation that the last of the four beasts, which for
more than two thousand years have persecuted the church,
and oppressed mankind, is drawing near to its end. The
government tbat shall next prevail will be that of Christ,
"whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all do
minions shall serve and obey hira. Even so. Amen. Blessed
be his glorious name for ever ; and let tbe whole earth be
filled with bis glory; Amen, and Amen !
• Rev. xvii. 8, II.
f Dan. vii. 26, 27. The writer has since read a very able discourse by
Mr. Nathan Strong, of Hertford, Connecticut, entitled, " Political Instruc
tions from the Prophecies of God's Word ;" in which the above sentiments
are stated 'with great force of evidence.

CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS
EXAMINED AND COMPARED, AS TO THEIR
MORAL TENDENCY:

IN A SERIES OE LETTERS, ADDRESSED TO THE PKIEND3 OB VITAL AND
PKAOTIOAL KELIOION.

TO WHICH JS ADDED
A POSTSCRIPT,
ESTABLISHINS THE PRINCIPLE 01' THE WOKE, AGAINST THE EXOEPTIONS
OF DR. TOULMIN, ME. BELSHAM, ETC.

PREFACE.

The following letters are addressed to the friends of vital
and practical religion, because the author is persuaded that
the very essence of true piety is concerned in this contro
versy ; and that godly men are the only proper judges of
divine truth, being tbe only bumble, upright, and earnest
inquirers after it. So far from thinking, with Dr. Priestley,
tbat " an unbiassed temper of mind is attained in consequence
, of becoming more indifferent to religion in general, and to
all tbe modes and doctrines of it," he is satisfied tbat persons
of tbat description have a most powerful bias against the
truth. Though it were admitted tbat false principles, ac
companied with a bigoted attachment to them, are worse
than none ; yet he cannot admit tbat irreligious men are
destitute of principles. He has no notion of human minds
being unoccupied or indifferent : he tbat is not a friend to
religion in any mode, is an enemy to it in all modes ; he is
a Ubertine ; he " doeth evil," and, therefore, " hateth tbe
light." And shall we compliment such a character, by
acknowledging him to be in " a favourable situation for
distinguishing between truth and falsehood ?"* God forbid !
It is " he tbat doeth his will that shall know of bis doctrine."
The humble, the candid, the upright inquirers after trutn
are the persons who are likely to find it ; and to them the
author takes tbe liberty to appeal.
The principal occasion of these letters was tbe late union
among Protestant dissenters, in reference to civil affairs,
having been the source of various misconceptions, and, as
the writer apprehends, improved as a means of disseminat
ing Socinian principles.
In the late application to Parliament for the repeal of the
* Discourses on Various Subjects, p. 95.

. 298 PREFACE.
Corporation and Test Acts, tbe dissenters have united, with
out any respect to their doctrinal principles. They con
sidered that they were applying merely for a civil right ; and
that, in such an application, difference in theological senti
ments had no more concern than it has in the union of a
nation under one civil head, or form of government.
This union, however, has become an occasion of many
reflections. Serious men of the EstabUshed Church have
expressed their surprise that some Dissenters could unite
•with others, so opposite in their religious principles ; and,
had tbe union been of a religious nature, it must, indeed,
have been surprising. Others have supposed tbat tbe main
body of dissenters bad either imbibed the Socinian system,
or were hastily approaching towards it. Whether the
suggestion of Dr. Horsley, that " the genuine Calvinists,
among our modern dissenters, are very few," has con
tributed to this opinion, or whatever be its origin, it is far
from being just. Every one who knows the dissenters,
knows that the body of them are what is commonly called
ot-tbodox. Dr. Priestley, who is weU known to be sufficiently
sanguine in estimating tbe numbers of bis party — so san
guine that, when speaking of tbe common people of this
country, be reckons, " nine out of ten of them would prefer
a Unitarian to a Trinitarian liturgy ;"* yet acknowledges,
in regard to the dissenters, that Unitarians are by far the
minority. In Birmingham, where the proportion of their
number to the rest of tbe dissenters is greater than in any
other town in tbe kingdom, it appears, from Dr. Priestley's
account of the matter, that those called orthodox are nearly
three to one : and, throughout England and Wales, they have
been supposed to be " as two, if not as three to one, to the
Socinians and Arians inclusive."f
If Dr. Horsley found it necessary, in support of his cause,
to overturn Dr. Priestley's assertion, that " great bodies of
men do not change tbeir opinions in a small space of time,"
some think be might have found an example, more to his
purpose, than that of tbe body of Dissenters having deserted
• Defence of Unitariardsm, for 1786, p. 61.
t See Dr. Priestley's Familiar Letters to the Inhabitants of Birmingham,
Letters iii., xi. Also Mr. Parry's Remarks on the Resolutions of the
Warwick Meeting.

PREFACE. 299
their former principles, in the weU-known change of tbe
major part of tbe Church of England, who, about the time
of Archbishop Laud, went off from Calvinism to Arminian
ism. Had this example been adduced, his antagonist might
have found some difficulty in maintaining his ground against
him ; as it is an undoubted fact, and a fact which be himself
acknowledges, vrith several others of tbe kind.*
The supposition, however, of tbe Dissenters being generaUy
gone, or going off, to Socinianism, though far from just, has
not been without its apparent grounds. Tbe consequence
which Socinians have assumed, in papers and pamphlets
which have been circulated about the country, has afforded
room for such a supposition. It has not been very uncommon
for them to speak of themselves as the Dissentees, the
Modern Dissentebs, &c. It was said, in a paper that was
published more than once, " The ancient, like tke Modem
Dissenters, worshipped one Ood ; they knew nothing of the
Nicene or Athanasian creeds." The celebrated authoress of
" The Address to the Opposers of the Repeal of the Corpor
ation and Test Acts" is not clear in this matter. That other
wise adrairable performance is tinged with tbe pride of party
consequence. " We thank you, gentlemen," she says, "for
the compliment paid the Dissentebs, when you suppose
that, the moment they are eUgible to places of power and
profit, all sucb places will at once be filled with them. We
bad not the presumption to imagine that, inconsiderable as
we are in numbers, compared to the Established Church ;
inferior, too, in fortune and influence ; labouring, as we do,
under the frowns of tbe court and the anathesia op the
ORTHODOX ; we should make our way so readily into the
recesses of royal favour." Even the " Monthly Reviewers,"
though they have borne testimony against mingling doctrinal
disputes with those of the repeal of the Test laws ;t yet have
sometimes spoken of Dissenters and Socinians as if they
were terms of the same meaning and extent. " It appears to
us as absurd," they say, "to charge the religious principles
of THE Dissentebs -mtb republicanism, as it would be to
advance the same accusation against tbe Newtonian philo
sophy. The doctrine of gravitation may as weU be deemed
dangerous to tbe state as Socinianism. "J
• See Letter iii. f Monthly Review Enlarged, vol. i., p. 233.
% Ibid. 1790, p. 247

300 PREFACE.
Is it unnatural, from such representations as these, for
those who know but Uttle of us to consider the Socini^ansas
constituting tbe main body of the dissenters, and the Calvin
ists as only a few stragglers, who foUow these leading men
at a distance in all their measures ; but whose numbers and
consequence are so small that even the mention of their
names, among Protestant dissenters, may very weU be
omitted I
This, however, as it only affects our reputation, or at most
can only impede the repeal of tbe Test laws, by strength
ening a prejudice too strong already, against the whole body
of Dissenters, might be overlooked. But this is not all : it
is pretty evident that the union among us, in civil matters,
has been improved for the purpose of disseminating religious
principles. At one of the most public meetings for the
repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts, as tbe author was
credibly informed, Socinian peculiarities were advanced,
which passed unnoticed, because those of contrary principles
did not choose to interrupt the harmony of the meeting, by
turning the attention of gentlemen from the immediate
object for which they were assembled. What end could Dr.
Priestley have in introducing so much about the Test Act in
his controversy with Mr. Burn on the person of Christ,
except it were to gild the pill, and make it go down the
easier with Calvinistic dissenters ?
The writer of these letters does not blame the dissenters
of bis own persuasion for uniting with tbe Socinians. In
civil matters, he thinks it lawful to unite with men, be tbeir
reUgious principles what they may ; but he, and many others,
would be very sorry if a union of this kind should prove an
occasion of abating our zeal for those reUgious principles
which we consider as being of the very essence of tbe
gospel. 'The term Socinians is preferred in the following letters to
that of Unitarians, not for the mean purpose of reproach,
but because tbe latter name is not a fair one. The term as
constantly explained by themselves, signifies those professors
of Christianity who worship but one God: but this is not
that wherein they can be allowed to be distinguished from
others. For what professors of Christianity are there, who
profess to worship a plurality of Gods ? Trinitarians profess
also to be Unitarians. They, as well as their opponents

PREFACE. 301
believe there is but one God. To give Socinians this name,
therefore, exclusively, would be granting thsm the very
point which they seem so desirous to take for granted ; that
is to say, the point in debate.
Names, it may be said, signify little ; and this signifies no
more on one side than the term orthodox does on the other.
Tbe writer owns tbat, when be first conceived the idea of
publishing these letters, be thought so ; and intended, all
along, to use the term Unitarians. What made him alter his
mind was, bis observing that the principal writers in that
scheme have frequently availed themselves of the above
name, and appear to wish to have it thought, by their
readers, that the point in dispute between them and the
Trinitarians is. Whether there be three Gods or only one.
If he had thought the use of the term Unitarians con
sistent with justice to his own argument, he would have pre
ferred it to that of Socinians ; and would also have been
glad of a term to express the system which he has defended,
instead of calling it after the name of Calvin ; as he is aware
that calling ourselves after tbe names of men (though it be
merely to avoid circumlocution) is liable to be understood as
giving them an authority which is inconsistent with a con
formity to our Lord's command, " Call no man master upon
earth ; for one is your master, even Christ."
He may add that tbe substance of the following Letters
was written before the riots at Birmingham. His regard to
justice and humanity made him feel much, on tbat occasion,
for Dr. Priestley, and others who have suffered with him;
but his regard to what he esteems important truth made him
feel more. Tbe injury which a doctrine receives from those
who would support it by the unhallowed hands of plunder
and persecution is far greater, in the esteem of many, than it
can receive from the efforts of its avowed adversaries. For
his own part, be has generally supposed that both the con
trivers and executors of that iniquitous business, call them
selves what they will, were men of no principle. If, however,
those of the high-church party, who, instead of disavowing
the spirit and conduct of the misguided populace, have
manifestly exulted in it, must be reckoned among the Trini
tarians, he has only to say they are such Trinitarians as he
utterly disapproves, and concerning whom he cannot so weU

302 PREFACE.
express his sentiments and feelings as in the words of the
patriarch : "Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their
assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their
anger they slew a man, and in their self-wiU they digged
down a waU. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce ; and
tbeir wrath, for it was cruel."
Detestable, however, as w^re the riots at Birmingham ;
no one can plead that they render tbe religious principles -
of Dr. Priestley less erroneous, or less pernicious ; or an
opposition to them, upon the fair ground of argument, less
necessary. On the contrary, the mere circumstance of his
being a persecuted man vrill have its influence on some
people, and incline them not only to feel for tbe man, the
gentleman, and the philosopher (all which is rigbt) ; but to
think favourably of his reUgious .opinions. On this con
sideration, if the following Letters would, previous to that
event, have been in any degree proper and seasonable ; they
are not, by anything that has since occurred, become im
proper or unseasonable.
Since the first edition, the author has attempted, in some
places, to strengthen ,his argument, and to remove such
objections as have hitherto occurred. The principal addi
tions wUl be found in Letters IV. and XV. The Note,
towards the latter end of tbe former, was occasioned by a
report that Dr. Priestley complained of being misrepresented
by the quotation in the flrst page of the Preface. This
Note contains a vindication, not only of tbe fairness of the
quotation from Dr. Priestley, but of another, to the same
purpose, from Mr. Belsham : and an answer to what is
advanced on its behalf in the " Monthly Review. "
1802.

CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS
COMPAEED.

LETTER L
introduction and general remarks.
Christian Brethren,
Much has been written of late years on the Socinian con
troversy ; so much, tbat the attention of the Christian world
has, to a considerable degree, been drawn towards it. There
is no reason, however, for considering this circumstance as a
matter of wonder, or of regret. Not of wonder ; for, sup
posing the deity, and atonement of Christ to be divine truths,
they are of such importance in tbe Christian scheme as to
induce tbe adversaries of tbe gospel to bend their main force
against them, as against the rock on which Christ hath built
his church. Not of regret ; for, whatever partial evils may
arise from a full discussion of a subject, the interests of truth
wiU, doubtless, in tbe end prevail ; and tbe prevalence of
truth is a good tbat will outweigh all the ills that may have
attended its discovery. Controversy engages a number of
persons of different talents and turns of mind ; and by this
means the subject is likely to be considered in every riew in
which it is capable of being exhibited to advantage.
The point of light in which tbe subject wiU be considered
in these letters, namely, as influencing the heart and life, has
been frequently glanced at on both sides. I do not recollect,
however, to have seen this view of it professedly and
separately handled.
In the great controversy in the time of Elijah recourse
was had to an expedient by which the question was decided.

304 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINU.N SYSTEMS COMPARED.
Each party built an altar, cut in pieces a bullock, and laid
the victim upon the wood, but put no fire under ; and the
God that should answer by fire was to be acknowledged as
the true God. We cannot bring our controversies to such a
criterion as this : we may bring them to one, however, which,
though not so suddenly, is not much less sensibly evident.
Tbe tempers and lives of men are books for common people
to read ; and they will read them, even though they should
read nothing else. They are, indeed, warranted by the
scriptures themselves to judge of the nature of doctrines,
by their holy or unholy tendency. The true gospel is to be
known by its being a "doctrine according to godUness;"
teaching those who embrace it to " deny ungodliness and
worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in
tbe present world." Those, on the other hand, " who beUeve
not the truth," are said to " have pleasure in unrighteous
ness." "Profane and vain babblings," as the ministrations
of false teachers are called, " will increase unto more ungod
liness," and their word " will eat as doth a canker." To this
may be added, that the parties themselves, engaged in this
controversy, have virtually acknowledged the justice and
iihportance of tbe above criterion, in that both sides have
incidentally endeavoured to avail themselves of it. A
criterion, then, "by which the common people will judge, by
which tbe scripture authorizes them to judge, and by which
both sides, in, effect, agree to be judged, cannot but be
worthy of particular attention.
I feel, for my own part, satisfied, not only of tbe truth and
importance of the doctrines in question, but also of their holy
tendency. I am aware, however, tbat others think differ
ently, and that a considerable part of what I have to advance
must be on the defensive.
" Admitting the truth," says Dr. Priestley, " of a trinity of
persons in tbe Godhead, original sin, arbitrary predestina
tion, atonement by the death of Christ, and tbe plenary
inspiration of tbe scriptures ; their value, estimated by their
influence on the morals of men, cannot be supposed, even by
the adrairers of thera, to be of any moment, compared to the
doctrine of the resurrection of tbe human race to a life of
retribution : and, in the opinion of those who reject them,
they have a very unfavourable tendency ; giving wrong

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 305
impressions concerning tbe character and moral government
of God, and such as might tend, if they have any effect, to
relax the obUgations of virtue."*
In many instances Dr. Priestley deserves applause for his
frankness and fairness as a disputant : in this passage, bow-
ever, as well as in some others, tbe admirers of the doctrines
he menti'ons are unfairly represented. They who embrace
the other doctrines are supposed to hold that of arbitrary
predestination ; but this supposition is not true. Tbe term
arbitrary conveys the idea of caprice ; and, in this connexion,
denotes that in predestination, according to tbe Calvinistic
notion of it, God resolves upon the fates of men, and appoints
them to this or that, without any reason for so doing. But
there is no justice in this representation. There is no decree
in the divine mind tbat we Consider as void of reason. Pre
destination to death is on account of sin ; and as to predesti
nation to life, though it be not on account of any works of
righteousness which we have done, yet it does not follow
that God has lio reason whatever for what be does. The
sovereignty of God is a wise, and not a capricious sovereignty.
If be hide the glory of the gospel from tbe wise and prudent,
and reveal it unto babes, it is because it seemeth good in his
sight. But if it seem good in the sight of God, it raust, all
things considered, be good; for "tbe judgment of God is
according to truth."
It is asserted, also, that tbe admirers of the forementioned
doctrines cannot, and do not, consider them as of equal
importance with that of the resurrection of tbe human race
to a life of retribution. But this, I am satisfied, is not the
case; for, whatever Dr. Priestley may think, they consider
them, or at least some of them, as essential to true holiness ;
and of sucb consequence, even to tbe doctrine of tbe resur
rection of tbe human race to a life of retribution, that, with
out them, such a resurrection would be a curse to mankind,
rather than a blessing.
There is one thing, however, in tbe above passage, where
in we all unite ; and this is — that the value or importance
of religious principles is to be estimated by their influence on
the morals of men. By this rule let the forementioned
'• Letters to a Philosophical Unbeliever, part ii., pp. 33, 35.
VOL. i. X

306 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
doctrines, with their opposites, be tried. If either those or
these wiU not abide the trial, they ought to be rejected. ^
Before we enter upon a particular examination of the
subject, however, I would make three or four general obser
vations. First. Whatever Dr. Priestley or any others have said of
the immoral tendency of our principles, I am persuaded tbat
I may take it for granted they do not mean to suggest that
we are not good members of civil society, or worthy of the
most perfect toleration in tbe state ; nor ha've I any such
meaning in what may be suggested concerning theirs. I do
not know any religious denomination of men who are un
worthy of civil protection. So long as their practices do not
disturb the peace of society, and there be nothing in their
avowed principles inconsistent with tbeir giving security for
their good behaviour, they, doubtless, ought to be protected
in the enjoyment of every civil right to which their fellow
citizens at large are entitled.
Secondly. It is not tbe bad conduct of a few individuals,
in any denomination of Christians, tbat proves anything on
either side ; even though they may be zealous advocates for
the peculiar tenets of the party which they espouse. It is
the conduct of the general body from which we ought to
form our estimate. That there are men of bad character
who attend on our preaching is not denied ; perhaps some of
the worst ; but, if it be so, it proves nothing to the dishonour
of our principles. Those who, in tbe first ages of Chris
tianity, were not bumbled by tbe gospel, were generally
hardened by it. Nay, were it aUowed that we have a greater
number of hypocrites than tbe Socinians (as it has been in
sinuated tbat ,the hypocrisy and preciseness of some people
afford matter of just disgust to speculative Unitarians), I do
not think this supposition, any more than tbe other, dis
honourable to our principles. The defect of hypocrites lies
not so much in the thing professed, as in the sincerity of
their profession. The thing professed may be exceUent, and,
perhaps, is the more Ukely to be so from its being counter
feited ; for it is not usual to counterfeit thino-s of no value.
Those persons who entertain low and diminutive ideas of
the evil of sin and tbe dignity of Christ must, in order to i,
he thought reUgious by us, counterfeit tbe contrary ; but '\

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 307
among Socinians the same persons may avow those ideas,
and be caressed for it. That temper of mind which we sup
pose common to men, as being tbat which they possess by
nature, needs not to be disguised among them, in order to be
well thought of : they have, therefore, no great temptations
to hypocrisy. The question in hand, however, is not — What
infiuence either our principles or theirs have upon persons
who do not in reality adopt them ; but what influence they
have upon those who do.*
Thirdly. It is not tbe. good conduct of a few individuals,
on either side, that wiU prove anything. Sorae have adopted
a false creed, and retain it in words, who yet never enter into
tbe spirit of it, and consequently do not act upon it. But
merely dormant opinions can hardly be called principles:
those rather seem to be a man's principles which lie at the
foundation of his spirit and conduct. Farther, good men are
found in denominations whose principles are very bad ; and
good men, by whatever names they are called, are -more
nearly of a sentiment than they are frequently aware of.
Take two of them, who differ tbe most in words, and bring
them upon their knees in prayer, and they will be nearly
agreed. Besides, a great deal of tbat which passes for virtue
amongst men is not so in the sight of God, who sees things
as they are. It is no more than may be accounted for with
out bringing religion or virtue into the question. There are
motives and considerations which will commonly influence
men, living in society, to behave with decorum. Various
occupations and pursuits, especially those of a mental and
religious kind, are inconsistent with profligacy of manners.
" False apostles," the very " ministers of Satan," are said to
"transform themselves into tbe apostles of Christ," and to
* Though the Socinians be allowed, in what is said above, to have but
few hypocrites among them; yet this is to be understood as relating merely
to one species of hypocrisy. Dr. Priestley, speaking of Unitarians who
still continue in the Church of England, says, " From a just aversion to
everything that looks like hypocrisy and preciseness, they rather lean to
the extreme of fashionable dissipation." Yet he represents the same
persons, and tha,t in the same page, as " continuing to countenance a mode
of worship which, if they were questioned about it, they could not deny
to be, according to their own principles, idolatrfius and blasphemous."
"Discourses on various subjects," p. 96. The hypocrisy, then, to which
these gentlemen have so just an aversion, seems to be only of one kind. -
x2

308 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
appear as the " ministers of righteousness ; " even as " Satan
himself is transformed into an angel of light.," There are
certain vices which, being inconsistent with others, may be
the means of restraining them. Covetousness may be the
cause of sobriety ; and pride restrains thousands from base
and ignoble gratifications, in which, nevertheless, their hearts
take secret and supreme deUght. A decent conduct has been
found in Pharisees, in infidels, nay, even in Atheists. Dr.
Priestley acknowledges that " an Atheist may be temperate,
good-natured, honest, and, in the less-extended sense of the
word, a virtuous man." * Yet Dr. Priestley would not hence
infer anything in favour of the moral tendency of Atheism.
Lastly: Neither zeal in defence of principles, nor every
kind of devotion springing from them, will prove those prin
ciples to be true, or worthy of God. Several gentlemen,
who have gone over from the Calvinistic to the Socinian
system, are said to possess greater zeal for tbe propagation
of the latter than they bad used to discover for tbat of the
former. As this, however, makes nothing to the disadvantage
of their system, neither does it make anything to its advan
tage. This may be owing, for anything that can be proved
to the contrary, to their having found a system more con
sonant to the bias of their hearts than that was which they
formerly professed. And, as to devotion, a species of this
may exist in persons, and tbat to a high degree, consistent
ly enough with the worst of principles. We know that the
gospel had no worse enemies than the "devout and honour
able" amongst tbe Jews. Acts xiii. 50. Saul, while an
enemy to Jesus Christ, was as sincere, as zealous, and as
devout in his way, as any of those persons whose sincerity,
zeal, and devotion are frequently held up by their admirers
in favour of their cause.
These observations may be thought by some, instead of
dearing the subject, to involve it in greater difficulties, and
to render it almost impossible to judge of the tendency of
principles by anything that is seen in the lives of men.
Tbe subject, it is allowed, has its difficulties, and the fore
going observations are & proof oi it; but I hope to make it
appear, whatever difficulties may, on these accounts, attend
the subject, that there is still enough, in the general spirit
• Let. Unb. part i., p. 6, Pref.

CONVERSION OF PROFLIGATES. 309
and conduct of men, by which to judge of tbe tendency of
their principles.

LETTER n.

THE SYSTEMS COMPARED AS TO THEIR TENDENCY TO CON
VERT PROFLIGATES TO A LIFE OF HOLINESS.
You need not be told that being born again — created in
Christ Jesus — converted — becoming as a little child, &c., are
phrases expressive of a change of beart, which tbe scriptures
make necessary to a Ufe of holiness here, and to eternal life
hereafter. It is on this account that I begin with conversion,
considering it as tbe commencement of a holy life.
A change of this sort was as really necessary for Nicodemus,
whose outward character, for aught tbat appears, was respect
able, as for Zaccheus, whose life had been devoted to tbe
sordid pursuits of avarice. Few, I suppose, will deny tlus
to be tbe doctrine taught in the New Testament. But, should
this be questioned, should tbe necessity of a change of beart
in some characters be denied, still it will be allowed necessary
in others. Now, as a change is more conspicuous, and con
sequently more convincing, in sucb persons as have walked
in an abandoned course, than in those of a more sober life,
I have fixed upon tbe conversion of profligates as a suitable
topic for the present discussion.
There are two methods of reasoning which may be used
in ascertaining the moral tendency of principles. The first
is, comparing tbe nature of the principles themselves with
tbe nature of true holiness, and the agreement or disagree
ment of the one with the other. The second is, referring to
plain and acknowledged facts; and judging of the nature of
causes by tbeir effects. Both these methods of reasoning,
which are usually expressed by the terms a. priori, and A
posteriori, will be used in this and t'he following Letters, as
the nature of tbe subject may admit.
True conversion is comprehended in those two grand
topics on which the apostles insisted in tbe course of their
ministry — " Repentance towards God, and faith towards our
Lord Jesus Christ," Let us, then, fix upon these great out-

310 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
lines of tbe apostolic testimony, and examine which of the
systems in question has tbe greatest tendency to produce
them. Repentance is a change of mind. It arises from a con
viction tbat we have been in tbe wrong ; and consists in
holy shame, grief, and self-loathing, accompanied with a
determination to forsake every evil way. Each of these
ideas is included in the account we have of the repentance of
Job. " Behold, I am vile ; what shall I answer thee ? I
will lay my hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken,
but I will not answer ; yea, twice, but I will proceed no
farther." — "I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
It is essential to such a change as this that the sinner should
realise the evil nature of sin. No man ever yet repented of
a fault without a conviction of its evil nature. Sin must
appear exceedingly sinful before we can, in the nature of
things, abhor it, and ourselves on account of it. Those
sentiments which wrought upon tbe heart of David, and
brought him to repentance, were of this sort. Throughout
the fifty-first Psalm we find him deeply impressed with the
evil of sin, and that considered as an offence against God.
He had injured Uriah and Bathsheba, and, strictly speaking,
had not injured God ; the essential honour and happiness of
the divine nature being infinitely beyond his reach : yet, as
all sin strikes at the divine glory, and actually degrades it
in the esteem of creatures, all sin is to be considered, in one
view, as committed against God; and this view of the sub
ject lay so near bis heart as to swallow up every other—
" Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil
in thy sight !" It foUows, then, that the system which
affords the most enlarged views of the evil of sin must needs
have the greatest tendency to promote repentance for it.
Those who embrace the Calvinistic system believe tbat
man was originally created holy and happy ; tbat of his own
accord he departed from God and became vile; tbat God
being in himself infinitely amiable, deserves to be, and is,
tbe moral centre of tbe inteUigent system ; tbat rebellion
against him is opposition to tbe general good ; that, if suf
fered to operate according to its tendency, it would destroy
the well-being of the universe, by excluding God, and
righteousness, and peace from the whole system; that seeing

CONVERSION OF PROFLIGATES. 311
it aims destruction at universal good, and tends to universal
anarchy and mischief, it is, in those respects, an infinite evil,
and deserving of endless punishment ; and tbat, in whatever
instance God exercises forgiveness, it is not without respect
to that public expression of bis displeasure against it which
was uttered in the death of his Son. These, brethren, are
tbe sentiments wbicb furnish us with motives for self-ab
horrence : under their infiuence milUons have repented in
dust and ashes.
But those, on the other band, who embrace tbe Socinian
system, entertain diminutive notions of the evil of sin.
'Phey consider all evil propensities in men (except those
which are accidentally contracted by education or example)
as being, in every sense, natural to them : supposing that
they were originaUy created with them : they cannot, there
fore, be offensive to God, unless be could be offended with
tbe work of his own hands for being what he made it.
Hence, it may be, Socinian writers, when speaking of the
sins of men, describe thera in tbe language of palliation, —
language tending to convey an idea of pity, but not of
blarae. Mr. Belshara, speaking of sin, calls it " human
frailty ;" and tbe subjects of it " the frail and erring chil
dren of men."* The following positions are for substance
maintained by Dr. Priestley, in his treatise on " Necessity :"
" Tbat, for anything we know, it might have been as im
possible for God to make all men sinless and happy, as to
have made them infinite ;" that all the evil there is in sin
arises from its tendency to injure tbe creature ; that, if
God ^nish sin, it is not because he is so displeased with it
as in any case to " take vengeance" on tbe sinner, sacri
ficing his happiness to the good of the whole : but, knowing
that it tends to do tbe sinner harm, he puts hira to temporary
pain, not only for tbe warning of others, but for his own
good, with a view to correct tbe bad disposition in him ;
that what is threatened against sin is of sucb a trifling
account that it needs not be an object of dread. " No ne
cessarian," says be, "supposes that any of the human race
will suffer eternally ; but that future punishments will an
swer the same purpose as temporal ones are found to do, all
of which tend to good, and are evidently admitted for tbat
* Sermon on the Importance of Truth, pp. 33 — 35.

312 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
purpose ; so that God, the author of aU, is as much to be
adored and loved for what we suffer as for what we enjoy,
his intention being equally kind, in both. And, since God
has created us for happiness, what misery can we fear ?
If we be really intended for ultimate, unlimited happiness,
it is no matter, to a truly resigned person, when, or where,
or how." * Sin is so trifling an affair, it seems, and the
punishment threatened against it of so little consequence,
that we may be quite resigned and indifferent whether we
go immediately to heaven, or whether we first pass through
the depths of bell !
The question at present is not. Which of these representas-
tions is true, or consonant to scripture ? but, Which has the
greatest tendency to promote repentance ? If repentance be
promoted by a view of the evil of sin, this question, it is
presumed, may be considered as decided.
Another sentiment intimately connected with that of the
evil of sin, and equally necessary to promote repentance, is.
The equity and goodness of the divine law. No man ever
truly repented for the breach of a law tbe precepts of which
he considered as too strict, or the penalties too severe. In
proportion as such an opinion prevails, it is impossible but
that repentance must be precluded. Now, the precept of
the divine law requires us to love God with all tbe heart,
soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves. It
allows not of any deviation or relaxation, during the whole
of our existence. The penalty by which this holy law is
enforced is nothing less than the curse of Almighty God.
But, according to Mr. Belshara, if God " mark and punish
every instance of transgression," he must be a "merciless
tyrant;" and we must be "tempted to wish that the reins
of universal governnient were in better hands." "f Mr. Bel
shara, perhaps, would not deny tbat perfect obedience is re
quired by the law, according to the plain meaning of the
words by wbicb it is expressed, or that the curse of God is
threatened against every one that continueth not in all
things written in the book of the law to do them ; but tben
this rule is so strict that to " mark and punish every in
stance" of deviation from it would be severe and cruel. It
peems, tben, that God has given us a law, by the terms of
? Pages 118, 1-22, 65, 149, 160, 1-29. + SsTpoa, p. 34.

CONVERSION OP PROFLIGATES. " 313
which be cannot abide ; tbat justice itself requires hira, if
not to abate tbe precept, yet to remit the penalty, and con
nive at smaller instances of transgression. I need not in
quire how much this reflects upon tbe moral character and
government of God. Suffice it at present to say, that such
views raust of necessity preclude repentance. If the law
which forbids "every instance" of human folly be unrea
sonably strict, and the penalty which threatens the curse of
the Almighty on every one that continueth not in all things
therein written be indeed cruel, tben it must so far be un
reasonable for any sinner to be required to repent for the
breach of it. On the contrary, God himself should rather
repent for making sucb a law than the sinner for breaking
it! Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ is another essential
part of true conversiori. Faith is credence, or beUef. Faith
towards our Lord Jesus Christ is belief of the gospel of
salvation through bis name. A real belief of the gospel is
necessarily accompanied with a trust or confidence in him for
the salvation of our souls. The term believe itself some
times expresses this idea ; particularly in 2 Tim. i, 12, " I
know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is
able to keep that which I have committed unto him against
that day." This belief, or trust, can never be fairly under
stood of a mere confidence in his veracity, as to the truth of
bis doctrine ; for, if that were all, the ability of Christ
would stand for nothing ; and we might as well be said to
trust in Peter, or John, or Paul, as in Christ, seeing we
believe their testimony to be valid as well as his. Believing,
it is granted, does not necessarily, and in all cases, involve
the idea of trust, for wbicb I here contend ; this matter
being determined by the nature of tbe testimony. Neither
Peter, nor any of tbe apostles, ever pretended that their
blood, though it might be shed in martyrdom, would be the
price of tbe salvation of sinners. We may, therefore, credit
tbeir testimony, without trusting in them, or committing
anything, as Paul expresses it, into their hands. But Christ's
blood is testified of as the way, and the only way, of salva
tion. He is said to be "tbe propitiation for our sins ;" and
" by himself to have purged our sins" — " Through his blood
we have forgiveness' — "Neither is there salvation in any

314 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
other ; for there is none other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved." — " Other founda
tion can no man lay than tbat is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Hence it follows tbat, to believe his testimony, must of ne
cessity involve in it a trusting in him for the salvation of our
souls. If this be a just representation of faith in Jesus Christ,
we cannot be at a loss to decide which of the systems in
question has the greatest tendency to promote it ; and, as
faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ is essential to true
conversion, we cannot hesitate in concluding which has tbe
greatest tendency to turn a sinner from tbe evil of his ways.
Not to mention, at present, bow Socinian writers disown an
"implicit beUef " in tbe testimony of tbe sacred writers,*
and bow they lean to their own understanding, as the cri
terion by which scripture is to be tried ; that which I would
here insist upon is. That, upon their principles, all trust, or
confidence, in Christ for salvation is utterly excluded. Not
Only are those principles unadapted to induce us to trust in
Christ, but they directly tend to turn off our attention and ,
affection from him. Dr. Priestley does not appear to consider
him as "the way of a sinner's salvation," in any sense
whatever, but goes about to explain the words of Peter
(Acts iv. 12) " Neither is there salvation in any other," &c.,
not of salvation, to eternal life, but " of salvation or deliver
ance from bodily diseases." f And another writer of the
same cast (Dr. Harwood), in a volume of Sermons lately
published, treats the sacred writers with still less ceremony.
Paul had said, " Other foundation can no man lay than that
is laid, which is Jesus Christ ;" but this writer, as if he
designed to affront the apostle, makes use of bis own words
in order to contradict him. " Other foundation than this
can no man lay," says he ; " other expectations are visionary
and groundless, and all hopes founded upon anything else
than a good moral life are merely imaginary, and contrary
to the whole tenor of the gospel." p. 193. Whether these
things be not airaed to raze the foundation on which tbe
church is built ; and whether this be any other than " stum-
bUng at the stumbUng-stone," and a "setting him at nought,"
* Dr. Priestley's Defence of Unitarianism, 1787, p. 66.
f Fam. Let. xvi.

CONVERSION OF PROFLIGATES. 315
in the great affair for which be came into the world, let
every Christian judge. It particularly deserves tbe serious
consideration, not only of the above writers, but of those
who are any way inclined to their mode of thinking ; for, if
it should be so tbat the death of Christ, as a propitiatory
sacrifice, is the only medium through which sinners can be
accepted of God ; and if they should be found fighting
against God, and rejecting tbe only way of escape, the con
sequence may he such as to cause tbe ears of every one that
heareth to tingle. Meanwhile, it requires but little penetra
tion to discover tbat whatever takes away the only foundation
of a sinner's confldence cannot be adapted to promote it.
Brethren, examine these matters to tbe bottom, and judge
for yourselves, whether you might not as well expect grapes
of thorns, or figs of thistles, as to see repentance towards
God, or faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, proceeding
from Socinian principles.
The foregoing observations serve to show what may be
expected from the Socinian doctrine, according to tbe nature
of things : let us next make some inquiry into matters of
fact. We may judge, from the nature of the seed sown,
what will be tbe harvest ; but a view of what the harvest
actuaUy is may afford still greater satisfaction.
First, then, let it be considered whether Socinian congre
gations have ever abounded in conversions of the profane to
a life of holiness and devotedness to God. Dr. Priestley
acknowledges tbat " the gospel, when it was first preached
by the apostles, produced a wonderful change in the lives
and manners of persons of all ages." Let. Unb. Pref. ix.
Now, if the doctrine which he and others preach be the
same, for substance, as that wbicb they preached, one might
expect to see some considerable degree of similarity in the
effects. But is anything like this to be seen in Socinian
congregations ? Has that kind of preaching which leaves
out the doctrines of man's lost condition by nature, and sal
vation by grace only through the atonement of Christ, and
substitutes, in their place, the doctrine of mercy without an
atonement, the simple humanity of Christ, tbe efficacy of
repentance and obedience, &c  Has this kind of
preaching, I say, ever been known to lay much hold on the
'hearts and consciences of men ? Tbe way in which that

316 CALVINISTIC ANB SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPABBD.
"wonderful change" was effected, in the Uves and manners
of people who attended tbe fii;st preaching of the gospel, was
by the word preached laying hold on their hearts. _ It was a
distinguishing mark of primitive preaching tbat it "com
mended itself to every man's conscience." People could not
in general sit unconcerned under it. We are told of some
who were " cut to tbe heart," and took counsel to slay the
preachers ; and of others who were "pricked in their beart,"
and said, "Men and brethren, what shaU we do ?" But, in
both cases, the heart was the mark at wbicb the preacher
aimed, and which bis doctrine actually reached. Has tbe
preaching of the Socinians any such effect as this ? Do they
so much as expect it should ? Were any of their hearers, by
any means to feel pricked in their hearts, and come to them
with the question. What shall we do ? would they not pity
thera as enthusiasts, and be ready to suspect tbat they had
been araong the Calvinists ? If any counsel were given,
would it not be such as must tend to impede tbeir repent
ance, rather than promote it ; and, instead of directing them
to Jesus Christ, as was tbe practice of tbe primitive preachers,
would they not endeavour to lead them into another course ?
Socinian writers cannot so much as pretend tbat their doc
trine has been used to convert profiigate sinners to the love
of God and holiness. Dr. Priestley's scheme will not enable
him to account for such changes, where Christianity has
ceased to be a novelty. The absolute novelty of the gospel,
when first preached, be represents as the cause of its won
derful efficacy : but in the present age, araong persons who
have long beard it, and have contracted vicious habits not
withstanding, he looks for no such effects. He confesses
himself " less solicitous about tbe conversion of unbelievers
who are much advanced in life than of younger persons ;
and tbat because he despairs of the principles of Christianity
having much effect upon the lives of those whose dispositions
and habits are already formed,"* Sometimes he reckons that
• Jjet. Unb. II. Pref. — It is. true Df. Priestley is not here speaking of
the true profligates among nontinal Christians, but of those among avowed
infidels, This, however, makes nothing to the argument. The dispositions
and habits of profene nominal Christians are as much formed as those of
avowed infidels; and their conversion to a holy life is as much an object of
despair as the other. Yes, Dr. Priestlpy in the same place acknowledges

CONVERSION OF PROFLIGATES. 317
the great body of primitive Christians must have been "well
disposed with respect to moral virtue, even before tbeir con
version to Christianity ; else," he thinks, " they could not
have been so ready to have abandoned their vices, and to
embrace a doctrine which required the strictest purity and
rectitude of conduct, and even to sacrifice their lives in tbe
cause of truth." (II. 167, 168.) In bis treatise on "Philoso
phical Necessity" (p. 156), he declares tbat "upon the princi
ples of the necessarian, all late repentance, and especially
after long and confirmed habits of vice, is altogether and
necessarily ineffectual ; there not being sufficient time left
to produce a change of disposition and character, which can
only be done by a change of conduct, and of proportionably
long continuance."
I confess I do not perceive the consistency of these pas
sages with each other. By the power of novelty a wonderful
change was produced in the lives and manners of raen ; and
yet the body of them must have been well-disposed with
respect to moral virtue — that is, they must have been in
such a state as not to need any wonderful change — else they
could not have been so ready to abandon their vices. A
wonderful change was produced in tbe lives and manners
of men of all ages ; and yet there is a certain age in which
repentance is " altogether and necessarily ineffectual," In
consistent, however, as these positions may be, one thing is
sufficiently evident ; namely, that the author considers tbe
conversion of profligates, of the present age, as an object of
despair. Whatever tbe gospel according to Matthew, Mark,
Luke, or John, may affirm, that according to Dr. Priestley
affords but very little, if any, hope to those who in scripture
are distinguished by tbe name of "sinners," "chief of sin
ners," and "lost." He does "not expect such conversion
of profligate and habitually wicked men as shaU make any
remarkable change in tbeir lives and characters. Tbeir
dispositions and habits are already formed, so that it can
hardly be supposed to be in tbe power of new and better
principles to change them." It cannot be unnatural, or un-
candid, to suppose tbat these observations were made from
experience ; or that Dr. Priestley writes in this manner on
that "to be mere nominal Christians is worse than to be no Christians
at an."

318 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
account of bis not being used to see any such effects arise
from his ministry, or the ministry of those of his sentiments.
There is a sort of preaching, however, even since the
days of inspiration, and where Christianity has ceased to be
a novelty, which has been attended in a good degree with
similar effects to that of the apostles. Whatever was the
cause, or however it is to be accounted for, there have been
those whose labours have turned many, yea, many profli
gates, to righteousness ; and that by preaching tbe very
doctrines which Dr. Priestley charges with being the " cor
ruptions of Christianity," and wbicb a once-humble admirer
of his attempted to ridicule.* It is well known what sort of
preaching it was that produced sucb great effects in many
nations of Europe, about the time of the Reformation. What
ever different sentiments were professed by the Reformers, I
suppose they were so far agreed that tbe doctrines of human
depravity, the deity and atonement of Christ, justification by
faith; and sanctification by tbe influence of the Holy Spirit,
were the great topics of their ministry.
Since the Reformation there have been special seasons in
the churches in which a religious concern has greatly pre
vailed, and multitudes were turned from tbeir evil ways ;
some from an open course of profaneness, and others from
the mere form of godliness to tbe power of it. Much of
this sort of success attended tbe labours of Perkins, Bolton,
Taylor, Herbert, Hildersham, Blackerby, Gouge, Whitaker,
Bunyan, great numbers of tbe ejected ministers, and many
since their time, in England; of Livingstone, Bruce, Ruther
ford, M'CuUock, M'Laurin, Robe, Balfour, Sutherland, and
others, in Scotland ; of Franck and his fellow labourers in
Germany; and of Stoddard, Edwards, Tennant, Buel, and
many others, in America.f And what Dr. Watts and Dr.
Guyse, in their Preface to Mr. Edwards's Narrative, said of
his success and that of some others, in America, might with
equal truth have been said of the rest : " That it was the
common plain Protestant doctrine of the Reformation, with
out stretching towards the Antinomians on the one side, or
the Arminians on the other, that the Spirit of God bad been-
pleased to honour with such illustrious success."
Nor are such effects peculiar to past ages. A considerable
• See Fam. Lett. xxu. P.S. t See Gillies' Hist. Coll.

CONVERSION OP PROFLIGATES. 319
degree of the same kind of success has attended the Calvin
istic churches in North America, within tbe last ten years ;
especially in tbe States of Virginia, the Carolinas, and
Georgia. Nor is it peculiar to the Western world, though
they have been greatly favoured. I believe there are
hundreds of ministers now in this kingdom, some in the
established church and others out of it, who could truly say
to a considerable number of their auditors, as Paul said to
tbe Corinthians, " Ye are our epistle, known and read of all
men " — " ye are manifestly declared to be tbe epistle of
Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with
tbe Spirit of the living God ; not in tables of stone, but in
fleshy tables of tbe heart." There are, likewise, hundreds
of congregations, which might with propriety be addressed
in the language of the same apostle to the same people,
" And such were some of you (viz., fornicators, adulterers,
thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners ;) but ye
are washed, but ye are sanctifled, but ye are justified." And
those ministers by whose instrumentality' these effects were
produced, like their predecessors before-mentioned, have
dwelt principally on the Protestant doctrines of man's lost
condition by nature, and salvation by grace only, through
the atoning blood of Christ ; together with the necessity of
tbe regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit. When, there
fore, they see such effects attend their labours, they think'
themselves warranted to ascribe them, as the apostle did, to
" tbe name of the Lord Jesus, and to the Spirit of our God."
1 Cor. vi. 11.
Tbe solid and valuable effects produced by this kind of
preaching are attested by tbe late Mr. Robinson of Cam
bridge, as well as by Dr. Watts and Dr. Guyse. " Pres-
sumption and despair," said that ingenious writer, "are tbe
two dangerous extremes to which mankind are prone in
religious concerns. Charging bome sin precludes the first,
proclaiming redemption prevents the last. This has been
tbe method which tbe Holy Spirit has thought fit to seal
and succeed in the hands of his ministers. Wickliffe, Luther,
Knox, Latimer, Gilpin, Bunyaln, Livingstone, Franck, Blair,
Elliot, Edwards, Whitefield, Tennant, and all who have been
eminently blessed to tbe revival of practical godliness, have
constantly availed themselves of this method; and, prejudice

32]^-. CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEM^ COJ^ARED.
' '¦¦ ^
apart. It is -ira'possible to deny that great and excellent moral
effgf-ts bay.e followed." *
'Shoul^S'it^be aUeged that Mr. Robinson, before be died,
changed his opinions in these matters, and reckoned all such
things as'*tbese enthusiasm, it might be answered, A change
'9f opiriion in Mr. Robinson can make no change in the
."facts," as he justly calls them, which he did himself the
honour to record. Besides, tbe effects of this kind of preach
ing are not only recorded by Mr. Robinson, but by those
who triumph in bis conversion to their principles. Dr.
Priestley professes to think highly of the Methodists, and
acknowledges tbat they have " civilized and Christianized a
great part of the uncivilized and uncbristianized part of this
country."! Also, in bis " Discourses on Various Subjects,"
p. 375, he allows tbeir preaching to produce " more striking
effects" than that of Socinians, and goes about to account
for it.
A matter of fact, so notorious as this, and of so much con
sequence in tbe controversy, requires to be well accounted
for. Dr. Priestley seems to have felt tbe force of tbe objec
tion tbat might be made to his principles on this ground ;
and, therefore; attempts to obviate it. But by what medium
is this attempted ? Tbe same principle by which he tries to
account for the wonderful success of the gospel in the primi
tive ages, is to account for the effects produced by such
preaching as that of tbe Methodists : The ignorance of their
auditors giving what they say to them ihe force of novelty.
The Doctor is pleased to add, " Our people having in general
been brought up in habits of virtue, such great changes in
character and conduct are less necessary in their case."
A few remarks in reply to tbe above shall close this letter.
First, If novelty be indeed tbat efficacious principle which
Dr. Priestley makes it to be, one should think it were desira
ble, every century or two, at least, to have a new dispensa
tion of religion.
Secondly, If the great success of the primitive preachers
was owing to this curious cause, is it not extraordinary tbat
they themselves should never be acquainted with it, nor
communicate a secret of such importance to their successors ?
They are not only silent about it, but, in some oases, appear
• Translation ot Claude, vol. ii., p, 364. Note. f ^am. Let. vu.

CONVERSION OF PROFLIGATES, (/v^' '¦* Jl^l -,
to act upon a contrary principle. Paul, when^|«5?iiB^ thef 4 ^

viiS^ thef 4 \
subject-matter of his ministry before AgripplljV l^meiito ^
disclaim everything novel, declaring that he had«ai^" nabe _
other things than those which tbe prophets and WO#«f dicf'» "s^
say should come." And, as to the cause of tbeii'''^ire(ji^,^ i^
they seem never to have thought of anything but "the.,ha'n^* ,
of the Lord that was with them" — "The working ofliis^ ':''¦'
mighty power" — "Who caused them to triumph in Christ,
making manifest the savour of his knowledge by them in
every place."
Thirdly, If novelty be what Dr. Priestley makes it to be,
the plea of Dives bad much more of truth in it than the
answer of Abraham. He pleaded that, " if one rose from
tbe dead, men would repent :" the novelty of tbe thing, he
supposed, must strike them. But Abraham answered as if
he bad no notion of tbe power of mere novelty : " If they hear
not Moses and tbe prophets, neither will they be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead."
Fourthly, If the success of tbe apostles was owing to tbe
novelty of their mission, it might have been expected, that
at Athens, where a taste for hearing and telling of new
things occupied the whole attention of the people, their suc
cess would have been the greatest. Everybody knows that
a congeniality of mind in an audience to the things proposed
wonderfully facilitates the reception of thera. Now, as the
gospel was as much of a novelty to them as to the most bar
barous nations, and as they were possessed of a peculiar turn
of mind which delighted in everything of that nature, it
might have been expected, on tbe above hypothesis, that a
harvest of souls would there have been gathered in. But,
instead of this, the gospel is well known to have been less
successful in this famous city than in many other places.
Fifthly, Some of the most striking effects, both in early
and later ages, were not accompanied with the circumstance
of novelty. The sermon of Peter to the inhabitants of Jeru
salem contained no new doctrine ; it only pressed upon them
tbe same things, for substance, which they bad heard and
rejected from the lips of Christ himself; and, on a prejudg
ment of the issue by the usual course of things, they would
probably have been considered as more Ukely to reject,
Peter's doctrine than tbat of Christ; because, when once
VOL. I. r

322 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
people have set their hands to a business, they are generally
more loth to reUnquish it, and own themselves in the wrong,
than at first to forbear to engage in it. And as to later
times, the effects produced by the preaching of Whitefield,
Edwards, and others, were many of them upon people not
remarkably ignorant, but who had attended preaching of a
similar kind all tbeir lives without any such effect. The
former, it is well known, preached the same doctrines in
Scotland and America as the people were used to hear every
Lord's day ; and that with great effect among persons of a
lukewarm and careless description. Tbe latter, in his
" Narrative of the Work of God in and about Northamp
ton," representing the inhabitants as having been " a rational
and understanding people." Indeed, they must have been
sucb, or they could not have understood the compass of
argument contained in Mr. Edwards's " Sermons on Justifi
cation," which were delivered about that time, and are said
to have been tbe means of great religious concern among
the hearers. Nor were these effects produced by airs and
gestures, or any of those extraordinary things in the manner
of tbe preacher which give a kind of novelty to a sermon,
and sometimes tend to move the affections of the bearers.
Mr. Prince, who, it seeras, had often beard Mr. Edwards
preach, and observed the remarkable conviction which
attended his ministry, describes, in bis " Christian History,"
his manner of preaching. "He was a preacher," says he
" of a low and moderate voice, a natural delivery, and with
out any agitation of body, or anything else in tbe manner to
excite attention, except his habitual and great solemnity,
looking and speaking as in the presence of God, and •vrith a
¦weighty sense of the matter delivered."*
Sixthly, Suppose the circumstance of novelty to have great
efficacy, the question is, with respect to such preaching as that
of the Methodists, Whether it has efficacy enough to render
the truth of the doctrine of no account. It is well known
that tbe main doctrines which tbe Methodists have taught
are man's lost condition by nature, and salvation by the
atonement of Christ; but these, according to Dr. Priestley,
are false doctrines : no part of Christianity, but tbe " corrup
tions" of it ; and " such as must tend, if they have any
• Gillies's Hist. Coll. ii., 196.

CONVERSION OP PROFLIGATES. 323
effect, to relax tbe obligations to virtue." But, if so, how
came it to pass that tbe preaching of thera should " civilize
and Christianize mankind ?" Novelty may do wonders, it is
granted ; but still the nature of those wonders will corre
spond with the nature of the principles taught. All that it
can be supposed to do is to give additional energy to the
principles which it accompanies. Tbe beating of a furnace
seven times hotter than usual would not endue it with the
properties of water ; and water, put into the most powerful
motion, would not be capable of producing the effects of fire.
One would think it were equally evident that falsehood,
though accompanied with novelty, could never have tbe
effect of truth.
Once more : It may be questioned whether tbe generality
of people who make up Socinian congregations stand in less
need of a change of character and conduct than others. Mr.
Belsham says that "Rational Christians are often repre
sented as indifferent to practical reUgion;" and admits,
though with apparent reluctance, that " there has been sorae
plausible ground for the accusation."* Dr. Priestley admits
the same thing, and they both go about to account for it in
the same way.| Now, whether tbeir method of accounting
fpr it be just or not, they admit the fact ; and hence we
may conclude that the generality of " Rational Christians" .
are not so righteous as to need no repentance ; and that the
reason why their preaching does not turn sinners to right
eousness is not owing to their want of an equal proportion of
sinners to be turned.
But, supposing the Socinian congregations were generally
so virtuous as to need no great change of character ; or, if
they did need it, so weU-informed that nothing could strike ,
them as a novelty ; tbat is not the case with the bulk of
mankind amongst whom they live. Now, if a great change
of character may he produced by the mere power of novelty,
why do not Dr. Priestley and those of his sentiments go forth,
like some others, to the highways and hedges? Why does
not he surprise tbe benighted populace into the love of God
and holiness, with bis new doctrines ? (New be must
acknowledge they are to thera.) If false doctrine, sucb as
that which the Methodists have taught, may, through tbe
* Sermon, p. 32. f Disc. Var. Sub. p. 95.
r 2

324 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
power of novelty, do such wonders, what might not be
expected from tbe true? I have been told tbat Dr.
Priestley has expressed a wish to go into tbe streets, and
preach to the common people. Let him, or those of ^ his
sentiments, make tbe trial. Though the people of Birming
ham have treated hira so uncivilly, I bope both he and they
would meet with better treatment in other parts of the
country ; and if, by tbe power of novelty, they can turn
but a few sinners from the error of their ways, and save
their souls from death, it will be an object worthy of their
atten-tion. But should Dr. Priestley, or any other of his sentiments,
go forth on such an errand, and still retain their principles,
they must reverse the declaration of our Lord, and say. We
come not to call sinners, but the righteous to repentance. AU
their hope must be in the uncontaminated youth, or the
better sort of people, whose habits in the path of vice are
not so strong but that they may be overcome. Should they,
in the course of tbeir labours, behold a malefactor approach
ing tbe hour of bis execution, what must they do ? Alas !
like the priest and tbe Levite, they must pass by on the other
side. They could not so much as admonish him to repent
ance with any degree of hope ; because they consider " aU
late repentance, and especially after long and confirmed
habits of vice, as absolutely and necessarily ineffectual.'*
Happy for many a poor wretch of that description, happy
especially for the poor thief upon the cross, that Jesus Christ
acted on a different principle !
These, brethren, are matters that come within the knovif-
ledge of every man of observation ; and it behoves you, in
such cases, to know " not the speech of them that are puffed
up, but the power."

LETTER in.
CONVERSION OF PROFESSED UNBELIEVERS.
Socinian writers are very sanguine on tbe tendency of
their views of things to convert infidels ; namely, Jews,
• Dis. Var. Sub. p. -238. Also Phil. Nee. p. 156.

CONVERSION OF PROFESSED UNBELIEVERS. 325
heathens, and Mahometans. They reckon that our notions
of the Trinity form the grand obstacle to tbeir conversion.
Dr. Priestley often suggests tbat, so long as we maintain the
deity of Jesus Christ, there is no hope of converting the
Jews, because this doctrine contradicts the first principle of
tbeir reUgion, the unity of God. Things, not altogether,
but nearly similar, are said concerning the conversion of the
heathens and Mahometans, especially the latter. On this
subject, tbe following observations are submitted to your
consideration. With respect to the Jews, they know very well tbat those
who believe in the deity of Christ profess to believe in tbe
unity of God ; and, if they will not admit this to be con
sistent, they must depart from what is plainly implied in the
language of their ancestors. If the Jews in the time of
Christ bad thought it impossible, or, which is the same
thing, inconsistent with the unity of God, tbat God the
Father should have a Son equal to himself, how came they to
attach the idea of equality to that of sonship ? Jesus as
serted that God was bis "own Father ;" which they under
stood as making himself " equal with God ;" and therefore
they sought to kill him as a blasphemer. Had the Jews
affixed those ideas to sonship which are entertained by our
opponents ; namely, as implying nothing more than simple
humanity, why did they accuse Jesus of blasphemy for
assuming it ? They did not deny that to be God's own Son
was to be equal with the Father ; nor did they allege that
sucb an equality would destroy tbe divine unity : a thought
of this kind seems never to have occurred to their minds.
The idea to which they objected was, that Jesus of Nazareth
was the Son of God; and hence, it is probable, the profession
of this great article was considered in the apostolic age as
the criterion of Christianity. Acts viii. 37. Were this
article admitted by the modern Jews, they must reason
differently from their ancestors, if they scrupled to admit
tbat Christ is equal with the Father.
Tbe Jews were greatly offended at our Lord's words ; and
his not explaining them so as to remove the stumbling block
out of the way may serve to teach us bow we ought to
proceed in removing stumbling blocks out of the way of
their posterity. For this cause they sought to kill him —

326 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
"because he had said that God was his Father, making
himself equal with Ood."— " Jesas said, I and_ my Father
are one. Then they took up stones to stone him." When
he told them of " many good works that he bad shown them, "
and asked, " For which of those works do ye stone me ?"
they replied, " For a good work we stone thee not, but for
blasphemy ; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself
Ood." Hence it is evident that, whether Jesus Christ be
truly God, or not, they understood him as asserting that he
was so ; that is, they understood his claiming the relation of
God's own Son, and declaring that He and his Father were
one, as implying so much. This was their stumbling block.
Nor does it appear that Jesus did any thing towards remov
ing it out of their way. It is certain he did not so remove
it as to afford them the least satisfaction ; for they continued
to think him guilty of the same blasphemy to the last, and
for that adjudged him worthy of death. Matt. xxvi. 63, 66.
If Jesus never thought of being equal with God, it is a pity
there should have been such a misunderstanding between
them, — a misunderstanding that proved tbe occasion of
putting him to death !
Such an hypothesis, to be sure, may answer one end ; it
may give us a more favourable idea of tbe conduct of the
Jews than we have been wont to entertain. If it does not
entirely justify their procedure, it greatly extenuates it.
They erred, it seems, in imagining tbat Jesus, by declaring
himself the Son of Ood, made himself equal with Ood ; and
thus, through mistaking bis meaning, put him to death as a
blasphemer. But then it might be pleaded, on their behalf,
that Jesus never suggested that they were in an error in this
matter ; tbat, instead of informing them that the name Son
of God implied nothing more than simple humanity, he went
on to say, among other things, " That all men should honour
the Son, even as they honour the Father ;" and, instead of
disowning with abhorrence the idea of making himself God,
be seemed to justify it, by arguing from the less to the
greater — from the image of the thing to the thing itself.
John X. 34 — 36. Now, these things considered, should an
impartial jury sit in judgment upon tbeir conduct, one would
think they could not, with Stephen, bring it in murder; to
make the most of it, it could be nothing worse than man-

CONVERSION OF PROFESSED UNBELIEVERS. 327
slaughter. All this may tend to conciUate the Jews ; as it
tends to roll away the reproach which, in the esteem of
Christians, lies upon tbeir ancestors for crucifying tbe Lord
of glory : but whether it wiU have any influence towards
their conversion is another question. It is possible tbat, in
proportion as it conflrms their good opinion of their fore
fathers, it may conflrm tbeir ill opinion of Jesus, for having,
by his obscure and ambiguous language, given occasion for
such a misunderstanding between thera. Could tbe Jews
but once be brought to feel tbat temper of mind, which it is
predicted in their own prophets they shall feel — could they
but " look on Him whom they have pierced, and mourn for
him as one mourneth for his only son, and be in bitterness
for him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born" — I
should be under no apprehensions respecting tbeir acknow
ledging bis proper divinity, or embracing him as the great
atonement, to the "fountain" of whose blood they would
joyfully repair, that they might be -cleansed from their sin
and their uncleanness. Zech. xii. 10 ; xiii. 1.
Nearly • tbe same things might be observed respecting
Heathens and Mahometans. We may so model the gospel as
almost to accommodate it to their taste ; and by this means
we may come nearer together : but whether, in so doing, we
shaU not be rather converted to them, than they to us,
deserves to be considered. Christianity may be so heathen
ized that a raan raay believe in it, and yet be no Christian.
Were it true, therefore, that Socinianisra bad a tendency to
induce professed infidels, by meeting them, as it were, half
way, to take upon them the Christian name, still it would
not foUow tbat it was of any real use. The popish mission
aries of tbe last century in China, acted upon the principle
of accommodation : they gave up tbe main things in which
Christians and heathens bad been used to differ, and allowed
tbe Chinese every favourite species of idolatry. The conse
quence was, they bad a great many converts, sucb as they
were ; but thinking people looked upon tbe missionaries as
more converted to beathenism, than the Chinese heathens
to Christianity.*
But even this effect is more than may be expected from
Socinian doctrines among the heathen. 'The popish mission-
* Millar's Propagation of Christianity, vol. ii., pp. 388, 438.

328 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
aries had engines to work with which Socinians have not.
They were sent by an authority which, at that time, had
weight in the world ; and their reUgion was accompanied
¦with pomp and superstition. These were matters which,
though far from recommending tbeir mission to the approba
tion of serious Christians, yet would be sure to recommend
it to the Chinese. They stripped the gospel of all its real
glory, and, in its place, substituted a false glory. But
Socinianism, while it divests tbe gospel of all tbat is interest
ing and affecting to the souls of men, substitutes nothing in
its place. If it be Christianity at all, it is, as the ingenious
Mrs. Barbauld is said in time past to have expressed it,
" Christianity in tbe frigid zone." It raay be expectfed,
therefore, tbat no considerable number of professed infidels
will ever think it worthy of their attention. Like the Jew,
they will pronounce every attempt to convert them by these
accommodating principles nugatory; and be ready to ask,
with him. What they shall do more, by embracing Christianity,
than they already do.*
Dr. Priestley, however, is for coming to action. "Let a
free intercourse be opened," says he, " between Mahometans
and Rational, that is. Unitarian Christians,t and I shall have
no doubt with respect to the consequence." And, again,
" Let the Hindoos, as well as the Mahometans, become ac
quainted with our literature, and have free intercourse with
Unitarian Christians, and I have no doubt but the result
will be in favour of Christianity."| So, then, when heathens
and Mahometans are to be converted, Trinitarians, like those
of Gideon's army that bowed down their knees to drink,
* Mr. Levi's Letters to Dr. Priestley, pp. 76, 77.
t " Rational, that is. Unitarian Christians." — 'Why need Dr. Priestley
be BO particular in informing his reader that a Rational Christian signifies
a Unitarian Christian ? To be sure, all the world knew, long enough ago,
that rationality was confined to the Unitarians ! Doubtless, they are the
people, and wisdom will die with them ! When Dr. Priestley speaks of
p-irsons of his own sentiments, he calls them " Rational Christians ;" when
in the same page, he speaks of such as diflfer from him, he calls them,
" those who assume to themselves the distinguishing title of orthodox."
" Considerations on Difference of Opinion," § 3. Query, Is the latter of
these names assumed any more than the former; and is Dr. Priestley a fit
person to reprove a body of people for assuming a name which implies
what their adversaries do not admit !
t Let. Unb. n. 116,117.

CONVERSION OF PROFESSED UNBELIEVERS. 329
must sit at bome ; and the whole of the expedition, it seems
must be conducted by Unitarians, as by the three hundred
men that hipped. Poor Trinitarians ; deemed unworthy of
an intercourse with heathens ! Well ; if you must be
denied, as by a kind of Test Act, tbe privilege of bearing
arms in this divine war, surely you have a right to expect
that those who shall be possessed of it should act valiantly,
and do exploits. But what ground have you on which to
rest your expectations ? — None, except Dr. Priestley's good
conceit of his opinions. When was it known that any con
siderable number of heathens or Mahometans were converted
by tbe Socinian doctrine ? Sanguine as the doctor is on this
subject, where are tbe facts on which his expeetations are
founded ?
Trinitarians, however, whether Dr. Priestley think them
worthy, or not, have gone among tbe heathens, and that not
many years ago, and preached what they thought tbe Gospel
of Christ ; and I may add, from facts that cannot be
disputed, with considerable success. Tbe Dutch, tbe Danes,
and the English, have each made some attempts in the east,
and, I bope, not without some good effects. If we were to
call that conversion which many professors of Christianity
would call so without any scruple, we might boast of the
conversion of a great many thousands in those parts. But it
is acknowledged that many of the conversions in the east
were little, if anything, more than a change of denomination.
Tbe greatest and best work, and the most worthy of the
name of conversion, of which I have read, is tbat wbicb has
taken place by the labours of the Anglo-Americans among
the natives. They have, indeed, wrought wonders. Mr.
Elliot, the first minister who engaged in this work, went
over to New England in 1632 ; and, being warmed with a
holy zeal for converting tbe natives, learned tbeir language,
and preached to them in it. He also, with great labour,
translated the bible, and some English treatises, into the
same language. God made him eminently useful for the
turning of these poor heathens to himself. He settled a
number of Christian churches, and ordained elders over
them, frora among themselves. After a life of unremitted
labour in this important undertaking, be died in a good old
age, and has ever since been known, both among tbe English

330 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
and the natives, by tbe name of The Apostle of the American
Indians. Nor were these converts like many of those in the east,
who professed they knew not what, and, in a Uttle time,
went off again as fast as they came : tbe generaUty of them
understood and felt what they professed, and persevered to
tbe end of their Uves. Mr. ElUot's example stimulated
many others : some in his Ufetime, and others after his death,
laboured much, and were blessed to the conversion of thou
sands among the Indians. Tbe names and labours of Bourn,
Fitch, Mahew, Pierson, Gookin, Thatcher, Rawson, Treat,
Tupper, Cotton, Walter, Sargeant, Davenport, Park, Horton,
Brainerd, and Edwards, are remembered with joy and grati
tude in those benighted regions of tbe earth. Query, Were
ever any sucb effects as these wrought by preaching Socinian
doctrines ?
Great things have been done among the heathens, of late
years, by the Moravians. About tbe year 1733, they sent
missionaries to Greenland — a most inhospitable country
indeed, but containing about ten thousand inhabitants, all
enveloped in pagan darkness. After the labour of several
years, apparently in vain, success attended tbeir efforts; and,
in tbe course of twenty or thirty years, about seven hundred
heathens are said to have been baptized, and to have Uved
the life of Christians.* They have done great good also
in the most northern parts of North America, among the
Esquimaux ; and still more among the Negroes in tbe West
India islands, where, at the close of 1788, upwards of thir
teen thousand of those poor, injured, and degraded people
were foijmed into Christian societies. The views of Mora
vians, it is true, are different from ours in several particulars,
especially in matters relating to church government and dis-
cipUne : but they appear to possess a great deal of godly
simplicity; and, as to the doctrines which they inculcate,
they are, mostly, what we esteem evangelical. The doc
trine of atonement by tbe death of Christ, in particular,
forms tbe great subject of their ministry. "The first person
in Greenland who appeared wiUing to receive the gospel was
an old man who came to tbe missionaries for instruction.
"We told him," say they, "as well as we could, of the crea-
"' See Crantz's History of Greenland,

CONVERSION OF PROFESSED UNBELIEVERS. 331
tion of man, and tbe intent thereof, of the fall and corruption
of nature — of the redemption effected by Christ — of the
resurrection of aU raen, and eternal happiness or damnation."
They inform us, afterwards, that the doctrine of tbe cross, or
" the Creator's taking upon him human nature, and dying for
our sins," was the most powerful means of impressing tbe
minds of tbe heathen, and of turning their hearts to God.
" On this account," they add, " we determined (like Paul) to
know nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
Now consider, brethren, were there ever any such effects
as the above wrought by the Socinian doctrine ? If there
were, let them be brought to light. Nay, let a single in
stance be produced of a Socinian teacher having so much
virtue or benevolence in him as to make tbe attempt, — so
much virtue or benevolence as to venture among a race of
barbarians, merely with a view to their conversion.
But we have unbelievers at home : and Dr. Priestley, per
suaded of the tendency of bis principles to convert, has lately
made some experiments upon them, as being within his reach.
He has done well : there is nothing like experiment, in
religion as weU as in philosophy. As to what tendency bis
sentiments would have upon heathens and Mahometans, pro
vided a free intercourse could be obtained, it is aU conjecture.
The best way to know tbeir efficacy is by trial; and trial
has been made. Dr. Priestley has addressed "Letters to a
Philosophical Unbeliever," and "Letters to the Jews."
Whether this seed will spring up, it is true, we must not
yet decide. Some Uttle time after he had pubUsbed, bow-
ever, he himself acknowledged, in his Letters to Mr. Ham-
mon, " I do not know tbat my book has converted a single
unbeUever." Perhaps he might say the same still : and that,
not only of his "Letters to a Philosophical UnbeUever," but
of those " to the Jews."
If the opinion of the Jews may in any degree be collected
from the answer of their champion, Mr. David Levi, so far
are they from being convinced of the truth of Christianity
by Dr. Priestley's writings, that they suspect whether be
himself be a Christian. "Your doctrine," says Mr. Levi,
" is so opposite to what I always understood to be tbe prin
ciples of Christianity, that I must ingenuously confess I am
greatly puzzled to reconcile your principles to tbe attempt.

332 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
What ! a writer that asserts that the miraculous conception
of Jesus docs not appear to him to be sufficiently authenticated,
and that the original Gospel of St. Matthew did not
contain it, set np for a defender of Christianity against the
Jews, is such an inconsistency as I did not expect to meet
•with in a philosopher, whose sole pursuit bath been in search
of truth. You are pleased to declare in plain terms, that
you do not believe in the miraculous conception of Jesus, and
that you are of opinion that he was the legitimate son of
Joseph. After such assertions as these, bow you can be
entitled to tbe appellation of 'a Christian,' in tbe strict sense
of tbe word, is to me really incomprehensible. If I am not
greatly mistaken, I verily beUeve that the honour of Jesus,
and tbe propagation of Christianity, are things of little
moment in your serious thoughts, notwithstanding all your
boasted sincerity." To say nothing of the opinion of tbe
Jews concerning what is Christianity having all the weight
that is usually attributed to the judgment of impartial by
standers, the above quotations afford but little reason to hope
for their conversion to Christianity by Socinian doctrines.
But StiU, it may be said, We know not what is to come.
True : but this we know that, if any considerable fruit arise
from tbe Addresses above referred to, it is yet to -come ; and
not from these Addresses only, but I am inclined to think,
from anything that has been attempted by Socinians for the
conversion of unbelievers.
Is it not a fact that Socinian principles render men indif
ferent to this great object, and even induce them to treat it
with contempt? The "Monthly Reviewers" (Dec. 1792),
in reviewing " Mr. Carey's " late publication on this subject,
infer from bis acknowledgments of the baneful influence of
wicked Europeans in their intercourse with heathens, and tbe
great corruptions among the various denorainations of pro
fessing Christians, that, if so, "far better is the light of
nature, as coraraunicated by their Creator, than any light
that our officiousness disposes us to carry to thera." By
Europeans who have communicated their vices to heathens,
Mr. Carey undoubtedly meant, not those ministers of the
gospel, or those serious Christians, who have gone among
them for their good ; but navigators, merchants, and adven
turers, whose sole object was to enrich themselves : and.

CONVERSION OP PROFESSED UNBELIEVERS. 333
though he acknowledges a great deal of degeneracy and
corruption to have infected the Christian world, yet tbe
qualifications which he requires in a missionary might have
secured his proposal from censure, and doubtless would have
done so, had not the Reviewers been disposed to throw cold
water upon every such undertaking. If, indeed, there be
none to be found among professing Christians, except such
as, by their intercourse with heathens, would only render
tbeir state worse than it was before, let the design be given
up : but. If otherwise, tbe objection is of no force.
The Reviewers will acknowledge that great corruptions
have attended tbe civil government of Europe, not excepting
tbat of our own country, and that we are constantly engaged
in dissensions on the subject; yet I have no doubt but they
could find certain individuals who, if they were placed in
the midst of an uncivilized people, would be capable of
affording them substantial assistance — would teach thera to
establish good laws, good order, and equal liberty. Nor
•would they think of concluding, because European con
querors and courtiers, knowing no bigher motive than self-
interest, instead of meliorating the condition of uncivilized
nations, have injured it, that therefore it was vain for any
European to think of doing otherwise. Neither would they
regard tbe sneers of the enemies of civil liberty and equity,
who might deride them as a little flock of conceited poU-
ticians, or, at best, of inexperienced philanthropists, whose
plans might amuse in the closet, but would not bear in real
life. Why is it that we are to be sceptical and inactive in
nothing but religion ?
Had Mr. Carey, after the example of Dr. Priestley, pro
posed that bis own denomination only should open an inter
course with heathens, tbe Reviewers would have accused
him of illiberality ; and now, when he proposes tbat " other
denominations should engage separately in promoting mis
sions," this, it is said, would be " spreading our religious
dissensions over tbe globe." How, tben, are these gentlemen
to be pleased ? By sitting still, it should seem, and persuad
ing ourselves that it is impossible to find out what is true
religion ; or, if not, tbat it is but of little importance to dis
seminate it. But why is it, I again ask, that we are to be
sceptical and inactive in nothing but reUgion ? The result

334 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
is this : Socinianism, so far from being friendly to the con
version of unbeUevers, is neither adapted to tbe end nor
favourable to the means — to those means, at least, by which
it has pleased God to save them that believe.

LETTER IV.
the argument from the NUMBER OF CONVERTS TO
SOCINIANISM EXAMINED.
If facts be admitted as evidence, perhaps it will appear that
Socinianisra is not so ranch adapted to make converts of
Jews, heathens, Mahometans, or philosophical unbelievers,
as of a speculating sort of people among professing Chris
tians. These in our own country are found, some in the Es
tablished Church, and others among the dissenters. Araong
people of this description, I suppose, Socinianism has gained
considerable ground. Of this Dr. Priestley, and others of
bis party, are frequently making tbeir boast. Disc. pp.
93, 94. But whether they have any cause for boasting, even
in this case, may be justly doubted. In the flrst place, let
it be considered tbat though Socinianism may gain ground
among speculating individuals, yet the congregations where
tbat system, or what bears a near resemblance to it, is
taught, are greatly upon the decline. There are, at this
time, a great many places of worship in this kingdom, espe
cially among the Presbyterians and the General Baptists,
where tbe Socinian and Arian doctrines have been taught
till tbe congregations have gradually dwindled away, and
there are scarcely enow left to keep up the form of worship.
There is nothing in either of these systems, comparatively
speaking, that alarms the conscience, or interests the beart ;
and therefore tbe congregations where they are taught, un
less kept up by the accidental popularity of a preacher, or
some other circumstances distinct from tbe doctrine de
livered, generally fall into decay.
But, farther, let us examine a Uttle more particularly what
sort of people they, in general, are, who are converted to
Socinianism. It is an object worthy of inquiry, whetbei^
they appear to be modest, humble, serious Christians, such

THE NUMBER OF SOCINIAN CONVERTS. 335
as have known the plague of tbeir own hearts ; in whom
tribulation hath wrought patience, and patience experience ;
such as know whom they have believed, and have learned to
count all things but loss for tbe excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus tbeir Lord ; such as, in their investigation
of sentiments, have been used to mingle earnest and humble
prayer with patient and impartial inquiry ; such, in fine, as
have become little children in tbeir o^wn eyes. If they be, it
is a circumstance of consequence, not sufficient, indeed, to
justify tbeir change of sentiments, but to render tbat change
an object of attention. When persons of this description
erabrace a set of new principles, it becoraes , a matter of
serious consideration what could induce them to do so. But,
if they be not, their case deserves but little regard. When
tbe body of converts to a system are mere speculatists in
religion, men of little or no seriousness, and who pay no
manner of attention to vital and practical religion, it reflects
neither honour on the cause they have espoused, nor dis
honour on tbat which they have rejected. When we see
persons of this sta,mp go over to tbe Socinian standard, it
does not at all surprise us : on the contrary, ¦vve are ready to
say, as the apostle said of tbe defection of sorae of the pro
fessors of Christianity in bis day, " They went out from us,
but they were not of us."
That many of the Socinian converts were previously men
of no serious reUgion, needs no other proof than the acknow
ledgment of Dr. Priestley and of Mr. Belsham. " It cannot
be denied," says tbe former, " that many of those who judge
so truly, concerning particular tenets in religion, have at
tained to tbat cool and unbiassed temper of mind in con
sequence of becoming more indifferent to religion in general,
and to all tbe modes and doctrines of it." And this in
difference to all religion is considered by. Dr. Priestley as
" favourable to a distinguishing between truth and false
hood." Disc. p. 65. Much to tbe same purpose is what Mr.
Belsham alleges (p. 32) as quoted before, tbat " men who are
most indifferent to tbe practice of religion, and whose minds,
therefore, are least attached to any set of principles, will
ever be the first to see the absurdity of a popular supersti
tion and to embrace a rational system of faith." It is easy

336 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
to see, one should think, from hence, what sort of characters
those are wbicb compose the body of Socinian converts.
Dr. Priestley, however, considers this circumstance as
reflecting no dishonour upon his principles. He thinks be
has fully accounted for it. So thinks Mr. Belsham ; and
so think the Monthly reviewers, in their review of Mr.
Belsham's serraon." *
Surely Socinians must be wretchedly driven, or they
would not have recourse to such a refuge as tbat of acknow
ledging that they hold a gospel tbe best preparative for
which is a being destitute of all religion ! " What a reflec
tion," says Dr. Williams, in his answer to this serraon, " is
here implied " on the most eminent Reformers of every age,
who were tbe first to see the absurdities of a popular super
stition, and the falsity of reigning principles ! What a
poor compliment to the religious character of Unitarian re
formers! According to this account, one might be tempted
to ask. Was it by being indifferent to the practice of religion
that Mr. Belsham was qualified to see and pronounce Cal
vinism to be gloomy and erroneous, an unamiable and melan
choly system ? Charity forbids us to tliink he was thus
qualified ; and, if so, by his own rule he is no very com-
* I have not scrupled to class the Monthly Reviewers among Socinians.
Although in a work of that kind there is frequently, no doubt, a change of
hands; yet it is easy to see that, of late years (a very short interval ex
cepted), it has been principally, if not entkely, under Socinian direction ;
and, so far as religion is concerned, has been used as an instrument for the
propagation of that system. Impartiality towards Calvinistic writers is not,
therefore, to be expected from that quarter. It is true they sometimes
affect to stand aloof from all parties : but it is mere affectation. Nothing
can be more absurd than to expect them to judge impartially in a cause
wherein they themselves are parties; absurd, however, as it is, some persons
are weak enough to be imposed upon by their pretences. Perhaps of late
years the Monthly Review has more contributed to the spreading of So
cinianism than all other writings put together. The plan of that work does
not admit of argumentation : a sudden flash of wit is generaUy reckoned
sufficient to discredit a Calvinistic performance; and this just suits the
turn of those who are destitute of all religion. A laborious investigation of
matters would not suit their temper of mind : they had rather subscribe to
the well-known maxim, that "ridicule is the test of truth;" and then,
whenever the Reviewers hold up a doctrine as ridiculous, they have nothing
to do but to coin the laugh, and conclude it to be " a vulgar error, or a
popular superstition."

THE NUMBER OF SOCINIAN CONVERTS. 337'
potent judge ; except he is pleased to adopt the alternative
that he is only the humble follower of more sagacious but
irreligious guides.
We read of different kinds of preparatives in tbe scrip
tures ; but I do not recollect that they contain anything
like the above. Zeal and attention, a disposition to search
SLiid pray, according to Solomon (Prov. ii. 1 — 9), is a pre
parative for the discovery of truth. Tbe piety of Cornelius,
which he exercised according to the opportunities be pos
sessed of obtaining Ught, was a preparative for his reception
of the gospel as soon as he heard it. And this accords with
our Lord's declaration : " He that will do his will shall
know of bis doctrine." On the other hand, the cold indif^'
ference of some in tbe apostolic age, " who received not the
love of tbe truth," but, as it should seem, held it with a
loose band, even while they professed it, was equaUjr a pre
parative for apostasy. We also read of some, in Isaiah's
time, who ." leaned very much to a life of dissipation :" they
" erred through wine." " All tables are full of vomit and
filthiness " (saith the prophet, describing one of their assem
blies), " so that there is no place." He adds, " Whom shall
he teach knowledge, and whom shall be make to understand
doctrine ?" And what is tbe answer ? Were tbe men who
" leaned to a life of dissipation," who loved to suck at the
breasts of sensual indulgence, tbe proper subjects ? No :
" those that were weaned from tbe milk, and drawn from the
breasts." But now, it seems, the case is altered, and in
order to find out the truth, tbe most likely way is to be
divested of all religion !
It is true these things are spoken of what are called
"speculative Unitarians," whom Dr. Priestley calls "men of
tbe world," and distinguishes from serious Christians." He
endeavours also to guard bis cause by observing that the
bulk of profes.sing Christians, or of those who should have
ranked as Christians, in every age, had been of this descrip
tion. It must be acknowledged that there have been luke
warm, dissipated, and merely nominal Christians, in aU ages
of the church, and in every denomination ; I suspect, how
ever, tbat Dr. Priestley, in order to reduce tbe state of tbe
church in general to that of tbe Unitarians, has rather mag
nified this matter. But, be that as it may, there are two
VOL. I. z

338 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
circumstances which render it improper for him to reason
from this case to the other : — First, whatever bad characters
have ranked with other denominations (at leaist with ours)
as to their religious creed, we do not own, or consider them
as " converts ;" much less do we glory in tbe spread of our
principles, when men of that character profess to embrace
them, as this writer does,* If we speak of converts to our
principles, we disown such people, and leave them out of tbe
account, as persons whose walk and conversation, whatever
be tbeir speculative opinions, discover them to be " eneifiies
to the cross of Christ." But, were the Socinians to do so,
it is more than probable that the number of converts of
whom they boast would be greatly diminished. Secondly,
whenever irreUgious characters profess to imbibe our prin
ciples, we do not consider their state of mind as friendly to
them. That which we account truth is a system of holiness ;
a system, therefore, which men of " no religion " will never
cordially embrace. Persons may, indeed, embrape a notion
about the certainty of tbe divine decrees, and the necessity
of things being as they are to be, whether the proper means
be used or not ; and they may live in the neglect of all
means, and of aU practical religion, and may reckon them
selves, and be reckoned by some others, among the Calvinists.
To such a creed as this, it is aUowed, tbe want of all religion
is tbe best preparative : but then it must be observed that
tbe creed itself is as false as the practice attending it is
impure, and as opposite to Calvinism as it is to scripture and
common sense. Our opponents, on the contrary, ascribe
many of their conversions to the absence of religion, as their
proper cause, granting that " many of those who judge so
truly, concerning particular tenets in reUgion, have attained
to tbat cool unbiassed temper of mind in consequence of be
coming more indifferent to reUgion in general, and to all the
modes and doctrines of it." Could this acknowledgment be
considered as tbe mistake of an unguarded moment, it
might be overlooked : but it is a fact; a fact wbicb, as Dr.
Priestley himself expresses it, "cannot be denied ;"f a fact,
therefore, which must needs prove a millstone about the neck
of his system. Tbat doctrine, be it what it may, to which
an indifference to religion is friendly, cannot be the gospel,
"• Disc. pp. 91, 93, 94. f lb. p. 95.

THE NUMBER OP SOCINIAN CONVERTS. 339
or anything pertaining to it, but something very near akin
to infidelity.
If it be objected that the immoral character of persons,
previously to their embracing a set of principles, ought not
to be alleged against the moral tendency of those principles,
because, if it were, Christianity itself would be dishonoured
by the previous character of many of the primitive Chris
tians, — it is replied, there are two circumstances necessary
to render this objection of any force : First, tbe previous
character of the convert, however wicked it may have been,
must have no influence on his conversion. Secondly, this
conversion must have such an influence on him that, what
ever may have been his past character, bis future life shall
be devoted to God. Both these circumstances existed in
the case of the primitive Christians : and, if the same could
be said of tbe converts to Socinianism, it is acknowledged
that all objections frora this quarter ought to give way. But
this is not the case. Socinian converts are not only allowed,
many of thera, to be men of no religion ; but the want of
reUgion, as we have seen already, is allowed to have influ
enced their conversion. Nor is this all : it is allowed tbat
their conversion to these principles has no such influence
upon them as to make any material change in their charac
ter for the better. This is a fact tacitly admitted by Mr.
Belsham, in that he goes about to account for it, by alleging
what was their character previously to tbeir conversion. It
is true he talks of this being tbe case "only for a time," and,
at length, these converts are to "have their eyes opened; are
to feel the benign influence of tbeir principles, and demon
strate tbe exceUeney of tbeir faith by tbe superior dignity
and worth of tbeir character." But these, it seems, Uke
"the annihilation of death," and the conversion of Jews
and Mahometans by the Socinian doctrine, are things yet to

* Since the publication of the first edition of these Letters, a report
has been circulated that Dr. Priestley has been misrepresented by the
quotation in page 335, which also was referred to at the commencement of
the Preface, Dr. Priestley, it has been said, in the place from which the
passage is taken, " was not commending a total indifference to religion,"
but the contrary; and his meaning was, not that such a disregard to all
religion is a better qualification for discerning truth than a serious temper
z2

340 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
But, it will be pleaded, though many who go over to'
Socinianisra are men of no religion, and continue to "lean to
of mind, but that it is preferable to that bigoted attachment to a system
which some people discover."
That Dr. Priestley's leading design was to commend a total indifference
to religion was never suggested. I suppose this, on the contrary, was to
commend good discipline among the Unitarians, for the purpose of pro
moting religious zeal. His words are (accounting for the want of zeal
among them) — " It cannot be denied that many of those who judge so
truly concerning particular tenets in religion, have attained to that cool,
unbiassed temper of mind in consequence of becoming more indifferent to
religion in general, and to all the modes and doctrines of it. Though,
therefore, they are in a more favourable situation for distinguishing be
tween truth and falsehood, they are not likely to acquire a zeal for what
they conceive to be the truth."
'The leading design of Dr. Priestley in this passage, it is allowed, was to
recommend good discipline, as friendly to zeal; and, as a previous indiffer
ence to religion in general was unfavourable to that temper of mind which
he wished to inspire, in this view he is to be understood as blaming it.
Yet, in an incidental manner, he as plainly acknowledges it to have been
favourable for distinguishing between truth and falsehood; and, in this
view, he must be understood as commending it. That he does commend
it, though in an incidental way, is manifest from his attributing their
judging so truly concerning particular tenets in religion to it; and that, not
merely as an occasion, but as an adequate cause, producing a good effect;
rendering the mind more cool and unbiassed than it was before. To sup
pose that Dr. Priestley does not mean to recommend indifference to religion
in general, as friendly to truth (though unfriendly to xeal), is supposing
him not to mean what he says.
As to the question. Whether Dr. Priestley means to compare an indif
ference to religion in general with a serious temper of mind, or with a spirit
of bigotry, it cannot be the latter, — unless he considers the characters
of whom he speaks as having been formerly bigoted in their attachment to
modes and forms; for he is not comparing them with other people, but
with themselves at a former period. So long as they regarded religion in
general, according to his account, they were in a less favourable situation
for distinguishing between truth and falsehood than when they came to
disregard it. Dr. Priestley's own account of these characters seems to agree
with mere men of the world, rather than with religious bigots. They were
persons, he says, who troubled themselves very little about religion, but
who had been led to turn their attention to the dispute concerning the
person of Christ, and, by their natural good sense, had decided upon it.
To this effect he writes in pages 96, 97, of his " Discourses on Various
Subjects." Now, this is far from answering to the character of religious
bigots, or of those who at any time have sustained that character.
But, waiving this, let us suppose that the regard which those characters
bore towards religion in general was the regard of bigots. In this case they
were a kind of Pharisees, attached to modes and forms, which blinded their
minds from discovering the truth. Afterwards they approached nearer to
the Sadducees, became more indifferent to religion in general, and to all the

THE NUMBER OF SOCINIAN CONVERTS. 341
a life of dissipation," yet this is not the case with all: there
are some who are exemplary in tbeir lives, men of eminent
modes and doctrines of it. The amount of Dr. Priestley's position would
then be, that the spirit of a Sadducee is preferable, with respect to dis
cerning truth, to that of a Pharisee, possessing more of a cool unbiassed
temper of mmd. The reply that I should make to this is, that neither
Pharisees nor Sadducees possess that temper of mind of which Dr.
Priestley speaks, but are both " a generation of vipers," different in some
respects, but equally malignant towards thetrue gospel of Christ; and that
the humble, the candid, the serious, and the upright inquirers after truth
are the only persons likely to find it. And this is the substance of what I
advanced in the first page of the Preface, which has been charged as a
misrepresentation. 1 never suggested that Dr. Priestley was comparing
the characters in question -with the serious or the candid; but rather that,
let ihe comparison respect whom it might, his attributing an unbiassed
temper of mind to men, in consequence of their becoming indifferent to
religion in general, was erroneous; for that he who is not a friend to reU
gion in any mode is an enemy to it in all modes, and ought not to be com
plimented as being in a favourable situation for distinguishing between
truth and falsehood.
A writer in the " Monthly Eeview " has laboured to bring Mr. Belsham
off in the same manner; but, instead of affording him any relief, he has
betrayed the cause he has espoused, and made Mr. Belsham reason in a
manner unworthy of his abilities. " We apprehend," says this writer,
" that Mr. Belsham does not mean to assert, nor even to intimate, that
indifference to religious practice prepared the mind for the admission of
that religious truth which prompts virtuous conduct." Mr. Belsham,
however, does intimate, and even assert, that " the raen who are the most
indifferent to the practice of religion will ever be the first not only to see
the absurdity of a popular superstition, but to embrace a rational system of
faith." Does the Reviewer mean, then, to acknowledge that the rational
system does not include that kind of truth which prompts virtuous con
duct ? There is no truth in his expressions, but upon this supposition.
But this writer not only informs us what Mr. Belsham did not mean, but
what he did mean. (One would think the Reviewer of Dr. Williams must
have been very intimate with Mr. Belsham.) Mr. Belsham meant, it
seems, " that the absurdities of a popular superstition are more apt to
strike the mind of those who are even indifferent to religion than of those
who are bigoted in their attachment to particular creeds and rites; and,
therefore, that the former will be more inclined to allow reason to mould
their faith than the latter." — " Review of Dr. Williams's Answer to Mr.
Belsham," Jan. 1792.
To be sure, if a reviewer may be allowed to add a few such words as
more, and than, and even, to Mr. Belsham's language, he may smooth its
rough edges, and render it less exceptionable; but is it true that this was
Mr. Belsham's meaning, or that such a meaning would have ever been in
vented, but to serve a turn !
If there be any way of coming at an author's meaning, it is by his words,
and by the scope of his reasoning ; but neither the one nor the other will
warrant this construction. Mr. Belsham's words are these : " The men

342 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
piety and virtue, and who are distinguished by Dr. Priestley
by the name of "serious Christians." * To this it is re
pUed —
First, Whatever piety or virtue there may be among So
cinian converts, it may be doubted whether piety or virtue
led thera to embrace tbat scheme, or was much in exercise
in tbeir researches after it. It has been observed by some
who have been most conversant with them that, as they
have discovered a predilection for those views of things, it
has been very common for them to discover at tbe same time
a light-minded temper, speaking of sacred things and dis
puting about them with the most unbecoming levity and
indecent freedom : avoiding all conversation on experimental
and devotional subjects, and directing tbeir whole discourse
to matters of mere speculation. Indeed, piety and virtue
who are the most indifferent to the practice of religion will ever be the first
to embrace a rational system of faith." If he intended merely to assert
that immoral charaoteis will embrace the truth before bigots, his words are
abundantly too strong for his meaning; for, though the latter were allowed
to be the last in embracing truth, it will not follow that the former will be
the first. If the rational system were on the side of truth, surely it might
be expected that the serious and the upright would be the first to embrace
it. But this is not pretended. Serious Christians, by the acknowledgment
of Mrs. Barbauld, are the last that come fully into it.
The scope of Mr. Belsham's reasoning is equally unfavourable to such a
construction as his words are. There is nothing in the objection which he
encounters that admits of such an answer. It was not alleged. That there
was a greater proportion of immoral characters than of bigots, among the
Unitarians ; had this been the charge, the answer put into Mr. Belsham's
lips might have been in point. But the charge, as he himself expresses it,
was simply this — " Rational Christians are often represented as indifferent
to practical religion," To suppose that Mr. Belsliam would account for
this by alleging that immoral characters are more likely to embrace the
truth than bigots (unless he denominate all bigots who are not Unitarians)
is supposing him to have left the objection unanswered. How is it that
there should be so great a propbrtion of immoral characters, rather than of
humble, setious, and godly men, or of what Mr. Belsham calls " practical
believers 1" This was the spirit of the objection : and, if the above Con
struction of Mr. Belsham's words be admitted it remains unanswered.
Let Dr. Priestley, or Mr. Belsham, or any of their advocates, who have
charged the above quotations with misrepresentation, come forward, and,
if they be able, make good the charge. TUl this is done, I shall consider
them as fair and just, and as including concessions, which, thou^gh possibly
made in an unguarded moment, contain a truth Which must prove a mill
stone about the neck of the Socinian system.
* Disc. p. 28.

THE NUMBER OF SOCINIAN CONVERTS. 343
are, in efiect, acknowledged to be unfavourable to tbe em
bracing of the Socinian scheme ; for if " an indifierence to
religion in general be favourable to the distinguishing be
tween truth and falsehood," and if " those men who are the
most indifierent to the practice of religion will ever be the
iirst to embrace the rational system," it must follow, by the
rule of contraries, that piety, virtue, and zeal for religion,
are things unfavourable to tbat system, and tbat pious and
virtuous persons wiU ever be tbe last to embrace it : nay,
sorae may think it very doubtful whether they ever embrace
it at all. Serious Christians, according to the account of
Mrs. Barbauld, are the most difiicult sort of people tbat
Socinian writers and preachers have to deal with ; for,
though they are sometimes brought to renounce the Cal
vinistic doctrines in theory, yet there is a sort of leaning
towards them in their hearts, which their teachers know
not how to eradicate. " These doctrines," she says, " it is
true, among thinking people are losing ground ; but there
is still apparent, in that class called serious Christians, a
tenderness in exposing them ; a sort of leaning towards
them, as in walking over a precipice one should lean to
the safest side : an idea that they are, if not true, at least
good to be beUeved, and that a salutary error is better than
a dangerous truth."*
Secondly : Whatever viriue there may be among Socinian
converts, it may be questioned whether tbe distinguished
principles of Socinianism have any tendency towards pro
moting it. Tbe principles which they bold in comraon with
us ; namely, tbe resurrection of the dead, and a future life,
and not those in which they are distinguished from us, are
confessedly tbe springs of tbeir virtue. As to the simple
humanity of Christ, which is one of tbe distinguishing prin
ciples of Socinianisra, Dr. Priestley acknowledges that " tbe
connexion between this simple truth and a regular Christian
life is very sUght."| " That," says the same author, " which
is most favourable to virtue in Christianity, is tbe expecta
tion of a future state of retribution, grounded on a firm
belief of the historical facts recorded in tbe scriptures ;
especially the miracles, tbe death, and resurrection of Christ.
* Remarks on Wakefield's Inquiry on Social-Worship.
t Disc. p. 97.

344 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
The man who believes these things only, and who, together
with this, acknowledges a universal providence, ordering all
events — who is persuaded that our very hearts are constantly
open to divine inspection, so tbat no iniquity, or purpose of
it, can escape his observation, will not be a bad man, or a
dangerous meraber of society."* Now, these are things in
which we are all agreed ; whatever virtue, therefore, is
ascribed to them, it is not, strictly speaking, tbe result of
Socinian principles. If, in addition to this, we were to im
pute a considerable degree of the virtue of Socinian converts
to " the principles in which they were educated, and tbe in
fluence to which they were exposed in the former part of
their lives," we should only say of thera what Dr. Priestley
says of the virtuous lives of some Atheists ; and perhaps we
should have as good grounds for such an imputation in tbe
one case as be had in the other.')'
Among the various Socinian converts, have we ever been
used to bear of any remarkable change of life or behaviour,
which a conversion to tbeir peculiar principles effected ? I
hope there are few Calvinistic congregations in the kingdom,
but what could point out examples of persons among them,
who. at the tirae of their coming over to tbeir doctrinal prin
ciples, came over also from the course of this world, and
have ever since lived in newness of life. Can this be said
of the generality of Socinian congregations ? Those who
have had the greatest opportunity of observing them say the
contrary. Yea, they add that the conversion of sinners to
a life of holiness does not appear to be tbeir aim ; that their
concern seems to be to persuade those who, in their account,
have too much reUgion, that less will suffice, rather than to
address themselves to the irreligious, to convince them of
their defect. A great part of Dr. Priestley's sermon on the
death of Mr. Eobinson is of this tendency. Instead of con
curring with tbe mind of God, as expressed in his word, " O
tbat my people were wise, tbat they would consider their
latter end !" tbe preacher goes about to dissuade his bearers
from thinking too much upon that unwelcome subject.
You will judge, from these things, brethren, whether there
.be any cause for boasting, on the part of the Socinians, in
the number of converts which they tell us are continually
• Letter v. to Mr. Bum. t Let. Unb. P. I. Pref. vi.

THE STANDARD OF MORALITY. 345
making to their principles ; or for discouragement on the
side of the Calvinists, as if what they account the cause of
God and truth were going fast to decline.

LETTER V.
ON THE STANDARD OP MORALITY.
You have observed that Dr. Priestley charges the Calvin
istic system with being unfriendly to morality, " as giving
wrong impressions concerning the character and raoral go
vernment of God, and as relaxing the obligations of virtue."
That you may judge of tbe propriety of this heavy charge,
and whether our system, or bis own, tend most to "relax
the obUgations of virtue," it seems proper to inquire which
of them affords the most licentious notions of virtue itself To
suppose that the scheme which pleads for relaxation, both in
tbe precept and in tbe penalty of the great rule of divine
government, should, after aU, relax tbe least, is highly para
doxical. The system, be it which it may, that teaches us
to lower the standard of obedience, or to make light of tbe
nature of disobedience, must surely be the system which
relaxes the obUgations of virtue, and, consequently, is of an
immoral tendency.
The eternal standard of right and wrong is tbe moral law,
summed, up in love to God with all the heart, soul, mind, and
strength, and to our neighbour as ourselves. This law is
holy, just, and good: holy, as requiring perfect conformity
to God ; just, as being founded in tbe strictest equity ; and
good, as being equaUy adapted to promote the happiness of
the creature and tbe glory of tbe Creator. Nor have we
any notion of tbe precept of tbe law being abated, or a jot
or tittle of it being given up, in order to suit the inclinations
of depraved creatures. We do not conceive the law to be
more strict than it ought to be, even considering our present
circumstances : because we consider the evil propensity of
the heart, which alone renders us incapable of perfect obedi
ence, as no excuse. Neither do we plead for tbe relaxation
of the penalty of the law upon tbe footing of equity ; but
insist that, though God, through tbe mediation of bis Son,
doth not mark iniquity in those that wait on him, yet he

346 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
might do so consistently with justice ; and tbat his not doing
so is of mere grace. I hope these sentiments do not tend to
"relax the obUgations of virtue." Let us inquire whether
the same may be said of tbe scheme of our opponents.
It may be thought that, in these matters, in some of them
at least, we are agreed. And, indeed, I suppose few wiU
care to deny, in express terms, that the moral law, consist
ing of a requisition to love God with all the heart, and our
neighbour as ourselves, is an eternal standard of right and
wrong. But let it be considered whether the Socinians, in
their descriptions of virtue and vice, do not greatly overlook
the former branch of it, and almost confine themselves to those
duties which belong to the latter. It has been long observed,
of writers of tbat stamp, tbat they exalt what are called the
social virtues, or those virtues which respect society, to tbe
neglect and often at the expense of others which more imme
diately respect the God that made us. It is a very common
thing for Socinians to make light of religious principle, and
to represent it as of Uttle importance to our future well-
being. Under the specious name of liberality of sentiment,
they dispense with tbat part of the will of God which re
quires every thought to be in subjection to tbe obedience of
Christ ; and, under tbe guise of candour and charity, excuse
those who fall under tbe divine censure. The scripture
speaks of those "who deny the Lord that bought them,
bringing upon themselves swift destruction" — and "of those
who receive not tbe love of the truth being given up to be
lieve a Ue." But the minds of Socinian writers appear to
revolt at ideas of this kind : the tenor of their writings is
to persuade mankind that sentiments may be accepted, or
rejected, without endangering their salvation. Infidels have
sometiraes complained of Christianity, as a kind of insult to
their dignity, on account of its dealings in threatenings ; but
Dr. Priestley, in his " Letters to the Philosophers and Poli
ticians of France," has quite removed this stumbling-block
out of their way. He accounts for their infidelity in such a
way as to acquit them of blame, and enforces Christianity
upon them by the most inoffensive motives. Not one word
is intimated as if there was any danger as to futurity,
though they should continue infidels, or even Atheists,
tUl death. The only string upon which he harps, as I re-

THE STANDARD OF MORALITY. 347
member, is, that could they but embrace Christianity, they
would be much happier than they are.
If I entertain degrading notions of tbe person of Christ,
and if I err from the truth in so doing, my error, according
to Mr. Lindsey, is innocent,* and no one ought to think the
worse of me on that account. But, if I happen to be of
opinion that he who rejects the deity and atonement of
Christ is not a Christian, I give great offence. But where
fore ? Suppose it an error, why should it not be as innocent
as the former ? and why ought I to be reproached as an
illiberal uncharitable bigot for this, while no one ought to
think the worse of me for tbe other ? Can this be any
otherwise accounted for, than by supposing tbat those who
reason in this manner are more concerned for their own
honour than for tbat of Christ ?
Dr. Priestley, it may be noted, makes much lighter of
error when speaking on the supposition of its being found in
himself, than when he supposes it to be found in his oppo
nents. He charges Mr. Venn, and others, with " striving to
render those who differ from thera in sorae speculative points
odious to their fellow Christians ;" and elsewhere suggests
that " we shall not be judged at tbe last day according to our
opinions, but our works; not according to what we have
thought of Christ, but as we have obeyed his commands :"f
as if it were no distinguishing property of a good work
that it originate in a good principle ; and as if tbe meanest
opinion, and the most degrading thoughts of Jesus Christ,
were consistent with obedience to him. But, when he him
self becomes the accuser, the case is altered, and instead of
reckoning the supposed errors of tbe Trinitarians to be
merely speculative points, and harmless opinions, they are
said to be " idolatrous and blasphemous."| But idolatry and
blasphemy will not only be brought into account at the
day of judgment, but be very offensive in tbe eyes of God,
1 Cor. vi. 9. For my part, I am not offended with Dr.
Priestley, or any other Socinian, for calling the worship that
I pay to Christ idolatry and blasphemy ; because, if he be
* Apology, 4th ed. p. 48.
f Considerations on Differences of Opmion, § iii. Def. Unit. 1786, p.
59. Ditto 1787, p. 68.
I Disc. p. 96.

348 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
only a man, what they say is just. If they can acquit them
selves of sin in thinking meanly of Christ, they certainly can
do the same in speaking meanly of him ; and words ought to
correspond with thoughts. I only think they should not
trifle in such a manner as they do with error, when it is
supposed to have place in themselves, any more than when
they charge it upon their opponents.
If Dr. Priestley bad formed his estimate of human virtue
by tbat great standard which requires love to God with all
the beart, soul, mind, and strength, and to our neighbour as
ourselves ; instead of representing men by nature as having
" more rirtue than vice,"* he must have acknowledged, with
tbe Scriptures, that " the whole world lieth in wickedness"
— tbat "every thought and imagination of their beart is
only evil continually" — and that " there is none of them that
doeth good, no not one."
If Mr. Belsham, in tbe midst of tbat " marvellous light"
which he professes lately to have received, bad only seen the
extent and goodness of that law which requires us to love
God with all our hearts, and our neighbour as ourselves, in
the Ught in which revelation places it, be could not have
trifled, in the manner he has, with the nature of sin, calling
it " human frailty," and the subjects of it " the frail and
erring children of men :" nor could he have represented God
in " marking and punishing every instance of it, as acting
the part of a merciless tyrant."-f Mr. Belsham talks of
" Unitarians being led to form just sentiments of the reasonr
ableness of the divine law, and tbe equity of tbe divine
government ;" but of what divine law does he speak ? Not
of that, surely, which requires love to God with all the
heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbour as our
selves ; nor of that government which threatens the curse of
God on every one that continueth not in all things written
in the book of the law to do them ; for this allows not of a
single transgression, and punishes every instance of human
folly, which Mr. Belsham considers as " merciless tyranny."
He means to insinuate, I suppose, that for the law to take
cognizance of the very thoughts and intents of the heart, at
least of every instance that occurs, is unreasonable ; and
that to inflict punishment accordingly is inequitable. He
* Let. Phil. Unb. part i., p. 80. + Serm. p. 33—3.5.

THE STANDARD OP MORALITY. 349
conceives, therefore, of a law, it seems, that is more accom
modated to the propensities, or, as he would call them,
frailties of tbe erring children of men ; a law that may not
cut off' all hopes of a sinner's acceptance with God by the
deeds of it, so as to render an atoning mediator absolutely
necessary, and this he caUs reasonable ; and of a government
that will not bring every secret thing into judgment, nor
make men accountable for every idle word, and this be calls
equitable. And this is the " marveUous light" of Socinian-
isni ; this is the doctrine tbat is to promote a holy life ; this
is the scheme of those who are continually branding the
Calvinistic system with Antinomianism !
If the moral law require love to God with all the heart,
and soul, and mind, and strength, and to our neighbour as
ourselves, it cannot aUow the least degree of aUenation of
tbe heart from God, or the smallest degree of malevolence
to man. And if it be what the Scripture says it is, holy,
just, and good ; tben, though it require all the beart, aand
soul, and mind, and strength, it cannot be too strict ; and, if
it be not too strict, it cannot be unworthy of God, nor can it
be " merciless tyranny" to abide by it. On the contrary, it
raust be worthy of God to say of a just law, " Not a jot or
tittle of it shall fail."
Dr. M'Gill, in his " Practical Essay on the Death of Jesus
Christ (p. 252), raaintains tbat " the Supreme Lawgiver
determined from tbe beginning to mitigate the rigour of tbe
law, to make aUowances for human error and imperfection,
and to accept of repentance and sincere obedience, instead of
sinless perfection." But, if this were the determination of
the lawgiver, it was either considered as a matter of right or
of undeserved favour. If the former, why was not the law
so framed as to correspond with the determination of the
lawgiver ? How was it, especially, that a new edition of it
should be published from Mount Sinai, and that without any
sucb allowances ? Or, if this could be accounted for, how
was it that Jesus Christ should declare that " not- a jot or
tittle of it should fail," and make it his business to condemn
the conduct of the Scribes and Pharisees, who had lowered
its demands and softened its penalties, with a view to " make
allowance for human error and imperfection ?" It could
answer no good end, one should think, to load the divine

350 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
precepts ¦with threatenings of cruelty. A law so loaded
would not bear to be put in execution : and we have been
taught by Dr. Priestley, in what he has written on tbe Test
Act, to consider " the continuance of a law which will not
bear to be put in execution as needless and oppressive, and
as what ought to be abrogated."* If repentance and sincere
obedience be all tbat ought to be required of men in their
present state, then the law ought to be so framed, and
allowance to be made by it for error and imperfection. But
then it would foUow, that where men do repent, and are
sincere, there are no errors and imperfections to be allowed
for. Errors and imperfections imply a law from which they
are deviations ; but if we be under no law, except one tbat
aUows for deviations, tben we are as holy as we ought to be,
and need no forgiveness.
If, on the other hand, it be aUowed that tbe relaxation of
the law of innocence is not what we have any right to
expect, but that God has granted us this indulgence out of
pure grace ; I would then ask the reason why these gentle
men are continuaUy exclaiming against our principles as
making tbe Almighty a tyrant, and his law unreasonable and
cruel ? Is it tyrannical, unreasonable, or cruel, for God to
•withhold what we have no right to expect ?f
Dr. Priestley defines justice as being "such a degree of
severity, or pains and penalties so inflicted, as will produce
the best effect with respect both to those who are exposed to
them, and to others who are under tbe same government :
or, in other words, that degree of evil which is calculated to
produce the greatest degree of good : and, if the punishment
exceed this measure — if, in any instance, it be an unnecessary
or useless suff'ering, it is always censured as cruelty, and is
not even caUed justice, but real injustice." To this be adds,
• Fam. Let. vi.
t The intelligent reader who is acquainted with the different sentiments
that are embraced in the religious world, will easily perceive the agreement
between the Socinian and Arminian systems on this subject. ,By thdr
exclamations on the injustice of God as represented by the Calvinistic
system, they both render that a debt which God in the whole tenor of his
word declares to be of grace. Neither of them will admit the equity of
tbe divine law, and that man is thereby righteously condemned to eternal
punishment, antecedently to the grace of the gospel; or, if they admit it in
words, they will be ever contradicting it by the tenor of their reasonings.

THE STANDARD OP MORALITY. 351
"If, in any particular case, the strict execution of the law
would do more harm than good, it is universally agreed that
the punishment ought to be remitted."* With an observation
or two on the above passage, I shall close this letter.
First : Tbat all punishments are designed for the good of
the whole, and less (or corrective) punishments for tbe good
of tbe offender, is admitted. Every instance of divine
punishment will be not only proportioned to the laws of
equity, but adapted to promote the good of the universe at
large. God never inflicts punishment for the sake of punish
ing. He has no such pleasure in the death of a sinner as to
put him to pain, whatever may be his desert, without some
great and good end to be answered by it : but that, in tbe
case of the finally impenitent, this end should necessarily
include the good of the offender, is as contrary to reason as
it is to scripture. It does not appear, from anything we
know of governments, either human or divine, tbat the good
of the offender is necessarily, and in all cases, tbe end of
punishment. When a murderer is executed, it is necessary
for tbe good of tbe community : but it would sound very
strange to say it was necessary for bis own good ; and that,
unless his good were promoted by it, as well as that of the
community, it must be an act of cruelty !
Secondly : That there are cases in human governments in
which it is right and necessary to relax in the execution of
tbe sentence of the law, is also admitted. But this arises
from the imperfection of human laws. Laws are general
rules for the conduct of a community, with suitable punish
ments annexed to tbe breach of them. But no general
rules can be made by men tbat will apply to every particular
case. If legislators were wise and good men, and could
foresee every particular case that would arise in the different
stages of society, they would so frame their laws as tbat
they need not be relaxed when those cases should occur.
But God is wise and good ; and, previously to his giving us
the law which requires us to love him with all our hearts
and our neighbour as ourselves, knew every change that
could possibly arise and every case that could occur. The
question, therefore, is not, " whether, if in any particular
case the strict execution of the law would do more harm
than good, it ought not to be remitted ; but whether an
* Let. Unb. P. I. pp. 100, 101.

352 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
omniscient, wise, and good lawgiver, can be supposed to
have made a law the penalty of which, if put in execution,
would do more barm than good. Would a being of such a
character make a law, the penalty of wbicb, according to
strict equity, requires to be remitted ; a law by which he
could not in justice abide ; and that not only in a few sin
gular cases, but in the case of every individual, in every
age, to whom it is given ?
It is possible these considerations may suffice to show that
the divine law is not relaxed ; but, be tbat as it may, the
question at issue is, — What is the moral tendency of sup
posing that it is ? To relax a bad law would indeed have a
good effect, and to abrogate it would have a better ; but not
so respecting a good one. If the divine law be what tbe
scripture says it is, holy, just, and good; to relax it in tbe
precept, or even to mitigate the penalty, without some ex
pedient to sectire its honours, must be subversive of good
order ; and tbe scheme which pleads for such relaxation
must be unfavourable to holiness, justice, and goodness.

LETTER VI
ON THE PROMOTION OF MORALITY IN GENERAL.
What has been advanced in the last letter on the standard
of morality may serve to fix the meaning of the term in this.
The term morality, you know, is sometimes used to express
those duties which subsist between man and raan, and in this
acceptation stands distinguished frora religion ; but I mean
to include under it the whole of what is contained in the
moral law.
Nothing is more comraon than for the adversaries of the
Calvinistic systera to charge it with immorality ; nay, as if
this were self-evident, they seem to think themselves ex
cused from advancing anything like sober evidence to sup
port the charge. Virulence, rant, and extravagance are the
weapons with which we are not unfrequently combated in
this warfare. " I chaUenge the whole body and being of
moral evil itself," says a writer of the present day,* "to
invent, or inspire, or whisper, anything blacker or more
* Llewellyn's Tracts, p. 292.

ON MORALITY IN GENERAL. 353
wicked : yea, if sin itself had all the wit, the tongues, and
pens of all men and angels, to all eternity, I defy the whole
to say anything of God worse than this. 0 sin, thou hast
spent and emptied thyself in tbe doctrine of John Calvin !
And here I rejoice that I have heard tbe utmost that male
volence itself shall ever be able to say against infinite be
nignity ! I was myself brought up and tutored in it, and
being delivered, and brought to see the evil and danger, am
bound by my obligations to God, angels, and men, to warn
my fellow sinners ; I therefore, here, before God, and the
whole universe, recall and condemn every word I have
spoken in favour of it. 1 thus renounce the doctrine as tbe
rancour of devils ; a doctrine tbe preaching of which is
babbling and mocking, its prayers blasphemy, and whose
praises are the horrible yellings of sin and bell. And this I
do, because I know and believe that God is love ; and there-'
fore his decrees, works, and ways are also love, and cannofc
be otherwise." It were ill-spent time to attempt an answer
to sucb unfounded calumny as this, which certainly partakes
much more of the ravings of insanity than of the words of
truth and soberness : yet this, according to the " Monthly
Review (July, 1792), is "the true colouring of the doctrine
of Calvinism." Had anything like this been written by a
Calvinist against Socinianism, the Reviewers would have
been the first to have exclaimed against Calvinistic illi
berality. This gentleman professes to have been a Calvinist, and so
does Dr. Priestley.' The Calvinism of the latter, however,
seems to have left an impression upon his mind very dif
ferent from the above, " Whether it be owing to my Cal
vinistic education," says he, "or my considering the prin
ciples of Calvinism as generally favourable to that leading
virtue, devotion, or to their being something akin to the.
doctrine of Necessity, I cannot but acknowledge that, not
withstanding what I have occasionally written against tbat
system, and which I am far from wishing to retract, I feel
myself disposed to look upon Calvinists with a kind of
respect, and could never join in the contempt and insult with
which I have often heard them treated in conversation." *
But Dr, Priestley, I may be told, whatever good opinion
« Phil. Nee. 163,
yOL. I. A A

354 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
he may have Of tbe piety and virtue of Calvinists, has a
Very ill opinion of Calvinism : and this, in a certain degree
is true. Dr. Priestley, however, would not say tbat " the
Jireacbing of that system was babbling and mocking, its
prayers blasphemy, or its praises tbe horrible yellings of
sin and hell :" on the contrary, he acknowledges " its prin
ciples to be generally favourable to that leading virtue,
devotion." I confess Dr. Priestley has advanced some heavy accusa
tions on the immoral tendency of Calvinism, — accusations
which seem scarcely consistent with tbe candid concessions
just now quoted ; and these I shall now proceed to examine.
" I do not see," says he (p, 154), " what motive a Calvinist
can have to give any attention to his moral conduct. So
long as he is unregenerate, all his thoughts, words, and
actions are necessarily sinful, and in tbe act of regeneration
he is altogether passive. On this account, the most con
sistent Calvinists never address any exhortations to sinners ;
considering them as dead in trespasses and sins, and, there
fore, that there would be as rauch sense and propriety in
speaking to tbe dead, as to them. On the other hand, if a
man be in the happy number of the elect, he is sure that
God will, some time or other, and at tbe most proper time
(for which the last moment of his life is not too late), work
upon him his miraculous work of saving and sanctifying
grace. Though he should be ever so wicked immediately
before this divine and effecttial calling, it makes nothing
against him. Nay, some think that, this being a more signal
display of tbe wonders of divine grace, it is rather the more
probable that God will take this opportunity to display it.
If any system of speculative principles can operate as an
axe at the root of all virtue and goodness, it is this." On
this unfavourable account of Calvinism I will offer the fol
lowing observations : —
First, If Calvinism be an axe at tbe root of virtue and
goodness, it is only so with respect to those of the " unre
generate ;" which certainly do not include all tbe virtue and
goodness in tbe world. As to others, Dr. Priestley acknow
ledges, as we have seen already, that our principles are
" generally favourable to devotion .•" and devotion, if it be
what he denominates it, " a leading virtue," will doubtless be

ON MORALITY IN GENERAL., 355
followed with other virtues correspondent with it. He ac^
knowledges also (p. 163, 164), "there are many (among the
Calvinists) whose hearts and lives are, in all respects, truly
Christian, and whose Christian tempers are really promoted
by their own views of their system." How is it, then, that
Dr. Priestley " cannot see what motive a Calvinist can have
to give any attention to his moral conduct ;" and why does
he represent Calvinism as " an axe at tbe root of all virtue
and goodness ?" By all virtue and goodness be can only
mean the virtue and goodness of wicked men. Indeed, this
appears plainly to have been bis meaning ; for, after ac
knowledging that Calvinism has soinething in it favourable
to "an habitual and animated devotion," be adds, p. 162,
" but, where a disposition to vice has pre-occupied the mind,
I am very weU satisfled, and but too many facts might be
aUeged in proof of it, that tbe doctrines of Calvinism have
been actually fatal to tbe remains of virtue, add have driven
men into the most desperate and abandoned course of wicked
ness ; whereas tbe doctrine of necessity, properly understood,
cannot possibly have any such effect, but the contrary."
Now, suppose all this were true, it can never justify Dr.
Priestley in the use of such unlimited terms as those before
mentioned. Nor is it any disgrace to tbe Calvinistic system
that men whose minds are pre-occupied with vice should
misunderstand and abuse it. The purest liquor, if put into
a tausty cask, will become unpalatable. It is no more than
is said of some who professed to embrace Christianity in tbe
times of tbe apostles, that they turned the grace of God into
lasciviousness. Is it. any wonder that the wicked will do
wickedly ; or tbat they will extract poison from that which,
rightly understood, is tbe food of the righteous? It is
enough if our sentiments, like God!s words, do good to the
upright. Wisdom does not expect to he justified, but of her
children. The scriptures themselves make no pretence of
having been useful to those who have still lived in sin ; hut
allow the gospel to be "a savour of death unto death in
them that perish," The doctrine of necessity is as liable to
produce this effect as any of tbe doctrines of Calvinism.
It is true, as Dr, Priestley observes, "it cannot do so, if jt
be properly understood :" but this is allowing tbat it may do
so, if it be misunderstood ; and we have as good reason foE
A a2

356 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
ascribing the want of a proper understanding of the sub
ject to those who abuse predestination, and other Calvinistic
doctrines, as he has for ascribing it to those who abuse the
doctrine of necessity. Dr. Priestley speaks of the remains
of virtue, where a disposition to vice has pre-occupied the
mind ; and of the Calvinistic system being as an axe at the
root of these remains : but some people will question whether
virtue of such a description have any root belonging to it, so
as to require an axe to cut it up ; and whether it be not
owing to this circumstance that such characters, like the
stony-ground bearers,' in time of temptation fall away.
Secondly, Tbe Calvinistic system is misrepresented by Dr.
Priestley, even as to its influence on the unregenerate. In
tbe passage before quoted, be represents those persons " who
are of tbe happy number of the elect as being sure that God
will, some time or other, work upon them this work of sanc
tifying grace." But how are they to come at this assurance .''
Not by anything contained in the Calvinistic system. All
the writers in that scheme have constantly insisted that no
inan has any warrant to conclude himself of the happy
number of the elect, till the •work of sanctifying grace is
actuaUy wrought. With what colour of truth or ingenuous
ness, tben, could Dr. Priestley represent our system as
affording a ground of assurance, previously to tbat event ?
This is not a matter of small account in the present contro-
•versy ; it is the point on which the immoral tendency of the
doctrine wholly depends. As to the certainty of any man's
being sanctified and saved at some future time, this can have
no ill influence upon him, while it exists merely in the
divine mind. If it have any such influence, it must be
Owing to his knowledge of it at a time when, his beart being
Set on evU, he would be disposed to abuse it : but this, as we
have seen, upon the Calvinistic system, is utterly impossible ;
¦because nothing short of a sanctified temper of mind affords
any just grounds to draw tbe favourable conclusion. Dr.
Priestley has also represented it as a part of the Calvinistic
system, or, at least, " as the opinion of some," that tbe more
•wricked a man is, previously to God's work of sanctifying
grace upon him, tbe more probable it is that he will, some
time, be sanctified and saved." But, though it be allowed
that God frequently takes occasion from the degree of human

ON MORALITY IN GENERAL. 357
Wickedness to magnify his grace in delivering from it, yet it
is no part of the Calvinistic system, that the former affords
any grounds of probability to expect the latter : and who^
ever they be to whom Dr. Priestley alludes, as entertaining
such an opinion, I am incUned to think they are not among
the respectable writers of the party, and probably not among
those who have written at all.
Thirdly, Let it be considered, whether Dr. Priestley's own
views of philosophical necessity do not amount to the same
thing as those which he alleges to the discredit of Cal
vinism ; or, if he will insist upon the contrary, whether he
must not contradict himself, and maintain a system which,
by his own confession, is less friendly to piety and humility
than that which he opposes. A state of unregeneracy is con
sidered by Calrinists as being tbe same thing which Dr.
Priestley describes as "the state of a person who sins with
a full consent of will, and who, disposed as he is, is under an
impossibiUty of acting otherwise ; but who," as he justly
maintains, "is nevertheless accountable, even though tbat
consent be produced by the efficacy and unconquerable in
fluence of motive. It is only," continues he (pp. 63 — 65),
" where the necessity of sinning arises frora some other cause
than a man's own disposition of mind, that we ever say
there is an impropriety in punishing a man for his conduct.
If the impossibility of acting weU has arisen from a bad
disposition or habit, its having been impossible, with that dis
position or haMt, to act virtuously, is never any reason for our
forbearing punishment ; because we know that punishment is
proper to correct tbat disposition and tbat habit." Now, if
it be consistent to punish a man for necessary evil, as Dr.
Priestley abundantly maintains, why should it be inconsistent
to exhort, persuade, reason, or expostulate with him ? and
why does he caU those Calvinists " the most consistent " who
avoid sucb addresses to tbeir auditors ? If " the, thoughts,
words, and actions of unregenerate men, being necessarily
sinful," be a just reason why they should not have exhorta
tions addressed to them, the whole doctrine of necessity
must be inconsistent with tbe use of means, than which
nothing can be more contrary to truth, and to Dr. Priestley's
own views of things.
As to our being passive in regeneration, if Dr. Priestlejr

358 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
'frould only admit that any one character could be found that
is so depraved as to be destitute of all true virtue, tbe same
thing would foUow from his own necessarian principles.
According to those principles, every man who is under the
dominion of a vicious habit of mind will continue to choose
¦vice, till such time, as that habit be changed, and that by
some influence without himself." " If," says he (p. 7), " I
make any particular choice tO-day, I should have done the
same yesterday, and should do the same to-morrow, provided
there be no change in tho state of my mind respecting the
Object of the choice." i^ow, can any person in such a state
of mind be supposed to be active in the changing of it ; for
siich activity must imply an inclination to have it changed ;
which is a contradiction, as it supposes him at the same time
under the dominion of evil and inclined to goodness ?
But, possibly Dr. Priestley will not admit that any one
character can be found who is utteriy destitute of true
¦virtue. Be it so ; he must admit that, in some characters,
vice has an habitual ascendency; but tbe habitual ascen
dency of vice as certainly determines the choice as even a
total depravity. A decided majority in parliament carries
every measure with as much certainty as if there were no
minority. WUeriSver vice is predominant (and in no other
case is regeneration needed) the party must necessarily be
passive in the first change Of his mind in favour of virtue.
But there are seasons, in the life of the most vicious men,
in which tbeir evil propensities are at a lower ebb than
usual ; in which conscience is alive, and thoughts of a serious
nature arrest their attention. At these favourable moments,
it may be thought that virtue has the advantage of its op
posite, and that this is tbe time for a person to become active
in effecting a change upon his own mind. Without in
quiring whether there he any real virtue in all this, it is
sufficient to observe that, if we allow the whole of what is
pleaded for, the objection destroys itself. For it supposes
that, in Order to a voluntary activity in favour of virtue, the
B^ind hitlst first be virtuously disposed, and tbat by some-
thing in Which it was passive ; which is giving up the point
in dispute.
Dr. Priestley often represents " a change of disposition
and character as being effected only by a change of condhct.

OP MORALITY IN GENERAL. 359
and tbat of long continuance." p. 156. But, whatever influ
ence a course of virtuous actions may have upon the dispo
sition, and however it raay tend to establish us in tbe habit
of doing good, all goodness of disposition cannot arise from
this quarter. Thfere must have been a disposition to good,
and one too that was sufficiently strong to outweigh its
opposite, ere a course of virtuous actions could be com
menced ; for virtuous action is nothing but the effect, or
expression, of virtuous disposition. To say that this pre
vious disposition was also produced by other previous actio:.?
is only carrying the matter a little farther out of sight ; for,
unless it can be proved tbat virtuous action may exist prior
to, and without all virtuous disposition, let tbe one be carried
back as far as it may, it must still have been preceded by
the other, and, in obtaining tbe preceding disposition, the
soul must necessarily have Toeen passive.*
Dr. Priestley labours hard to overthrow the doctrine ot
immediate divine agency, and contends that all divine influ
ence upon the human mind is through the medium of second
causes, or according to the established laws of nature. " If
moral impressions were made upon men's minds by an im
mediate divine agency, to what end," be asks, " has been tbe
whole apparatus of revealed religion .^"f This, in effect, is
saying that, if there be laws for sucb an operation on the
human mind, every kind of influence upon it must be through
tbe medium of those laws : and tbat, if it be otherwise,
there is no need of tbe use of means. But might he not as
well allege tbat, if there be laws by which tbe planets move,
every kind of influence upon them must have been through
the medium of those laws ; and deny that tbe Divine Being
immediately, and prior to tbe operation of tbe laws of na
ture, put them all in motion ? Might he not as well ask.
If an immediate influence could be exercised in setting the
* Since the publication of the second edition of these Letters, it has
been suggested by a friend that there is no necessity for confining these
observations to the case of a man totally depraved, or of one under the
habitual ascendancy of vice; for that, according to Dr. Priestley's Neces.
sarian principles, all volitions are the effects of motives; therefore every
man, in every volition, as he is the subject of the influence of motive
operating as a cause, is passive ; equally so as he is supposed to be,
according to the Calvinistic system, in regeneration,
* Disc. p. 221.

360 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
material system in motion, of what use are all the laws of
nature, by which it is kept in motion ? Whatever laws
attend the moveraents of the material system, the first crea
tion of it is allowed to have been by an immediate exertion
of dirine power. God said, " Let there be Ught, and there
was light ;" and why should not tbe second creation be the
same? 1 aay the second creation ; for the change upon the
sinner's heart is represented as nothing less in the divine
word : and tbe very manner of its being effected is expressed
in language which evidently alludes to the first creation — ¦
" God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
hath shined into our hearts, to give the light of the know
ledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
Not only scripture, but reason itself, teaches the necessity
for such an immediate divine interposition in the changing
of a sinner's beart. If a piece of machinery (suppose the
whole material system) were once in a state of disorder, tbe
mere exercise of those laws by which it was ordained to
move would never bring it into order again ; but, on the
contrary, would drive it on farther and farther to everlasting
confusion. As to electioJi, Dr. Priestley cannot consistently maintain
his scheme of necessity without admitting it. If, as he
abundantly maintains, God is the author of every good dis
position in the human heart ;* and if, as he also in tbe same
section maintains, God, in all that he does, pursues one plan,
or system, previously concerted ; it must follow tbat where-
ever good dispositions are produced, and men are finally
saved, it is altogether in consequence of the appointment of
God ; which, as to the present argument, is the same thing
as the Calvinistic doctrine of election.
So plain a consequence is this from Dr. Priestley's neces
sarian principles, tbat he himself, when writing his Treatise
on tbat subject, could not forbear to draw it. " Our Sa
viour," be says (p. 140), "seems to have considered the
rejection of the gospel by those who boasted of tbeir wisdom,t
and the reception of it by the more despised part of man
kind, as being the consequence of the express appointment
of God : At that time Jesus answered and said, 1 thank
- Phil. Nee. § xi.
•f Query, Were not these the rational religionists of that age ?

OP MORALITY IN GENERAL. 361
thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast
hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast re
vealed them unto babes : even so. Father, for so it seemeth
good in thy sight." To the same purpose, in the next page
but one, he observes that God is considered as " tbe sove
reign disposer both of gospel privileges here, and future
happiness hereafter, as appears in such passages as 2 Thess.
ii. 13 : God hath frOm the beginning chosen you to salva-:
tion, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth." .
If there be any difference between tbat election which is
involved in Dr. Priestley's own scheme, and tbat of the
Calvinists, it must consist, not in the original appointment, or
in the certainty of the event, but in the intermediate causes
or reasons which induced the Deity to fix things in the
manner that be has done : and it is doubtful whether even
this can be admitted. It is true Dr. Priestley, by his
exclamations againt unconditional election,* would seem to
maintain that, where God bath appointed a sinner to obtain
salvation, it is on account of his foreseen virtue : and he
may plead that such an election is favourable to virtue, as
making it the ground or procuring cause of eternal felicity ;
while an election that is altogether unconditional must be
directly the reverse. But let it be considered, in the first
place, whether sucb a view of election as this does not clash
with tbe whole tenor of scripture, which teaches us that we
are " saved and called with a holy calling, not according tO
our works, but according to the divine purpose and grace given
us in Christ Jesus before the world began"—" Not of works,
lest any man should boast." — "At this present time also there
is a remnant according to the election of grace. And, if by
grace, then it is no more of works : otherwise grace is no
more grace. But, if it be of works, tben it is no more grace :
otherwise work is no more work."f Secondly, Let it be con
sidered whether such an election will consist with Dr. Priest
ley's own scheme of Necessity. This scheme supposes that aU
* Considerations on Difference in Eeligious Opinions, § III.
} See also those scriptures which represent election as the cause of
faith and holinesis; particularly Ephes. i. 3, 4 ; John vi. 37 ; Rom. viiL
p2, 30; Acts xiii. 48; 1 Pet. i. I; Kom. ix. IS, 16. But, if it be the cause,
it cannot be the effect pf them.

362 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
virtue, as weU as everything else, is necessary. Now,
whence arose the necessity of it? It was not self-origi
nated, nor accidental : it must have been estabUshed by the
Deity. And tben it -wiU foUow tbat, if God elect any man
on account of his foreseen virtue, he must have elected him
on account of that which he had determined to give him ;
but this, as to the origin of things, amounts to tbe same
thing as unconditional election.
As to men's taking . liberty to sin from the consideration
of their being among tbe number of the elect, that; as we
have seen already, is what no man can do with safety or
consistency, seeing he can have no evidence on that subject!
but what must arise from a contrary spirit and conduct.
But, suppose it were, otherwise, an objection of this sort
would come with an iU grace from Dr. Priestley, who
encourages all mankind not to fear, since God has made
them aUfor unlimited ultimate happiness, and (whatever be
their conduct in the present life) to ultimate unUmited hap
piness they will all doubtless come.'*
Upon the whole, let those who are inured to close think
ing judge whether Dr. Priestley's own views of Philosophi-
pal Necessity do not include the leading principles of Cal
vinism ? But, should he insist upon the contrary, then let
it be considered whether he must not contradict himself, and
maintain a system which, by his own confession, is less
friendly to piety and humility tlian that which he opposes.
"Tbe essential difference," he sajs, "between the two
schemes, is this : the Necessarian beUeves his own disposi-^
tions and actions are the necessary and sole means of his
present and future happiness ; so that, in the most proper
.sense of tbe words, it depends entirely on liimself whether he
be virtuous or vicious, hi>ppy or miserable. Tbe Calvinist
maintains, on the other hand, that so long as a man is unre
generate, all his thoughts, words, and actions are necessarily
sinful, and in the act of regeneration he is altogether pas-
Sive."t We have seen already that on the scheme of Dr.
Priestley, as well as that of the Calvinists, men, in the first
turning of the bias of their hearts, must be passive. But
aUow it to be otherwise ; allow what the Doctor elsewhere
teaches (p. 156), that" a, change of disposition is the effect^
* Phil. Nee. pp. 128, 129. , t IbiJ. pp. 15'2. •

OF MORALITY IN GENERAL. 363
and not the cause, of a change of conduct ; and that it
depends entirely on ourselves whether we will thus change
our conduct, and by these means our dispositions, and so be
happy for ever: : all this, if others of his observations be
just, instead of promoting piety and virtue, will have a
contrary tendency. In the same performance (p. 107) Dr.
Priestley acknowledges that " those who, from a principle of
reUgion, ascribe more to God and less to man than other
persons, are men of the greatest elevation of piety." But, if
so, it will foUow that the essential difference between the
necessarianism of Socinians and tbat of Calvinists (seeing
that it consists in this, tbat the one makes it depend entirely
upon a man's self, whether he be virtuous or vicious, happy
or miserable ; and tbe other upon God) is in favour of the
latter. Those who consider men as depending entirely upon
God for virtue and happiness, ascribe more to God and less
to man than tbe other, and so, according to Dr. Priestley,
are "men of tbe greatest elevation of piety." They, on the
other hand, who suppose men to be dependent entirely upon
themselves for these things, must, consequently, have less
of piety, and more of "heathen stoicism;" which, as the
same writer in the same treatise (p. 67) observes, "aUows
men to pray for external things, but admonishes them that,
as for virtue, it is our own, and must arise from within
ourselves, if we have it at all."
But let us come to facts. If, as Dr. Priestley says, there
be "something in our system which, if carried to its just
consequences, would lead us to the mOst abandoned wicked
ness," it might be expected, one should think, that a loose,
dissipated, and abandoned life would be a more general
thing among the Calvinists than among tbeir opponents-.
This seems to be a consequence of which he feels the force,
and therefore discovers an inclination to make it good. In
answer to the question, " Why those persons who hold these
opinions are not abandoned to all wickedness, when they
evidently lay them under so little restraint ?" be answers,
" This is often the case of those who pursue these principles
to their just and fatal consequences ;" adding, "for it is easy
to prove that the Antinomian is the only consistent absolute
predestinarian."* That there are persons who profess tbe
• Con. Dif. Opin. § iii.

364 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
doctrine of absolute predestination, ahd who, from that Oon-
sideration, may indulge themselves in the greatest enormi
ties, is admitted. Dr. Priestley, however, allows, that these
are "only such persons whose minds are previously de
praved ;" that is, wicked men, who turn the grace of God into
lasciviousness. Nor are sucb examples "often" to be seen
among us ; and, where they are, it is commonly in such
people as make no serious pretence to personal reUgion, but
who have just so much of predestination in their heads as to
suppose that all things will be as they are appointed to be,
and therefore that it is in vain to strive, — just so much as
to look at tbe end, and overlook the means ; which is as
wide of Calvinism, as it is of Socinianism. This may
be the absolute predestination which Dr. Priestley means;
namely, a predestination to eternal life, let our conduct be
ever so impure ; a predestination to eternal death, let it be ever
so holy ; and, if so, it is granted that the Antinomian is tbe
only consistent believer in it ; but then it might, with equal
truth, be added, that he is tbe only person who believes in
it at all. The Calvinistic doctrine of predestination supposes
tbat holiness of heart and life are as much the object of
divine appointment as future happiness, and tbat this con
nexion can never be broken. To prove that tbe Antinomian
is the only consistent believer in such a predestination as
this, may not be so easy a task as barely to assert it. I
cannot imagine it would be very easy, especially for Dr.
Priestley ; seeing be acknowledges that " the idea of every
thing being predestinated from all eternity is no objection to
prayer, because all means are appointed as well as ends ;
and therefore, if prayer be in itself a proper means, the end
to be obtained by it, we may be assured, will not be had
¦without this, any more than without any other means, or
necesssary previous circumstances." Dr. Priestley may
aUege that this is not absolute predestination : but it is as
absolute as ours, which makes equal provision for faith and
holiness, and for every means of salvation, as this does for
prayer. WiU Dr. Priestley undertake to prove that a loose, dissi
pated, and abandoned life is a more general thing among the
Calvinists than among their opponents ? I am persuaded he
• Let. PhU. Unb. part, i., p. 111.

OF MORALITY IN GENERAL. 365
will not. He knows that the Calvinists, in general, are far
from being a dissipated or an abandoned people, and goes
about to account for it ; and that in a way tbat shall reflect
no honour upon their principles. "Our moral conduct," be
observes, " is not left at tbe mercy of our opinions ; and the
regard to virtue that is kept up, by those who maintain the
doctrines above-mentioned, is owing to the influence of other
principles implanted in our nature."* Admitting this to be
true, yet one would think the worst principles will, upon the
whole, be productive of the worst practices. They whose
innate principles of virtue are all employed in counteracting
the influence of a pernicious system cannot he expected to
form such amiable characters as where those principles are
not only left at liberty to operate, but are aided by a good
system. It might, therefore, be expected, I say again, if
our principles be what our opponents say they are, that a
loose, dissipated, and abandoned life would be a more general
thing among us than araong them.
I may be told that tbe same thing, if put to us, would be
found equally difficult ; or tbat, notwithstanding we contend
for the superior influence of tbe Calvinistic system to that oi
Socinus, yet we should find it difficult to prove that a loose,
dissipated, and abandoned life is a more general thing among
Socinians than it is among Calvinists. And I allow that I
am not sufficiently acquainted with tbe bulk of tbe people of
that denomination to hazard an assertion of this nature.
But, if what is allowed by their own writers (who ought to
know them) may be admitted as evidence, such an assertion
might, nevertheless, be supported. " Rational Christiana
are often represented," says Mr. Belshara, " as indifferent to
practical religion." Nor does be deny the justice of this
representation, but admits, though with apparent reluctance,
that " there has been some plausible ground for tbe accusa
tion ;" and goes about to account for it, as we have seen in
Letter IV., in Such a way, however, as may reflect no disho
nour upon their principles.^ The same thing is acknow
ledged by Dr. Priestley, who allows that " a great number
of tbe Unitarians of the present age are only men of good
sense, and without much practical religion ;" and tbat " there
is a greater apparent conformity to the world in them than,
* Consid. Dif. Opin. $ iii. • t Sermon, p. 32.

366 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAM SYSTEMS COMPARED.
is obser-^able in others."* Yet he also goes about to account
for these things as Mr. Belsham does, in such a way as may
reflect no dishonour on their principles. It is rather extra
ordinary tbat, when facts are introduced in favour of the
rirtue of the general body of the Calrinists, they are not
denied, but accounted for in sucb a way that their principles
must share none of tbe honour ; and, when facts of such an
opposite kind are introduced in proof of tbe want of virtue
in Unitarians, they also are not denied, but accounted for in
such a way that their principles shall have none of the dis
honour. Calvinism, it seems, must be immoral, though
Calvinists he virtuous ; and Socinianism must be amiable,
though Socinians be vicious ! I shall not inquire whether
these very opposite methods of accounting for facts be fair or
candid. On this the reader will form his own judgment ;
it is enough for me that the facts themselves are allowed.
If we look back to past ages (to say nothing of those who
lived in the earliest periods of Christianity, because I would
refer to none but such as are allowed to have beUeved the
doctrine in question), I think it cannot be fairly denied that
the great body of holy men, who have maintained the true
worship of God (if there was any true worship of God main
tained) during the Romish apostasy, and who, many of them,
sacrificed their earthly all for his name, have lived and died
in tbe belief of the Deity and atonement of Christ. Our
opponents often speak of these doctrines being embraced by
the apostate church of Rome; but they say little of those
who, during the long period of her usurpation, bore testi
mony for God. The Waldenses, who inhabited the valleys
of Piedmont, and the Albigenses, who were afterwards scat
tered almost all over Europe, are allowed, I believe, on all
hands, to have preserved tbe true religion in those darkest
of times : and it is thought, by some expositors, that these
are the people who are spoken of in the twelfth chapter of
the Revelation, under the representation of a woman, to
whom were given two wings of a great eagle, that site
might fly into the wilderness, and there be nourished for a
time, from the fae& of the serpent. It was here that true
religion was maintained and sealed by the blood of thousands
from age to age, when all the rest of the Christian world
• Dis, Var. Sub., p. 100.

ON MORALITY IN GENERAL. 367
were tvondering after the beast. And, as to the doctrines
which they held, they were much tbe same as ours. Among
tbe adversaries to the church of Rome, it is true, there might
be men of different opinions. Arius and others may be sup
posed to have bad tbeir followers in those ages; but the
body Of the people called Waldenses are not to be reckoned as
such: on the contrary, the principles which they professed
were for substance, the same with those embraced after
wards by tbe Reformed Churches ; as is abundantly manifest
by several of their catechisms and confessions of faith, which
have been transmitted to our times.
Mr. Lindsey, in his Apology, has given a kind of history
of those who have opposed the doctrine of the Trinity ; but
they make a poor figure during the above long and dark
period, in which, if ever, a testimony for God was needed.
He speaks of " churches and sects, as well as individuals, of
that description, in the twelfth century : " and there might
be such. But can he produce any evidence of their having
so much virtue as to make any considerable sacriflces for
God? Whatever were their number, according to Mr.
Lindsey's own account, from that time till the Reformation
(a period of three or folir hundred years, and during wbicb
the Waldenses and the Wiclcliffites were sacrificing every
thing for the preservation of a good conscience) they " were
driven into corners and silence" (c. 1. p. 34), that is, there
is no testimony upon record which they bore, or any account
of their having so much virtue in them as to oppose, at the
expense either of life, Uberty, or property, the prevailing
religion of the times.
Mr. Lindsey speaks of the piety of "the famous Abelard:"
but surely be must have been wretchedly driven for want of
tbat important article, or he would not haVe ascribed it to a
man who, as a late writer observes, " could with equal faciUty
explain Ezekiel's prophecies and compose amorous sonnets
for Heloise ; and was equally free to unfold the doctrine of
tbe Trinity, and ruiii tbe peace of a family by debauching
his patron's niece." * Mr. Lindsey also, in the " Appendix
to his Farewell Serraon to the Congregation in Essex-street,"
lately published, holds up tbe piety of Servetus, by giving
us one of his prayers addressed to Jesus Christ ; in which
* Mr. Eobinson's " Plea for the Divinify of Christ."

''36S CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED,
he expresses his full persunsion that bo was under n divine
impulse to write against bis proper di\inity. Surely, if
Socinian piety had not been very Bonroc, Mr. Liiidsoy would
not have been under the nocossity of exhibiting the effusions
of idolatry and enthusiasm as examples of it.
Religion will be allowed to have some influence in the
forming of a national cbaraetor, espcciiiUy tlmt of tho com
mon people, among whom, if any where, it generally prevails.
Now, if we look at those nations whore Calvinisiu has been
most prevalent, it will bo found, I believe, that they have
not been distinguished by their immoraUty, but tho reverse.
Geneva, tho Seven United Provinces, Scotland, and North
America (with tho last two of which we m.ay bo rather
better acquainted than with tho rest) might bo alleged sis
instances of this assertion. With respect to Scotlmid, lliough
other sentiments are said to have lately gained ground with
many of the clei'gy, yet Calvinism ia known to be generally
provident among tho serious part of the people. And, us to
their national character, you seldom know iin intelligent
Englishman to have visited that country without being
struck with the pecuUar sobriety and religious beliuviour
of the inhabitants. As to Antcrira, though, strictly speak
ing, thoy may be said to have no national religion (a happy
circumstance in their favour), yet, perhaps, there is no one
nation in tho world where Ciilvinisra has vaove generally
prevailed. The great body of tho first settlers wore Cal
vinists ; and the far greater part of reUgioua people among
tlicni, though of different denominations as to other matters,
continue such to this day. And, as to the raoral effects whieh
their religious principles have produced, thoy are granted,
on all hands, to be considerable. Tlu^y aro a people, as the
" Monthly Rovie'wers " have acknowledged, " whoso love of
Uberty is attempered with that of order and decency, and
accompanied with the virtues of integrity, moderation, and
sobriety. They know tho necessity of regard to reUgion
and virtue, both in principle and practice." *
In each of these countries, it is true, as in all others,
there are great numbers of irreligious individuals j jiorhnps,
a majority : but they have a greater proportion of religious
characters than most other natioll.•^ can boast; and tho in-
* Ueview ftam May to August, 1793, p, 502.

OF MORALITY IN GENERAL, 369
fluence which these characters have upon the rest is as that
of a portion of leaven, wbicb leaveneth tbe whole lump, ;•
The members of the Church of England, it may be taken
for granted, were generally Calvinists, as to tbeir doctrinal
sentiments, at, and for sorae time after, the Reformation,
Since that time, those sentiments have been growing out
of repute; and Socinianism is supposed, among other prin-*
ciples, to have prevailed considerably among the merabers of
tbat community. Dr. Priestley, however, is often very san^
guine in estimating tbe great numbers of Unitarians among
them. Now, let it be considered whether this change of
principle has, in any degree, been serviceable to tbe interests
of piety or virtue. On tbe contrary, did not a serious walk
ing with God, and a rigid attention to morals, begin to die
away, from tbe time that tbe doctrines contained in the
Thirty-nine Articles began to be disregarded ? * And now,
when Socinianism is supposed to have made a greater pro
gress than ever it did before, is there not a greater degree of
perjury, and more dissipation of manners, than at almost any
period since the Reformation ?
I am not insensible tbat it is the opinion of Dr. Priestley,
and of some others, that men grow better — that the world
advances considerably in moral improvement: nay, Mr.
Belsham seems to favour an idea that, " in process of time,
the earth may revert to its original paradisaical state — and
death itself be annihilated." This, however, wiU hardly be
thought to prove anything, except that enthusiasm is not
confined to Calvinists, And, as to men growing better»
whatever may be the moral improvement of the world in
general, Dr, Priestley somewhere acknowledges that 'this is
far from being the case with the Church of England, espe
cially since the times of Bishop Burnet.
With respect to tbe Dissenters, were there ever men of
holier lives than the generality of tbe puritans and noncon
formists of the last two centuries ? Can anything equal to
tbeir piety and devotedness to God be found among the
generdity of tbe Socinians, of tbeir time or of any time?
* The same sort of people who held Calvinistic doctrines were at the
same time so severe in their morals that Laud found it necessary, it seem,
to publish " The Book of Sports," in order to counteract then: influence
on the nation at large.
VOL, I. B B

370 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
In sufferings, in fastings, in prayers, in a firm adherence to
their principles, in a close walk with God in tbeir families,
and in a series of unremitted labours for the good ©f man
kind, they spMit tbeir lives.
But fastings and prmyers, perhaps, may not be admitted
as excellencies in their character : it is possible they may be
treated with ridicule. Nothing less than this is attempted
by Dr, Priestly, in his Fifth Letter to Mr. Burn, " I could
¦wish," says he, " to quiet your fears, on your account. For
the many sleepless nights which your apprehensions must
necessarily have caused you, accompanied, ©f course, with
much earnest prayer and fasting, must, in time, affect your
health." Candour out of the question, is this piety ? It is
said to be no uncommon thing for persons who have been
used to pray extempore, when they have turned Socinians,
to leave off that practice, and betake themselves to a written
form of their own composition. This is formal enough, and
will be thought by many to afford but slender evidence of
their devotional spirit; but yet one would have supposed
they would not have dared to ridicule it in others, however
destitute of it they might be themselves.
Dr. Priestley aUows that Unitarians are peculiarly want
ing in zeal for religion.* Tbat this concession is just appears
not only from the indifference of great numbers of them in
private life, but from the conduct of many of their preachers.
It has been observed that when young ministers have ibe-
come Socinians, they have frequently given up tbe ministry,
and become schoolmasters, or anything they could. Some,
who have been possessed of fortunes, have become mere
private gentlemen. Several sucb instances have occurred,
¦both among dissenters and churchmen. If they bad true
zeal for God and religion, why is it that they are so indif
ferent about preaching what they account tbe truth ?
Dr. Priestley farther allows that Calvinists have " less
apparent conformity to tbe world ; and that they seem to have
more of a real principle of reUgion than Socinians." But
then be thinks the other have the most candour and bene
volence ; " so as, upon the whole to approach nearest to
the proper temper of Christianity." He " hopes, also, they
have raore of a real principle of religion than they seem to
* Disc. Var. Sub. pp. 94, 95.

OF MORALITY IN GENERAL. 371
have." pp. 100, 101. As to candour and benevolence, these
wiU be considered in another letter. At present it is suffi
cient to observe that Dr. Priestley, like Mr. Belsham, on a
change of character in his converts, is obliged to have re
course to hope, and to judge of things contrary to what they
appear in the lives of men, in order to support tbe reUgious
character of bis party.
That a large proportion of serious people are to be found
among Calvinists, Dr. Priestley wUl not deny ; but Mrs.
Barbauld goes farther. She acknowledges, in effect, that the
seriousness wbicb is to he found among Socinians themselves
is accompanied by a kind of secret attachment to our prin
ciples, — an attachment which their preachers and writers, it
seems, have hitherto laboured in vain to eradicate. " These
doctrines," she says, it is true, among thinking people, are
losing ground ; but there is still apparent, in that class called
serious Christians, a tenderness in exposing thera ; a sort of
leaning towards them, as, in walking over a precipice, one
should lean to the safest side : an idea tbat they are, if not
true, at least good to be believed ; and that a salutary error
is better than a dangerous truth."* By the "class called
serious Christians," Mrs. Barbauld cannot mean professed
Calvinists ; for they have no notion of leaning towards any
system as a system of salutary error, but consider that to
wbicb they are attached as being tbe trntb. She must,
therefore, intend to describe the serious part of the people
of her own profession. We are much obliged to Mrs. Bar
bauld for this important piece of information. We might
not so readily have known without it, that tbe hearts and
consciences of the serious part of Socinians revolt at their
own principles ; and that though they have rejected what
we esteem tbe great doctrines of the gospel in theory, yet
they have an inward leaning towards them, as the only safe
ground on which to rest their hopes. According to this
account, it should seem that serious Christians are known by
their predilection for Calvinistic doctrines ; and that those
" thinking people among whom these doctrines are losing
ground" are not of that class, or description, being distin
guished from them. Well, it does not surprise us to bear
that "those men who are the most indifferent to practical
*' Bemarks on Wakefield's Inquiry.
BB 2

372 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS ' COMPARED.
religion are the first, and serious Christians the last, to em-
bracie the Rational system ;" because it is no more than
inight be expected. If there be anything surprising in the
affair, it is that those who make these acknowledgments
should yet boast of their principles on account of theit
inoral tendency.

LETTER Vn.

THE SYSTEMS COMPARED AS TO THEIR TENDENCY TO
PROMOTE LOVE TO GOD.
Odr opponents, as you have doubtless observed, are as bold
in their assertions as they are liberal in their accusations,
¦Dr. Priestley not only asserts that the Calvinistic system is
unfavourable to genuine piety, but to every branch of vital
practical religion."* We have considered, in the foregoing
letter, what relates to morality and piety in general ; in the
foUo-wing letters we shall descend to particulars ; and in
quire, under the several specific virtues of Christianity,
.which of tbe systems in question is the most unfavourable
to them.
I begin with Love. The love of God and our neighbour
not only contains tbe sura of the moral law, but the spirit
of true reUgion : a strong presumption therefore must exist
for or against a system, as it is found to promote or diminish
these cardinal virtues of the Christian character. On both
,these topics we are principally engaged on the defensive, as
our views of things stand charged with being unfavourable
to the love of both God and man. " There is something in
your system of Christianity," says Dr. Priestley, in his
" Letters to Mr. Burn," " that debases the pure spirit of it,
and does not consist with either tbe perfect veneration of
the dirine character, (which is tbe foundation of true de
votion to God), or perfect candour and benevolence to man."
A very serious charge ; and which, could it be substantiated,
would, doubtless, afford a strong presumption, if not more
than a presumption, against us. But let the subject be
* Consid, Diif. Opin. § iii.

love to god. §73,;
examined. This letter will be devoted to the flrst part of,
this heavy charge ; and the following one, to tbe last.
As to the question whether we feel a veneration for the
divine character, — I should think, we ourselves must be the.
best judges. AU that Dr. Priestley cau know of the matter,
is tbat he could not feel a perfect veneration for a being of
sucb a character as we suppose the Almighty to sustain.
That, however, may be true, and yet nothing result from it
unfavourable to our principles. It is not impossible that
Dr. Priestley should be of such a temper of mind as inca
pacitates him for admiring, venerating, or loving God, in his
true character : and hence, he may be led to think that all.
who entertain sucb and sucb ideas of God must be void of
that perfect veneration for him which he supposes himself to
feel. The true character of God, as revealed in the scrip-;
tures, must be taken into the account, in determining whether
our love to God be genuine or not. We may clothe the
Divine Being with such attributes, and sucb only, as will
suit our depraved ta.ste ; and tben it wiU be no difficult thing
to fall do-wn and worship him : but. this is not the love of
God, but of an idol of our own creating.
Tbe principal objections to tbe Calrinistic system, under
this head, are taken from tbe four following topics : the
atonement; the vindictive character of God ; the glory of
God, rather than the happiness of creatures, being his las^
end in creation ; and tbe worship paid to Jesus Christ.
First, the doctrine of the atonement, as held by tbe Cal7
vinists, is often represented by Dr. Priestley as detracting
from the goodness of God, and as inconsistent vrith bis
natural placability. He seems always to consider this doc;
trine as originating in tbe want of love, or, at least, of a
sufficient degree of love ; as though God could not find in
his heart to show mercy ¦without a price being paid for it.
"Even the elect," says be, according to their systera, cannot
be saved, till the utmost effects of tbe divine wrath have
been suffered for them by an innocent person." * Mr. Jar-
dine also, by the title wbicb he has given to his late publicar
tion, calling it 'fThe Unpurchased Love of God, in the
Redemption of the World by Jesus Christ," suggests the
same idea. When our opponents wi.sh to make gOod the
* Diff. Opin. § iii. :

374' CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
charge' of our ascribing a natural implacability to the
Divine Beihg, it is common for thera either to describe our
sentiments in their own language, or, if they deign to qubte
authorities, it is not from the sober discussions of prosaic
writers, but from the figurative langilage of poetry. Mr.
Belsham describes " the formidable chimera of our imagina
tion, to which," he says, "we have annexed the name of
God the Father, as a merciless tyrant."* They conceive of
" God the Father," says Mr. Lindsey, " always with dreftd,
as a being of severe, unrelenting justice, revengeful and in-
liXorable, without full satisfaction made to him for the breach
of bis laws. God the Son, on the other band, is looked upon
OS made up of all com|)asssion and goodness, interposing to
save men from the Father's wrath, and subjecting himself to
tbe extremest sufferings on tbat account." For proof of
this we are referred to the poetry of Dr. Watts !— in which
he speaks of " the rich drops of Jesus' blOod, that calm'd his
frowning face ; tbat sprinkled o'er the burning throne, aiid
turn'd the wrath to grace :" — of " the infant Deity," " the
bleeding God," and Of " heaven appeased with flOifring
blood."t On this subjeet,- a Calvinist might, without presumption,
adopt the language of our Lord to the Jews : " I honour my
I'atber, and ye do dishonour me." Nothing can well be a
greater misrepresentation of our sentiments th.an this whieh
is constantly given. These writers canhot be ignorant that
Calvinists disavow considering tbe death of Christ as a
cause of divine love, or goodness. On the contrary, they
always maintain tbat divine love is the cause, the first cause
of our salvation, ahd of tbe death of Christ, to that end.
They would not scruple to allow that God had love enough
in his heart tO save sinners without the death of his Son, had
it beea consistent with righteousness j but that, as re-
cei-frihg them to favour without some public expression of
displeasure against their sin would have been a dishonour
to his government, and have afforded an encouragement for
others to foUow their example, the love of God wrought in a
way of righteousness : first giving his only begotten Son to
• Serm. pp. 33—35.
t Apology, 4th Ed. p. 97, — and Appendix to his Farewell Sermon, at
Essex Street, p: £2.

LOVE TO GOD. 375
become a sacrifice, and tben pouring forth all the fulness of
bis heart through tbat appointed medium. The incapacity
of God to show mercy without an atonement is no other
than that of a righteous governor, who, whatever good-will
he may bear to an offender, cannot admit the thought of
passing by the offence, without some public expression of his
displeasure against it ; tbat, while mercy triumphs, it may
not be at the expense of law and equity, and of the general
good. So far as I understand it, this is tbe light in which Cal
rinists consider tbe subject. Now judge, brethren, whether
this view of things represent the divine Being as naturally
implacable, — whether tbe gift of Christ to die for us be not
tbe strongest expression of the contrary, — and whether this,
or the system which it opposes, "give wrong impressions
concerning the character and moral government of God."
Nay, I appeal to your own hearts, whether that way of
saving sinners through an atonement, in wbicb mercy and
truth meet together, righteousness and peace embrace each
other, — in which God is "just, and tbe justifier of him that
beUeveth in Jesus," — do not endear his name to you more
than any other representation of him that was ever pre
sented to your minds. Were it possible for your souls to be
saved in any other way — for the divine law to be relaxed, or
its penalty remitted, without respect to an atonement — would
there not be a virtual reflection cast upon the divine cha
racter ? Would it not appear as if God had enacted a law
that was so rigorous as to require a repeal, and issued
threatenings which he was obUged to retract ? or, at least,
that he had formed a system of government vrithout con
sidering the circumstances in which his subjects would be
involved — a system " the strict execution of which would
do more harm than good ;" nay, as if tbe Almighty, on this
account, were ashamed to maintain it, and yet had not virtue
enough to acknowledge tbe remission to be an act of justice,
but must, aU along, call it by tbe name of grace ? Would
not the thought of such a reflection destroy tbe bUss of
heaven, and stamp sucb an impression of meanness upon
that character whom you are taught to adore, as would al
most incapacitate you for revering or loving him ?
It is farther objected that, according to the Calvinistic sys-

. .3'lf6 CALVini^IC AND S0C1NLA.N SYSTEMS COMPARED.
,' ¦- -tem, ,GodNis a- vindictive being, and tbat, as such, we cannot
"¦¦r; loye him.vlt, is said, tbat we " represent God in such, a lighC
¦j tbat.ndf'eajt'hly parent could imitate him, without sustaining,
a-^cfiafapter shocking to mankind." That there is a mixture
,-, prthfe vindictive in the Calvinistic system is aUowed : butr
' ief it be closely considered, whether this be any disparage
ment to it. Nay, rather, whether it be not necessary to its,
perfection. The issue, in this case, entirely depends upou
tbe question whether vindictive justice be in itself amiable.
If it be, it cannot render any system unamiable. " We are
neither amused nor edified," says a writer in the " Monthly
Review," " by the coruscations of damnation. Nor can we
by any means bring ourselves to think, with tbe late Mr.
Edwards, that tbe vindictive justice of God is a glorious
attribute." * This however, may be very true, and vin
dictive justice be a glorious attribute notwithstanding.
I believe it is very common for people, when they speak
of vindictive punishment, to mean that kind of punishment
which is inflicted from a wrathful disposition, or a disposi-t
tion to punish for the pleasure of punishing. Now, if thi&
be the meaning of our opponents, we have no dispute with
them. We do not suppose the Almighty to punish sinners
for the sake of putting them to pain. Neither scripture nor
Calvinism conveys any such idea. Vindictive punishment, as
it is here defended, stands opposed to tbat punishment wbicb
is merely corrective : the one is exercised for tbe good of
the party ; the other not so, but for the good of the
community. Those who deny this last to be amiable in
God, must found tbeir denial either on scripture testimony,
or on the nature and fltness of things. As to the former,
tbe scriptures will hardly be supposed to represent God as
an unamiable being ; if, therefore, they teach that vindictive
justice is an unamiable attribute, it must be maintained that
they never ascribe tbat attribute to God. But with what
colour of evidence can this be alleged ? Surely not from
such language as the foUowing : " "The Lord thy God is a
•consuming fire, even a jealous God." " Our God is a con
suming fire." " God is jealous, and the Lord reveng^th ;
the Lord revengeth, and is furious ; the Lord will take venge-,
ance on bis adversaries ; and he reserveth wrath for hi?
* Revieji' of Edward's Thirty-three Sermons, March,, 1791,

LOVE TO GOD. tt ** '''^''- *^
enemies." " Who can stand before his inwgsS^on !i>>an(i''
•who can abide in the fierceness of his anger T&-^u^ furjsis'J'
poured out like fire." " 0 Lord God, to -whaS^jiMnjmnde '^
belongeth : 0 God, to whom vengeance belongetb^ ' "*
self !" " He that showeth no mercy shall have
without mercy. He that made them will not have mercy
on them, and be that formed them will show them no fa
vour." "For we know him tbat hath said, Vengeance be
longeth unto me, I will recompense, saith tbe Lord." " It is
a fearful thing to fall into tbe hands of the living God." " I
lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I
whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take bold on
judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will
reward them that bate me," " Tbe angels which kept not
their first estate— he hath reserved in everlasting chains,
under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day."
" Sodom and Gomorrah, and tbe cities about them, are set
;forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal
fire." " Tbe Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with
bis mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on thera
that know not God, and that obey not tbe gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ,"*
As to the nature and fitness of things, we cannot draw any
conclusion thence against the loveUness of vindictive justice,
,as a divine attribute, unless tbe thing itself can be proved to
be unlovely. But this is contrary to the common sense and
practice of mankind. There is no nation or people under
heaven but what consider it, in various cases, as both neces
sary and lovely. It is true, they would despise and abhor a
magistrate who should punish beyond desert, or who should
avail himself of tbe laws of his country to gratify bis own
caprice, or bis private revenge. This, however, is not vin-'
dictive justice, but manifest injustice. No considerate citi-
.zen, who values the pubUc weal, could blame a magistrate
for putting the penal laws of his country so far in execution,
as should be necessary for tbe true honour of good govern
ment, the support of good order, and the terror of wicked men.
When the inhabitants of Gibeah requested that the Levite
might be brought out to them,, tbat they might know him,
I *. Deut. iv, Heb, xii. Nah. i. Ps. xciv. James ii. laa, jcxyii. ,Heb. x,
Deut. xxxii, Jude. 2 Thess. i.

378 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
and, on tbeir ''request not being granted, abused and mur
dered bis companion ; all Israel, as one man, not only con
demned the action, but called upon the Benjamites to deUyer
up the criminals to justice. Had the Benjamites complied
¦with their request, and had those sons of BeUal been put to
death, not for their own good, but for the good of the com
munity, where had been the unloveliness of the procedure ?
On tbe contrary, such a conduct must have recommended
itself to the heart of every friend of righteousness in the
universe, as weU as have prevented the shocking effusion of
blood which foUowed their refusal. Now, if vindictive jus
tice may be glorious in a human government, there is nO
reason to be drawn from the nature and fitness of things
why it would not be the same in the divine administration.
But the idea on which our opponents love principally to
dwell is tbat of a father. Hence the charge that we " re
present God in such a light tbat no earthly parent could
imitate him, without sustaining a character shocking to
mankind." This objection comes with an ill grace froin
Dr. Priestley, who teaches that " God is the author of sin ;
and may do evil, provided it be with a view that good may
come."* Is not this representing God in such a light that
no one could imitate him, without sustaining a character
shocking to mankind ? Whether Dr. Priestley's notions on
this subject be true, or not, it is true that God's ways are so
much above ours that it is unjust, in many cases, to measure
his conduct to a rebeUious world by that of a father to his
children. In this matter, however, God is imitable. We have seen
already that a good magistrate, who may justly be called the
father of his people, ought not to be under the influence of
blind affection, so as, in any case, to show mercy at the
expense of tbe public good. Nor is this all : There are
cases in which a parent has been obliged, in benevolence to
his family, and from a concern for tbe general good, to give
up a stubborn and rebelUous son, to bring him forth with his
own bands to tbe elders of his city, and there with his own
Ups bear witness against him ; such witness, too, as would
subject him not to a mere salutary correction, but to be
atoned to death by the men of his city. We know such a
• Phil. Nee. pp. 117—121.

LOVE TO GOD. 379"
law was made in Israel ; * and, as a late writer observed
upon it, such a latv "was wise and good:"f it was calcu
lated to enforce in parents an early and careful education of
tbeir children ; and if, in any instance, it was executed, it
was that all Israel might hear, and fear ! And how do we
know but tbat it tnay be consistent with the good of tbe
whole system, yea, necessary to it, that some of the rebellious
sons of inen should, in company with apostate angels, be
made examples of divine vengeance ; that they should stand,
like Lot's wife, &b pillars of salt, or as everlasting monuments
of God's displeasure against sin ; and that, ¦while their suloke
riseth up for ever atid ever, all tbe intelligent universe should
heai', and fear, and do no more so wickedly! Indeed, we
must not only know that this may be tbe case, but, if we pay
any regard to the authority of scripture, tbat it is so* If
words have any meaning, this is the idea given us of the
" angels which kept not their first estate," and of the in
habitants of Sodom and Gomorrah ; who are Said to be " set
forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal
fire." It belongs to the character of an all-perfect being, who is
the moral governor of tbe universe, to promote the good of
the ¦Whole ; but there may be cases, as iU human govern
ments, wherein the general good may be inconsistent with
the happiuess of particular parts. The case of robbers, oi,
murderers, or of traitors, ¦whose lives are sacriflced for the good
of society, tbat the example Of terror afforded by their death
may counteract the example of immorality eihibited by their
life, is no detraction from the behevolence of a government ;
but rather essential to it.
But bow, after all, can we love such a tremendous being ?
I answer, A capacity to resent an injury is not always con
sidered as a blemish, even in a private character : if it be
governed by justice, and aimed at the correction Of evil, it iS
generally allowed to be commendable. We do not esteem
tbe favour of a man, if we consider him as incapable, oU all
occasions, of resentment. We should call him an easy soul,
who is kind, merely because he has not sense enough lo feel
ah insult. But, Shall we allow it right and flt for a puny
* Deut. xxi. 18—21.
f Mr. Robinson, in his Sermon to the Young People at 'Willingham.

380, CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
mortal thus far to know his own worth, and assert it ; and,
at the same time, deny it to the great Supreme, and plead
for bis being insulted with impunity ?
God, however, in tbe punishment of sin, is not to be con
sidered as acting in a merely private capacity, but as the
universal moral governor ; not as separate from the great
system of being, but as connected with it, or as the head and
guardian of it. Now, in this relation, vindictive justice is
not only consistent with tbe loveUness of bis character, but
essential to it. Capacity and inclination to punish disorder
in a state, are never thought to render an earthly prince less
lovely in tbe eyes of his loyal ana faithful subjects, but more
so. That temper of mind, on tbe contrary, which should in
duce him to connive at rebellion, however it might go by the
name of benevolence and mercy, would be accounted, by all
tbe friends of good government, injustice to the public ; and
those who, in such cases, side with tbe disaffected, and plead
their cause, are generally supposed to be tainted with dis
affection themselves.
A third objection is taken from tbe consideration of the
glory of God, rather than the happiness of creatures, being
his last end in creation. " Those who assume to themselves
tbe distinguishing title of orthodox," says Dr. Priestley,
" consider tbe Supreme Being as having created all things
for his glory, and by no means for the general happiness of
all bis creatures."* If, by the general happiness of all his
creatures, Dr. Priestley means the general good of the
universe, nothing can be more unfair than this represen
tation. Those ¦who are called orthodox never consider the
iglory of God as being at variance with tbe happiness of
Creation in general, nor with that of any part of it, except
those who have revolted from the dirine government : nor,
if we regard the intervention of a Mediator, with theirs,
nnless they prove finally impenitent, or, as Dr. Priestley calls
them, " wilful and obstinate transgressors." The glory of
God consists, with reference to tbe present case, in doing
tbat which is best upon the whole. But if, by the general
bappiness of all his creatures, he means to include tbe happi
ness of those angels who kept not tbeir first estate, and of
t"hose men who die impenitent, it is acknowledged that what
* Diff. Opin. § III.

LOVE TO GOD. 381
is called the orthodox system does by no means consider this
as an end in creation, either supreme or subordinate. To
suppose that the happiness of all creatures, whatever might
¦be their future conduct, was God's ultimate end in creation
(unless we could imagine him to be disappointed with respect
to the grand end be bad in view) is to suppose what is
contrary to fact. All creatures, we are certain, are not
happy in this world ; and, if any regard is to be paid to
revelation, all will not be happy in the next.
If it be alleged tbat a portion of misery is necessary in
order to relish happiness ; that, therefore, the miseries of the
present life, upon tbe whole, are blessings ; and tbat the
miseries threatened in tbe life to come may be of tbe same
nature, designed as a purgation, by means of which sinners
will at length escape tbe second death ; — it is replied. All
the miseries of this world are not represented as blessings to'
the parties, nor even aU tbe good things of it. The drowning
of Pharaoh, for instance, is never described as a blessing to
him ; and God declared that he bad " cursed the blessings"
of the wicked priests, in the days of the prophet Malachi.,
" All things," we are assured, " work together for good ;"
but this is confined " to those who love God, and are called
according to his purpose." As to tbe Ufe to come, if tbe
miseries belonging to that state be merely temporary and
purgative, there raust be all along a mixture of love and
mercy in them ; whereas tbe language of Scripture is, " He
tbat bath showed no mercy, shall have judgment without
mercy" — " Tbe wine of the wrath of God will be' poured out
without mixture." Nay, such miseries must not only con
tain a mixture of love and mercy, but they themselves must
be the effects and expressions of love ; and then it will follow
tbat the foregoing language of Umitation and distinction
(which is found ipdeed throughout the bible) is of no
account ; and that blessings and curses are tbe same things.
Dr. Priestley hiraself speaks of " the laws of God as being
guarded with awful sanctions ;" and says, " that God will
inflexibly punish aU wilful and obstinate transgressors."*
But how can that be called an awful sanction which only
subjects a raan to sucb misery as is necessary for his good ?
How, at least, can that be accounted infiexible punishment in
• Diff. Opin. § III. ,

382 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
which the Divine Being aU along aims at the sinner's happi
ness ? We might as weU caU the operation of a surgeon in
amputating a mortified Umb, in order to save the patient's
Ufe, by the name of inflexible punishment, as those miseries
which are intended for tbe good of the sinner. If that bo
their end, they are, strictly speaking, blessings, though
blessings in disguise : and, in tbat case, as Dr. Edwards in
his answer to Dr. Chauncy has fully proved, blessings and
curses are in effect tbe same things.
As to our considering the Supreme Being as baring
created all things for his own glory, I hope it will be allowed
tbat tbe scriptures seem, at least, to countenance such an idea.
They teach us that " the Lord made all things fur himself"
— that " all things are created by him, and for him." He is
expressly said to have created Israel (and if Israel, why not
others ?)for his glory. Not only "of him, and through him,"
but "to him are all things," Glory, and honour, and power,
are ascribed to him, by the elders and the living creatures ;
for, say they, " Thou hast created aU things ; and for thy
pleasure they are and were created,"*
But farther, and what is more immediately to the point, I
hope this sentiment will not be alleged as a proof of our
want of love to God ; for it is only assigning him the
supreme place in tbe system of being ; and Dr, Priestley
himself elsewhere speaks of " tbe love of God, and a regard
to his glory," as the same tbing.f One should think thosey
on the other hand, who assign tbe happiness of creatures as
God's ultimate end, thereby giving him only a subordinate
place in the system, could not allege this as an evidence of
their love to him. That place which God holds in the great
systera of being he ought to hold in our affections ; for we
are not required to love him in a greater proportion than the
place which be occupies requires. If it were otherwise, our
affections must move in a preposterous direction. We ought,
therefore, on this supposition, to love ourselves, our own
happiness, and tbe happiness of our fellow creatures, more
than God ; for God himself is supposed to do the same.
But, if so, the great rule of human actions should have been
different. Instead of requiring love to God in tbe first
• Prov. xvi. Col. i, Heb, ii, Isa, Ixiii, Rom, xi. Rev, iv,
t Diff, Opin, § I,

LOVE i-O GOD. 383
place, ¦with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then
love to ourselves and our neighbours, it should have been
reversed. The song of the angels, too, instead of beginning
¦with " Glory to God in the highest," and ending with " peace
on earth, and good will to raen," should have placed the last
first, and the first last. How sucb a view of things can tend
to promote tbe love of God, unless a subordinate place in our
affections be higher than the supreme, it is difficult to con
ceive. The great God, who fills heaven and earth, must bo
allowed to form the far greater proportion, if I may so
speak, of the whole system of being ; for, compared with
him, " all nations," yea, all worlds, " are but as a drop of a
bucket, or as the small dust of tbe balance." He is tbe
source, and continual support, of existence in all its varied
forms. As the great Guardian of being in general, therefore,
it is fit and right that he should, in the first place, guard the
glory of his own character and government. Nor can this
be to the disadvantage of the universe, but the contrary ; as
't will appear, if it be considered, that it is the glory of God
to do that which shall be best upon the whole. The glory of
God, therefore, connects with it the general good of tbe
created system, and of all its parts, except those whose
welfare clashes with the welfare of the whole.
If it were otherwise, if tbe happiness of all creatures
were tbe great end tbat God from the beginning had in
view, tben, doubtless, in order that this end might be accom
pUshed, everything else must, as occasion required, give way
to it. The glory of bis own character, occupying only a
subordinate place in tbe systera, if ever it should stand in
tbe way of tbat which is supreme, must give place, among
other things. And, if God have consented to all this, it must
be because the bappiness, not only of creation in general, but
of every individual, is an object of the greatest magnitude,
and most fit to be chosen : tbat is, it is better, and more
worthy of God, as the governor of the universe, to give up
his character for purity, equity, wisdom, and veracity, and to
become vile and contemptible in the eyes of his creatures ;
it is better tbat the bands ¦which bind all holy intelligences
to him should be broken, and tbe cords which hold together
the whole moral system ,be cast away ; than that the ,happi-

Stii CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
iiess of a creature should, in any instance, be given up I
Judge, ye friends of God, does this consist with " the most
perfect veneration for tbe divine character ?"
Once more : It seems to be generally supposed by our
opponents, tbat the wor.ship we pay to Christ tends to divide
our hearts ; and that, in proportion as wo adore him, we
detract from tbe essential glory of tbe Father. In this view,
therefore, they reckon themselves to exercise a greater vene
ration for God than we. But it is worthy of notice, and
particularly tbe serious notice of our opponents, that it is no
new thing for an opposition to Christ to be carried on under
tbe plea of love to God. This was the very plea of the
Jews, when they took up stones to stone him. " For a good
work," said they, " we stone thee not, but for tbat thou,
being a man, makest thyself God." They very much prided
themselves in their God; and, under the influence of that
spirit, constantly rejected tbe Lord Jesus. " Thou art called
a Jew, and makest thy boast of God." — " We be not born of
fornication ; we have one Father, even God." — " Give God
the praise : we know that this man is a sinner." It was
under tbe pretext of zeal and friendship for God that they at
last put him to death as a blasphemer. But what kind of
zeal was this ; and in what manner did Jesus treat it ? " If
God were your Father," said he, "ye would love me." —
" He tbat is of God, heareth God's words." — " It is my
Father that honoureth me, of whom ye say that he is your
God; yet ye have not known hira." — " I know you, that you
have not the love of God in you."
Again : Tbe primitive Christians will be allowed to have
loved God aright ; yet they worshipped Jesus Christ. Not
only did the martyr Stephen close bis life by committing his
departing spirit into the hands of Jesus, but it was the
common practice, in primitive times, to invoke his name.
" He bath authority," said Ananias concerning Saul, to bind
"all that call on thy name." One part of the Christian
mission was to declare, tbat " whosoever should caU on tbe
name of the Lord should be saved ;" even of that Lord of
whom the Gentiles bad not heard. Paul addressed himself
" to aU that in every place called upon the name of Jesus
Christ." These modes of expression (which, if I be not
greatly mistaken, always signify divine worship) plainly

LOVE TO GOD. 385
inform us that it was not merely the practice of a few indi
viduals, but of the great body of the primitive Christians, to
invoke the name of Christ ; nay, and that this was a mark
by which they were distinguished as Christians."'
Farther : It ought to be considered that, in worshipping
tbe Son of God, we worship him not on account of that
wherein he differs from the Father, but on account of those
perfections which we believe him to possess in common with
him. This, with the consideration that we worship him not
to tbe exclusion of tbe Father, any more than the Father
to the exclusion of him, but as one with him, removes all
apprehensions from our minds that, in ascribing glory to the
one, we detract from that of the other. Nor can we think
but tbat these ideas are confirmed, and tbe weight of the
objection removed, by those declarations of scripture where
the Father and the Son are represented as being in such
union that "he who hath seen tbe one hath seen tbe other;"
and " he who honoureth the one honoureth the other ; " yea,
that "he who honoureth not the Son honoureth not tbe
Father who sent him." f
It might fairly be argued, in favour of the tendency of
Calvinistic doctrines to promote the love of God, tbat, upon
those principles, we have more to love him for than upon the
other. On this system, we have much to be forgiven ; and,
therefore, love much. The expense at wbicb our salvation
has been obtained, as we beUeve, furnishes us with a motive
of love to which nothing can be compared. But this I shall
refer to in another place ; f and conclude with reminding you
that, notwithstanding Dr. Priestley loads Calvinistic prin
ciples with such heavy charges as those mentioned at the
beginning of this Letter, yet be elsewhere acknowledges
them to be "generally favourable to that leading virtue,
devotion ; " which, in effect, is acknowledging them to be
favourable to the love of God,
* Acts ix. 14, compared with ver. 17; Rom. x. 11-^14; 1 Cor. i. 2.
+ John xiv, 7 — 9 ; ver. 23, The reader may see this subject ably urged
by Mr. Scott, in his " Essays on the most Important Subjects of Religion,"
1st Edit. No, Vll. pp. 96, 97. These Essays are of a piece with the
other productions of that judicious writer; and, though small, and for the
convenience of the poor, sold for one penny each, contain a fund of solid,
rational, and scriptural divinity.
X Letter XIV.
VOL, I, C C

386 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
LETTER VIIL
ON CANDOUR ANIf BENEVOLENCE TO MEN.
You recollect that tbe Calvinistic system stands charged
by Dr. Priestley with being inconsistent, not only with a
perfect veneration of the divine character, but with "perfect
candour and benevolence to raan."
This, it must be owned, has often been objected to tbe
Calvinists. Their views of things have been supposed to
render thera sour and ill-natured towards those who differ
from thera. Charity, candour, benevolence, Uberality, and
the like, are virtues to which the Socinians, on the other
hand, lay almost an exclusive claim. And sucb a weight do
they give these virtues, in the scale of morality, that they
conceive themselves, " upon the whole, even allowing that
they have more of an apparent conformity to tbe world than
the Trinitarians, to approach nearer to the proper temper of
Christianity than they,"*
I shall not go about to vindicate Calvinists, any farther
than I conceive tbeir spirit and conduct to admit of a fair
vindication; but I am satisfied that, if things be closely
examined, it will be found that a great deal of what our
opponents attribute to themselves is not benevolence, or
candour ; and that a great deal of what they attribute to us
is not owing to the want of either.
Respecting benevolence, or good will to men, in order to be
genuine, it must consist with love to God, There is such a
thing as partiality to men, with respect to the points in which
they and their Maker are at variance : but this is not bene
volence. Partiality to a criminal at the bar might induce
us to pity him, so far as to plead in extenuation of his guilt,
and to endeavour to bring lum off from the just punishment
of tbe laws: but this would not be benevolence. There
must be a rectitude in our actions and affections, to render
them truly virtuous. Regard to tbe public good must keep
pace with compassion to the miserable ; else the latter will
degenerate into vice, and lead us to be " partakers of other
men's sins." Whatever pretences may be made to devotion,
• Disc, Var, Sub. p. 100,

ON CANDOUR AND BENEVOLENCE. 387
or love to God, we never admit them to be real, unless
accompanied with love to men ; neither should any" pretence
of love to men be admitted as genuine, unless it be accom
panied with love to God. Each of these virtues is considered
in the scriptures as an evidence of the other. " If a man
say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar." " By
this we know tbat we love the children of God, when we
love Grod, and keep his commandments."
There is sucb a thing as partiality to men, as observed
before, ¦with respect to tbe points in whieh they and tbeir
Maker are at variance ; leaning to those notions tbat repre
sent tbeir sin as comparatively little, and their repentance
and obedience as a balance against it; speaking smooth
things, and affording intimations tbat, without an atonement,
nay, even without repentance in this Ufe, all wiU be well at
last. But if it should prove that God is whoUy in tbe right,
and man wholly in the wrong, that sin is exceedingly sinful,
that we all deserve to be punished with everlasting destruc
tion from tbe presence of tbe Lord, and that, if we be not
interested in the atonement of Christ, this punishment must
actually take place : if these things, I say, should at last
prove true, then all such notions as have flattered tbe pride
of men, and cherished their presumption, instead of being
honoured with the epithets of Uberal and benevolent, will
be called by very different names. The princes and people
of Judah would, doubtless, be apt to think the sentiments
taught by Hananiah, who prophesied smooth things concern
ing them, much more benevolent and Uberal than those of
Jeremiah, who generally came with heavy tidings ; yet true
benevolence existed only in the latter. Whether the com
plexion of the whole system of our opponents do not resemble
tbat of the false prophets, who prophesied smooth things,
and healed the hurt of the daughter of Israel slightly, crying.
Peace, peace ; when there was no peace ; and whether their
objections to our views of things be not the same for sub
stance as might have been made to the true prophets; let
all who wish to know the truth, however ungrateful it may
be to flesh and bloodj decide.
A great deal of what is called candour and benevolence
araong Socinians is nothing else but indifference to all reli
gious principle. " If we could be so happy," says Dr.
CC 2

388 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
Priestley, "as to believe that there are no errors but what
men may be so circumstanced as to be innocently bcti'ayed
into, that any mistake of the head is very consistent with
rectitude of heart, and that all differences in modes of wor
ship may be only the different methods by which different
men {who are equally the offspring of God) are endeavouring
to honour and obey their common parent, our differences of
opinion would have no tendency to lessen our mutual love
and esteem."'* This is, manifestly, no other than indiffer
ence to all reUgious principle. Such an indifference, it is
allowed, would produce a temper of mind which Dr. Priestley
calls candour and benevolence ; but which, in fact, is neither
the one nor the other. Benevolence is good will to men: but
good will to men is very distinct from a good opinion of their
principles or tbeir practices ; so distinct tbat the former may
exist in aU its force, without the least degree of the latter.
Our Lord thought very ill of the principles and practices of
the people of Jerusalem ; yet he " beheld tho city and wept
over it." This was genuine benevolence.
Benevolence is a very distinct thing from complacency, or
esteem. These are founded on an approbation of character :
the other is not. I am bound by the law of love to bear
good will to men, as creatures of God, and as fellow crea
tures, so as, by every means in my power, to promote their
welfare, both as to this life and that which is to come; and
all this, let their character be what it may. I am bound to
esteem every person for tbat in him which is truly amiable,
be he a friend or an enemy, and to put the best construction
upon bis actions that truth will admit ; but no law obliges
me to esteem a person respecting those things which I have
reason to consider as erroneous or vicious, I may pity him,
and ought to do so ; but to esteem him, in those respects,
would be contrary to tbe love of both God and man. Indif
ference to religions principle, it is acknowledged, will pro
mote such esteem. Under the influence of that indifference,
we may form a good opinion of various characters, which,
otherwise, we should not do ; but the question is. Would that
esteem be right, or amiable ? On the contrary, if reUgious
principle of any kind should be found necessary to salvation,
and if benevolence consist in tbat good will to men which
• Diff, Opin, § II.

ON CANDOUR AND BENEVOLENCi!. 3S9
leads us to promote their real welfare, it must contradict it ;
for tbe welfare of men is promoted by speaking the truth
concerning them. I might say. If we could be so happy as
to think virtue and vice indifferent things, we should then
possess a far greater degree of esteem for some men than we
now do ; but would such a kind of esteem be right, or of any
use either to ourselves or them ?
Candour, as it relates to the treatment of an adversary, is
that temper of mind which will induce us to treat him openly,
fairly, and ingenuously ; granting him everything that can
be granted consistently with truth, and entertaining the most
favourable opinion of bis character and conduct that justice
will admit. But what has all this to do with indifference to
reUgious principle, as to matters of salvation ? Is there no
such thing as treating a person with fairness, openness, and
generosity, while we entertain a very ill opinion of bis prin
ciples, and have the most painful apprehensions as to the
danger of his state ? Let our opponents name a more candid
writer of controversy than President Edwards ; yet he con
sidered many of the sentiments against which be wrote as
destructive to the souls of men, and those who held them as
being in a dangerous situation.
As a great deal of what is called candour and benevolence
among Socinians is merely the effect of indifference to reli
gious principle, so a great deal of that in Calvinists, for
which they are accused of the want of these virtues, is no
other than a serious attachment to what they account divine
truth, and a serious disapprobation of sentiments which they
deem subversive of it. Now, surely, neither of these things
is inconsistent with either candour or benevolence : if it be,
however, Jesus Christ and bis apostles are involved in the
guilt, equally with the Calvinists. They cultivated sucb an
attachment to religious principle, as to be in real earnest in
the promotion of it, and constantly represented the know
ledge and belief of it as necessary to eternal life. " Ye
shall know tbe truth," saith Christ, "and the truth shall
make you free," — " This is life eternal, to know thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou bast sent." —
" He that beUeveth on tbe Son bath everlasting life ; and he
that beUeveth not tbe Son shall not see Ufe, but the wrath
of God abideth on him." They also constantly discovered a

390 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINLiN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
marked disapprobation of those sentiments which tended to
introduce "another gospel," so far as to declare that man
accursed who should propagate them. They considered
false principles as pernicious and destructive to the souls of
men. " If ye believe not that I am he," said Christ to the
Jews, " ye shaU die in your sins," — " aqd whither I go ye
cannot come." To the Galatians, who did not fully reject
Christianity, but in the matter of justification were for
uniting the works of tbe law with the grace of the gospel,
Paul testifled, saying, " K ye be circumcised, Christ shall
profit you nothing."
Had the apostle Paul considered " all the different modes
of worship as what might be only the different methods of
different men, endeavouring to honour apd obey their cora-
raon parent," he would not have felt "bis spirit stirred in
hira" when he saw the city of Athens wholly given to idola
try : at least he would not have addressed idolaters in such
strong language as he did, "preaching to thera that they
should turn from these vanities unto the living God." Paul
considered them as baring been all their life employed, not
in worshipping tbe living God, " only in a mode different
from others," but mere vanities. Nor did be consider it as a
"mere mistake of the head, into which they might have
been innocently betrayed ;" but as a sin, for which they were
without excuse (Rom. i. 20); a sin, for which he called upon
them, in the name of the Uving God, to repent.
Now, if candour and benevolence be Christian virtues,
which they doubtless are, one should think they must con
sist with the practice of Christ and his apostles. But, if
this be allowed, the main ground on which Calvinists are
censured will be removed ; and tbe candour for which their
opponents plead raust appear to be spurious, and foreign to
the genuine spirit of Christianity.
Candour and benevolence, as Christian rirtues, must also
consist with each other ; but the candour of Socinians is
destructive of benevolence, as exempUfied in the scriptures.
Benevolence in Christ and his apostles extended not merely,
nor mainly, to tbe bodies of men, but to their souls ; nor did
they thin'K so favourably of mankind as to desist from warn
ing and alarming them, but tbe reverse. They viewed the
whole world as " lying in wickedness ;" in a perishing condi-

ON CANDOUR AND BENEVOLENCE. 391
tion ; and hazarded the loss of every eartlJy enjoyment to
rescue them from it, as from the jaws -of destruction. But
it is easy to perceive that, in proportion to the influence of
Socinian candour upon us, we shall consider mankin(J, even
the heathens, as a race of virtuous beings, all worshipping
the great Father of creation, only in difierent modes. Our
concern for their salvation will consequently abate, and we
shall become so indifferent respecting it as never to take
any considerable pains for tbeir conversion. This, indeed,
is the very truth with regard to Socinians. They discover,
in general, no manner of concern for tbe salvation of either
heathens abroad, or profligates at home. Their candour
supplies the place of this species of benevolence, and not
unfrequently excites a scornful smile at tbe conduct of those
who exercise it.
The difference between our circumstances and those of
Christ and his apostles, who were divinely inspired, however
much it ought to deter us from passing judgment upon the
hearts of individuals, ought not to make us think that every
mode of worship is equally safe, or that religious principle is
indifferent as to tbe affairs of salvation ; for this would be to
consider as false what, by divine inspiration, they taught as
true. Let us come to matters of fact. Mr. Belsham does not
deny that Calvinists may be "pious, candid, and benevo
lent ;" but be thinks they would have been more so if they
had been Socinians. "They, and there are many such,"
says he, "who are sincerely pious, and diffusively benevo
lent with these principles, could not have failed to have
been much better, and much happier, bad they adopted a
milder, a more rational, a more truly evangelical creed."
Ser. p. 30. Now, if this be indeed the case, one might
expect tbat tbe most perfect examples of these virtues
are not to be looked for among us, but among our oppo
nents : and yet it may be questioned whether they will
pretend to more perfect examples of piety, candour, or bene
volence, than are to be found in the characters of a Hale, a
Franck, a Brainerd, an Edwards, a Whitefield, a Thornton,
and a Howard (to say nothing of the living), whose lives
were spent in doing good to tbe souls and bodies of men ;
and who lived and died depending on the atoning blood and

392 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
justifying righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. The last
of these great men, in whom his country glories, and who is
justly considered as the martyr of humanity, is said thus to
have expressed himself, at the close of bis last will and
testament : " My immortal spirit I cast on tbe sovereign
mercy of God, through Jesus Christ, who is tbe Lord of my
strength, and, I trust, is become my salvation." He is said
also to have given orders for a plain neat stone to be placed
upon bis grave, with this inscription, " Spes mca Christus;"
Christ is my Hope !
We are often reminded of tbe persecuting spirit of Trini
tarians, and particularly of Calvin toward Servetus. This
example has been long held up by our opponents, not only as
a proof of his cruel disposition and odious character, but as if
it were sufiicient to determine what must be the turn and spi
rit of Calvinists in general. But, supposing tbe case to which
they appeal were allowed to prove the cruelty of Calvin's
disposition — nay, tbat he was, on the whole, a wicked man,
destitute both of reUgion and humanity — what would all this
prove as to the tendency of the system that happened to be
called after bis name, but which is allowed to have existed
long before be was born ? We regard what no man did or
taught as oracular, unless he could prove himself divinely
inspired, to which Calvin never pretended. Far be it from
us to vindicate him, or any other man, in tbe business of
persecution. We abhor everything of the kind, as much as
our opponents. Though the principles for which be con
tended appear to us, in the main, to be just ; yet the weapons
of his warfare in this instance were carnal.
It ought, however, to be acknowledged, on tbe other side
(and, if our opponents possessed all the candour to which
they pretend, they would in this, as well as in other cases,
acknowledge), tbat persecution for religious principles was
not at tbat time peculiar to any party of Christians ; but
common to all, whenever they were invested with civil
power. It was an error, and a detestable one ; but it was
the error of the age. They looked upon heresy in the same
light as we look upon those crimes which are inimical to the
peace of civil society ; and, accordingly, proceeded to punish
heretics by the sword of tbe civil magistrate. If Socinians
did not persecute their adversaries so much as Trinitarians,,

on candour and BENEVOLENCi!. 395
it was because they were not equally invested with the
power of doing so. Mr. Lindsey acknowledges tbat Faustus
Socinus himself was not free from persecution, in tbe case of
Francis Davides, superintendent of the Unitarian churches
in Transylvania. Davides had disputed with Socinus on
the invocation of Christ, and " died in prison in consequence
of his opinion, and some offence taken at his supposed indis
creet propagation of it from the pulpit. I wish I could say,"
adds Mr. Lindsey, "that Socinus, or his friend Blandrata,
bad done all in tlieir power to prevent his commitment, or
procure bis release afterwards." The difference between
Socinus and Davides was very slight. They both held
Christ to be a mere man. The former, however, was for
praying to him ; which tbe latter, with much greater consist
ency, disapproved. Considering this, the persecution to
which Socinus was accessary was as great as that of Calvin ;
and there is no reason to think but tbat, if Davides had
differed as much from Socinus as Servetus did from Calvin,
and if the civil magistrates bad been for burning him,
Socinus would have concurred with them. To this raight
be added that tbe conduct of Socinus was marked with dis-
ingenuity, in that be considered the opinion of Davides in no
very heinous point of light, but was afraid of increasing the
odium under wbicb he and bis party already lay among
other Christian churches.*
Mr. Robinson, in his "Ecclesiastical Researches," has
given an account of both these persecutions : but it is easy
to perceive tbe prejudice under which he wrote. He evi
dently inclines to extenuate the conduct of Socinus, while
he includes every possible circumstance that can in any
manner blacken the memory of Calvin, Whatever regard
we may bear to the latter, I am persuaded we should not
wish to extenuate his conduct in the persecution of Servetus,
or to represent it in softer terms, nor yet so soft as Mr.
Robinson has represented that of the former in tbe persecu
tion of Davides,
We do not accuse Socinianisra of being a persecuting
system, on account of this instance of misconduct in Socinus :
nor is it any proof of tbe superior candour of our opponents
that they are continually acting tbe very reverse towards us.
• Mr, Lindsey's Apology, pp, 153 — 156.

394 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
As a Baptist, I might indulge resentment against Cran-
mer, who caused some of tbat denomination to be burned
aUve : yet I am incUned to think, from all that I have read
of Cranmer, tbat, notwithstanding bis conduct in those
instances, he was, upon the whole, of an amiable disposition.
Though be held with peedobaptism, and in this manner
defended it, yet I should never think of imputing a spirit of
persecution to Paedobaptists in general, or of charging their
sentiment, in that particular, with being of a persecuting
tendency. It was tbe opinion, that erroneous religious prin
ciples are punishable by the civil m,agistrate, tbat did tbe
mischief, whether at Geneva, in Transylvania, or in Britain ;
and to this, rather than to Trinitarianism or to Unitarian
ism, it ought to be imputed.
We need not hold, with Mr. Lindsey, " the innocence of
error," in order to shun a spirit of persecution. Though we
conceive of error, in many cases, as criminal in the sight of
God, and as requiring admonition, yea, exclusion from a
religious society ; yet while we rejeet all ideas of its expos
ing a person to dvil punishment, or inconvenience, we ought
to be acquitted of the charge of persecution. Where tbe
majority of a religious society consider the avowed princi
ples of an individual of that society as being fundamentally
erroneous, and inconsistent with the united worship and
well-being of the whole, it cannot be persecution to endea
vour, by scriptural arguments, to convince him ; and if that
cannot be accompUshed, to exclude him from tbeir com
munion. It has been suggested, that to think tbe worse of a person
on account of bis- sentiments is a species of persecution, and
indicates a spirit of bitterness at tbe bottom, which is incon
sistent with that benevolence which is due to all mankind.
But, if it be persecution to think the worse of a person on
account of his sentiments (unless no man be better or worse,
whatever sentiments be imbibes, which very few will care
to assert), then it raust be persecution for us to think of one
another according to truth. It is also a species of persecu
tion of which our opponents are guilty, as well as we, when
ever they maintain tbe superior moral tendency of their own
system. That which is adapted and intended to do good to
the party cannot be persecution, but general benevolence.

ON CANDOUR AND BENEVOLENCE. 395
Let US suppose a number of travellers, all proposing to
journey to one place. A number of different ways present
themselves to view, and each appears to be tbe right way.
Some are inclined to one ; some to another ; and some con
tend that, whatever smaller difference there may be between
them, they all lead to the same end. Others, however, are
persuaded that they all do not terminate in the same end, and
appeal to a correct map of tbe country, which points out a
a number of by-paths, resembling those in question, each
leading to a fatal issue. Query, Would it be tbe part of
benevolence, in this case, for the latter to keep silence, and
hope the best ; or to state tbe evidence on which their ap
prehensions were founded, and to warn their fellow traveUers
of their danger ? *
There are, it is acknowledged, many instances of a want of
candour and benevolence among us, over which it becomes us
to lament. This is the case, especially, with those whom Dr.
Priestley is pleased to call " the only consistent absolute pre-
destinarians." I may add, there has been, in my opinion, a
great deal too much haughtiness and uncandidness discovered
by some of the Trinitarians of the Established Church, in
their controversies with Socinian Dissenters. These dis
positions, however, do not belong to thera as Trinitarians,
but as Churcbraen. A sU'gbt observation of human nature
will convince us that tbe adherents to a religion established
by law, let tbeir sentiments be what they may, will always
be under a powerful temptation to take it for granted that
they are right, and tbat all who dissent from thera are con
temptible sectaries, unworthy of a candid and respectful
treatment. This temptation, it is true, will not have equal
effect upon all in tbe same community. Serious and bumble
characters will watch against it ; and, being wise enough to
know that real worth is not derived from anything merely
external, they may be su,perior to it. But those of another
description will be very differently affected.
There is, indeed, a mixture of evil passions in all our
religious affections, against which it becomes us to watch
and pray. I see many things, in those of my own senti
ments, which I cannot approve ; and possibly, others may
see the same in me. And, should the Socinians pretend to
the contrary, with respect to themselves, or a.spire to a supe-

"396 CALVINISTIC AND fiOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
riority to their neighbours, it may be more than they are
able to maintain. It cannot escape the observation of think
ing and impartial men, tbat the candour of which they so
frequently boast is pretty much confined to their own party,
or those that are near akin to thera. Socinians can be can
did to Arians, and Arians to Socinians, and each of thera to
Deists ; but, if Calvinists expect a share of tbeir tenderness,
let them not greatly wonder if they be disappointed. There
need not be a greater, or a more standing proof of this, than
the manner in which the writings of the latter are treated in
tbe Monthly Review.
It has been frequently observed, tbat though Sociniart
writers plead so much for candour and esteem among pro
fessing Christians, yet, generally speaking, there is such a
mixture of scornful contempt discovered towards their oppo
nents, as renders their professions far from consistent. Mr.
Lindsey very charitably accounts for our errors, by asserting
that " the doctrine of Christ being possessed of two natures
is tbe fiction of ingenious men, determined, at all events, to
believe Christ to be a different being from, what he really was,
and uniformly declared himself to be ; by which fiction of
theirs, they elude tbe plainest declarations of scripture con
cerning him, and will prove him to be the Most High God, in
spite of his own most express and constant language to the
contrary. And, as there is no reasoning with sucb persons,
they are to be pitied, and considered as being under a debility
of mind in this respect, however sensible and rational in
others." * Would Mr. Lindsey wish to have this considered
as a specimen of Socinian candour ? If Mrs. Barbauld had
been possessed of candour equal to her ingenuity, instead of
supposing that Calvinists derive their ideas of election, tbe
atoneraent, future punishment, &c., from the tyranny and
caprice of an eastern despot, she might have admitted, whe
ther they were rigbt or not, that those principles appeared
to them to be taught in the bible.j
* Catech. Inq. 6.
-|- A friend of mine, on looking over Mrs. Barbauld's Pamphlet, in
answer to Mr. 'Wakefiejd, remarks as follows: " Mrs. Barbauld used to
call Socinianism, The frigid zone of Christianity ; but she is now got far
north herself. She is amazingly clever; her language enchanting; but her
caricature of Calvinism is abominable."

ON CANDOUR AND BENEVOLENCE. 397
If we may estimate the character of Socinians from the
spirit discovered by Mr. Robinson, in tbe latter part of his
life, the conclusion will not be very favourable to their
system. At the time when this writer professed himself a
Calvinist, he could acknowledge those who differed from
him, with respect to the divinity of Christ, as "mistaken
brethren ; " at wbicb time his opponents could not well com
plain of his being uncandid. But, when he comes to change
bis sentiments on that article, he treats those from whom be
differs in a very different manner, loading them with every
species of abuse. Witness his treatment of Augustine, whose
conduct, previously to his conversion to Christianity, though
lamented with all tbe tokens of penitential sorrow, and
entirely forsaken in tbe remaining period of bis life, be
industriously represents to his disadvantage; calling him "a
pretended saint, but an illiterate hypocrite, of wicked dis
positions ;" loading his memory, and even tbe very country
where be lived, with every opprobrious epithet that could
be devised.* Similar instances might be added from bis
" Ecclesiastical Researches," in which the characters of Cal
vin and Beza are treated in an equally uncandid manner. •f
Dr. Priestley himself, who is said to be the most candid
man of bis party, is seldom overloaded with this virtue when
he is dealing with Calvinists. It does not discover a very
great degree of perfection in this, or even in common civi
lity, to call those who consider bis principles as pernicious
by the name of "bigots," "tbe bigots," &c., which he very
* Hist. Bapt. p. 652.
t Mr. Robinson, in his " Notes on Claude,'' observes from Mr. Burgh,
that " whatever occurs in modern writers of history, of a narrative nature,
we find to be an inference from a system previously assumed, without any
view to the seemmg truth of the facts recorded; but to the establishment,
of which the historian appears, through every species of misrepresentation,
to have zealously directed his force. The subversion of freedom was the
evident purpose of Mr, Hume, m writing the " History of England," I
fear we may, with too much justice, affirm the subversion of Christianity
to be the object of Mr. Gibbon, in writing his " History of the Decline and ,
Fall of the Roman Empire," vol. ii. pp. 147, 141. Perhaps it might,
with equal propriety, be added that the subversion of what is commonly
called orthodoxy, and the vindication, or palliation, of every thing which,
in every age, has been called by the name of heresy, were the objects of
Mr. Robinson in writing his " History of Baptism," and what has since
been published under the title of " Ecclesiastical Researches."

398 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
frequently does. Nor is it to the credit of his impartiality,
any more than of his candour, when weighing the moral ex
cellence of Trinitarians and Unitarians against each other,
as in a balance, to suppose " tbe former to have less, and tbe
latter something more, of a real principle of reUgion, than
they seera to have."* This looks like taking a portion out
of one scale, and casting it into the other, for the purpose of
making weight where it was wanting.
Dr. Priestley, in answer to Mr. Burn, " On the Person of
Christ," acquits hira of "anything base, disingenuous, im
moral, or wicked ;" and, seeing Mr. Burn had not acquitted
him of all such things in return, the Doctor takes occasion
to boast that his " principles, whatever they are, are more
candid than those of Mr. Burn."f But if this acknowledg>-
ment, candid as it may seem, be compared with another
passage in the same performance, it will appear to less ad
vantage. In Letter V. the Doctor goes about to account for
tbe motives of his opponents ; and if the foUowing language
do not insinuate anything "base, immoral, or wicked," to
have influenced Mr. Burn, it may be difficult to decide what
baseness, immorality, or wickedness is, " As to Mr, Burn's
being wilUng to have a gird at me, as Falstaff says, it may
easily be accounted for. He has a view to rise in his pro
fession ; and, being a man of good natural understanding
and good elocution, but having had no advantage of educa
tion or family connexions, he may think it necessary to do
something, in order to make himself conspicuous ; and he
might suppose he could not do better than follow the sure
steps of those who had succeeded in the same chase before
him," What can any person make of these two passages
put together? It must appear, either that Dr, Priestley
accused Mr, Burn of motives of which in his conscience he
did not believe him to be guilty, or that be acquitted him of
everything base and wicked, not because be thought him
innocent, but merely with a view to glory over him, by
affecting to be under the influence of superior candour and
generosity, Tbe manner in which Dr, Priestley treated Mr. Badcock,
in his "Familiar Letters to the Inhabitants of Birmingham,"
holding him up as an immoral character, at a time when, un-
• Disc. Var. Sub, p, 100. f Fam. Let, XVIII,

ON CANDOUR AND BENEVOLENCE, 399
less some valuable end could have been answered by it, his
memory should have been at rest, is thought to be very far
from either candour or benevolence. Tbe Doctor and Mr.
Badcock seem to have been, heretofore, upon friendly terms,
and not very widely asunder as to sentiment. Private letters
pass between thera ; and Mr. Badcock always acknowledges
Dr. Priestley his superior. But, about 1783, Mr. Badcock
opposes his friend in the "Monthly Review," and is thought
by many to have the advantage of him. After this, he is
said to act scandalously and dishonestly. He dies : and,
soon after bis death. Dr. Priestley avails himself of his
former correspondence to expose bis dishonesty ; and, as if
this were not enough, supplies, from bis own conjectures,
what was wanting of fact, to render him completely odious
to mankind.
Dr. Priestley may plead tbat he has held up "the example
of this unhappy man as a warning to others." So, indeed,
he speaks ; but thinking people will suppose that, if this
Zirari had not " slain his master, his bones might have rested
in peace." Dr. Priestley bad just cause for exposing the
author of a piece signed Theodosius, in the manner be has
done in those Letters. Justice to himself required this ;
but what necessity was there for exposing Mr. Badcock ?
Allowing that there was sufficient evidence to support tbe
heavy charge, wherein does this affect the merits of the
cause? Does proring a man a villain answer his arguments?
Is it worthy of a generous antagonist to avail hiraself of such
methods to prejudice the public mind ? Does it belong to a
controvertist to write his opponent's history after he is dead,
and to bold up his character in a disadvantageous Ught, so
as to depreciate bis writings ?
Whatever good opinion Socinian writers may entertain of
tbe abiUty and integrity of some few individuals who differ
from them, it is pretty evident that they have the candour
to consider the body of their opponents as either ignorant or
insincere. By the poem which Mr. Badcock wrote in praise
of Dr. Priestley, when be was, as the Doctor informs us, his
" humble admirer," we raay see in what Ught we are consi
dered by our adversaries. Trinitarians, among tbe clergy,
are there represented as " sticking fast to tbe church for tbe
sake of a Uving ;" and those whom the writer calls " ortho-

400 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
dox, popular preachers " (which I suppose may principally "
refer to Dissenters and Methodists), are described dus fools and
enthusiasts ; as either " staring, stamping, and damning in
nonsense," or else "whining out the tidings of salvation,
teUing their auditors that grace is cheap, and works are aU
an empty bubble." All this is published by Dr. Priestley in
his " Twenty-second Letter to tbe Inhabitants of Birming
ham ;" and that without any marks of disapprobation. Dr.
Priestley himself, though he does not descend to so low and
scurrilous a manner of writing as the above, yet suggests
the same thing, in the dedication of his " Doctrine of Philo
sophical Necessity." He there praises Dr. Jebb for his
" attachment to tbe unadulterated principles of Christianity,
how unpopular soever they may have become, through the
prejudices of the weak or the interested part of mankind."
After all, it is allowed tbat Dr. Priestley is in general,
and especially when he is not dealing with a Calvinist, a fair
and candid opponent ; much more so than the " Monthly
Reviewers," who, with the late Mr. Badcock, seem to rank
among bis "bumble admirers."* Candid and open, however,
as Dr. Priestley in general is, the above are certainly no very
trifling exceptions : and, considering him as excelling most
of bis party in this virtue, they are sufficient to prove the
point for which they are aUeged ; namely, that when Soci
nians profess to be more candid than tbeir opponents, their
profession includes more than their conduct will justify,

LETTER IX.

THE SYSTEMS COMPARED AS TO THElK TENDENCY TO
PROMOTE HUMILITY.
You recollect the prophecy of Isaiah, in which, speaking of
gospel times, he predicts "that the loftiness of man shall be
* About eight or nine years ago, the " Monthly Review " was at open
war with Dr. Priestley ; and the Doctor, like an incensed monarch, sum
moned all his mighty resources to expose its weakness, and to degrade it in
the eye of the public. The conductors of the Review, at length, finding,
it seems, that their country was nourished by the king's country, desired
peace. They have, ever since very punctually paid him tribute ; and the
conqueror seems very well contented, on this condition, to grant them his
favour and protection.

' ON HUMILITY. 401
bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low,
and the Lord alone shall be exalted in tbat day ;" as if it
were one pecuUar characteristic of the' true gospel to lay low
the pride of man. The whole tenor of the New Testament
enforces the same idea. "Ye see your calling, brethren, bow
that not many wise men after tbe flesh, not many mighty,
not maiiy noble, are called. But God hath chosen the fool
ish things of the world to confound tbe wise ; and God hath
chosen the weak things of tbe world to confound tbe things
which are mighty ; and base things of the world, and things
which are despised, bath God chosen, yea, and things which
are not, to bring to nought things tbat are : that no flesh
should glory in his presence."—" Jesus said, I thank thee,
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed
them unto babes." — " Where is boasting ? It is excluded.
By what law ? Of works ? Nay, but by the law of faith."
It may be concluded, with certainty, frora these passages,
and various others of the sarae iraport, tbat the systera which
has tbe greatest tendency to promote this virtue, approaches
nearest to the true gospel of Christ.
Pride, the opposite of humility, may be distinguished, by
its objects, into natural and spiritual. Both consist in a
too high esteem of ourselves : the one on account of those
accomplishments which are merely natural, or vehich pertain
to us as men ; the other on account of those which are
spiritual, or which pertain to us as good men. With respect
to the first, it is not very difficult to know who they are that
ascribe most to their own understanding ; that profess to
beUeve in nothing but what they can comprehend ; that
arrogate to themselves the name of rational Christians; that
affect to " pity aU those who maintain the doctrine of two
natures- in Christ, as being under a debiUty of mind in this
respect, however sensible and rational in others ;" that pour
compUments extravagantly upon one another;* tbat speak of
their own party as tbe •wise and learned, and of their oppo
nents as the ignorant and iUiterate, who are carried away by
vulgar prejudices ; t that tax tbe sacred writers with " rea
soning inconclusively," and writing " lame accounts ;" and
* Mr. Toulmin's Sermon on the Death of Mr. Robinson, pp. 47, 56.
t Mr. Belsham's Sermon, pp. 4, 32.
D D

402 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
that represent themselves as m«i ©f f ar greater compass lof
mind than they, or than even Jesus Christ Hmself !
The last of these particulars may excite surprise. Charity,
that hopeth all things, wiU be ready to sii^gest, surely, no
man that calls himself a Christian will da.re to speak so arro
gantly. I acknowledge, I should have thought so, if I had
not read in Dr. Priestley's '^Doctrine of Philosophical Neces
sity," p. 133, as follows : "Not that I think that the sacnefi
writers were Necessarians, for they were not phiiosopkersi .
not even our Saviour himself, as far as appears : — But their '
habitual devotion naturally led them to refer all things to
God, without reflecting on the rigorous meaning of thek
language: and, very probably, had they been iaterrogatel
on the subject, they would have appeared not to be apprised
of the Necessarian scheme, and would have answered in a
manner unfavourable to it." The sacred writers, it seems,
were well-meaning persons ; but, at the same time, so igno
rant as not to know the meaning of tbeir own language ;
nay, so ignorant that, had it been explained to them, they
would have been incapable of taking it in ! Nor is this
suggested of the sacred writers only ; but, as it should seem,
of Jesus Christ himself. A very fit person Jesus Christ
must be, indeed, to be addressed as "knowing all things;" as
a " revealer " of the mind of God to men ; as "the wisdonmf
God;" as he in whom " it pleased the Father that all fulness
should dwell;" by whom the judges of tbe earth are exhorted
to be '¦'instructed ;" and who shall "judge the world" at the
last day; when, in fact, be was so ignorant as not to consider
tbe meaning of his own language ; or, if he had been inter
rogated upon it, would not have been apprized of the extent
of the scheme to which his words naturally led, but would
probably have answered in a manner unfavourable to it ! Is
this the language of one that is little in his own eyes ?
But there is such a thing as spiritual pride, or a too high
esteem of ourselves on account of spiritual accomplishments;
and this, together with a spirit of bigotry. Dr. Priestley im
putes to Trinitarians.
" Upon the whole," says he, " considering the great mix
ture of spiritual pride and bigotry in some of the most
zealous Trinitarians, I think the moral character of Unita
rians in general, allowing that there is in tbem a greafter

ON HUMIUTY. ,403
.appareirt eoniformity to the •worid ,than is observable in
others, approaches more nearly to the proper temper of
Christianity. It is more cheerful, more benevolent, and
more candid. The former have probably less, and the lat-
"ter,, I bope, .-somewhat more, of a real principle of religion
than they seem to have,"* To this it is repUed,
First : If Trinitacians be proud at all, it seems it must be
of their spirituality ; for, as to rationality, they have none,
their opponents having, by a kind of exclusive charter,
monopolized that article. It is their misfortune, it seems,
when investigating the doctrine of the person of Christ, to
be under a "debiUty of mind," or a kind of periodical
insanity. Secondly: Admitting tbat a greater d^ree o£ spiritual
pride exists araong Trinitarians than among their opponents,
if we were, for once, to foUow Dr. Priestley's example, it
inight be accounted for without any reflection upon their
principles. Pride is a sin that easily besets human nature,
though nothing is more opposite to the spirit that becomes
us ; and, whatever it is in which a body of men excel, they
are under a peculiar temptation to be proud of that, rather
than of other things. The EngUsh people have been often
charged, by their neighbours, with pride on account of their
civil constitution ; and I suppose it has not been ¦without
reason. They have conceived themselves to excel other
nations in that particular; have been apt to value them-
Bolves upon it ; and to undervalue tbeir neighbours more
than they ought. This has been their fault : but it does
not prove tbat their civU constitutioaa has not, after all, its
exceUences. Nay, perhaps, the reason why some o£ their
neighbours have not been so proud, in this particular, as
they, is tbat they have not had thai to be proud of. Chris
tians, in general, are more likely to be the subjects of pride
than avowed Infidels ; for the pride of the latter, though it
may rise to the highest pitch imaginable, wiU not be in their
spirituality. The same may be said of Socinians. For while
" a great number of them are only men of good sense, and
witilwMiit much practical reUgion," as Dr. Priestley in the
same page acknowledges they are, their pride wiU not he in
their spiritaality, but in tiheir sujxposed rationality.
* Disc. Var. Sab. p. HOO.
dd2

404 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
Thirdly : Let it be considered whether our doctrinal senti
ments do not bear a nearer affinity to those principles whichi
in Scripture, are constantly urged as motives to humility,
than those of our opponents. The doctrines inculcated by
Christ and his apostles, in order to lay men low in the dust
before God, were those of human depravity, and salvation by
free and sovereign grace, through Jesus Christ. Tbe language
held out by our Lord was, tbat he " came to seek and to save
that which was lost." Tbe general strain of his preacbiiig
tended to inform mankind, not only tbat he came to save lost
sinners, but that no man, under any other character, could
partake of the blessings of salvation. "I came," saith he,
" not to call tbe righteous, but sinners to repentance." " The
whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." To the
same purpose, tbe apostle of the Gentiles declared to the
Ephesians, " You bath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins : wherein, in time past, ye walked ac
cording to the course of this world, according to the prince
of tbe power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience." Nor did he speak this of Gentiles
or of profligates only ; but, though himself a Jew, and
educated a Pharisee, he added, "Among whom also we all
had our conversation in times past, in tbe lusts of our flesh,
fulfiUing tbe desires of tbe flesh and of tbe mind ; and were
by nature tbe children of wrath, even as others." To the
doctrine of the universal depravity of human nature be very
properly and joyfully proceeds to oppose that of God's rich
mercy : " But God who is rich in mercy, for the greatilove
wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead inrsins,
hath quickened us together with Christ." Tbe humbUng
doctrine of salvation by undeserved favour was so natural an
inference, from these premises, tbat the apostle could not
forbear throwing in such a reflection, though it were in a
parenthesis : "By grace ye are saved." Nor did he lea^vfi'
it there, but presently after drew tbe same conclusion more
fully : " For by grace ye are saved, through faith ; and that
not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest
any man should boast." Ephes. ii. , To the same purport he
taught in his other epistles : " Who hath saved us, and caUed,
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us

ON HUMILITY. 405
in Christ Jesus before tbe world began." — "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his
mercy he saved us." — "Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who
of God is made unto us -wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctiflcation, and redemption : that, according as it is
written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." —
2 Tim, i. Titus iU. 1 Cor. i.
These, we see, were the sentiments by which Christ and
his apostles taught men humiUty, and cut off boasting. But,
as though it were designed in perfect opposition to the apos
tolic doctrine, Socinian writers are constantly exclaiming
against the Calvinistic system, because it maintains the in
sufficiency of a good moral Ufe to recommend us to tbe favour
of God. "Repentance, and a good life," says Dr. Priestley,
" are of themselves sufficient to recommend us to the divine
favour."* "When," says Mrs. Barbauld, " wiU Christians
permit themselves to beUeve that the same conduct which
gains them tbe approbation of good men here will secure tbe
favour of Heaven hereafter ? When a man Uke Tfv. Price is
about to resign his soul into the hands of his Maker, he
ought to do it, not only with a reliance on bis mercy but bis
justice. It does not become him to pay tbe blasphemous
homage of deprecating the ¦wrath of God, when be ought to
throw himself into the arms of his love,"t "Other foundation
than this can no man., lay," says Dr. Harwood : "All hopes
founded upon anything else than a good moral life are merely
imaginary.^t" So they wrap it up. If a set of writers
united together, and studied to form an hypothesis in perfect
contradiction to tbe holy scriptures, and the declared hum
bling tendency of tbe gospel, they could not have bit upon
a point more directly to their purpose. The whole tenor of
the gospel says, " It is not of worlts, lest any man should
boast." But Socinian writers maintain that it is of works,
and of them only ; tbat in this, and in no other way, is the
divine favour to be obtained. We might ask. Where is
boasting then ? Is it excluded ? Nay ; Is it not admitted and
cherished ?
Christ and his apostles inculcated humiUty, by teaching
the primitive Christians that virtue itself was not of them-
* History of the Corruption of Christianity, Vol. I. p. 155.
••¦ Answer to Mr. Wakefield. $ Sermons, p. 193.

406 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
selves, but the gift of God. They not only expressly declared,
this trith respect to faith, but the same, in effect, of eveirjr
particular included in tbe general motion of true godUness.
"As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself," said Christ,
" except it abide in tbe vine, no more can ye except ye abide
in me:" for "without me ye can do nothing." "We are
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works^
which God bath before ordained that we should walk in
them." " He worketh in us both to will and to do, of his
good j^easure." The manifest design of these impOTtauit
sayings was to bumble the primitive Christians, and to make
them feel tbeir entire dependence upon God for rirtue, even
for every good thought. "Who maketh thee tO' differ?" said
the Apostle, "and wha* hast thou tha* thou didst not receive?"
"Now, if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if
thou hadst not received it ? " The Calvinistic system, it is
well known, includes the same thiitga: but where is the pkee
for them, or where do they appeaar, in the system of om
opponents? Dr. Priestley, in profesfsed opposition to Cal
vinism, maintains, "tbat it depends entirely upon a man's
self whether he be virtuous or vicious, happy or miseratte;'^
that is to say, it is a man's self that maketb him to differ
from another ; and he has that (namely, virtue) which he did
not receive, and in which, therefore, he may glory .¦!¦
Dr. Priestley replies to this kind of reasoning, " When ¦we
consider ourselves as the workmanship of God; tbat aU our
* Phil. Nee. p. 163.
f It is true Dir. Priestley himself sometimes allows that virtue is not mt
cion, and does not arise from within awsehes; calling that mere heaibm
stoicism which maintains the contrary : and teUs us that " those pereons
•who, feom a principle of religion, ascribe more to God and less to man, are
persons of the greatest elevation in piety," Phil. Nee. pp. IW, 108. Yet
in the same performance, he represents it as a part fflf the Necessarani
scheme, by which it is- opposed to Calvinism, "• shat it depends entirely
upon a man's self whether he be virtuous or vicious," p. 153. If Dr-
Priestley mean no more, by these expressions, than that our conduct BL
life, whether virtuous or vicious, depends, upon our choice', the CalvinifltM
scheme, as well as his own, all'ows of if. BW if he mean that a virtiioiu
choice originates in ourselves, and that we are the proper cause of i{,thil
can agree to jibthing but tHe Arminian notion of a selfrdetermining power
in the will ; and that, in fiiet, as he Jiimadf elsewheie observes, is mere
heathen stoicism whicft allows men to pray for external things, W
admonishes them that, as for virtue, it is our own, and must arise fii0
within ourselves, if we have it at all," p. 69.

ON HUMILITY. 407
powesrs of body and of mind are derived from him ; that he
ia tJ^ giver of every good and of every, perfect gift; and that
without him we can da and enjoy nothing ; bow can we con
ceive ourselves to he in a state of greater dependence, or
obligation; that is, what greater reason or foundation can
there possibly be for the exercise of humility ? If I believe
that I have a power to do the duty that God requires of me ;
yet^ as I also believe that that power is his gift, I must stiU
say, What have I that I have not reeeived? and how then
can I glory as if I had not received it?" *
It is true Dr. Priestley and, for aught I know, all other
writers, except Atheists, acknowledge themselves indebted
to God for the powers by which virtue is attained, and per
haps, for tbe means of attaining it ; but this is not acknow
ledging that we are indebted to him for virtue itself. Powers
and opportunities are mere natural blessings: they have no
virtue in them, but are a kind of talent, capable of being
improved or not improved. Virtue consists not in the
possession of natural powers, any more than in health, or
learning, or riches ; but in the use that is made of them.
God does not, therefore, upon this principle, give us virtue.
Dr. Priestley contends that as we are "God's workmanship,
and derive all our powers of body and mind from him, we
cannot conceive of ourselves as being in a state of greater
dependence upon hira." The Apostle Paul, however, teaches
the necessity of being "created in Christ Jesus unto good
works." According to Paul, we must become his workman
ship by a new creation, in order to tbe performance of good
works ; but, according to Dr. Priestley, the first creation is
sufficient. Now, if so, the difference between one man and
another is not to be ascribed to God ; for it is supposed that
God has given aU men the power of attaining virtue, and
tbat the difference between the virtuous man and his neigh
bour is to be ascribed to himself, in maldng a good use of
the powers and opportunities with which he was invested.
Upon this system, therefore, we may justly answer the ques
tion. What hast ihou which thou hast not reeeived? — " I have
virtue, and tbe promise of etewial life as its reward; and,
consequen%-, have whereof to glory." In short, the wkoie
of Dr. Priestley's concessions amount to nothing more thw
• Kff. Opin. g III.

408 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
the heathen stoicism which he elsewhere condemns. Those
ancient philosophers could not deny that all their powerf^
were originaUy derived from above; yet they maintained
"tbat as for virtue it is our own, and must arise /row within
ourselves, if we have it at all."
I do not deny that all men have natural powers, together
with means and opportunities of doing good ; which, if they
Were but completely well-disposed, are equal to the perform
ance of their whole duty. God requires no more of us than
to love and serve him with all our strength. These powers
and opportunities render tbem accountable beings, and will
leave them without excuse at the last day. But, if they are
not rightly disposed, all tbeir natural powers will be abused;
and tbe question is. To whom are we indebted for a change
of disposition ? If to God, we have reason to lie in the dust,
and acknowledge it was be that " quickened us, when we-were
dead in sins: " if to ourselves, the doctrine of the Stoics -wiU
be estabUshed, and we shall have "whereof to glory."

LETTER X.

ON CHARITY : IN WHICH IS CONSIDEEED THE CHARGE OP
BIGOTRY.
_ The main reason why we are accused of spiritual pride,
bigotry, uncharitableness, and the like, is the importance
which we ascribe to some of our sentiments. Vie^wing them
as essential to Christianity, we cannot, properly speaking,
acknowledge as Christians those who reject them. It is this
which provokes the resentment of our opponents, and induces
them to load us with opprobrious epithets. We have already
touched upon this topic, in the Letter on Candour, but will
now consider it more particularly.
It is aUowed that we ought not to judge of whole bodies
of men by the denomination under which they pass, because
names do not always describe the real principles they em
brace. It is possible that a person who attends upon a very
unsound ministry may not understand or adopt so much of
the system which he hears inculcated as that his disposition

ON CHARITY. 409
shall be formed, or his conduct regulated by it. I have
heard, from persons who have been much conversant with
Socinians, that though in general they are of a loose dis
sipated turn of midd, assembUng in tbe gay circles of plea
sure, and foUowing tbe customs and manners of the world ;
yet that there are some among them who are more serious ;
and that these, if not in their conversation, yet in tbeir
solemn addresses to the Almighty, incline to the doctrines of
Calvinism. This perfectly accords with Mrs. Barbauld's
representation of the matter, as noticed towards the close of
the Sixth Letter. These people are not, properly speaking,
Socinians ; and therefore ought to be left quite out of the
question. For the question is. Whether as believing in tbe
deity and atonement of Christ, with other correspondent
doctrines, we be required, by the charity inculcated in the
gospel, to acknowledge, as fellow Christians, those who
thoroughly and avowedly reject tbem.
It is no part of tbe business of this Letter to prove that
these doctrines are true ; this at present I have a right to
take for granted. The fair state of the objection, if delivered
by a Socinian, would be to this effect : " Though your senti
ments should be right, yet by refusing to acknowledge, as
fellow Christians, others who differ from you, you over-rate
their importance, and so violate the charity recommended by
the gospel." To the objection, as thus stated, I shall endea
vour to reply.
Charity, it is aUowed, will induce us to put the most
favourable construction upon things, and to entertain the
most favourable opinion of persons, tbat truth wiU admit.
It is far from the spirit of Christianity to indulge a censo
rious temper, or to take pleasure in drawing unfavourable
conclusions against any person whatever ; but the tenderest
disposition towards mankind cannot convert truth into false
hood, or falsehood into truth. Unless, therefore, we reject
the Bible, and the beUef of any thing as necessary to salva
tion, though we should stretch our good opinion of men to
the greatest lengths, yet we must stop somewhere. Charity
itself does not so believe all things as to disregard truth and
evidence. We are soraetimes reminded of our Lord's com
mand, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." This language is,
doubtless, designed to reprove a censorious disposition, which

410 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
leads people to pa"9S m^t judgment, or to discern a mote in
a brother's eye, while they are blind to a beam in their own;
but it cannot be intended to forbid all judgment whatever,
even upon characters; for this would be contrary to what
our Lord teaches in tbe same discourse, warning his disciples
to beware ef false prophets, who would come to them in
sheep's clothing : adding, " Ye shall know them by their
fruits." Few pretend tbat we ought to think favourably
of profligate characters, or tbat it is any breach of charity
to think unfavourably concerning them. But, if the wor^
of our Lord be understood as forbidding all judgment what
ever upon characters, it must be wrong to pass any judgment
upon them. Nay, it must be wrong for a minister to declare
to a drunkard, a thief, or an adulters, that, if he die in his
present condition, he must perish; because, this is judging the
party not to be in a state of salvation.
All the use that is conamonly made of our Lord's words is
in favour of sentiments, not of actions: but the scrijitures
make no such distinction. Men are there represented as
being under the wrath of God who have not beUeved on tke
name of the only-begotten Son of God; nor is there any
thing iatimated in our Lord's expressions, as if tbe judg
ment which he forbade his disciples to pass were to be con
fined to matters of sentiment. The judgment which is there
reproved is partial or wrong judgment, whether it be on
account of sentiment or of practice. Even those who plead
against judging persons on account of sentiment (many of
them at least) aUow themselves to think unfavourably b|
avowed infidels, who have heard the gospel, but continue to
reject it. They themselves, therefore, do judge unfavourably
Cff men on account of tbeir sentiments ; and must do so,
unless they will reject the Bible, which declares unbelievers^
-to be under condemnation.
Dr. Priestley, however, seems to extend his favourable
opinion to idolaJiera and infidels, without distinction. " All
differences in modes of worship," he says, " may be only the
different methods by which different men (who are equai!^
the offspring of God) are endeavouring to honour and ob^
their common parent." He also inveighs against a suppositi<(|
that the mere h»Ming of any opinions (so it seems the gretf
ajMsieles of our faith must be caUed) should exclude men fcAD

ON CHAKEPY. 411
the favour of God. It is true what he says is guarded so
much as to give the Mgument he engages to support a very
plausible appearance ; but withal so iU directed as not in the
least to affect that of his opponents. His words are these :
"Let those who maintain that the mere holding of any
opinions (without regard to the motives and state of mind
through which men may have been led to form them) will
necessarily exclude them from the favour of God, be par
ticularly careful with respect to tbe premises from which
they draw so alarming a conclusion." The counsel contained
in these words is undoubtedky very good. Those premises
ought to be weU founded from which such a conclusion is
drawn. I do not indeed suppose that any ground for such
a conclusion exists ; and who they are that draw it I cannot
teU. The mere holding of an opinion,, considered abstract
edly from the motive, or state of mind of him that holds it,
must be simply an exercise of inteUect ; and I am incUned
to think, has in it neither good nor evil. But the question
is, whether there be not truths ¦which from the nature of
them cannot be rejected, ¦without an evil bias of heart ; and
therefore, where we see those truths rejected, whether we
have not authority to conclude tbat such rejection must have
arisen from an evil bias.
If a man say, There is no God, the scripture teaches us to
consider it rather as the language of his heart than simply
of his judgment, and makes no scruple of calUng him a fool :
which, according to the scriptural idea of tbe term, is equal
to calling him a wicked man. And let it be seriously con
sidered, upon what other principle our Lord could send forth
his disciples to " preach the gospel to every creature," and
add, as he did, " He that beUeveth and is baptized shall be
saved; and he that beUeveth not shall be damned." Is it
not here plainly supposed that the gospel was accompanied
with suOh. evidence, that no intelligent creature could reject
it, but from an evil bias of heart, such as would justly expose
him to damnation ? If it had been possible for an intelligent
creature, after hearing the gospel, to think Jesus an impostor,
and his doctrine a Ue, ¦without any eril motive, or corrupt
state of mind ; I desire to know how the Lord of glory is to
be acquitted of something worse than bigotry in making such
a. declaration.

412 CALVINISTIC AND. SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
Because the mere holding of an opinion, irrespective of
the motive or state of mind in him tbat holds it, is neither
good nor evil, it does not follow that " aU differences in
modes of worship may be only the different methods by
which different men are endeavouring to honour and obey
their common Parent." The latter includes more than the
former. The performance of worship contains more than
the mere holding of an opinion ; for it includes an exercise
of the heart. Our Lord and his apostles did not proceed
on any such principle, when they went forth preaching the
gospel, as I hope has Ijeen sufficiently proved in the Letter
on Candour. The principles on which they proceeded were.
An assurance that they were of God, and that the whole
world were lying in wickedness — That he who was of God
would hear their words ; and he that was not of God would
not hear them. That he who believed their testimony set to his
seal that God was true; and he that believed it not made God
a liar. If we consider a beUef of the gospel, in those who hear
it, as essential to salvation, we shall be called bigots : but, ii
this be bigotry, Jesus Christ and his apostles were bigots ;
and the same outcry might have been raised against them,
by both Jews and Greeks, as is now raised against as.
Jesus Christ himself said to the Jews, " If ye believe not
that I am he, ye shall die in your sins : " and his apostles
went forth with the same language. They wrote and
preached that men "might beUeve that Jesus was the Christy
and that, believing, they might have life through his name."
Those who embraced their testimony they treated as in a
state of salvation ; and those who rejected it were told that
they had "judged themselves unworthy of everlasting Ufe."
In short, they acted as men fully convinced of the truth of
what their Lord had declared in their commission : " He that
beUeveth and is baptized shaU be saved; but he that beUeveth
not shall be damned."
To all this an unbeliering Jew might have objected in that
day, with quite as good a grace as Socinians object in thisjj
" These men think that our salvation depends upon receiring
their opinions ! Have we not been the people of God, and
in a state of salvation, time out of mind, without believingf
that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God ? Our fathers

ON CHARITY. 413
believed only in general that there was a Messiah to come ;
and were, no doubt, saved in that faith. We also believe
the same, and worship the same God: and yet, according
to these bigots, if we reject their opinion concerning Jesus
being the Messiah, we must be judged unworthy of ever
lasting life."
A heathen also, suppose one of Paul's hearers at Athens,
who had just heard him deUver the discourse at Mars-bill
(recorded in Acts xvii.), might have addressed his country
men in some such language as tbe following : " This Jewish
stranger, Athenians, pretends to make known to us 'the
unknown God.' Had be been able to make good his pre
tensions, and had this been all, we might have been obliged
to him. But this unknown God, it seems, is to take place
of all others that are known, and be set up at their expense.
You have hitherto, Athenians, acted worthy of yourselves ;
you have liberaUy admitted all the gods to a participation of
your worship ; but now, it seems, the whole of your sacred
services is to be engrossed by one. You have never been
used to put any restraint upon thought, or opinion ; but, with
the utmost freedom, have ever been in search of new things.
But this man tells us, we 'ought not to think tbat the God
head is like unto silver or gold ; ' as though we were bound
to adopt his manner of thinking, and no other. You have
been famed for your adoration of the gods ; and to this even
your accuser himself has borne witness; yet he has the
temerity to call us to repentance for it. It seems, then, we
are considered in the light of criminals, criminals on account
of our devotions — criminals for being too religious, and for
adhering to tbe religion of our ancestors ! Will Athenians
endure this ? Had he possessed tbe liberality becoming one
who should address an Athenian audience, he would have
supposed that, however we might have been hitherto mis
taken in our devotions, yet our intentions were good ; and
that ' all tbe differences in modes of worship, as practised by
Jews and Athenians (who are equally, by his own confession,
the offspring of God), may have been only different methods
by which we have been endeavouring to honour and obey our
common parent.' Nor is this aU ; for we are called to repent
ance, because this unknown God hath appointed a day in
which he will judge the world, &c. So, then, we are to re-

414 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
nounce our priiwiples and worsbij), and embrace his, on pain
of being called to give an account of it before a divine
tribunal. Future happiness is ito be confined to his sect;
and our eternal welfare 4e|pends upon our embracing lug
opinions ! Could your ears have Tseen insulted, Athenians,
¦with an harangue more replete with 'pride, arrogance, and
big&try ? '
"But, to say no more of this insulting language, the
importance he gives to his opinions, if there were no other
objection, must ever be a bar to thar being receissed at
Athens. You, Athenians, are friends to free inquiry. But,
should our philosophers turn Christians, instead of being
famous, as heretofore, for the search of new truth, they must
sink into a state of mental stagnatien. ' Those persons who
think that their salvation depends upon holding their present
opinions must necessarily entertain the greatest dread oifree
inquiry. They must think it to be haaaa-ding of tbeir eteraal
welfare to listen to any arguments, or to read any books, that
savour of idolatry. It must appear to tbem in the same light
as listening to any other temptation, whereby they would be
in danger of being seduced to their everlasting destruction.
This temper of mind cannot but be a foundation for the most
deplorable bigotry, obstinacy, and ignorance.'
" The Athenians, I doubt not, will, generally, abide fey
the religion of their foi^athers,: but, should any individual
think of turqing Christians, I trust they will never adopt
that illiberal principle of making their opinion necessary to
future happiness. While this man and bis followers hold
such a notion 'of the importance of their present sentiments,
they must needs live in the dread of aU free inquiry; whereas
we, who have not that idea of the importance of our present
sentiments, pireserve a state of mind proper for the discussion
of them. If we be wrong, as our minds are under no ^rong
bias, we ai'O withia the reach of conviction ; and thus are in
tbe way to grow wiser and better as long as we live.' "
By *he above it will appear that tbe Apostle Paul was just
as liable as we are to tbe charge of bigotry. These pairts
which are marked with single reversed commas are, wJii
only an alteration of the word heresy to ihat of idolatr§,0Bi^
words of Dr. Priestley in ^'the Second Section of his Con
siderations on Differences of Opinions." Judge, breti

ON CHAsarv. 415
whether these ¦jirords best fit the lips of a Christian minister
or of a heathen eariUer. The consequences alleged by the
supposed Athenian against Paul are far from just, and might
be easily re&ted: but they are the same, for substance, as
those alleged by Dr. Priestley against us ; and tbe premises
from which they are drawn are exacliy the same.
From tbe whole, I think it may safely be concluded, if
there be any sentiments taught us in tbe New Testament in
a clear and decided manner, this is one : Tha.t the Apostles
and primitive preachers considered the beUef of tbe gospel
"which they preached as necessary fo the salvation of those
who heard it.
But, though it should be allowed that a belief -of the
gospel is necessary to salvation, it "will stiU be objected, tbat
Socinians beUeve tbe gospel, as well as others ; tbeir Chris
tianity, therefore, ought not to be called in question on this
account. To this it is replied. If what Socinians believe be
indeed the gospel — in other words, if it be not deficient in
what is essential to the gospel — ^they undoubtedly ought to
be acknowle(^ed as Christians ; but, if other-wise, they ough*
not. It has been pleaded, by some who are not Socinians,
that we ought to think favourably of all who profess to
embrace Christianity, in general, unless their conduct be
manifestly immoral. But we have no such criterion afforded
us in tbe New Testament ; nor does it accord with what is
there revealed. The New Testament informs us of various
"wolves in sheep's clothing," who appeared among the
primitive Christians ; men who professed the Christian
name, but yet were, in reality, enemies to Christianity ; who
"perverted the g®spel of Christ," and introduced "another
gospel " in its place.
But these men, it is said, not only taught false doctrine,
but led immoral lives. If by immoral be meant gro^y
wicked, they certainly did not all of them answer to that
character. The contrary is plainly supposed in the account
of the false aposfles among tbe Corinthians ; who are caUe(?
" deceitful workers, itransfOTmdng themselves into the aposiies
of Christ. And no marvel ; for Satan himself is transformed
into an angel of Ught ; therefore it is no great thing if his
ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteous
ness." 2 Cor. xi. I would not hers be understood as drawing

416 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
a comparison between the false apostles and the Socinians.
My design, in this place, is not to insinuate any speciftj.
charge against them, but merely to prove that, if we judge
favourably of the state of every person who bears the Chris
tian name, and whose exterior moral character is fair, we
must judge contrary to the scriptures.
To talk of forming a favourable judgment from a pro
fession of Christianity in general, is as contrary to reason
and common sense as it is to the New Testament. Suppose
a candidate for a seat in the House of Comraons, on being
asked his poUtical principles, should profess himself a friend
to liberty in general. A freeholder inquires, " Do you dis
approve. Sir, of taxation without representation ?" " No."
" Would you vote for a reform in parliament ?" " No.''
"Do you approve of the liberty of the press ?" "No,''
Would this afford satisfaction ? Is it not comraon for men
to admit that in the gross which they deny in detail ? The
only question that can fairiy be urged is, Are the doctrines
which Socinians disown (supposing them to be true) of such
importance that a rejection of them would endanger their
salvation ?
It must be aUowed that these doctrines may be what -we
consider them, not only true, but essential to Christianity.
Christianity, like every other system of truth, must have
some principles which a"re essential to it : and, if those in
question be sucb, it cannot justly be imputed to pride or
bigotry, it cannot be uncharitable, or uncandid, or indicate
any want of benevolence to think so. Neither can it be
wrong to draw a natural and necessary conclusion, that those
persons who reject these principles are not Christians. To
think justly of persons is, in no respect, inconsistent with a
universal good will towards them. It is not, in the least,
contrary to charity to consider unbeUevers in the light in
which the scriptures represent them ; nor those who reject
what is essential to the gospel as rejecting the gospel itself.
Dr. Priestley will not deny that Christianity has its great
truths, though be wiU not allow the doctrines in question;to
make any part of them. " The being of a God— his con-'
stant over-ruUng providence and righteous moral govemm&t
— the divine origin of tbe Jewish and Christian revelations
— that Christ was a teacher sent from God — that he is our

ON CHARITY. 417
master, lawgiver, and judge — that God raised hira from the
dead — that he is now exalted at tbe right band of God —
that he will come again, to raise all tbe dead, and sit in
judgment upon them^— and that he will then give to every
one of us according to our works ; — these," he says, " are,
properly speaking, tbe only great truths of religion : and to
these not only the Church of England, and the Church of
Scotland, but even the Church of "Rome gives its assent.*
We see here that Dr. Priestley not only allows that there are
certain great truths of religion, but determines what, and
what "only," they are. I do not recollect, however, that
tbe false teachers in tbe churches of Galatia denied any one
of these articles ; and yet, without rejecting some of the
great and essential truths of Christianity, they could not
have perverted the gospel of Christ, or have introduced
another gospel.
But Dr. Priestley, it seems, though he allows the above to
be great truths, yet considers nothing as essential to Chris
tianity, but a belief of the divine mission of Christ. ' " While
a man beUeves," he says, "in the divine mission of Christ,
he might with as much propriety be called a Mahometan,
as be denied to be a Christian."! To call Socinians Maho
metans might, in most cases, be improper ; they' would still,
however, according to this criterion of Christianity, be
within the pale of tbe church ; for Mahomet himself, I sup
pose, never denied the divine mission of Christ, and very few
of those doctrines which Dr. Priestley calls " the only great
truths of religion." The doctor informs us tbat some people
consider him, already, as half a Mahometan." | Whether
this be just or unjust, according to his notions of Chris
tianity a Mahometan is to be considered as more than half a
Christian. He ought, if tbe above criterion be just, to be
acknowledged as a fellow Christian ; and the whole party,
instead of being tanked with heathenish and Jewish un
believers, as they are by this same writer, § ought to be con
sidered as a sect or denomination of Christians. The Doctor,
therefore, need not have stopped at the Church of Bome,
but might have added the Church of Constantinople, as
agreeing in his " only great truths of religion."
* Fam. Let. XXII. f Diff. Opin. § V. f Letters to Mr. Bum (Pref).
§ Fam. Let. XVII. Conclusion.
E E

418 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
I scarcely need to draw tbe conclusion which follows from
what has been observed : K not only those who perverted.
the gospel among the Galatians did, but even the Mahometans
may, acknowledge those truths which Dr. Priestley men
tions, they cannot be the only great, much less the distirt-
guishing truths of the Christian religion.
The difference between Socinians and Calvinists is not
about tbe mere circumstantials of religion. It respects
nothing less than the rule of faith, the ground of hope, and
the object of worship. If the Socinians be right, we are
not only superstitious devotees and deluded dependants upon
an arm of flesh (Jer. xvii. 5), but habitual idolaters. On
the other hand, if we be right, they are guilty of refusing to
subject their faith to the decisions of Heaven, of rejecting
the only way of salvation, and of sacrilegiously depriving
tbe Son of God of his essential glory. It is., true they do
not deny our Christianity on account of our supposed idol
atry ; but for this no reason can be assigned, except their
indifference to reUgious truth, and the deistical turn of their
sentiments. If the proper deity of Christ be a divine truth, it is a
great and a fundamental truth in Christianity. Socinians,
who reject it, very consistently reject the worship of Christ
with it. But worship , enters into the essence of religion ;
and the worship of Christ, according to the New Testament,
into the essence of tbe Christian religion. The primitive
Christians are characterized by their " calUng upon tbe name
of the Lord Jesus." Tbe apostle, when writing to the Co
rinthians, addressed himself " to the church of God at
Corinth, to them that were sanctified in Christ Jesus, called
to be saints, with all that in every place called upon the
name of Jesus Christ our Lord." * That this is designed as
a description of true Christians will not be denied ; but this
description does not include Socinians, seeing they call not
, •* Mr. Lindsey's observation, that "called upon the name of Christ,"
should be rendered. Called by the name of Christ, if applied to Kom. i
1 3, would make the scriptures promise salvation to every one that is called
a Christian. Salvation is promised to all who believe, love, fear, and caS
upon the name of the Zord ; but never are the possessors of it describei
by a mere accidental circumstance, in which they are not voluntary, >M
in which, if they were, there is no virtue.

ON CHARITY. 419
upon the name of Christ. The conclusion is, Socinians would
not have been acknowledged by the apostle Paul as true
Christians. *
If the deity of Christ be a divine truth, it must be tbe
Father's will that all men should honour the Son in the same
sense, and to the same degree, as they honour the Father;
and those who honour him not as God will not only be
found opposing the divine will, but are included in the
number of those who, by refusing to honour the Son, honour
not the Father who hath sent him ; which amounts to
nothing less than that the worship which they pay to the
Father is unacceptable in his sight.
If the deity of Christ be a divine truth, be is the object
of trust; and that not merely in the character of a witness,
but as Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength. This ap
pears to be another characteristic of true Christians in the
New Testament. "In his name shall the Gentiles trust."
" I know whom I have trusted ; and tbat he is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him." " In whom ye
also trusted, after ye beard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation." But, if it be a characteristic of true Chris
tianity so to trust in Christ as to commit the salvation of our
souls into his hands, how can we conceive of those as true
Christians who consider him only as a fellow creature, and,
consequently, place no such confidence in him ?
If men by nature be in a lost and perishing condition, and
if Christ came to seek and save them under those characters,
as he himself constantly testified, then all those that were
whole in their own eyes, and seemed to need no physician, as
the Scribes and Pharisees of old, must necessarily be ex
cluded from an interest in bis salvation. And in what other
light can those persons be considered who deny the depravity
of their nature, and approach the Deity without respect to
an atoning Saviour ? — Further :
If the death of Christ, as an atoning sacrifice, be tbe
only way of a sinner's salvation ; if there be " no other
name given under heaven, or among men, by which we must
be saved ;" — if this be tbe " foundation which God hath laid
in Zion;" — and if no other •wiU stand in the day of trial;
how can we conceive that those who deUberately disown it,
and renounce all dependence upon it for acceptance with
£ £ 2

420 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
God, should be yet interested in it ? Is it supposable that
they will partake oi that forgiveness of sins which believers
are said to receive for his sake, and through his name, who
refuse to make use of that name in any of their petitions ?
If the doctrine of atonement by the cross of Christ be a
divine truth, it constitutes the very substance of the gospel ;
and, consequently, is essential to it. Tbe doctrine of the
cross is represented in the New Testament as the grand pe
culiarity, and tbe principal glory of Christianity. It occu
pies a large proportion among the doctrines of scripture, and
is expressed in a vast variety of language. Christ "was
delivered for our offences, wounded for our transgressions,
bruised for our iniquities." " He died for our sins." " By
his deatb purged our sins" — is said to " take (or bear) away
tbe sins of tbe world" — to have "made peace through the
blood of his cross" — " reconciled us to God by his death" —
"redeemed us by his blood" — "washed us from our sins in
his own blood" — "by his own blood obtained eternal re
demption for us" — " purchased his church by his own blood,"
&c., &c. This kind of language is so interwoven with tbe
doctrine of the New Testament, that, to explain away the
one is to subvert the other. Tbe doctrine of the cross is
described as being, not merely an important branch of the
gospel, but the gbspel itself. " We preach Christ crucified ;
to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks fooUshness ;
but to them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God, and the vrisdom of God." " I determined
not to know anything among you^ save Jesus Christ and him
crucified." "Ah enemy to the cross of Christ" is only
another made of describing an enemy to the gospel.* It
was reckoned a sufficient refutation of any principle, if it
could be proved' to involve in it the consequence i of Christ's
having "died in vain." f Christ?s dying for our sins is not
only declared to be a diyine truth, "according to the scrip
tures," but a truth of such importance that the then present
standing and the flnal salvation of the Corinthians were
suspended upon their adherence to it. J In fine, the doctrine
of the cross is the central point in which all the lines of
evangelical truth meet and are united. What the sun is to
the system of nature, that the doctrine of the cross is to the
• 1 Cor. i. ii. t Gal. ii. + I Cor. xv.

ON CHARITY. 421
system of the gospel : it is the Ufe of it. the revolving
planets might as well exist and keep their course without
tbe attracting influence of the one, as a gospel be exhibited
worthy of the name tbat should leave out the othOr.
I am aware tbat Socinian writers do not allow the doc
trine of the atonement to be signified by that of the cross.
They would tell you tbat they believe in the doctrine of the
cross ; and allow it to have a relative or subordinate import
ance, rendering tbe truth of Christ's , resurrection ^oxe
evident, by cutting off all pretence that he was not reaUy
dead.* Whether this meagre sense of tbe phrase will agree
with the design of the apostle, in this and various other
passages in the New Testament — whether it contain a suffi
cient ground for that singular glorying of which he speaks,
or any principle by which the world was crucifled to hint and
he unto the world — let the impartial judge.. But, be this as
it may, the question here is not whether the doctrine, of
atonement be signified by that of the cross ; but, supposing
it to be so, whether it be of sucb importance as to render a
denial of it a virtual denial of Christianity. — Once more :
If we believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration, or
that a sinner must be renewed in the spirit of his mind, or
never enter the kingdom of God, in what Ught must we
consider those who plead for a reformation Only, and deny
the doctrine of a supernatural divine influence, by which a
new heart is given us and a new spirit is put within us?
Ought we, or can we, consider' them as the subject of a
divine change who are continually ridiculing the very idea
of it ?
It is common for our opponents to stigmatize us with the
name of bigots. Bigotry, if I understand it, is a blind and
inordinate attachment to one's opinions. If we be attached
to principles on account of their being ours, or because we
have adopted them, rather than because they appear to us to
be taught in the holy scriptures ; if we be attached to some
pecuUar principles to tbe neglect of others, or so as to give
them a greater proportion in the system than they require ;
if we consider things as being of greater importance than
the scriptures represent them ; if we obstinately adhere to
our opinions, so as to be averse to free inquiry, and not open
* Dr. Priestley's Sermon on " Glorying in the Cross."

422 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
to conviction ; if we make so much of principles as to be
inattentive to holy practice ; or if a difference in reUgious
sentiment destroy or damp our benevolence to tbe persons of
those from whom we differ ; in any of these cases we are
subject to the charge of bigotry. But we may consider a
belief of certain doctrines as necessary to salvation, without
coming under any part of the above description. We may
be attached to these doctrines, not because we have already
embraced them, but on account of tbeir appearing to us to
be revealed in tbe scriptures ; we may give them only that
degree of importance in our views of things which they
occupy there ; we may be so far friends to free inquiry as
impartially to search the scriptures, to see whether these
things be true, and so open to conviction as to relinquish our
sentiments when they are proved to be unscriptural ; we
may be equally attached to practical godliness, and to the
principles on which it is founded ; and notwithstanding our
ill opinion of the religious sentiments of men, and our appre
hensions of the danger of their condition, we may yet bear
good wilj to their persons, and wish for nothing more than
an opportunity of promoting their welfare, both for this hfe
and that which is to come.
I do not pretend that Calvinists are free from bigotry ;
neither are their opponents. What I here contend for is,
that their considering a belief of certain doctrines as neces
sary to salvation, unless it can be proved that they make
more of these doctrines than the scriptures make of them,
ought not to subject tbem to such a charge.
What is there of bigotry in our not reckoning the Soci
nians to be Christians, more than in their reckoning us
idolaters? Mr. Madan complained of tbe Socinians "in
sulting those of his principles with tbe charge of idolatry."
Dr. Priestley justified them by observing, " All who believe
Christ to be a man, and not God, must necessarily think it
idolatrous to pay him divine honours ; and to call it so is no
other than the necessary consequence of avowing our belief."
Nay, he represents it as ridiculous that they should "be
allowed to think tbe Trinitarians idolaters without being
permitted to call them so." * If Socinians have a right to
think Trinitarians idolaters, they have doubtless a rigbt to
» Fam. Let. VI.

ON CHARITY., , 423
call them so ; and, if they be able, to make it appear so ;
nor ought we to consider ourselves as insulted by it. I have
no idea of being offended with any man, in affairs of this
kind, for speaking what he believes to be the truth. Instead
of courting compliments from each other in matters of such
moment, we ought to encourage an unreservedness of ex
pression, provided it be accompanied with sobriety and
benevolence. But neither ought Socinians to complain of
our refusing to acknowledge them as Christians, or to impute
it to a spirit of bigotry ; for it amounts to nothing more
than avowing a necessary consequence of our beUef. If
we believe the deity and atonement of Christ to be essential
to Christianity, we must necessarily think those who reject
these doctrines to be no Christians ; nor is it inconsistent
with charity to speak accordingly.
Again : what is there of bigotry in our not allovdng the
Socinians to be Christians, more than in their not allowing
us to be Unitarians ? We profess to beUeve in the divine
unity as much as they do in Christianity. But they con-,
sider a oneness of person, as weU as of essence, to be essen
tial to the unity of God ; and therefore cannot acknowledge
us as Unitarians : and we consider the deity and atonement
of Christ as essential to Christianity, and therefore cannot
acknowledge them as Christians. We do not choose to call,
Socinians Unitarians, because tbat would be a virtual ac
knowledgment that we ourselves do not believe in the divine
unity ; but we are not offended at what they think of us ;
nor do we impute it to bigotry, or to any thing of the kind.
We know that while they think as they do on the doctrine
of the Trinity, our sentiments must appear to them as Tri-
theisra. We comfort ourselves in these matters with this,
that tbe thoughts of creatures uninspired of God are liable
to mistake. Such are theirs concerning us, and such are
ours concerning them ; and, if Socinians do indeed love our
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, it is happy for tbem. The
judgment of their feUow creatures cannot affect their state ;
and thousands who have scrupled to admit them among the
true followers of Christ in this world would rejoice to find
themselves mistaken in that matter at tbe last day.
It has been pleaded, by some who are not Socinians, that
a beUef in the doctrine of the atonement is not necessary

424 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
to salvation : they observe that the disciples of our Lordy
previously to bis death, do not appear to have embraced the
idea of a vicarious sacrifice ; and therefore conclude that a
vicarious sacrifice is not of the essence of faith. They add.
It was owing to prejudice, and consequently wrong, for the
disciples to disbelieve this doctrine ; and they admit the
eame thing with respect to Socinians ; yet, as the error in
the one case did not endanger their salvation, they suppose
it may not do so in the other. To this objection the foUow
ing observations are offered in reply : —
First : Those who object in this manner do not' suppose
tbe disciples of Christ to have agreed with Socinians in any
of their peculiar sentiments, except the rejection of a vica
rious sacrifice. They allow them to have believed in the
doctrines of human depravity, divine influence, the mira
culous conception, the pre-existence and proper deity of
Christ, the inspiration of the scriptures, 85c. The case of
the disciples, therefore, is far from being parallel with that
of the Sociniaqs.
Secondly : Whatever were the ignorance and error which
occupied the minds of tbe disciples, relative to the death of
their Lord, their case will not apply to that of Socinians, on
account of the difference in the state of revelation, as it
stood before and after that event. Were it even allowed
that the disciples did reject the doctrine of Christ being a
vicarious sacrifice ; yet tbe circumstances which they were
under render their case very different from ours. We can
perceive a very considerable difference between rejecting a
principle before, and after, a full discussion of it. It would
be a far greater evil, in the present day, to persecute men
for adhering to the dictates of their consciences, than it was
before the rights of conscience were so fully understood. It
may include a thousand degrees more guilt for this country,
at the present time, to persist in the slave-trade, than to
have done the same thing previously to the late inquiry on
tbat business. But the disparity between periods, with re
gard to the light thrown upon these subjects, is much less
than between the periods ^before and after tbe death of
Christ, with regard to tbe light thrown upon that subject.
The difference between the periods before , and after the
deatb of Christ was as great as between a period in which a

ON CHARITY. 425
prophecy is unaccomplished, and that in which it is accom
plished. There are many things that seem plain in pro
phecy, when the event is passed, which cannot then be
honestly denied : and it may seem wonderful that they
should ever have been overlooked, or mistaken ; yet over
looked or mistaken they have been, and that by men of solid
understanding and real piety.
It was after the death of Christ, when the means of know
ledge began to diffuse light around them, that the disciples
were, for the first time, reproved for their slowness of heart
to believe, in reference to this subject. It was after' the
death and resurrection of Christ, when "the way of salvation
was fully and clearly pointed out, that those who stumbled
at the doctrine of the cross were reckoned disobedient in such
a degree as to denominate tbem unbelievers, and tbat the
most awful warnings and threatenings were pointed against
them, as treading underfoot the blood of the Son of God. It
is true our Lord had repeatedly predicted his death, and it
was faulty in tbe disciples not to understand and telieve it ;
yet what he taught on tbat subject was but Uttle, when com
pared with what followed. Tbe " great salvation," as the
Apostle to tbe Hebrews expresses it, "first began to be
spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed " to the primitive
Christians " by those who heard him ;" but then it is added,
" God also bearing tbem witness, both with signs and won
ders; and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit,
according to his own wiU." Now, it is upon this accumula
tion of evidence that he asks, " How shall we escape, if we
neglect so great salvation?"*
A beUef in the resurrection of Christ is aUowed, on all
hands, to be essential to salvation; as it is an event upon
which the truth of Christianity rests.^f But the disciples of
Christ, previously to the event, were as much in the dark on
this article' asi on that of the atonement. Even to the last,
when he was actually risen from the dead, they visited his
tomb, in hope of finding him, and could scarcely beUeve their
senses, with respect to his having left it: "for as yet they
knew not the scripture, tbat he must rise again from the
dead." Now, if the resurrection of Christ, though but Uttle
understood before the event, may, after it, be considered as
* Heb. ii. 1—4. t 1 Cor. xv. 14, IS. Rom. x. 9.

426 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
essential to Christianity ; there is no reason to conclude but
that tbe same may be said of bis atonement.
Thirdly : It is not clear that tbe disciples did reject the
idea of a vicarious sacrifice. They had aU their lives been
accustomed to vicarious isacrifices : it is therefore very im
probable that they should be prejudiced against the idea
itself. Their objection to Christ's laying down bis life seems
to have been directed simply against his dying, rather than
against bis dying as a vicarious sacrifice. Could they have
been reconciled to the former, for anything that appears,
they would have readily acquiesced in the latter. Their
objection to the death of Christ seems to have been more
the effect of ignorance and misguided affection than of a
rooted opposition of principle; and therefore, when they
came to see clearly into the design, of his death, it is ex
pressed not as if they had essentially altered their sentiments,
but remembered the words which he had spoken to them ; oi
which, while their minds were beclouded with the notions of
a temporal kingdom, they could form no clear or consistent
ideas, and therefore had forgotten them. Luke xxiv. 1 — 8.
And, notwithstanding the ignorance and error which at
tended the disciples, there are things said of them which
apply much more than the objection would seem to allow : —
"Whither I go," said Christ, "ye know; and ,the way ye
know." As if he should say, I am not going to a strange
place, but to the house of my Father and of your Father :
with the way to which you are acquainted, and therefore
•will soon be with me. " Thomas said unto him. Lord we
know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the
way? Jesus said unto him, I am the way, tbe truth, and
the life : no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye
had known me, ye should have known my Father also : and
from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." From
this passage it appears, that the disciples had a general idea
of salvation through Christ, though they did not understand
particularly how it was to be accompUshed. Farther: Christ
taught his hearers, saying, "except ye eat my flesh and drink
my blood, ye ,have no life in you: " — "and the bread that I
will give is my flesh, tbat I will give for tbe life of the
world." On this occasion, many of his nominal disciples
were offended, and "walked no more with him;" but thfe

ON CHARITY. 427
true disciples were not offended. On the contrary, being
asked, "Will ye also go away? Peter answered. Lord, to
whom shaU we go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life."
From this passage it plainly appears, tbat the true disciples
of Christ were, even at that time, considered as believing so
much on tbe subject of Christ's giving himself for the life of
the world as to "eat his flesh and drink his blood;" for our
Lord certainly did not mean to condemn them, as having
"no life in them." So far were they from rejecting this
doctrine, that the sarae words at which the false disciples
were offended were to them "the words of eternal life."
Probably this great truth was sometimes more and some
times less apparent to their view. At those periods in which
their minds were occupied with the notion of a temporal
kingdom, or in which events turned up contrary to their
expectations, they would be all in darkness concerning it ;
yet, with all their darkness, and with all their doubts, it
does not appear to be a doctrine which they can be said to
have rejected.
No person, I think, who is open to conviction can be a
bigot, whatever be his religious sentiments. Our opponents,
it is true, are very ready to suppose that this is our general
character, and that we are averse from free inquiry : but this
may be more than they are able to prove. We acknowledge
that we do not choose to circulate books indiscriminately
among our friends which are considered by us as containing
false and pernicious doctrines; neither do other people.' I
never knew a zealous dissenter eager to circulate a book
containing high-church principles araong his children and
connexions ; nor a churchman those which contain the true
principles of dissent. In like manner, an Anti-trinitarian
will not propagate the best productions of Trinitarians. If
they happen to meet with a weak performance, in which the
subject is treated to disadvantage, they may feel no great
objection to make it public ; but it is otherwise with respect
to those in which it is treated to advantage. I have known
some gentlemen affecting to possess what has been called a
liberal mind who have discovered no kind of concern at the
indiscriminate circulation of Socinian productions; but I
have also perceived that those gentlemen have not been far
from tbeir kingdom of heaven. If any person choose to

428 CALVINISTIC and' SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
read the •writings of a Socinian, or of an atheist, he is at
Uberty to do so; but, as the " Monthly Reviewers " thenti-
selves observe, " Though we are always ready to engage in
inquiries after truth, and wish to see tbem at all times pro
moted ; yet we choose to avoid disseminating notions which
we cannot approve."*
As to being open to conviction ourselves, it has been
frequently observed, that Socinians discover as great an
aversion to the reading of our writings as we can discover
to the reading of theirs. Some will read them ; but not
many. Out of a hundred persons, whose minds lean towards
tbe Socinian systera, should you put into their hands a well-
written Calvinistic performance, and desire them carefully
and seriously to read it over, I question whether five would
comply with your request. So far, however, as my observ
ation extends, I can perceive in such persons an eagerness
for reading those writings which suit tbeir taste, and a con
tempt of others, equal, if not superior, to what is perceivable
in people of other denominations.
Dr. Priestley suggests that the importance which we give
to our sentiments tends to prevent an earnest and impartial
search after truth. "While they imbibe such a. notion of
their present sentiments they must needs," he says, " live in
the dread of all free inquiry; whereas we, who have not that
idea of the importance of our present sentiments, preserve a
state of mind proper for the discussion of them. If we be
wrong, as our minds are under no strong bias, we are within
the reach of conriction ; and thus are in the way to grow
wiser and better as long as we live."'f
Mr. Belsham, however, appears to think the very reverse.
He pleads, and I think very justly, tbat an idea of the non-
importance of sentiment tends to destroy a spirit of inquiry,
by becalming tbe mind into a state of indifference and
carelessness. He complains of those of bis own party (the
Socinians) who maintain that " sincerity is everything, that
nothing is of much value but an honest heart, and that
speculative opinions-^the cant name for those interesting
doctrines which tbe wise and good in every age have, thought
worthy of the most serious discussion — that these speculative
• Monthly Review Enlarged, Vol. VI, p. £55.
+ Diff. Opin. § II. •' '

ON CHARITY. 429
opinions, as they are opprobriously called, are of little use.
What is this," adds be, " but to pass a severe censure upon
those illustrious names whose acute and learned labours have
been successfuUy employed in clearing up tbe difficulties in
which these important subjects were involved ; to condemn
their own conduct, in wasting so much of their time and
pains upon such useless speculations ; and to check tbe pro
gress of religious inquiry and Christian knowledge ? Were
I a friend to the popular maxim — that speculative opinions
are of no importance, I would endeavour to act consistently
with my principles : I would content myself with believing
as my fathers believed ; I would take no pains to acquire or
diffuse knowledge ; I would laugh at every attempt to in
struct and to meliorate the world; I would treat as a visionary
and a fool every one who should aim to extend the limits of
science ; I would recommend to my fellow creatures that
they should neither lie nor defraud, tbat they should neither
swear falsely nor steal, should say their prayers as they have
been taught: but, as to anything else, that they need not
give themselves any concern ; for tbat "honesty was every
thing, and that every expectation of improring their circum
stances, by cultivating their understandings and extending'
their views, would prove delusive and chimerical."* !
None wiU imagine tbat I have quoted Mr. Belsham on
account of my agreement with him in the great principles
of the gospel. What he would reckon important truth I
should consider as pernicious error : and, probably, his views
of the importance of what be accounts truth are not equal
to what I have attempted to maintain. But in this general
principle we are agreed.. — 'That our conceiving of tmth as
being of but little importance, has a tendency to check free
inquiry rather than to promote it: which is the reverse of
what we are taught by Dr. Priestley.
To illustrate the subject more fuUy: Suppose the posses
sion of a precious stone, of a certain description, to entitle us
to tbe possession of some very desirable object; and suppose
that none Of any other description would answer the same
end; would that consideration tend to prejudice our minds
in favour of any stone we might happen to possess, or pre
vent an impartial and strict inquiry into its properties ?
• Serm. pp. 5, 6.

430 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
Would it not rather induce us to be more inquisitive and
careful, lest we should be mistaken, and so lose tbe prize ?
If, on the other hand, we could imagine that any stone
would answer the same end, or tbat an error in that matter
were of trifling importance as to the issue, would it not have
a tendency to promote a spirit of carelessness in our examina
tions ; and, as all men are apt, in such cases, to be prejudiced
in favour of what they already have, to make us rest con
tented with what we had in possession, be it what it might ?
It is allowed, however, tbat, as every good has its counter
feit, and as there is a mixture of human prejudices and
passions in all we think or do, there is danger of this prin
ciple degenerating into an unchristian severity ; and of its
being exercised at tbe expense of that benevolence which is
due to all men. There is nothing, however, in this view of
things, which, in its o^wn nature, tends to promote these
evils ; for the most unfavourable opinion of a man's principles
aud state may consist with the most perfect benevolence and
compassion towards his person. Jesus Christ thought as ill
of the principles and state of the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the generality of the Jewish nation, as any of us think
'of one another; yet he wept over Jerusalem, and to his last
hour sought her welfare. The apostle Paul had the same
conception of the principles and state of the generality of ids
countrymen as Christ himself had, and much the same as we
have of the Socinians. He considered them, though they
"followed after the law of righteousness," or were very
devout in their way, yet as " not having attained to the law
of righteousness ;" in other words, as not being righteous
persons ; which the Gentiles, who submitted to the gospel,
were. And " wherefore ? Because they sought it not by
faith, but as it were by the works of the law ? For they
stumbled at that stumbling-stone." Yet Paul, in the same
chapter, and in the most solemn manner, declared that be
had " great heaviness, and continual sorrow in bis beart." —
Nay, that he " could wish himself accursed frora Christ, for
his brethren's sake, his kinsraen according to the flesh!"
Bom. ix. 30.
But why need I say any more ? Dr. Priestley himself
allows all I plead for : " The man," says he, " whose sole
spring of action is a concern for lost souk, and a care to

LOVE TO CHRIST. 431
preserve the purity of that gospel which alone teaches the
most effectual method of tbeir recovery from the power of sin
and Satan unto God, will feel an ardour of mind that vrill
prompt him strenuously to oppose all those whom he con
siders as obstructing bis benevolent designs." He adds, " I
could overlook everything in a man who I thought meant
nothing but my everlasting welfare."* This, and nothing
else, is the temper of mind which I have been endeavouring
to defend ; and, as Dr. Priestley has here generously acknow
ledged its propriety, it becomes us to acknowledge, on the
other hand, that every species of zeal for sentiments in which
a concern for the everlasting welfare of men is wanting is an
unhallowed kind of fire ; for which whoever indulges \t will
receive no thanks from him whose cause he may imagine
himself to have espoused.

LETTER XI.

THE SYSTEMS COMPARED AS TO THEIR INFLUENCE IN
PROMOTING THE LOVE OP CHRIST.
If the holy scriptures be a proper medium by which to judge
of the nature of virtue, it must be allowed to include the
love of Christ ; nay, that love to Christ is one of tbe cardinal
virtues of the (jhristian scheme, seeing it occupies a most
important place in the doctrines and precepts of inspiration.
" He that loveth me," said Christ, " shall be loved of my
Father." — " If God were your Father, ye would love me." —
" Whom, having not seen, ye love ; in whom, though now ye
see him not, yet, beUeving, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory." — " Grace be with all them that love our
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." — "If any man love not the
Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maran-atha."
From these passages, with many others that might be
produced, we may conclude that love to Christ is not only a
Christian virtue, but essential to tbe very existence of Chris
tianity ; nay, to morality itself, if by that term be meant a
conformity to the moral law. Tbe foUo'sring Unes, though
* Diff. 0pm. § I.

432' -CALVINISTIC AND SOCINLiN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
expressed by la poet, contain more than a poetic flight, even
the-'^words of truth and soberness : —
"Talk they of Morals ? Oh thou bleeding Love,
, 'The grand morality is love of Thee !"
' In'judging which of the systems in question is most
adapted to promote love to Christ, it should seem sufficient
to determine which of tbem tends most to exalt his character,
which places bis mediation in the most important light, and
which represents us as most indebted to his undertaking.
With respect to the first: Every being commands our
affection in proportion to the degree of inteUect which he
possesses ; provided that his goodness be equal to his intel
ligence. We feel a respect towards an animal, and a concern
at its death, which we do not feel towards a vegetable ;
towards those animals which are very sagacious, more than
to those which are otherwise ; towards man, more than to
mere animals ; and towards men of enlarged powers, if they
be but good as well as great, more than to men in common.
According to the degree of intellect which they possess, so
much they have of being, and of estimation in the scale of
being. A raan is of " more value than many sparrows ;"
and the life of David was reckoned to be worth ten thousand
of those of tbe common people. It has been thought tO be
on this principle that God, possessing infinitely more exist
ence than all the creatures taken together, and being as good
as he is great, is to be loved and revered without bounds,
except those which arise from the limitation of our powers ;
that is, "with aU our heart, and soul, and mind, and
strength." Now, if these observations be just, it cannot be doubted
which of the systems in question tends most to promote the
love of Christ : that which supposes him to be equal, or one
with God ; or tbat which reduces him to the rank of a mere
feUow creature. In the same proportion as God himself is
to be loved above man, so is Christ to be loved, suppoMng
him to be truly God, above what he is, or ought to be,
supposing him to be merely a fellow man.
¦Tbe prophets, apostles, and primitive Christians seem to
have felt this motive in all its force. Hence, in tbeir various .
expressions of love to' Christ, they frequently mingle ac-

_ _ v>
LOVE TO CHRIST.

knowledgments of his divine dignity and excBHfeece-^ '^—^¦'i<
indeed, never seem afraid of going too far, o» c^honouriiig?-* \,
him too much ; but dwell upon the dignity ai^ gJ^y oi^his '¦^ \ ^
person as their darling theme. When David, lue^ita^d ^ >'
upon this subject, he was raised above himself, f ?^JNIy 5(5 >i
heart," saith be, "is inditing a good matter : I speal&Jof ' tfe />'
things which I have made touching tbe King : my fohgua •'
is as the pen of a ready writer. , Thou art fairer than the"
children of men." — "Thy throne, 0 God, is for ever and
ever : tbe sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre." —
" Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, 0 MOST mighty, with thy
glory and thy majesty." The expected Messiah was fre
quently the subject of Jsaiab's prophecies. He loved him ;
and bis love appears to have been founded on his dignity
and divine exceUency. " Unto us a child is born, unto us a
son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder ;
and his name shaU be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the
MIGHTY God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."
He thus describes the preaching of John the Baptist : —
" Tbe voice of him that crieth in the wilderness. Prepare ye
the way of Jehovah, make straight in tbe desert a highway
for OUR God." — "Behold, the Lord God will come with a
strong hand, and bis arm shall rule for him ; behold, his
reward is with hira, and bis work before him. He shall
feed his flock like a shepherd ; He. shall gather the lambs
with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently
lead those tbat are with young." Zacbarias, tbe father of
John the Baptist, so loved tbe Messiah as to rejoice in his
own child chiefiy because he was appointed to be his prophet
and forerunner. "And thou, child," said tbe enraptured
parent, " shalt be called tbe prophet of the Highest : for
thou shalt go before the face of tbe Lord, to prepare his
ways,*' Luke i. John the Baptist himself, when the Jews
artfuUy endeavoured to excite bis jealousy on account of
the superior ministerial success of Christ, replied, " Ye your
selves bear me witness that I said I am not the Christ. He
that hath the bride is the bridegroom : but the friend of
the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth
greatly because of the bridegroom's voice : this my joy
therefore is fulfilled." — "He that cometh from above is above
p p

434 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
all : he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the
earth : He that cometh from heaven is above all."*
The apostles, who saw the Lord, and who saw tbe accom
plishment of what the prophets foretold, were not disap
pointed in him'. Their love to him was great, and their
representations of his person and character ran in tbe same
exalted strain. " In the beginning was the word," said the
beloved disciple, " and tbe word was with God, and the
word Tvas God. The same was in the beginning with God.
All things tvere made by him, and without him was not any
thing made that was made. He was in the ¦world, and tke
world was made by him, and the world knew him not. And
the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we
beheld his glory, the glory a,s of the only begotten of the
Father) full of grace and truth." Thomas insisted upon an
unreasonable kind of evidence of tbe resurrection of his Lord
from the dead ; saying, " Except I shall see in his hands the
print of tbe nails, and put my finger into the print of the
nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I wiU not believe."
When reproved by our Lord's offering to gratify him in bis
incredulous proposal, he confessed, with a mixture of shame,
grief, and affection, that, however unbelieving he bad been,
he was now satisfied that it was indeed bis Lord, and no
other ; saying, " My Lord and my God J " The whole
Epistle to the Hebrews breathes an ardent love to Christ,
and is intermingled with the same kind of language. Jesus
is there represented as " upholding all things by ihe word of
his power ;" as the object of angelic adoration ; as he to
whom it was said, " Thy throne, 0 God, is for ever and
ever/' as be who "laid the foundation of the earth," and
concerning whom it is added, " the heavens ari the work of
thine hands ;" as supepor to Moses, the one being the builder
and owner oi the house, even God tbat built all thing? ; and
the other only a servant in it ; as superior to Aaron and to
all those of his order, " a great high priest, — Jesus the Son
¦^ John iii. 28 — 31. Query, In what sense could Christ be said to come
from above, even from heaven, if he was merely a man, and came into the
world like other men 1 It could not be on account of his office, or of his
receiving bis mission from God ; for, in that sense, John was from heaven
as well as he. 'Was it not for the same reason which John elsewhere gives
for his being " preferred before him," viz. that " He was before him f"

LOVE TO CHRIST. 435
of God;'' and, finaUy, as infinitely superior to angels; for
" to which of the angels said he at any time. Thou art my
Son ; or. Sit on my right hand ? " Hence the gospel is con
sidered as exhibiting " a great salvation ! " and those who
neglect it are exposed to a recompense of wrath which they
shall not escape.
Paul could scarcely mention the name of Christ without
adding some strong encomium in his praise. When he was
enumerating those things which rendered his countrymen
dear to hira, he raentions their being Israelites, to whom per
tained the adoption, and the glory, and tbe covenants, and
the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the pro
mises ; whose were the fathers, and of whom, as concerning
the fiesh, Christ came. Here, it seems, he might have
stopped : but, having mentioned the name of Christ, he
could not content himself without adding. Who is over all,
God blessed for ever. Amen. Rom. ix. Having occasion
also to speak of him in bis epistle to the Colossians (chap, i.)
as " God's dear Son, in whom we have redemption through
his blood, even the forgiveness of sins," he could not forbear
adding, " Who is tbe image of the invisible God, the first
born of every creature. For by him were all things created
that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and in
visible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
powers : all things were created by him, andybr him. And
he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
And now, brethren, I might appeal to you on tbe justness
of Dr. Priestley's assertion, that "in no sense whatever,
not even in the lowest of all, is Christ so much as called
God in all the New Testament."* I might appeal to you
whether such language as the above would ever have pro
ceeded from the sacred writers, bad they embraced tbe scheme
of our opponents. But, waiving these particulars, as irrela
tive to the immediate point in hand, I appeal to you whether
such love as the prophets and apostles expressed towards
Christ could consist with his being merely a fellow creature,
and their considering him as such ; whether the manner in
which they expressed tbat love, upon tbe principles of our
opponents, instead of being acceptable to God, could have
been any other than the height of extravagance, and the
* Letters to Mr. Bum,. Letter I.
F P 2

436 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
essence of idolatry. Judge also for yourselves, brethren,
which of tbe systems in question has the greatest tendency
to promote such a spirit of love to Christ as is here ex
emplified : that which leads us to admire these representar
tions, and, on various occasions, to adopt the same ex
pressions ; or that which employs us in coldly criticising
away their meaning : tbat which leads us, without fear, to
give them their fuU scope ; or that which, while we are
honouring the Son, would excite apprehensions, lest we
should, in so doing, dishonour the Father.
The next question to be discussed is, Which of the two sys
tems places the mediation of Christ in the most important point
of light? That system^ doubtless, which finds tbe greatest use
for Christ, or in which be occupies the most important place,
must have the greatest tendency to promote love to him.
Suppose a system of politics were drawn up, in which civil
liberty occupied but a very small portion, and was generaUy
kept out of view ; or if, when brought forward, it was
either for the purpose of abating tbe high notions which
some people entertain of it, or, at least, of treating it as a
matter not absolutely necessary to good civil government ;
who would venture to assert that such a system was friendly,
or its abettors friends to civil liberty ? This is manifestly a
case in point. Tbe Socinian system , has but little use for
Christ ; and none at all as an atoning sacrifice. It scarcely
ever mentions him, unless it be to depreciate those views of
his dignity which others entertain, or in such a way as to
set aside the absolute necessity of bis mediation.
It i^ not so in our views of things. We flnd so much use
for Christ, if I may so speak, that be appears as the soul
which animates the whole body of our divinity ; as tbe
centre of the system, diffusing light and life to every part of
it. Take away Christ ; nay, take away the deity and atone
ment of Christ, and tbe whole ceremonial of the Old Testa
ment appears to us little more than a dead mass of uninte-;
resting matter: prophecy loses all that is interesting and
endearing : the gospel , is annihilated, or ceases to be that
good news to lost sinners which it professes to be ; practical
religion is divested of its most powerful motives ; the evan
gelical dispensation of its peculiar glory ; and heaven itself
of its most transporting joys.

LOVE TO CHRIST. 437
The sacred penmen appear to have written all along upon
the same principles. 'They considered Christ as the All in
all of their reUgion ; and, as such, they loved him with their
whole hearts. Do they speak of the " first tabernacle ?"
They call it a " figure for the time then present, in which
were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make
hira that did the service perfect as pertaining to the con
science." — "But Christ being come a high priest of good
things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle,
not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building ;
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own
blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having ob
tained eternal redemption for us." Do they speak of pro
phecy ? They call the testimony of Jesus the " spirit " of
it. Rev. xix. 10. Of the gospel ? It is the doctrine of
" Christ crucified." Of the medium by which the world was
crucified to tbem, and they to the world ? It is the same.
The very "reproach of Christ" had a value stamped upon
it, so as, in their esteem, to surpass all the treasures of the
present world. One of the most affecting ideas which they
afford us of heaven consists in ascribing everlasting glory
and dominion " to hira that loved us, and washed us from
our sins in his own blood. Ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands, were heard with a loud voice,
saying. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and
glory, and blessing."
Let us select a particular instance in the character of Paul.
This apostle seemed to be swallowed up in love to Christ.
His mercy to him, as one of the "chief of sinners," had
bound his heart to him with bonds of everlasting gratitude.
Nor was this all ; he saw that glory in his person, office,
and work, which eclipsed the exceUence of all created ob
jects, which crucified the world to him, and him unto tbe
world. " What things were gain to me, those I counted
loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but
loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things." Nor
did he now repent ; for he immediately adds, " And do count
them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him ;
not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but

438 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith."— " That I may knowhim, an^
the power of his resurrection, and the feUowship of his
sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." When
his friends wept because be would not be dissuaded from going
to Jerusalem, he answered, " What mean ye to weep, and to
break mine heart ? For I am ready, not to be bound only,
but also to die at Jerusalem, /or the name of the Lord Jesus."
Feeling in himself an ardent love to Christ, be vehemently
desired that others might love him to. For this cause he
bowed bis knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in
behalf of the Ephesians ; praying that Christ might dwell
in tbeir hearts by faith. He represented him to them as
the medium of all spiritual blessings ; of election, adoption,
acceptance with God, redemption, and the forgiveness of
sins ; of a future inheritance, and of a present earnest of it;
as head over all things to the church, and as him th&t fUMh
all in all. He described him as the only way of access to
God, and as tke sole foundation of a sinner's hope ; whos?
riches were unsearchable, and the dimensions of love passing
knowledge. If any drew back, or deviated from the simplicity of the
gospel, he felt a most ardent thirst for their recovery : wit:
ness bis epistles to the Corinthians, the Galatians, and (if,
as is generally supposed, he was the writer of it) to th*
Hebrews. If any one drew back, and was not to be re'
claimed he denounced against him the divine declaration,
" My soul shall have no pleasure in him." And, whatever'
might be the mind of others, like Joshua, he was at a point
'himself : " Henceforth," he exclaims, " let no man trouble
me ; for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus."
If he wished to " live," it was for Christ ; or, if to " die,"
it was to be with him. He invoked the bast of blessings on
those who loved the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity ; and
denounced an "anathema maran-atha" on those who loved
him not.
The reason why I have quoted all these passages is to
show tbat the primitive gospel was full of Christ ; or that
Christ was, as it were, the centre and the life of the evan
gelical system ; and that this, its leading and principal cha-
-racteristic, tended wonderfully to promote the love of Christ.

LOVE TO CHRIST. 439
Now, brethren, let me appeal to you again : 'Which of the
systems in question is it which resembles that of tbe apos
tles in this particular, and consequently^ has the greatest
tendency to promote love to Christ ? That of which Christ
is the All in all ; or that in which he is scarcely ever intro
duced, except for the purpose of representing him as a
" mere fellow creature, a fallible and peccable man ?"
The third aud last question to be discussed (if indeed it
need any discussion) is. Which of the two systems repre
sents us as most indebted to Christ's undertaking ? Our
Lord himself has laid it down as an incontrovertible rule
tbat those who have much forgiven wiU love him miich,
and tbat those who have little forgiven will love him but
Uttle. That system, therefore, which supposes us tbe
greatest debtors to forgiving love, must needs have the
greatest tendency to promote a return of love.
Our views with respect to the depravity of human nature
are such that, upon our system, we have much more to be
forgiven than our opponents have upon theirs. We suppose
ourselves to have been utterly depraved ; our very nature
totally corrupted ; and, consequently, that all our supposed
virtues, while our hearts were at enmity with God, were
not virtue in reality, but destitute of its very essence. We
do not therefore, conceive of ourselves, during our unre
generacy, as having been merely stained by a few imper
fections ; but as altogether polluted, by a course of apostasy
from God, and black rebeUion against him. That which, is
called sin by our opponents must consist chiefiy, if not en
tirely, in the irregularity of a man's outward conduct ; else
they could not suppose, as Dr. Priestley does, that " Virtue
bears the same proportion to vice tbat happiness does to
misery, or health to sickness, in the world :" * that is, tbat
there is much more of the former than of the latter. But
the merely outward irregularities of men bear no more pro
portion to the whole of their deprarity, according to our
views of it, than tbe particles of water which are occasionally
emitted from the surface of the ocean to the tide that rolls •
beneath. The religion of those who make sin to consist in
Uttle besides exterior irregularities, or who conceive of the
virtues of men as greatly exceeding their vices, appears to
» Let. Phil. T^nb. Vol. I. Let. V.

440 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
US to resemble tbe religion of Patil, previously to his con
version to Christianity. While he thought of nothing but
the irregularities of his exterior conduct, his virtues doubt
less appeared to him to outweigh his vices, and therefore he
concluded all was weU ; tbat be was in a fair way to ever-'
lasting happiness ; or, as be himself expresses it, " aUve
without the law.'' But when, through tbe glass of that
divine "commandment" which prohibits the very inclina
tion to evil, he saw the corruption that reigned within,
transgression assumed a very different appearance ; it was
then a mighty ocean, that swelled and swept off all his legal
hopes. "Sin revived," and be died. In short, our views of
human depravity induce us to consider ourselves by nature,'
as unworthy, as lost, and ready to perish : so that, if we are
saved at aU, it must be by rich grace, and by a great Sa
viour. I scarcely need to draw the conclusion, that, having-
according to our system most to be forgiven, we shall, if we~
truly enter into it, love most.
Further : our system supposes a much greater malignity
in sin than that of our opponents. When we speak of sin,
we do not love to deal as Mr. Belsham does in extenuatmg
names. We find no authority for calling it " human frailty,"
or for affixing any idea to it that shall represent us rather as
objects worthy of the compassion of God than as subjects of
that which bis soul abborreth. We do not see how Mr.
Belsham, or those of his sentiments, while they speak of
mdral evil in so diminutive a style, can possibly conceive of
it, after the manner of the inspired writers, as an " evil and
bitter thing : " or, as it is expressed in tbat remarkable
phrase of the apostle Paul, "exceeding sinful."*
Our opponents deny sin to be, in any sense, an infinite
* The expression, " exceeding sinfiil," is very forcible. It resembles the
phrase, " far more exceeding," or rather, excessively exceeding, in 2 Cor.
iv. 7. It seems that the Holy Spirit himself could not find a worse name
for sin than its own. If we speak of a treacherous person, we call him a
" Judas :" if of Judas, we call him a " devil ;" but if of Satan, we want a
comparison, because we find none that is worse than himself: we must
therefore say, as Christ did, " When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his
own." It was thus with the apostlfe, when speaking of the evil of his own
heart, " That sin by the commandment might become "— what ? He
wanted a name worse than its own— he could not find one — ^he therefore '
unites a strong epithet to the thing itself, calling it " exceeding sinful,"

LOVE TO CHRIST. 441
evil ; or, which is the same thing, deserving of endless
punishment, or that such punishment will follow upon it.
Nobody, indeed, supposes that sin is, in all respects; infinite.
As committed by a finite creature, and admitting of different
degrees, it must be finite, and will doubtless be punished
hereafter with different degrees of punishment ; but, as com
mitted against a God of infinite excellence, and as tending
to infinite anarchy and mischief, it must be infinite. All
that is meant, I suppose, by calling sin an infinite evil, is
tbat it is deserving of endless punishment ; and this can
never be fairly objected to as an absurdity. If there be no
absurdity in the imraortaUty of a sinner's existence, there is
none in supposing him to deserve a punishment, be it in
what degree it may, that shall run commensurate with it.
There is no absurdity in supposing a sinner to have been
guilty of such crimes as to deserve misery for as long a
duration as he is capable of sustaining it. But, whatever
may be said as to the truth or falsehood of this sentiment,
thus much is clear, that, in proportion as our opponents
conceive diminutively of tbe evil of sin, they diminish the
grace of forgiveness ; and if that forgiveness come to us
through Christ, as is plainly irapUed in their loving him
most who have most forgiven, it must needs follow that, in
the same proportion, the love of Christ is sapped at the
foundation. Once more : The expense at which we suppose our for
giveness to have been obtained, is a consideration which en
dears to us both the gift and the giver. We do not conceive
of Christ, in his bestowment of this blessing upon us, as
presenting us •with tbat which cost him nothing. If the
portion given by Jacob to his son Joseph was heightened
and endeared by its being obtained " by tbe sword and tbe
bow," much more is a title to eternal life, by its being
obtained through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is
this that attracts the hearts of those who are described as
singing a new song to their Redeemer, " Thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."
It does not appear, from anything I have seen, that the
system of our opponents can, ¦with any plausibility, be pre
tended to equal ours, respecting love to Christ. All that

442 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINLiN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
can be alleged, with any colour of reason ; all, at least, that
I have noticed, is this, Tbat, in proportion as we, in this
way, furnish motives of love to Christ, we detract from
those of love to tbe Father, by diminishing the freeness of
his grace, and exhibiting him as one tbat was incapable
of bestowing forgiveness, unleSs a price was paid for it. To
this it is replied : If the incapacity of the Father to show
mercy without an atoneraent consisted in a want of love, or
anything of natural iraplacability, or even a reluctance to
tbe bestowment of mercy, there would be force in the objec
tion ; but, if it be no other than tbe incapacity of a righteous
governor, who, whatever good will he may have to an
offender, cannot bear the thought of passing by the offence
without some public expression of displeasure against it —
that, while mercy triumphs, it may not be at the expense of
law, of equity, and of the general good — such an incapacity
rather infers a perfection than an imperfection in his nature ;
and, instead of diminishing our regard for his character,
must have a powerful tendency to increase it.

LETTER XII
ON VENERATION FOR THE SCRIPTURES.
If we may judge of the nature of true piety by tbe examples
of the prophets and holy men of old, we may conclude with
certainty, that an affectionate attachment to the holy scrip
tures, as tbe rule of faith and practice, enters deeply into the
spirit of it. The holy scriptures were described by David,
under the names of the word, statutes, laws, precepts, judg
ments, and testimonies oi God ; and to these, all through, the
Psalms, especially in the 1 19th, he professes a most ardent
attachment. Such language as the following was very
common with him, as well as others of tbe Old Testament
writers : " 0 how I love thy law !" — " Thy word is a lamp
unto my feet, and a light unto my path." — " Open thou mine
eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." —
" My soul breaketh for tbe longing that it hath unto thy
judgments at all times." — " Thy words were found, and I
did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy and re-

¦VENERATION FOR THE SCRIPTURES. 443
joicing of my heart." — " Thy statutes have been my song in
the house of -my pilgrimage." — " The law of thy mouth is
better to me than thousands of gold and silver."
Dr. Priestley often professes great regard for the sacred
writings, and is very severe on Mr. Burn, for suggesting
that he denied "the infaUibiUty of the apostolic testimony
concerning the person of Christ." He also teUs Dr. Price,
" No man can pay a higher regard to proper scripture au
thority than I do." We may, therefore, take it for granted,
that a regard for tbe authority of scripture is a virtue : a
virtue that our opponents, as well as we, would be thought
to possess.
I wish, in this Letter, to inquire, supposing the sacred
writers to have been honest and good men. What a regard
to the proper authority of tbeir writings includes, and to
compare it ¦with tbe avowed sentiments of our adversaries.
By these means, brethren, you raay be tbe better able to
judge for yourselves whether the spirit which animates the
whole body of the Socinian divinity does not breathe a lan
guage unfriendly to the sacred writings, and carry in it
something hostile to every thought being subdued to the
obedience of Christ.
In order to judge of a regard for proper scriptural autho
rity, it is necessary, in the flrst place, to have recourse to
the professions of tbe sacred writers concerning what they
¦wrote. If any man venerate the authority of scripture, he
must receive it as being what it professes to be, and for all
the purposes for which it professes to 'be written. If the
scriptures profess to be divinely inspired, and assume to be
the infallible standard of faith and practice, we must either
receive tbem as such, or, if we would be consistent, disown
the ¦writers as impostors.
The professions of the sacred writers are as follow :
" The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was
in my tongue : the God of Israel said, tbe Rock of Israel
spake to me." — "Thus saith the Lord." — "And Jehoshapbat
stood, and said. Hear me, 0 Judah, and ye inhabitants of
Jerusalem, believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be
estabUshed ; beUeve his prophets, so shaU ye prosper."
New Testament ¦writers bear ample testimony to the in
spiration of those under the Old Testament. " All scripture

444 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
is given by inspiration of God ; and is profitable for doc
trine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous
ness ; tbat the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good works." — " No prophecy of the scrip
ture is of private interpretation " — it is not to be considered
as the private opinion of a fallible man, as tbe case is ¦with
other productions — " for the prophecy canie not in old time
by the will of man, but holy raen of God spake as they
were raoved by the Holy Spirit."
Nor did tbe New Testaraent writers bear testiraony to the
inspiration of the prophets only ; but considered tbeir own
writings as equally inspired : " If any man think himself to
be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the
things that I write unto you are the commandments of the
Lord." Peter ranks the Epistles of Paul with " other scrip
tures." There seems to have been one instance in which
Paul disowned his having received any " commandment from
the Lord," and in which he proceeded to give his own
private "judgment " (1 Cor. vii.) ; but this appears to have
been a particular exception from a general rule, of which
notice was expressly given ; an exception, therefore, which
tends to strengthen, rather than to weaken, the argument
for apostolic inspiration.
As tbe sacred writers considered themselves as divinely
inspired, so they represented their writings as the infallible
test of divine truth, to which all appeals were to be made,
and by which every controversy in reUgious matters was to
be decided. " To the law and to the testimony : if they
speak not according to this word, it is because there is no
light in them." — " These are the true sayings of God." —
" That which is noted in the scriptures of truth." " What
saith the scripture ?" " Search the scriptures ; for in tbem
ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which
testify of me." The Bereans " searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so."
The sacred writers did not spare to denounce the most
awful judgments against those who should either pervert
their writings, add to them, or detract from them. Those
who wrested the apostolic Epistles are said to have "wrested
them, as they did the other scriptures, to their own destruc
tion." " Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any

VENERATION FOR THE SCRIPTURES. 445
other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached
unto you, let him be accursed." "What thing soever I com
mand you, observe to do it : thou shalt not add thereto, nor
diminish front it." " If any raan shall add unto these things,
God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this
book. And if any raan shall take away from the words of
the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out
of the book of life." Nothing short of the most perfect
divine inspiration could justify such language as this, or
secure those who used it from the charge of bold presump
tion and base imposition.
Dr. Priestley often' professes great regard for the scrip
tures, and, as has been observed before, is very severe on
Mr. Burn for representing him as denying " the infallibility
of the apostolic testimony concerning the person of Christ."
Far be it from me to wish to represent tbe sentiments of Dr.
Priestley in an unfair manner, or in such a light as he him
self could justly disavow. All I mean to do is to quote a
passage or two from bis own writings, and add a few remarks
upon them.
Speaking in favour of reverence for the sacred writings,
he says, "Not that I consider the books of scripture as
inspired, and, on that account, entitled to this high degree
of respect, but as authentic records of the dispensations of
God to mankind, with every particular of which we cannot
be too well acquainted."
Again: "If you wish to know what, in my opinion, a
Christian is bound to believe with respect to tbe scriptures,
I answer, that the books which are universally received as
authentic, are to be considered as faithful records of past
transactions, and, especially, the account of tbe intercourse
which the Divine Being has kept up with mankind from the
beginning of tbe world to the time of our Saviour and his
apostles. No Christian is answerable for more than this.
The writers of the books of scripture were men, and there
fore yaZZiSZe; but all that we have to do with tbem is in the
character of historians and witnesses of what they heard and
saw. Of course, tbeir credibility is to be estimated, like tbat
of other historians ; viz. from the circumstances in which
they wrote, as with respect to tbeir opportunities of knowing
the truth of what they relate, and the biases to which they

446 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
might be subject. Like all other historians, they were liable
to mistakes with respect to things of small moment, because
they might not give sufficient attention to them ; and, with
respect to their reasoning, we are fully at liberty to judge of
it, as well as that of any other man, by a due consideration
of the propositions they advance, and the arguments they
allege. For it by no means follows, because a man has had
communications with the Deity for certain purposes, and he
may be depended upon with respect to bis account of those
communications, that be is in other respects more wise and
knowing than other men." *
"You say," says be, in his "Letters to Dr. Price," "that
I do not allow of scriptural authority : but indeed, my friend,
you should have expressed yourself with more caution. No
man can pay a higher regard to proper scriptural authority
than I do; but neither I, nor I presume yourself, beUeve
impUcitly everything that is advanced by any writer in the
Old or New 'Testament. I bpUeve all the writers, without
exception, to have been men of the greatest probity, and to
have been well informed of everything of consequence of
which they treat ; but, at the same time, I beUeve them to
have been men, and consequently fallible, and liable to mis
take with respect to things to which they had not given
much attention, or concerning which they had not the means
of exact information ; which I take to be tbe case with
respect to the account that Moses has given of the creation
and the faU of man." In a late performance, entitled " Let
ters to tbe Philosophers and Politicians of France," (p. 38),
Dr. Priestley speaks much in tbe same strain. " That tbe
books of scripture," he says, "were written by particular
divine inspiration is a thing to which the writers themselves
make no pretensions. It is a notion destitute of all proof,
and that has done great injury to the evidence of Chris
tianity.'" From this account, taken altogether, you will observe,
brethren, that Dr. Priestley does not believe, either the Old
or the New Testament to be divinely inspired: to be so
inspired as tbat he is "bound impUcitly to beUeve every
thing " (and might he not have added anything ?) which
the writers of those books advance." He believes that the
* Let. Phil. Unb. Part II. Pref. p. xiii. ; also Letter V.

¦VENERATION FOE THE SCRIPTURES. 447
scriptures, instead of being the rule of faith and practice,
are only "faithful records of past transactions;" and that
no authority attends them, except what attends the writings
of any other honest and well-informed historian ; nor even
that in many cases : for he maintains that " no Christian is
bound to consider any of the books of scripture as faithful
records of past transactions, unless they have been universally
received as authentic:" that is, if any person, at least any
considerable number of persons, at any period, have thought
proper to dispute the authenticity of any of these writings,
tbat part immediately ceases to have any claim upon pos
terity, and may be rejected with impunity. And even
those writers whose works, upon the whole, are allowed as
authentic, are supposed to have written upon subjects "to
which they had not given much attention, and concerning
which they were not possessed of sufficient means of in
formation ; " and, consequently, in those cases are not to be
regarded. This is the whole of what he means by "proper
scriptural authority." This is the ground on which, while
he speaks of tbe sacred writers as fallible, he nevertheless
maintains the infalUbility of their testimony concerning the
person of Christ. He does not pretend to say the apostles
were inspired in that article, though not in others ; but merely
that this was a case in which, by* the mere exercise of their
senses, they were competent to decide, and even certain of
deciding right. Whether these notions of proper scriptural
authority wiU accord with the foregoing professions,"! leave
you to judge : also, if Dr., Priestley's views be right, whether
the sacred writers, professing what they did, could be men of
tbe " greatest probity."
You will observe, further, that tbe fallibiUty which Dr.
Priestley imputes to the sacred -writers, as being men, must
rest upon this principle — That it is impossible for God him
self so to inspire a man as to preserve him from error vrith
out destroying his nature ; and, as he considers Christ as a
mere man, perhaps it is on this principle that he maintains
him to be " falUble and peccable." Yet he has never been
able to produce one example in which he has actually failed.
But it should seem very extraordinary for a fallible and
peccable man to go through the world in such a manner that
his worst enemies could not conrict him of a single failure,

448 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
nor accuse him of any sin. If this matter be capable of
proof, let Dr. Priestley prove it. Though the Jews declined
the challenge, yet it is possible that he may possess sufficient
" magnanimity " to accept it.*
Further : You wiU observe that the infallibility which
Dr. Priestley ascribes to the apostolic testimony, concerning
the person of Christ, implies that every historian is infallible
in similar circumstances. His reasoning supposes tbat if
a sensible and upright historian have tbe proper means oi
information, and pay attention to bis subject, he is infeUible:
but is this a fact ? It certainly has not been usual for us to
consider historians in this light. We commonly suppose tbat,
amidst the most ample means of information and tne greatest .
attention that uninspired men (who all have their prejudices
and imperfections) are ever known to pay to a subject, they
are liable to mistakes. Dr.- Priestley has written a treatise
in which he has declared for the doctrine of materialism;
and, I suppose, he would be thought to have paid attention
to it, aud to have possessed tbe means of information as far
as the nature of the subject will admit ; yet, I imagine, he
does not pretend, in tbat article, to infallibility.
If it be objected tbat the nature of the subjects is different,
and that the apostles were capable of arriving to a greater
degree of certainty concerning the person of Christ than
Dr. Priestley could obtain on tbe subject of Materialism, I
answer. This appears to me to be more easily asserted than
proved. Dr. Priestley, indeed, teUs us, "They were as
capable of judging whether he was a man as whether John
the Baptist was one." This is very true; and, if the ques
tion were whether he was a man, it might be to tbe purpose.
But at this time of day, however some of the humble fol
lowers of Dr. Priestley may amuse themselves in circulating
pamphlets proving that Jesus Christ was a man, and tbat
¦with a view to convert tbe Trinitarians ; yet he himself can
not be insensible tbat a materialist might with just as much
propriety gravely go about to prove that men have material
bodies.t Supposing Christ to have been merely a man, this
• 'When Dr. Priestley charged the Mosaic history of the creation and
fall of man with being a lame account, it was imputed to his magnanimity.
¦)- 'When Socinian writers have produced a list of texts which prove the
proper humanity of Christ, they seem to think their work is done. Our

VENERATION FOR THE SCRIPTURES. 449
was a matter that could not be visible to the eyes of the
apostles. How could they, judge by his exterior appearance
whether he was merely a man,'^r both God and man ? The
august personages that appeared to Abraham, to Lot, and to
Jacob, are caUed men ; nor was there anything that we know
of in their exterior appearance different from other men : yet
it does not hence follow that they, were merely human. God,
in the above instances, assuraed the appearance of a man ;
and how could the disciples be certain that aU this might not
be preparatory to his becoming really incarnate ? It is true
our Lord might have told them that he was merely a man ;
and, in that case, they might have been said to be certain of
it : but, if so, it was either in some private instructions, or
else in the words which they have recorded in their writings.
We cannot say it was impossible for the apostles to mistake
respecting the person of Christ owing to their private in
structions : because that would be building upon a foundation
of which we are confessedly ignorant : neither can we affirm
it on account of any of those words of Christ to his disciples
which are recorded; for we have those words as well as they;
and it might as weU be said of us as of them, tbat " it is im
possible for us to be under any mistake upon the subject."
We might as well, therefore, allow what Dr. Priestley says
to be infalUble, on the question whether men have souls or
not, as what the apostles say (if we give up their inspiration)
on the question whether Christ was divine or not ; for the
one is as much an object of the senses as the other.
I cannot conceive of any foundation for the above asser
tion, unless it be upon the supposition of a union of the
divine and human natures being in itself impossible. Then,
indeed, if we suppose the apostles knew it to be so, by know
ing him to be a mam, they must have known him to be a
mere man. But, if a union of the divine and human natures
be in itself impossible, tbat irapossibility might as well
appear to Dr. Priestley as to the apostles, if they were unin-
¦writers reply : "We never questioned his humanity. If you attempt to
prove anything, prove to us that he was merely human. Here our oppoiients
feeling themselves pinched, it should seem, for want of evidence, have been
known to lose their temper. It is on this occasion that Mr. Lindsey is re
duced to the necessity of abusing and instilling his opponents, instead of
answering their arguments. See quotation, p. 395.
VOL. I. G G

450 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
spired; and he might as weU maintain the infalUbility of his
own notions relative to the person of Christ as of theirs.
In fine : Let Dr. Priestley view the subject in what light
he may, if he deny the divine inspiration of the apostles, he
wiU never be able to maintain their infallibility on any
ground but what would equaUy infer his own.
When Mr. Burn charged Dr. Priestley with denying the
infaUibiUty of the apostolic testimony, he principaUy founds
his charge on what the Doctor had written in a miscellaneous
work, caUed "The Theological Repository:" in which he
maintained that " some texts of the Old Testament had been
improperly quoted by vrriters in the New ;" who, jt seems,
were sometimes "misled by Jewish prejudices."* Mr.
Burn inferred that, if they were misled in tbeir appUcation
of one text, they were liable to the same thing in others;
and that, if so, we could have no security whatever for their
proper application of any passage, or for anything Kke
infallibility attending their testimony. One would think
this is not the most inconclusive mode of reasoning that ever
was adopted : and how does Dr. Priestley refute it ? He
replies, " It does not foUow, because I suppose the apostles
to have been fallible in some things, that they were therefore
fallible in all." He contends that be always considerejd them ,
as infallible in what respects the person of Christ; as a proof
of which he alleges his always having "appealed to their
testimony, as being willing to be decided by it." And yet
we generally suppose a single failure prove a Hvriter falhble
as reaUy as a thousand; and, as to bis appeaUng to their
testiraony and being wilUng to be decided by it, we generally
appeal to tbe best evidence we can obtain, and must be de
cided by it. But this does not prove that we consider that
evidence as infalUble. Dr. Priestley has appealed to the
fathers ; yet he wiU hardly pretend that their testimony is
infallible, or that they were incapable of contradicting either
themselves or one another, even in those matters concemiiig
which the appeal is made. If be will, however, he must
suppose them to have differed very widely from writers of
a later date. Where is the historian who has W-ritten upon
the opinions or characters of a body of men, even of those of
his own times, but who is liable, and likely, in some particun
^¦. Letters to Mr. Bum, Letters I. II.

VENERATION FOR THE SCRIPTURES. 451
lars, to be contradicted by other historians of the same period,
and equaUy respectable ?*
To be sure, if Dr. Priestley thinks proper to declare that
he beUeves the apostles,, uninspired as they were, to have
been infallible when they applied passages of the Old Testa
ment to the person of Christ, and that notwithstanding their
being faUible, and misled by Jevrish prejudices in their
application of passages on other subjects ; nobody has a
right to say he does not. Thus much may be said, how
ever, that he will find it no very easy task to prove himself,
in, this matter, a Mational Christian. If the apostles are to
be considered as uninspired, and were actuaUy misled by
Jewish prejudices in their application of sorae Old Testament
passages, it will require no smaU degree of labour to convince
people in general that we can have any security for their
not being so in others.
Mr. Burn, with a view to Ulustrate his argument, supposed
an example; viz. the application of Psalm xiv. 6 to Christ,
in Heb. i. 8. He observes that, according to the foregoing
hypothesis, " there is no dependence to be placed upon the
argument; because the apostle, in his application of this
scripture to the Messiah, was misled by a prejudice common
among the Jews, respecting this and other passages in ihe Old
Testament. Mr. Burn does not mean to say that Dr. Priestley
had, in this manner, actually rejected the argwnent from
Heb. i. 8 ; but barely that, according to this hypothesis, he
might do so : he preserves the principle of his opponent's
objection, as he himself expresses it ; but does not mean to
assert that be had applied that principle to this particular
passage. And how does Dr. Priestley reply to this ? Why,
by aUeging that he had not applied the above principle to
the passage in question, but bad given it a sense which
aUowed the propriety of its being applied to Christ : that is,,
he had not made tbat use of a principle which might be
made of it, and which no one asserted be had made of it.
Dr. Priestley is, doubtless, possessed of great abiUties, and
has had large experience in controversial writing : to what a

* See this trifth more fully illustrated in a letter of Dr. Edward
'Williams to Dr. Priestley, prefixed to his " Abridgement of Dr. Owen on
the Hebrews."
&g2

452 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
situation, then, must he have been reduced, to have recourse
to such an answer as the above !
This question between Mr. Burn and Dr. Priestley, if
I understand it, is not •whether the latter appealed to tbe
scriptures for the truth of his opinions ; but whether his sup
posing the sacred writers, in some cases, to apply scripture
improperly, does not render that appeal inconsistent — ^not
whether he had allowed the propriety of the apostle's quoting
the sixth verse of tbe forty-fifth Psalm, and applying it, in
the first chapter of the Hebrews, to Christ ; but whether,
upon tbe principle of tbe sacred writers being liable to make,
and having actually made, some improper quotations, he
might not have disallowed it ; not whether the apostles did
actually fail in this or that particular subject ; but whether,
if they failed in some instances, they were not liable to iail
in others, and whether any dependence could be placed on
their decisions ; not whether the apostles testified things
which they had seen and heard from the beginning; but
whether tbeir infallibility can be supported merely upon
that ground, without supposing that the Holy Spirit assisted
tbeir memories, guided their judgments, and superintended
their productions. If the reader of tbat controversy keep
tbe above points in view, he will easily perceive the futility
of a great many of Dr. Priestley's answers, notwithstanding
all his positivity and triumph, and his proceeding to admonish
Mr. Burn to repentance.
Dr. Priestley, in his " Sixth Letter" to Mr. Burn, denies
that be makes the reason of the individual the sole umpire in
matters of faith. But if the sacred writers, " in some things
which they advanced, were fallible, and misled by prejudice,"
what dependence can be placed on them ? Whether the
reason of the individual be a iproper umpire in matters of
faith, or not, the writings of the apostles, on the foregoing
hypothesis, can make no such pretence. Dr. Priestley may
allege tbat we^ must distinguish between those things, to
which tbe apostles had not given much attention, and other
things to which they had ; those in which they were pre
judiced, and others in which they were unprejudiced; those
concerning which they had not the means of exact informa
tion, and others of a different description : but can he him
self, at this distance of time or even if be had been con-

VENERATION FOR THE SCRIPTURES. 453
temporary with them, always teU what those cases are ?
How, in many instances at least, can he judge, with any
certainty, of the degree of attention which they gave to
things; of the prejudiced or unprejudiced state of ; their
minds; or of the means of information which they posses.sed?
Or, if he could decide with satisfaction to himself on these
matters, how are the bulk of mankind to, judge, who are
not possessed of his powers and opportunities, but who are
equaUy. interested in the affair with himself ? Are they
impUcitly to rely on his opinion ; or to supplicate Heaven for
a new revelation, to point out the defects and errors of the
old one ? In short, let Dr. Priestley profess what regard he
may for the scriptures, if what he advances be true, they can
be no proper test of truth; and, if the reason of the individual
be not the sole umpire in these matters, there can be no
umpire at all; but all must be left in gloomy doubt, and
dreadful uncertainty.*
The generaUty of Socinian writers, as well as- Dr. Priestley,
write degradingly of our only rule of faith. The scriptures
profess to be " profitable for doctrine;" and to be " able to
make men wise unto salvation." " The testimony of the
Lord is" said to be "sure, maldng wise the simple:" and
those who made it their study professed to have obtained
" more understanding than all their teachers." But Mr.
Lindsey considers the scriptures as unadapted to promote
any high perfection in knowledge ; and supposes that they
are left in obscurity, with design to promote an occasion of
charity, candour, and forbearance. Speaking of the doctrine
of the person of Christ, " Surely it must be owned," he says,
" to have been left in some obscurity in the .scriptures them
selves, which might mislead readers, full of heathen pre
judices (otherwise so many men, wise and good, would not
have differed, and still continue to differ, concerning it) : and
so left, it should seem, on purpose to whet human industry,
and the spirit of inquiry into the things of God, to give
scope for the exercise of men's charity and mutual forbear
ance of one another, and to be one great means of cultivating
•» The reader will observe that the foregoing remarks on the controversy
between Mr. Burn and Dr. Priestley have nothing to do with that part ot
it which relates to the riots at Birminghain, but merely with that on the
person of Christ.

454 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINLAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
the moral dispositions, which is plainly the design of the
Holy Spirit of God in tbe Christian revelation, and not any
high perfection in knowledge, which so few can attain."* ,
On this extraordinary passage one might inquire, first. If
the scriptures have left the subject in obscurity, virhy might
not the mistake of those who hold the divinity of Christ
(supposing them to be mistaken) have been accounted for,
¦without alleging, as Mr. Lindsey elsewhere does, that "they
are determined, at aU events, to beUeve Christ to be a differ
ent being from what he really was ; that there is no reasoning
with them ;" and tbat " they are to be pitied, and considered
as being under a debility of mind, in this respect, however
sensible and rational in others ?"'\ If vrise and good men
have differed upon the subject in all ages, and that owing to
the obscurity with which it is enveloped in the scriptures
themselves, why this abusive and insulting language ? Is
it any disgrace to a person not to see that clearly in the
scriptures which is not clearly there to be seen ?
Secondly : If tbe scriptures have indeed left the subject
in obscurity, how came Mr. Lindsey to be so decided upon
it ? The " high perfection of knowledge" which he possesses
raust, undoubtedly, have been acquired from some other quar
ter, seeing it made no part of tbe design of the Holy Spirit
in the Christian revelation. But, if so, we have no further
dispute with him ; as, in what respects reUgion, we do not
aspire to be wise above what is written.
Thirdly : Let it be considered whether the principle on
which Mr. Lindsey encourages the exercise of charity and
mutual forbearance, do not cast a heavy reflection upon the
character of God. The scriptures, in what relates to the
person of Christ (a subject on which Dr. Priestley allows
the writers to have been infallible), are left obscure, — so
obscure as to mislead readers full of heathen prejudices ;
nay, and with the very design of misleading thera I God
himself, it seems, designed that they should stumble on in
ignorance, error, and disagreement, tUl, at last, wearied with
their fate, and finding themselves united in one common
calamity, they might become friends ! But what is this
friendship ? Is it not at the expense of him who is supposed
to have spread their way with snares, or (which is the same
• Apology, Chap. ii. f Catechist, Inquiry VI.

VENEEATION FOR THE SCRIPTURES. 455
thing) with rhisleading obscurity ? Is it any other than the
"friendship of the world," which "is enmity with God?"
In perfect harmony with Mr. Lindsey is the language of a
writer in tbe " Monthly .Review." " The nature and design
of the scripture," he says, " is not to settle disputed theories,
nor to decide upon speculative, controverted questions, even
in religion and morality. The scriptures, if we understand
anything of them, are intended not so much to make us wiser
as to make us better ; not to solve the doubts, but, rather, to
make us obey the dictates of our consciences."** The holy
scriptures were never designed, tben, to be a rule of faith or
practice ; but merely a stimulative ! In matters of specula
tion (as all disputed subjects will be termed, whether doc
trinal or practical) they have no authority, it seems, to decide
any question. What saith the scripture ? therefore, would
now be an impertinent question. You are to find out what
is truth, and what is righteousness, by your reason and your
conscience ; and, when you have obtained a system of reUgion
and morality to your mind, scripture is to furnish you with
motives to reduce it to practice. If this be true, to what
purpose are all appeals to the scriptures on controverted
subjects ? and why do Socinians pretend to appeal to them ?
why do they not honestly acknowledge tbat they did not
learn their religion thence, and therefore refuse to have it
tried at that bar ? This would save much labour. To what
purpose do they object to particular passages as interpola-
tions,.or mistranslations, or tbe like, when tbe whole, be it
ever so pure, has nothing at all to do in the decision of our
controversies ? We have been used to speak of conscience
having but one master, even Christ ; but now, it seems, con
science is its own master, and Jesus Christ does not pretend
to dictate to it, but merely to assist in the execution of its
decisions !
Mr. Belsham carries the matter still further. This gentle
man, not satisfied, it seeras, ¦with disclaiming an impUcit
confidence in holy scripture,* pretends to find authority, in
the scriptures themselves, for so doing. " The Bereans," he
says, "are commended for not taking the word even of an
apostle, but examining tbe scriptures for themselves, whether
the doctrines which they heard were true, and whether St.
* Review of Horsley's Sermon, March, 1793.

456 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
Paul's reasoning was just."* I do not recollect that the
Bereans were "commended for not taking the word of an
apostle;" but for not rejecting it without examination, as
the Jews did at Thessalonica. But, granting it were other
wise, their situation was different from ours. They had not
then had an opportunity of obtaining evidence that the
apostles were divinely inspired, or that the gospel which
they preached was a message from God. This, surely, is a
circumstance of importance. There is a great difference
between their entertaining some doubt of the truth of the
gospel, till they bad fully examined its evidences, and our
still continuing to doubt of its particular doctrines and
reasonings, even though we allow it to be a message from
God. To this may be added tbat, in order to obtain evi
dence, the Bereans searched the scriptures. By comparing
the facts which Paul testified with the prophecies which
went before, and the doctrines which he preached with those
of the Old Testament, they would judge whether his message
was from God or not. There is a great difference between
the criterion of the Bereans and that of the Socinians. The
scriptures of the Old Testament were the aUowed standard
of the former, and they employed their reason to find out
their meaning and their agreement with New Testament
facts ; but the authority and agreement of the Old and New
Testaments will not satisfy the latter, unless what they con
tain agree also with their pre-conceived notions of what is
fit and reasonable. Tbe one tried what, for aught they at
that time knew, were mere private reasonings, by the scrip
tures ; but the other try the scriptures by their own private
reasonings. Finally: If proposing a doctrine for examina
tion prove the proposer liable to false or unjust reasoning,
it will follow that the reasoning of Christ must be, false or
unjust, seeing be appealed to the scriptures, as well as bis
apostles, and commanded bis hearers to search them. It
will also follow tbat all the great facts of Christianity, as
weU as the reasonings of Christ and bis apostles, were liable
to be detected of falsehood; for these were as constantly
submitted to examination as the other. " These things,"
said they, "were not done in a corner." Nay, it must follow
that God himself is liable to be in a wrong cause,- seeing,
* Sermon on the Importance of Truth, p. 39.

VENERATION FOR THE SCRIPTURES. 4d7
he frequently appeals to men's judgments and consciences.
" And now, ,0 inhabitants of Jerusalem, ahd men of Judah,
judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard." The
inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah were exhorted,
and even entreated, it may be said, not to take matters upon
trust; but to examine for themselves whether the conduct of
Jehovah was just, or whether anything ought to have been
done for bis vineyard that was not done !
But, far as our English Socinians have gone in these
things, they do not seem to have exceeded, nor hardly to
have equalled, those of the same denomination in other
countries. These appear to have made great advances in
deed towards infidehty. Mr. Blackwall makes mention of
two, whose language conveys an idea of uncoraraon dis
respect to tbe sacred writings. George Engedin, speaking
of the writings of the apostle John, says, " If a concise,
abrupt, obscurity, inconsistent •with itself, and made up of
allegories, is to be called sublimity of speech, I own John to
be sublime ; for there is scarcely one discourse of Christ,
which is not altogether allegorical and very hard to be
understood." Gagneius, another writer of the same spirit,
says, "I shall not a little glory, if I shall be found to give
some light to Paul's darkness, — a darkness, as some think,
industriously affected." — "Let any of the followers of these
worthy interpreters of the gospel, and champions of Chris
tianity," adds Mr. Blackwall, by way of reflection, "speak
worse, if they can, of the ambiguous oracles of the father of
Ues. These fair dealing gentlemen first disguise tbe sacred
writings, and turn thera into a harsh allegory ; and then
charge them with that obscurity and inconsistency which is
plainly consequent upon that sense which tbeir interpreta
tions force upon tbem. They outrage tbe divine writers in
a double capacity : first, they debase their sense as tbeologues
and commentators, and then carp at and vilify their language
as grammarians and critics." *
Steinbart, Seraler, and other foreign Socinians of later
times, write in a similar strain. The former, speaking of
the narrations of facts contained in the New Testament,
says, " These narrations, true, or false, are only suited for
ignorant, uncultivated minds, who cannot enter into the evi-
* Sacred Classics, part II. Chap. V.

458 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
dence of natural reUgion." The same writer adds, " Moses,
according to the childish conceptions of tbe Jews in his days,
paints God as agitated by violent affections, partial to one
people, and hating all other nations." The latter, in a note
on 2, Pet. i. 21 : — "The prophecy came not in old time by
the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were
moved by the Holy Spirit" — says, "Peter speaks there
according to the conception of tbe Jews ;" and, " tbe pro
phets may have deUvered the offspring of their own brains
as divine revelations."*
Socinian -writers sometimes profess great respect to tbe
holy scriptures : and most, if not all of them, would have
it thought that they consider tbeir testimony as being in
their favour. But, if so, why all these pains to depreciate
them ? We know who they are that not only undermine
their general credit, but are obliged, on almast every occa
sion, to have recourse to interpolation, or mis-translation;
who are driven to disown the apostolic reasonings as a proper
test of religious sentiment, and to hold them as the mere
private opinions of men, no way decisive as to what is truth.
But is it usual, in any cause, for persons to endeavour to set
aside those witnesses, and to invalidate that testimony, which
they consider, at the same time, as being in their favour ?
This is a question whieh it does not require much critical
skill to decide.
When Socinian writers have mangled and altered the
translation to their own minds, informing us that such a
term may he rendered so, and such a passage should be
pointed so, and so on, they seem to expect that their op»
ponents should quote the scriptures accordingly ; and, if
they do not, are very liberal in insinuating tbat their design
is to impose upon tbe vulgar. But though it be admitted
that every translation must needs have its imperfections,
and that those imperfections ought to be corrected by fair
and impartial criticism, yet, where alterations are made by
those who have an end to answer by them, they ought
always to be suspected, and will be so by thinking and im-
partial"people. If we must qucfte particular passages of scripture after
the manner in which our adversaries translate them, we
• Dr. Erskine's Sketches and Hints of Church History, No. III. pp.
95, 71.

VENEEATION FOR THE SCRIPTURES. 459
must also avoid quoting all those which they object to as
interpolations. Nor shall we stop here : we must, on certain
occasions, leave out whole chapters, if not whole books.
We must never refer to the reasonings of the apostles, but
consider that they were subject to be misled by Jewish pre
judices ; nor even to historical facts, unless we can satisfy
ourselves that ,the historians, independently of their being
divinely inspired, were possessed of sufficient means of in
formation. In short, if we must never quote scripture
except according to the rules imposed upon us by Socinian
writers, we must not quote it at all : not, at least, till they
shall have indulged us with a bible of their own, that shall
leave out everything on which we are to place no depend
ence. A publication of this sort would, doubtless, be an
acceptable present to tbe Christian world, would be com
prised in a very small compass, and be of infinite service in
cutting short a great deal of unnecessary controversy, into
which, for want of such a criterion, we shall always be in
danger of wandering.
Dr. Priestley, in his " Animadversions on Mr. Gibbon's
History," takes notice of what is implied in that gentleman's
endeavouring to lessen tbe number and vaUdity of the early
martyrdoms ; namely, a consciousness that they afforded an
argument against him. "Mr. Gibbon," says the Doctor,
" appears to have been sufficiently sensible of the value of
such a testimony to the truth of the gospel history as is
furnished by the early martyrdoms, and therefore he takes
great pains to diminish their number ; and, when the facts
cannot be denied, be endeavours to exhibit them in the most
unfavourable Ught." * Judge, brethren, whether this pic
ture does not bear too near a resemblance to the conduct of
Dr. Priestley, and other Socinian writers, respecting the
holy scriptures.
I have beard of persons who, when engaged in a law-suit,
and fearing lest certain individuals should appear in evidence
against them, have so contrived matters as to sue the wit
nesses ; and so, by making them parties in the contest, have
disqualified them for bearing testimony. And what else is
tbe conduct of Dr. Priestley, with respect to those passages
in tbe New Testament which speak of Christ as Ood ? We
* Letters to a Philosophical Unbeliever, Part II. p. 217.

460 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
read: there that " the word who was rrfade flesh, and dwelt
among .us," was God. Thomas exclaimed, "My Lord and
my Ood!" — "Of whom, as concerning the flesh, Chri.st
came, who is over all, Ood blessed for ever." — " Unto the
Son he saith. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever."—
"Feed the church of Ood, which he hath purchased with
his own blood." — "Hereby perceive we the love of Ood,
because he laid down his life for us." * But Dr. Priestley
asserts that " in no sense whatever, not even in the lowest of
all, is Christ so much as called Ood in all the New Testa
ment." t The method taken by this writer to enable him to
hazard such an assertion, without being subject to the charge
of downright falsehood, could be no other than that of laying
a kind of arrest upon tbe foregoing passages with others, as
being either interpolations or mis-translations, or something
that sliaU answer the same end, and by these means imposing
silence upon tbem as to the subject in dispute. To be sure
we may go on, killing one scripture testimony and stoning
another, till, at length, it would become an easy thing to
assert tbat there is not ap instance, in all the New Testa
ment, in which our opinions are confronted. But to what
does it all amount ? When we are told that " Christ is
never so much as called Ood in all the New Testament,"
tbe question is, whether we are to understand it of the
New Testaraent as it was left by the sacred writers, or as
corrected, araended, curtailed, and interpreted, by a set of
oontrovertists, with a view to make it accord with a fa
vourite system.

LETTER XIIL

ON THE TENDENCY OP THE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS TO
PROMOTE HAPPINESS, OR CHEERFULNESS OP MIND.
Nothing is more common with our opponents than to repre-.
sent the Calvinistic system as gloomy, as leading to melan-
* John i. 1, 14; xx. 28. Kom. ix. 5. Heb. i. 8. Acts xx. 28.
I John iii. 16. t Letters to Mr. Burn, Letter I.

ON HAPPINESS. 461
choly and misery. Our ideas of God, of sin, and of future
punishment, they say, raust necessarily depress our minds.
Dr. Priestley, as we have seen already, reckons Unitarians
"more cheerful" than Trinitarians. Nor is this all. It
has even been asserted that the tendency of our principles is
to promote " moral turpitude, melancholy, and despair ; and
tbat the suicide practised among the middling and lower
ranks is frequently to be traced to this doctrine."* This is
certainly carrying matters to a great height. It might be
worth whUe, however, for those who advance such things as
these to make good what they affirm, if they be able. TiU
that be done, candour itself must consider these bold asser
tions as the mere effusions of maUgnity and slander.
It is some consolation, however, that what is objected to
us, by Socinians, is objected to religion itself hy unbelievers.
Lord Shaftesbury observes^" There is a melancholy which
accompanies all enthusiasm," which, frora his pen, is only
another name for Christianity. To the sarae purpose, Mr.
Hume asserts — " There is a gloom and melanciholy reraark-
able in all devout people." If these writers bad formed a
comparison between Deists and Atheists, on the one side,
and devout Christians on the other, they would have said of
the former, as Dr. Priestley says of Unitarians, " they are
more cheerful and more happy."
It is granted tbat tbe system we adopt has nothing in it
adapted to promote the bappiness of those who persist in
enmity against God, and in a rejection of our Lord Jesus
Christ as the only way of salvation. While men are at war
with God, we do not know of any evangelical promise tbat
is calculated to make them happy. This, perhaps, with
some, may be a considerable ground of objection to our views
of things ; but, then, such objection must stand equally
against the scriptures themselves, since tbeir language to
ungodly men is, " Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep." All
the prophets and ministers of the "word were, in effect, com
manded to " say to the wicked. It shall be ill with him."
This, with us, is one considerable objection against tbe doc
trine of the final salvation of all men, a doctrine rauch cir
culated of late, and generaUy embraced by Socinian writers.
Supposing it were a truth, it must be of such a kind as is
" See Critical Review for Septi 1787, on Memoirs of Gabriel D'Anville.

462 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
adapted to comfort mankind in sin. It is good news ; but it
is to the impenitent and unbelieving, even to those who live
and die such ; which is a characteristic so singular that I
question whether anything can be found in the bible to
resemble it. If our views of things be but adapted to en
courage sinners to return to God by Jesus Christ ; if they
afford strong consolation to those who have fled for refuge
to lay hold upon the bope set before them ; and if so
briety, righteousness, and godliness, here meet with the most
powerful motives ; this is all that the scriptures themselves
propose. Our system, it is granted, is not adapted to promote that
kind of cheerfulness and happiness to which men in general
are greatly addicted ; namely, that which consists in self-
deceit and levity of spirit. There is a kind of cheerfulness
which resembles that of a tradesman who avoids looking
into his accounts, lest they should disturb his peace and
render hira unhappy. This, indeed, is the cheerfulness of a
great part of mankind, who shun the Ught, lest it should
disturb their repose, and interrupt their present pursuits.
They try to persuade themselves that they shall have peace,
though they add drunkenness to thirst ; and there are not
wanting preachers who afford them assistance in the dan
gerous delusion. The doctrines of human depravity, of
sinners being under the curse of tbe law, and of their ex-
posedness to everlasting punishment, are those which are
supposed to lead us to melancholy : and we may fairly con
clude that the opposites to these doctrines are at the bottom!
of the cheerfulness of which our opponents boast. Instead
of considering mankind as lost sinners, exposed to ever
lasting destruction, they love to represent them simply as
creatures, as the children of God, and to suppose that,
having, in general, more virtue than vice, they have nothing
to fear ; or if, in a few instances it be otherwise,, still they
have no reason to be afraid of endless, punishment. These
things, to be sure, make people cheerful : but it is ¦with the
cheerfulness of a wicked man.. It is just as wicked men
would have it. It is no wonder that persons of " no reU
gion," and who 'Uean to a Ufe of dissipation," should be
"the fi.rst to embrace these principles." They are such
as must needs suit tbem ; especially if we add what Di;.

ON HAPPINESS. 463
Priestley inculcates in his Sermon on the death of Mr.
Robinson, that it is not necessary to dwell in our thoughts
upon death and futurity, lest it should interrupt the business
cflife, and cause us to live in perpetual bondage.* We hope
it is no disparagement of tbe Calvinistic doctrine that it
disclaims the promoting Of all such cheerfulness as this.
That cheerfulness which is damped by thoughts of death and
futurity is, at best, merely natural joy. It has no virtue in
it : nay, in many cases, it is positively ricious, and founded
in self-deception. It is nothing better than " the laughter
of a fool." It may, blaze awhile in the bosoms of the dissi
pated and the secure ; but, if the sinner be once awakened
to just refiection, it will expire Uke " the crackUng of thorns
under a pot."
There is, also, a kind of happiness, which some persons
enjoy, in treating the raost serious and important subjects
with levity, making them the subjects of jests, and trying
their skiU in disputing Upon them, which is frequently called
pleasantry, good nature, and the like. A cheerfulness of
this kind, in Oliver CromweU, is praised by Mr. Lindsey,
and represented as an excellency, "of which the gloomy
bigot is utterly incapable."! Pleasantry, on some occasions,
and to a certain degree, is natural and allowable : but, if
sporting with sacred things must go by that name, let me be
called "a gloomy bigot" rather than indulge it.
Once more : It is aUowed tbat the system we embrace has
a tendency, on various occasions, to promote sorrow of heart.
Our notions of the evU of sin exceed those of our opponents.
While they reject the doctrine of atonement by the cross of
Christ, they have not that glass, in which to discern its ma
lignity, which others have. There are times in which we
remember Calvary, and weep on account of that for which
our Redeemer died. But, so far are we from considering
this as our infeUcity, that, for weeping in this manner once,
we could wish to do so a thousand times. There is a
pleasure in tbe very pains of godly sorrow, of which the
light-minded speculatist ig utterly incapable. The tears of
her that wept, and washed her Saviour's feet, afforded
abundantly greater satisfaction than the unfeeling calm of
' This is the substance of what he advances, pp. 7 — 1'2. " ¦
¦f- Apology, Chap. II,

464 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
the Pharisee, who stood by, making his ill-natured i-eflections
upon her conduct.
If our views of things have no tendency to promote soUd,
holy, heavenly joy — joy tbat fits true Christians for the pro
per business of this world and the blessedness of that which
is to come — we wiU acknowledge it a strong presumption
against them. If, on the other hand, they can be proved to
possess such a tendency, and that in a much greater degree
than tbe opposite scheme, it will be a considerable argument
in their favour. Let us examine this matter a little closer.
The utmost happiness which the peculiar principles of
Socinians are adapted to promote, consists in calmness of
mind, like that of a philosopher contemplating the works of
creation. The friends of that scheme conceive of man as
a good kind of being, and suppose that there is a greater
proportion of virtue in the world than vice, and tbat things,
upon the whole, are getting better still, and so tending to
happiness. They suppose that there is little or no breach
between God and men, — nothing but what may be made up
by repentance, a repentance without much pain of mind,*
and without any atoning Saviour ; that God, being the bene
volent Father of his rational offspring, wUl not be strict to
mark iniquity; and tbat, as his benevolence is infinite, all
will be well at last, — "as with the good, so with tbe sinner;
with hira that sweareth, as with him that feareth an oath."
This makes them serene, and enables them to pursue the
studies of philosophy, or the avocations of life, with com
posure. This appears to be the sumrait of their happiness,
and raust be so of all others if they wish to escape their cen
sure. For, if any one pretends to happiness of a superior
kind, they will instantly reproach him as an enthusiast. A
writer in the Monthly Review observes, concerning the late
President Edwards, "From the account given of him, he
appears to have been a very reputable, good, and pious man,
according to his views and feelings in religious matters, which
those of different sentiments and cooler sensations will not
fail to consider as all vnld ecstasy, raptu/re, and enthusiasm."]
The tendency of any system to promote calmness is nothing
* Such a repentance is pleaded for by Mr. Jardine, in his Letters to
Mr. Bogue.
t Review of Edwards's History of Redemption, Vol. LXXX. Art. 68,

* ON HAPPINESS. 465
at all in its favour, any further than such calmness can be
proved to be virtuous. But this must be determined by the
situation in which we stand. We ought to be affected accord
ing to our situation. If, indeed, there be no breach between
God and men, — if all be right on our part as well as bis, and
just as it should be, — then it becomes us to be calm and
thankful ; but, if it be otherwise, it becomes us to feel accord
ingly. If we have offended God, we ought to bewail our
transgressions, and be sorry for our sin ; and, if the offence
be great, we ought to be deeply affected with it. It would
be thought very improper for a convict, a little before tbe
time appointed for his execution, instead of cherishing pro
per reflections on the magnitude of his offence, and suing
for the mercy of hie offended sovereign, to be employed in
speculating upon his benevolence, till he has really worked
himself into a persuasion that no serious apprehensions ¦were
to be entertained, concerning either himself or any of his
fellow convicts. Such a person might enjoy a much greater
degree of calmness than his companions; but considerate
people would neither admire his mode of thinking, nor envy
his imaginary feUcity.
Calmness and serenity of mind may arise from ignorance
of ourselves, and from the want of a principle of true reUgion.
While Paul was ignorant of his true character be was calm
and easy, or, as he expresses it, " alive without the law ; "
" but when tbe commandment came," in its spirituality and
authority, "sin revived, and he died." The Pharisee, who
was whole in his own esteem, and needed no physician, was
abundantly more calm than the publican, who smote upon bis
breast, and cried, " God be merciful to me a sinner ! " While
any man is destitute of a principle of true reUgion, the strong
man armed keepeth the house, and the goods are in peace ;
and, while things are thus, he will be a stranger to all those
holy mournings which abound in the Psalms of David, and
to those inward conflicts between flesh and spirit described
in the writings of Paul. And, knowing nothing of such
things himself, he wiU be apt to think meanly of those whq
do; to deride them as enthusiasts, to reproach them with
gloominess, and to boast of his own insensibility, under the
names of calmness and cheerfulness.
Supposing the calmness and cheerfulness of mind of which
VOL. I. H H

466 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
our opponents boast to be on the side of virtue, stiU it is a
cold and insipid kind of happiness, compared with that which
is produced by the doctrine of salvation through tbe atoning
blood of Christ. One great source of bappiness is contrast.
Dr. Priestley has proved, what indeed is evident from uni
versal experience, "that tbe recollection of past troubles,
after a certain interval, becoraes highly plea'surable, and is
a pleasure of a very durable kind." * On this principle he
undertakes to prove the infinite benevolence of the Deity,
even in his so ordering things that a mixture of pain and
sorrow shall fall to tbe lot of man. On tbe sanie principled
may be proved, if I mistake not, the superiority of the
Calvinistic system to that of the Socinians, in point of pro
moting bappiness. The doctrines of the former, supposing
them to be true, are affecting. It is affecting to think that
man, originaUy pure, should have fallen from the height of
righteousness and honour to tbe depth of apostasy and
infamy — tbat be is now an enemy to God, and actually Ues
under his awful and just displeasure, exposed to everlasting
misery — that, notwithstanding all this, a ransom is found to
deliver him from going down to the pit — that God so loved
the world as to give his only-begotten Son to become a
sacrifice for sin, that whosoever beUeveth in him should not
perish, but have eternal Ufe-^that tbe issue of Christ's death
is not left at an uncertainty, nor tbe invitations of his gospel
subject to universal rejection, but an effectual provision is
made, in the great plan of redemption, that he shall see of
the travail of his soul and be satisfied — that the Holy Spirit
is given to renew and sanctify a people for himself, that they
who were under condemnation and wrath, being justified by
faith in tbe righteousness of Jesus, have peace with God— -
that aliens and outcasts are become the sons and daughters
of tbe Lord God Almighty — that everlasting arms are now
beneath them, and everlasting glory is before tbem. These
sentiments, I sly, supposing them to be true, are undoubtedly
affecting. The Socinian system, supposing it were true,
compared with this, is cold, uninteresting, and insipid.
We read of "joy and peace in believing;" of "joy un
speakable and full of glory." Those who adopt tbe Calvin
istic doctrine of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and of theur
• Lett. Phil. Unb. Part I. Letter VI.

ON HAPPINESS. 467
own lost condition as sinners, are prepared to imbibe the joy
of the gospel, supposing it to exhibit a great salvation,
through the atonement of a great Saviour, to which others
of opposite sentiments must of necessity be strangers. The
Pharisees who thought well of their character and condition,
like the elder son in the parable, instead of rejoicing at tbe
good news of salvation to the chief of sinners, were disgusted
at it ; and this will ever be the case with all who, Uke tbe
Pharisees, are whole in their own eyes, so whole as to think
they need no physician.
The votaries of the Socinian scheme do not, in general,
appear to feel their hearts much interested by it. Voltaire
could say in his time—" At least, hitherto, only a very sraall
number of those called Unitarians have held any religious
meetings." * And though Dr. Priestley, by his great zeal,
has endeavoured to invigorate and reform the party ; yet he
admits the justice of a common complaint among them, tbat
"their societies do not flourish, their members have but a
sUght attachment to them, and easily desert them ; though it
is never imagined," he adds, "that they desert their prin
ciples." I All this the Doctor accounts for by allowing that
their principles are not of that importance which we suppose
ours to be, and that "many of those who judge so truly con
cerning the particular tenets of religion have attained to tbat
cool, unbiassed temper of mind, in consequence of becoming
more indifferent to religion in general, and to all the modes
and doctrines of it." Through indifference, it seems, they
come in ; through indifference they go out ; and they are very
indifferent while there. Yet, it is said, they still retain their
principles; and, I suppose, are very cheerful, and very happy.
Happiness, theirs, consequently, which does not interest the
beart, any more than reform the Ufe.
Although the aforementioned writer in the "Monthly
Review," insinuates tbat President Edwards's religious feel
ings were "all wild ecstasy, rapture, and enthusiasm," yet
he adds, " We cannot question the sincerity of Mr. Edwards,
who, however be may possibly have imposed on hiraself by
the warmth of his imagination, was, perhaps, rather to be
envied than derided for his ardours and ecstasies, wbicb, in
* Additions to General History, Art. England under Charles II,
•f Dis. Var. Sub. p. 94.
H H 2

468 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
themselves, were ,at least innocent ; in which he, no doubt,
found much delight, and from which no creature could re
ceive the least hurt." I thank you, Sir, for this concession.
It will, at least, serve to show that the sentiments and feel
ings which you deem wild and enthusiastical may, by your
own acknowledgment, be tbe most adapted to promote human
happiness ; and that is all for which I at present contend.
President Edwards, however, was far from being a person
of tbat warm imagination which this writer would insinuate.
No man could be a greater enemy to real enthusiasm. Under
the most virulent oppositions and the heaviest trials, he pos-
¦ sessed a great share of coolness of judgment as well as of
calmness and serenity of mind ; as great as any one to whom
this gentleman can refer us among those whom he calls men
of cool sensations, and perhaps greater. But he felt deeply
in religion ; and in sucb feelings, our adversaries themselves
being judges, be was to be " envied and not derided."
Why should reUgion be the only subject in which we must
not be allowed to feel ? Men are praised for the exercise of
ardour, and even of ecstacy, in poetry, in politics, and in the
endearing connections of social life; but, in reUgion, we must
either go on with cool indifference or be branded as enthusiasts.
Is it because religion is of less importance than other things ?
Is eternal salvation of less consequence than tbe political or
domestic accommodations of time ? It. is treated by multi
tudes as if it were ; and tbe spirit of Socinianism, so far as
it operates, tends to keep them in countenance. Is it not a
pity but those who call themselves Bational Christians would
act more rationally ? Nothing can be more irrational, as well
as injurious, than to encourage an ardour of mind after the
trifles of a moment, and to discourage it when pursuing
objects of infinite magnitude.
" Passion is reason, transport temper here !"
The Socinian system proposes to exclude mystery from
reUgion, or "things in their own nature incomprehensible."*
But such a scheme not only renders religion the only thing
in nature void of mystery, but divests it of a property
essential to the continued communication of happiness to an
immortal creature. Our passions are more affected by objects
* Def. Unit, for 1786, p. 67.

ON HAPPINESS. 469
which surpass our comprehension than by those which we
fully know. It is thus with respect to unhappiness. An
unknown misery is much raore dreadful than one tbat is fully
kno^wn. Suspense adds to distress. K, with regard to tran
sient sufferings, we know the worst, the worst is, commonly
over; and hence our troubles are frequently greater when
feared than when actually felt. It is the same with respect
to happiness. That happiness wbicb is felt in the pursuit of
.science abates in tbe fuU possession of tbe object. When
once a matter is fully known, we cease to take that pleasure
in it as at first, and long for something new. It is the same
in all other kinds of happiness. The mind loves to swim in
deep waters : if it touch tbe bottom it feels disgust. If the
best were once fully known, the best would thence be over.
Some of tbe noblest passions in Paul were excited by objects
incomprehensible : " 0 the depth of tbe riches both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God ! How unsearchable are his
judgments, and bis ways past finding out!" "Great is the
mystery of godliness : God was manifest in the flesh, justified
in the spirit, seen of angels, beUeved on in the world, received
up into glory ! " Now, if things be so, it is easy to see tbat
to divest religion of everything incomprehensible is to divest
it of what is essential to human happiness. And no wonder;
for it is nothing less than to divest it of God !
The Socinian scheme, by rejecting tbe deity and atoneraent
of Christ, rejects the very essence of that which both supports
and transports a Christian's heart. It was acknowledged by
Mr. Hume that "the good, the great, the sublime, and tbe
ravishing, were to be found evidently in the principles of
Theism." To this Dr. Priestley very justly replies — "If
so, I need not say that there must be something mean, abject,
and debasing, in the principles of Atheism." * But let it be
considered whether this observation be not equaUy appUcable
to the subject in hand. Our opponents, it is true, may hold
sentiments which are great and transporting. Such are their
views of the works of God in creation : but so are those of
Deists. Neither are these the sentiments in which they differ
from us. Is the Socinian system, as distinguished from ours,
adapted to raise and transport the heart? This is the ques
tion. Let us select only one topic, for an example. Has
* Lett. Phil. Unb. Part I. Pref. p. x.

470 ¦ CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
anything, or can anything be written, on the scheme of our\
adversaries, upon the death of Christ, equal to the following
Unes ? — " Religion ! thou the soul of happiness ;
And groaning Calvary of thee ! there shine
The noblest truths; there strongest motives sting !
There sacred violence assaults the soul. 
My theme 1 my inspiration ! and my crown !
My strength in age ! my rise in low estate !
My soul's ambition, pleasure, wealth ! — my world !
My light in darkness ! and my life in death !
My boast through time ! bliss through eternity !
Eternity too short to speak thy praise,
Or fathom thy profound of love to man !
To man of men the meanest, ev'n to me ; ¦
My sacrifice ! my God ! what things are these !"
Again, " Pardon for infinite offence ! and pardon
Through means that speak its value infinite !
A pardon bought ¦with blood ! with blood divine !
With blood divine of Him I made my foe !
Persisted to provoke, though wooed and awed,
Bless'd and chastised, a flagrant rebel still !
A rebel 'midst the thunders of his throne ! —
Nor I alone, a rebel universe !
My species up in arms ! not one exempt ! •
Yet for the foulest of the foul he dies !
Bound every heart ! and every bosom bum !
Oh what a scale of miracles is here ! 
Praise ! flow for ever (if astonishment
¦Will give thee leave) ; my praise ! for ever flow ;
Praise ardent, cordial, constant, to high Heaven
More fragrant than Arabia sacrific'd ;
And all her spicy mountains in a flame !"
Night Thoughts, Night IV.
There is a rich, great, and ravishing quality in the fore
going sentiments, which no other theme can inspire. Had
the writer been a Socinian, and attempted to write upon tbe
death of Christ, be might, by the strength of his mind and
the fire of his genius, have contributed a little to raise his
subject ; but here his subject raises him above himself.
The dignity of Christ, together with bis glorious under
taking, ¦was, as we have seen in Letter XL, a source of joy
and love to the primitive Christians. It was tbeir darling
theme, and that which raised them above themselves. Now,

ON HAPPINESS. 471
according to our system. Christians may still rejoice in the
same manner, and give vent to their souls, and to all that is
within thera ; and that without fear of going beyond the
words of truth and soberness, or of bordering, or seeraing
to border, upon idolatry. But, upon the principles of our
opponents, tbe sacred writers must have dealt largely in
hyperbole ; and it must be our business, instead of entering
into their spirit, to sit down with " cool sensations," criticize
their words, and explain away their apparent meaning.
Brethren, I appeal to your own hearts, as men who have
been brought to consider yourselves as tbe scriptures re
present you — Is there anything in that preaching which
leaves out tbe doctrine of salvation by an atoning sacrifice
that can afford you any relief ? Is it not like the priest and
Levite, who passed by on the other side ? Is not the doc
trine of atonement by tbe blood of Christ like tbe oil and
wine of the good Samaritan ? Under all the pressures of
life, whether from inward conflicts or outward troubles, is
not this your grand support ? What but " an advocate with
the Father," one who "is the propitiation for our sins,"
could prevent you, when you have sinned against God, from
sinking into despondency, and encourage you to sue afresh
for mercy ? What else could so divest affliction of its bitter
ness, death of its sting, or the grave of its gloomy aspect ?
In fine : what else could enable you to contemplate a future
judgment with composure ? What hope could you entertain
of being justified, at that day, upon any other footing than
this, " It is Christ that died ?"
I am aware I shall be told that this is appeaUng to the
passions, and to the passions of enthusiasts. To which it
may be replied. In a question which relates to bappiness,
the heart is the best criterion ; and if it be enthusiasm to
think and feel concerning ourselves as the scriptures repre
sent us, and concerning Christ as he is there exhibited, /let
me live and die an enthusiast. So far from being ashamed
to appeal to such characters, in my opinion they are the only
competent judges. Men of mere speculation play with doc
trines: it is the plain and serious Christian tbat knows most
of their real tendency. In a question, therefore,- which con
cerns their happy or unhappy influence, bis judgment is of
the greatest importance.

472 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
Dr. Priestley allows that " the doctrine of a general and a
most particular providence is so leading a feature in every
scheme of predestination, it brings God so much into every
thing, that an habitual and animated devotion is the result."*
This ¦witness is true : nor is this all. The same principle,
taken in its connexion with various others, equaUy provides
for a serene and joyful satisfaction in all the events of time.
All the vicissitudes of nations, all the furious oppositions to
the church of Christ, all the efforts to overturn the doctrine
of the cross or blot out the spirit of Christianity from the
earth, we consider as permitted for wise and holy ends; and,
being satisfied that they make a part of God's eternal plan,
we are not inordinately anxious about them. We can assure
our opponents that, when we hear them boast of tbeir in
creasing numbers, as also professed unbeUevers of theirs, it
gives us no other pain than that which arises from good will
to men. We have no doubt that these things are wisely
permitted ; that they are a fan in the hand of Christ, by
which, he will thoroughly purge his floor ; and that the true
gospel of Christ, Uke the sun in the heavens, will finaUy dis
perse aU these interposing clouds. We are persuaded, as
well as they, that things upon the whole, whether we, in
our contracted spheres of observation, perceive it or not, are
tending to the general good ; that the empire of truth and
righteousness, notwithstanding all the infideUty and iniquity .
that are in tbe world, is upon the increase ; that it must
increase raore and raore ; that glorious are yet to be accom
plished in the church of God ; and that all which we have
hitherto seen, or heard, of the gospel-dispensation, is but as
the first-fruits of an abundant harvest.
The tendency of a system to promote present happiness
may be estimated by the degree of secwrity which accom
panies it. The obedience and sufferings of Christ, according
to the Calvinistic system, constitute the ground of our accept
ance with God. A good moral life, on the other hand, is the
only foundation on which our opponents profess to build tbeir
hopes.* Now, supposing our principles should prove errone
ous, while they do not lead us to neglect good works, but to
* Phil. Nee. p. ie'2.
t See the quotations from Dr. Priestley, Dr. Harwood, and Mrs. Bar
bauld, Letter IX.

ON GRATITUDE AND OBEDIENCE. 473
abound in thera, from love to God, and with a regard to his
glory, it may be presumed tbat tbe Divine Being wiU not
cast us off to eternity for having ascribed too much to him,
and too Uttle to ourselves. But if the principles of our
opponents should be found erroneous, and tbe foundation on
which they build their hopes should, at last, give way, the
issue must be fatal. I never knew a person, in his dying
moments, alarmed for the consequences of having assumed
too little to himself, or for having ascribed too much to
Christ : but many, at that hour of serious reflection, have
been more than a little apprehensive of danger from the
contrary. »
After all, it is allowed that there is a considerable number
of persons amongst us who are under too great a degree of
mental dejection; but though the number of such persons,
taken in the aggregate, be considerable, it is not sufficient to
render it anything Uke a general case. And as to those
who are so, they are, almost aU of them, such, either from
constitution, from tbe want of a mature judgment to dis
tinguish just causes of sorrow, or from a sinful neglect of
their duties and their advantages. Those who enter most
deeply into our views of things, provided their conduct be
consistent, and there be no particular propensity to gloomi
ness in their constitution, are among the happiest people in
the world.

LETTER XIV.

A COMPARISON OP MOTIVES TO GRATITUDE, OBEDIENCE,
AND HEAVENLY-MINDEDNESS.
The subject of this letter has been occasionally noticed
already : but there are a few .things in reserve that require
your attention. As men are allowed on both sides to be
influenced by motives, whichever of the systems it is that
excels in this particular, tbat of course must be the system
which has the greatest tendency to promote a holy life.
One very important motive, with which the scriptures
acquaint us, is the love of God manifested in the gift
OP HIS Son. " God so loved the world that he gave his only

474 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
begotten Son, that whosoever beUeveth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life." — " Herein is love ; not
that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son
to be a propitiation for our sins." — " God comraendeth his
love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us." — "He that spared not his own Son, but de
livered hira up for us all." — " Beloved, if God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another." The benevolence of
God to men is represented in the New Testament as consist
ing not in his overlooking their frailties, not so rauch even in
his forgiving their sins, as in giving his only begotten Son
to die for them. Herein was love; and herein was found
the grand motive to grateful obedience. There is no neces
sity indeed for establishing this point, since Dr. Priestley
has fuUy acknowledged it. He allows " that tbe love of
God in giving his Son to die for us is tbe consideration on
which the scriptures always lay the greatest stress, as a
motive to gratitude and obedience.''^ As this is a matter
of fact, then, allowed on both sides, it may be worth while
to make some inquiry into the reason of it ; or why it is that
so great a stress should be laid, in the scriptures, upon this
motive. To say nothing of tbe strong presumption which
this acknowledgment affords in favour of the doctrine of
atonement, suffice it at present to observe that, in all other
cases, an obligation to gratitude is supposed to bear some
proportion to tbe magnitude or value of the gift. But, if it
be allowed in this instance, it will follow that the system
which gives us the most exalted views of tbe dignity of
Christ must include tbe strongest motives to obedience and
gratitude. If there be any meaning in the words, the phraseology of
John iii. 16, " God so loved tbe world that he gave his only
begotten Son" conveys an idea of the highest worth in the
object bestowed. So great was this gift that the love of God
in the besto^wment of it is considered as inexpressible and
inestimable. We are not told how much he loved tbe world,
but that he so loved it that he gave his only begotten Son. If
Jesus Christ be of more worth than the world for which be
was given, tben was the language of the sacred writer fit
and proper ; and then was the gift of him truly great, and
• Def. Unit. 1786, p. 102.

ON GEATITUDE AND OBEDIENCE. 475
worthy of being made "the consideration upon which the
scriptures should lay tbe greatest stress, as a motive to grati
tude and obedience." But if he be merely a man like our
selves, and was given only to instruct us by bis doctrine and
example, there is nothing so great in the gift of him, nothing
that will justify the language of the sacred writers frora tbe
charge of bombast, nothing that should render it a motive
to gratitude and obedience, upon which the greatest stress
should be laid.
Dr. Priestley, in his "Letters to Dr. Price,'' observes
that, "In passing from Trinitarianism to high Arianism,
from this to your low Arianism, and from this to Socinian
ism, even of tbe lowest kind, in which Christ is considered
as a mere man, the Son of Joseph and Mary, and naturally
as fallible and peccable as Moses or any other prophet, there
are sufficient sources of gratitude and devotion. I myself,"
continues Dr. Priestley, " have gone through all those
changes ; and I think I may assure you tbat you have
nothing to apprehend from any part of the progress. In
every stage of it, you have that consideration on which the
scriptures always lay the greatest stress, as a motive to
gratitude and obedience^ namely, the love of God, the
Almighty Parent, in giving his Son to die for us. . And
whether this Son be man, angel, or of a super-angelic nature,
everything that he has done is to be referred to the love of
Ood, the original Author of all, and to him all our gratitude
and obedience is ultimately due."*
Dr. Priestley, it seems, wishes to have it thought that,,
seeing Trinitarians, Arians, and Socinians agree in con
sidering the gift of Christ as an' expression of the love of
God, therefore their different systems are upon a level, as to
the grand motive to gratitude and obedience : as if it made
no difference at all whether that gift was small or great;
whether it was a man or an angel, or one whom men and
angels are bound to adore ; whether it was to die, as other
martyrs did, to set us an example of perseverance, or, by
laying down his life as an atoning sacrifice, to deliver us
from the wrath to come. He might as well suppose the gift
of one talent to be equal to that of ten thousand, and tbat it
would induce an equal return of gratitude ; or that the gift
* Def. Unit. I7B6, pp. 101, 102.

476 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
of Moses, or any other prophet, afforded an equal motive to
love and obedience, as the gift of Christ.
If, in every stage of reUgious principle, whether Trini
tarian, Arian, or Socinian, by admitting tbat one general
principle, the love of Ood in giving his Son to die for us, we
have the same motive to gratitude and obedience, and that
in the same degree, it must be because the greatness or
smallness of the gift is a matter of no consideration, and has
no tendency to render a motive stronger or weaker. But
this is not only repugnant to the plainest dictates of reason,
as hath been already observed, but also to tbe doctrine of
Christ. According to this, he that hath much forgiven loveth
much; and he that hath little forgiven loveth little. Hence
it appears that the system which affords the most extensive
views of the evil of sin, the depth of human apostasy, and
the magnitude of redemption, will induce us to love the
most, or produce in us the greatest degree of gratitude and
obedience. It is to no purpose to say, as Dr. Priestley does, " Every
thing that Christ hath done is to be referred to the love of
Ood." For, be it so, the question is, if his system be true,
what hath he done ? and what is tlltere to be referred to tbe
love of God ? To say the most, it can be but little. If Dr.
Priestley be rigbt, tbe breach between God and man is not
so great but that our repentance and obedience are of them
selves, without any atonement whatever, sufficient to heal it.
Christ, therefore, could have but little to do. But the less
he had to do, the less we are indebted to him, and to God
for the gift of him : and, in proportion as this is believed,
we must of course feel less gratitude and devotedness of
soul to God.
Another important motive with which the scriptures ac
quaint us is the LOVE of' Christ in coming into the
¦WORLD, AND LAYING DOWN HIS LIFE FOE US. "Let this
mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus ; who, being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God ; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon
him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of
men." — " For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
tbat, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
tbat ye through his poverty might be made rich." — " Foras-

ON GRATITUDE AND OBEDIENCE. 477
much as the children were partakers of fiesh and blood, he
also himself took part of the sarae ; that through death he
might destroy him that bad tbe power of death, tbat is tho
devil." — "Verily, he took not on him tbe nature of angels,
but the seed of Abraham." — " The love of Christ con
straineth us : because we thus judge, that, if one died for
aU, then were all dead ; and that he died for all, tbat
they who live should not henceforth live unto theraselves,
but unto him who died for thera, and rose again." — " Walk
in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself
for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smeUing
savour." — " To him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood, be glory and dominion for ever and
ever. Amen." Such is the uniform language of the New
Testament, concerning the love of Christ ; and such are the
moral purposes to which it is applied. It is a presumption
in favour of our system that here tbe above motives have aU
their force ; whereas, in the systems of our opponents, they
have scarcely any force at all. The following observations
may render this sufficiently evident.
We consider the coming of Christ into the world as a
voluntary undertaking. His taking upon him, or taking hold,
not of the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham ; bis
taking upon hira the form of a servant, and being made in
tbe likeness of men, and tbat from a state of mind which is
held up for our example ; and his becoming poor, though
previously rich, for our sakes, and that as an act of grace ;
all concur to establish this idea. For this we feel our hearts
bound, by every consideration that love unparalleled can
inspire, to gratitude and obedience. But our opponents by
supposing Christ to have been a mere man, and to have had
no existence till he was born of Mary, are necessarily driven
to deny that his coining into the world was a voluntary act of
his own ; and, consequently, that there was any love or grace
in it. Dr. Priestley, in answer to Dr. Price, contends only
tbat he " carae into the world in obedience to tbe command
of the Father, and not in consequence of his own proposal."
But the idea of bis coming in obedience to the command of
tbe Father is as inconsistent with tbe Socinian scheme as his
coming in consequence of bis own proposal. For, if he had
no existence previously to his beinp- born of Mary, he could do

478 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
neither the one nor the other. It would be perfect absurdity
to speak of our coming into the world as an act of obedi
ence: and, on the hypothesis of Dr. Priestley, to speak of the
coming of Christ under such an idea must be equally absurd.*
We consider Christ's coming into the world as an act of
condescending love ; such, indeed, as admits of no parallel.
The riches of Deity, and the poverty of humanity, the form
of God and the form of a servant, afford a contrast that fills
our souls with grateful astonishment. Dr. Priestley, in the
last mentioned performance, 'I- acknowledges that "the Trini
tarian doctrine of the incarnation is calculated forcibly to
impress the mind with divine condescension." He allows
the doctrine of the incarnation as held by the Arians to
have such a tendency in a degree : but he tells Ur. Price,
who pleaded this argument against Socinianism, that " the
Trinitarian hypothesis of the Supreme God becoming man,
and then suffering and dying for us, would, no doubt, im
press the mind more forcibly still." Tliis is one allowed
source of gratitude and obedience, then, to which the scheme
of our adversaries makes no pretence, and for which it can
supply nothing adequate. But Dr. Priestley thinks to cut
up at one stroke, it seems, all the advantages which his
opponents might hope to gain from these concessions, by
adding — " With what unspeakable reverence and devotion
do the Catholics eat their Maker 1" That a kind of super
stitious devotion may be promoted by falsehood is admitted :
such was the " voluntary humility" of those who worshipped
angels. But as those characters, with all their pretended
humility, were " vainly puffed up by their fleshly mind," so
all that appearance of reverence and devotion which is the
offspring of superstition will be found to be something at a
great remove from piety or devotedness to God. The su
perstitions of Popery, instead of promoting reverence and
devotion, have been thought, by blinding the mind and
encumbering it with other things, to destroy them.| There
are times in which Dr. Priestley himself " cannot conceive
of any practical use being made of transubstantiation :" §
* Def. Unit. 1786, p. 10^2. t Page 103.
X See Mr. Robinson's Sermon on 2 Cor. iv. 4, entitled, " The Christian
Doctrine of Ceremonies."
§ Def. Unit. 1786, p. 33.

ON GRATITUDE AND OBEDIENCE. 479
but now it is put on a level with a doctrine which, it is
allowed, " tends forcibly to impress the mind with divine
condescension." Once more : We believe that Christ, in laying down his
Ufe for us, actually died as our substitute ; endured the curse
of the divine law, that we might escape it ; was delivered
for our offences, that we might be delivered from the wrath
to come ; and all tliis while we were yet enemies. This is
a consideration of the greatest weight : and if we have any
justice or ingenuousness about us, love Uke this must con
strain us to Uve, not to ourselves, but to Him that died for
us, and rose again. But, according to our adversaries,
Clirist died yo/- us in no higher sense than a common martyr,
who might have sacrificed his Ufe to maintain his doctrine ;
and, by so doing, have set an example for the good of others.
If this be all, why should not we be as much indebted, in
point of gratitude, to Stephen, or Paul, or Peter, who also
in tbat manner died for us, as to Jesus Christ ? And why
is there not the same reason for their death being proposed
as a motive for us to live to tbem, as for his that we might
live to him ?
But there is another motive, which Dr. Priestley repre
sents as being " that in Christianity which is most favourable
to virtue ;" namely, a future state of retribution, grounded on
the firm belief of the historical facts recorded in tbe scrip
tures ; especially in the miracles, the death, and the resur
rection of Christ. "The man," he adds, "who believes
these things only, and who, together with this, acknowledges
a universal providence, ordering all events ; who is per
suaded that our very hearts are constantly open to the divine
inspection, so that no iniquity, or purpose of it, can escape
his observation, will not be a bad man, or a dangerous mem
ber of society."* Dr. Priestley, elsewhere, as we have
seen, acknowledges that " the love of God, in giving his Son
to die for us, is the consideration on which the scriptures
always lay the greatest stre^, as a motive to gratitude and
obedience ;" and yet he speaks here of " a future state of
retribution, as being that in Christianity which is most
favourable to virtue." On^ should think that what the scrip
tures always lay the gre&test stress upon should be that in
• Letter V, to Mr. Burn.

480 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
Christianity which is most favourable to virtue, be it what
it may. But, waiving this, let it be considered whether the
Calvinistic system has not the advantage, even upon this
ground. The doctrine of a future state of retribution is a
ground possessed by Calvinists, as weU as by Socinians ;
and, perhaps, it may be found that their views of that
subject, and others connected with it, are more favourable to
virtue and a holy Ufe, than those of their adversaries.
A motive of no small importance by which we profess to
be influenced is the thought of ott/r own approaching dissolu
tion. Brethren, if you embrace what is called the Calvin
istic view of things, you consider it as your duty and
interest to be frequently conversing with mortality. You
find such thoughts have a tendency to moderate your attach
ments to the present world ; to preserve you from being
inordinately elated by its sipiles, or dejected by its frowns.
The consideration of the time being short teaches you to hold
aU things with a loose hand ; to weep as though you wept
not, and to rejoice as though you rejoiced not. You reckon
it a mark of true •wisdom, to keep the end of your lives
habitually in view ; and to follow the advice of the holy
scriptures, where you are directed rather to " go to the house
of mourning than to the house of feasting," where the godly
are described as praying, " So teach us to number our days
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom," and^ God him-
seff as saying, " 0 tbat they were •wise, tbat they understood
this, that they would consider tbeir latter end !" But these
things, instead of being recommended and urged as motives
of piety, are discouraged by Dr. Priestley, who teaches that
it is not necessary to dwell in our thoughts upon death and
futurity, lest it should interrupt the business of Ufe, and
cause us to live in perpetual bondage."*
' The scriptures greatly recommend the virtue of heavenly-
mindedness. They teach Christians to consider themselves
as strangers and pilgrims on tbe earth; to be dead to the
world, and to consider their life, or portion, as hid with
Christ in God. The spiritual, holy, and happy state, which,
according to the Calvinistic system, commences at death,
and is augmented at the resurrection, tends more than a
little to promote this virtue. If, brethren, you adopt these
• Sermon on the death of Mr. Robinson, pp. 7 — 22.

HEAVENLY-MINDEDNESS. 481
views of things, you consider the body as a tabernacle, a
temporary habitation ; and, when this tabernacle is dissolved
by death, you expect a house not made with hands, eternal
in the heavens. , Hence it is that you desire to be absent
from the body, and present with tbe Lord. There are
seasons in which your views are expanded, and your hearts
enlarged. At those seasons, especially, the world loses its
charms, and you see nothing worth Uving for, except to
serve and glorify God. You have, in a degree, tbe same
feelings which the apostle Paul appears to have possessed
when he said, " I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire
to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better." " For
me to Uve is Christ, and to die is gain." But Dr. Priestley
teaches that the heavenly state shall not commence tiU the
resurrection. He does not suppose that there is any state
of existence, strictly speaking, wherein we shall be absent
from the body, and present with the Lord ; for he considers
the soul as having no existence at all separate from the
body. He must, therefore, of necessity be a stranger to any
such " strait" as that mentioned by the apostle. If the ques
tion were put to him, or to any of his sentiments, whether
they would choose to abide longer in the fiesh (which might
be profitable to their connexions), or immediately depart
this life, they would be at no loss what to answer. They
could not, in any rational sense, consider death as "gain."
It would be impossible for tbem upon their principles to
desire to depart. Conceiving that they come to the pos
session of heavenly felicity as soon if they die fifty years
hence as if they were to die at tbe present time, they must
rather desire to Uve as long as the course of nature will
admit ; so long, at least, as Ufe can be considered preferable
to non-existence. It would indicate even a mean and un
worthy temper of mind, upon their principles, to be in such
a strait as Paul describes. It would imply that they were
weary of their work, and at a loss whether they should
choose a cessation of being, or to be employed in serving
God, and in doing good to their feUow creatures.
The nature and employments of the heavenly state de
serve also to be considered. If you adopt the Calvinistic
view of things, you consider the enjoyments and employ
ments of that state in a very different light from that ia
II

482 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
which Socinian writers represent them. You read in your
bibles that " tbe Lord will be our everlasting light, and our
God our glory ;" that "our lifB is hid -with Christ in God ;"
that "when he shall appear, we shaU appear with him in
glory ;" and that we shall then " be like him ; for we shaU
See him as he is." Hence you conclude that a full enjoy
ment of God, and conformity to him, are the sum of heaven.
You read, further, that the bliss in reserve for Christians is
" a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ;" that
" now we are the sons of God, but it doth not yet appear
what we shall be :" and hence you naturally conclude that the
heavenly state will abundantly surpass all our present con
ceptions of it. Again, you read that those who shall be found
worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the
dead, "neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are
like the angels of God." Hence you conclude that the em
ployments and enjoyments of that state are altogether spi
ritual and holy. You read of our knowledge here being
" in part ;" but tbat there we shall " know even as we are
known ;" and that the Lamb, "which is ia the midst of the
throne, shall feed us, and lead us to living fountains of
water." Hence you conclude tbat we shall not only enjoy
jgreater means of knowledge, which, Uke a fountain, -will
flow for ever, and assuage our thirsty souls, but that our
minds unll be abundantly irradiated, and our hearts enlarged,
'by tlie presence of Christ ; whose delightful work it willl be
to open the book, and to loose the seals ; to unfold the mys
teries of God; and to conduct our minds amidst their bound
less researches. Once more : you read concerning those who
shall obtaiii that world, and the resurrection, that they shall
experience " no more death ;" that they shall " go no more
out ;" that the "inheritance" to wbicb they are reserved is
"incorruptible, — and fadeth not away;" and that the weight
of glory which we look for is "eternal." Hence you con
clude tbat tbe immortality promised to Christians is certain
and absolute.
These are very important matters, and roiRt have a great
influence in attracting your hearts toward heaven. These
were tbe things which caused the patriarchs to live like
strangers and pilgrims on tbe earth. They looked for a
'habitation, a better country, even a heavenly one. These

HEAVENLY-MINDEDNESS. 483
were the things that made the apostles and primitive Chris
tians consider their afflictions as Ught and momentary. " For
this cause," say they, "we faint not; but, though our out
ward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
For our Ught affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh
for us a far more exceeding and eiternal weight of glory ;
while we look not at the things which are seen, but at tbe
things which are not seen : for tbe things which are seen
are temporal ; but the things which are not seen are eter
nal." But, if you adopt the Socainian view of things, your ideas
of the heavenly state, compared with the above, will be
miserably flat and cold ; and consequently your affections
will be more set on things below and less on things above.
Dr. Priestley, in his Sermon on tbe death of Mr. Robinson,
is not only employed in dissusading people from too much
thought and fear about deatb, tout from too much hope re
specting the state beyond it. He seems to fear lest we
should form too high expectations of heavenly feUcity, and
so meet with a disappointment. Tbe heaven which he there
describes does not necessarily include any one of the fore
going ideas, but might exist if they were all excluded !
Take his own words : " The change of our condition by
death may not be so great as we are apt to imagine. As
our natures will not be changed, but only improved, we have
no reason to think that the future world (which will be
adapted to our merdy improved nature) will be materially
diff'erent from this. And, indeed, why should we ask or
expect anything more ! If we should still be obliged to
provide for our subsistence by exercise, or labour, is that a
thing to be complained of by those who are supposed to
have acquired flxed habits of industry, becoming rational
beings, and who have never been able to bear the languor of
absolute rest or indolence ? Our future happiness has with
much reason been supposed to arise from an increase of
knowledge. But if we should have nothing more than the
means df knowledge furnished us, as we tave here, but be
left to our own labour to flnd it out, is that to be complained
of by those who will have acquired a love of truth and a
habit of inquiring after it ? To make discoveries ourselves,
though the search may require time and labour, is unspeak-
n2

48'4 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
ably more pleasing than to learn everything by tbe informa
tion of others.* If the immortality that is promised to us
in the gospel should not be necessary and absolute, and we
should only have the certain means of making ourselves im
mortal, we should have much to be thankful for. What the
scriptures inform us concerning a future Ufe is expressed in
general terms, and often in figurative language. A more
particular knowledge of it is wisely concealed from us," —
p. 18.
You see, brethren, here is not one word of God, or of
Christ, as being the sum and substance of our bliss ; and,
except that mention is made of our being freed from " im
perfections bodily and mental," the whole consists of mere
natural enjoyments ; differing from the paradise of Maho
metans chiefly in this, that their enjoyments are principally
sensual, whereas these are mostly inteUectual : those are
adapted to gratify the voluptuary, and these the phUosopher.
Whether such a heaven will suit a holy mind, or be adapted
to draw forth our best affections, judge ye.

LETTER XV.

ON THE RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN SOCINIANISM AND INFI
DELITY, AND THE TENDENCY OF THE ONE TO THE OTHER.
I SUPPOSE we may take it for granted, at present, that Chris
tianity is favourable to true virtue, and that infideUty is the
reverse. If it can be proved, therefore, that Socinianism
resembles infidelity in several of its leading features, and
has a direct tendency towards it, that will be the same as
proving it unfavourable to true virtue.
It has been observed, and I think justly, that "there is no
consistent medium between genuine Christianity and infi
deUty." The smaUest departure from tbe one is a step
towards the other. There are different degrees of approach,
but aU move on in the same direction. Socinians, however,
are not wiUing to own that their scheme has any such ten-
* Is not this the rock on which Dr. Priestley and his brethren split !
Have they not, on this very principle, coined a gospel of thdr own,
instead of receiving the instructions of the sacred writers i

TENDENCY TO INFIDELITY. 485
dency. Dr. Priestley appears to be more than a little hurt
at being represented by the bigots (as he poUtely calls thOse
who think ill of his principles) as undermining Christianity :
and intimates that, by their rigid attachment to certain doc
trines, some are forced into infidelity, while others are saved
from it by his conciliating principles.* Many things to the
same purpose are advanced by Mr. Lindsey, in his " Dis
course addressed to the Congregation at the Chapel in Essex
Street, Strand, on resigning the Pastoral Office among
them." We are to accommodate our religion, it seems, to
the notions and inclinations of infidels ; and then they would
condescend to receive it. This principle of accommodation
has been already noticed in Letter IH. And it has been
shown, from the example of the Popish missionaries in
China, to have no good tendency. To remove every stum-
bUng-block out of the way of infidels would be to annihilate
the gospel. Such attempts, also, suppose what is not tru&—
that their not beUeving in Christianity is owing to sonle
fault in the system, as generally received, and not to the
temper of their own minds. Faults there are, no doubt ;
but, if their hearts were right, they would search the scrip
tures for themselves, and form their own sentirnents accord
ing to the best of their capacity.
The near relation of the system of Socinians to that of
infidels may be proved from the agreement of their principles,
their prejudices, their spirit, and their success.
First: There is an agreement in tbeir leading principles.
One of the most important principles in the scheme of in
fidelity, it is well known, is the sufficiency of human reason.
This is the great bulwark of the cause, and the main ground
* Here the late Mr. Robinson of Cambridge is brought in as an exam
ple ; who, as some think in an excess of complaisance, told the Doctor, in
a private letter, that " but for his friendly aid, he feared he should have
gone from enthusiasm to Deism." "Letters to Mr. Bum," Pref. To say
nothing, whether the use Dr. Priestley made of this private letter was
warrantable, and whether it would not have been full as modest to hayts
forborne to publish to the world so high a compliment on himself; suppos
ing not only the thing itself to have been strictly tree, but that the conduct
pf Dr. Priestley was as strictly proper, what does it prove ? Nothing, ex
cept that the region of Socinianism is so near to that of Deism, that, now
and then, an individual, who was on the high road to the one, has stopped
sjiort and taken up with the other;

486 CALVINISTIC and SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
on which its advocates proceed in rejecting revelation. If
the one, say they, be sufficient, the other is unnecessary.
Whether the Socinians do not adopt the same principle, and
follow hard after the Deists in its application too, we wiU
now inquire. When Mr. Burn charged Dr. Priestley with
"making the reason of the individual the sole umpire in
matters of faith," tbe Doctor denied the charge, and supposed
that Mr. Burn must have been "reading the writings of
Bolingbroke,, Hume, or Voltaire, and have imagined them to
be his;" as if none but professed infidels maintained tbat
principle. This, however, is aUowing it to be a principle
pertaining to infideUty; and of such importance, it should
seem, as to distinguish it from Christianity. If it should
prove, therefore, tbat the same principle occupies a place,
yea, and an equaUy important place, in tbe Socinian scheme,
it will foUow tbat Socinianism and Deism must be nearly
alUed. But Dr. Priestley, as was said, denies the charge ;
and teUs us that he " has written a great deal to prove the
insufficiency of human reason : " he also accuses Mr. Burn
of the "grossest and most unfounded calumny," in charging
such a principle upon hira.---Letter IV.
If what Mr. Burn aUeges be "a gross and unfounded
calumny," it is rather extraordinary that such a number of
respectable writers should have suggested the same thing.
I suppose there has been scarcely a writer of any note
among us, but who, if this be calumny, has calumniated the
Socinians. If there be any credit due to Trinitarian authors,
th^ certainly have hitherto understood matters in a different
Ught from that in which they are here repre-sented. They
have supposed, whether rightly or not, that their opponents,
in general, do hold the very principle which Dr. Priestley
so strongly disavows.
But this is not aU. If what Mr. Burn alleges be a gross
and unfounded calumny, it is stiU more extraordinary that
Socinian writers should calumniate themselves. Mr. Robin
son, whom Dr. Priestley glories in as his convert, affirms
much the same thing ; and that in bis " History of Baptism,"
a work pubUshed after he had adopted the Socinian system.
In answering an objection brought against the Baptists, as
being enthusiasts, he asks, "Were Castelio, and Servetus,
Socinus, and CrelUus, enthusiasts? On the contrary, they

TENDENCY TO INFIDELITY. 487
are taxed with attributing too much to reason, and the suf-
FICIKNCY OF reason IS THE SOUL OF THEIR SYSTEM." —
p. 47. If the last member of this sentence be true, and Dr.
Priestley have maintained tbe same principle as much as any
of his predecessors, then is what Mr. Burn alleges true also,
and no calumny. Further : If Mr. Robinson's words be true,
the system of a Socinus, and of a Bolingbroke, however they
may differ in some particulars, cannot be very wide asunder.
They may be two bodies ; but the difference cannot be very
material, so long as those bodies are inhabited by one soul.
But was not Mr. Robinson mistaken ? Has be not in
advertently granted that which ought not in justice to. have
been granted ? Suppose this to be a fact, why might not the
same construction have been put upon what is alleged by
Mr. Burn and other Trinitarian writers, instead of calUng
it by the hard name of " gross and unfounded calumny ? "
If we say no worse of our opponents than they say of them
selves, they can have no just grounds of complaint ; at least
they should complain with less severity.
Further: If Mr, Robinson was mistaken, and if Dr.
Priestley do really maintain the insufficiency of human reason
in matters of religion, it wiU follow, after all that has been
pleaded in behalf of reason, that he is no better friend to it
than other people. The Doctor often reminds his Calrinistic
opponents of an old saying, that " No man is against reason,
till reason is against him." Old sayings, to be sure, prove
much in argument. This old saying, however, is very just,
provided the term reason be understood of the real fitness of
things. Dr. Priestley's opponents are not against reason in
this sense of the word ; but against setting up the reason of
the individual as umpire in matters of faith : and this we see
is no more than the Doctor himself disavows, in that he sup
poses a principle of this kind is nowhere to be found, except
in sucb writings as those of Bolingbroke, of Hume, or of
Voltaire. He tells us that he has " written much to prove
the insufficiency of human reason, and the necessity of divine
revelation." He is then professedly against reason in the
same sense as his opponents are ; and the Deists might re
mind him of his " old saying " with as much propriety as he
reminds other people of it.
Once more: If Mr. Robinson was mistaken, and if his

488 calvinistic 'AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
concession be beyond the bounds of justice and propriety, it
will follow that, notwithstanding what Dr. Priestley has
said of saving him from infidelity, he was not saved from it
after all. Whether Mr. Robinson's words convey a just
idea of Socinianism or not, they must be allowed to express
what were his own ideas of it. Whatever, therefore. Dr.
Priestley believes, he appears to have beUeved in the suffi
ciency of reason. But, if none besides infidels maintain
that principle, it must follow that Dr. Priestley's glorying in
Mr. Robinson is vain; and that tbe latter, so far from
justifying the Doctor's boast of having saved him from
infidelity, was not saved from it at all, but was the disciple
of a Bolingbroke, of a Hume, or of a Voltaire, rather than of
a Priestley.
, But, after all, was Mr. Robinson indeed mistaken ? Is
not "the sufficiency of reason the soul of the Socinian
system ? " It is true, Socinians do not openly plead, as do
the Deists, that reason is so sufficient as that revelation is .
unnecessary ; nor is it supposed that Mr. Robinson meant to
acknowledge that they did. But do they not constantly
advance what amounts to the same thing ? I do not know
what publications Dr. Priestley refers to when he speaks of
having written a great deal to prove the "insufficiency of
human reason, and tbe necessity of divine revelation :" but,
if it be upon the same principles as those which he avows in
his other productions, I do not see how he can have proved
his point. According to these principles, the sacred writers
were as liable to err as other men, and in some instances
actually did err, producing " lame accounts, improper quota
tions, and inconclusive reasonings;" and it is the province
of reason, not only to judge of their credentials, but of tbe
particular doctrines which they advance. — Let. XII. Now,
.this is not only "making the reason of the individual the
sole umpire in matters of faith," but virtually rendering
revelation unnecessary. If the reason of the individual is to
sit supreme judge, and insist that every doctrine which
revelation proposes shall approve itself to its dictates or be
rejected, the necessity of the latter might as well be totally
denied. If it be necessary, however, it is no otherwise than
as a French parliament used to be necessary to a French
king : not in order to dictate to his majesty, but to afford a

TENDENCY TO INFIDELITY. 489
sanction to his resolutions ; or, at most, to tender him a
little adrice, in order to assist hira in forming his judgment ;
which adrice, notwithstanding, he might receive or reject,
as best suited his inclination.
Dr. Priestley often suggests that he makes no other use of
human reason than all Protestants make against the Papists,
when pleading against the doctrine of transubstantiation;
that is, where the literal sense of the text involves an
absurdity, he so far allows the dictates of reason as to
understand it figuratively. But this is not the case; for
the question here does not at all respect the meaning of
scripture, whether it should be understood literally or
figuratively ; but whether its allowed meaning ought to be
accepted as truth, any further than it corresponds with our
preconceived notions of what is reason. According to the
principles and charges above cited, it ought not ; and this is
not only summoning revelation to the bar of our own under
standings, but actually passing sentence against it.
The near affinity of Socinianism to Deism is so manifest
that it is in vain to disown it. Nobody supposes them to be
entirely the same. One acknowledges Christ to be a true
prophet; the other considers him as an impostor: but
the denial of the proper inspiration of the scriptures, with
the receiving of some part of them as true, and the rejecting
of other parts even of the same books, " as lame accounts,
improper quotations, and inconclusive reasonings," naturally
lead to Deism. Deists themselves do not so reject the bible
as to disbelieve every historical event which is there
recorded. They would not deny, I suppose, that there
were such characters in the world as Abraham, Moses, and
Jesus ; and that some things which are written concerning
each are true.
In short, they take what they like best, as they would
from any other ancient history, and reject the rest: and
what does Dr. Priestley even pretend to more ? He does
not reject so much as a Deist; he admits various articles
which the other denies: but the difference is only in degree.
The relation between the first and leading principles of their
respective systems is so near, tbat one spirit may be said to
pervade them both ; or, to .use the imagery of Mr. Robinson,
one soul inhabits these different bodies. Tl^^ opposition

490 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
between faith and unbelief is so great, in the scriptures, that
no less than salvation is promised to the one, and damnation
threatened to tbe other : but, if they were no further asunder
than Socinianism and Deism, it is passing strange tha± tbeir
consequences should be so widely different.
Another leading principle, common to Socinians and Deists,
is the non-importance of principle itself, in order to the enjoy
ment of the divine favour. Nothing is more common than for
professed infidels to exclaim against Christianity, on account
of its rendering the beUef of the gospel necessary to salva
tion. Lord Shaftesbury insinuates that the heathen magis
trates, in the first ages of Christianity, might have been
justly offended "with a notion which treated them, and all
pien, as profane, impious, and daraned, who entered not into
particular modes of worship, of which there had been for
merly so many thousand kinds instituted, all of them com
patible, and sociable, till that time."* To the same purpose
is what Mr. Paine advances, who, I imagine, would make
no pretence of friendship towards Christianity. "If we
suppose a large family of children," says he, " who on any
particular day, or particular circumstance, made it a custom
to present to their parents some token of their affection and
gratitude, each of them would make a different offering, and,
most probably, in a different manner. Some would pay
their congratulations in themes, of verse or prose, by some
little devices as their genius dictated, or according to what
they thought would please ; and perhaps the least of all, not
able to do any of those things, would ramble into the garden
or the field, and gather what it thought the prettiest flower
it could find, though, perhaps, it might be but a simple weed.
The parent would be more gratified by such a variety than
if the whole of them had acted on a concerted plan, and
each had made exactly the same offering."t And this he
applies, not merely to the diversified modes of worshipping
God which come within the limits of the divine command,
but to the various ways in which mankind have in aU ages
and nations worshipped, or pretended to worship a deity.
The sentiment which this writer, and all others of his stamp,
wish to propagate is, that, in all modes of religion, men may
"" Characteristics, Vol. I. $ 3.
¦)¦ Rights of Mao, Part II. near the conclusion.

TENDENCY TO INFIDELITY. 491
be very sincere ; and that, in being so, all are alike accept
able to God. This is infidelity undisguised. Yet this is no
more than Dr. Priestley has advanced in his " Differences in
Religious Opinions." " If we can be so happy," he says, " as
to believe that aU differences in modes of worship may be
only the different methods by which different men (who are
eqnaUy the offspring of God) are endeavouring to honour
and obey their common parent, our differences of opinion
would have no tendency to lessen our mutual love and
esteem."— Sect, ii.
Nor is Dr. Priestley the only writer of the party who
unites with the author of " The Age of Reason " in main
taining that it matters not what reUgion we are of, if we be
but sincere in it. Dr. Toulmin has laboured to defend this
notion, and to prove from Acts x. 34, 35, and Rom. ii. 6, 10,
12, that it was maintained by Peter and Paul.* But, before
he had pretended to palm it upon them, he should have made
it evident that Cornelius, when he " feared God and worked
righteousness," and those Gentiles, when they are supposed
to have " worked good," and to be heirs of " glory, honour,
and peace," were each of them actuaUy Uring in idolatry ;
and, being sincere, that God was weU pleased •with it. It is
no part of the question whether heathens may be saved, but
whether they may be saved in their heathenism; and whether
heathenism and Christianity be only different modes of wor
shipping our common Father, and aUke acceptable to him.
Several other principles might be mentioned, in which
Socinians and Deists are agreed, and in which the same
objections that are made by the one against Calvinism, are
made by the other against the holy scriptures. Do Socinians
reject the Calvinistic, system because it represents God as a
vindictive being ? For the same reason, the scriptures
themselves are rejected by the Deists. Are the former
offended with Calvinism on account of the doctrines of
atonement and divine sovereignty ? The latter are equally
offended with the bible for tbe same reasons. They know
very weU tbat these doctrines are contained in the scriptures;
but they disUke tbem, and reject the scriptures partly on
account of them. The sufficiency of repentance to secure
the divine favour, the evil of sin consisting merely in its
' Practical Efficacy, pp. 164, 165, 2nd Ed.

492 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
tendency to injure the creature, all punishment being for the
good of the offender as well as for the pubUc good, with
various other principles which are opposed in these Letters
in defence of Calrinism, are the same things for substance
which those who have written against the Deists have had to
encounter when defending revelation.* It is a consolation
to us to trace these likenesses ; as it affords a presumption
that our sentiments accord •vrith the scriptures, being liable
to the same objections.
Socinian writers not only make the same objections to
Calvinism which Deists make to revelation, but, in some
instances, have so far forgotten themselves as to unite with
the latter in pointing tbeir objections against revelation
itself. Steinbart and Semler (as quoted in Letter xii.) have
fallen foul upon the •writers of the Old and New Testament.
" Moses," says the former, " according to the childish con
ceptions of the Jews in his day, paints God as agitated by
riolent affections ; partial to one people, and hating aU other
nations." "Peter," says the latter, 2 Epistle i. 21, " speaks
according to the conception of the Jews ; and the prophets
may have delivered the offspring of their own brains as
divine revelations."t The infideUty of Socinians is fre
quently covered with a very thin disguise; but here the
veil is entirely thrown off. One thing, however, is suffi
ciently evident : while they vent their antipathy against the
holy scriptures, in such indecent language, they betray a
consciousness that the contents of that sacred volume are
against them.
The Ukeness of Socinianism to Deism •wiU further appear
if we consider, secondly, the similarity of their prejudices.
The peculiar prejudices of Deists are drawn, I think, •with
great justness, by Dr. Priestley himself. " There is no
class or description of men," he observes, " but what are
subject to peculiar prejudices: and every prejudice must
operate as an obstacle to the reception of some truth.
It is in vain for unbelievers to pretend to be free from
prejudices. They may, indeed, be free from those of the
vulgar; but they have others, pecuUar to themselves: and
. * See Leland's Def. Christ, against TindaU, Vol. I. Ghap. IV. VI. VIII.
t Dr. Erskine's Sketches and Hints of Church History, No. III.
pp. 65—71. ¦

TENDENCY TO INFIDELITY. 493
the very affectation of being free from vulgar prejudices,
and of being wiser than the rest of mankind, must indispose
them to the admission even of truth, if it should happen to
be vrith the common people. The suspicion that the faith
of the vulgar is superstitious and false, is, no doubt, often
weU founded ; because they, of course, maintain the oldest
opinions, while the speculative part of mankind are making
new discoveries in science. Yet we often find that they
who pride themselves on their being the farthest removed
from superstition in some things, are the greatest dupes to it
in others ; and it is not universally true tbat aU old opinions
are false and all new ones weU founded. An aversion to the
creed of the vulgar may, therefore, mislead a man; and,
from a fondness for singularity, he may be singularly in the
wrong." *
Let those who are best acquainted with Socinians judge
whether this address, with a very few alterations, be not
equally adapted to them and to professed unbelievers. We
know who they are, besides avowed infidels,, who affect to
be " emancipated from vulgar prejudices and popular super
stitions, and to embrace a rational system of faith."+ It is
very common vrith Socinian writers, as much as it with
Deists, to value themselves on being ¦wiser than the rest of
mankind, and to despise the judgment of plain Christians, as
being the judgment of the vulgar and the populace. It i|
true Dr. Priestley has addressed letters to the common
people at Birmingham, and has compUmented them with
being "capable of judging in matters of religion and govern
ment." However, it is no great compUment to Christians
in general, of that description, to suppose, as be frequently
does, not only that the 'Trinitarian system, but that every
other, was the invention of learned men in different ages,
and that the vulgar have always been led by tbeir influence.
" The creed of the vulgar of the present day," he observes,
" is to be considered not so much as their creed, for they
were not the inventors of it, as that of the thinking and
inquisitive in some former period. For those whom we
distinguish by the appellation of the vulgar are not those
who introduce any new opinions, but those who receive them
from others, of whose judgment they have been led to think
* Let. Phil. Unb. P. II. Let. V. . f Mr. Belsham's Sermon, pp. 4, 32.

494 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
.highly."* Oa this principle, Dr. Priestley somewhere ex
presses his persuasion of the future prevalence of Unitarian
ism. He grants tbat, at present, the body of common Chris
tians are against it ; but, as the learned and the speotflative
are verging towards it, he supposes the other vrill, in time,
follow them. What is this but supposing them incapable of
forming religious sentiments for themselves ; as if the bible
were to them a sealed book, and they had only to 'believe the
system that ihapipened to be in fashion, or, rather, to have
¦been in fashion some years before .they were born, and to
daiBce after the pipe of learned men ?
It is acknowledged tiiat, in matters of human science, com
mon people, having no standard to judge by, are generally
led by tbe learned ; but surely it is somewhat different in
religion, where we have a standard ; and one, too, tbat is
adapted to the understanding of the simple However many
.people may be led implicitly by others, yet there will always
be a number of plain, intelligent, serious Christians, who will
read the bible, and judge for themselves ; and Christians of
this description will always have a much greater influence,
even upon those who do not judge for "themselves,, than mere
speculative men, whom the most ignorant cannot but perceive
to be wanting in serious religion, and respect to mankind ;
and, whUe this is the case, there is no great danger of tbe
body of common Christians becoming Socinians.
Thirdly : There is a bold, pkofane, and daking spirit,
discovered in .the ¦writings of infidels : a spirit that fears not
to speak of sacred things with the most indecent freedom.
Whey love to speak of Christ with a sneer, calling him the
varpemter'-s son, the Oalileem, or some sucb name, which, in
their manner of expressing it, conveys an idea of contempt.
Though Socinians do not go such lengths as these, yet they
follow hard after them in their profane and daring manner of
speaking. Were it proper to refer to the speeches of private
individuals, language might be produced very Uttle inferior
in contempt to any of liie foregoing modes of expression :
and even some of those who ihave appeared as authors have
discovered a simUar temper. Besides the examples of Engedin,
Gagneius, Steinbart, and Semler (as quoted in Letter XII.),
the magnmiimi^i which has been ,aseribed to Dr. Priestley,
¦• Let. Phil. Unb. E. II. Let. V.

TEND.ENCY TO INFIDELITY. 495
for censuring the Mosaic narrative of the fall of man, calling
it " a LAME account," is an instance of the same irreverent
spirit. Fourthly : The aliance of Socinianisra to Deisra may be
inferred from this, ITiat the success of the one bears a pro
portion to that of the other, and resembles it in tbe most
essential points. Socinians are continually boasting of their
success, and of the great increase of their numbers ; so also
are the Deists, and I suppose with equal reason. The num
ber of the latter has certainly increased in the present century,
in as great a proportion as the former, if not greater. The
truth is, a spirit of infldeUty is the main temptation of the
present age, as a persecuting superstition was of ages past.
This spirit has long gone forth into the world. In different
denominations of men it exists in different degrees., and
appears to be permitted to try them that dwell upon the
earth. Great multitudes are carried away with it ; and no
wonder, for it disguises itself under a variety of specious
names ; such as liberality, candour, and charity; 'hy which it
imposes upon the unwary. It flatters human pride; calls
evil ,propensity nature ; and gives loose to its dictates : and,
in proportion as it prevails in the judgments as well as in
the hearts of men, it serves to abate the fear of death and
judgment, and so makes them more cheerful than they other
wise ¦would be.
It is also worthy of notice that the success of Socinianism
and Deism has been among the same sort of people ; namely,
men of a speculative turn of mind. Dr. Priestley somewhere
observes that " learned men begin more and more to suspect
the doctrine of tbe Trinity ;" and possibly it may be so. But
tben it might, with equal truth, be affirmed that learned men
begin more and more to suspect Christianity. Dr. Priestley
hiraself acknowledges "that, "among those who are called
philosophers, the unbelievers are the crowd."* It is true he
flatters himself that their numbers will diminish, and that
"the evidences of Christianity will meet with a more im
partial examination in the present day than they have done
in the last fifty years." But this is mere conjecture, such as
has no foundation in fact. We may as well flatter ourselves
that Socinians will diminish: there is equal reason for the
* Let. Phil. Unb. Vol. II. p. 3'2.

496 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
one as for tbe other. It is not impossible that the number
of both may be diminished in some future time ; but when
that tirae shall come it is not for us to say.
It may be suggested that it is a circumstance not much in
favour either of the doctrine of the Trinity, or of Chris
tianity, that such a number of philosophers and learned men
suspect them. But, unfavourable as this circumstance may
appear to some, there are others who view it in a very differ
ent Ught. , The late Mr. Robinson, of Cambridge, always
contended that common Christians were in a more favourable
state for the discovery of religious truth than either the rich
or the learned. And Dr. Priestley not only admits, but
accounts for it. " Learned men," he says, " have prejudices
peculiar to themselves ; and the very affectation of being free
from vulgar prejudices, and of being wiser than the rest of
mankind, must indispose them to the admission even of tiruth,
if it should happen to be with the comraon people." If "not
many wise men after tbe flesh" are found among the friends
of Christianity, or of what we account its peculiar doctrines,
is it any other than what might have been aUeged against
the primitive church ? The things of God, in their times,
were " hid from the wise and prudent, and revealed unto
babes," and that " because it seemed good in his sight."
It is further worthy of notice that the same disregard of,
religion in general, which is aUowed by our opponents to be
favourable to Socinianism, is equally favourable to Deism.
Dr. Priestley describes unbelievers of a certain age amongst
us, as " having heard Christianity , from their infancy, as
having, in general, believed it for some time, and as not
coming to disbelieve it till they had long disregarded it."*
A disregard of Christianity, then, preceded their openly
rejecting it, and embracing the scheme of infidelity. IS.OW
this is the very process of a great number of Socinian con
verts, as both the Doctor and Mr. Belsham elsewhere acknow
ledge. It is by a disregard of all reUgion that men become
infidels; and it is by the same means that others become
Sociniansi The foregoing observations may suffice to show the re
semblance of Socinianisra tp Deism. It remains for me to
consider the tendency of the one to the other.
« Let. Phil. Unb. Vol. II. Pref. p. ix.

TENDENCY TO INFIDELITY. 497
Dr. Priestley seems to admit that his scheme approaches
nearer to that of unbelievers than ours ; but then he disowns
its having any tendency, on that account, to lead men to
infidelity. On tbe contrary, he retorts the charge upon his
opponents, and asserts his own scheme to have an opposite
effect. " An enemy as I am considered to Christianity, by
some," says he, "I have saved many from that infidelity into
which the bigots are forcing thera." The case of the late
Mr. Robinson is here introduced as an example to confirm
this assertion. The reasoning of Dr. Priestley, on this sub
ject, resembles that of Archbishop Laud on another. When
accused of leaning to Popery, he denied the charge, and gave
in a list of twenty-one persons, whom he had not merely
saved from going over to that religion, but actually converted
from it to tbe Protestant faith.f Yet few thinking people
imagine the principles of Laud to have been very unfriendly
to Popery ; much less that they were adapted to save men
from it.
That Socinianism has a direct tendency to Deism will
appear from the following considerations:— First: By giving
up the plenary inspiration of the scriptures, and allowing
them to be the production of faUible men (of raen who,
though too honest knowingly to irapose upon others, were,
notwithstanding, so far under the influence of inattention, of
prejudice, and of raisinformation, as to be capable of being
imposed upon themselves), Socinians furnish infidels with a
handle for rejecting them. To give up the plenary inspira
tion of the scriptures is to give them up as the word of Ood,
and as binding upon the consciences of men : to which our
opponents apparently have no objection. They a,re seldora,
if ever, known to warn mankind that the rejection of the
holy scriptures wiU endanger their eternal welfare. Nor
can they do so consistently vrith what they elsewhere plead
for, that " all differences in modes of worship raay be only
different modes of endeavouring to honour and obey our com
mon Parent." Under the pretext of appealing to the reason
of unbeUevers, they neglect to address themselves to_ their
hearts and consciences. If the cause of infidelity Ue in the
want of evidence, or if those who leaned towards it were
ingenuous and disinterested inquirers after truth, solemn
" Neale's History of the Puritans, Vol. III. Index, Art. Laud.

VOL. I.

K K

498 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
warnings might be the less necessary. But if it lie in the
temper of their hearts, which blinds their minds to the most'
convincing proofs, their hearts and consciences must be ad
dressed, as well as tbeir understandings. The sacred writers
and preachers always proceed upon this principle. This
only will account for such language as tbe following : " The
blindness of tbeir heart'' — "Lest they should understand
with their heart, and be converted." — " Repent and believe
the gospel." — " If God, peradventure, will give them repent
ance to the acknowledging of the truth." This was the
method of John the Baptist, of Christ and his apostles, in
their addresses to unbeUevers: and whatever addresses are
made to infidels, whether Jews or Deists, in which the sin of
unbelief and the danger of persisting in it, are not insisted
on, they will tend to harden them in infideUty rather than to
recover them out of it. Dr. Priestley, in effect, acknowledges
that the cause of infidelity Ues in the temper of the heart
and yet, when he addresses himself to infidels, he seems to
consider tbem as merely in want of evidence, aijd fosters in
them an idea of their security, notwithstanding their rejec
tion of the gospel. This is manifestly the tendency of his
" Letters to the Philosophers and Politicians of France."
Dr. Priestley acknowledges that men seldom reject Chris
tianity in theory till they have long disregarded it in practice.*
That is, they seldom believe it to be false without their
hearts being fully inclined to have it so. Let us then con
sider a character of this description, in his examination of
Christianity. He has long disregarded the practice of it,
and begins now to hesitate about its truth. If he reads a
defence of it upon our principles, he finds the authority of
heaven vindicated, his own sceptical spirit condemned, and
is warned that he fall not upon a rock that will prove his
eternal ruin. He throws it aside in resentment, calls the
writer a bigot, and considers the warning given him as an
insult to his dignity. Still, however, there is a sting left
behind, which he knows not how to extract ; a something
which says within him, How, if it should be true? He takes
up a defence of Christianity upon Socinian principles ; sup-r
pose Dr. Priestley's " Letters to the Philosophers and Poli
ticians of France." He is now brought to a better humour.
* Let. Phil. Unb. Vol. II. Preface, p. ix.

TENDENCY TO INFIDELITY. 499
Here is no threatening ; no imminent danger. The sting is
extracted. The reasoning in many parts is plausible ; but,
having long wished to disbelieve Christianity, it makes little
or no impression upon him, especially as it seems to be of no
great consequence if be do' so. It is only rejecting that
ientirely which professed Christians reject in part. It is
only throwing off the testimony and opinions of fallible men.
What will be his next step is not very difficult to conjecture.
By allowing part of the Gospels to be spurious,. Socinian
writers enable the Jews to ask, with an air of triumph,
" How are we sure that the remainder is authentic ?"* We
are often told that the Jews can never embrace what is called
orthodox Christianity, because of its, inconsistency with one
of the first principles of their reUgion, the uniti/ of God.
We do not ask them, however, to give up the unity of God.
On the contrary, we are fully persuaded that our principles
are entirely consistent with it.i But this is more than our
opponents can say with regard to the inspiration of the scrip
tures : a principle as sacred and as important with the Jews
as tbe unity of God itself. . Were they to embrace Dr.
Priestley's notions of Christianity, they must give up this
principle, and consider tbeir own sacred writings in a much
meaner light than they at present do. They have no con
ception of the Old Testaraent being a mere " authentic
history of past transactions;" but profess to receive it as
the very word of God, the infallible rule of faith and prac
tice. Whenever they shall receive the New Testament, there
is reason to conclude it ¦will be under the same character,
and for the same purposes.. While they consider their own
scriptures as divinely inspired, and hear professed Christians
acknowledge that " part of their Gospels is spurious," they
will be tempted to look down upon Christianity with scorn,
and so be hardened in their infidelity.
Secondly : If the sacred writings be not received for the
purposes for which they were professedly given, and for
¦which they were actually appealed to by Christ and his
apostles, they are in effect rejected : and those who pretend
to erabrace them for other purposes will themselves be found
to have passed the boundaries of Christianity, and to be
walking in the paths of infidelity. We have seen, in Letter
• Mr. D. Levi's Letters to Dr. Priestley, p. 82.
K K 2

500 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
XII., that the scriptures profess to be the word of God, and
the rule of faith and practice. Now, if any man believe in
revelation, he must receive it as being what it professes to
be, and for aU the purposes for which it professes to have
been written. The "Monthly Review" suggests that "the
scriptures were never designed to settle disputed theories,
and to decide speculative, controverted questions, even in
religion and morality."* But, if so, what must we think of
their assuming to be the rule of faith and practice ? what
must we think of Christ and his apostles, who appealed to
them for the truth of "their doctrines and the goodness of
their precepts ? On the principles of our opponents, they
must have been either weak or wicked. If they considered
them as the standard of faith and practice, they must have
been weak : if they did not, and yet appealed to them as a
decisive test, they were certainly wicked. In either case
their testimony is unworthy of regard, to suppose which is
downright infidelity.
Thirdly : By the degrading notions which Socinians enter
tain of the person of Christ, they do what in them lies to
lessen the sin of rejecting him, and afford the adversaries of
the gospel a ground for accusing him of presumption, which
must necessarily harden them in unbelief. The Jews con
sider their nation, according to the sentiments of orthodox
Christians, as lying under the charge "of crucifying the
Lord and Saviour of the world;" but, according to those of
Dr. Priestley, as only having crucified a prophet, that was
sent to them in the first instance. "f Such a consideration
diminishes the degree of their guilt, tends to render tbem
more indifferent, and consequently must harden them in
infidelity. By considering our Lord as merely a prophet,
Socinians also furnish tbe Jews with the charge of presump
tion; a weighty objection indeed against his Messiahship !
" He preached himself" says Mr. Levi, " as the light of the
world, which is an instance not to be paralleled in scripture ;
for the duty of a prophet consisted in his delivery of God's
word or message to the people; not in presumptuously
preaching . himself. Again, we meet with the same example
in John xiv. 6, where Jesus preaches himself, as the way, the
• Monthly Review Enlarged, Vol. X. p. 367.
t Levi's Letters to Priestley, p. 14.

TENDENCY TO INFIDELITY. 501
'truth, and the life" From aU which he concludes, "it is
manifest that he was not sent by God to us as a prophet,
seeing he was so deficient in the essential character of a
prophet.''^ How Dr. Priestley, upon his principles, will be
able to answer this reasoning, I cannot teU. Thor;gh he, has
written a reply to Mr. Levi, I observe he. has passed over
this part of the subject very lightly, offering nothing tbat
sufficiently accounts for our Lord's, preaching himself as
" the Ught of the world, — the way, tbe truth, and the life,"
upon the supposition of his being merely a prophet.
Fourthly : The progress which Socinianism has made has
generally been towards infidelity. The ancient Socinians,
though they went great lengths, are, vuevertheless, far out
done by the moderns. If we look over the " Racovian
Catechism," printed at Amsterdam in 1652, we shaU find
such sentiments as the following : — " No suspicion can possi
bly creep into the mind concerning those authors (the sacred
writers) as if they had not had exact cognizance of the things
which they described, in that sorae of them were eye and
ear-witnesses of the things which they set down, and the
others were fully and accurately informed by them concern
ing the same. It is altogether incredible that God, whose
goodness and proridence are immense, hath suffered those
writings wherein he hath proposed his will, and the way to
eternal life, and which, through tbe succession of so many
ages, have, by all the godly, been received and approved as
sucb, to be any ways corrupted." — p. 3. I need not go
about to prove that these sentiments are betrayed into tbe
bands of infidels by modern Socinians. Dr. Priestley (as we
have seen in Letter XII.) supposes the sacred writers to
have written upon subjects " to which they had not given
much attention, and concerning which they had not the
means of exact information:" and in such cases considers
himself at liberty to disregard their productions. Instead of
maintaining tbat the sacred writings cannot have been cor
rupted, modern Socinians are continuaUy labouring to prove
tbat they are so.
Some, who are better acquainted with Socinians and Deists
than I profess to be, have observed that it is very common
for those who go over to infidelity to pass through Soeinian-
• Levi's Letters to Priestley, p. 24.

502 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
ism in their way. If this be the case, it is no more than may
be expected, according to the natural course of things. It is
not common, I believe, for persons who go over to Socinian
ism to go directly from Calvinism, but through one or other
of the different stages of Arminianism, or Arianism, or both.
Dr. Priestley was once, as he himself informs us, "a Cal
vinist, and tbat of the straitest sect. Afterwards," he adds,
"he became a High Arian, next a Low Arian, and then a
Socinian, and then, in a little time, a Socinian of the lowest
kind, in which Christ is considered as a mere man, the spa
of Joseph and Mary, and naturaUy as fallibli^ and peccable
as Moses, or any other prophet:" to which he -aright have
added — and in which the plenary inspiration of the scriptures
is given up.* The doctor also informs us that he " does not
know when his creed will be fixed."^|" And yet he tells us,
in his volume of Sermons (page 95), that " Unitarians are
not apt to entertain any doubt of the truth of their princi
ples." But this, I suppose, is to be understood of their
principles only in one point of view: namely, as they are
opposed to what is comraonly caUed orthodoxy ; for, as they
are opposed to infidelity, they are apt to entertain doubts
concerning them, as much 'and perhaps more than any other
men ; and, in that line of improvement, to hold themselves
open to the reception of greater and greater illuminations.
It is in this direction that Dr. Priestley has geperally moved
hitherto; and should he, before he fixes his creed, go one
degree further, is there any doubt where that degree will
land him ? Should it be upon the shores of downright
infidelity, it can afford no greater matter of surprise to the
Christian world than that of an Arian becoming a Socinian,
or a Deist an Atheist.
By the following extract from a letter which I received
from a gentleman of candour and veracity, and extensive
acquaintance in the literary world, it appears that several of
the most eminent characters amongst professed unbeUevers
in the present age were but a few years ago in, the scheme of
Socinus : " I think I may say, without exaggeration, that, of
my acquaintance, the greater part of literary men who have
become Unitarians are either sceptics, or strongly tending
that way. I coulii instance in  ,  •,  ,  ,  *
* Let. Phil. Unb. Part II. pp. 33—35. f Def. Unit. 1787, p. 111.

TENDENCY TO INFIDELITY. 503
 , and many others. About four months ago I had a
pretty long conversation with one of the above gentlemen
(as inteUigent a man as any I know) on this subject. He
reminded me of a conversation that had passed betwixt us
about a year and a half before, in which I had observed
there was a near affinity between Unitarianism and Deism,
and told me he was then rather surprised I should suppose
so, but that now he was completely of that opinion ; and that,
from very extensive observations, there was nothing he was
more certain of than that the one led to the other. He
remarked how much Dr. Priestley was mistaken in suppos
ing he could, by cashiering orthodoxy, form what he called
Rational Christians ; for that, after following him thus far,
they would be almost sure to carry their speculations to a
still greater extent. All the professed unbeUevers I have
met with rejoice in the spread of Unitarianism as favourable
to their views."
Christian brethren, permit me to request that the subject
may be seriously considered. Whether the foregoing posi
tions be sufficiently proved, it becomes not me to decide. A
refiection or two; however, may be offered, upon the supposi
tion that they are so; and with these I shall conclude.
First : If that system which embraces the deity and atone
ment of Christ, with other correspondent doctrines, be
friendly to a life of sobriety, righteousness, and godliness,
it must be of God, and it becomes us to abide by it ; not
because it is the doctrine of Calvin, or of any other man that
was uninspired, but as being "the gospel which we have
received" from Christ and his apostles; "wherein we stand,
and by which we are saved."
Secondly : If that system of religion which rejects the
deity and atonement of Christ, with other correspondent
doctrines, be unfriendly to the conversion of sinners to a
life of holiness, and of professed unbelievers to faith in
Christ ; if it be a system which irreligious men are the first
and serious Christians the last to embrace ; if it be found to
relax the obUgations to virtuous affection and behaviour, by
relaxing the great standard of virtue itself; if it promote
neither love to God under his true character, nor benevo
lence to men as it is exemplified in the spirit of Christ an
nis apostles ; if it lead those who embrace it to be wise in

504 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
their own eyes, and instead of humbly deprecating God's
righteous , displeasure, even in their dying moraents, arro
gantly to challenge his justice ; if the charity which it incul
cates be founded in an indifference to divine truth ; if it be
inconsistent with ardent love to Christ, and veneration for
the holy scriptures ; if the happiness which it proraotes be
at variance with the joys of the gospel; and, finally, if it
diminish the motives to gratitude, obedience, and heavenly-
mindedness, and have a natural tendency to infidelity; it
must be an immoral system, and consequently not of God.
It is not the gospel of Christ, but " another gospel." Those
who preach it, preach another Jesus, whom the apostles did
not preach ; and those who receive it, receive another spirit,
which they never imbibed. It is not the Ught which cometh
from above, but a cloud of darkness that hath arisen from
beneath, tending to eclipse it. It is not the high- way of
truth, which is a way of holiness ; but a by-path of error,
which misleads the unwary traveller, and of which, as we
value our immortal interests, it becomes us to beware. We
need not be afraid of evidence, or of free inquiry ; for, if
irreligious men be the first, and serious Christians be the
last, who embrace the Socinian system, it is easy to perceive
that the avenues which lead to it are not, as its abettors
would persuade you to think, an openness to conviction, or a
free and impartial inquiry after truth, but a heart secretly
disaffected to the true character and government of Ood, and
dissatisfied with the gospel-way of salvation.
I am. Christian Brethren,
Respectfully and affectionately yours,
Andrew Fuller.

POSTSCRIPT.
On the flrst appearance of the foregoing Letters, in
1793, some of the most respectable characters amongst the
Socinians, and who have since affected to treat them with
contempt, acknowledged that they were " well worthy of
their attention." No answer, however appeared to them tiU

POSTSCRIPT. 505
1796, when Dr. Toulmin published his "Practical Efficacy
of the Unitarian Doctrine," and -Mr. Kentish his Sermon on
" The Moral Tendency of the Genuine Christian Doctrine."
To these publications a reply was written in 1797, entitled
" Socianism Indefensible on the Ground of its Moral Ten
dency." Mr. Kentish wrote again, and Dr. Toulmin has
lately pubUshed a second edition of his piece, with large
additions. I had no inclination to add anything in reply to
Mr. Kentish, being well satisfied that the public should
judge from the evidence that was before them. And, as to
Dr. Toulmin, his second edition is, Uke his first, full of
irrelative matter.
Having been charged with shifting the ground of the argu
ment, and begging the question, this writer labours to persuade
his readers that he has done neither. " He did not intend,"
he Says, " nor profess, to give a full and minute answer to
Mr. Puller's tract. He meant not much more than to take an
occasion from that publication to bring the general question,
namely, the practical efficacy of the Unitarian doctrine, to
the test of scriptural facts," — p. 133. This is acknowledging
that, if he had professed to give a proper answer to the
work, he would have been obliged by the laws of just reason
ing to keep to the ground of his opponent. But, intending
only to write a piece that should bear some allusion to it,
he considered himself at Uberty to choose bis own ground.
But, if this were his intention, why did he profess, at his
outset, to " enter the lists " with me ; and to comprehend in
his performance " tbe main point to which a reply to my
Letters need be directed ?" If this be not professing to
answer a work, nothing is.
The design of Dr. Toulmin seems to have been very
complex, and his account of it has much the appearance of
evasion. He did not intend to give a full and minute
answer : Did he mean to give any answer ; or only to write
a piece which might pass for an answer ? He meant not
much more than thus and thus : Did he mean any more ? If
he did, he ought to have kept to the proper ground of reason
ing ; or, if be thought it unfair, to have proved it so.
But he had a right, be says, to choose the ground of his
argument as well as I. Doubtless, if he had chosen to write
upon any subject without professing to answer another, or

506 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
wishing his performance to pass for an answer, he had : but
if, at the outset, he propose to " enter the lists" with an
opponent, and to comprehend " aU that to which a reply to
his performance need be directed," it is otherwiscj If a
Christian divine wish to write in favour' of Christianity, he
is at Uberty to choose his ground. He may fix, as Bishop
Newton has, on the argument from prophecy. But if a Deist
come after him, professing to "enter the lists" with him, and
to comprehend in his performance "all that to which a reply
to the. work of his opponent need be directed," he is obUged,
by the rules of just reasoning, either to examine the argu
ments of his adversay, or attempt to overturn the principle
on which they rest. If, instead of trying the truth of the
Christian religion by the fulfilment of prophecy, he were to
fill up his pages by arguing on the improbability oi miracles,
or the sufficiency of the light of nature, what would Dr.
Toulmin say to him ? And if, in order to excuse himself, hp
should aUege that he did not intend nor profess to give a, full
and minute answer to his antagonist — that he meant not much
more than to take an occasion from his publication to bring
forward tbe general question between Christians and Deists
on the necessity of a divine revelation — might he not better
have held his peace ? Must not judicious persons, , pven
amongst his friends, clearly perceive that he has be;trayed
the cause ; and, whether they choose to acknowledge it or
not, be fully convinced that, if he did not wish to answer the
work, he should have let it alone ; or, if the ground of argu
ment were unMr, he should ha^ve proved it so, and not have
set up another which had no relation to it ?
Thus it is that Dr. Toulmin has shifted the ground of the
argument : and what is tbat ground to which he gives the
preference ? He wished, it seems, to try " the practical
efficacy of the Unitarian doctrine by the test of scriptural
facts." Are those facts, then, a proper medium for such a
trial ? I 'ha,ve been used to think that every tree was to be
tried by it^ own fruits, and not by those of another. , Scrip
tural facts, such as those which Dr. Toulmin alleges, afford
a proper test of tbe practical efficacy of scripture doctrines;
land, if brought against tbe cause of infidelity, would be in
point. But there is no question in this case whether scrip
ture truth be of a practical nature, but wherein it consists.

POSTSCEIPT. 507
The facts to which Dr. Toulmin wishes to draw the reader's
attention prove nothing in favour of Unitarianism or Trini
tarianism ; for, before they can be brought to bear, the work
of proof must be accompUshed by other means. An attempt
to establish the practical efficacy of modern Unitarianism by
scriptural facts is like producing the fruits of Palestine, in
order to ascertain the soil of Taunton.
Dr. Toulmin complained of my animadverting on particular
passages in the writings of Unitarians, and suggested that I
ought rather to have applied my arguments to the general,
the fundamental, principles of their system : " Tbat there is
one God, the Father, and one Mediator between God and man,
the man Christ Jesus." To this it was answered, "The unity
of God, and tbe humanity of Christ, then, it, seems, are tbe
principles whichl ought to have attacked; that is, I ought to
have attacked principles which I profess to believe, and not
those which I profess to disbelieve." — " But," says Dr. T.,
in reply, " does he receive these principles in the pure and
simple formia which Unitarians embrace them ?" — p. 81, note.
The Doctor ought to have expressed liis fundamental
principles in his own words and not in those of scripture.
Every controversial writer, who does not wish to beg the
question, will do so. He ought to have said : Mr. Fuller,
instead of animadverting on particular passages in the writ
ings of Unitarians, should have attacked their first principles:
That God is one person, and that Christ is merely a man.
This had been fair and open : and, had the objection been
made in this fOrm, I might have replied to this effect,: — My
object was not to attack particular principles so much as the
general tendency of their reUgion taken in the gross, and the
passages on which^ I animadverted chiefiy related to this view
of the subject. Yet, in the course of the work, I have cer
tainly attempted to prove the divinity of Christ ; and what
ever goes to establish this doctrine goes to demolish those
leading principles which, it is said, I ought to have attacked ;
for if Christ be God he cannot be merely a man, and there
must be more than one person in the Godhead. But, not
contented with expressing his leading principles in his own
words. Dr. Toulmin chooses scripture language for the pur
pose. This, I contended, was begging the question; or
taking it for granted that the terms, one God, in scripture,

508 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
mean one person, and that Christ's being called a man
denotes that he was merely a man. To show tbe impro
priety of this proceeding, I alleged that I believed both the
unity of God and the humanity of -Christ ; and, therefore,
ought not to be expected to oppose either of them. " But
does he receive these principles," says Dr. T., " in the pure
and simple form in which Unitarians embrace them?" What
is this but saying that I do not admit the Socinian gloss upon
the apostle's words?. Dr. Toulmin may contend that the
scriptures express his sentiments so plainly as to need no
gloss ; but a gloss it manifestly is. He may call it a pure
and simple form, or what he pleases ; but nothing is meant
by it beyond a gloss, nor proved, except tbe prevalence of his
easy-besetting sin, tbat of begging the question.
"To show, in a still stronger light, the unfairness of a con
troversial writer's attempting to shroud his opinions under
the phraseology of scripture, I supposed it to be done by a
Calvinist, and asked what Dr. Toulmin would say to it in
that case. I could say, for example. There is a Father, a
Son, and a Holy Spirit, in whose name we are baptized. —
The Word was Ood— Christ died for our sins, according to
the scriptures ; and could require Socinians not to animad
vert on particular passages in Calvinistic writers, but on
these our leading principles. Would they admit, or ought
they to be expected to admit, of these as our leading princi
ples ? No : Dr. Toulmin has given proof that he does not,
and has thereby justified me in refusing to admit the same
thing on his side of the question. He will not allow that our
leading principles are expressed by these passages, of scrip
ture, because they say nothing of the Father, Son, and Spirit
being one Ood, nor of a sameness of essence, he., &c., pp. 5,
6, note. Very well: neither do. I allow that his leading
principles are expressed by tbe passages he has produced ;
for they say nothing of God's being one person, or of Christ's
being merely a. man. If tbe scriptures which I alleged ex
press my sentiments as fully as the passages he has produced
express his, that is sufficient. My object was not to join
issue in endeavouring to prove that my sentiments were
expressly and fully contained in scripture language ; but to
show the futiUty of such pretences on either side. So far
from " affecting to show that the first principles of the

POSTSCEIPT. 509
Calvinists are to be expressed in the words of scripture,"
it was manifestly ray design to show that the practice of so
expressing thera, in controversy, was objectionable, in that it
takes for granted that which requires to be proved.
It i^ true, as Dr. Toulrain says, that, if he, or any other
person, were to offer to subscribe tbe passages which I have
produced, as exhibiting a creed tantamount to ours, we should
demur to admit it in this view. But this, instead of over
turning my reasoning, confirms it, and cuts the throat of his
own argument ; for it is no less true that, if I, or any other
person, were to offer to subscribe the passages produced by
him, as - exhibiting a creed tantamount to his, he would
demur to admit it in this view. Nay, more : in his case, it
is beyond supposition. I have actually offered to subscribe
the apostle's words, and he has actually refused to admit my
subscription ; aUeging that I do not receive tbem in that
pure and simple form in which Unitarians embrace them.
According to his own reasoning, therefore, tbe words of the
apostle, by which be would express his leading principles,
do not contain the whole of them, and he must have faUed
in his attempt to express thera in scripture language ; and,
consequently, the " boasted superiority" of his scheme, even
ill this respect, is without foundation.
If we can believe Dr. Toulmin, however, the scriptures
not only expressly declare God to be one, but one person.
" This simple idea of God, that he is one single person,"
says he, from Mr. Lindsey, "Uterally pervades every passage
of the sacred volumes." To this I haye answered, among
other things, " It ,might have served a better purpose, if,
instead of this general assertion, these gentlemen had pointed
us to a single instance in which the unity of God is literally
declared to be personal." And what has Dr. Toulmin said
in reply ? " The appeal, one would think, might be made to
Mr. Fuller's own good sense. What can be more decisive
instances of this than the many passages in which the singu
lar personal pronouns, and tbeir correlates, are used concern
ing the Supreme Being; as, I, me, my, mine, &c." — p. 85,
note. Whatever may be thought of my good sense, or of
that of my opponent, I appeal to good sense itself, whether
he has made good his assertion. To say nothing of his
reducing it from every passage'to many passages, which pro-

510 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
bably strikes out ninety-nine passages out of a hundred in
the sacred volumes, if the singular personal pronouns be a
literal declaration that God is one person, the plural personal
pronouns. Let us make man in oub image, &c., must equaUy
be a Uteral declaration that he is more than one. The" singu
lar personal pronouns, also, which are frequently appUed to
the Holy Spirit,* contain a decisive proof, yea, a literal
declaration of bis personality ; and which inevitably draws
after it the doctrine of the Trinity.
Dr. Toulmin has said much about judging the heart
(pp. 95 — 101, note) ; but his objection does not seem to
lie against judging, so much as judging Unitarians. If I
affirm, what the scriptures uniformly teach,'|' that a false and
immoral system has its origin not in simple mistake, but in
disaffection to God,J this is highly presumptuous, this is
judging the heart ; but if Dr. Toulmin pronounce my mode
of arguing to be " savouring of spleen and ill-nature, and
evidently designed to fix an opprobrium and disgrace"
(p. 134), the case is altered.
It is right to judge of the disposition of the heart by '/overt
acts ;" that is, by words and deeds : but, where this judg
ment is directed against Unitarians, it is not right, after all ;
for it is possible we may judge uncandidly and unjustly ! It
is right for Dr. T. to disregard the professions of his oppo
nent, when he declares his belief in the unity of God and the
humanity of Christ, and expresses that belief in the words of
scripture, because he does not " receive these principles in
the pure and simple form, in which Unitarians embrace
them." But if we disregard their professions, and require
anything more than a declaration of their faith in, the words
of scripture, we set up " our gospel, or the gospel .according
to our views of it," and act contrary to our professed princi
ples as Protestants, as Dissenters, and as Baptists.
When our creed and worship are such tbat they cannot
conscientiously join them, they have a right to separate from
• John xiv. 26 ; xv. 26 ; xvi. 7— IS. 1 Cor. xii. 11.
t 2 Thess. ii. 10, 1 1 . 2 Pet. ii. 1. 1 John iv. 6. Jude 4.
j The reader will recollect that what is affirmed, in the concluding sen
tence of the Letters, is merely hypothetical, and rests upon the supposition
of Socinianism being what I had attempted to prove it, a false and immoral
system.

POSTSCEIPT. 511
US ; Otherwise they could not " keep the commandments of
Jesus pure and undefiled :" but, whatever be tbeir creed, or
the tenor of their conversation, or prayers, we have no right
to refuse communion with them.
If we do not model our professions, preaching, and wor
ship, so as to give no offence to an individual of their princi
ples, we " assume a power which no Christian, or body of
Christians, possesses :" yet they do not model their professions,
preaching, or worship, so as to give no offence 'to us ; neither
do we desire they should. They do not confine themselves
to tbe words of scripture ; nor is it necessary they should.
They inquire whether our professions accord with the mean
ing of scripture ; and we claim to do the sarae. The reason
why Dr. T. will not allow of this and other claims must, I
should think, be this : Their views of the gospel are "pure
and simple," and purs are corrupt. Thus it is, reader, that
he goes about to prove that he does not " take for granted
the principles on which he argues," and that "be assumes
nothing !" K Dr T. can persuade himself and his frieuds
that he has not shifted the ground of the argument, has not
assumed what he should have proved, and, in short, has not
tacitly acknowledged Socinianism to be indefensible on the
ground of its moral tendency, they are welcome to aU the
consolation such a persuasion will afford them.
All I shall add will be a brief defence of the principle on
which the foregoing Letters are written. To undermine this
is a point at which all my opponents have aimed. The
practical efficacy of a doctrine, in the present age, is a sub
ject, it seems, which ought not to be discussed as the test of
its being true. They are, at least, to a man against it : a
pretty clear evidence this that it does not speak good con
cerning them.
Mr. Belsham, in his " Review of Mr. Wilberforce," glanc
ing at " The Systems Compared," says, " The amount of it
is : We Calvinists being much better Christians than you
Socinians, our doctrines must, of course, be true." "'The
Unitarians," he adds, "will not trespass upon the holy
ground. We have learned that 'not he who commendeth
himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.' And
be it known to Mr. Wilberforce, and to aU who, like him,
are disposed to condemn their brethren unheard, that, if the

512 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
Unitarians were inclined to boast, they have whereof, to
glory. And, if they took pleasure in exposing the faults
of their orthodox brethren, they likewise have tales to unfold
which would refiect little credit on the parties, or on their
principles. But of such mutual reproaches there would be
no end."— -pp. 267, 268, 274.
Dr. Toulmin alleges that "it is a mode of arguing very
unfavourable to candour and fair discussion, savouring of
spleen and ill-nature, principally calculated to misrepresent
and irritate, and evidently designed to fix an opprobrium
and disgrace ; that, when our Saviour cautioned his followers
to "beware of false prophets," who should be "known by
their fruits," he meant not persons who would teach false
doctrine, and whose lives would accord with it, but persons
of insincere character, whose doctrine might, nevertheless,
be true ; and tbat his brethren have not reasoned against
Calrinism from the iraraoral lives oi Calvinists, but raerely
from the immoral tendency of their principles. — pp. 134,
148, 154.
If the mode of arguing pursued in the foregoing Letters
be liable to all these objections, it is rather singular that it
should not have been objected to till it was pointed against
Socinianism. If it can be shown to be a mode of arguing
consonant to tbe directions given by our Saviour, and actually
'used by the Apostles, the Fathers, the Reformers, the Puri-r
tans, and even by our opponents themselves, their objecting
to it in this instance wiU prove nothing, except it be the
weakness of their cause.
Our Sariour warned his followers to "beware of false
prophets," and gave this direction concerning them: "Ye
:shaU know tbem by tbeir fruits." This direction, founded
in self-evident truth, and enforced by the Head of the
Christian church, appeared to me to furnish a proper cri
terion by wbicb to judge of the claims, if not of every
particular opinion, yet of every system of opinions pretend
ing to divine authority.
Mr. Kentish admitted that " the effects produced by a
doctrine were a proper criterion of its value, but not of its
truth." But tbe value of a doctrine implies its truth.
Falsehood is of no value : whatever proves a doctrine valu
able therefore must prove it to be true.

POSTSCEIPT. 513
:Mr. Kentish further objects : " This celebrated saying of
our Saviour is proposed as a test of character, and not as a
criterion of opinion." To the same purpose Dr. Toulmin
alleges that "this is a rule given to judge, not concerning
principles, but men ; not concerning tbe sentiments promul
gated ,by them, but eqncerning their o^wn characters and
pretensions. The persons here pointed at are bypocrites
and false prophets ; such as would falsely pretend a com
mission from God. Their pretensions might be blended with
a true doctrine ; but their claims were founded in dissimula
tion. They would be discovered by their covetousness, love
of gain, and lasciviousness." — p. l48.
These •waiters are, in general, exceedingly averse from
judging men, considering it as uncandid and presumptuous,
and plead for confining aU judgment to things: but, in this
case, things themselves seem to be in danger ; and therefore
men are left to shift for themselves.
According to this ^position, it is the duty of Christians,
when ministers discover an avaricious and ambitious disposi
tion, though sound in doctrine, and in , time, past apparently
humUe and pious, to set them down as hypocrites. And
this is more candid, it seems, and savours less of spleen and
ill-nature, than drawing an unfavourable conclusion of their
doctrinal principles.
But waiving this : The saying of our Sariour is given as
a test of false prophets, or teachers ; an epithet never be
stowed, I beUeve, on men whose doctrine was true. That
false prophets and teachers were men of bad character I
admit, though that character was not always apparent (2 Cor.
xi. 4 ; Matt. vii. l5) ; but tbat they are ever so denomi
nated on account of their character, as distinct from their
doctrine, does not appear. When any thing is said of their
doctrine, it is invariably described as false. " If any man
shall say unto you, Lo here is Christ, or lo there, believe him
not; fpr false Christs, ani. false prophets'' heaiAng witness
in their favour, " shall arise." — " There were false prophets
among the people, even as there shall he false teachers among
you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even deny
ing the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves
swift destruction." — " Beloved, beUeye not every spirit, but
try the spirits whether they be of God : because many false
VOL. I. L L

514 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
prophets are gone out into the world." — " Every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of
God." — "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the
doctrine of Christ, hath not God." — " If there come any
unto you,' and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into
your house, neither bid him God speed ; for he that biddeth
him God speed is partaker of his eril deeds."
If the " false prophets," described by our Saviour, were
sucb as might teach "a true doctrine," the descriptions given
by the New Testament writers, uniformly representing them
as teaching falsehood, are at variance with those of their
Master. That there were hypocrites who taught a true doctrine
may be allowed : but they are never denominated false
prophets, or false teachers. Balaam was a wicked character,
and is called a prophet ; but, as the subject matter of his
prophecies was true, he is not called a false prophet. Judas,
also, was a hypocrite and a tbief, at the same time that he
was a preacher and an apostle ; but, as what he taught was
true,' he is not described as a false teacher or a false apostle.
These things considered, let the impartial reader determine
whether our Saviour did not mean to direct his followers to
judge by their fruits wAo were the patrons of false doctrine.
With respect to the use which has been made of ^his
direction, I appeal, in tbe first place, to the apostles and New
Testament •writers. I presume they will not be accused of
self-commendation, nor of spleen and ill-nature ; yet they
scrupled not to represent those who beUeved their doctrine as
"washed" and "sanctified" from their former immoralities
1 Cor. vi. 11),' and those who believed it not as "having
pleasure in unrighteousness,"^2 Thes. ii. 12. All those
facts which Dr. Toulmin has endeavoured to press into the
service of modern Unitarianism are evidences of the truth
of the primitive doctrine, and were considered as such by the
New Testament vsTiters, They appealed ;to the effects pro
duced in the lives of believers, as '^ tbeir epistles, known and
read of all men," in proof that they "had not corrupted the
word of God," but were the true ministers of Christ, 2 Cor.
ii. 17, &c. With the fullest confidence they asked, "Who is
he that overcometh the world, but' he that beUeveth that
Jesus is the Son of God ?" Plainly intimating that truth

POSTSCRIPT. 515
was well kno^wn by its effects. Nor was error less so : those
who introduced false doctrines are invariably described as
unholy characters.— 2 Pet. ii. 1,3 ; Jude ; 1 Cor. xv. 33, 34.
To quote the reasonings of the fathers on this principle
were to copy a large proportion of tbeir apologies. I ques
tion whether there be one of them which does not contain
arguments for the truth of Christianity on tbe ground of the
holy lives of Christians ; and which does not infer, or in
some form intimate, tbe falsehood of heathenism frora the
known immorality of heathens. Their opponents,- having
no better answer at hand, might possibly charge this reason
ing with vain-boasting, spleen, and iU-nature; but I do not
recollect that it was ever imputed to these causes by
Christians. As to the Reformers, the most successful attacks which
ihey made upon the Church of Rome were founded on the
dissolute lives of her clergy, and the holiness and constancy
of those whom she persecuted unto death. The general
strain of their, writings may be seen in "^Fox's Mart3rrology,"
which is, in effect, an exhibition of the moral character of
tbe persecutors and tbe persecuted, from which the world is
left to judge which was the true religion : and, I may add,
a considerable part of the world did judge, and acted accord
ingly. Dr. Toulmin suggests, from Mosheim, that the Reformers,
and particularly Calvin and bis associates, neglected tbe
science of morals. — p. 153. But Mosheim's prejudice against
Calvin ahd bis associates renders his testimony of but Uttle
weight, especially as the reader may satisfy himself of the
contrary by the writings of the parties which are yet extant.
The eighth chapter of the second book of '^Calvin's Institutes"
is sufficierit to wipe away this slander. The morality there
inculcated is such as neither Antinomians, nor " great num
bers " amongst modern Unitarians, can endure. That there
were some among the gospellers, as they were called, who
were loose characters, is admitted : such there are ^n every
age : but take the reformed as a body, and they were not
only better Christians than their persecutors, but than those
their successors, who, while pretending to teach tbe "sciencO"
of morality, have deserted the great principles by ¦which it
requires to be animated, and debased it, by allowing the
L L 2

516 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPARED.
amusements of the theatre, and other species of dissipation,,
to be consistent with it.
The historian of the puritans h^^ recorded of that per
secuted people that, "wMle others were at plays and inter
ludes, at revels, or walking in the fields, or at the diversions
of bowling, fencing, -&c,, on the evening of the sabbath,
they, with their families, were employed in reading the
Scriptures, singing psalms, catechizing their children, repeat
ing sermons and prayer; that neither was this confined to
the Lord's day, but they had their hours of family-devotion
on the week-days, esteeming it their duty to take care of the
souls as weU as of the bodies of tbeir servants.; and that
they were circumspect as to all the excesses of eating and
drinking, apparel, and lawful diversions ; being frugal in
house-keeping, industrious in their particular caUi^g?, honest
and exact in their dealings, and solicitous to give every one
his own."*
These things might not be alleged in proof of the truth
of every particular opinion which they held (neither have 1
inferred from such premises the truth of every opinion main
tained by Calvinists) ; but they were alleged in proof that
their religion, in the main, was that of Jesus Christ, and the
¦ reUgion of their adversaries a very near approach to that of
Antichrist. Nor do I recollect that tbe writer has been
charged, unless it be by those who felt the condemnation
which his story impUed, with vain-boastiug, spleen, or ill-
nature. Finally : Will our opponents accuse themselves of these
evils, for having reasoned upon this principle as fan as they
are able ? That they have done this is manifest, though Dr.
Toulmin affects to disown it, aUeging tbat they have not
reasoned on tbe lives of men, but merely on the tendency of
principles.— --p. 154. That they have reasoned on the tendency
of principles is true ; and so have I : such is the reasoning
of the far greater part of the foregoing Letters. But that
they avoided all reference to tbe lives of Calvinists, is not
true. Was it on the tendency of principles, or on the Uves
of men,. that Dr. Priestley reasoned, when he compared the
virtue of Trinitarians with that of "Unitarians, allowing that
though the latter had more of an apparent conformity to the
* Neale's History of the Puritans, Vol. I. Chap. VIII.

POSTSCEIPT. 517
world than the former, yet, upon the whole, they approached
nearer to the proper temper of Christianity than they ?*
Has he confined himself to the tendency of principles in
what he has related of Mr. Badcock.-|- Does he not refer to
the practices of Antinomians, in proof of the immoral
tendency of Calvinism, representing them as the legitimate
offspring of our principles .'' See quotation, p. 363.
And though Mr. Belsham now affects to be disgusted
with this mode of reasoning, yet there was a time when he
seemed to think it would be of service to hiin, and when he
figured away in the use of it. Did he not affirm that " they
who are sincerely pious, and* diffusively benevolent ¦with our
principles, could not have failed to have been much better,
and much happier, had. they adopted a milder, a more ra
tional, a raore truly evangelical creed ?" And what is this
but affirming that those of his sentiments are better and
happier in general than others ?
Yet this gentleman affects to despise the foregoing Letters ;
for that the sum of them is, " We Calvinists being much
better Christians than you Socinians, our doctrines must of
course be true."| Strange tbat a writer should so far for
get himself as to reproach the performance of another for
that which is the characteristic of his own !
Nor is this all : in the small compass of the same dis
course, he expresses a hope that Socinian converts would
" at length feel the benign influence of tbeir principles, and
demonstrate the excellence of their faith by the superior
dignity and worth of their character." If the excellence of
principles (and of course tbeir truth, for nothing can be
excellent which is not true) be not demonstrable by tbe
character of those who erabrace them, how is superior dig
nity and worth of character to demonstrate it ?
Such was once the "self-commending" language of Mr.
Belsham ; but, whether his converts have disappointed his
hope, or whether the ground be too "holy" for him, so it is,
that he is now entirely of a different mind : and, what is
worse, would fain persuade his readers that it is ground on
which he and bis brethren have never " trespassed."
This is the man who, after throwing down the gauntlet,
declines the contest ; and, after bis partisans have laboured
• Disc. Var. Sub. p. 100. f Fam. Let. XXIL J Review, p. 274.

518 CALVINISTIC AND SOCINIAN SYSTEMS COMPAEED.
to the Utmost 4o maintain their cause, talks of what they
could say and do, were they not withheld by motives of
generosity !
One would imagine, frora Mr. Belsham's manner of writing,
that I had dealt largely in tales of private characters. The
truth is, what tales have been told are of their own telling.
I freely acknowledge* that "I was not sufficiently acquainted
with the bulk of Socinians to judge of their moral character."
Every thing was rested on 'their own concessions : and this
it is which is the galling circumstance to Mr. Belsham and
his party. They may now insinuate what great things they
could bring forward to our disadvantage, were they not
restrained by raotives of modesty and generosity : but they
can do nothing. They might, indeed, collect tales of in
dividuals, and point out many faults which attach to the
general body ; but they cannot prove it to be equally im
moral with the general body of Socinians. Before this can
be consistently attempted, they must retract their conces
sions : and this will not avail them ; for it must be manifest
to all men that it was only to answer an end.
The reader is now left to judge for himself, whether the
principle of reasoning adopted in the foregoing Letters be
justly liable to the objections which have been raised against
it, whether our opponents did not flrst apply it against us,
and whether any other reason can be given for their present
aversion to it than tbat they feel it to be unfavourable to
their cause.
A. F
» See p. 366.

THREE LETTERS
ON THE
SENTIMENTS OF THE EEV. E. EOBINSON,

OF CAUBBIUGE.

STEICTUEES
ON SOMB OF- THE
LEADIliTG SENTIMENTS OF ME. E. EOBINSON
LETTER L
ON TIlE IMPORTANCE OP TRUTH AND A RIGHT BELIEF OP IT.
^ My deak Friend, — When we consider tbe shortness of
time, and the variety of weighty concerns which call for our
attention during that transitory period, you ¦will agree vrith
me that ¦w'hsttever has not some degrOe of importance attend
ing it has no claim upon oui- regard. Every object certainly
deserves regard in proportion to its importance. If, then,
truth ahd a right belief of it are things of no importance;
or at most of very Uttle, they can assuredly lay claim but to
a small share of our attention. But if, on the other hand,
truth — divine truth, I mean — should prove to be a matter of
great, yea, of the highest importance, then inattention to it
wOuld be a Oonduct chargeable with the greatest culpability.
Were you and I pf that fashionable opinion — "that it matters
not what we beUeve, if our lives be but good," — all attempts
tb investigate reUgious sentiments, it should seem, would be
to no purpose ; for why ne6d I put myself to the trouble of
writing, and you of reading what I write, if, dffer aU, it is
very iramaterial what we think or believe in these matters ?
Though I know you have no such ideas of things, yet,
seeing that the importance of truth is itself a truth on the
belief of which our attention and attachment to all other
truths depends, you will allow me to begin by establishing
that.* * If I am not mistaken, this is Mr. R.'s grand defect. He has all a.6ng
professed himself, I suppose, a Calvinist ; but never seems to have befeii in
earnest in preaching or writing on these principles — never seems to have
acted as though he thought they -were of importance. How difiFerently has
he acted concerning the principles of nonconformity, and some other
favourite subjects ! How coldly has he treated those in comparison with

522 STRICTURES ON MK. E. ROBINSONS SENTIMENTS.
I have sometimes wondered why it should be thought more
criminal to disobey what Q-od commands than to disbelieve
what he declares. Certainly, if any master of a family came
into his own house and told a plain tale from his own know
ledge, and if any of the family were to affect to doubt it, he
would take it as ill as if they refused to do what he com
manded. Yea, for aught I know, more so; for to call in
question his integrity would probably be more heinous in his
view, than merely to disregard his authority.
There are two passages of holy writ that have especially
struck my mind on this subject. One is, that solemn piece
of advice given by the wise man : " Buy the truth, and sell
it not." He does not name the price, because its value ¦vras
beyond aU price. As when we advise a friend to purchase
some very valuable and necessary article we say, '^ Buy it, give
what you will for it, let nothing part you." So here, — Buy
it at any rate ! It cannot be too dear ! give up ease, wealth,
or reputation, rather than miss it! , part with , your, most
darling prejudices, preconceived . notions, beloved, lusts, or
anything else that may stand in the way 1 And, having got
it, make much of it — sell it not ! no, not for any price !
make shipwreck of anything rather than of faith and a good
conscience !. part with Ufe itself rather than with divine
, - .f.
these ! Besides acknowledging Arians and Socinians aa " mistaken bre
thren," and choosing rather to be 'f a ftpzen, formalist" than '' set on fire of
hell," as he terms it, he openly avows his belief of the innocence of mental
error ; which, I think, is full as much as to avow the non-imnortance of
truth. Here, by the bye, I think it must require a very large stretch of charity
to acquit him of manifest known sophistry. After having qalle;d ,those who
deny Christ's divinity " mistaken brethren," he supposes an, objector would
say. But all this argues great coldness to your Lord ! and in reply his words
are — " I would rather be frozen into a formalist, than inflamed with the
fire of hell : in the first case I should be a harmless statue; .in. the last a
destroyer like the devil.' ; — See his "Plea for the JJivinity of Christ," near
the conclusion. Surely, he must know this to be evasive and sophistical.
Could he be ignorant of a medium between cool indifference and a criminal
heat ? If he be, woe be to him ! Need he be told'that the Word of God
requires us to contend earnestly, though not angrily, for the faith ! His
answer is a vindication of one extreme by exclaiming against another. As
though a man Should say, when reproved for sloth. Belter be a sluggard ,
than a robber— for in that case I should do a world of mischief ! True j
but is there no medium ? And is not that medium the position Which every
man ought to occupy?

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUTH. 523
truth ! — But why so tenacious of truth if after all it is of
Uttle or no importance ?
I remember not many years since hearing a minister
preach at a certain ordination from Heb. x. 23 : " Let us
hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering." In
enforcing his subject be made use of what might be supposed
to be the call of the martyrs from heaven. He Represented
one as crying to us, " Hold it fast ; I died in a dungeon
rather than forego it." " Hold it fast 1" says another, , " I
bled for it." " Hold it fast !" says a third, " I burned for
it." These sentiments and motives, I own, met with my
warmest approbation. But if, after aU, it matters not what
we beUeve, why all this ado ?,
The other passage that has especially struck my mind is,
that memorable commission of our Lord, "Go ye into all
the world, and preach tbe gospel to every creature : he that
beUeveth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that beUeveth
not shall be damned." He that beUeveth' — what ? The
gospel, no , doubt, which they were commissioned to preach.
As if, he had said, Go preach the gospel : he that shall re-
receive your message, and evidence it by a submission to
my authority, shall, be, saved : but he that shall reject it, let
him see to it — he sbaUbci damned ! This is very awful, and
ought to excite us, instead of playing with truth and error,
seriously to examine whether we be in the faith !
What is beUeving the gospel but heartily admitting what
it implies and what it declares ? . What but admitting that
God is a^ infinitely amiable being, and that his law is "holy,
and just, and good ?" for, otherwise, the sacrifice of Christ
for the, bi;eaich of it would have been injustice and cruelty.
What but admitting that sin is an infinite evil, and that we
are infinitely, to blame for hreaking God's Jaw without any
provocation ? for, if otherwise, an infinite atonement would
not haye been required ; God would have accepted some
other sacrifice rather than have given up his own Son.
What but admitting that we are utterly depraved and lost,
lying entirely, at God's . discretion ? If he save us alive, we
live ; or if we have our portion with devils, with whom we
have sided against him, be and his throne are guiltless.
This is ImpUed in the gospel of a crucified Saviour ; for, if
we had not been utterly lost,' we had not needed a Saviour

524 STRICTURES ON MR. R. ROBINSON'S SENTIMENTS.
— at least, such a great one. In fine : vrhat is it but
admitting that the plan of redemption is a plan full of* in
flnite glory, the device of infinite wisdom, the expression of
infinite love, the work of inflnite power, and the display of
inflnite glory, justice, and faithfulness ? — a plan originating
in the heart of God, effected by means the most astonishing,
and productive of ends the most glorious ! — Uo less glorious
than the eternal honour of its Author, the triumph of truth
and righteousness, the confusion of Satan, the destruction
of sin, and the holiness and happiness of a number of lost
sinners which no man can number ! — a pl'an this, therefore,
" worthy of all acceptation ! " ¦v^oTthy of being approved
and acquiesced in with all the heart .'¦ These, I think,, are
some of the principal truths which tbe gospel exhibits : and
whosoever really believes them shall be saved.
O the other hand, what is it to disbelieve the gospel, but
to remain under a persuasion tbat God is not such an infl-
nitely amiable being as to be worthy of being loved with all
the heart, and soul, and mind, and strength ? — that therefore
his law is too strict, and if it must extend to the heart, too
broad, requiring more than ought to be required^ espfeciaUy
of fallen creatures ? — that consequently a breach of it is not
so very criminal as to deserve damnation ? — that, if God
were to damn us, it would be a very bard and cruel thing ?
— that we are not so depraved and lost but that, if God w6re
but to deal fairly with us we should do very well without a
Saviour, or at least without sUch a Saviour and such a
salvation as is altogether of grace ? that there is no ' such
excellence in the Saviour that we should desire him, no such
glory in his way of salvation that we should choose it — so
choose it, however, as to be ¦wilUng to have our pride
mortified, and our lusts sacrified to it ? — in flne : that there
is no need for such an ado about the concerns of our souls —
no need to become new creatures, to be at war ¦with all sin,
and to make reUgion our daily business ? This I take to be
nearly what the Scriptures mean by unbetief. However, be
my ideas of the gospel right or wrong, that affects not the
present question ; for, be the gospel what it may, the belief
of it has attached to it the promise of salvation, and the dis
belief of it the threatening of damnation.
You have observed, I dare say, tbat it is very common to

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUTH. 535
j-epresent truth, and tbe beUef of it, as of smaU account, and
morality as all in aU ; nay, more, that the preaching of the
former is the way to subvert the latter. And yet how easy
were it to prove that this is no other than destroying the
means in order to effect the end ! Whatever may be pre
tended, I beUeve it wiU be found that all sin springs from
error, or the belief of some falsehood ; and aU holy actions
from the belief of the truth. The former appears in that
, tbe ¦wiU of man is so constituted as never to choose anything
but an apparent good. It is impossible we should choose
what appears to us at the sarae time and in the same respects
unlovely. Therefore whenever we choose evil we must
believe evil to be lovely ; tbat is, we must beUeve a falsehood.
This the Scripture represents as calling "evil good, and
good evil." And thus all vice springs from error, or false
-views of things.
On the other hand, whatever there may be Of ¦w;hat is
caUed moraUty, there is no real obedience to GOd, or true
; hoUness, in the world, but what arises from a conviction of
the truth. Does holiness, for instance, consist in love to
God ? what love can there be to God, but in proportion as
we discern the infinite exceUency of his nature ? Does it
consist in abhorring sin ? How can we do this any further
than we understand and believe its odious nature ? Does it
consist in repentance for sin ? certainly there can be nothing
of this, but as we understand the obligations we are under,
and the unreasonableness and vileness of acting contrary to
them. Or does it consist in prizing salvation ? this will be
in proportion as we believe our lost estate. From whence
spring those heavenly virtues of fear, contentment, diUgence
in divine ordinances, acquiescence in the wiU of God,
humiUty, &c., but from a conviction of the truth ? God
proclaims before the universe, " I am the Lord !" This
truth reaUzed, or heartily believed, begets a holy fear
towards this fearful name. God in his word declares the
vanity of aU things under tbe sun, and tbe weight of future
bUss. A belief of these truths damps inordinate anxiety,
and raises our desires after a glorious immortaUty. God
declares that a day in his courts is better than a thousand
elsewhere. A belief of this will make us earnest and
constant in our attendance — will make us leave our farms

526 STRICTURES ON MR R. ROBINSON'S SBNTEMENTS.
and merchandise, and all, to come and worship in his house,
God has promised, " I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee :"— that " they who trust in the Lord and do good shaU
dwell in the land, and verily they shaU be fed." A belief of
this calms and composes the mind under the darkest provi
dences. Thus it' was with the prophet Habakkuk. — Hab.
iu. 17, 18. God has told us concerning ourselves that we
are " a generation of vipers," — a race of abominable and
filthy beings. A beUef of this humbles us in the dust
before him. In fine, he has told us that to us belongs
nothing but "shame and confusion of face." A belief of
this would prevent peevishness under adverse proridences.
Under the belief of such a declaration we should not
wonder if God made us as miserable as we had made
ourselves sinful. What in this world ever filled a soul with
greater humility than a realizing view of a holy God fiUed
Isaiah ? — Isa. vi. Then, as in a glass he beheld his own
deformity. It was this that made hira exclaim, with the
deepest self-abasement, "Woe is me! for .1 am undone!
I am a man of unclean lips ; for mine eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of Hosts !" Is it not a " beholding of the
glory of the Lord," (which is no more than discerning and
iielieving the truth, for God is glorious v?hetber we believe
it or not) that changes into the same image?— 2 Cor. iii. 18.
And is not our being made like Christ at last ascribed to our
" seeing hira as he is ?"
In short, I believe it will be found that truth wants only
to be universally realized in order to produce universal holi
ness. Should it be asked. Then why is not universal holiness
found in good men who believe the truth ? the answer is.
Though they believe tbe truth, they believe not the whole
truth, nor perhaps do they wholly believe any truth. When
they shall be perfectly delivered from " an evil heart of
unbelief," they shall possess perfect holiness.
You will naturally reflect — if these things are so, what an
important thing is truth ; and what awful evils are error and
unbelief; and yet how prevalent are they in tbe world,
and even in the best of men ! True ; and I will add one
more reflection, and that is, if your thoughts coincide with
tho sentiments expressed in this letter, you will not only be
open, but eager to hear anything that may tend to bring it
to Ught.

527
LETTER II.
ON THE CKIMHSTALITT OP MENTAL ERROR.
Mr DEAR Friend, — If what has been already said be
just, there wiU be no difficulty in maintaining our ground
here. For, certainly, the belief of that which ought to be
bought and held fast at any rate cannot be a matter of indif
ference. An error which has no less than eternal damnation
threatened against it must be criminal, and that in a high
degree. One main article in Mr. Robinson's creed is, that the
Bible knows nothing of mystery, but is a plain book— so
plain as to be level with tbe common sense of mankind.
Whether tbe Scriptures contain anything mysterious, or not,
it appears to me altogether a mystery that any man of com
mon sense should maintain two such opposite positions as
the simplicity of the Scriptures and the innocence of mental
error: asserting that the Bible is so plain a book that nobody,
without either neglecting or doing violence to common sense,
can mistake its meaning ; and yet that even a thousand
errors concerning this plain book are altogether innocent !*
* " The New Testament is a book so plain and the religion of it so easy,
that any man of common sense might understand it if he would." A
person who has examined a Scripture doctrine, " and cannot obtain evi
dence of the truth of it, is indeed in a state in which his knowledge is
imperfect; but his imperfection is innocent, because he hath exercised all
the ability and ¦virtue he has, and his ignorance is involuntary; yea, per
haps he may have exercised ten times more industry and application,
though without success, than many others who have obtained evidence." —
" General Doctrine of Toleration," &c.
" Any man of common sense might understand it if he would;" and yet
many such men may examine it, " with all their ability and all their
virtue," and " not obtain evidence !" This is a mystery, let what will be
plain. And such a man's imperfection is innocent because he hath exer
cised all the ability and virtue he has ! If our obligations are to be mea
sured by the degree of virtue we possess, the way to get clear of all obliga
tion is to become totally abandoned to vice. Far be it from me to attach
tu others more blame than I would acknowledge belongs to myself, if I
continue in error. We are all imperfect; but let us not call our imper
fections innocent.

528 STRICTURES ON MR. R. ROBINSON'S SENTIMENTS.
I agree •with Mr. E. in believing that, upon the whole, the
Bible is a plain book, adapted to the common understandings
of mankind ; and that men in general may understand aU
they are required to understand, if their hearts are rightly
disposed. At the same time, there are things revealed in
the Scriptures which must be, to us incomprehensible ; as the
incarnation of the Son of God, which even an inspired
apostle declares to be " a great mystery." There are some
things also in the prophetic writiugs which can never be
fuUy understood till their accompUshment. But then our
not comprehending the^e things , is not criminal, though the
Uttle attention we devote to them may be.
In proportion, however, as the Scriptures are plain, and
easy to be understood, must be our criminality, if we be
endowed with common sense, in not understanding them. If
the way of 'salvation is so plain that "a wayfapng pian, though
a fool, shall not err therein," then the errors of men concern
ing it cannot be innocent. And, the sarae is true of the
preceptive parts of Scripture. If error arise not from the
obscurity pf Scripture, from its being beyond the capacity of
men in general, it must arise from other causes ; and what
these can be besides indifference, indolence, carelessness,
prejudice, pride, or aversion, I know not. g
" Why do ye not understand my speech?" said our Lord
to the, Jews. Was it because it was not importarit enough
to demand their attention, or because it was not plain
enough to meet their capacities ? — No. Mark the answer.
Why ? " Because ye cannot hear my word." What, then,
were they naturally deaf ? — No. That had been their felicity.
Better hare no ears, than ears and Aear not. Tli^lr deafness
was like that of the adder, that "will not hear the voice of
the charmer, charm he never so wisely." ' Then would they
not listen to his discourses ? This does not appear. But
they could not receive lus doctrine. This is the import of
the answer. And why could they not receive it ? Evidently
because of their pride, prejudice, and love of sin. Tbe pride
of their hearts could not bear the doctrine which represented
them as slaves to ignorance and sin, and proposed their being
made free by the knowledge of the truth. With a haughty,
contemptuous air, they spurn the proposal ; replying, "We
be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man :

ON THE CRIMINALITY OP MENTAL ERROR. 529
how sayest thou, Ye shaU be made free ?" Their prejudice
in favour of their old religion hardened them against conric
tion, and their love of sin set them against that gospel wliich
laid the axe at the root of that evil tree. Our Lord in
effect, told them so. " Ye are of your father, the devU, and
the deeds of your father ye wiU do." As if he had said. You
would rather continue slaves to Satan than that " the Son "
should make you free !
There seems to be a beautiful propriety in our Lord's
parable of the sower. It is observable that, of the four sorts
of ground, only one received the seed so as to bring forth
fruit ; and that one is explained of persons who have " good
and honest hearts:" plainly implying that, if men's hearts
were but honest, they would be sure to embrace the word of
_God. Indeed, the nature of divine revelation is such that
its rejection impUes a dishonest heart. For instance, does
the word of God set forth the rights of Deity, and human
obligation ? This is what an honest heart loves. That
heart cannot be honest which does not rejoice in every one
having his due, and consequently in God's having his. Does
it represent man as having forfeited all claim to the goodness
of God ? An honest heart will acquiesce in this, and be
willing to receive all as a free donation. Does it exhibit
such a way of salvation as provides for the honour of injured
Majesty ? This is sure to be embraced by an honest heart ."
sucb a mind could not bear the thought of being saved at the
expense of righteousness. To desire to receive mercy in any
other than an honourable way indicates a dishonest heart.
Whoever, therefore, does not cordially approve and embrace
the salvation of the gospel, the reason is plain.
Perhaps it will be said, these things are spoken of wicked
men, and indicate the criminality of their errors. But surely
the errors of good men arise frora different causes. Surely
they may be innocent. It must be aUowed that good men
have errors in judgment, as well as in practice ; but that
tbe former, any more than the latter, are innocent, does not
appear. I •wish not to think worse of any man's errors than
I do of my own, or of him than of myself, for being in error.
No doubt I have mistaken apprehensions of some things, as
well as other people ; though wherein is unknown to me :
but I would abhor the thought of pleading innocence in such
VOL. I. M M

530 STRICTURES ON MR. E. ROBINSON'S SENTIMENTS.
affairs. If my mistakes, be they what they may, do not
arise from the obscurity of Scripture, they must arise from
some other cause. It is vain to allege that our errors arise
from weakness ; for the Scriptures can be no otherwise plain
and easy than as they are level with common capacities. If
the Scriptures were •written for the bulk of mankind, and yet
the generaUty of men are too weak to understand them,
instead of being plain and easy, they must be essentially
obscure. The truth is, our mistakes, as well as the ignorance of
wicked men, arise from our criminal dispositions. We are
too careless about truth, and so do not search for it " as one
searcheth for hid treasure." — Prov. ii. 1 — 9. Or we are
self-sufficient, and think ourselves competent to find out the
truth by our own ingenuity and mere reason ; and so neglect
to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Or we are
prejudiced in favour of preconceived notions, and so are apt
to stifle evidence. The prejudices of mankind, of both bad
and good men, are almost inflnite. There is not a mind in
the world without prejudice, in a greater or less degree.
And these are the causes why tbe truth of God's word is not
believed and obeyed. We might as weU plead weakness for
not obeying God's commands as for not beUeving his decla
rations. The one, as well as the other, is a moral weakness ;
and that, strictly speaking, is not weakness, but wickedness.
Doubtless, there is such a thing as excusable weakness, both
in reference to obeying God's commands and to believing
bis sacred truth. If a man be afflicted, so as to be incapable
of attending tbe bouse of God, or if he be detained by the
afflictions of others, the command for publicly worshipping
God ceases, at that time, to be binding. The same may be
said of mental debility. If a man be in any way deprived
of reason, his weakness, in proportion as it prevails, excuses
him from blame, in not understanding and beUeving the
truth. Nay, I think persons of extremely weak 'Capacities
are comparatively excusable. If they be weak in other
things, as well as in religion, we are bound not to impute it
to the want of a disposition, any further than their weakness
in both may be imputed to the want of diligent application.
The same may be said of persons who never had the means,
or the opportunity, of knowing the truth. The heathen -will

ON THE CRIMINALITY OP MENTAL ERROR. 531
not be condemned for rejecting tbe gospel, unless they have,
or might if they would have heard it ; but for rejecting tbe
light of nature. —Rom. i. 18 — 25.
But I beUeve, if we examine, we shall find the far greater
part of our ignorance and error to arise from very different
causes — causes of which our Lord complains in bis own
immediate disciples : "Oh, fools, and slow of heart to beUeve
all that the prophets have spoken." ^Our ignorance and
errors, like -theirs, are owing in a great degree to that dul-
ness to spiritual things of which the best Christians have
sometimes reason to complain. The Lord Jesus, so remark
able for his tenderness, and especiaUy to his disciples, would
not have rebuked them so severely for an error wherein they
were blameless. Besides, they were prejudiced in favour of
another system. They had been long dreaming of an earthly
kingdom, and, it is to be feared, of the figure they were to
cut in it. Their pride, therefore, and carnal-mindedness,
tended greatly to warp their judgments in this matter ; so
that aU Christ had said (and he bad said much) about his
death and resurrection seemed to stand for nothing. Their
foolish minds were so dazzled •with the false ideas of a tem
poral kingdom tbat they were blinded to the true end of
Christ's coming, and to all that tbe prophets declared con
cerning it.
Mr. R. says, " Variety of sentiment, which is the life of
society, cannot be destructive of real religion. Mere mental
errors, if they be not entirely innocent in the account of the
Supreme Governor of mankind, cannot, however, be objects
of blame and punishment among men." *
So far as this relates to a cognizance of the civil powers,
or any powers' which inflict civil penalties, we are perfectly
agreed. But I suppose Mr. R. means to extend it to the
opinion and behaviour of churches towards individual mem
bers. If, for instance, a member of a church were to become
a Socinian, and tbe church were to blame him for what they
accounted apostasy from tbe truth, and ultimately, if he con
tinued in this error, were to exclude him, this would include
a part of what is meant by " blame and punishment among
men." And though it is expressly said, "A heretic reject,
after the flrst and second admonition^' Mr. R. would deny
* Saurin's Sermons, vol. iii. Pref. p. 7-
M M 2

532 STRICTURES ON MR. R. EOBINSON'S SENTIMENTS.
that the church had any right to judge, in respect to others,
what is heresy.* Herein I am of a different opinion : but
as I may consider this subject raore particularly in my next
letter, on Liberty, I shall now offer a few more remarks on
the above passage.
" Variety of sentiment is the life of society." True, as
one person discovers one truth, and another, another ; as one
views the same truth in this light, and another in that ; and
so all 'together become serviceable to each other : but this
does not prove that a variety of false sentiments does any
good. I greatly query if Mr. R., or any one else, would
hold this, when it affected themselves. Suppose, for instance,
a variety of sentiment concerning his character as a minister:
one thinks he is a worthy minister of Christ, as well as a
learned, ingenious man, and an honour to the dissenting in
terest ; another thinks him, though very ingenious, not
equaUy ingenuous; and a third, for variety's sake, might
suggest that his principles were even pernicious in their
tendency. Now it is very doubtful if Mr. R., however he
may admire variety of sentiment, would in his heart consider
this variety of sentiment good, either in itself, or as tending
to enliven society. It is a question if he would not greatly
prefer that people should plod on in the old dull path of
uniformity, and all cordially agree in believing him to be an
honest man. And, in the absence of evidence to the con
trary, this uniformity of sentiment ought to exist. But why
in this case only ? Why should not people be obliged to
unite in thinking highly and honourably of the Lord and
Saviour of men, as well as of a creature of yesterday ?
" But Mr. E. does not positively affirm the entire innocence
of mental error in the account of the Supreme Governor of
mankind." True ; but he writes as if he thought it very
nearly innocent, and as if it were very doubtful whether it is
not entirely innocent : and in one sense, it seeras, it is bene-
¦^cial, as tending to enliven society.
• This is not mere supposition. It is well known that Mr. R. espoused
the cause of some who were expelled from the Homerton Academy for
what the tutors of that institution thought heresy. Of their principles I
know little or nothing, and therefore cannot judge: but Mr. R. has not only
endeavoured to vindicate them from the charge of heresy, but he has also
denied that the Society has any right to judge what is heresy.

ON THE CRIMINALITY OF MENTAL ERROR. 533
"But he guards his language, by saying mere mental
error ; by which, may he not mean such errors only as arise
from mental weakness^ and not from disposition ?" If so we
are agreed as to its innocence. But, if so, he would not have
scrupled to assert its entire innocence in the account of the
Supreme Governor of mankind. It is plain, therefore, that
by mere mental error he means errors which have their
existence in the mind merely, or which relate to principles,
in distinction frora those which relate to practice. If he
were accosted by a Calvinist, be raight illustrate his raeaning
by an error respecting "tbe weight of the shekel," or an
error in " chronology," or something of that kind : but foUow
him into the company of Arians and Socinians, and then
his meaning extends to their pecuUar sentiments ! This is
founded on fact, and not on supposition. Indeed, it is plain
by his writings, Ufe, and conduct, tbat he means to include
Arianism and Socinianism. But to call these mere mental
errors, in the innocent sense of the phrase, is begging the
question : it is taking for granted what remains to be proved,
that such sentiments (if they be errors) are in that sense
merely mental. Certainly it cannot be pleaded, in behalf of
the generality of those who erabrace these sentiments, tbat
they are not endowed with the use of reason, or that they
are persons of weak natural capacities, or that they have not
opportunity to obtain evidence.
Should it be said that some of them have given proof of
their being honest and sincere, by their frankness in declar
ing their sentiments, and relinquishing worldly emoluments
for the sake of enjoying thera ; I answer, in the words of
Waterland, "A man may be said to be sincere — 1. When be
speaks what he really thinks truth. 2. When he searches
after truth with impartiality and perseverance." The former,
we believe, many of these gentlemen possess ; and we think
it very commendable, far preferable to a mean-spirited con
cealment, or a doubtful and ambiguous declaration of senti
ment. But to believe that atiy who fundamentally err,
whether they or ourselves, "search after truth with im-
partiaUty and perseverance," is to disbelieve the promise of
God, who declares, " the meek will he guide in judgment ;
the meek will he teach his way."
I wish it to be considered whether, if not, the whole, a

534 STRICTURES ON MR. R. ROBINSON'S SENTIMENTS.
great part of divine truth may not be included under some
such general topics as these; viz. Truth concerning God,
Christ, ourselves, sin, the world, heaven, hell, &c. Now, of
which of these is it innocent for me to think falsely ? Am I
at Uberty to think more meanly of God than he has revealed
himself ? — Can I think him such a one as myself, without
offending him ? May I think more meanly of Christ than
the word of God exhibits him ? Can I detract from his
exceUence, and be blameless ? Am I aUowed to think more
highly of myself than the •^ord of God represents me ? Can
I be bloated up with false ideas of my own super-excellence,
and be innocent ? May I think better of siri than it deserves?
Must I not view it as it is represented in the Bible ? Am I
iat Uberty to put a false estimate on the good things of this
life? Is not too low an estimate of them ingratitude, and
too high an estimate idolatry ? And can either of these be
innocent ? May I undervalue the life to come ? Or ought I
not, seeing God has caUed it a "weight of glory," to give it
its weight in determining my pursuits ? Lastly, seeing that
God has threatened everlasting destruction to the flnally
impenitent, am I at liberty to qualify these terms, and
accommodate them to my own wishes and feelings, and so
administer comfort to God's enemies, as such ? Am I not
bound to believe that God means what he says ? May I
presume that the threatenings of the Bible were never in
tended to be executed, but were uttered merely to frighten
the vulgar ? Ought I not to believe that God is as much in
earnest when he threatens as when he promises? If tbe
Bible is a plain book, can I misunderstand it and be innocent?
Let^ me conclude with one remark more. Much has been
said, of late years, about the scriptures being the only rule of
faith, in opposition to all rules of human imposition. In
this I agree. But let it be considered whether the avowal
of the innocence of mental error be not a virtual deni*al of
the scriptures being any rule of faith at all. According to
this sentiment, faith seems to have no rule — at least, none
that is obligatory ; for there can be no obligation where
deviation is no crime. If mental error be innocent, the
mind can be subject to no law; and if the mind, which has
so great an influence on the soul, and with which tbe will
and aU the other powers constantly act in concert — if this be

ON LIBERTY. 535
without a law, it can be of very little consequence to the
Supreme Legislator whether anything else in man be left
under his dominion or not. While we are so jealous, then,
lest others should infringe on our liberty, it becomes us to
tremble lest we infringe on tbe divine authority. And while
we' are exclaiming, " Call no man master," let us not forget,
" One is our Master, even Christ."

LETTER in.
ON LIBERTY.

My dear Friend, — It has long been the opinion of many
persons, who are by no means unfriendly to liberty, tbat
Mr. Eobinson's notions of it are Ucentions and extravagant ;
and in this opinion 1 cannot help concurring.
Liberty seems to consist in the power of acting without
control or impediment. But the term, being relative, must
be understood in relation to the different objects which are
supposed to be impediments.
Some have defined Uberty the power of doing what we
please ; and this definition will doubtless apply to every kind
of liberty except moral. But raoral liberty, which is of
greater importance than any other kind of Uberty, does not
consist in this. Though we do as we please in the exercise
of moral liberty, this is not that by which it is distinguished
from other things ; no, not from moral slavery itself. Moral
slavery is not that state in which a person is compelled to
act 'against his will; but rather a state in which he is im
pelled to act against his conscience. A person may have the
power of doing what he pleases, to the greatest possible
degree, and yet be totaUy destitute of moral liberty, being a
perfect slave to his own appetites.
Some persons, perhaps justly, have classed liberty under
four kinds — physical, moral, civil, and reUgious. Physical
Uberty is the power of doing what we please without any

536 STRICTURES ON MR. E. ROBINSON'S SENTIMENTS.
natural restraints or impediments. If our actions are not the
free result of our choice, that is, if they are directed or im
peded by an influence contrary to our will, we are destitute
of this Uberty. Moral liberty is the power of doing what
is right, without being impeded by sinful dispositions or
passions. A libertine, with all bis boasted freedom, is here
a perfect slave. " While they promise themselves liberty,
they themselves are the servants of corruption ; for of whom
a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."
Civil Uberty, as it is commonly understood in Britain, is
freedom from all fear of punishment contrary to law, and
from subjection to any laws but those to which a man him
self, by his representatives, gives consent. Religious liberty
is the power of forming our religious sentiments, and con
ducting our religious worship, agreeably to tbe dictates of
our consciences, without being liable to civil penalties.
Now, suppose Mr. E.'s notions of civil and religious
liberty be just, yet surely he makes, if not too rauch of
these, yet too little of that which is of far greater iraport-
ance — moral liberty. This is the liberty of which the
scriptures chiefly speak ; this is tbe glorious liberty of the
gospel. This is that of which every unregenerate man
is destitute, being a slave to sin and Satan. This is
the liberty with which the Son makes us free; without
which all other liberty is but a shadow and an empty boast.
This is implied in the reply of our Lord to the boasting
Jews, who said they were never in borldage to any man :
" If the Son make you free, then are ye free indeed." It is
allowed, indeed, that religious liberty, or a freedom to think
and act according to our consciences, without fear, is of great
value, and perhaps we none of us prize it sufficiently ; but
what is this to moral liberty ? Suppose a man liberated
from the tyranny of sin and Satan, and deprived of all
reUgious and civil liberty, groaning under the yoke of
powerful persecution, would he not be in an unspeakably
better situation than another man, possessed of aU the liberty
he desired, whose soul was enslaved to sin ?
Is it not strange, then, that whenever Mr. E. finds the
term liberty in the New Testament he should reduce it to a
simple Uberty of doing as we please ? And is it not passing
strange tbat "the glorious liberty of the sons of God" should

ON LIBERTY. 537
be thus explained? — Eom. viii. 21. Mr. E., having given
us several quotations on the text from Greek and Latin
writers, sums up the whole in finglishi by adding — " The
amount, then, is this: The heathens expected some great
revolution to be brought about by some extraordinary person
about St. Paul's time. St. Paul was weU acquainted with
their opinion : it is natural, therefore, to suppose that the
apostle would speak on this article, and direct the eyes of
the pagans to Jesus Christ. The passage is capable of such
a meaning, and it is highly probable that this is the sense of
it. The Gentiles are earnestly looking for such a liberty as
the gospel proposes to mankind." " The question is," con
tinues Mr. E., "what Uberty the gospel does bestow on man
kind." Very good ; and now let us see what his " glorious
Uberty of the sons of God" amounts to. " In days of yore,"
says he, " divines were not ashamed to affirm tbat liberty of
judging and determining matters of faith and conscience
was a prerogative of the papal tiara" — and so on ; a long
story of this kind, for four or five columns, reducing " the
glorious Uberty of the sons of God" to a mere liberty of
"judging and determining for ourselves in matters of faith
and conscience :" a freedom from the control of creeds and
systems — as though it did not signify what we imbibed so
that we aatedi freely." Suppose this freedom were included,
yet surely it is not the •whole of the meaning. Probably the
apostle alluded especially to the redemption of the bodies of
beUevers at the resurrection. But, if Mr. R. were right in
applying the passage to the Gentile world, surely he might
have conceived of a more glorious liberty than that of think-
ino^ and acting for ourselves — a moral liberty — a freedom
from the bondage of sin and Satan, particularly from tbe
slavery of idolatry and superstition. This were a liberty
worth while for the Son of God to come from heaven to
bestow. Mr. Eobinson may be right in censuring the bishops for
"sacrificing Christianity to save episcopacy;" but let him
beware of undervaluing moral liberty for tbe sake of that of
which he is so tenacious, of an inferior kind. Christianity
is of greater importance than nonconformity. A remark of
Mr. Whitefield, when he had attended one of the synods of
Scotland, and had heard one of the associate presbytery

§38 STRICTURES ON MR. R. EOBINSON'S SENTIMENTS.
preacn, may not be inappropriate : — " The good man," says
he, " so spent hiraself in talking against prelacy, the com
mon-prayer book, the surpUce, the rose in the hat, and such
like externals, that when he came to the latter part of his
subject, to invite poor sinners to Jesus Christ, his breath
was so gone that he could scarce be heard." This passage
Mr. E. introduces into his arcana with great approbation,
and adds — " This vrill always be the case : that learning,
eloquence, strength, and zeal, which should be spent in
enforcing 'the weightier matters of the law, judgment,
mercy, and faith,' 'wiU be unprofitably wasted on ' tbe tithing
of mint, anise, and cummin ' — on discarding or defending a
bow to tbe east, or a rose in the hat." — ^p. 109. How far this
describes Mr. R.'s subsequent-conduct, I leave you to judge.
But not only has he neglected weightier things in defend
ing those of inferior importance, but it appears to me that
his notions of Uberty are latitudinarian, unscriptural, and
unreasonable. Though, in regard to men, we are at liberty to act and
think as we please in religion, this is not true in regard to
God. He requires us to beUeve the truth as weU as to obey
his commands. He has given us a rule of faith as well as
of practice, and requires us to think and act according to it ;
and, moreover, it is at our peril tbat we allow ourselves in
the contrary. This, however, is a distinction which I never
knew Mr. R. to have made ; though I. could scarcely have
thought he would have avowed the contrary, had he not told
me in conversation that no man was bound to believe the
gospel — that their only duty was to examine it — and that to
make it their duty to beUeve, as well as to examine, would
destroy their liberty, and render their errors criminal ! But
what can be made of such a liberty as this, unless it be a
divine right to do wrong ? This Mr. R. ridicules in poUtics
(Claude, vol. ii. p. 42) : is it not a pity he should retain it in
divinity ?
Further: there is a material difference between my being
at liberty to believe and act in reUgious matters without
being accountable to the civil authorities, or to any feUow
creature as such ; and my having a right, be my religious
principles what they may, to a place in a Christian church.
If I act with decorum in my civil capacity, I have a righli

ON LIBERTY. 539
whatever be my reUgious principles, to all the beneflts of
civil government ; but it does not therefore follow that I am
entitled to the privileges of the house of God. Mr. R.
blames the church of England for not allowing avowed
Socinians to continue in its service and receive its emolu
ments (Claude, vol. ii. p. 212) : and not long smce, unless I
am misinformed, he declared in pubUc company, at an ordi
nation, that no church had a right to refuse any man com
munion, whether he were an Arian, a SabelUan, a Socinian,
or an Antinomian, provided he was of good moral character!
If, however, this notion consist with either scripture or
common sense, I must confess myself a stranger to both.
The church of God is represented as a city — a city with
waUs and bulwarks ; a city with gates, of which they them
selves have the care and keeping. — It is true they are com
manded to open tbe gates — but to whom ? To the righteous
nation " who keep the truth." These, and these only, are to
enter in. — Isa. xxvi. 1, 2.' I know the objection Mr. R.
would make to this ; viz. Who is to be judge what is truth ?
But, on this principle, we may doubt of everything, and turn
sceptics at once ; or else consider that to be truth which any
man thinks is truth. But if it be indeed so difficult to ascer
tain the truth as that we must needs give over judging in
that matter, and that must pass for truth which every person
thinks to be such, then surely tbe Bible cannot be such a
plain book as Mr. R. represents. Besides, we might on the
same principle refrain from judging between rigbt and
wrong ; for' there are various opinions about these, as well
as about truth and error. Suppose, for instance, a person
were to apply to a Christian church for communion who
approved and practised polygamy, or who should think that
scripture sanctioned concubinage, and therefore practised it ;
upon this principle the church must be silent, for, should
they object to such practices as immoral, it might be repUed,
" I think they are right ; and who are you tbat you should
set up for judges of right and •wrong in other men's conduct?"
 Iilr. K. therefore need not have been so squeamish in his
proposed reception of Arians and Socinians as to proride for
their good moral character. Upon his principle, the want
of character ought to be no objection, provided they are so
abandoned in rice as to believe that evU is good, or so versed

540 STRICTURES ON MR. E. ROBINSON'S SENTIMENTS.
in hypocrisy as to say they beUeve so, whether they do
or not.
I do not see how the church at Pergamos could have been
blamed by the Lord Jesus for having those among them that
held the doctrine of Balaam and of the NicolaitaneS, unless
they were authorised, and even required, to judge of right
and wrong, truth and error, in relation to those whom they
received as merabers. On Mr. R.'s principles, they might
have excused themselves in some such manner as this : —
" Lord, we never apprehended we had anything to do in
judging of the doctrines that people held who became mem
bers with us : we came together upon the liberal principles
of universal toleration, and never expected to be called to
account about any one's sentiments but our own, whatever
we were for these." But, in reply to all such pleas as this,
it is sufficient to say — " Thus saith He that hath the sharp
two-edged sword, I have somewhat against thee."
As to tbe bugbear frequently held up — that if we presume
to judge in these matters we assume to ourselves infallibility,
to what does it amount ? On this principle all human judg
ment must be set aside in civil as well as in sacred things.
No man, nor any set of men, can pretend to this ; neither
need they. It is sufficient that they act to the best of their
capacity, availing themselves of all the means of informa
tion they possess. All men, undoubtedly, are fallible: it
becomes them, therefore, to judge with meekness and fear ;
and to consider that their decisions are not final---that they
must all be brought over again, and themselves be tried
with thera at the great assize ! But does it thence foUow
that all human judgment must be laid aside ? Surely not.
The great outcry that Mr. R. has made of our Lord's
words — " CaU no man master," &c., is no more to his pur
pose than the other. Surely it is one thing to dictate to a
man what he shall believe, and persecute him if he does not;
and another to require a union of principles, in order tbat
we may unite with him in church feUowship, and have com
munion with him in the ordinances of Jesus Christ. As an
individual, we have nothing to do with him: to his own
Master he standeth or faUeth ; and we the sarae. But, if he
propose to have Christian feUowship with us, it is right that
we should inquire whether his principles so far coincide

ON LIBERTY. 541
with ours as that the end proposed may be accomplished.
Is there not a wide difference between my persecuting, or
wishing to persecute, a Deist, and refusing to unite with
him in church fellowship ?
I believe also that Mr. R.'s principles are as opposed to
right reason, to common sense, and to the rules of society in
general, as they are to scripture.
In large societies, the government of a nation for instance,
they are obUged to be very general, and cannot maintain
such a minute regularity as in societies of less extent. But
even here some union of sentiment is required. Suppose a
Jacobite, for example, were to insist that king George was
not the rightful possessor of the throne, would he have a
right to form one of his majesty's ministry ? And suppose
he were to express his intention, if opportunity offered, of
uniting to dethrone him, would not the government have a
rigbt to banish him the kingdom ? Whether they would
invariably use tbeir rigbt is another thing; but the right
itself they would undoubtedly possess.
In smaller societies, where persons unite for the sake of
obtaining certain ends, it is always expected tbat they should
agree in certain leading principles necessary to the accom
plishment of those ends. Hence, there is scarcely a society
formed without articles, testifying the agreement of the
members in certain fundamental particulars. Suppose, for
example, a common club, united for the purpose of assisting
each other in time of affliction. It is supposed to be a lead
ing principle of such a society that the lesser number of
members should, in all matters of debate, submit to the
greater ; and another, that a certain sum of money should be
paid by each member- at certain times. Now, just suppose
any one member should dissent from the rules ; common
sense suggests tbe necessity of bis being convinced or ex
cluded. But it seems a Christian society has not the
authority of a common club !
It cannot be difficult to prove, that a union of faith
respecting the proper deity of the Great Author of our
reUgion, and the object of our worship, is of quite as much
importance in religious society as any of the above in civil
society. Surely, the dethroning of the Son of God, by tbe
denial of his essential deity, cannot be less pernicious in the

542 STRICTURES ON MR. R. EOBINSON'S SENTIMENTS.
gospel dispensation, than the denial of his majesty's authority,
and the endeavour to dethrone him, would be in these realms.
Some of the grand ends of Christian society are, unitedly
to worship God — ^to devote ourselves to the blessed Trinity
by Christian baptism— and to acknowledge tbe atonement
made by the Redeemer, by a participation of the ordinance
of the Lord's supper. But what union could there be in
worship where the object worshipped is not the same —
.where one party believes the other to be an idolater and the
other believes him to be a degrader oi Him who is "over all,
God, blessed for ever ?" What feUowship could there be in
the Lord!s supper, for instance (not to mention baptism),
where one party thought sin to be an inflnite evil — that
they, being the subjects of it, deserved an infinite curse — .
that no atoneraent could be made but by an infinite sacrifice
— that the Sacrifice of Christ was such, and an instance of
infinite grace and love — and that tbe design of the sacred
supper is to revive in our minds' these affecting truths ; —
and where the other party believed none of these things —
had no conception that sin was so great an evil as to deserve
infinite punishment, or to need an infinite atonement — that,
in fact, they are not such great sinners as to need not only a
Saviour, but a great one ? That which is to the one "the
glorious gospel of the blessed God" is to the other foolish
ness, and an insult, forsooth, upon his dignity I
If ever any professed Christians differed in the essentials
of religion, Calvinists and Socinians do. I ¦wish to conduct
myself towards a Socinian no otherwise than I beUeve a
Socinian ought to conduct hiraself towards me, on the sup
position that I am in error. Dr. Priestley acts more con
sistently, and more , like an honest man than Mr. R. He
denies the propriety of Unitarians and Trinitarians uniting
together in divine worship, and exhorts all of the former
class to form separate societies. This I cordially approve;
for verUy, whatever esteem we may entertain for each other
as men, in religion there can be no harmony. Either we are
a company of idolaters, or they are enemies to the gospel —
rendering the cross of Christ of none effect. Either they are
unbeUevers, or we are at least as bad — rendering to a crea
ture that homage wbicb is due only to the Creator ; and, in
either case, a union is tbe last degree of absurdity.

ON LIBERTY. 543
Whatever then, my dear friend, Mr. R. or any one else
may suggest, under the specious pretence of U'beraUty of
sentiment, I trust you and I shall ever give heed to the
better reasonings of an inspired apostle : — " What feUowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness ? and what com
munion hath light -with darkness ? and what concord hath
Christ ¦with BeUal ? and what part hath he that beUeveth
¦with an infidel ? Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers."

J. HADDON, PBINTEE, CASTLE STREET, VtSSCimV.

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