,,the  ,,essential ,,faith  ,,of  ,,the 
,,universal ,,church2  ,,deduced ,,from 
,,the ,,sacred ,,records4  ,,by         
,,harriet ,,martineau4  ',nulli         
praeclusa religio est2 omnibus patet1   
omnes admittit1 omnes invitat2 non      
elegit domum nec censum2 nudo homine    
contenta est4'  ,,boston1 ,,leonard ,c4 
,,bowles4 #ahcc4  ,minot                
,pratt1----,printer4                    
,,advertisement4   ,in ,march #ahcj the 
,committee of the ,british and ,foreign 
,unitarian ,association offered 'a      
premium for three tracts1 to be approved
 by them1 the object of which should be 
the introduction and promotion of       
,christian ,unitarianism among the      
,roman ,catholics1 the ,jews1 and the   
,mahommedans respectively4' ,each of the
 ,essays was to be sent to the          
,committee with the name of the writer  
in a sealed note1 which would be opened 
only after the decision in favor of the 
successful candidate4 ,miss ,martineau  
obtained the three prizes4 ,the         

celebrity which she has acquired in this
 country by those of her works which    
have been reprinted here has induced the
 belief that these ,essays would be read
 with interest1 although if they had    
come from an unknown author the nature  
of the subjects might prevent their     
general circulation4 ,the ability1 the  
tact1 and the fine spirit which they    
display must increase the admiration of 
,miss ,martineau's talents which already
 prevails among us4 ,for grasp and vigor
 of thought1 for a rich and felicitous  
style of expression1 and for general    
power of argument1 without the slightest
 mixture of asperity or unfairness1 they
 will bear comparison with almost any   
writings of the same class4 ,the author 
has judiciously adopted a different     
method of treating each subject1 and may
 therefore expect that opinions will be 
various about the comparative merits of 
the three ,essays1 according to the     
intellectual habits or tastes of        
readers4 ,but no one can fail to        

pronounce them all remarkable           
productions4  ,the ,essay addressed to  
the ,catholics was first published4 ,it 
is therefore now first reprinted1 and   
will be followed immediately by those   
written for the ,jews and the           
,mahommedans4  ,e4 ,s4 ,g4  ,,boston1   
,may #ast1 #ahcc4     ,,preliminary     
,,address4   ,as ,christians addressing 
,christians1 we1 whose faith is called  
,unitarianism1 invite you1 our ,roman   
,catholic brethren1 to join with us in  
investigating the origin and true nature
 of that ,gospel which we agree in      
believing worthy of the deepest study1  
the most unremitting interest1 and the  
highest regard4 ,we agree in believing  
every ,christian to be bound to promote 
the welfare of his race to the utmost of
 his ability2 and that that welfare is  
best promoted by the extensive spread   
and firm establishment of ,divine truth4
 ,we agree in believing that all other  
gifts which the ,father of men has      
showered on human kind are insignificant

 in comparison with the dispensation of 
grace3 or rather1 that their value is   
unrecognised till interpreted by it4 ,we
 alike feel that the material frame of  
the universe1 fair as it is1 is but as a
 silent picture till a living beauty is 
breathed into it1 and a divine harmony  
evolved from it by its being made the   
exponent of ,god's purposes of grace4   
,we alike feel that the round of life is
 dull and tame1 and its vicissitudes    
wearisome and irritating1 till it       
becomes clear that they are preparative 
to a higher state4 ,we alike feel that  
worldly pursuits1 and even intellectual 
employments1 are objectless and         
uninteresting1 till they can be referred
 to purposes whose complete fulfilment  
must take place beyond the grave4 ,we   
alike feel how pervading1 how perpetual 
is the influence of ,gospel principles  
in ennobling every incident1 in         
hallowing every vicissitude of life2 in 
equalizing human emotions2 in animating 
the sympathies1 in vivifying the        

enjoyments1 and blunting the sorrows1 of
 all who adopt those principles in full 
conviction of the understanding1 and in 
perfect sincerity of heart4 ,we agree in
 feeling how the whole aspect of        
existence changes1 as the power and     
beauty of the ,gospel become more       
influential2--as we learn where to      
deposit our cares1 where to fix our     
hope1 what to prize as a real           
possession1 and what to regard as but   
loss in comparison of our inestimable   
gain4 ,we feel in common how endurance  
may become a privilege1 and earthly     
humiliation our highest honor1 when     
sustained in the spirit1 and incurred   
for the sake1 of the ,gospel4 ,feeling  
thus alike respecting the value of a    
common possession1 desiring in common   
that all our race should be partakers of
 it1 making it the most earnest of our  
prayers that we may receive it in its   
purity and employ it righteously1 why   
should we not help one another to       
apprehend it and hold it firmly8 ,we    

know1 from the records of history1 how  
the adherents of your faith have so     
prized it as to sacrifice all things for
 it2 how ,catholic confessors have borne
 long and painful testimony1 and how    
,catholic martyrs have triumphantly     
sustained the last proof of the strength
 of their convictions4 ,we can refer you
 to similar examples among those who    
believed as we believe2 and neither you 
nor we can doubt1 that should occasions 
of self-sacrifice again arise1 every    
true ,christian in your body and in ours
 would show once more what the ,gospel  
can do in divesting the world of its    
allurements and death of its terrors4   
,why then should we not congratulate    
each other on our common hope8 ,having  
laid hold on the same anchor of the     
soul1 why should we not rejoice in each 
other's strength8 ,and1 differing as we 
do in the mode of holding a common      
privilege1 why should we not reason     
together to ascertain where the         
difference lies1 whence it arose1 and by

 what means it may be obviated8 ,though 
you and we may not regard variations in 
,christian faith with an equal degree of
 regret and dread1 we yield not to you  
or to any on earth in our appreciation  
of the value of truth1 and in our desire
 that it may become the common          
possession of our race4 ,therefore it is
 that we now propose to you an          
investigation into its principles2 and  
therefore it is that we seek the removal
 of all impediments to our joining in   
hand as we already do in heart1 in      
bringing those who are astray to the    
fold of the true ,shepherd4  ,the same  
means of ascertaining ,divine truth are 
in your hands and in ours1 if1 as your  
best writers declare and as we believe1 
you have free access to the ,scriptures 
of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,our  
versions of those ,scriptures are1 it is
 true1 not exactly alike4 ,it appears to
 us that yours are1 in various minor1   
and in some considerable points1 less   
correct than our own3 but fair          

investigation will settle this          
difference as well as others2 and if    
not1 such variations constitute no      
insurmountable hindrance4 ,the essential
 truth of the ,gospel is not involved in
 any or all of those modes of expression
 in which our respective versions of the
 ,scriptures differ4 ,the difficulties  
which are thus originated are of very   
inferior moment to those by which our   
separation is perpetuated1 and which    
depend on our application of the spirit 
rather than our interpretation of the   
letter of the sacred records4 ,when we  
can as perfectly agree in our opinions  
concerning the person of ,christ1 as we 
do in our veneration and gratitude for  
his holiness and love2 when we shall    
mutually rejoice in the universality as 
well as in the blessedness of the       
salvation he brought1 we shall not      
dispute respecting the letter of some of
 his instructions1 or long lament the   
difficulty of reconciling some apparent 
discrepancies4 ,if1 as you declare1 the 

,scriptures are in common use among you1
 they must be allowed to be the rule of 
your faith as well as of your practice2 
they must be intended for your          
instruction as well as your             
confirmation2 they must supply subjects 
of thought as well as of feeling4 ,do us
 the justice then1 thus to use them as  
often as you hear us appeal to them4    
,compare our interpretation of the      
,gospel with the records themselves4    
,compare our deductions from facts with 
the original statement of those facts1  
and with all which throws light on them 
from the history1 the discourses1 the   
epistles which follow4 ,to whatever     
common ground there is between us1 let  
us repair2 and since that common ground 
is the very spot where the living waters
 first sprang up1 there can be no doubt 
but that a patient search will bring    
vital refreshment to us all4  ,we know1 
brethren1 that our mode of belief       
appears to you under the greatest       
possible disadvantage1 as being1 even   

more than ,protestant religion          
generally1 divested of the claims and   
graces of antiquity4 ,you regard our    
sect as newly formed from the dispersed 
elements of other sects which have      
melted away4 ,you find no mention of our
 heresy in the records of the middle    
ages1 or only such hints of the         
doctrines now held by ,unitarians as    
might serve as suggestions of our       
present opinions3 and you therefore     
naturally conclude that the parts of our
 faith to which you object are but of   
yesterday1 and consequently the impious 
inventions of men4 ,if it were so1 our  
present address would indeed be         
indefensible2 our challenge to          
investigation would be an insult2 our   
appeal to the ,scriptures would be      
blasphemy4 ,but to shake your conviction
 of this assumed fact1 to convince you  
if possible that the reverse is the     
fact1 is the object of the exposition of
 our opinions which we now present to   
you1 and of every effort to explain and 

defend our faith4 ,it is because we     
believe our religion to be primitive    
,christianity that we are attached to it
 as other ,christians are to theirs4 ,it
 is because we feel that we can carry   
back our opinions to a remoter antiquity
 than other ,churches1 that we prefer   
them2 and though they were completely   
hidden under the unauthorized           
institutions of the middle ages1 we find
 no difficulty in establishing their    
identity with those which were diffused 
by the messengers and under the sanction
 of ,god4 ,he who sees a stream gushing 
forth from the cave1 and can trace it   
back no further than the darkness whence
 it issues1 may reasonably conclude that
 he stands near its source2 but there   
may be a wayfarer who by observation and
 experience knows and can attest that   
this is no subsidiary spring1 but the   
reappearance of a hidden stream1 whose  
source is hallowed and whose current is 
inexhaustible4 ,we only ask you to      
listen to our evidence of this1 and to  

admit it or not1 as you shall be        
afterwards disposed4  ,we agree with you
 in your reverence for antiquity in     
respect of the faith2 and desire nothing
 more than that by their comparative    
claims to antiquity our respective      
religions should be judged4 ,we feel    
that grace as well as authority is      
conferred by every evidence of long     
duration4 ,we can enter into your       
reverence for your doctrines1 because   
they were held by ,saints in cloisters  
which have crumbled to dust1 by heroes  
and anchorites whose arms were the      
relics of centuries gone by1 or whose   
rocky abodes have retained their        
sanctity for a thousand years4 ,we can  
understand your emotions on receiving   
sacraments or witnessing ceremonies     
which fostered the devotion of the      
saintly and the heroic of the olden     
time1 and which filled the ,christian   
temples abroad with music and fragrance1
 while in our land the smoke of         
,druidical sacrifices was ascending     

offensively to ,heaven4 ,but we thus    
sympathise because we too refer our     
worship to ancient days4 ,our hearts    
also thrill under the impulses which are
 propagated from afar4 ,we also delight 
in spiritual exercises1 because they are
 sanctified by long-tried efficacy2 and 
enjoy our devotion more1 because the    
same hopes exhilarated1 the same trust  
supported our spiritual kindred of the  
remotest ,christian antiquity4 ,in our  
,churches we believe we feel the spirit 
of brotherhood which first gave to the  
believers one heart and one soul4 ,in   
the silence of our chambers1 or amidst  
the solitudes of nature1 we are open to 
the same incentives to prayer and praise
 which visited ,peter on the house-top1 
and ,paul amidst the perils of the sea4 
,when intent upon the words of life1 we1
 like the ,apostle1 are impelled to     
exclaim1 ',o6 the depth of the riches   
both of the wisdom and knowledge of     
,god6' ,and were the times of           
persecution to recur1 we doubt not but  

that1 at the very stake1 the            
consciousness of fellowship with the    
holy ,stephen would add vigor to our    
courage and splendor to our hopes4 ,we  
refuse to perpetuate the imposing ritual
 of the early ages because it is not    
antique enough3 but whenever we behold  
two or three gathered together to       
worship with the heart and voice alone2 
when we see men assembling on the first 
day of the week to break bread in       
remembrance of ,christ1 in the          
simplicity of the primitive ordinance2  
when we see teachers1 in all external   
things like their brethren1 gathering   
wisdom from the fowls of the air and the
 lilies of the field1--we could almost  
forget the lapse of ages in sympathy    
with those from whom they separate us4  
,such a sympathy1 if originated here1   
will be perfected hereafter2 for it is  
too purely spiritual to be dissolved by 
death4 ,it will then be also extended to
 all in whom the spirit of the ,gospel  
is a vivifying principle2 as it would be

 here1 if we could throw off our        
prejudices and see each other as we are4
 ,if it is to be1 why should it not     
already be8 ,with the ,gospel before us1
 with some portion of its light beaming 
on each of us1 some measure of its      
kindly warmth glowing within us1 why    
should we turn away coldly and silently 
from communion respecting our best      
treasure8  ,if either body believe their
 brethren in error1 is it right to leave
 them so without an effort to reclaim   
them8 ,if both believe the truth        
destined to prevail1 is it not incumbent
 on them to assist that prevalence8 ,we 
believe it is2 and therefore we address 
you2 mingling with our entreaties for   
your co-operation in the development of 
,divine truth earnest prayers that the  
,father will abundantly administer to   
all the resources of that intellectual  
power and ,christian love which         
constitute a sound mind4     ,,the      
,,essential ,,faith ,,of ,,the          
,,universal ,,church4   ,the primitive  

,christian ,church1 gathered together in
 ,jerusalem by the command of ,christ1  
and sanctified by the descent of the    
,holy ,spirit1 consisted exclusively of 
,jews4 ,the three thousand who were     
baptized on that memorable occasion1 the
 numbers which were daily added to the  
,church1 the multitude who were         
converted to ,christianity during the   
next fifteen years1 were all ,jews4 ,in 
some cases1 the process of conversion   
was probably gradual2 but in many1 we   
know it was sudden1 being caused by the 
immediate and irresistible evidence of  
miracles4 ,the change of conviction     
which it was necessary to work in       
converting a ,jew1 was of a nature which
 could be effected speedily and         
completely by the display of one        
miraculous testimony4 ,it was not a     
change in all1 or any of his views of   
,deity and ,providence4 ,he was not     
required to relinquish a single article 
of religious belief which he had        
previously held under a divine sanction4

 ,the fundamental doctrine of the       
,jewish religion1--the strict ,unity of 
,jehovah1--he was authorized to retain4 
,he was confirmed in his dependence on  
all that the ,prophets had spoken1 in   
his conceptions of the ,divine          
attributes1 and in his trust in ,divine 
,providence4 ,the only question on which
 depended his adhering to the ,old1 or  
embracing the ,new ,dispensation1 was1  
whether ,jesus of ,nazareth was or was  
not the promised ,messiah4 ,as the ,jews
 were bound by the requisitions of their
 own law 7,deut4 xviii4 #ai7 to receive 
implicitly whatever should be taught in 
,god's name by a divinely authorized    
prophet1 their reception of the         
doctrines of ,christianity was a sure   
consequence of their acknowledgement of 
the ,messiah2 and that their            
acknowledgement of ,jesus in that       
character was the only thing essential  
to make them ,christians we have        
consistent and abundant evidence in the 
whole ,scripture history4 ,in the       

preaching of the ,apostles to the people
 of their own nation1 we find no        
intimations of any needful change in    
their conceptions of ,god1 and of his   
mode of government4 ,on the contrary1 it
 was because the ,jews were already     
prepared for their reception of         
,christianity by their belief in the    
,unity of ,god and the consistency of   
his moral government1 that they were the
 most immediately and the most easily   
incorporated with the ,christian church4
 ,for proof of this1 we refer to the    
whole of the discourse delivered by the 
,apostle ,peter on the day of           
,pentecost1 and to every other discourse
 addressed by the ,apostles to ,jewish  
hearers4  ,the first ,gentiles who were 
converted to ,christianity were not     
worshipers of a plurality of ,gods2 but 
men who from intercourse with ,jews1 or 
from other opportunities of spiritual   
advancement1 had attained to the belief 
of ,one ,god1 indivisible in his nature 
and unrivalled in his supremacy4 ,the   

same mode of teaching which sufficed for
 the ,jews1 sufficed for them also1 as  
far as the essential truth of           
,christianity was concerned2 and the    
same method was therefore adopted1 as   
may be seen in the discourse of ,peter  
in the house of ,cornelius4  ,the next  
converts were from the disciples of the 
,pagan theology of ,greece and ,rome2   
with them a different method of         
instruction was needed4 ,till they knew 
something of the ,divine nature1 it was 
useless to open to them the ,divine     
dispensations4 ,the discourse of ,paul  
at ,athens did not therefore begin with 
announcing the ,saviour3 if it had1 his 
inquisitive hearers would perhaps have  
inquired whether this messenger was sent
 by ,jupiter himself1 or whether he was 
a deputy of some of the inferior gods4  
,the ,apostle named not the name of     
,christ till he had taught the          
fundamental doctrine--that ,jehovah is  
not only supreme1 but sole2 that all    
infinite attributes are centered in him2

 that all dispensations proceed from    
him2 not only those of nature1 by which 
the human race is created and preserved2
 but--the way being now prepared for the
 annunciation--that of grace1 by which  
the world is to be redeemed through him 
whom ,god had ordained to be a ,prince  
and a ,saviour4  ,the heathen converts  
of the latter class had much more to    
learn1 before they could become         
confirmed ,christians1 than their more  
enlightened brethren who had been       
prepared by intercourse with ,jews4     
,they were equally ready in admitting   
the evidence of miracles1 but not       
equally clear as to the object for which
 those miracles were wrought4 ,when     
,paul and ,barnabas restored the cripple
 at ,lystra1 the priests and people     
could scarcely be restrained from       
offering sacrifice to them as gods1 even
 after the ,apostles had explained to   
them the true nature of ,deity4 ,yet the
 true religion1 being patiently and     
faithfully taught1 was1 at length1 fully

 understood and received2 and the three 
classes of converts1 ,jews1 proselytes1 
and pagans1 were made one in ,christ2   
holding1 in undisturbed harmony of      
conviction1 the essential doctrines of  
the strict ,unity of ,jehovah1 the      
divine authority of ,jesus ,christ1 and 
consequently1 the divine origin of the  
,gospel he brought4  ,this unity of the 
faith seems to have been first broken in
 upon by the introduction of a fourth   
class of converts1 who1 by incorporating
 their former philosophical doctrines   
with the new theology they had embraced1
 originated the first heresy4 ,there had
 been disputes1 it is true1 in the      
church2 but not concerning matters of   
faith4 ,in these disputes the ,apostles 
themselves had been not only involved1  
but actually opposed to each other4     
,these questions related to the fancied 
necessity of the adoption by the        
,gentiles of the forms of the ,jewish   
law3 questions of great importance to   
the ,jews1 as affecting their views of  

the ultimate design of ,christianity2 to
 the ,gentiles1 as involving their      
spiritual liberties2 and to us and the  
,christian world at large1 as throwing  
light on the transactions of the        
primitive times1 and as having          
originated some of the ,epistles of     
,paul4  ,but they bore no relation to   
the essential doctrines1 which were held
 free from corruption1 controversy1 or  
even doubt1 till some converts from the 
philosophical sect of the ,gnostics     
introduced1 within twenty years after   
the death of ,christ1 the first taint of
 that corruption from which the true    
faith has never since been freed4  ,the 
fundamental doctrine of the ,gnostic    
philosophy was1 that all mind is        
ultimately derived from the ,supreme    
mind2 that the souls of all men have    
therefore pre-existed2 that there is a  
higher order of spirits1 more           
immediately emanating from the ,supreme2
 that these superior intelligences      
descend occasionally to inhabit the     

bodies of men1 or to assume their       
apparent form4 ,this doctrine1 to which 
they were much attached1 the ,gnostic   
converts easily contrived to connect    
with their new theology1 believing      
,jesus to be one of these superior      
intelligences in a visible form1 or that
 the man ,jesus was animated by such a  
spirit1 who was in reality the ,christ4 
,against this corruption of the         
simplicity of the faith the ,apostle    
,john protested in his ,first and       
,second ,epistles1 in which he followed 
the example of ,peter1 ,paul1 and ,jude4
 ,that the ,gnostics were the persons he
 had in view1 is evident from the fact  
that no other schismatics at that period
 troubled the peace of the church1 and  
also from his own application of his    
censure to such as 'confess not that    
,jesus ,christ is come in the flesh4'   
7#b ,john #g47 ,the 'fables and endless 
genealogies' which ,paul reprobates 7#a 
,tim4 i4 #d47 had the same origin2 and  
the practices to which they led1 of     

'forbidding to marry1 and commanding to 
abstain from meats1' are condemned by   
him as the work of 'seducing spirits4'  
,of the same class were the 'false      
teachers1' accused by ,peter of bringing
 in fatal heresies1 'by reason of whom  
the ways of truth shall be evil spoken  
of4' ,all the opinions and practices    
denounced by ,jude1 were either publicly
 maintained by the ,gnostics1 or        
generally ascribed to them4  ,in order  
to disprove the truth of this           
representation1 it will be necessary to 
show who besides the ,gnostics denied   
that the man ,jesus was the true        
,christ2 who besides the ,gnostics      
propounded fables1 originated schisms1  
and were addicted to superstitious      
practices1 at the times in which the    
,apostles wrote4 ,this1 we conceive1    
cannot be done4  ,that the doctrine of  
the pre-existence of ,christ must have  
been new and strange to the faithful    
teachers of the church we know1 not only
 from their own intimation that it was  

so1 but from the positive proof which   
the ,scriptures afford of the absence of
 all preparation for it4 ,the preaching 
of ,john the ,baptist1 and the conduct  
and discourses of ,jesus were such as to
 give his disciples the idea of his     
being truly and entirely man2 divine    
indeed in his derived power and         
spiritual perfection1 but human in his  
nature4 ,his disciples accordingly      
testified in their words and actions    
that they had no thought of his being   
any thing else4 ,they received him as   
their ,messiah2 but in all besides they 
remained ,jews1 ascribing to ,god alone 
all divine attributes1 worshiping him   
alone1 and paying honor to ,jesus only  
as his most exalted messenger4 ,if they 
had been required to regard him as ,god1
 the history of their conversion would  
have been widely different from what it 
is4 ,a doctrine to them so new and      
wonderful1 would have engrossed their   
minds1 would have banished familiarity  
from their intercourse with the         

,saviour1 would have pervaded their     
preachings and writings2 and1 instead of
 being wholly omitted in their addresses
 to their converts1 would have been     
made1 as in modern creeds1 a primary and
 essential article of belief4 ,not till 
the introduction of oriental            
superstitions into the church1 however1 
do we find unquestionable evidence that 
such a doctrine had been conceived by   
any individual mind2 and then the       
information is conveyed in the form of  
decided censure of the doctrine on the  
part of the promulgators and guardians  
of the new faith4 ,even after this      
heresy was introduced1 we find no traces
 of it in the works of the ,apostolical 
,fathers1 till nearly a century and a   
half from the birth of ,christ1--except 
in a very few writings1 so uncertain in 
their date1 so wild and allegorical in  
their composition1 and so evidently and 
extensively interpolated1 as to be of   
little or no authority4 ,we refer to the
 works commonly ascribed to ,barnabus1  

,hermas1 and ,ignatius4 ,the only       
genuine epistle of ,clemens ,romanus    
which has come down to us1 neither      
advocates1 countenances1 nor alludes to 
any such doctrine4  ,even the           
philosophizing ,christians of the first 
century1 against whom the ,apostles     
wrote1 went no further than to suppose  
the ,christ to be a superior            
intelligence1 inhabiting a mortal form1 
or assuming the appearance of one3      
,cerinthus maintaining that ,jesus was a
 man born of ,joseph and ,mary1 and that
 at his baptism the ,christ descended   
upon him2 while ,marcion held that the  
,son of ,god took the exterior form of a
 man1 and appeared as a man2 and without
 being born1 or gradually growing up to 
the full stature of a man1 he showed    
himself at once in ,galilee as a man    
grown4 ,it was not till ,justin ,martyr1
 himself a philosopher1 wrote an apology
 for ,christianity to a philosophical   
,roman emperor 7,a4 ,d4 #adj71 that any 
distinct mention appears to have been   

made of the doctrine of the ,divinity of
 ,christ4 ,it is not surprising         
that--feeling how great a reproach the  
death of the cross must be in the eyes  
of the potentate whom he wished to      
conciliate1 and finding his mode of     
exposition prepared by the ,gnostic     
,christians1 and by the application made
 by the learned ,philo of the ,platonic 
doctrine of the ,logos1--,justin ,martyr
 should have been tempted to recommend  
his new theology by introducing an      
admixture of that philosophy which has  
proved1 according to the warnings of the
 ,apostle1 a 'vain deceit4' ,such we    
have no hesitation in calling it4 ,a    
doctrine of this nature cannot be in    
part true1 but liable to mistake3 it    
must be absolutely true or absolutely   
false4 ,we hold it to be the latter2    
because it was not made a subject of    
distinct revelation by ,christ1 a       
primary article of belief by the        
,apostles1 or even a matter of distinct 
mention for a century and a half from   

the birth of ,christ4  ,all that1 from  
the study of the records of ,revelation1
 we hold to be the primary and essential
 doctrines of ,christianity1 stand forth
 conspicuously in the teachings1 are    
confirmed by the deeds1 and illustrated 
in the lives of the ,saviour and his    
followers4 ,we propose to bring them    
forward1 with their evidence1 in the    
following order4  ,i4 ,the strict ,unity
 of ,god4  ,,ii4 ,the unlimited nature  
of the ,redemption by ,christ4  ,,iii4  
,the existence of a ,future ,state4     
,from these1 various subordinate        
principles may be derived1 some of the  
most important of which we shall        
afterwards specify2 and then proceed to 
treat of the temporary sanctions and    
institutions of ,christianity1 in       
distinction from its permanent          
principles4  ,it cannot be necessary for
 ,christians1 when addressing           
,christians1 to enter upon the evidence 
for the divine authority under which the
 ,saviour offered his ,gospel1 or for   

the consequent divine origin of that    
,gospel4 ,the name adopted by both      
parties is a sufficient testimony to the
 unity of their faith thus far4         
,concerning the nature of ,christ1 we   
have already declared that1 in          
accordance with what we believe to have 
been the faith of the primitive ages1 we
 regard the ,saviour as human in his    
nature1 but superhuman in his powers1   
and divinely appointed and sanctioned in
 his office4 ,the title ',son of ,god'  
is peculiarly and indefeasibly his own2 
for to no other being1 as far as our    
knowledge extends1 has so immeasurable a
 portion of authority1 of power1 of     
grace and truth1 been vouchsafed2 in no 
other has dwelt 'all the fulness of the 
,godhead bodily4' ,the homage of        
reverence cannot be too fully and freely
 rendered to him who was with ,god in   
,his manifest presence2 who was one with
 ,him in his purposes of eternal        
salvation to the human race2 who was the
 exponent of those purposes1 and the    

means of that salvation4 ,the homage of 
love cannot be too fully and freely     
rendered to him who suffered for our    
transgressions1 and died for our        
justification2 who loved us with more   
than earthly love2 who suffered in his  
compassion for the sins and sorrows of  
men1 as well as in the inflictions he   
sustained for their sakes2 and who1     
though wounded in spirit and tortured in
 body1 made use of the rule1 authority1 
and power with which he was invested1   
not for his own relief1 but for our     
deliverance4 ,to him who brought us     
salvation1 it is little to offer deep   
gratitude and unbounded love4 ,the      
homage of obedience cannot be too fully 
and freely rendered to him who was wise 
with the wisdom of ,god1 pure in heart1 
sinless in his life1 and sanctified by  
grace from the beginning4 ,even if we   
did not know that obedience to ,christ  
is the way to life eternal1 that        
obedience would be due to his divine    
claims3 but knowing this1 it should be  

steadfast as our faith1 cheerful as our 
hope1 and boundless as our love4 ,such  
was the obedience1 such were the        
reverence and love of the holy          
,apostles2 and we desire to participate 
in them as fully as we join1 with heart 
and mind1 in all that they have said    
concerning him4 ,they bow before his    
celestial authority1--so do we4 ,they   
venerate his perfect holiness1--so do   
we4 ,they bless his love1 testified in  
his sufferings1 sealed by his death1 and
 glorified by his resurrection1--so do  
we4 ,they strove to be obedient in all  
things1--and we acknowledge the         
obligation incumbent on us to be so     
likewise2 and that we may be so1 we     
diligently inquire what were the        
doctrines which he confirmed and        
revealed4  ,the great fundamental       
doctrine of the strict ,unity of        
,jehovah was abundantly confirmed by the
 ,gospel4 ,it had been long held in its 
purity by the ,jews1 and was apprehended
 by a few1 a very few1 enlightened      

heathens4 ,it is called an essential    
doctrine of ,christianity1--not because 
it was originated by ,christianity1 but 
because it was thus first introduced to 
the world at large1 and because no other
 doctrine could stand without it4 ,it   
has accordingly been acknowledged in    
words by all who have taken on          
themselves the name of ,christ1 while in
 its substance it has been held pure by 
very few1 we apprehend1 since the       
apostolic age4 ,by the ,unity of ,god we
 understand not a unity of substance    
connected with a variety of persons1 or 
a unity of persons accompanied with a   
division of attributes2 but a           
concentration of the attributes of      
,deity in one eternal1 indivisible      
substance4 ,this1 our fundamental       
religious belief1 is derived both from  
reason and from ,scripture1 and is      
confirmed equally by both4  ,if we      
examine our own minds1 we find that our 
first notions of a ,god are low and     
earthly4 ,we conceive of ,him as of an  

earthly parent1 watching over our sleep 
with bodily eyes1 furnishing our food   
with a bodily hand1 and following us    
from place to place with a material     
presence4 ,as infancy passes away1 our  
conceptions become less gross4 ,we think
 of ,him as omnipresent and invisible2  
but1 deriving our notions from our      
experience1 we conceive of him as       
subject to emotions and passions4 ,we   
believe in the real existence--if not of
 his smiles and frowns--of his joy1     
sorrow and anger1 pleasure and pain4 ,we
 can then imagine his knowing and       
remembering all that has ever taken     
place1 but can scarcely conceive of his 
unlimited presence4 ,our childish       
obedience is then yielded as to our     
parents1--partly through fear1 partly   
through a desire of approbation1 and    
partly with the hope of of giving       
pleasure4 ,all the qualities or         
attributes which we ascribe to ,god have
 their origin and counterparts in our   
parents1 or those who supply their place

 to us3 and in no other way can the     
conception of ,deity be originated4 ,no 
mind can arrive at the recognition of a 
general principle1 but through an       
observation of its particular           
applications2 nor can a conception be   
formed1 otherwise than by the gradual   
reception of its elements2 or enlarged1 
but by adding to their number4 ,from the
 watchfulness of its parent in          
satisfying its wants and defending it   
from injury1 the child forms its first  
notion of ,providence2 and from the     
visitings of parental approbation and   
displeasure1 of a moral governor4 ,when 
the presence of ,deity is thus          
recognised1 some more abstract qualities
 are by degrees attributed to him4      
,instances of the strength1 foresight1  
and knowledge of the parent are daily   
witnessed2 and these1 somewhat          
magnified1 are transferred to           
,deity2--and the moral attributes have  
the same origin4 ,steadiness in awarding
 recompence1 tenderness in inflicting   

punishment1 or readiness in remitting it
 on repentance1 gradually communicate   
the abstract ideas of justice1          
compassion1 and mercy4 ,our first low   
notions of holiness are formed by       
putting together all the best qualities 
we have observed in the persons around  
us1 and supposing them to be unimpaired 
by the faults we are conscious of in    
ourselves4 ,all these attributes are    
ascribed to one ,being2 and the         
conception1 already more exalted than   
any we have formed of any other         
individual being1 is further improved by
 the richer elements of a more extended 
experience4 ,the imagination becoming   
stronger as the materials supplied to   
its activity become more abundant1 the  
conception of ,deity perpetually grows  
in grandeur and beauty1 till it absorbs 
the intellect of a ,newton and engrosses
 the affections of a ,fenelon4 ,still1  
this notion of a ,being whom we know and
 feel to be infinite1 is formed from the
 results of our finite experience2 and  

the conception1 however improved in     
degree1 is unchanged in kind4 ,let it be
 magnified to the utmost extent1 it is  
still only magnified1 not metamorphosed4
 ,as there is a strict analogy between  
the moral attributes of ,god and of men1
 there is also a strict analogy between 
their natural modes of being4 ,justice  
in ,god is the same quality as justice  
in men1 however perfected and enlarged2 
and ,unity in ,god is the same as       
individuality in men1 though ascribed to
 an almighty and omnipresent ,being4  ,a
 perpetual and perfect concentration of 
attributes is essential to our notion of
 one ,god4 ,we can conceive of his      
manifesting one attribute in an especial
 manner on one occasion1 and another on 
another2 we can imagine him conferring  
power analogous to his own on an        
inferior being2 but we cannot conceive  
of his laying aside1 of his depriving   
himself of any of the attributes of his 
nature1 or of delegating his power1--if 
by such delegation be implied any       

diminution or inactivity of it in       
,himself4 ,it is conceivable that he    
might employ some superior intelligence 
in creating the material world 7though  
we have no authority to suppose that he 
did so27 but it is not conceivable that 
the work was not1 at the same time1     
wholly his own4 ,it is conceivable that 
he might send--it is certain that he did
 send--a being divinely furnished for   
the work1 to institute a dispensation of
 grace1 and to offer pardon and peace to
 sinful men4 ,but it is not conceivable 
that the divine attribute of mercy could
 previously1 or subsequently1 or ever1  
be laid aside1 or transferred1 or       
suspended2 that his unalterable purposes
 could be changed1 his compassion       
roused1 his sympathies moved by any act 
of any being1 human or angelic4 ,to     
suppose so1 is supposing his purposes   
mutable1 and his compassion dormant2    
that is1 divesting him of ,deity4 ,we   
can1 in accordance with our conception  
of ,deity1 understand how the           

dispensation of grace may be committed1 
as it was committed1 to a finite being4 
,but to suppose it the indefeasible     
prerogative of any eternal ,being but   
,god1 is clearly to suppose two ,gods3  
and if the office of sanctification be  
appropriated in a similar manner1 we    
must suppose three ,gods4 ,however long 
and deeply we may reflect and strive to 
reconcile contradictions1 we shall find 
at length that it is essential to our   
belief in ,one ,god1 that we ascribe    
creation1 redemption and sanctification1
 ultimately wholly to ,him 'of whom1 and
 through whom1 and to whom are all      
things4'  ,this unalterable decision of 
the reason is confirmed in every        
possible way by revelation4 ,it is      
needless to adduce proof from the       
,scriptures of the ,old ,testament1 as  
it is universally known that the ,jews  
held1 as the fundamental doctrine of    
their religion1 the strict ,unity of    
,jehovah1 in nature1 person1 and        
attributes4 ,there is not the slightest 

intimation1 in the records of the new   
dispensation1 that any change took place
 in the opinions of the ,apostles1 or of
 any other ,jewish converts1 respecting 
the nature or person of ,god4 ,they     
speak and write of ,him as ,one1        
ordaining the salvation of the world    
through ,christ1 and ,himself           
sanctifying those who were appointed to 
assist in the work4 ,jesus ever spoke of
 himself as the servant of the ,most    
,high1 deriving his purposes and his    
powers from on high1 and ascribing his  
achievements to the grace manifested    
thence3 ',i do nothing of myself2 but as
 my ,father hath taught me ,i speak     
these things4 ,and he that sent me is   
with me3 the ,father hath not left me   
alone2 for ,i do always those things    
that please him4' 7,john viii4 #bh1     
#bi47 ',my doctrine is not mine1 but his
 that sent me4 ,if any man will do his  
will1 he shall know of the doctrine     
7whether it be of ,god1 or whether ,i   
speak of myself4' ,john vii4 #af1 #ag47 

,again1 in intimating the share which   
should be apportioned to his disciples  
in publishing the new dispensation1 he  
says1 ',ye are they who have continued  
with me in my trials4 ,and ,i appoint   
unto you a kingdom1 as my ,father hath  
appointed unto me2 that ye may eat and  
drink at my table in my kingdom1 and sit
 on thrones1 judging the twelve tribes  
of ,israel4' 7,luke xxii4 #bh1 #bi1     
#cj47 ,it is not conceivable that1      
anxious as he ever was to attract the   
attention of men to the nature of his   
mission1 and to magnify the importance  
of the new covenant1 he should have     
concealed the most wonderful and        
important circumstance belonging to it1 
and have not only left men in ignorance 
of his highest claims to their homage   
and obedience1 but have led them into   
it4 ,that even his immediate followers  
and the primitive ,church had no        
suspicion of the ,christ being more than
 the most exalted of ,god's messengers1 
we have already declared our conviction2

 a conviction which is confirmed by     
every page of their writings4 ,paul was 
careful to declare 'the whole counsel of
 ,god4' ,yet in the passage of his      
writings in which1 above all others he  
exalts the ,saviour1 he tells how1 for  
the meekness with which he bore the     
honors which constituted in him a       
resemblance to ,god1 for the humility   
with which he took on him the office of 
a servant1 and the compassion which     
caused his submission to the death of   
the cross1--he was yet more exalted by  
,god1 and favored with that name which  
is above every name1 through which every
 man is privileged to worship1 and every
 tongue permitted to offer praise1      
confessing 'that ,jesus ,christ is ,lord
 to the glory of ,god the ,father4'     
7,phil4 ii4 #e--aa47 ,peter1 in the     
discourse by which three thousand       
persons were converted to ,christianity1
 spoke of ,jesus of ,nazareth as 'a man 
approved of ,god by miracles1 and       
wonders1 and signs1 which ,god did by   

him2' and as being made ,lord and       
,christ1 raised from death and exalted  
to heaven by ,god4 ,john repeats1 in    
every form of expression1 that the love 
of ,god was especially manifested by his
 sending his ,son to be the ,saviour of 
the world2 and that as the ,lord        
manifested his love for us by laying    
down his life1 we also should be ready  
to lay down our lives for one another4  
,jude addresses his ,epistle to the     
,christians as to men 'sanctified by    
,god the ,father2' and in almost every  
apostolic benediction and salutation we 
find the work of sanctification as well 
as of grace ascribed to the ,father4    
,but it is more satisfactory as well as 
easy to appeal to the whole body of the 
sacred writings 7which we confidently   
do17 than to separate passages for proof
 that ,god the ,father is the sole      
originator of every work of nature and  
of grace2 that as winds are his         
messengers1 and flaming fires his       
ministers in the world of               

matter1--righteous men1 prophets1       
apostles1 and above all1 ,christ1 the   
,holy ,one1 are his agents in the       
administration of the spiritual world1  
and the establishment of the            
dispensation of grace4  ,jehovah being  
thus sole in the possession of the      
attributes of ,deity1 is the sole object
 of religious worship2 for to ,god alone
 may such adoration be innocently paid4 
,this assertion rests not alone on the  
commands delivered from above to the    
,israelites2 though we hold the         
authority of the second commandment of  
the ,decalogue1 as it stands in         
,protestant ,bibles1 and is included in 
the ,jewish version of the commandments1
 to be equal to that of any part of the 
,mosaic law4 ',thou shalt worship       
,jehovah thy ,god1 and him only shalt   
thou serve1' is a summary of the entire 
purposes and details of the first       
dispensation2 and the fundamental       
principle on which the second is based4 
,the prohibitions to the ,jews to pray  

to any but ,jehovah are too numerous to 
be adduced1 and too clear to need any   
further notice than a passing reference4
 ,that the ,israelites are not forbidden
 to seek the intercession of departed   
spirits is accounted for by their       
ignorance at first of a life beyond the 
grave1 and their uncertainty respecting 
its value afterwards3 but that there was
 a total absence of all desire to seek  
the intercession of a mediator in       
spiritual communion1 is evident4 ,when  
,elisha stood by ,jordan to witness the 
ascent of ,elijah1 no prayers were      
wafted to heaven in the chariot of fire2
 no grace was sought through the medium 
of the glorified prophet4 ,when dangers 
compassed round the prophet and his     
servant in ,dothan1 and a vision of     
heavenly hosts was opened to them1 no   
supplication was offered through the    
radiant messengers2 but ,elisha offered 
his prayer immediately to ,jehovah4 ,he1
 with all his nation1 would have felt   
the liberty of direct communion with    

,god too great a privilege to be        
forgone1 even if the notion had occurred
 to them4 ,no just fears which they     
could entertain could be obviated by the
 employment of an intercessor2 no       
desired blessing could be so easily     
obtained as by a direct appeal to the   
compassion of the ,father of mercies4   
,it would have been well if the         
partakers of a fuller measure of grace  
had1 in this respect1 been like-minded  
with their ancient brethren2 had felt   
like them1 that the highest spiritual   
privilege is a free access to the divine
 presence1 the fairest spiritual promise
 that which declares ',if thou wilt     
call1 ,jehovah shall answer thee4 ,come 
nigh unto me1 and ,i will hear          
thee4'--,this privilege it was which    
,jesus himself used most abundantly2 and
 this promise he sanctioned by word and 
example1 and taught his followers to    
appropriate4 ,he exhorted them to pray  
as he himself prayed1 in full assurance 
of faith1 freely and immediately4 ,on no

 subject were his teachings more        
explicit1 or his own practice and that  
of his ,apostles more fully ascertained4
 ,he taught them in what spirit1 in what
 manner1 and for what objects to pray2  
viz4 believing that what they asked     
should be given1 that what they sought  
should be found2--retiring into recesses
 where none could intermeddle with the  
communion of the heart2 seeking whatever
 is needful for the body and the soul2  
supplies of the means of life1 pardon1  
grace and peace4 ,after this manner his 
followers prayed and taught others to   
pray4 ,paul mingled prayers for         
forgiveness of his early misguided zeal 
with thanksgivings for the grace        
vouchsafed to him1 and ascriptions of   
praise to the supreme ordainer of       
salvation4 ,peter prayed for strength to
 sustain persecution1 and for guidance  
in his mission4 ,james directed his     
hearers to ask of ,god1 if they sought  
wisdom4 ,in all their exhortations to   
prayer1 however1 there is no intimation 

of a possibility that it may be offered 
otherwise than immediately to ,him to   
whom the ,saviour prayed4 ,believing1 as
 we are convinced they did1 that ,christ
 was the son and servant of ,him who    
heareth prayer1 and not authorised to   
usurp that holy prerogative1 no purpose 
could be answered by addressing         
supplications to him1 but that of       
alienating the heart of the suppliant   
from the prime ,giver of good1 and no   
motive could be assigned for the act but
 a criminal distrust of the divine love1
 or a groundless hope of evading his    
justice2 motives little likely to       
actuate apostolic minds4 ,to prevent1   
however1 the supposition that such      
motives could have occurred1 that the   
practice of praying to ,christ could    
have subsisted1 we are in possession of 
a declaration from ,jesus himself which 
obviates all doubt4 ,when about to bid  
farewell to his ,apostles1 and to resign
 himself to death1 he promised them     
comfort from above2 and from the        

fountain of prophetic light within1     
casts gleams upon the stormy future for 
the guidance of the trembling pilgrims  
whom he left behind4 ,he told them that 
joy should visit the world through their
 sorrow2 and that his name1 exalted by  
the results of his mission and          
sanctified by death1 should be the seal 
of the rectitude of their prayers1 and  
the pledge of their success2 while he   
distinctly disclaimed any part in the   
reception of their prayers1 any         
assumption of the offices of mediation  
or intercession4 ',ye now have sorrow2  
but ,i will see you again1 and your     
heart shall rejoice1 and your joy no man
 taketh from you4 ,and in that day ye   
shall ask me nothing4 ,verily ,i say    
unto you1 whatsoever ye shall ask the   
,father in my name1 he will give it you4
 ,hitherto ye have asked nothing in my  
name3 ask1 and ye shall receive1 that   
your joy may be full4 ,these things have
 ,i spoken unto you in proverbs3 but the
 time cometh when ,i shall no more speak

 unto you in proverbs1 but ,i shall show
 you plainly of the ,father4 ,at that   
day ye shall ask in my name2 and ,i say 
not unto you1 that ,i will pray the     
,father for you3 for the ,father himself
 loveth you1 because ye love me1 and    
believe that ,i came forth from ,god4'  
7,john xvi4 #bb-bg47  ,according to     
these sayings1 the ,apostles made their 
requests for the more abundant effusions
 of grace in the name of ,christ2 but1  
believing that the ,father himself loved
 them1 they felt no need of other       
supplication than their own1 for        
benefits which he was more ready to     
grant than they could be eager to       
receive4 ,if we may judge of their      
opinions by the records which remain1 we
 should be convinced that they regarded 
the ,holy ,spirit as a divine power     
only1 and not a divine person4 ,as a    
power1 as influence exerted by ,god     
himself1 is the spirit spoken of in all 
the writings of the ,apostles2 as when  
,paul expresses the relation which the  

spirit bears to ,god to be the same as  
the spirit of a man bears to man2 ',what
 man knoweth the things of a man1 save  
the spirit of man which is in him8 ,even
 so1 the things of ,god knoweth no man1 
but the spirit of ,god4' 7#a ,cor4 ii4  
#aa47 ,the mode in which the operations 
of the spirit are described by them is  
perfectly inconsistent with the notion  
of its being a separate person4         
,converts were said to be baptized with 
the spirit and filled with the spirit1  
and they were exhorted not to quench the
 spirit4 ,by the direction given to     
'baptize in the name of the ,father1 and
 of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,spirit1'
 nothing more was understood by the     
primitive ,christians1 as we learn from 
themselves1 than the duty of spreading  
that religion which was given by ,god   
through ,jesus ,christ1 and comfirmed by
 miraculous power1 though1 in           
comparatively modern times1 it began to 
be used as a form prescribed by ,christ4
 ,as a form it does not appear to have  

been adopted by his followers1 who seem 
to have baptized in the name of ,jesus  
only4 ,like ,christians of the present  
day1 they believed the ,holy ,spirit to 
have been the same by which the ancient 
prophets spoke2 but1 unlike the modern  
belief1 their conviction evidently was1 
that this spirit was the same which     
moved on the face of the waters when the
 universe was called up from chaos2 the 
same which was manifested at ,sinai2 the
 same which filled the temple of        
,solomon and abode in the ,holy of      
,holies2 the same which wrought the     
works which ,christ declared were not of
 himself2 the same which was and ever   
shall be1 'above all1 through all1 and  
in all4' ,they believed the ,spirit to  
be ,god himself1 working in his         
creatures 'to will and to do of his good
 pleasure4'  ,the peculiar endowments   
which were conferred on the disciples in
 the apostolic age were called the gifts
 of the ,spirit2 and the thanksgivings  
which were presented for them were      

always offered immediately to ,god1 from
 whom every good and perfect gift was   
known to come4 ,when this ,spirit was   
spoken of as an impersonal existence1 as
 an influence1 a power1 it could not1 of
 course1 be made the object of worship  
any more than the gifts it brought4     
,when regarded as a personal existence1 
i4 e4 as ,god1 it was1 of course1 the   
object of direct worship4 ,but1 as      
possessing any power of intercession1 we
 may confidently declare it never was   
appealed to1 till the ,christian        
theology had been mixed up with the     
principles of the heathen philosophy4   
,among all the figurative illustrations 
of the offices and powers of the        
,spirit1 among all the highly wrought   
personifications and bold metaphors     
which characterize the ,hebrew style of 
the apostolic writings1 we find no      
intimation that homage may be offered1  
or intercession made1 through it or any 
existence whatever1 personal or         
impersonal4 ,even the highly figurative 

passage which we meet with ,romans viii4
 #be-bh1 and which is1 we believe1 the  
chief basis on which rests the practice 
of false worship in the ,christian      
world1 admits of no such interpretation 
as is commonly given to it4 ,it needs   
only a careful reading of the whole     
chapter to perceive that 'the spirit'   
there spoken of is not the ,holy        
,spirit2 not the immediate divine       
influence of which we hear so much2 but 
the new life supposed to be introduced  
by the ,gospel1 in opposition to 'the   
flesh' or evil principle by which men   
were liable to condemnation under the   
old dispensation4 ,after declaring that 
the fulness of salvation must be waited 
for with ,christian hope1 the apostle   
continues1 ',likewise this spirit1 also 
helpeth our infirmities3 for we know not
 what we should pray for as we ought1   
but the spirit itself maketh            
intercession for us with groans which   
cannot be expressed4 ,but ,he who       
searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the

 mind of the spirit1 that it intercedeth
 for the saints according to the will of
 ,god4 ,and we know that all things work
 together for good to them that love    
,god1 who are called according to his   
purpose4' ,in the weakness of our       
nature1 we know not what most to desire 
and pray for1 but the spirit of the     
,gospel informs and aids us2 obtaining  
for us benefits which we could not      
otherwise have enjoyed4 ,and the        
benefits thus obtained are such as the  
divine will designed for us2 all things 
thus tending to our good2 the divine    
purposes1 the aids of the ,gospel1 and  
the circumstances amidst which that aid 
supports us4 ,all this has a very clear 
reference1 not to any mediation of the  
,holy ,spirit1 to which there is no     
allusion whatever2 but to the agency of 
the new dispensation in delivering men  
'from the bondage of corruption into the
 glorious liberty of the children of    
,god4'--,if the intercession of ,christ 
be needless because the ,father himself 

loveth us1 much more needless must be   
the mediation of the ,spirit1 even were 
there such a separate personal          
existence2 and yet more needless must be
 the good offices of ,saints1 supposing 
them capable of rendering such a service
 to their mortal brethren4  ,those who1 
like ourselves1 derive their religious  
belief from the ,bible alone1 can       
scarcely meet on the ground of argument 
those who profess 'most firmly to admit 
and embrace apostolical and             
ecclesiastical traditions1' if the      
subject of discussion be other than the 
authority of such traditions4 ,on this  
discussion we shall enter hereafter4 ,it
 only belongs to the present division of
 our subject to observe1 that1 not      
admitting the authority of              
ecclesiastical traditions in matters of 
faith1 and finding in the ,scriptures no
 intimation of homage being due to the  
mother of ,christ1 or the holy men who  
glorified the ,gospel in their lives and
 deaths1 we offer no such homage1 and   

that the worship and invocation of such 
are a direct infringement of the        
command1 ',thou shalt worship the ,lord 
thy ,god1 and him only shall thou       
serve4'  ,it is not difficult to trace  
the origin and progress of a custom     
which1 though founded on a natural      
veneration for holiness sealed by death1
 is in our opinion more fatal to the    
purity1 and inimical to the dignity of  
the ,gospel that any other which its    
professors have adopted4--,it was a     
custom in the early times of            
,christianity1 to meet for worship at   
the tombs of the ,martyrs2 not for the  
sake of paying homage to the departed1  
but because the survivors found their   
devotional feelings more sensibly       
excited there4 ,their imaginations were 
at the same time possessed by the       
poetical fictions of the pagan          
philosophy1 which represented the souls 
of the departed as hovering round the   
place of interment1 and conscious of    
what was passing near4 ,from this       

superstition arose the practice of      
making offerings annually in the name of
 the deceased1 as an acknowledgement    
that they were still considered members 
of their respective churches4 ,this     
practice appears to have been first     
adopted at the death of ,polycarp1 and  
to have speedily grown into a rite      
scarcely distinguishable from the       
superstitions of heathenism4 ,tertullian
 observes1 ',we make oblations for the  
dead and for their martyrdom1 yearly1 on
 certain days4' ,at this time it was the
 general belief that the usual abode of 
the dead was in subterraneous places1 or
 at least 'below1' somewhere near the   
earth1 and as long as this belief       
subsisted1 prayers were offered for the 
dead1--for their present repose and     
joyful future resurrection4 ,the ,virgin
 ,mary was thus prayed for4 ,as the     
,martyrs were more highly thought of1   
however1 than other deceased            
,christians1 it began to be imagined1   
about the middle of the fourth century1 

that they were1 by peculiar favor1      
admitted earlier to the immediate       
presence of ,god1 and permitted to exert
 influence even over his purposes4 ,then
 began the solicitations addressed to   
men doomed to death1 that they would be 
mindful of the survivors2 and the       
agreements of companions1 that whichever
 should first depart should petition at 
the foot of the heavenly throne for his 
mortal friend4 ,in a few more years     
arose the custom of invoking the spirits
 supposed to hover near the tombs2 some 
hesitation being implied in the         
expression 'if they were indeed present1
 and had any influence in things below4'
 ,it was yet a long time before prayer  
was offered to ,saints in general1 and  
in the public services of the ,church4  
,that the practice1 if it had been      
originated1 was not approved by the     
,fathers of the ,church in the third    
century1 we know on the direct testimony
 of ,origen1 who says that men are not  
to pray to any derived being 7not even  

to ,christ himself71 but to ,god the    
,father of all4 ,austin disapproved of  
praying for the ,saints1 though he      
believed that the ,church might be      
helped by their intercession2 at the    
same time acknowledging1 ',it is true   
the ,saints do not themselves hear what 
passes below1 but they hear of it by    
others who die and go to them4'  ,the   
time when the custom of invoking the    
,saints was first countenanced by the   
,church may be fixed about the end of   
the fourth century4 ,in the fifth1 all  
opposition to it had ceased1 and the    
images of ,martyrs began to be regarded 
with peculiar honor2 it being imagined  
by many that the homage paid to the     
image drew down into it the propitious  
presence of the celestial being whom it 
represented2 in the same manner as the  
statues of ,jupiter and other pagan gods
 were believed by heathen worshipers to 
become instinct with divine life4 ,the  
temples of the ,martyrs were now1 as    
,theodoret informs us1 ornamented with  

little figures1 of gold and silver1     
representing eyes1 feet1 hands1 c41     
deposited for the acceptance of the     
lords of the temples1 as memorials of   
cures wrought by them on these several  
members3 these memorials proclaiming the
 power of the dead2 whose power1 again1 
demonstrates their ,god to be the true  
,god4 ,how changed was this             
,christianity from that given by him who
 forbade his followers to ask anything  
even of him1 because the ,father himself
 loved them6  ,concerning ,mary1 the    
mother of ,jesus1 those who have not    
vowed to admit ecclesiastical traditions
 as matters of faith1 pretend to little 
knowledge from the time of the death of 
,christ4 ,her name is mentioned but once
 in the ,book of ,acts1 when she is     
enumerated among the disciples who were 
collected after the ascension of ,jesus2
 and how and where she lived and died1  
we have no means of ascertaining4 ,the  
first act of respect to her memory which
 is on record is censured by            

,epiphanius1 as 'a heresy of the women4'
 ,it consisted of an offering of cakes1 
prepared and offered by women only1 and 
generally disapproved of1 7though       
oblations on tombs were then very       
common17 because it was not known where 
she was interred4 ,it may be inferred1  
however1 from the account given by      
,epiphanius1 that prayers were by some  
persons offered to the ,virgin1 though  
he rebukes the new superstition4 ,the   
first person of authority who is known  
to have introduced and countenanced the 
worship of ,mary1 is ,peter ,gnapheus1  
bishop of ,antioch1 who in the fifth    
century appointed her name to be invoked
 in the prayers of the ,church4 ,if such
 homage were her due1 how came the      
,apostles and the apostolic ,fathers to 
withhold it from her8 ,why was her claim
 disallowed so long8  ,we can fully     
enter into1 and are far from            
disapproving of1 the natural curiosity  
which prompts an inquiry into the fate  
of one whom all generations unite in    

calling blessed4 ,when we ponder1 as we 
cannot but do1 her privileges above all 
womanhood besides2 when we imagine the  
intentness of soul with which she must  
have watched the course of her holy     
,son2 perceiving perhaps before all     
others the manifestations of divine     
grace in him2 becoming more and more    
elated in her hopes1 as the presence of 
,god in him became more evident2        
trembling at the malignity of the rulers
 and the madness of the people2 and     
finally sinking in desolation of heart  
when every vital hope appeared          
extinguished2 we cannot but search for  
an authentic record of what befell her  
after the day when the beloved disciple 
took her to his own home4 ,but being    
convinced1 as we are1 that no such      
record exists1 we dare not fill up the  
history with conjectures of our own2    
much less admit the claims founded on   
fable and supported by superstition1    
which are advanced in her favor by      
writers who possessed no more knowledge 

of her state than ourselves1 and who    
were much less impressed by experience  
with the importance of keeping religion 
pure1 simple1 and undefiled4 ,we regard 
,mary as one of the most interesting    
persons presented by history1 but as in 
no respect connected with the ,gospel we
 receive4 ,christianity was not revealed
 till ,christ became a man2 and as ,mary
 had no act or part in its diffusion1   
she bears no other relation to us than  
as a being whose lot engages our        
sympathies1 and whose tender nature and 
pious character should excite our       
affection and emulation4 ,for the same  
reasons1 however largely we may share   
the universal curiosity respecting the  
state of the dead1 however rationally   
our philosophy may conceive1 or however 
vividly our imaginations may represent  
them as living1 as observing the course 
of events1 as participating in our      
emotions1 as enjoying the manifest      
presence of ,god1 we dare not found any 
religious belief or practice on such    

speculations4 ,if our religious         
observances had been in any way         
connected with the dead1 we should have 
known something of their state and      
offices2 but as no such knowledge is    
imparted1 as there was no pretension to 
it in the earliest ages1 and especially 
as ,christianity clearly points to ,god 
as the sole object of religious worship1
 we invoke the departed for no other    
purpose than to satisfy our speculative 
doubts1 we attribute to them no other   
office than that of endearing the past  
and hallowing the future1 and offer no  
other oblations than those of the memory
 and the affections4 ,even if we        
believed them permitted to intercede for
 us with our ,father1 we should be slow 
to seek their aid2 for if there be one  
privilege more precious than another1 it
 is that of direct1 intimate communion  
with ,him who knoweth our weakness and  
our strength2 if there be one provision 
more sacred than another in the charter 
of our 'glorious liberty1' it is that by

 which they who are far off and they who
 are near have equal access unto the    
,father2 not through the ministrations  
of inferior spirits1 but face to face in
 the sanctuary of his presence4 ,he is  
not only our sure1 but our near refuge2 
not only our unfailing1 but our very    
present help2 not only our hope1 but our
 perpetual joy4 ,the deepest of our joys
 and griefs1 those which it is most     
necessary to confide to ,him who caused 
them1 are absolutely incommunicable to  
all besides2 and what is emphatically   
true of our self-communings1 that 'the  
heart knoweth its own bitterness1' is   
yet more true of spirit worship1 'no    
stranger intermeddling with its joy4'   
,having thus stated the grounds of our  
dissent from that clause of the symbol  
of ,pius ,,iv4 which declares that 'the 
,saints reigning together with ,christ  
are to be honored and invocated1 and    
that they offer prayers to ,god for us1'
 it is needless to notice what follows2 
viz4 that their relics are to be        

venerated2 'that the images of ,christ  
and the ,mother of ,god1 ever ,virgin1  
and also of the other saints1 are to be 
had and retained2 and that due honor and
 veneration are to be given to them4'   
,such practices we hold to be utterly   
inconsistent with the principle that    
,god is the sole object of religious    
worship2 which principle is derived from
 what we have laid down as the first    
essential doctrine of ,revelation1--the 
,unity of ,jehovah4  ,the next essential
 doctrine is1  ,,ii4 ,the unlimited     
extent of the ,redemption by ,christ4   
,a large proportion of the differences  
which have arisen in the ,christian     
world respecting the doctrine of        
redemption1 proceed from the variety of 
meanings which is attached to the term  
salvation4 ,while one party understands 
by it an admission to the privileges of 
the ,gospel1 and a consequent           
emancipation from the penalties of the  
old dispensation2 another1 the state of 
virtue and peace which will prevail when

 ,christianity has compassed the globe2 
and a third1 a future state of perfect  
bliss in contrast to one of eternal     
torment2 there is little hope of a      
mutual understanding respecting the     
doctrine of ,justification4 ,our part   
now is to state our own views1 and not  
to enter on any discussion of those of  
others4  ,we believe that by salvation  
the ,scripture writers commonly         
signified the state of privilege into   
which ,christian believers were brought 
by their adoption of the principles of  
holiness and peace which the ,gospel    
affords4 ,thus1 according to its        
original meaning1 the term was          
appropriated to a state of comparative  
blessedness in this world2 but as the   
principles of the ,gospel exert the most
 powerful influence over our spiritual  
state1 over our capacity for happiness  
in a future world1 the term ,salvation  
has naturally and not improperly been   
accommodated to signify a state of      
future safety and bliss4 ,that it did   

not always mean this1 however1 is       
evident to all attentive readers of the 
,scriptures2 as there is not one of     
,paul's epistles or discourses which    
would be intelligible1 if he were       
supposed to declare his converts saved  
from the pains of hell1 instead of from 
the dominion of the evils of heathenism1
 or the condemnation of the ,jewish law4
 ,by redemption1 we understand a release
 from the same evils and penalties      
effected by a sacrifice on the part of a
 benevolent mediator4 ,by remission of  
sins1 we understand the forgiveness and 
consequent remission of punishment which
 are promised in the ,gospel on         
condition of repentance and newness of  
life4 ,by justification1 we believe the 
sacred writers sometimes to signify the 
process by which believers are released 
from all obligations incurred towards   
the old law1 and brought into a state of
 spiritual freedom2 and sometimes that  
free state itself4 ,we conceive that    
this interpretation of terms--not new   

and arbitrary1 but only divested of the 
false associations which have been long 
gathering round them--will clear up most
 of the mysteries which obscure a very  
important ,christian doctrine1 and      
enable us1 in comparing scripture with  
scripture1 to discern a consistency of  
views and a depth of truth which afford 
an irresistible evidence of their divine
 authority4  ,the whole scheme of       
revelation we conceive to be the method 
designed by the divine wisdom1 and      
adopted by the divine benevolence1 for  
bringing the human race into a state of 
purity and peace more rapidly than could
 be effected by the religion of nature4 
,the welfare of the whole race was no   
less the object of the ,jewish than of  
the ,christian dispensation1 though its 
apparent privileges were confined to the
 peculiar people4 ,these privileges1    
immediately and positively advantageous 
to the chosen people1 were remotely and 
relatively so to others1 by establishing
 before their eyes evidences of a divine

 moral government2 and as a moral       
government implies consistency of       
authority1 it affords a strong          
presumption of the unity of the         
,governor4 ,the ,jews were led on from  
the fundamental principle of the ,divine
 ,unity to the apprehension of a divine 
moral government2 while observant       
heathens1 perceiving the moral results  
of the national vicissitudes of the     
,hebrew people1 deduced thence the truth
 of the ,unity of the ,deity4           
,meanwhile1 both were advancing to a    
state of fitness for a fuller           
revelation2 the ,jews more rapidly than 
the heathens1 as being specially placed 
under the schoolmaster who was to bring 
them unto ,christ2 but still1 dispensing
 spiritual benefits towards the heathen1
 for whose sake as well as for their own
 they were placed in a state of         
privilege4 ,the old dispensation1 though
 a condition of light and privilege     
compared with that of nature1 was a     
state of darkness and bondage when      

contrasted with ,christianity4 ,though  
the ,hebrews had more elevated          
conceptions of ,god and clearer notions 
of duty than the ,gentiles1 they yet    
could not appreciate the riches of      
divine grace1 or the extent of divine   
and human relations1 or the full beauty 
of holiness4 ,they were burdened by a   
heavy yoke of ritual observances2 an    
escape from the penalties of the law was
 impossible2 and especially1 they had no
 certain knowledge of a future life4    
,the blessings therefore which          
,christianity offered1--the redemption  
from the bondage of the law1 the        
remission of the penalties of sin on    
repentance1 the justification by which  
they were placed in a condition of      
spiritual power and freedom1--were      
worthy of all the exultation experienced
 and all the thanksgivings expressed by 
those who were thus redeemed1 forgiven1 
and justified4 ,these blessings were yet
 more valuable to the ,gentiles1 in     
proportion to the more rigorous bondage 

and deeper moral darkness to which they 
had been subjected4 ,instead of the     
strict but salutary discipline of the   
law1 they had sustained the tyranny of  
lawless appetites and passions1 had     
lived without other restraints than     
those of nature2 and had no hope in     
death1 but the glimmering and uncertain 
presages which their own faculties or   
long-corrupted traditions supplied4     
,the mode of preparation for the        
introduction of the ,gospel affords a   
strong presumption that its benefits    
were intended for the whole race4 ,the  
,jews had been led on to the point when 
their spiritual development absolutely  
required a more expansive revelation2   
and the ,gentiles were prepared1 by     
their observation of the ,hebrew people1
 and by their own wants1 sins1 and      
sorrows1 to receive with joy happier    
tidings than their fondest hopes could  
anticipate1 and richer benefits than    
their desires could previously have     
comprehended4 ,the benefits of the      

,gospel1 after being offered to the     
,jews and partially accepted by them1   
were freely held out to the whole human 
race1 and received by all who were      
conscious of the need of them3 so that  
the ,gospel was truly what the aged     
,simeon declared it1 'the salvation     
which ,god had prepared before all      
people2 a light to lighten the          
,gentiles1 and the glory of his people  
,israel4'  ,yet there were many among   
the people of ,israel who were blind to 
this glory1 and many of the ,gentiles   
who rejected this guiding light4 ,this  
rejection was not caused by any         
restrictive quality in the revelation1  
any provision in the ,gospel itself for 
the limitation of its privileges3 nor   
was it caused by any previous arbitrary 
decree of the ordainer of salvation1    
that on account of some very ancient    
event1 totally unconnected with the     
present dispensation1 a large majority  
of the human race should be rendered    
absolutely incapable of participating in

 the blessings of redemption4 ,it was   
occasioned by the prejudices of narrow  
minds1 by the ignorance of darkened     
minds1 by the spiritual pride of        
presumptuous minds1 by the petty hopes  
and fears of selfish minds1--prejudices1
 ignorance and selfishness naturally    
arising in the then state of the world1 
and not to be immediately or speedily   
got rid of but by miracle3 a mode of    
agency which the ,divine ,being has     
frequently made use of to sanction his  
revelations1 but never to prepare the   
human mind for their reception4 ,thus   
spiritual ignorance and moral blindness 
are1 we apprehend1 the only obstacles to
 universal redemption2 and we firmly    
believe that these obstacles are only   
temporary4 ,the ,gospel itself bears    
such an indisputable character of       
permanence and universality 7as we shall
 hereafter show71 and so evident a      
provision is made for the gradual       
dissipation of darkness and error1 that 
we may confidently anticipate the time  

when the hope of the ,gospel shall be   
the rich possession of every individual 
of every nation4  ,that it will be so we
 conclude1 not from the persuasion of   
our own hopes1 or at the bidding of our 
reason in opposition to the declarations
 of ,scripture2 but because every       
principle derived from the ,gospel      
sanctions the commands of our reason and
 affords a warrant of our hope4 ,there  
is in no ,gospel1 ,history1 or ,epistle1
 a hint of any restriction or limitation
 of the blessings of redemption4 ,christ
 is ever spoken of as having died for   
all2 there are thanksgivings in the name
 of all1 invitations embracing all1 and 
anticipations of the ultimate bliss of  
all4 ,those who are mourned over1       
reproached1 entreated1 compassionated1  
because they will not accept freedom and
 peace1 are spoken of as excluded by    
their own unfitness for grace1 arising  
from natural causes1 and not by any sin 
of any ancestor1 or by any arbitrary    
decree of ,god1 or by any repellant and 

exclusive character in the dispensation 
of grace itself4 ,its most              
distinguishing character1 on the        
contrary1 was its boundlessness4 ,its   
first work was to throw down the wall of
 partition which had separated the      
favored people from others1 to abolish  
arbitrary distinctions1 to exchange the 
multifarious conditions of the old law  
for the few1 simple and universal       
requisites of salvation declared in the 
new4 ,if other distinctions have since  
been instituted1 other conditions       
imposed1 other requisites insisted on1  
they are no part of ,christianity1 and  
shall no more impede its ultimate       
prevalence than the cloud which shrouds 
the lightning can prevent its shining   
from one part of the heaven unto the    
other4  ,it may be objected1 and with   
justice1 that this method of considering
 the scheme of justification makes out  
the gift of grace to be only ultimately 
and not strictly universal2 unlimited in
 its tendencies1 but hitherto very      

limited in the diffusion of its         
blessings3 and hence may arise an       
inquiry concerning the fate of those who
 have died without the hope of the      
,gospel4  ,as to the limited spread of  
the ,gospel thus far1 it is our business
 not to assign the final cause of the   
fact1 but to admit and reason on the    
fact itself4 ,the fact occasions no     
horror in our minds1 and less regret    
than is felt perhaps by any denomination
 of ,christians besides ourselves2 and  
for this reason1 that we do not hold    
perdition to be the only alternative to 
salvation by ,christ4 ,we find no       
sanction for so fearful a collocation of
 terms in the record of the covenant2 no
 mode of reconciling the doctrine thus  
originated with the attributes of       
,deity1 or with our conceptions of      
justice1 much less of benignity4        
,moreover we can clearly discern through
 what misconception the monstrous belief
 in the everlasting destruction of      
unbelievers1 whether by natural or moral

 necessity1 has sprung to birth4 ,we    
believe it to have arisen from the      
before-mentioned misapprehension of the 
terms ,salvation1 ,remission of sins1   
and ,justification4  ,to the enjoyment  
of the blessings of the ,gospel no      
alternative could be opposed but their  
non-possession2 to the remission of     
sins1 but their retention2 to           
justification1 but condemnation under   
the law4 ,but it does not follow that   
when these terms are shifted from their 
original use1 and accommodated to a     
subject to which they do not naturally  
belong1 they should be still opposed to 
each other1 no others being allowed to  
intervene4 ,if it be generally agreed to
 understand by ,salvation a state of    
perfect bliss after death1 it is well3  
but if any man then choose to transfer  
the term ,perdition from meaning the    
loss of the privileges of ,christianity 
to the loss of the happiness of heaven  
and a consequent subjection to the pains
 of hell1 he goes further than the      

customary use of language allows1       
further than reason can sanction1 and   
much further astray from a true theology
 than he can at present estimate1 or can
 hereafter sufficiently deplore4 ,it is 
mournful enough that myriads have died  
in ignorance and error1 that thousands  
have rejected offered light2 but no     
words can express the horror of the     
popular doctrine of the eternal         
condemnation of all who have not died in
 the faith of ,christ1 or our           
reprobation of the corruption through   
which such a doctrine has been          
originated1 received1 and retained4     
,while we believe that grace and truth  
came by ,jesus ,christ1 and that 'all   
things are but loss for the excellency  
of the knowledge of ,christ ,jesus our  
,lord1' we cannot believe that wrath    
from above and misery from below1 sin   
from within and darkness around1        
destined to be dissipated only by the   
flames of hell1 are the portion of all  
but those who are equally happy with    

ourselves4 ,our belief appears to us    
more consistent with our apprehensions  
of the perfections of our ,father1 with 
our interpretations of his providence1  
and with the spirit of his revealed law4
 ,we believe that though ,christianity  
is the focus in which all the lights of 
reason and religion are concentrated1   
every ray is not there absorbed4 ,we    
believe that though shadows brood more  
or less darkly over every heathen land1 
there is in the most remote a glimmering
 of the dawn2 a ray which may direct the
 eye towards the fountain of glory1 and 
engage the attention to watch the rising
 of that sun which shall set no more4   
,we believe that the rewards of         
righteousness are promised to all2 and  
that the practice of righteousness is   
not limited to any kindred1 tongue1 or  
people1 or essentially connected with   
any religious belief4 ,we hold that     
retribution is the universal sanction of
 the universal moral law2 and if the    
nature of the sanction be more fully    

understood by ,christians1 and therefore
 practically admitted with greater      
readiness1 let them be as grateful as   
they will for the great privilege1 but  
beware of supposing that the sanction is
 abolished to all besides4 ,under the   
various obscurations of this sanction1  
savage virtue may be inferior to        
civilized1--,hottentot to ,roman virtue1
 as both are to ,christian holiness2 but
 there is every reason to believe that  
the savage who surrendered his          
hard-earned meal to the hungry stranger1
 and the ,pagan senators and warriors   
who toiled and bled for their country1  
were as sure of an appropriate reward as
 the most benevolent and heroic of      
,christians4  ,the unlimited nature of  
salvation in this sense1 leads us on to 
another great doctrine of the ,gospel2  
viz4  ,,iii4 ,a ,future ,state4  ,this  
truth1 the most important to human      
improvement1 the most interesting to    
human affections1 was so fully brought  
to light by the ,gospel1 that           

,christians have differed respecting it 
no further than as to the time and mode 
in which future retribution will take   
place4 ,that ,jesus died on the cross1  
was inclosed in the sepulchre1 and was  
led forth thence by the manifest power  
of ,god1 are facts too well             
authenticated to be questioned to any   
purpose by the most hardy sceptic2 and  
on them securely rests the sublime      
belief which1 from the midst of         
obscurity1 had already cheered the      
bereaved1 animated the martyr1 and      
exalted the hopes and fears of the great
 body of the ,hebrew nation4 ,they had  
been led1 like many of the ,gentiles1 by
 the mournful questionings of their     
affections1 to inquire concerning a     
future state1 and at length to believe  
in it2 but their indistinct belief was  
widely different in nature and far      
inferior in power to the firm and clear 
faith with which the resurrection of    
,christ authorized them to look forward4
 ,their former belief was strong enough 

to reconcile them to death2 and perhaps 
they had sufficiently clear convictions 
that the future life would be a scene of
 retribution1 to govern their own       
conduct by some regard to it2 but the   
evidence was not such as to authorize   
their pressing on the minds of others   
the motives which the doctrine now      
affords4 ,without the evidence of the   
facts of ,christ's resurrection1 ,paul  
could not have made ,felix tremble at   
the prospect of judgement to come2 or   
have enforced the duties of masters to  
their servants by considerations of     
their accountability to a master in     
heaven2 or have felt how far better it  
was to depart and be with ,christ than  
to pursue his earthly labors4 ,without  
this evidence1 ,stephen could not have  
met his fate as if he had been welcoming
 the hour of rest from which the beams  
of a new day should awaken him4 ,without
 this evidence1 no one of the ,apostles 
could have passed through his labors and
 sufferings with zeal1 patience1 and    

cheerfulness2 for we have their own     
testimony1 that if in this life only    
they had had hope in ,christ1 they would
 have been of all men the most          
miserable4 ,without this evidence1 not  
only would the hopes of millions who    
have since lived have vacillated1 the   
peace of millions have been at the mercy
 of sickness and death1 and their       
spiritual strength in perpetual peril   
from temptation1 but the state of morals
 through the whole civilized world1     
imperfect as it yet is1 would have been 
far inferior to what we see it1 and     
could never attain the purity which we  
confidently anticipate in some future   
age4 ,without this evidence1            
,christianity would be almost nothing2  
for the doctrine of future retribution  
is not only its most important          
revelation1 but it is so intimately     
connected with every other1 as a        
sanction1 that the ,church might as well
 be supposed complete without its chief 
corner-stone1 as ,christianity to be    

efficacious if deprived of this last    
grand truth4 ,this evidence we have1    
however2 and possessing it1 it is of    
comparatively little importance how     
widely men differ in their speculations 
as to the time and mode in which the    
future life shall succeed to the        
present1 and as to the nature of the    
rewards and punishments which shall     
follow their probation4 ,the belief in a
 certain and righteous retribution is   
all that is enforced upon us by         
,christianity1 all that is a necessary  
consequence of our faith in the         
resurrection of ,christ4 ,yet1 as a     
tendency to unauthorized speculation1   
and also a misapprehension of some      
,scriptural expressions1 appear to us to
 have caused a very extensive           
forgetfulness that retribution is not   
only certain1 but will be righteous1 we 
must enter on some explanation of our   
views respecting the extent of          
punishment of which the life to come is 
to be the scene4  ,we say respecting the

 extent only1 because the nature of the 
punishment is a subject of far inferior 
importance1 and one on which we possess 
so little light that it may fairly be   
left to the imagination of each         
individual to conceive for himself4     
,some persons1 perhaps the great        
majority of every denomination of       
,christians1 believe that the pains of  
actual burning will be inflicted on a   
corporeal frame1 susceptible of         
suffering in the same way as the body   
which we at present inhabit1 but        
rendered indestructible4 ,others        
conceive that the ,scripture language   
which describes the wicked as tormented 
by fire is metaphorical1 and that it    
clearly refers1 by way of allusion1 to  
the valley of ,hinnom1 where corrupt    
substances were devoured by worms1 and  
where human sacrifices were offered by  
fire to ,moloch4 ,such imagine that the 
future sufferings of the wicked will be 
purely mental1 but not therefore the    
less severe and awful4 ,if it had been  

necessary to form clear conceptions on  
this subject1 a fuller light would have 
been cast upon it2 and as that fuller   
light is not granted1 we may fairly     
suppose that we cannot at present       
understand the exact nature of the evil 
of which we are emphatically called on  
to beware4 ,but of the duration of the  
evil1 we believe ourselves so far       
qualified to judge1 as to anticipate    
that it will not be eternal4  ,our      
reasons for thus determining are        
various4 ,it is1 in the first place1    
utterly inconceivable that ,god should  
appoint to any individual of his        
creatures a lot in which misery         
predominates over happiness4 ,our belief
 in the ,divine prescience requires that
 we suppose the fate of every man to be 
ordained from the beginning4 ,our faith 
in the ,divine mercy requires that we   
should expect an overbalance of good in 
the existence of every being thus       
ordained2 and that in no case can the   
punishment be disproportionate to the   

offence4 ,our faith in the ,divine      
benevolence inspires a conviction that  
all evil is to be made subsidiary to    
good1 and that therefore all punishment 
must be corrective1 all suffering       
remedial4 ,thus far the light of nature 
teaches us to anticipate the final      
restitution of sinners4  ,it is         
confirmed by revelation1--by every      
passage of the sacred records which     
represents ,god as a tender ,father to  
all the human race1 as just and good1 as
 incapable of being 'angry for ever1' or
 of taking pleasure in the punishment of
 the wicked1 and as chastising in mercy1
 for corrective purposes4 ,it is        
confirmed by every passage which        
describes the good brought into the     
world by ,christ as overbalancing the   
evil produced by the introduction of sin
 and death4 ,it is confirmed by every   
passage which prophetically announces   
the triumph of the ,gospel over all     
adverse powers1--death1 sin1 and sorrow4
 ,above all1 it is confirmed by the     

whole tenor of the preachings and       
writings of the ,saviour and his        
followers1--by the spirit of boundless  
benevolence1 of joyful faith1 of        
exulting hope1 which is every where     
blended with their emphatic warnings of 
the perils of sin1 and their mournful   
regret for the infatuation of sinners4  
,it appears to us that against all this 
array of evidence on the one side1      
little or none can be adduced on the    
other4  ,that which is brought forward  
most frequently and with the most show  
of reason is the expressions commonly   
translated everlasting1 and which are   
applied both to the future happiness of 
the righteous and misery of the wicked4 
,these terms 7which are much less       
frequently applied to a future state    
than is commonly supposed7 do not       
invariably signify 'everlasting' and    
'eternal1' as is evident from their     
being applied to various institutions   
and states which have already come to an
 end and passed away3 as to the covenant

 with ,abraham1 which is declared to    
have been long since annulled2 to the   
priesthood of ,aaron1 of which no       
vestiges remain2 and to the flames of   
,gehenna1 which have been quenched for  
ages4 ,the strictly correct rendering of
 the terms in these cases is permanent1 
continual1 lasting1 and not absolutely  
eternal4  ,in order to reconcile the    
terms as usually rendered with the      
attribute of ,divine justice1 some      
,christians have imagined that the      
limited punishment of the wicked will be
 followed by immediate destruction2 but 
this supposition leaves the difficulty  
where it was before1 and is besides     
destitute of all support from reason or 
,scripture2 as it is incompatible with  
the character of the ,divine            
dispensations that punishment should be 
appointed for any but corrective        
purposes1 or that sin and sorrow should 
triumph in the annihilation of any      
individual of ,god's creatures4  ,if we 
are asked why then we firmly believe in 

the immortality of the righteous8 we    
reply1 that we found our faith on much  
better evidence than the use of the     
terms we have now been considering4 ,we 
believe it1 because the happiness of the
 creature is the fulfilment of the ends 
of creation and providence2 because     
happiness is an eternal principle1 while
 misery is only a temporary influence2  
and because it would argue imperfection 
in the ,deity1 if he were either unable 
or unwilling to prolong a holy and      
blissful existence4  ,this doctrine1--of
 the limited and corrective nature of   
future punishment1--is often likened by 
those who disbelieve and disapprove it1 
to the ,catholic doctrine of purgatory2 
a likeness which ,catholics and         
,unitarians are perhaps equally         
unwilling to admit1 though the latter   
have little doubt that the belief in    
purgatory is a corruption of the genuine
 doctrine as they hold it now4  ,it was 
the opinion of many of the ,fathers in  
very early times1 that the world would  

be destroyed by fire2 that the good     
would be purified by the process1 and   
the wicked consumed4 ,it is clear that  
they derived a part of this belief from 
some other source than the ,scriptures2 
but it is equally clear that they had no
 notion of an eternity of torment4      
,origen1 ,clemens ,alexandrinus1 his    
master1 with ,gregory ,nazianzen1 and   
others of the ,fathers1 held that the   
wicked would survive this punishment1   
and come out purified and fit for a     
blissful state4 ,the ,catholic doctrine 
of purgatory probably arose out of some 
of these opinions1 though it embraces   
much which does not appear to have      
entered into the imaginations of the    
,fathers4 ,its substance1 as declared in
 the councils of ,florence and ,trent1  
is that every man is liable both to     
temporal and eternal punishment for his 
sins2 that the eternal punishment may be
 escaped by faith in the atonement of   
,christ2 but that the temporal must be  
borne by the individual in this world or

 at his entrance on the next2 that the  
sufferings of those who undergo         
purgation may be relieved by the prayers
 and suffrages of their earthly         
brethren1 though in what manner this    
relief is wrought1 whether by a process 
of satisfaction1 or of intercession1 or 
of any other method1 it is not essential
 to true faith to be certified4 ,neither
 is it necessary to know where the place
 of purgation is2 of what nature its    
pains are1 and how long sufferers may be
 detained there4 ,the belief in         
purgatory was1 for some ages1 held by   
all ,christians1 except the ancient     
,waldenses1 who left the ,church of     
,rome before the doctrine was           
established there1 and who never        
admitted it4 ,soon after the            
,reformation1 it was abandoned by all   
who left the ,church of ,rome2 so that  
it has since been peculiar to that      
church4  ,our reasons for rejecting it  
are1 that we find no trace of it in     
,scripture1 and that1 as we declared    

before1 we do not admit ecclesiastical  
traditions as matters of faith4 ,we also
 reject the notion that any part of the 
punishment of sin can be escaped through
 the sacrifices1 or mediation1 or       
intercession of any being whomsoever4   
,we have been frequently accused of     
impairing a divinely appointed sanction 
by asserting the limited extent of      
future punishment2 but we think that the
 sanction is1 in reality1 abolished by  
the admission that the ,divine decrees  
may be set aside by human acts1 and that
 the relations of good and evil1 virtue 
and vice1 which are declared to be      
immutable1 may be changed at the        
pleasure of mortal agents4 ,we believe  
the punishment of sin to be of limited  
duration2 but as certain as the         
existence of the moral agent1 and as    
little capable of remission through the 
will of any created being as the law    
which regulates the rise and fall of the
 tides1 the changes of the moon1 and the
 revolutions of the planets4 ,we hold it

 to be awful1 not only from its         
certainty1 but from its concealed       
nature4 ,it will doubtless transcend all
 that the experience of earth can       
suggest to the imagination4 ,can it be  
said that we impair this sanction when  
we hold that the suffering consequent on
 guilt is absolutely certain1 lasting in
 its duration1 and inconceivably        
dreadful in its nature8 ,what           
apprehensions could be fitted to excite 
greater dread8  ,for the purpose of     
explaining why we believe that no part  
of the consequences of guilt can be     
evaded through the sacrifices1          
mediation1 or intercession of any being 
whatsoever1 it is necessary to pass on  
to the next division of our subject4    
,having stated the three leading        
doctrines of ,christianity1 the ,unity  
of ,god1 the unlimited scope of the plan
 of redemption1 and a future state1 we  
now proceed briefly to examine the      
principles of morals proposed by the    
,gospel4  ,the fundamental truths of    

,morals are eternal as ,he to whom they 
primarily relate1 and immutable as the  
purposes which they subserve4 ,but it is
 necessary that they should be          
communicated to men under different     
forms and according to various methods1 
as minds are prepared to receive them3  
and their application must also be      
regulated according to the circumstances
 in which men are placed4 ,the same     
principle was proposed to ,adam in      
,paradise1 to ,abraham in ,beersheba1   
and to ,paul when he set his face       
steadfastly to go to ,jerusalem1 knowing
 that bonds and afflictions awaited him 
there4 ,obedience to ,god was the motive
 proposed for abstaining from the       
forbidden fruit1 for sacrificing an only
 son1 and for facing suffering and      
death4 ,but an intimation which was all 
powerful with ,abraham was insufficient 
to secure a much less painful obedience 
from ,adam2 and the self-devotion of    
,paul was ennobled in all its manifold  
instances1 by its springing1 not from so

 many express directions1 but from a    
principle1 undeviating and perpetual in 
its operation4 ,in the infancy of the   
race1 it would have been utterly useless
 to reveal the grand principles of      
morals in any other way than that which 
was adopted1 viz4 by exhibiting their   
application in various instances4 ,the  
,divine will was therefore made known in
 express directions1 probably very few  
in number at first1 and gradually       
increasing in number and importance1 so 
as to enable observers1 from remarking  
the similar tendency of several1 to     
infer a general principle from them4    
,all the records which we possess of the
 history of the race to the calling of  
the ,israelites out of ,egypt1 prove    
this to have been the method adopted4   
,the commands of ,god1 and the promises 
and threats by which they were          
sanctioned1 bore an analogy1 in their   
gradual elevation1 to those by which we 
influence an opening mind in its        
progress from the first manifestation of

 intelligence to the age when the power 
of conscience is recognizable4 ,in the  
,mosaic system1 a considerable advance  
was made1 a direct appeal to conscience 
being instituted1 and the gradual       
revelation of a moral government being  
provided for4 ,men were then taught1 not
 what we now know1 that the relation    
between virtue and happiness1 vice and  
misery1 is immutable 7which they could  
not have understood17 but that in their 
particular case1 obedience to certain   
laws would secure prosperity1 and       
disobedience adversity4 ,such obedience1
 the most virtuous were incited to      
render1 from a fear and love of ,god2   
but they could not have rendered it in  
any but specified cases1 because1 not   
yet being made acquainted with the      
principle as a principle1 they could not
 direct its application for themselves4 
,the case was the same with the other   
great principle1 ,benevolence1 as with  
,piety2 and1 accordingly1 the body of   
laws which was prepared for the         

,israelites was voluminous1 and their   
sanctions were expressed in a copious   
variety of promises and threatenings1   
and embodied in a burthensome ritual1   
consisting chiefly of penal acts4 ,when 
the nation had thus been exercised long 
enough to prepare it for entering on a  
new course of moral agency 7as we       
prepare a child for the spontaneous     
exercise of filial duty and fraternal   
love by a discipline of express commands
 and particular acts17 ,christianity was
 dispensed1 and men were at length      
furnished with the principles           
themselves1 with whose application they 
were henceforth to be entrusted4        
,christianity was designed to be        
permanent and universal2 and1 therefore1
 though it was first communicated in the
 form best adapted to those who were    
first to receive it1 it contains within 
itself that which shall fit it to be a  
revelation to the mind of man in every  
stage4  ,it contains eternal principles 
of doctrine and morals1 embodied in     

facts1 which are the only immutable and 
universal language4 ,the character of   
,christ affords a never-failing         
suggestion1 and a perfect illustration  
of the principles of morals2 a          
suggestion which only the most careless 
minds can fail to receive1 and an       
illustration by which only the most     
hardened can fail to be impressed4 ,from
 him it was learned what part of the    
moral law of ,moses was to be retained  
and what forgone2 how much was vital and
 permanent and how much external and    
temporary4 ,from him it was learned1 and
 shall be learned to the end of time1   
how the sympathy which caused tears at  
the grave of ,lazarus1 the compassion   
which relieved the widowed mother of    
,nain1 the tenderness which yearned     
towards the repentant ,apostle1 the     
diffusive love which embraced in its    
prayer all of every age and nation who  
needed the gospel of grace1 combined to 
enforce and adorn the principle of      
,benevolence4 ,his parables are eloquent

 in their praise of benevolence2 his    
entreaties to mutual love are urgent1   
and his commands decisive2 but the      
eloquence of his example is by far more 
urgent and irresistible4 ,from him it   
was1 and ever shall be1 learned that the
 rule of life is to be found in the will
 of ,god4 ,from his devotion to the work
 which ,god had given him to do1 from   
his perpetual reference of all things to
 the ,divine will1 from his unhesitating
 submission to suffering and death1 from
 his supreme delight in devotional      
communion1 we learn how ,piety is the   
pre-eminent principle of feeling and    
action which men are required to adopt4 
,the parables which inculcate ready     
filial obedience and sorrow for         
disobedience1 the declarations that it  
was his meat and drink to do the will of
 ,god1 and that he was not alone because
 the ,father was with him1 are powerful 
enforcements of the principle2 but not  
so powerful as the acts of obedience and
 resignation in which its power shone   

forth4 ,the whole scheme of morals is   
comprehended in the precepts1 ',thou    
shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with all  
thy heart1 and soul1 and mind1 and      
strength1 and thy neighbor as thyself2' 
but the concentration of truth and      
beauty is less resplendant1 less        
engaging1 less universally clear and    
interesting1 than in the character of   
him who deduced these two principles    
from all the law and the prophets4      
,with these two principles1 and all the 
subordinate ones which are derived from 
them1 are connected sanctions from      
above1 which attest their origin and    
secure their adoption4 ,by an           
irreversible decree of ,him who founded 
nature and vouchsafed a revelation1     
certain states of enjoyment and         
suffering are connected with the        
practical adoption or rejection of the  
principles of duty1 not by way of       
arbitrary appointment1 but of natural   
consequence4 ,the relations of holiness 
and happiness1 of guilt and misery1 are 

unalterable2 shown to be so by the      
teachings of nature and experience1 by  
the explicit declarations of ,scripture1
 and by every species of evidence which 
the mind of man is capable of receiving4
  ,though the chief object of the       
,christian revelation was to make this  
relation more evident than it had ever  
been before1 many who received the      
,gospel imagine that it discovers to    
them a means by which the relation may  
be suspended or destroyed4 ,this        
misapprehension we hold to be more fatal
 in its moral consequences than any     
other which human prejudice has         
originated4 ,by what appears to us a    
strange perversion of ,scripture        
language1 and by the gradual increase of
 some subordinate errors1 it began to be
 imagined1 some centuries ago1 that1    
though misery is necessarily connected  
with guilt1 yet that the guilt may be   
perpetrated by one person1 and the      
consequent misery endured by another2   
and this belief has subsisted in almost 

every ,christian church till this day4  
,it is well that it has been confined to
 the churches1 and that its application 
has been limited1 by all but ,catholics1
 to one very peculiar case2 for if it   
had become the common doctrine of our   
schools1 and colleges1 and homes1 if it 
had been enforced by parents and moral  
philosophers and professors as a general
 truth1 as it is by divines with        
reference to a particular case1 the very
 foundations of virtue would have been  
overthrown1 and the force of its        
sanctions not only wasted but fatally   
perverted4  ,happily the accents of     
reason and religion have been too       
distinct and harmonious to be           
overpowered by the dictates of error1 or
 very extensively neglected4            
,notwithstanding all that religious     
teachers have erroneously inculcated of 
the possible and actual separation of   
guilt and its punishment on the         
principle of vicarious suffering1       
education has still proceeded1 and moral

 discipline been enforced as if no such 
false principle had ever been advocated4
 ,children are swayed by hope and fear  
of the consequences of their actions to 
themselves2 and self-government is      
enforced at a riper age by the same     
motives1 though enlarged and elevated4  
,in religion alone has an error1 as     
absurd in its nature as injurious in its
 tendencies1 been retained thus long by 
the force of prejudice2 and that it has 
not spread further we hold to be owing  
to its manifest folly and to its        
evidently noxious influence when applied
 to any case but that to which it is    
appropriated4 ,there can be no surer    
proof that the principle itself is      
false4  ,it is difficult to know where  
to begin in disproving a doctrine which 
is repugnant to every other doctrine1   
inconsistent with every received truth1 
and incompatible with every admitted    
divine and human relation1 with every   
known attribute of mind1 divine or      
human4 ,it will be sufficient to state  

one reason for utterly rejecting as we  
do the doctrine of vicarious suffering2 
that reason being suggested and         
confirmed both by our own understandings
 and by ,scripture4  ,it is clear that  
no man can sin for another4 ,he may sin 
at the instigation of another1 or for   
the supposed benefit of another2 but in 
the first case1 the sin remains with    
both1 and in the last1 with the         
perpetrator only4 ,moral disease thus   
bears an exact analogy to natural       
disease4 ,natural disease may be        
communicated1 or even incurred for the  
benefit of another1 but it cannot be so 
transferred as to be annihilated with   
respect to the person who was first     
subject to it4 ,the case is precisely   
the same with the pain which is the     
inseparable consequence of sin4 ,if     
endured by any but the sinner1 it is    
actually and completely disconnected    
with the sin4 ,it is no longer a        
punishment1 but a gratuitous infliction4
 ,this is so evident that1 if proposed  

in any court of justice but that from   
which our purest conceptions of justice 
are derived1 the reason and conscience  
of every man would exclaim against the  
monstrous notion of a substitution of   
punishment4 ,if a man had transgressed  
the laws of his country by theft1 would 
he not be the most unjust judge upon    
earth who would sentence his elder      
brother1 known to be innocent and       
virtuous1 to imprisonment or death for  
the offence8  ,would the case be        
altered1 except in the way of           
aggravation1 if the sentence were       
inflicted at the desire of the innocent 
man8 ,would any purpose of justice be   
answered by such a process8 ,would not  
every principle of equity--to say       
nothing of benevolence--be violated8    
,would not the sufferer be as foolish   
and blind in his submission as the judge
 arbitrary in the infliction8 ,is it not
 utterly impossible that a transaction1 
perfectly analogous in principle1 though
 infinitely more momentous in its       

influences1 should take place between   
the just ,judge1 the tender ,father of  
men1 a creature made fallible by ,him1  
and ,his holy and beloved ,son8  ,but we
 are told it is not for us to argue thus
 on the right and wrong of a transaction
 which has taken place1 and is          
continually taking place1 by ,divine    
appointment4 ,it is enough that ,god has
 appointed this method of salvation4    
,the lawfulness of examining the ,divine
 decrees with intent to understand them1
 will be discussed hereafter4 ,our      
business now is to declare why we do not
 believe this to be the appointed method
 of salvation1 set forth in the sacred  
records4 ,repentance 7including not     
merely shame and sorrow for sin1 but    
newness of life7 appears to us to stand 
forth on the face of the sacred records 
as the grand1 the sole1 condition of    
forgiveness of sins4 ,the faith in      
,christ1 which is so strenuously        
insisted on as a requisite1 is valuable 
as inducing sorrow for sin and purity of

 life4 ,our obligations to ,christ1     
which are so vividly described1 are due 
to him for the benefits he has bestowed 
on us through his ,gospel1 and not for  
any subsequent arbitrary gift1 which we 
feel it impossible for him to have      
offered1 for us to avail ourselves of1  
and for ,god to accept4 ,our obligations
 to him are boundless and eternal2--for 
having devoted and sacrificed his life  
to furnish us with the conditions of    
salvation1--to teach us repentance1 and 
incite us to holiness4 ,he was truly a  
sacrifice for men2 he suffered and died 
because they were sinners1 and in order 
to bring them salvation4 ,this the      
,scripture teaches1 and this we readily 
admit2 finding1 however1 no intimation  
that any sin has ever been forgiven on  
any other condition than that of        
repentance2 that repentance has ever    
failed to procure forgiveness2 that any 
being whatever has at any time exercised
 or possessed the power of separating   
sin and suffering by taking either upon 

himself1 or of transferring both from   
the consciousness of another to his own2
 that if the endurance of suffering by  
substitution were possible1 it could not
 be righteous2 or that if it were not   
unrighteous1 it could be available to   
any beneficent purpose4 ,finding none of
 these suppositions1 but all their      
opposites in the spirit and detail of   
the sacred records1 we absolutely reject
 the popular doctrine of the atonement  
by ,christ1 while we regard his         
sacrifices for us with reverential      
gratitude1 and our obligations to him   
with awe and rejoicing4  ,the more      
attentively we ponder his instructions  
and the more amply we estimate the      
benefits he brought us1 the more        
conscious do we become of the impiety of
 withholding from the ,supreme ,author  
of our salvation the gratitude and      
praise which are due to his free1       
unpurchased grace4 ,it is given through 
,christ1 but it originates in ,god4 ,it 
comes through a mediator2 but that      

mediator was appointed1 informed1 guided
 by ,god4 ,to him ,christ ascribed1 not 
only the acceptance of his sacrifice and
 mediation2 but the design in which it  
originated1 the means by which it was   
wrought1 and the end which it should    
ultimately accomplish2 and the more we  
contemplate the design1 become          
acquainted with the means1 and joyfully 
anticipate the end1 the more eagerly do 
we join with ,christ in ascribing to    
,jehovah the glory and the praise4  ,we 
will now explain our meaning in saying  
that the ,catholics alone1 of all       
,christians who have admitted the       
doctrine of satisfaction for sin1 have  
not restricted its application to one   
very peculiar case4 ,they have been     
perfectly consistent in not so          
restricting it2 and they would have been
 more extensively consistent if they had
 gone as much beyond the point they have
 reached1 as they have beyond the       
,church of ,england and the disciples of
 ,calvin4 ,if the principle be sound1 it

 will bear a boundless application2 if  
it be unsound1 it can be no part of     
revelation1 and should be instantly     
relinquished4 ,if atonement for sin by a
 transferrence of punishment be possible
 in any case1 it cannot be pronounced   
impossible in any similar case4 ,if     
spiritual guilt can be atoned for by    
ritual sacrifices1 in any instance1 no  
one knows that it may not in any other  
instance4 ,therefore if the ,church of  
,england holds that the ,jewish         
sacrifices were in strict analogy with  
that of ,christ1 they cannot reasonably 
condemn the offering of the mass1 and   
pious gifts offered by the innocent on  
behalf of the sinner4 ,neither can the  
,calvinists1 who regard the ,mosaic     
offerings as atonements for spiritual   
sin1 consistently object to the practice
 of penance1 or the principle of        
granting indulgences4 ,it appears to us 
that there is no tenable ground between 
the ultimate extension of the principle 
and its absolute rejection1--between    

dissolving to each individual the       
connection between guilt and punishment1
 and asserting that connection to be    
absolutely indissoluble3 thereby        
maintaining the genuine ,scripture      
doctrine that repentance alone can      
obtain remission of sins4  ,the         
lawfulness of the practice of penance   
and the enjoyment of indulgences is1 we 
perceive1 defended by ,catholics as     
being established on the same ground as 
the ,jewish sacrifices4 ,they expressly 
state that the eternal pain due to guilt
 cannot be removed by indulgences1 or   
averted by penance1 but only the        
temporal pain over which the death of   
,christ has no power of remission4 ,this
 bears a strong analogy to the case of  
the ,mosaic sacrifices1 which were      
ceremonial atonements for breaches of   
the ceremonial law1 and were not of     
themselves1 as is universally allowed1  
intended to avert the penalties of      
spiritual guilt4 ,but this analogy      
yields no countenance to the ,catholic  

practices we are considering1 unless it 
can be proved that two distinct species 
of punishment were divinely ordained1   
and two distinct methods of atonement   
prescribed4 ,and even if this were      
proved1 the case would not be complete3 
for though we should suppose two kinds  
of punishment1 and two methods of       
reconciliation appointed1 it is further 
necessary that the offender should be   
liable to two distinct species of       
offence2 a position in which none but an
 ancient ,jew was ever placed4  ,the    
,divine sanctions were altogether so    
different under the ,jewish from what   
they are declared to be under the       
,christian dispensation1 that no analogy
 which can be instituted between them   
will hold with any completeness4 ,a     
future state of retribution formed no   
part of the revelation made to the      
,jews4 ,to them1 the ultimate punishment
 which they could anticipate was        
national adversity1 which was the       
infallible consequence of moral guilt   

7unless averted by repentance71 as      
ritual penalties were the necessary     
atonement for breaches of the external  
law4 ,of ,christians1 a higher obedience
 is required1--a more spiritual devotion
 to the will of ,god2 and this higher   
obedience is enforced by more elevated  
sanctions4 ,christians are free from the
 ,divine imposition of external         
observances1 and therefore from all     
divinely appointed external penalties4  
,they are to worship in spirit and in   
truth2 to yield the obedience of the    
heart2 and all their outward            
manifestations of devotion are of human 
appointment2--salutary1 no doubt1 and   
even necessary to the maintenance of    
piety1 but still optional1 possessing   
only a derived value1 and in their very 
nature incapable of being made atonement
 for sin4 ,spiritual atonement1 i4 e4   
repentance1 is the only atonement which 
the ,gospel prescribes or supposes      
possible for spiritual guilt4           
,reparation indeed is to be made by the 

guilty to the injured person1 when the  
case admits of it2 but this reparation  
does not constitute the atonement1 nor  
does it partake of the nature of        
penance4 ,it is only an external        
atonement for an external injury1 and is
 an evidence that the spiritual         
atonement1--repentance1 has been already
 made4 ,it bears a relation to that     
class of offences only which immediately
 respects our fellow-men1 and is        
impracticable in cases where the offence
 is against ,god and ourselves4 ,in such
 cases1 external penance bears no other 
relation to the offence than such as the
 weak will of man has originated2--a    
relation arbitrary1 unsanctioned by     
,god1 and therefore perilous to man4    
,this relation1 being thus arbitrary1   
fails of the object for which it was    
established4 ,their belief in the       
efficacy of penance is thus stated by   
,catholics4 7,we copy from the          
universally accredited work1 entitled   
',roman ,catholic ,principles in        

reference to ,god and the ,king1' first 
published in #afhj1 and ever since      
acknowledged as a faithful exposition47 
',though no creature whatsoever can make
 condign satisfaction1 either for the   
guilt of sin1 or the pain eternal due to
 it1 this satisfaction being proper to  
,christ our ,saviour only1 yet penitent 
sinners1 redeemed by ,christ1 may1 as   
members of ,christ1 in some measure     
satisfy by prayer1 fasting1 alms-deeds1 
and other works of piety1 for the       
temporal pain which1 in the order of    
,divine justice sometimes remains due1  
after the guilt of sin and pains eternal
 have been remitted4 ,such penitential  
works are1 notwithstanding1 no otherwise
 satisfactory than as joined and applied
 to that satisfaction which ,jesus made 
upon the cross1 in virtue of which alone
 all our good works find a grateful     
acceptance in the sight of ,god4'  ,as  
we have already stated our opinion      
respecting the nature of the sacrifice  
of ,christ1 we have only to inquire1 in 

our examination of this passage1 into   
the meaning of the words temporal pain4 
,if they be intended to signify the     
natural evil consequences of sin in this
 world1 it is clear that no penance of  
human institution can avert them2 since 
the very efficacy of this penance would 
prove these consequences not to be      
natural but arbitrary4 ,a man who has   
defrauded his neighbor cannot preserve  
or recover his character for honesty1 or
 secure the confidence of those around  
him 'by prayer1 fasting1 alms-deeds1 or 
other works of piety4' ,the means are   
not adapted to the end4 ,the method he  
must pursue1 and the only one which can 
be used with effect1 is to restore that 
which he had unjustly obtained1 and to  
persevere in a course of integrity till 
the rectitude of his motives becomes    
unquestionable4 ,if in the meanwhile he 
employs prayer1 fasting1 and alms-deeds 
as means of rousing his highest         
affections and confirming his virtuous  
resolutions1 he may find them so far    

efficacious2 but the removal of the     
temporal pain1 the stain upon his       
reputation1 is not ascribable to them1  
but is the consequence of his well      
attested repentance4  ,but it appears   
doubtful whether we have rightly        
interpreted the words temporal pain2    
since the being obnoxious to this pain  
is one of the qualifications for the    
discipline of purgatory4 ,we wish that  
an exact account could be obtained of   
its real nature3 though1 be it what it  
may1 it is clear to us that no natural  
penalty can be averted by so arbitrary  
an institution as that of penance4 ,the 
clause on indulgences is as follows4 ,we
 quote the doctrinal part of it1 that we
 may avoid the danger1 of which it warns
 us1 of charging on the ,church such    
abuses or mistakes as have been         
sometimes committed in point of granting
 and gaining indulgences1 through the   
remissness or ignorance of individuals4 
',the guilt of sin1 or pain eternal due 
to it1 is never remitted by what        

,catholics call indulgences2 but only   
such temporal punishments as remain due 
after the guilt is remitted3 these      
indulgences being nothing else than a   
mitigation or relaxation1 upon just     
causes1 of canonical penances1 enjoined 
by the pastors of the ,church on        
penitent sinners1 according to their    
several degrees of demerit4'  ,our      
conviction of the absolute inefficacy of
 canonical penances to obtain the end   
for which they are practised having been
 stated1 we proceed to consider the     
legitimacy of the power by which such   
acts are imposed1 and a remission from  
them granted4 ,we shall ground our      
arguments on some of the subordinate    
principles1 which are clearly deducible 
from the primary principles of doctrine 
and morals which we have already stated 
and arranged4  ,one of these principles1
 whose claim to admission is seldom     
unequivocally denied in theory1 though  
too often practically disallowed1 is    
,christian ,liberty1--the indefeasible  

right of every man to freedom from all  
human control in spiritual concerns4    
,this comprehends the right of entire   
privacy of conscience1 of exemption from
 all inquiry and interference in        
spiritual matters1 of examining1        
interpreting1 comparing and             
understanding the sacred records under a
 responsibility to none but ,god2 and of
 forming1 changing1 and announcing      
opinions without hinderance or          
molestation4 ,we are aware that this    
principle is seldom carried out to its  
utmost length1 even in speculation2 and 
as seldom is it absolutely rejected4    
,but1 as we have said with respect to   
another principle1 and as we would say  
of all1 let it be put to the test of    
reason and experience2 and if sound1 let
 it be fully admitted with all its      
consequences2 if unsound1 let it be     
discarded4 ,the process of attestation  
which we have instituted obliges us to  
receive it unhesitatingly1 and to act on
 it unreservedly4  ,the primary         

spiritual relation of men is to ,god2   
their highest subordinate relation is to
 each other4 ,their conduct in the      
subordinate relation is to be regulated 
by a regard to the primary2 but the     
primary relation is not to be invaded by
 any influences from below4 ,the        
relations between man and man are       
established by ,god and guided by ,him  
to the fulfilment of purposes known only
 to ,him1 except in so far as it has    
pleased ,him to reveal them4 ,the       
relation of the mind of man to its      
,maker is1 on the contrary1 so intimate 
as to admit of no intervention2 and of a
 nature which cannot be affected by any 
influence whatever4 ,this relation may  
be unperceived2 7though there is perhaps
 no instance on record of its being so7 
it may be heedlessly forgotten2 it may  
be1 as alas6 it too often is1 obscured  
by the shades of vice or the influences 
of spiritual tyranny2 but it can never  
be usurped or changed2 and the time must
 come when this indissoluble relation   

shall be recognized and claimed as      
comprehending all the manifold          
privileges of existence4 ,the course of 
nature seems designed to lead men to its
 perception1 and the grand object of    
revelation is to blazon it forth2 while 
every intimation of its nature describes
 it as sacred from all invasion4 ,every 
manifestation of the ,divine will must1 
therefore1 be made to each individual   
mind as exclusively as if no other mind 
existed4 ,the religion of nature1 though
 adopted in various countries1 and      
amidst its different aspects among      
different nations1 embraced by myriads  
under every form1 is yet a bond between 
,god and every individual man as        
complete as if that man alone had been  
created4 ,in like manner the ,gospel is 
a covenant between ,god and the human   
race only as it is a covenant between   
,god and every individual of that race  
who shall embrace it3 and there can be  
two parties only to the transaction1--he
 who offers the conditions1 and he who  

accepts or rejects them4 ,to no one has 
the ,author of this covenant deputed the
 power of imposing the conditions1 or of
 judging how far they have been         
fulfilled1 or of passing2 sentence      
accordingly4 ,to none could he depute   
this power without making him1 in fact1 
the only person with whom the inferior  
party has to do1 i4 e4 the ,god of the  
inferior party4 ,it may be objected that
 we argue upon a metaphor2 but1 let the 
,gospel be regarded under every possible
 aspect1 the same truth will still be   
demonstrable1--that between the ,creator
 and the created no created power can1  
without the ,divine concurrence1        
interfere2 and that in the spiritual    
creation1 the powers requisite for      
interference being above those of       
humanity1 such concurrence never can    
have been1 and never can be granted4    
,if the nature of ,christian obedience  
had been different1--if it had been     
ritual instead of spiritual1 it may be  
conceived possible that ,god might have 

committed to man the power of judging   
and sentencing2 but the things of the   
heart1 the desires1 the struggles with  
temptation1 the silent conflicts1 the   
unapparent defeats and victories of     
conscience1 are known and can be known  
by none but ,god4 ,through the medium of
 confession alone can one man gain any  
insight into the spiritual state of     
another2 and no medium can be more      
deceptive4 ,it is perhaps impossible for
 the most conscientious mind to         
communicate to the most congenial       
fellow-mind a faithful detail of the    
thoughts1 wishes1 hopes1 and fears of   
any single hour2 and if it were         
possible1 the fellow-mind would still be
 incapable of forming an estimate of the
 spiritual state1 or of directing the   
necessary discipline2 because the       
apparent results of operations which he 
does not understand are all the         
materials that he has to judge from2    
whereas the object of discipline is to  
rectify the operations themselves4 ,if a

 man confesses to his bosom friend that 
his devotional feelings have been for   
some time past sensibly weakening2 that 
he looks on the beautiful world of      
nature with apathy1 and thinks on the   
perpetual presence of ,god without awe  
or delight2 that his spirit is dead in  
the public offices of devotion1 and     
roving when it ought to be fixed in     
prayer2 his friend may mourn with him   
over so painful an experience1 and      
suggest1 more or less wisely1 methods of
 arousing the sleeping faculties1 and   
kindling anew the failing fires of      
devotion4 ,but he does this as an       
adviser1 and not as a judge2 for the    
power of judging is not given to him4   
,he knows not whether the origin of the 
distemper be bodily or mental3 he knows 
nothing of the thousand influences1 from
 within and from without1 which have of 
late modified the delicate processes of 
the intellect and the soul4 ,he cannot  
therefore know what restorative         
influences are most needed2 whether mute

 converse with nature or busy           
intercourse with men2 whether the       
terrifying or the alluring appeals of   
the ,gospel2 whether the awful claims of
 the ,divine holiness1 or the mild      
persuasions of the ,divine compassion2  
whether any or all of these1 or of the  
manifold influences besides which are   
perpetually dispensed by ,him who       
knoweth our frame1 but have never been  
confided to the empirical disposal of   
man4  ,if1 as is evidently the case1 all
 human judgment of sin and holiness is  
comparative instead of positive1 and    
therefore ever changing as the means of 
comparison become more ample and the    
faculty stronger1 it is manifestly      
impossible for any one mind to form an  
exact estimate of the qualities of      
another by any but its own imperfect and
 varying measure3 and since to ,god     
alone are the principles of morals      
present in their complete development1  
to ,him alone can their infallible      
application belong4 ,the agency of men  

on each other is appointed accordingly4 
,they may confess their sins one to     
another for their mutual relief and     
guidance2 but such confession must be   
strictly voluntary1 and carefully       
disconnected with all inclination       
towards spiritual usurpation on the one 
hand and subservience on the other4     
,there is no subject on which the sacred
 writers are more explicit than this1   
and none on which their practice        
exhibited a more eloquent commentary4   
,hear what the ,apostle of the ,gentiles
 asserts in defence of the spiritual    
liberty of the least enlightened members
 of the ,church1 who were1 as he        
believed1 in error respecting some modes
 of practice which were very important  
at that time4 ',him that is weak in the 
faith1 receive ye2 but not for doubtful 
disputings4 ,one believeth that he may  
eat all things2 but another who is weak 
eateth herbs only4 ,let not him that    
eateth despise him that eateth not2 and 
let not him that eateth not judge him   

that eateth2 for ,god hath received him4
 ,who art thou that judgest the servant 
of another8 ,to his own master he       
standeth or falleth4 ,but he shall be   
established1 for ,god is able to        
establish him4 ,it is written1 ',as ,i  
live1 saith the ,lord1 every knee shall 
bow to me1 and every tongue shall       
confess to ,god4' ,so then every one of 
us shall give account of himself to     
,god4 ,let us not therefore judge one   
another any more4' 7,romans xiv47 ,this 
was the rule which the ,apostle observed
 in all his transactions with the infant
 churches which referred their spiritual
 concerns to him1 as their father and   
guardian in the faith4 ,he denounced    
guilt1 expounded the faith1 guarded     
against error1 and used every method of 
argument1 persuasion1 and entreaty1 with
 which his head and heart could furnish 
him to establish them in righteousness2 
he set before them every motive of hope 
and fear1 and faithfully declared the   
whole counsel of ,god1 as bound by his  

office1 and privileged by his unequalled
 qualifications2 but he throughout      
abstained from intermeddling with any   
man's conscience1 not only by direct    
interference1 but by indirect influence4
 ,let us see how scrupulous was his     
regard to liberty of conscience4 ',i    
know and am persuaded by the ,lord      
,jesus that there is nothing unclean of 
itself3 but to him that esteemeth       
anything to be unclean1 to him it is    
unclean4 ,all things indeed are pure2   
but it is evil for that man who eateth  
with offence4 ,it is good neither to eat
 flesh1 nor to drink wine1 nor anything 
by which thy brother stumbleth1 or is   
offended1 or is made weak4 ,hast thou   
faith8 ,have it to thyself before ,god4'
 7,romans xiv47 ,a yet more eminent     
example is on record1 whose conduct     
bears a reference to a case of still    
more awful responsibility than that     
instanced by the ,apostle4 ',if any man 
hear my words and believe not1 ,i judge 
him not3 for ,i came not to judge the   

world1 but to save the world4 ,he that  
rejecteth me1 and receiveth not my      
words1 hath one that judgeth him3 the   
word that ,i have spoken1 the same shall
 judge him in the last day4 ,for ,i have
 not spoken of myself2 but the ,father  
who sent me1 he gave me a commandment   
what ,i should say and what ,i should   
speak4 7,john xii4 #dg-di47 ,how1 in the
 face of these declarations1 can men    
impeach the faith and pronounce sentence
 on the practice of their brethren1     
assuming their own judgments as the     
standard of truth1 and their own        
conceptions as the measure of holiness8 
,how1 in the face of these declarations1
 can ministers of the ,gospel have ever 
grasped1 as a right1 the power which    
,christ himself disclaimed2 not leaving 
judgment till the last day1 but         
delivering over to reproach and death   
those who were 'weak in the faith1' or  
perplexed with 'doubtful disputations'8 
,how1 in the face of these declarations1
 can priests of any church have denied  

that to his own master every man stands 
or falls1 and have made close           
inquisition into the secrets of the     
soul1 pretending to understand its      
errors1 and presumptuously undertaking  
to cleanse its secret faults by methods 
which no voice from above has sanctioned
 as lawful1 and no sign from on high has
 shown to be efficacious8 ,could such   
inquisitors and such priests 7and they  
are to be found in every ,church7 have  
mingled with the followers of ,jesus1   
they would have cried out for fire from 
heaven on the ,samaritans1              
notwithstanding every prohibition2 they 
would have questioned the sinful ,mary1 
not satisfied with her loving much1 till
 they had ascertained how much2 they    
would have pronounced the young lawyer  
very far from the kingdom of ,god unless
 he could have made a fuller profession 
of faith2 and1 meeting the adulteress in
 the outer courts of the temple as she  
left the mild presence of ,jesus1 would 
have prescribed her penance with a rigor

 well pleasing to the accusers1 who were
 themselves too modest to cast the first
 stone4 ,since ,jesus1 who knew what was
 in the hearts of those around him1     
forbore to condemn1 much more ought they
 to forbear who have no such knowledge4 
,if he awarded no punishment to those   
who rejected the ,gospel he understood  
so well1 much less should they who are  
themselves but learners inflict pain of 
body or mind on their fellow-disciples  
who understand differently1 or the      
unbelievers who cannot understand at    
all4 ,if he who spake as his ,father    
commanded him left it to the ,father to 
enforce these commands1 it ill becomes  
those on whom the ,spirit has not       
descended to assume an authority which  
inspiration itself could not sanction4  
,it becomes them to learn what they     
themselves are1 before they judge how   
little their brethren are what they     
ought to be4 ,it becomes them to        
ascertain their own superiority over the
 ,apostles1 before they claim an        

authority with which no ,apostle ever   
believed himself to be invested2 and    
which1 if he had so imagined1 he would  
have prayed for permission to resign4   
,far less perilous1 far less burdensome 
would be a commission from on high to   
guide the seasons1 to dispense showers  
and sunshine1 and regulate the produce  
of the fields1 than to control the      
spiritual movements1 and administer the 
fertilizing influences under which the  
fruits of holiness are to spring up unto
 everlasting life4  ,that any such      
commission was ever given1 is as true in
 the one case as in the other2 and the  
belief of any individual that to himself
 it was ever confided1 is a proof of    
unsoundness in heart or brain4 ,to any  
man it is honor enough1 as it was to    
,paul and ,apollos1 to plant and to     
water4 ,to ,god alone it belongs to give
 and to measure the increase4  ,we      
therefore disapprove of the practice of 
confession as adopted by ,catholics1 for
 one reason among many1 that it         

infringes liberty of conscience1 by     
making man practically accountable to   
man1 and countenancing an assumption of 
that power to judge and punish which    
belongs to ,god alone4 ,the punishments 
of canonical penances are1 it is true1  
of human institution2 but they are      
awarded to spiritual guilt1 of which no 
one has a right to take cognizance but  
,god4 ,we therefore deny the right of   
any man to impose penances1 or1 in      
consequence1 to issue indulgences2 and  
we hold that wherever such a right is   
claimed1 the prerogative of ,god is     
invaded and the cause of his ,gospel    
injured4  ,christian liberty secures to 
every man the right1 not only of reading
 the sacred records for himself1 but of 
interpreting them for himself2 of       
ascertaining by his own unbiased        
judgment what they teach1 and of holding
 the opinions thus formed without being 
accountable to any man or to any body of
 men4 ,in advocating the free perusal of
 the ,scriptures and the formation of   

individual opinions from them1 we shall 
be careful to avoid any bias from the   
popular and false impression1 that the  
faithful pastors of the ,catholic       
,church would prohibit their flocks from
 reading the ,bible3 and we shall enter 
on no discussion respecting the         
comparative fidelity of ,catholic and   
,protestant ,english translations of the
 ,scriptures4 ,on the latter point1 much
 must be said1 if anything2 so much1    
that no room would be left us for       
matters of greater importance4          
,important as it is that the sacred     
books should be faithfully rendered1    
that it should be shown how             
long-prevalent errors1 supposed to be   
countenanced by them1 are not so        
countenanced2 important as it is1 for   
instance1 to decide whether the sacred  
teacher said ',repent1' or ',do         
penance1' it is yet more important to   
develop the principles to which all     
modes of expression are subservient3 to 
attend to the spirit rather than the    

letter1 to establish truths and explode 
errors to the perception of which every 
intellect is adequate1 than to debate   
matters to which1 though of inferior    
moment1 peculiar qualifications are     
requisite4  ,we willingly accept the    
following testimony of ,fenelon to the  
fact of the unrestricted use of the     
sacred writings in the early times of   
,christianity2 though we dissent from   
the concluding remark4 ,the passage is  
translated from a letter from ,fenelon  
to the ,bishop of ,arras4 7,oeuvres     
,spirituels de ,fenelon1 #hvo4 tom4 #d1 
p4 #bda47 ',i think that much trouble   
has been taken in our times very        
unnecessarily1 to prove what is         
incontestable1 than in the first ages of
 the ,church the laity read the ,holy   
,scriptures4 ,it is clear as daylight1  
that all people read the ,bible and     
service in their native languages2 that 
as a part of good education1 children   
were made to read them2 that in their   
sermons1 the ministers of the ,church   

regularly explained to their flocks     
whole books of the sacred volume2 that  
the sacred text of the ,scriptures was  
very familiar to the people2 that the   
clergy exhorted the people to read them2
 that the clergy blamed the people for  
not reading them1 and considered the    
neglect of the perusal of them as a     
source of heresy and immorality4 ,but in
 all this the ,church used a wise       
economy2 adapting the general practice  
to the circumstances and wants of       
individuals4 ,it did not1 however1 think
 that a person could not be a           
,christian1 or not be well instructed in
 his religion1 without perusing the     
sacred writings4 ,whole countries of    
barbarians1 innumerable multitudes of   
the faithful were rich 7to use the words
 of ,st4 ,paul7 in words and science1   
though they had not read the sacred     
writings4 ,to listen to the pastors of  
the ,church who explain the ,scriptures 
to the faithful and distribute among    
them such parts as are suited to their  

wants1 is to read the ,scriptures4'     
,this last proposition is in perfect    
accordance with the creed which declares
 that 'to the holy ,mother ,church it   
belongs to judge of the true sense and  
interpretation of the ,holy             
,scriptures1' but inconsistent with the 
principle held by us1 that no man has   
the power of judging for another or the 
right to prescribe the opinions of      
another4 ',what then is to be done1' it 
is asked1 'with those who cannot read   
for themselves8' ,they must take what   
they can obtain from their pastors1 or  
from any other medium of communication4 
,if the medium be as faithful as human  
fallibility allows1 much truth may be   
learned and the means of holiness may be
 abundantly afforded3 but yet the       
learner is precluded by his ignorance   
from the full enjoyment of his          
,christian liberty2 and to hang on the  
lips of his instructor is far1 very far 
from being the same thing as reading the
 ,scriptures for himself4  ,such a 'wise

 economy' as ,fenelon speaks of seems to
 us but a fleshly wisdom1 a narrow      
policy originated by men1               
discountenanced by ,god1 and available  
to perpetuate1 not the ,gospel itself1  
but the corruptions which were early    
mixed with it1 and which will not stand 
the test of examination4 ,who was to    
decide what 'parts were suited to their 
wants8' ,who knoweth the things of a    
man1 but the spirit of a man which is in
 him8 ,who gave the power of prohibition
 to read the ,scriptures over such as   
'were not disposed to read them to their
 advantage8' ,who was to judge of the   
disposition2 who could discern the      
tendency of inquiry2 who could estimate 
the advantage and disadvantage of the   
results8 ,how dared the ,church to      
'withhold from the laity the perusal of 
the ,bible without permission of their  
pastors1' from the assumption that it   
was 'unsafe to allow the people at large
 to read the sacred text8' ,how unsafe8 
,for the ,gospel itself8 ,the ,divine   

care would have provided a preventive or
 a remedy1 if the danger had been real4 
,for the honor of ,god8 ,he would have  
made provision for its vindication4 ,for
 the spiritual welfare of the people8   
,it could not have been injured by the  
free use of the means ordained to       
perfect it3 nor was it ever the province
 of pastors to promote that welfare by  
other means than the ,gospel authorizes4
 ,and where is the patent for the       
monopoly of the ,scriptures to be found8
 ,but it is alleged that there are many 
passages in the sacred volume which1    
being hard to be understood1 are wrested
 by the unstable and the ignorant to the
 destruction of the purity of their     
faith4 ,true4 ,but the case was the same
 in the days of the ,apostles2 and did  
,peter ever desire that ,paul's writings
 should therefore be kept back from the 
unlearned and unstable8 ,or did he      
enjoin an explanation of them from the  
wise1 to which the foolish should be    
required to assent8 ,no2 he recommended 

caution in giving heed to other men's   
errors1 and growth in the knowledge of  
,christ ,jesus2 both which must be      
better promoted by independent thought  
and judgment than by subservience to any
 mind1 however pure and enlightened4    
,christ himself1 though he knew what was
 in man1 never required this            
subservience from any one of his        
followers4 ,he gave his instructions in 
as many different forms as we have them 
in now3 in discourses1 in parables1 in  
familiar dialogue1 and by actions2 and  
invariably he left to the hearers the   
application of the principles thus      
conveyed1 except when pressed by his    
immediate followers for an              
interpretation4 ,he took no pains to    
preserve his ,gospel from 'the rash     
criticisms of the vulgar1' as the piety 
of ,fenelon erroneously advises4 ,he did
 not act upon the belief that previous  
instruction was necessary to the        
comprehension of the word of life1 or   
that 'the people should be full of the  

spirit of the ,gospel before they are   
entrusted with the letter4' ,the letter 
of the ,gospel now is the same as the   
letter of the ,gospel then2 the spirit  
now1 as then1 is only to be got at      
through the letter2 and the letter now1 
as then1 is only valuable as it         
communicates the spirit4 ,christ did not
 think that 'it should only be permitted
 to the simple1 the docile1 and the     
humble2 to those who wish to nourish    
themselves with its divine truths in    
silence2 and withheld from those who    
merely seek to satisfy their curiosity1 
to dispute1 to dogmatize1 to criticize4'
 ,this doctrine of ,fenelon is1 we are  
told1 and ever has been1 the doctrine of
 the ,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,were the
 disciples to whom ,christ spoke of the 
bread of life and who therefore forsook 
him1 'docile and humble8' ,yet what     
saying was more 'hard to be understood8'
 ,when he declared the nature of his    
,gospel1 and the authority under which  
he proposed it1 were the ,pharisees in  

the temple 'simple and docile8' ,was    
there no disposition 'to dispute1 to    
dogmatize1 to criticize' among the      
elders1 the scribes1 the ,sadducees whom
 he referred to his works1 assured of   
the temporary nature of the ,jewish     
covenant1 and besought to listen to the 
truth which should make them free8 ,the 
glad tidings of salvation were then     
preached1 as they ought to be now1 to   
the poor and ignorant without fear that 
what is truly the ,gospel can be        
dangerously misapprehended1 and without 
intimation that the faith needs the     
interpretation of fallible              
understandings1 or the guardianship of  
human wisdom4  ,if we believed 7which we
 do not7 that error in matters of faith 
could of itself endanger salvation1--i4 
e4 exclude from the happiness of a      
future state1--we should be convinced   
that those were much more liable to     
error who adopted the faith after it had
 passed through a fallible mind1 than   
those who received it from ,christ      

himself1 speaking directly1 as in fact  
he does1 in the faithful records which  
the ,bible presents4 ,and the more      
feeble and ignorant the recipient mind1 
the more liable will it be to admit the 
errors of others1 as well as to         
originate some of its own4 ,while1 if   
referred to the sacred volume itself for
 his faith1 a man is in danger of       
entertaining no errors but his own4     
,however imperfect his mental vision may
 be1 he is thus more likely to behold   
the object in its true form and colors1 
than by the interposition of a faulty   
medium4 ,if it be objected that the     
medium1 so far from being faulty1       
corrects the imperfections of the       
natural faculty1 we ask for the test of 
its possessing this quality1 and for the
 proof that it was ever conferred4      
,but1 being convinced1 for reasons given
 before1 that the possession of the true
 faith is not an indispensable requisite
 for future happiness1 and that the     
non-possession of it is not to be       

followed by eternal misery1 or by any   
arbitrary infliction whatever1 we cannot
 admit the plea of care for the souls of
 men as any reason or excuse for        
trenching on the natural liberty of the 
mind1 or prescribing opinions which     
,christ himself only administered the   
means of forming1 and which his         
,apostles presumed not to impose4       
,purity of faith is the most exalted    
attainment of the most exalted          
mind1--the richest of the myriads of    
rich blessings which the ,father of our 
spirits has placed within our reach4 ,it
 should be sought as the most precious  
of all treasures2 it should be guarded  
as the most sacred of all trusts3 but   
though it may be won by any1 it can be  
communicated by none4 ,it is the        
especial reward of individual search1   
and loses its very nature by being      
transferred3 for that which is truth to 
a man who has discovered it for himself1
 can be truth to another man only so far
 as his faculties are exercised upon it1

 apprehend1 and adopt it4 ,this1 which  
may be justly said of all truth1 may be 
especially declared of religious truth1 
which is of no value unless made a      
vivifying principle1 and can never      
become a vivifying principle unless     
perceived by the understanding and      
recognized by the heart4  ,the true     
office of the pastors of the ,church    
7and likewise of all believers7 is to   
lead others to that knowledge of the    
truth which can never be imposed4 ,their
 concern for the spiritual welfare of   
their brethren can never be too earnest2
 their diligence in guidance and        
guardianship1 too eager2 their value for
 purity of faith1 too high2 or their    
apprehension of spiritual danger1 too   
ready or too ardent4 ,but all this      
concern and apprehension should be      
justly directed1 and this guidance and  
guardianship exercised with a regard to 
the rights with which ,god has invested 
every man4 ,the first object to be      
desired is spiritual advancement1 to    

which intellectual rectitude is         
subsidiary4 ,the first object of dread  
is moral corruption1 and not mental     
error4 ,the guidance to be exercised is 
that of an experienced over an          
inexperienced person4 ,the one points   
out to the other the snares and dangers 
into which he is liable to fall1 the    
labyrinth in which he may lose himself1 
and the various tendencies of different 
paths2 but he has no lawful power to    
insist upon a particular path being     
pursued1 or to condemn his companion to 
destruction for interpreting differently
 the invitation on which they both      
proceed4 ,the guardianship is faithful  
as long as it consists in warning off   
the attacks of temptation1 declaring the
 threats and promises of the ,gospel1   
and educating for independent action2   
but it becomes tyranny when restraints  
are imposed on the exercise of the      
faculties1 and any impediments are      
thrown in the way of a free range       
through the spiritual world of which    

,god has made every man an inhabitant4  
,it is the office of ,christian pastors 
to study the sacred records with all    
diligence1 striving to ascertain by the 
help of learning and philosophy1 and    
every other help1 what the true faith   
is1 and how other minds may be best     
disposed for its apprehension2 to place 
before those minds whatever may best    
tend to enlighten1 convince1 and        
establish them2 to excite them to       
activity and stimulate them to further  
action when aroused4 ,but further than  
this they must not go4 ,the mind must   
work out the results for itself2 and for
 those results none but itself can be   
answerable4 ,its safety or peril rests  
with ,god1 who hath given into no man's 
hand the souls of his brethren4  ,it is 
justly observed by ,catholics1 that many
 of the very persons who complain of the
 discouragement by them thrown in the   
way of the general perusal of the       
,scriptures1 circulate the ,book of     
,common ,prayer of the ,church of       

,england 'as a safeguard against the    
misinterpretation of the ,bible1' and by
 their doubt and dread of the           
consequences of making the ,bible       
common1 seem to admit the probability   
and danger of such misinterpretation4   
,it is very true that such              
inconsistencies obtain among            
,protestants1 and such inconsistencies  
will exist as long as there is any dread
 of carrying out a good principle to its
 full extent4 ,if all ,protestants      
adhered to the grand principle of the   
,reformation1 that the ,bible alone is  
the religion of ,protestants1 there     
would not only be no damnatory clauses  
in their creeds1 but no creeds1--no     
embodying in an unchanging form of words
 principles which were given in no such 
form1 which cannot be received under the
 same aspect by minds differently       
prepared1 and which are too expansive in
 their nature to be long confined within
 arbitrary limits of human imposition4  
,the ,church of ,england forsakes its   

fundamental principle of dissent from   
the ,roman ,catholic ,church when it    
would secure uniformity of faith by     
framing articles of faith1 by keeping   
back the ,bible from the feeblest       
intellect1 or appointing 'a safeguard1' 
or interfering in any way between the   
,bible and the minds which are to derive
 their religion from it4 ,if uniformity 
of faith cannot be thus obtained1 it is 
a necessary consequence of the          
,protestant principle that uniformity of
 faith is not necessary to salvation4   
,this consequence1 which we fully admit1
 the ,church of ,england1 in the letter 
and spirit of her articles and creeds1  
inconsistently denies4  ,it is          
manifestly absurd to exhort a man to    
derive his faith from the ,bible1 if it 
is declared to him beforehand what he is
 bound at his eternal peril to believe4 
,yet this is in fact done1 when the     
,book of ,common ,prayer is circulated  
as a safeguard to the ,bible1 and also  
when a ,catholic is made to declare on  

his admission to the ,church1 ',i also  
admit the ,sacred ,scriptures according 
to the sense which the holy ,mother     
,church has held and does hold1' c4 ,for
 purposes of faith1 all use in reading  
the ,bible is over when this declaration
 is made4 ,the disciple can only1 while 
striving to learn his duty from the     
sacred pages1 wonder at what he finds   
there2--at the appeals to individual    
judgment2 at the addresses to the       
intimate consciousness of every man2 at 
the freedom allowed and encouraged among
 the first ,christians2 at the absence  
of all pretension to authority in       
matters of opinion1 of all wish to      
prescribe1 of all tendency to domineer4 
,if he be intelligent1 it will occur to 
him as surprising that no creed1 if     
creeds be good things1 was given by our 
,saviour to his ,apostles before he left
 them1 weak and divided in the faith as 
they at that time were4 ,and again1 when
 they were strong and united1 but when  
doubt and disagreement were creeping    

into their churches1 it must seem       
strange that ,christ1 who manifestly    
watched over the interests of his       
,church1 should not have authorized and 
communicated a profession of faith more 
ample and particular than that which had
 hitherto accompanied baptism2 viz4 that
 ,jesus was the ,christ1 and that       
remission of sins came by repentance4   
,finding no trace of the ,apostles'     
,creed among all the sacred books1 he   
will inquire into its origin1 and       
discover that it was not composed by the
 ,apostles1,a and that when1 in an evil 
hour1 it was proposed for general       
adoption1 its main purpose was to       
exclude the ,gnostics1 who would have   
mixed up their false philosophy and vain
 deceits with the simple faith in       
,christ which then1 as now1 constituted 
a man a ,christian4 ,having gone thus   
far1 the disciple begins to doubt       
whether he has hitherto possessed and   
exercised the spiritual liberty which is
 his birthright4 ,if he pursue the      

inquiry he will1 undoubtedly cast off   
the restraints which man's wisdom has   
imposed on his faculties1 and interpret1
 judge1 and believe for himself4 ,if he 
look back to his promise to admit the   
sense of ,scripture only as the ,church 
declares it1 and renews that promise1 he
 must lay aside every hope of purifying 
and strengthening his faith by his      
scriptural studies4 ,henceforth it will 
indeed be1 as ,fenelon declares1 the    
same thing to him to read the words of  
,christ1 and to hear an explanation of  
them from his pastor4 ,not for this were
 the ,beraeans cited as an example by   
,paul2 not by these means was ,timothy  
prepared for his extensive labors2 not  
thus did ,apollos learn how to apply his
 vigorous talents to the service of the 
infant churches4 ,all these men searched
 the ,scriptures1 knew the ,scriptures  
from their youth up1 were learned in the
 ,scriptures1 from which they           
ascertained for themselves the promise  
of ,christ's coming1 and themselves     

applied the tests which proved that     
,jesus of ,nazareth was this ,christ4   
,footnote ,a3 ,see ,lord ,king's        
',critical ,history of the ,apostles'   
,creed4'  ,every man has a natural      
right1 not only to form his opinions for
 himself1 but to change them as         
frequently as he shall believe himself  
led to do so4 ,this natural right is not
 only sanctioned1 but its exercise is   
approved1 by the ,gospel4 ,as long as   
the opinions of men are not absolutely  
right1 as long as they fall short of the
 truth as it will be perceived in       
heaven1 there is room and occasion for a
 change2 and such a change1 wherever    
recorded in the ,new ,testament1 is     
recorded with approbation4 ,where was   
there ever a more extensive change of   
opinion than in ,apollos on his         
conversion8 ,yet in his youth1 ,apollos 
was as orthodox1 as undoubtedly correct 
in his religious opinions before the    
introduction of ,christianity1 as any   
,christian who now subscribes all the   

creeds of the ,catholic ,church4 ,but   
what would have been the consequence if 
he had engaged never to 'take and       
interpret the ,scriptures otherwise than
 according to the unanimous consent of  
the' ,rabbis2 or if he had promised1    
vowed1 and sworn most constantly to     
profess his present faith whole and     
entire1 with ,god's assistance1 to the  
end of his life8 ,it is true that no    
revelation is likely to supersede the   
faith of ,christians2 but it is1 at the 
same time1 as little probable that no   
developement of the principles of       
,christianity should cause gradual      
changes of opinion in the course of a   
lifetime1 as it then was that ,judaism  
should not be expanded into the fuller  
revelation of the ,gospel4 ,if1 like    
,apollos1 we believe rightly now1 it is 
impossible to answer for no change of   
opinion being necessary to enable us to 
believe rightly twenty years hence4 ,the
 view which we have already taken of the
 expansive tendency of the eternal      

principles of ,christianity authorizes  
our declaring that a gradual enlargement
 of views1 i4 e4 change of opinions1 is 
a necessary consequence of the correct  
apprehension of religious truth4        
,creeds are intended to be permanent and
 universal professions of faith2 and are
 the instrument by which a uniformity of
 faith is to be secured1 if such a thing
 be yet possible4 ,but creeds never have
 fulfilled1 and never can fulfil1 any   
one of these purposes4 ,no uniformity of
 faith has existed since the first creed
 was framed2 no one formulary has been  
universally received among ,christians2 
and experience already indicates1 what  
the lapse of time will prove1--that no  
creed will be permanent4 ,if the most   
ancient of creeds1 commonly called the  
,apostles'1 be named in answer to the   
last remark1 let it be remembered that  
the first version of this formulary     
given by ,irenaeus1 and the subsequent  
ones by ,tertullian1 ,cyril of          
,alexandria1 and others1 were as widely 

different from those now in use as from 
each other4 ,widely different versions  
of this creed are used in the ,catholic 
,church and the ,church of ,england2 and
 those who subscribe to the same form of
 words understand those words variously4
 ,the permanence of this most ancient of
 creeds is in name only2 and the name   
itself is a false assumption4  ,creeds  
cannot be permanent and universal1      
unless the language of which they       
consist is also permanent and universal2
 which no language has ever been4 ,there
 is no test by which it can be proved   
that any two minds affix precisely the  
same meaning to the commonest terms2    
while we have abundant evidence that    
very abstract terms 7such as abound in  
creeds7 convey very different notions to
 different minds4 ,thus1 if the terms of
 a language were absolutely immutable1  
and if one language prevailed over the  
whole earth1 there would still be room  
for a variety of interpretations of     
anything expressed in that language4    

,but the mutations which time occasions 
in every tongue1 and the necessity of   
translation and re-translation1 increase
 a thousandfold the chances of such a   
variety1 and indeed render it absolutely
 unavoidable4  ,it is well1 therefore1  
that the truths of religious doctrine   
cannot be made one with the language in 
which any age or nation chooses to      
clothe them1 as that language is        
necessarily mutable4 ,and it would be   
well if believers were henceforth and   
for ever to desist from the attempt to  
connect what is mutable with what is    
immutable1 that which is perishable with
 that which is immortal1 by requiring   
the present age to adopt the language of
 the past1 and providing for a similar  
adoption by the future4 ,if they wish   
the spiritual conceptions of former ages
 to be perpetuated1 this may best be    
done by changing the terms as their     
meanings become modified1 and not by    
retaining them the more pertinaciously1 
the more varied are the conceptions they

 originate4 ,if the ,gospel itself had  
been inseparably connected with any form
 of language1 or embodied in anything   
but facts1 it would ere now have passed 
away1 or have been so far transformed as
 to be a different religion4 ,it would  
have been untranslateable2 it would have
 been untransferrable to any country    
beyond that in which it originated2 it  
would have been unintelligible to       
succeeding generations of even native   
inhabitants of that country4 ,it is only
 in so far as ,christianity is          
disencumbered of formularies of faith1  
and emancipated from the guardianship of
 ,councils1 that it becomes the religion
 of mankind4 ,the metaphysical clauses  
of the ,apostles' ,creed1 and the canons
 of the ,council of ,trent1 may contain 
the belief of a few1 a very few1        
speculative minds4 ,the declaration that
 ,god sent ,christ ,jesus into the world
 to save sinners1 contains the          
substantial belief of ,christendom1     
which will be the faith of the whole    

world1--because it is ,christianity4    
,it is as impossible for a man to       
prescribe to himself the faith of his   
future years1 as for one age to         
prescribe the faith of a succeeding age3
 and for the same reasons4 ,he may in   
his youth state an opinion in           
unambiguous terms1 and with perfect     
sincerity1 which1 if he still hold1 he  
cannot state in the same terms ten years
 after4 ,the opinion may be             
substantially the same1 and yet have    
such a bearing upon some other opinion1 
or may be so modified by some other     
opinion that the same form of words may 
not express it fully1 or perhaps        
correctly4 ,it is yet more probable that
 the conceptions which are now attached 
to the terms are enlarged by his        
improved experience2 so that1 if he     
would declare the same truth1 he must   
change his terms2 or if he can          
conscientiously retain the terms1 he    
must have modified his opinion4 ,what   
enlightened1 reflecting ,christian      

understands exactly the same by any one 
parable1 any one axiom1 any one fact of 
,scripture that he did when he first    
admitted its truth8 ,he believed it     
then2 he believes it now2 but how       
differently since science has brought   
new evidence to light1 since philosophy 
has developed its origin and tendencies1
 since experience has tested its truth1 
and faith invested it with a hallowed   
interest and an indestructible beauty6  
,how1 therefore1 is it possible for any 
one faithfully to engage that his views 
even of eternal truth shall never be    
modified6 ,witnessing1 as every         
reflecting man does1 the gradual        
evolution of truth from the vicissitudes
 of human experience1 and from the      
successive dispensations and the        
progressive course of ,providence1 he   
may with safety declare that ,gospel    
truth is immutable and divine2 but he   
will avoid the presumption of supposing 
that all her riches are already shed    
into his bosom1 that her brightest light

 is poured upon his feeble eye4 ,he will
 rather hope that his apprehension will 
continually become clearer1 his powers  
invigorated1 and his capacities         
enlarged1 till his views of religious   
truth become as unlike what they were   
when first admitted1 as the fair face of
 nature appears to the new-born infant  
and to the mighty poet4 ,he will reject1
 as an infringement of his inalienable  
rights1 every attempt to bind him down  
to engagements which it may not be in   
his power to fulfil4 ,he will refuse to 
promise that his intellect shall remain 
stationary2 and to permit that any      
individual1 any council1 or any church1 
shall usurp that spiritual influence    
which he trusts shall be immediately    
dispensed from the fountain of grace and
 truth4 ,desiring wisdom1 he asks of    
,god2 not profaning and annulling his   
prayer by engaging to receive it only in
 certain measure2 and if any church on  
earth interfere to prescribe the        
measure1 he rejects the interference as 

unauthorized by the letter of the       
,gospel and condemned by its spirit4    
,christian liberty comprehends an entire
 freedom from restraint in the          
publication of opinions4 ,to his own    
master every man standeth or falleth1   
not only in the formation of his        
opinions1 but in the use he makes of    
them when formed4 ,according to his     
conscientiousness in seeking for truth1 
and not according to the accuracy of his
 judgment1 will he be judged by ,god in 
forming his opinions2 and when formed1  
he will be responsible1 not for the     
rectitude of his influence1 but for the 
rectitude of his intentions in exerting 
it4 ,what a man believes to be the      
truth1 it is his duty to declare in the 
method and degree which benevolence and 
prudence may point out to be the best4  
,for what but this do we venerate the   
heroic ,stephen1 and every other martyr 
who bore witness to the truth in the    
early days of ,christianity8 ,yet for   
what but this have ,christians been led 

to the stake by ,christians1 age after  
age1 under the pretended sanction of a  
religion of liberty and brotherly love8 
,for what but this have ,catholics and  
,protestants vied with each other in    
torturing in body and mind men whose    
conscience was omnipotent over the love 
of liberty and life1 and who thus showed
 that1 whether their intellects were or 
were not unfaithful1 their souls were   
true to ,god8 ,for what but this are the
 lovers of truth even yet too often     
punished1 directly or indirectly1 for   
inviting others to participate in the   
benefits which they believe they have   
gained4 ,stephen was stoned because he  
was a heretic2 ,paul worshiped the ,god 
of his fathers according to a way which 
was then called heresy1 and for which he
 was persecuted through life and unto   
death4 ,peter and ,john were brought    
before the high priest and rulers for   
publishing their heresy1 and punished   
for refusing to cease to publish it4    
,yet has this their heresy prevailed2   

and thus shall every new truth prevail1 
and its promulgators be honored1 in     
despite of the wrath of man2 while the  
more freely errors are canvassed1 the   
sooner will they be exposed4 ,what was  
once said with truth in relation to the 
,gospel of truth1--',if this counsel or 
this work be of men1 it will come to    
nought3 but if it be of ,god1 ye cannot 
overthrow it1'--may be said with equal  
wisdom of every other kind of truth and 
the test of investigation is a much     
surer one than that which is furnished  
by the prejudices and the passions of   
men4 ,there is no natural1 no ,divine   
law which sanctions the infliction of   
pain for the exercise of the intellect1 
or for communicating the results of that
 exercise2 and that any human law or    
custom should have existed by which     
injury of mind1 body1 or estate is made 
the consequence of the formation and    
publication of opinions1 is a proof that
 the natural rights of man have not been
 understood1 and that the spirit of     

,christian liberty has not pervaded     
,christian society4 ,as long as reproach
 is attached to the act of promulgating 
opinions 7independent of the manner17 as
 long as the holder of opinions is      
treated with the same reprobation as the
 opinions themselves1 as long as he is  
prospectively consigned over to         
perdition as they are to detestation1 as
 long as ideas of merit and demerit are 
associated with the convictions of the  
understanding1 or blame is attached to  
the act of making those convictions     
known1 not only will the subordinate    
principles of the ,gospel remain in part
 unrecognized1 but its essential        
principles will be violated2 for it is  
clearly a duty of piety to reveal all   
that is believed to have been discovered
 of the works and ways of ,god2--and of 
benevolence to communicate what1 being  
conceived to be truth1 is conceived to  
be intended for the universal benefit of
 the race4  ,it may excite surprise that
 we have not here examined the claim of 

the ,holy ,catholic ,church to spiritual
 supremacy3 but it will better accord   
with our plan to take that claim into   
consideration while treating of the     
temporary institutions of ,christianity4
  ,from the essential principles of the 
,gospel we derive our belief that       
,christianity1 is not designed for any  
union1 permanent or temporary1 with     
worldly power and grandeur2 that it is  
incapable of such a connexion2 being    
injured instead of confirmed by the     
support of temporal authority1 and      
impaired instead of adorned by the      
adjuncts of worldly pomp4 ,this         
principle is asserted in words by every 
,christian ,church in existence2 but    
violated1 in fact1 by almost as many4   
,christianity is acknowledged to be a   
religion of poverty of spirit1 of       
self-denial1 of looseness from the world
 and its possessions4 ,if this principle
 were carried out into each individual  
case1 it is plain that the pomp and     
ambition which have despoiled the       

,gospel of its purity could no longer   
exist4 ,it is remarkable that this      
poverty and self-denial are most        
insisted on in those ,churches where the
 temporal power and luxury are the most 
excessive4 ,we hear of them above all   
from ,catholics1 whose popes1 cardinals1
 and bishops have1 in every age1        
exceeded all temporal princes in the    
enjoyment of splendor and luxury4 ,we   
hear of them from the ,church of        
,england1 whose superior officers revel 
in unbounded wealth1 and especially     
prize the connexion with the ,state     
which their office occasions4 ,while we 
,unitarians1 who hold that ,christianity
 is of a purely spiritual nature1 and   
therefore dishonored by the pretended   
support of powers inferior to its own1  
insist much less earnestly than the     
,catholic ,church on the duty of        
self-mortification and voluntary        
poverty4 ,our ,church1 were it as       
extensive as the ,catholic1 would       
contain no ecclesiastical princes1 and  

no friars2 no potentates clothed in     
purple and fine linen and faring        
sumptuously every day from the revenues 
of the ,church1 and no believers whose  
piety is testified by a vow of poverty4 
,we believe that our religion ought to  
be exerted in controling the passions1  
exalting the desires1 and equalizing the
 affections1 not so much by regulating  
the external manifestations of those    
passions and desires1 as by influencing 
the heart4 ,self-denial is taught much  
better by inspiring the love of our     
neighbor1 than by the prohibition of    
innocent comforts and pleasures4        
,spirituality is much better taught by  
making spiritual things the objects of  
supreme desire1 than by commanding an   
ostentatious avoidance of the enjoyments
 of life4 ,but while the ,gospel thus   
leaves men free to follow the bent of   
innocent desires1--to decide1 each for  
himself1 what is lawful and             
expedient1--it lays a powerful restraint
 on all the passions1 and curbs all     

propensities which are inconsistent with
 its purity and spirituality4 ,all      
worldly ambition1 all selfish luxury are
 utterly incompatible with the faith of 
the ,gospel1 which disallows every claim
 founded on itself to distinctions of   
rank1 to abundance of wealth1 to power  
over the possessions of other men1 to   
the indulgence of earthly desires4 ,the 
,gospel affords no sanction to the      
accumulation of wealth1 or to the       
assumption of authority4 ,it affords    
examples1 on the contrary1 of submission
 to temporal authority1 of the endurance
 of voluntary poverty in hardship1 not  
because poverty and hardship are in     
themselves spiritually desirable1 but   
because they were necessary to the      
attainment of some benevolent end4 ,from
 the ,gospel we learn that ,jesus       
utterly disclaimed all pretensions to   
authority1 except in those matters where
 his authority was supreme4 ',who made  
me a judge or a divider over you8' was  
his remonstrance with those who referred

 the disposal of an inheritance to him3 
and his reply respecting the lawfulness 
of paying tribute was such as ought to  
have obviated all doubt whether temporal
 and spiritual power could ever be      
properly united2 ',render unto ,caesar  
the things that are ,caesar's1 and unto 
,god the things that are ,god's4' ,what 
could be meant by the declaration ',my  
kingdom is not of this world1' but that 
his authority was of a spiritual nature 
only8 ,why did he strenuously oppose    
every attempt to make him a king8 ,why  
did he send forth the seventy disciples 
without gold and silver and changes of  
raiment8 ,why did he recommend to the   
rich man to sell his possessions1 if    
wealth and power can be made the means  
of serving the interests of the ,gospel8
 ,why was his indignation so perpetually
 roused by the spiritual assumptions of 
the ,pharisees1 but because religion was
 in them disgraced by its connexion with
 worldly greatness8 ,yet not a few      
,christians have loved the chief seats  

in public assemblies1 and homage in the 
streets2 not a few have made            
proclamation when they dispensed their  
alms1 and prayed in the high ways2 not a
 few have taken on themselves to appoint
 places in the ,messiah's kingdom which 
the ,messiah himself refused to promise1
 because such power belonged to ,god    
alone4 ,while he declined all           
interference in matters of temporal     
concern1 and rejected all support to his
 ,gospel from magisterial authority1 and
 all benefit from the resources of      
wealth1 it is clear that such support   
must ever be needless and such resources
 unhallowed4  ,how does it happen1 it is
 perpetually asked1 that while the right
 to temporal power is abjured in words  
by every ,church1 the ,state religion of
 every country affords an instance of   
its assumption8 ,it happens1 as many    
other strange and inconsistent things   
happen1 through the misuse of terms4    
,what we call temporal power1 the       
advocates of a ,state religion call     

spiritual power2 and thus have all      
ecclesiastical abuses been justified    
from the day that ecclesiastical        
domination was established4 ,by         
spiritual authority have kings been     
enthroned and deposed2 by spiritual     
authority have tributes been raised1    
wars been originated and conducted1     
properties been confiscated1 and lives  
forfeited6 ,by spiritual authority were 
the ,crusades begun and carried on2 by  
spiritual authority have popes divided  
and distributed kingdoms1 have cardinals
 negotiated and priests intrigued6 ,by  
spiritual authority did ,wolsey amass   
his treasures1 and rule his sovereign at
 home1 and the agents of his sovereign  
abroad6 ,by spiritual authority does the
 ,church of ,england demand tithes1 and 
under the same sanction do her bishops  
legislate4 ,what then is temporal power8
 ,what are worldly pomp and wealth8     
,the abuses which have deformed every   
,state religion in turn are evident to  
all1--even to those who still help to   

support them2 but the origin of those   
abuses is not generally ascertained4 ,we
 ascribe them to the error of mixing up 
the permanent principles of             
,christianity with its temporary        
institutions4  ,spiritual principles can
 only be recognized by means of external
 manifestations2 but the principles and 
the manifestation are not the same      
thing2 nor can they have a lasting      
connexion1 as every thing external is   
mutable1 while the principles of truth  
are immutable4 ,as long as mind is      
connected with body1 as long as the     
intellect can only be reached through   
the senses1 and the heart through the   
intellect1 truth must be invested with a
 form1 and realities be accompanied by  
shadows4 ,but that form is changeable1  
and those shadows are fleeting3 the     
proximate cause of which is the         
constitution of all material things2 and
 the final cause1 the ultimate universal
 recognition of the principles of truth4
 ,we have already described how these   

principles were communicated to the     
,israelites by means of ordinances which
 the mind of man has long since         
outgrown4 ,the principles of            
,christianity were1 in like manner1     
embodied in institutions1 some of which 
are obsolete1 while others remain2 but1 
since ,christianity is destined not to  
be superseded by any other scheme1 it   
appears to follow necessarily from the  
principles on which we have been        
reasoning1 that none of its institutions
 were1 like the ,jewish1 positive1 but  
avowedly adopted from motives of        
expediency4 ,it is therefore the belief 
of a portion of the ,unitarian body1    
that ,christ himself appointed no       
ordinance for permanent adoption1 and   
that those which were appointed by the  
,apostles1 and sanctioned by their      
practice1 were established on the ground
 of expediency alone4 ,they were not    
therefore the less obligatory upon their
 disciples in those times1 nor upon us1 
as far as the original ground of the    

ordinances remains2 but as some         
apostolic practices have1 through the   
revolutions of human affairs1 become    
obsolete1 it is desirable to to search  
into the foundation of all4  ,baptism   
cannot be called a ,christian           
institution1 since the rite was         
practised long before the mission of the
 ,baptist2 but some of our body adopt it
 as a ,christian ordinance1 because it  
was countenanced by ,jesus and          
administered by his followers3 while    
other ,unitarians1 deeming the practice 
of baptism inexpedient in their         
circumstances of age and country1       
decline the rite themselves1 but        
recommend its use in cases analogous to 
those in which it was first adopted1 i4 
e4 in cases of conversion from          
,paganism4 ,there are others who wish to
 abolish it altogether1 from a fear of  
encouraging superstition by an          
ungrounded attachment to external       
observances4  ,the ordinance of the     
,lord's ,supper is considered a positive

 institution of ,christianity by almost 
the whole of the ,christian world1 the  
great majority of ,unitarians included4 
,the ,society of ,friends1 and the      
,free-thinking ,christians1 are perhaps 
the only sects who positively decline1  
from principle1 the practice of the     
rite2 while some ,unitarians deem it    
inconsistent with their principles to   
believe that ,christ designed the       
ordinance for permanent and universal   
adoption4 ,it is practised by many as a 
means1 a very important means1 of       
increasing love and exciting to         
obedience1 while they yet cannot plead a
 ,divine sanction in its favor1 or much 
less suppose that any peculiar quality  
resides in what is eaten and drank1 or  
any peculiar virtue in the act of eating
 and drinking by which any peculiar     
privilege can be attained4 ,in these    
last suppositions all our body are      
agreed1 since no intimation can be found
 in the ,scriptures that the sacramental
 bread and wine were at any time used   

otherwise than as merely emblematical of
 the sacrifice of ,christ4 ,it was the  
practice of the early ,christians to    
assemble for the supper1 each carrying  
his portion of the feast1 which was     
eaten like any other feast1 and         
frequently with excess on the part of   
the rich1 while his poorer neighbor     
hungered4 ',when ye come together1' says
 the ,apostle 7#a ,cor4 xi4 #bj-bc171 it
 is not to eat the ,lord's ,supper2 for 
in eating1 every one taketh before      
another his own supper1 and one is      
hungry and another is drunken4 ,what8   
,have ye not houses to eat and drink in8
 ,or despise ye the ,church of ,god1 and
 shame them that have not8' 7v4 #cc47   
',wherefore1 my brethren1 when ye come  
together to eat1 wait one for another4  
,and if any man hunger1 let him eat at  
home2 that ye come not together unto    
condemnation4'--,it is not conceivable  
that these ,christians had any notion   
that what they ate and drank was in     
itself sacred1 or that the ,apostle was 

aware of any other purpose of the rite  
but that of 'showing forth the ,lord's  
death till he came4'  ,this rite was    
usually practised on the first day of   
the week1 when the disciples met to     
commemorate the resurrection of their   
,lord1 and to worship together4 ,the    
custom of meeting on a stated day for   
worship has been continued ever since2  
and the day has been wisely set apart   
for purposes of rest and refreshment to 
body and mind4 ,an institution so simple
 for purposes so salutary will probably1
 however abused1 be of very long        
standing1 even after it is more         
generally allowed than at present1 not  
to be a ,divine appointment4 ,the       
,jewish ,sabbath was a ,divine ordinance
 for the use of the ,jews2 and by them  
alone has the last day of the week been 
regarded as sacred4 ,the ,lord's ,day1  
or1 as it sometimes called1 the         
,christian ,sabbath1 is a totally       
different institution1 and one which is 
professedly arbitrary1 though           

subservient to very important objects4  
,if the ,jews were encouraged by their  
,messiah to look to the final purposes  
of their sabbatical institution1 much   
more ought we1 the subjects of a more   
enlarged dispensation1 to bear in mind  
that all external observances are but   
means to ends2 ordinances of which it is
 certain that they were made for man1   
and not man for them4  ,whatever may be 
the diversity of opinion among          
,unitarians respecting the ground of the
 three ordinances just referred to1     
there is none with regard to those      
institutions whose period appears to    
have been determined at the moment of   
their origin4  ,the institution of      
,apostolic ,ordination1 which the ,roman
 ,catholic ,church holds to be of a     
permanent nature1 we believe not to have
 been designed to outlive the ,apostles4
 ,we perceive no intimation in the      
various instructions given them which   
can lead us to imagine that their office
 was intended to be or could be         

bequeathed4 ,they were chosen to be     
witnesses of the circumstances of the   
life and death of ,christ1 and the      
depositaries of miraculous powers after 
his ascension2 but as the assistance of 
the ,holy ,spirit1 that is the power    
conferred from on high1 was only a      
temporary sanction1 the peculiar office 
with which it was connected could also  
be only temporary4 ,the evidence which  
we possess on this very important       
subject consists of the words of ,christ
 himself1 addressed to his ,apostles    
respecting their mission1 their own     
incidental observations1 and the facts  
which ecclesiastical history presents4  
,from all these sources of evidence we  
derive our belief that the office of    
witnessing1 which is absolutely         
untransferrable1 was the peculiar office
 of the twelve ,apostles2 that they were
 especially qualified by it for the task
 of preaching and establishing the new  
,gospel1 and that to enable them to do  
so with sufficient effect1 among the    

many and great difficulties which the   
state of the world then presented1 the  
miraculous gifts of the ,spirit were    
granted to them1 with power to impart   
them to whomsoever they would1 and that 
this miraculous power was coexistent    
with the apostolic age1--with what is   
variously called 'the age1' 'the kingdom
 of ,god1' 'the kingdom of ,christ1'    
'the kingdom of heaven2' that is1 from  
the descent of the ,holy ,spirit to the 
abolition of ,judaism on the overthrow  
of ,jerusalem4 ,we find no evidence of  
miracles after that time which is at all
 to be compared with that on which we   
rely respecting the apostolic gifts2    
none which allows us to hesitate in our 
opinion1 that with the apostles expired 
the power of communicating miraculous   
privileges2 and that on them alone were 
such privileges immediately conferred4  
,these gifts of the ,spirit served as a 
,divine sanction to their testimony1 and
 were therefore coexistent with that    
testimony2 and the same evidence which  

recorded their testimony after their    
death1 recorded the ,divine sanction    
likewise2 and upon this broad and       
immutable foundation is built the       
,christian faith1 against which1        
according to the ,saviour's promise1 no 
opposition has prevailed or can prevail4
 ,when some who could not deny the      
peculiarity of his mission1 but would   
not admit his pre-eminent claims1       
supposed him to be ,john the ,baptist1  
others ,elijah1 and others ,jeremiah or 
another of the prophets1 ,simon ,peter1 
who was not blinded by prejudice1 and   
who believed for the works' sake in     
opposition to the opinions of men1      
boldly declared him to be 'the ,christ1 
the ,son of the living ,god4' ,jesus    
pronounced him blessed1 because he      
believed what the power of ,god made    
manifest1 and not what men declared2 and
 promised that on such testimony as his 
should the ,gospel be established1 so   
that no opposition should prevail       
against it2 and further declared that it

 should be in the power of ,peter to    
admit men into the privileges of the    
,gospel1 and to have extensive influence
 over their spiritual state4 ',blessed  
art thou1 ,simon2 for flesh and blood   
hath not revealed it unto thee1 but my  
,father who is in heaven4 ,and ,i also  
say unto thee that thou art ,peter 7a   
rock17 and on this rock ,i will build my
 church1 and the gates of death shall   
not prevail against it4 ,and ,i will    
give unto thee the keys of the kingdom  
of heaven2 and whatsoever thou shalt    
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven2 
and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth
 shall be loosed in heaven4' ,this      
promise was fulfilled4 ,peter bore      
testimony far and wide1 with all the    
zeal and energy by which he was         
characterized1 to the life1 teachings   
and death of his divine master2 and from
 this testimony1 in conjunction with    
that of his brethren1 is derived the    
evidence on which ,christianity is      
received to this day4 ,peter had also   

pre-eminent power in the infant ,church1
 converting three thousand persons on   
the day of ,pentecost1 and afterwards   
preaching1 baptizing1 and adding        
multitudes to those who were pressing   
into the kingdom of ,god4  ,no record   
exists of any attempt on his part to    
delegate any portion of his power2 none 
of which could be transferred but such  
authority in the ,church as he possessed
 under the mode of church government    
which then subsisted4 ,that which       
constituted the chief glory of the      
,prince of the ,apostles belonged to him
 as the follower of ,jesus and as an    
eminent recipient of the gifts of the   
,spirit4 ,it appears exceedingly        
improbable that ,peter ever was ,bishop 
of ,rome1 though he suffered            
imprisonment and perhaps martyrdom      
there4 ,the authority of the ,apostles  
was general1 and seems to have been     
exercised generally1 instead of being   
fixed in any one congregation4 ,at all  
events it is clear that the ,bishops of 

,rome did not lay claim to any          
preeminence over the patriarchs of      
,constantinople1 ,alexandria1 ,antioch  
and ,jerusalem1 7further than as they   
all claimed precedence of one another on
 account of the dignity of their several
 cities1 and the superior wealth of     
their sees17 till the ,arian controversy
 afforded them various opportunities of 
extending their power4 ,when            
remonstrances were offered by the sixth 
,council of ,carthage1 in ,a4 ,d4 #dbf1 
and by many other assemblies1 against   
the encroachments of the ,bishops of    
,rome1 the pleas which are now brought  
forward in support of their claim to    
supremacy had never been heard of2 and  
they were in fact never adduced till    
many centuries after the death of       
,peter4 ,it was not till the beginning  
of the seventh century that the title of
 ,pope was appropriated by the ,bishops 
of ,rome2 it being applied to all       
bishops at first1 and afterwards to     
those who held the larger sees1 as when 

,cornelius1 ,bishop of ,rome1 called    
,cyprian the ,pope of ,carthage4 ,the   
assumption of the title of ,universal   
,bishop by ,john of ,constantinople1    
towards the end of the sixth century1   
was condemned by ,gregory the ,great1   
then ,bishop of ,rome1 as presumption   
and even blasphemy2 and he further      
showed his sense of the presumption by  
investing himself with the humbler title
 of ,servus ,servorum ,dei4 ,yet so soon
 after as ,a4 ,d4 #fjf1 ,boniface ,,iii4
 obtained of the ,emperor ,phocas that  
the ,bishops of ,rome alone should      
henceforth call themselves ,universal   
,bishops3 the claim being founded on the
 dignity of the city and the wealth of  
the see1 and not on the transmission of 
the apostolic office from ,peter1 of    
which not the slightest hint appears to 
have been given till ,leo complained    
that the ,council of ,chalcedon had     
granted his claim to preeminence on no  
better ground than the importance of the
 city where he presided4 ,even he1      

however1 had no thought of advancing    
pretensions to infallibility1 as the    
successor of an infallible ,apostle2    
this additional claim being reserved for
 ,agatho1 who1 in #fhj1 brought forward 
the novel doctrine 'that the chair of   
,rome--never erred1 nor can err in any  
point2' and that 'all the constitutions 
of the ,roman ,church are to be received
 as if they had been delivered by the   
divine voice of ,st ,peter4' ,so that   
there is an utter absence of proof that 
'the ,catholic or ,universal ,church has
 been visibly continued through all ages
 in one uniform faith1 being guided and 
preserved from error in matters of faith
 by the assistance of the ,holy         
,spirit4' ,on the contrary1 there is    
every kind of evidence to prove that the
 supernatural influences of the ,spirit 
ceased with the close of the apostolic  
age2 that divisions of various kinds and
 degrees existed in the ,christian      
,church1 over which the ,bishops of     
,rome for five or six centuries exerted 

no pre-eminent control1 and which the   
decrees of ,councils were of no avail to
 soothe and unite4 ,we therefore hold   
apostolic ordination to have been a     
temporary institution1 and at the time  
more universally understood to be so    
than perhaps any other provision for the
 spread of the ,gospel4  ,of any such   
institution as a ,church1 permanent or  
temporary1 established by ,christ1 and  
distinct from the simple exhibition of  
his ,gospel1 we find not the most remote
 hint in any records but those of the   
vain imaginations of men4 ,a ,church    
means literally an assemblage2 and the  
,church of ,christ signifies1 everywhere
 in the sacred writings1 those who      
believe in ,christ4 ,where the term is  
limited1 it signifies assemblages of    
,christians in different places1 as the 
,church at ,corinth1 the ,church at     
,ephesus1 c4 ,by the universal ,church  
it is impossible to understand any thing
 but the total number of ,christian     
believers3 nor can we conceive of any   

means by which it can be shown that the 
primitive ,christians understood        
otherwise1 or that the term can admit of
 any other interpretation4 ,we hold1    
therefore1 that the propositions we are 
about to quote from the document to     
which we have before referred 7',roman  
,catholic ,principles1' c47 are founded 
on an unauthorized and erroneous        
conception of the nature of the         
,christian ,church4 ',the way or means  
by which man may arrive at the knowledge
 of the mysteries of the ,gospel' are   
declared to be 'not by the reading of   
,scripture1 interpreted according to the
 private judgment of each disjunctive   
person or nation in particular2 but by  
an attention and submission to the voice
 of the ,catholic or ,universal ,church1
 established by ,christ for the         
instruction of all2 spread for that end 
through all nations1 and visibly        
continued in the succession of pastors  
and people through all ages4 ,from this 
,church1 guided in truth1 and secured   

from error in matters of faith by the   
promised assistance of the ,holy ,ghost1
 every one may learn the right sense of 
the ,scriptures1 and such ,christian    
mysteries and duties as are necessary to
 salvation4 ,this ,church1 thus         
established1 thus spread1 thus          
continued1 thus guided1 in one uniform  
faith and subordination of government1  
is that which is called the ,roman      
,catholic ,church3 the qualities just   
mentioned1 unity1 indeficiency1         
visibility1 succession1 and             
universality1 being evidently applicable
 to her4 ,from the testimony and        
authority of this ,church it is that we 
receive the ,scriptures1 and believe    
them to be the word of ,god2 and as she 
can assuredly tell us what particular   
book is the word of ,god1 so she can1   
with the like assurance1 tell us also   
the true sense and meaning of it in     
controverted points of faith2 the same  
,spirit that wrote the ,scriptures1     
directing her to understand both them   

and all matters necessary to salvation4'
  ,as we believe ourselves included in  
the universal ,church1 i4 e4 in the     
number of ,christian believers1 we      
acknowledge no authority but that which 
thus included us1--the authority of     
,christ himself3 to no other voice but  
his1 as delivered in ,scripture1 do we  
listen with submission2 and to none do  
we commit the office of interpretation2 
believing that ,god has given to every  
man the inalienable right and sufficient
 power to ascertain for himself what    
doctrines and duties are necessary to   
salvation4 ,what the ,romish ,church may
 be which1 so far from being 'universal'
 expressly assumes the power of guiding 
and informing ,christian believers1 we  
profess not to understand1 having       
received no evidence of its origin and  
no attestation of its claims2 but we    
know that in the ,christian ,church     
there has never been1 since the         
apostolic age1 'one uniform faith and   
subordination of government2' nor do we 

believe that such subordination is      
designed by ,providence1 or that such   
uniformity is compatible with the       
present nature of man1 or essential to  
his safety and peace4 ,believing that   
the ,scriptures contain the word of     
,god1 and that the natural faculties of 
man are its appropriate interpreters1 we
 dare not commit to others the task of  
receiving a message which we know to be 
addressed immediately to ourselves2     
especially as we are convinced that1    
since the apostolic age1 no peculiar    
gifts of wisdom or of tongues have been 
conferred on any man4 ,the same ,spirit 
which dictated the ,gospel we believe to
 pervade the whole spiritual universe1  
giving wisdom liberally to all who seek 
it1 and enlightening those who do the   
will of ,god respecting the doctrine    
which is of ,god4  ,since the ,roman    
,catholic ,church cannot find a basis   
for its claims in the ,scriptures1 those
 claims must be founded on the          
'apostolical and ecclesiastical         

traditions' which she requires her      
members 'most firmly to admit and       
embrace4' ,the question between the     
,catholic and ,protestant ,churches on  
this subject is1--what traditions are to
 be received and what rejected2 for the 
one ,church would be as unwilling to    
receive all that have been current1 as  
the other to reject all that have been  
substantiated4 ,it is evident1 as the   
,protestant ,church admits1 that the    
,christians who were not converted by   
the ,apostles themselves1 and who lived 
before the publication of the canonical 
,scriptures1 could have had no other    
foundation for their faith than         
tradition2 and on the same ground we    
establish our belief in the genuineness 
of the ,scriptures2 i4 e41 we declare   
them canonical4  ,when we reject        
traditions therefore1 it is not as      
traditions1 but in proportion to their  
evidence4 ,if they appear inconsistent  
with the sacred writings1 incompatible  
with the convictions of reason1 or      

disagreeing with the circumstances of   
the age1 we feel that the balance of    
evidence is against them4 ,if they be   
merely vague and inconsequential1 and   
not contradictory to each other or to   
any known truth1 we hold them loosely1  
without firm conviction and without     
positive disbelief4 ,if they be1 not    
only consistent with1 but corroborative 
of ascertained truth1 clear in the      
origin1 and early and extensively held1 
our faith in them is willing and        
steadfast4 ,of the first class are those
 traditions which were pleaded before   
the second ,council of ,nice1 ,a4 ,d4   
#ghg1 on behalf of the worship of       
images1 which we reject on all the      
grounds mentioned above2 viz4 because   
they are inconsistent with the spirit   
and letter of the sacred books2 because 
they are incompatible with the          
convictions of our reason1 and because  
they are perfectly irreconcileable with 
the practice of the ,apostles and the   
discipline of the primitive ,church4 ,of

 the second class are those which relate
 the various fate of the first followers
 of ,christ1 and which we admit in the  
absence of all other evidence1 though on
 such slight grounds as to have no firm 
conviction of their truth4 ,of the third
 class are those by which we receive the
 sacred books as genuine1 and which     
command belief from their universal     
prevalence1 their strong inherent       
probability1 and perfect consonance with
 the contents of the books themselves4  
,it will be easily anticipated from what
 we have said1 that we reject those     
traditions which corroborate the claims 
of the ,roman ,catholic ,church to a    
special divine commission2 since such   
traditions are in opposition to what we 
recognize as the spirit of the ,gospel1 
and unsanctioned by the conduct of the  
,apostles1 especially of ,peter4        
,rejecting these traditions1 we hold the
 opinion suggested by the record of the 
,acts of the ,apostles1 that their      
special commission expired with         

themselves2 that apostolical ordination 
was a temporary institution2 and that   
the special influence of the ,holy      
,spirit was designed to be a temporary  
sanction4  ,the church of ,england      
appears to us to merit the censure and  
even the ridicule cast upon her by the  
,roman ,catholic ,church for the        
inconsistency of her institutions with  
the principle on which she professes to 
act1--the principle of the              
,reformation1--that the ,bible alone is 
the religion of ,protestants4 ,catholics
 and protestants ,dissenter join in     
challenging her to produce from the     
,bible the grounds of the practice1     
among others1 of episcopal ordination2  
including1 as it does1 the declaration  
of the regular transmission of the      
office1 with its peculiar gifts of the  
,spirit1 from the times of ,st ,peter   
till the present day4 ,rejecting1 as she
 does1 the ecclesiastical traditions on 
which the ,catholics depend1 and unable 
as she is to adduce authority from the  

,scriptures to which ,dissenters appeal1
 she has no alternative but to own the  
practice ungrounded1 or to adduce some  
third authority1 hitherto unheard of4   
,some of the most objectionable forms of
 ordination for ,christian pastorship   
were1 notwithstanding1 retained by      
various denominations of ,dissenters    
long after their separation from the    
,church of ,england1 and are still      
partially held2 but ,unitarians have    
altogether relinquished the conception  
that the teachers of the ,gospel are    
peculiarly qualified for their office   
otherwise than by their voluntary       
devotion to it1 and by those natural    
means of study1 reflection and prayer   
which their duty requires them          
strenuously to employ4  ,we conceive    
that the ,church of ,england has been   
led into the inconsistency mentioned    
above by conceiving in common with the  
,catholics1 and as we think erroneously1
 that the institutions of ,church       
government established in the apostolic 

age are a part of ,christianity1 and    
therefore destined to be permanent4 ,her
 ,church government is1 it is true1 not 
the same1 because it cannot1 by         
possibility1 be so1 the lapse of ages   
having wrought unavoidable changes2 but 
this mutability1 which ought to prove to
 her the temporary nature of the        
institution1 only makes her cling the   
more eagerly to the points of           
resemblance which she conceives to have 
been preserved between her own          
constitution and that of the primitive  
,church2 forgetting that such supposed  
resemblance is immediately derived from 
that very ,catholic ,church whose       
superstitions inspired her with so much 
horror at the ,reformation4 ,whatever   
resemblance the two ,churches bear to   
the primitive ,church in its external   
offices1 they bear in common4  ,this    
resemblance1 however1 is but slight4 ,in
 the primitive ,christian ,church1      
regulated by elders chosen from the     
people1 and in no way distinguished from

 them in rank or learning1 and served by
 deacons1 whose office was to distribute
 the funds held by all in common1 we can
 scarcely recognize the original of the 
pompous establishments in which religion
 is now believed to be preserved in its 
purity1 till1 on examining the history1 
we trace the degrees by which spiritual 
domination was secured4 ,the most       
distinguished of the elders served the  
office of moderator in the assemblies   
which met for the transaction of        
business4 ,in time1 the office became   
permanent1 and the 'constant president' 
was allowed to appropriate the title of 
'bishop1' which had before been common  
to all the elders4 ,when numbers        
increased so that smaller congregations 
were separated from one larger1 each    
colony had an elder at its head1 and the
 chief of the parent ,church became a   
diocesan bishop4 ,large country         
congregations were1 however1 empowered  
to choose a complete set of officers for
 themselves1 consisting of bishops1     

elders1 and deacons1 and were           
independent of the city ,churches1 till 
the ,council held at ,antioch ,a4 ,d4   
#cda forbade country bishops to ordain  
priests or deacons1 and allowed them the
 power of choosing only the inferior    
officers of the ,church4 ,the next step 
was to abolish the order of country     
bishops2 country deans and arch priests 
being substituted4 ,at length1 synods   
were held1 at which the bishops met as  
deputies of the people1 to communicate  
concerning affairs of common interest1  
forgetting from time to time the        
character in which they appeared1 and   
venturing to make decrees by their own  
authority1 and even to claim a power of 
prescribing in matters of faith and     
discipline4 ,the principal bishop in a  
large district was employed by his      
brethren to convoke these assemblies2   
and as the choice usually fell on the   
chief officer of the metropolitan       
,church1 the title of metropolitan      
bishop or arch-bishop was applied to    

him2 which term became common in the    
,church after the year #dcj4 ,the       
patriarchs were of a higher rank still2 
and there were only five of them1       
belonging to the sees of ,rome1         
,constantinople1 ,alexandria1 ,antioch1 
and ,jerusalem4 ,they were not called   
,primates till the time of ,leo ,i4 ,the
 ambition of the clergy found extensive 
means of gratification in the changes   
made by ,constantine1 who adapted the   
government of the ,church to that of the
 ,state1 which he had newly divided and 
ordered4 ,as the superior clergy grasped
 at greater power1 the inferior clergy  
pressed upon their steps2 and we soon   
hear of arch-presbyters and             
arch-deacons1 and of the occasional     
union of the offices of priest and      
deacon in the same individual4 ,thus did
 the servants gradually become the      
masters of the ,church2 and thus1 in    
four centuries1 was the constitution of 
,christian congregations so entirely    
changed1 that scarcely a shadow of their

 original institutions remained4  ,this 
brief detail 7the truth of which is so  
well known that it is needless to give  
as our authority every accredited       
ecclesiastical history7 affords the best
 argument for the temporary nature of   
the institutions of ,church government1 
and sanctions the declaration of those  
who are charged by either ,church with  
schism1 that before they can again be   
required to join the ,establishment1    
that ,establishment must be reduced to  
the simplicity of government and        
discipline which characterized the      
primitive church4 ,the bishops must     
assume nothing over their brethren1 and 
be superior in no respect but in        
holiness2 they must be stewards of ,god1
 not given to lucre1 but eminent in     
faith1 in temperance1 in charity4 ,the  
deacons must administer the common      
revenues of the church for the benefit  
of those who have need1 appropriating   
nothing themselves nor suffering others 
to appropriate4 ,the church itself must 

be1 in all its views and objects1 not of
 this world2 having no respect of       
persons1 not awarding to the man in     
goodly apparel a better place than to   
the poor man in vile raiment1 rejecting 
every inducement to the usurpation of   
secular power1 and leaving to the       
conscience of every man1 as ,peter      
referred to the conscience of ,ananias1 
the obligation of contributing to the   
common revenue4 ',while the land        
remained1 was it not thine own8 ,and    
after it was sold1 was not the price in 
thine own power8' is not the language of
 ecclesiastical tax-gatherers in the    
present day3 and till all contributions 
to the churches become strictly         
voluntary1 till the churches abjure all 
temporal authority1 and free their      
discipline and ritual from the          
encroachments of spiritual tyranny and  
the defilements of superstition1 neither
 the one nor the other can advance any  
claim to spiritual allegiance1 and men  
who dissent from both may hold          

themselves innocent of the sin of       
schism4  ,thus much we say on the       
supposition that it might be possible or
 desirable to restore the ancient       
constitution of the ,church4 ,but we    
make such a supposition only for the    
sake of meeting the views of those who1 
feeling that the ecclesiastical         
establishments of the present day are   
unchristian1 would fain substitute for  
them the simple institutions of the     
primitive ,church4 ,believing as we do1 
that all such institutions must be      
classed among the non-essentials of     
,christianity1 we would have them       
modified according to the circumstances 
of the age and country in which they are
 to be used4 ,it is not possible that   
some of the original ,christian         
ordinances can be advantageously        
employed in every country and through   
every age4 ,the first ,christians       
belonged1 for the most part1 to the     
middling and lower classes of society1  
and consequently had few possessions4   

,these possessions1 with whatever was   
voluntarily offered by the few rich men 
among them1 were gathered into a common 
stock1 in order that all might be so far
 freed from secular cares as to be able 
to devote their minds and hearts to the 
furtherance of the cause of the ,gospel4
 ,it is obvious that the same reasons   
for establishing a community of goods do
 not exist in a ,christian country1     
where the faith has no longer to        
maintain a struggle with the powers     
which opposed its first promulgation4   
,nor could such a community of goods    
answer the same purposes in a wealthy   
commercial state and among the cantons  
of ,switzerland1 among the nobles and   
boors of ,russia1 and the back-woodsmen 
of ,america2 in states where            
civilization is most advanced1 and in   
regions where the rights of property are
 almost unrecognized4  ,the same may be 
said of the external modes of worship4  
,granting that the complex ceremonies of
 ,roman ,catholic worship1 so nearly    

resembling the rites of ,paganism1      
might1 by possibility1 admit of a       
connexion with pure ,christian faith1 it
 cannot be supposed that the cross1 wax 
lights1 and incense can ever form a     
ritual appropriate to the customs of    
,arabs or ,indians1 or that they will   
help the devotion of the fiftieth       
generation from the present4 ,primitive 
modes of worship have1 by a singular    
ordering of circumstances1 been         
preserved among the ,vaudois1 and are   
still consonant with their secular      
state3 but men who dwell amidst ravines 
and mountain forests think and feel     
differently1 and therefore worship      
differently from those who inhabit the  
cities of the plain2 while the faith of 
all is essentially the same4 ,it is1    
therefore1 unreasonable of the ,catholic
 ,church to require of all her members1 
dwell where they may1 in the north or in
 the south1 in the metropolis or the    
wilderness1 the vow1 ',i also receive   
and admit the ceremonies of the         

,catholic ,church1 received and approved
 in the solemn administration of all the
 seven sacraments4'  ,far more          
reasonable is the ,gospel in its        
requisitions1 the sole condition of     
whose promises is1 that men shall       
'worship the ,father in spirit and in   
truth4' ,we have said that the essence  
of ,christian faith is the same through 
all varieties of manifestation4 ,it has 
ever been so1 and it shall ever be so1  
for these varieties of manifestation are
 ordained for the very purpose of       
preserving the essence4 ,they are       
ordained1 lest men1 too much regarding  
things seen and temporal1 should        
confound with them things unseen and    
eternal2 should not only incorporate    
religion in material forms1 but identify
 it with them4 ,they are ordained that  
men may learn what ,christianity really 
is1 what the ,lord ,god requires of them
 concerning it1 what ,he promises them  
in it1 what ,he purposes to effect by   
it2 and furthermore1 that men may       

mutually recognize the new bond of      
brotherhood which the ,gospel discloses1
 by which all are made heirs of ,god and
 joint-heirs with ,christ ,jesus4 ,this 
recognition must take place as soon as  
the nature and design of ,christianity  
are understood1 be it here or hereafter1
 in this world or in the next2 and      
surely the sooner the better4  ,that    
mode of belief which encourages the     
closest investigation into the          
principles of ,christianity2 which      
discovers the most clearly all spiritual
 relations2 which affords the most      
distinct apprehension of the permanence 
and universality of the ,gospel2 which  
discerns how its promises are ratified1 
its threatenings confirmed1 its truths  
corroborated by all other spiritual     
influences1 by all the results of human 
experience1 and all the developments of 
,providence1--must be the best adapted  
to the needs and capabilities of an     
ever-expanding and immortal spirit4     
,that mode of belief which adapts itself

 to all times and circumstances1 and    
which is independent of all influences  
but those which are unfailing1 must be  
the truest and best3 and such a faith   
actually exists in those views of       
,christianity under which it appears as 
simple and diffusive as natural         
religion4  ,the ,greenlander1 who sees  
how rapidly all natural influences      
combine to enhance the bloom of his     
transient summer1 recognizes the same   
attributes of ,providence as the        
philosopher who marks the expansion of  
mind under the vicissitudes of events3  
both are natural religionists4 ,the     
great truths of ,christianity may be    
also common to both4 ,the ,greenlander  
loses the wife of his bosom1 and wanders
 on the icy shore to watch if any skiff 
traverses the horizon1 to bring him     
tidings from the world of spirits2 he   
listens to the sullen roar of the waves 
and the moaning of the wind1 in the     
intense hope that the voice of a spirit 
may mingle with their murmurs4 ,the     

philosopher who has suffered bereavement
 feels a similar want1 though his       
yearnings are differently expressed4    
,his reason is adjured1 and not his     
senses1 to yield evidence of a life     
beyond the grave2 and the intellect of  
the one is as intently fixed as the eye 
and ear of the other on whatever may    
bring a solution of his doubts4 ,is not 
the main fact of ,christianity that     
which is preeminently fitted to afford  
consolation and hope to both8 ,to each  
in the proportion in which he is able to
 receive it8 ,the ,greenlander1 who     
believes that there has been an actual  
resurrection in proof that all men shall
 live after death1 is soothed and       
cheered by hope4 ,he is brave when      
tossed by the storms of the ocean or    
half-buried in a snow-drift1 because    
death is no longer the fearful thing it 
was4 ,he is patient when his winter     
store of provisions is exhausted and his
 children ask him for food1 because his 
faith teaches him that he who can       

restore the dead from the grave can     
preserve the living1 though the means   
may not be immediately apparent4 ,this  
faith is the same with that on which the
 philosopher reposes his trust1 when he 
sees things that yet are not as though  
they were1--the revelations of the      
grave1 the spiritual and intellectual   
communion of a higher state1 and the    
blessed results of the trials and       
privations of the present4 ,and a       
similar congeniality prevails respecting
 every other essential doctrine and     
principle of the ,gospel2 and even      
respecting its minor details4 ,the      
universal spread of ,glad ,tidings is a 
fit subject for universal rejoicing4    
,the moral beauty of the ,saviour's     
character is recognizable by all2 the   
spirit of his teachings is congenial to 
all2 and the very illustrations in which
 they are set forth are of a universal  
nature4 ,storms everywhere beat on human
 dwellings1 and in all regions flowers  
spring1 and the lights of heaven shine  

and are obscured4 ,the filial and       
fraternal relations subsist everywhere2 
widowed mothers mourn over the bier of a
 son1 and rejoicings are witnessed at   
marriage feasts4 ,the parables of the   
,gospel are the most appropriate        
elementary teachings for all minds from 
pole to pole2 and the principles which  
,christ proposed command the assent of  
every intellect1 from that of the child 
whom he set in the midst of his         
followers1 to that which1 exalted by all
 holy influences1 is surrounded on its  
release from the grave by a throng of   
perfected spirits4 ,it is for man to    
beware how he limits what ,god has thus 
made universal2 how he monopolizes what 
,god designs to be diffused2 how he     
encumbers by human inventions that truth
 which ,divine wisdom has made free to  
all4  ,by the ,gospel1 a new relation is
 established between ,him who gives and 
him who receives it2 and it is for man  
to beware how he attempts to modify this
 relation1 or to intrude on the special 

communion which it establishes4 ,it is  
not in the power of man to take away any
 thing from the ,gospel1 though he may  
narrow the capacity of its recipients2  
but he must beware how he adds to it the
 teachings of his own low and vain      
imaginations4 ,he can do nothing to     
impair ,divine truth1 for it is made    
invulnerable by ,god3 but he may impair 
and destroy its efficacy for himself and
 his brethren1 by mistaking its nature  
and perverting its influences2 by       
transferring to others the task which he
 may not delegate1 of admitting its     
evidences and interpreting its commands4
 ,it is not in the power of man to      
silence the voice of ,god speaking on   
earth through ,christ2 but he must      
beware of listening to any other        
exponent of the ,divine will1 whether or
 not he refer his claim to ,st ,peter2  
whether or not he appeal to human wisdom
 throned in the papal chair or attested 
by the unanimity of ,councils2 whether  
or not he entitle himself the ,vicar of 

,christ on earth4  ,it is not in the    
power of man to restrict the influences 
of the ,gospel4 ,what they have been1   
they will be2 what they have done1 they 
will continue to effect4 ,they will     
bless the spirit in its wanderings and  
in its retirements1 making the universe 
the record of its history1 and its      
inmost recesses the dwelling-place of   
,deity4 ,they will restrain the         
excesses1 chasten the emotions1 and     
ennoble the sympathies of humanity4     
,they will bless life1 and hallow the   
grave4 ,they will develope themselves   
perpetually as ages roll on1 till it    
shall be their lowest office to still   
the sighings and subdue the conflicts of
 the spirit2 while their highest shall  
still be1 so to direct its pursuit of   
ultimate objects1 so to invigorate its  
natural and moral powers1 as to evidence
 to itself its ever-growing resemblance 
to its ,maker4 ,it is for man to beware 
lest he exclude himself from these      
influences or impair their operation by 

mistaking superstition for religion1 and
 by supinely relinquishing the          
intellectual and spiritual liberty with 
which ,christ has made him free4