,,unitarianism ,,defended3              
,a ,,series ,,of ,,lectures             
,,by                       ,,three      
,,protestant ,,dissenting ,,ministers   
,,of ,,liverpool3                       
,,in ,,reply ,,to                    ,a 
,,course ,,of ,,lectures1 ,,entitled    
8,,unitarianism                         
,,confuted10 ,,by ,,thirteen ,,clergymen
 ,,of                           ,,the   
,,church ,,of ,,england4                
----------------------------------------
----------    ,would to ,heaven that    
,christians had their own #8vail' of    
orthodox words  taken away from their   
minds2 that1 limiting ,orthodoxy to the 
acceptance  of the ,christ as the       
,,spirit 7#8the ,lord is that ,spirit1' 
says ,st4 ,paul71  i4e41 the meaning1   
the end of all revelation1 they would   
not allow a  new letter1 consisting of  
abstract doctrines1 to involve their    
minds  in a #8vail' which obstructs the 
view of the ,gospel1 even more than the 
old letter1 which kept the ,jews in     

8bondage40--,heresy and ,orthodoxy by   
,rev4 ,j4 ,blanco ,white1 p4 #ec1 #bnd  
edition4                                
----------------------------------------
----------                              
,,liverpool3                   ,,willmer
 ,,and ,,smith1 #cb1 ,,church ,,street4 
,,london3                      ,,john   
,,green1 #aba1 ,,newgate ,,street4      
-----                                   
#ahci4                                  
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,london3                               
,,printed ,,by ,,richard ,,kinder1      
,,green ,,arbour ,,court1 ,,old         
,,bailey4                               
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,general ,,preface4      ,in this      
,preface1 and in all the other contents 
of this volume1 we have  occupied the   
position of an assailed party1 lending  
our best  consideration to whatever a   
leagued body of resolute and unsparing  

adversaries could say against us4 ,we   
have stood upon the defensive1 not      
lamenting that such an occasion had     
occurred of exposing our views of       
,christianity to so severe a scrutiny1  
and of displaying to the world  whether 
our position was tenable4 ,we did not   
provoke this ,controversy4  ,it was of  
our opponents' choosing4 ,they entered  
into combination1 and  arranged their   
method of attack1 and invited the public
 attentively to  look on while they     
performed upon us the work of           
destruction4 ,with  respectful          
attention1 as men whose system of       
,christianity was about to  be subjected
 to a powerful analysis by those who    
believed the main  ingredients to be    
poisonous1--but with quiet hearts1 as   
men who had no  interest in this world  
but to discover ,truth1--we have        
interfered no  further than was         
necessary to make this examination1 by  
carefulness1  impartiality1 and         
accuracy1 productive of a true result4  

,we have struck  out whatever was       
untrue1 and we have supplied whatever   
was wanting1 to  exhibit a full         
statement of the respective ,evidences  
of ,unitarianism and  of                
,trinitarianism4 ,lecture qualifies     
lecture2 and ,preface corrects          
,preface4 ,we are satisfied to have thus
 placed1 side by side1 the  contrasted  
views of ,man and ,god1 and to await the
 issues4    ,to return upon the         
8thirteen ,clergymen of the ,church of  
,england0 the  words of their ,general  
,preface1 7p4 xi47 8it is no uncommon   
practice in  modern criticism to neglect
 the statements0 of an opponent's case1 
as  if they never had been made1 and the
 corrections passed upon one's own  as  
if they never had been experienced4 ,it 
is the policy of the 8thirteen          
,clergymen0 to reiterate1 nothing       
daunted1 arguments1 our careful  replies
 to which are not even noticed1 and     
misrepresentations whose  injustice had 
solemnly been protested against4 ,by    

these resolute  repetitions some are    
seduced to believe1 and attention is    
withdrawn from  the overthrow of an     
error or a calumny by the hardihood with
 which it  rises from its fall1 and     
reasserts itself4 ,strike them          
down2--they get  up1 and coolly offer   
themselves to be struck down again4     
,great ought to  be the power of ,truth2
 for great is the vitality and the power
 of  effrontery in a popular error4 ,it 
is only in the long combat of years  and
 generations that the ,real manifests at
 last its imperishable  quality4 ,the   
8,general ,preface0 quietly gathers up  
all the 8disjecta  membra0 of error and 
misstatement1 and without a word of     
answer to our  analysis of their        
character1 presents them again to have  
sentence and  execution passed upon     
them4 ,it is a careful redintegration of
 the broken  particles1 which in our    
simplicity we had hoped would not so    
readily  reunite4 ,we are obliged1      
therefore1 by way at once of ,preface   

and of  ,protest1 to repeat our solemn  
contradiction of some most strenuous    
misrepresentations1 and to attempt again
 the exposure of some fallacies  most   
tenacious of life4    ,i4 ,it was       
distinctly stated by us in the course of
 this ,controversy1  that not upon any  
grounds of literary evidence did we     
discredit those  prefaces which relate  
to the miraculous 7or as1 in insult to  
the purest  and holiest human feelings1 
our opponents are not ashamed to call   
it1  the immaculate7 conception2 and    
that our estimate of them was formed    
solely upon grounds of inherent         
incredibility1 and of proved            
inconsistencies both with themselves and
 with the general statements of  the    
,new ,testament4 ,yet in total disregard
 of this our denial1 the  ,preface 7p4  
xiii47 reasserts the charge1 as if it   
never had been  contradicted4 ,we also  
distinctly stated that the miraculous   
conception  in no way interfered with   
,unitarianism1--that many ,humanitarians

  believed in it2 yet it is the policy  
of ,trinitarianism to repeat1  that we  
pervert these portions of ,scripture1   
for the sake of evading a  fact fatal to
 our system4 ,unitarianism is so little 
concerned to evade  the fact of a       
miraculous conception1 that many        
,unitarians themselves  adopt it4 ,it is
 the 8tactics0 of the 8thirteen         
,clergymen10 their system  8of holy     
war10 7see ,preface to ,mr4 ,ould's     
,lecture7 to ignore whatever  we may say
 on our own behalf1 either in way of    
correction or of defence1  and to       
reassert the false statement4    ,,ii4  
,the 8,unitarian ,creed0 is described by
 our reverend opponents as 8a  mere code
 of unbelief0 7p4 xiv47 it being the    
policy of the 8thirteen  ,clergymen10   
not only to pay no regard to our most   
solemn assertion of  our faith in       
,christianity1 as ,god's full and       
perfect revelation to man1  but also to 
assume to themselves the functions of   
infallible judges of  what is           

,christianity1 and what is not2 and so1 
again to return upon them  their own    
language1 to 8deify their own fallible0 
7p4 xii47  interpretations and          
inferences4 ,yet they can impose upon   
the simplicity  of the world1 by        
charging others with the 8pride of      
reason40 ,infallible  themselves1 to    
differ from their infallibility can of  
course be nothing  else than the pride  
of reason4    ,,iii4 ,it is stated 7p4  
xv471 that we 8utterly deny0 8the       
eternity of  punishments10 without      
adding what we have added1 that the     
moral  consequences of actions are      
eternal1 and that in its influence on   
character and progress1 the retribution 
of every evil thought or deed  is       
everlasting4 ,what we do deny1 as the   
blackest misrepresentation  that can be 
conceived of the ,god of ,providence1   
whose glory it is to  lead his children 
to ,himself1 is the horribly distinct   
statement of  their own 8,general       
,preface0--8that the sufferings of the  

lost are not  intended for their        
amendment1 but as a satisfaction to     
divine justice1  when the hour of pardon
 shall have passed away40 7p4 xv47 ,is  
this the  ,religion1 and this the ,god1 
of ,love8 ,these are the men who make   
the  ,unbelief of which they afterwards 
so blindly and bitterly complain4 ,if   
such was ,christianity1 unbelief would  
be a virtue1 a prompting of  devotion1 a
 protest on behalf of ,god4    ,,iv4    
,our doubt as to the existence of1 or   
necessity for1 an external  ,devil1     
permitted by ,god to ruin the souls of  
men1 has been converted to  two uses in 
this ,preface2--first1 as manifesting   
that we are ourselves  under the power  
of the subtlest device of ,satan1 who   
has concealed from  us his existence1   
that he might lead us captive at his    
will2 and1  secondly1 that though       
denying the existence of ,satan1 we are 
yet  ourselves the emissaries of ,satan2
 for that as the ,devil tempted ,eve1   
and our ,lord himself1 by perversions of

 the ,word of ,god1 so  ,unitarianism1  
by its interpretations1 is his present  
instrument1--in  fact1 ,satan himself   
tempting the world by the word of ,god1 
as of old he  tempted ,eve and ,christ4 
7pp4 xv4 xvi47 ,we leave this matter to 
the  judgment of men whose sense of     
propriety and decency has not been      
borrowed exclusively from the influences
 of a dogmatic ,theology4    ,v4 ,it is 
said of us 7p4 xvi471 contrary to our   
own most distinct  averment in this very
 ,controversy1 that 8according to the   
theologians of  this unhappy school1 it 
seems to be almost a fundamental rule1  
that no  doctrine ought to be           
acknowledged as true in its nature1 or  
divine in  its origin1 of which all the 
parts are not level to human            
understanding3  and that whatever the   
,scriptures teach concerning the        
counsels of  ,jehovah1 and the plan of  
his salvation1 must be modified1        
curtailed1 and  attenuated1 in such a   
manner1 by the transforming power of art

 and  argument1 as to correspond with   
the poor and narrow capacities of our   
intelligence40    ,where are the        
simplicity1 the sincerity1 the love of  
,truth1 which alone  can make           
,controversy fruitful of good results1  
when such a  representation of the      
spirit of our ,theology can be given by 
8thirteen  ,clergymen0 after we had     
published the following words in our    
fifth  ,lecture 7p4 #i71 for their      
special instruction3--8,let me guard    
myself from  the imputation of rejecting
 this doctrine because it is mysterious2
 or  of supporting a system which       
insists on banishing all mysteries from 
religion4 ,on any such system ,i should 
look with unqualified aversion1 as      
excluding from faith one of its primary 
elements2 as obliterating the           
distinction between logic and devotion1 
and tending only to produce an          
irreverent and narrow-minded dogmatism4 
#8,religion without mystery' is a       
combination of terms1 than which the    

,athanasian ,creed contains nothing     
more contradictory2 and the sentiment of
 which it is the motto1 ,i take  to be a
 fatal caricature of rationalism1       
tending to bring all piety into         
contempt4 ,until we touch upon the      
mysterious1 we are not in contact with  
religion2 nor are any objects reverently
 regarded by us1 except such as1  from  
their nature or their vastness1 are felt
 to transcend our  comprehension40 ,nay1
 it is not a little remarkable1 that the
 very  illustration employed by the     
8thirteen ,clergymen0 to exhibit our    
absurdity in rejecting the              
incomprehensible1 had been previously   
employed by ourselves to exhibit the    
necessity of admitting the              
incomprehensible3--     ,trinitarian    
,preface1 p4 xviii4     ,unitarian      
,lecture1 ,no4 ,v4 p4 #i4     8,much of 
the great mystery of        8,the sense 
of what we do not know   godliness1 ,god
 manifest in the       is as essential  
to our religion1   flesh1 with all the  

firmament of     as the impression of   
what we do   saving truth and love1     
whereof       know2 the thought of the  
it is the radiant centre1 must          
boundless1 the incomprehensible1        
remain inexplicable to our              
must blend in our mind with the         
present capacities4 ,but to argue       
perception of the clear and true2   from
 thence1 that this mystery       the    
little knowledge we have must   is a    
cunningly-devised fable1 is     be clung
 to1 as the margin of an   as illogical 
as it would be to       invisible       
immensity2 and all our   maintain that  
there is no           positive ideas be 
regarded as the   bottom to the sea1    
because we        mere float to show the
 surface of   have no plumb-line with   
which it     the infinite deep40   may  
be fathomed40    ,this is bold          
misrepresentation2 a consistent         
hardihood in the 8tactics  of holy war40
 ,to persevere1 against all             
remonstrance1 in the repetition  of a   

misstatement injurious to an opponent1  
and to do this so coolly as  to use     
almost his own words in imputing to him 
the very opposite of what  he has said1 
is at least a convenient1 if not an     
honourable nor yet a  formidable policy4
    ,in the same spirit of neither      
honourable nor yet formidable policy1 is
  the attempt 7p4 xvii47 to identify    
,mahometanism and ,unitarianism1 by the 
help of a literary forgery1 which even  
if it was authentic1 would prove        
nothing except that the early           
,unitarians of ,england1 in the reign of
  ,charles the ,second1 amid the        
corruptions of ,christianity1 rejoiced  
in  the testimony borne by ,mahometanism
 to the great doctrine of revealed      
religion1 the ,unity of ,god4 ,it is    
said that there is1 among the ,,mss4 in 
the ,lambeth ,library1 a 8,socinian     
,epistle 7to this effect7 to ,ameth ,ben
  ,ameth1 ,ambassador from the ,emperor 
of ,morocco to ,charles ,,ii40 ,leslie1 
in  the ,preface to his 8,socinian      

,controversy ,discussed10 was the first 
who  made use of this supposed letter1  
and not without the suspicion1 that he  
had first forged it himself4#a 8,i will 
here10 says ,leslie1 8present the       
reader with a rarity1 which ,i take to  
be so1 because of the difficulty ,i  had
 to obtain it40 8,it is in my mind10    
says ,mr4 ,aspland1 8decisive of  the   
question1 that immediately after ,leslie
 had published the ,epistle1  ,emlyn1   
who answered the tract to which it was  
prefixed1 stated it as his  belief1 upon
 inquiry1 that no such epistle had ever 
been presented by  any one #8deputed'   
from the ,unitarians1 and insinuated    
that no credit was  to be given to a    
document published by ,leslie1 unless   
vouched by some  other authority than   
his own2 and that ,leslie1 in replying  
to this  answer1 though he dwells1 for  
pages1 upon the passages before and     
after  this1 relating to the epistle1   
says not a syllable about his #8rarity' 
or  in defence of his veracity40        

8,leslie10 continues ,mr4 ,aspland1 8is 
convicted 7by ,emlyn7 of quoting        
passages from ,archbishop ,tillotson's  
,sermons1 which had been published in   
the name of their eminent author1  as if
 they were the work of an avowed        
#8,socinian4' ,and if you will  consult 
his reply1 you will find this           
theological braggart completely         
humbled1 and reduced to the necessity of
 using the wretched plea1 that  he had  
omitted the name of the #8great         
,prelate1' out of tenderness4--,is  it  
uncharitable to suspect1 under all these
 circumstances1 that he who  was proved 
to have resorted to one trick1 might    
have had recourse to  another80    8,as 
to your #8rarity1'0 says ,emlyn in his  
reply to ,leslie1 8of the  address to   
the ,morocco ambassador1 ,i see not what
 it amounts to1 more  than a complaint  
of the corruption of the ,christian     
faith1 in the  article of one ,god1     
which the ,mahometans have kept1 by     
consent of all  sides4 ,yet1 forasmuch  

as ,i can learn nothing from any        
,unitarians of  any such address from   
them1 nor do you produce any            
subscribers'  names1#b ,i conclude no   
such address was ever made1 by any      
deputed  from them1 whatever any single 
person might do4 ,i suppose you conclude
  from the matter of it1 that it must be
 from some ,unitarian1 and  perhaps so2 
yet you may remember that so you        
concluded from the matter  of ,dr4      
,tillotson's ,sermons1 that they were a 
,socinian's40#c    ,for our own part1   
when we read this amusing attempt to    
identify us with  ,mahometans1 by the   
help of an unknown letter1 bearing no   
subscription1  and addressed1 by nobody 
knows whom1 to the ,ambassador of       
,morocco1 in  the reign of ,charles     
,,ii41 we were forcibly reminded of two 
passages in  ,ecclesiastical ,history1  
in whose pages all tricks and           
absurdities can be  paralleled1 and     
whose exhibition of gratuitous follies  
and distortions  has left the           

possibility of 8nothing new under the   
sun10 of this  description1 for our     
modern days4 ,hildebrand himself1 yes1  
,,gregory ,,the  ,,seventh1 like our    
poor selves1 was suspected of a leaning 
to  8,islamism10 7,general ,preface1 p4 
xvii47 because he wrote a letter1  not  
to the ,ambassador1 as in our case but1 
as became his greater  dignity1 to the  
,emperor of ,morocco1 thanking him for  
the liberation of  some ,christian      
captives1 and expressing his conviction1
 so much was  there of the spirit of    
,god and goodness in this act1 8that    
they both  worshipped the same spirit1  
though the modes of their adoration and 
faith were different40 ,it also appears 
that the ,emperor ,manuel ,comnenus     
exposed himself to the same imputation  
of 8,islamism10 because he  wished to   
correct an error in the ritual of the   
,greek ,church1 which by a  laughable   
misunderstanding of an ,arabic word1    
signifying eternal1  8contained a       
standing anathema against the ,god of   

,mahomet10 as being  8solid and         
spherical40                             
8,solventur risu tabul2 tu missus       
abibis40    ,we confess our unmixed     
astonishment at finding the 8thirteen   
,clergymen0  avowing the most           
undisguised ,tritheism4 ,we do not      
recollect in modern  times so bold and  
unwary an admission of ,polytheism as   
the following3  8,our inability1        
therefore1 to explain the ,triunity of  
his ,essence1 can  be no reason for     
rejecting the revelation of it contained
 in his ,word2  even if we were deprived
 of those shadows and resemblances of   
this  divine truth1 which may be seen in
 the one nature of man1 communicating   
itself to many individuals of the       
species4 ,there is one human nature1    
but many human persons40 7p4 xix47 ,is  
this then the ,unity of ,god  which the 
8thirteen0 maintain1 viz41 such a unity 
as subsists between  three individual   
men8 ,is it their meaning that the      
,divine ,nature is a  ,species          

containing under it three ,individuals1 
as human nature is a  species containing
 under it as many individuals as there  
are men8 ,do  they mean to contend1 with
 some of the ,fathers1 that three men   
are only  8abusively0 called three1     
being in reality only one8 ,what mercy  
would ,dr4 ,whately have for such       
unskilful controversialists8 ,is this   
however the deliberate view of the whole
 thirteen1 or is it only the  rashness  
of one of them8--for it is very         
important to have so definite a         
statement of what is meant by the       
,trinity in ,unity4    ,,vi4 ,it is most
 incorrectly stated 7,preface1 p4 xx47  
that 8,dr4  ,priestley1 ,mr4 ,lindsey1  
,mr4 ,belsham1 not to mention earlier   
writers1  have laboured hard to show    
that the ,fathers of the first three    
centuries  were ,unitarians1 and        
believers in the simple humanity of     
,jesus  ,christ40 ,such a labour was    
never undertaken by these writers1 nor  
by  any one else4 ,it is capable of     

proof that the ,fathers of the three    
first  centuries were not ,trinitarian  
in the ,athanasian sense2 but that they 
were believers in the simple humanity of
 the ,christ1 no one maintains1  from   
the time that ,platonism first began to 
transform ,christianity into  harmony   
with its own peculiar ideas4 ,that      
,unitarians have supported this  view by
 8hardy misquotations10 is1 to say the  
least of it1 an unwise  provocation from
 men who have in the course of this     
,controversy been  convicted of the most
 careless misquotations both in their   
own case  7see especially preface to the
 ,seventh ,unitarian ,lecture71 and in  
that  of their favourite ,champion 7see 
the ,appendix to the ,sixth ,unitarian  
,lecture74 ,that the substantial        
statements of ,unitarians as to the     
,unitarianism of the primitive ,church  
have been overturned by ,bull1 c41      
7,trinitarian preface1 p4 xxi47 is a    
hardy assertion in the face of the      
following quotations from ,bull himself3

 8,in the ,,first and ,,best ages1 the  
,churches of ,christ directed all their 
prayers ,,according ,,to ,,the          
,,scriptures1 ,,to ,,god ,,only1 through
 the alone mediation of ,jesus          
,christ40--,answer to a ,query of the   
,bishop of ,meaux1 p4 #bie4    8,the    
,father is rightly styled ,,the ,,whole1
 as he is the fountain of  divinity3    
,for the divinity which is in the ,son  
and in the ,holy  ,ghost1 is the        
,father's1 because it is ,,derived      
,,from ,,the  ,,father40--,defence1     
sect4 ii4 #h4    ,for another quotation 
from ,bishop ,bull1 see also preface1 p4
 vi41 to the  ,seventh ,unitarian       
,lecture4    ,,vii4 ,the 8thirteen      
,clergymen10 finding that ,mr4          
,belsham's 8,improved  ,version0 was not
 a ,,standard with us1 and knowing      
perhaps that in our  rejection of it as 
such we have been borne out by the      
,unitarian  ,association at its recent  
general meeting in ,london1 yet         
determined to  find a standard for us   

somewhere1 have 7p4 xxvi47 put into our 
mouths1  with marvellous navet1 an      
appeal to ,mr4 ,belsham's ,translation  
of ,st4  ,paul's ,epistles4 ,we have    
already given up the ,mr4 ,belsham of   
the  ,improved ,version1 and they1 for  
their own easy purposes1 represent us as
  making an appeal to the ,mr4 ,belsham 
of 8the ,epistles40 ,we will yield to   
our reverend opponents whatever         
consolation they may be able to derive  
from their imaginary triumph1 in case we
 made this imaginary appeal4  ,the      
,trinitarians cannot divest their minds 
of the idea that we must have  an       
,authority somewhere4 ,they cannot      
understand what is meant by  deferring  
to principles alone2 by having no       
external judge of  ,controversies1 no   
shorter road to conclusions1 than to    
submit every  question to the fullest   
light that ,knowledge and ,inquiry have 
provided1  or may yet provide4 ,the     
,csar to whom we appeal from ,mr4       
,belsham is not  some other ,mr4        

,belsham1 or the same man in a different
 book1 but the  great principles of     
,criticism and of ,interpretation1 as   
recognized by  competent judges of all  
parties4    ,,viii4 ,for the faith of   
the ,church of ,england1 the 8thirteen  
,clergymen0  declare1 that 8it is alike 
their privilege and obligation to       
contend in  that spirit of charity which
 becomes a believer in ,jesus40         
7,preface1  p4 xxviii47 ,we shall not   
open former wounds1 but look simply to  
some of  their last manifestations of   
8,charity0 in their ,general ,preface4  
#a4 ,they say of us 7p4 xxiii471 that   
8,unitarians have borne some such       
proportion to the ,christian ,church1 as
 monsters bear to the species of  which 
they are unhappy distortions40    #b4   
,they 8decline to receive us as         
brethren1 and to give us the right  hand
 of fellowship0 partly because our      
doctrinal views of ,christianity  are   
different from their own1 and partly    
because1 as they aver1 we  maintain our 

views in dishonesty1 using language     
hypocritically4 ,we  8cannot be         
,christian brethren10 say they1 8for we 
cannot tread the same  road1 even for an
 instant4 ,they use the language of     
,christianity1  without believing its   
mysteries4 ,how1 then1 can we bid them  
,god speed1  while they are influenced  
by this spirit of unfairness8 #8,the    
words of  their mouth are smoother than 
butter1 but war is in their heart3 their
  words are softer than oil1 yet are    
they drawn swords4'0 7pp4 xxiv4 xxv47   
#c4 ,we are charged with deliberately   
opposing our own minds to the mind  of  
,god4 8,that such unwearied hostility10 
say they1 8is waged by  ,unitarians     
against the mind of ,god1 as expressed  
in his word1 all  their publications    
unequivocally and mournfully attest40   
7p4 xxv47    #d4 ,they describe us as   
8blasphemers against the ,son of ,man10 
and they  close this peculiar exhibition
 of 8,charity0 by offering up for us the
  following prayer3--    8,o merciful   

,god1 who hast made all men1 and hatest 
nothing that thou  hast made1 nor       
wouldest the death of a sinner1 but     
rather that he should  be converted1 and
 live1 have mercy upon all ,jews1       
,turks1 ,infidels1 and  ,heretics1 and  
take from them all ignorance1 hardness  
of heart1 and  contempt of thy word10 c4
 7p4 xxix47    ,if such is their        
8,charity10 may we be permitted to ask1 
what form would  their uncharitableness 
take8    ,such is the 8,general         
,preface10 which the 8thirteen          
,clergymen0 are  deliberately of opinion
 that the issues of this ,controversy1  
and our  mutual relations to each other1
 justified them in writing4 ,we confess 
that we had prepared ourselves for a    
careful attempt1 on their part1 at      
repairing whatever further inquiry1 and1
 we may say without presumption1  the   
close scrutiny of an opponent1 had shown
 to be weak or imperfect in  their      
previous labours1--a last effort to     
present again the edifice of  their     

faith in what they deemed its most      
favourable lights1 accompanied  by a    
corresponding attempt to shake the      
foundations of ,unitarian               
,christianity4 ,they have thought       
themselves1 however1 sufficiently strong
  already to be able to throw away this 
last opportunity4 ,they deem the  work  
already done1 and that they have earned 
the right1 without further  addition or 
defence1 to entitle their ,lectures     
8,unitarianism  ,confuted40    ,by their
 own act they entered with us into this 
,controversy2 they  repeatedly          
recognized us during its continuance as 
the persons whom they  were opposing1   
and whose ,theology they had undertaken 
to refute2--yet our  careful and        
respectful examination of their views1  
and statement of  our own1 have not been
 able to win from them one word either  
of notice  or reply4 ,however low their 
opinion may be of us1 as of antagonists 
beneath their consideration1 yet surely 
in an attack on ,unitarianism in        

,liverpool1 we are the persons whose    
views and influence they had most       
occasion to correct2 and if no more     
respectful feeling1 mere expediency1  a 
regard for their own designs against    
,unitarianism1 would seem to  require   
some examination of the arguments and   
doctrines of those who are  its         
,ministers and interpreters in the place
 where this attempt at its  overthrow   
has been made4    ,in abandoning this   
last occasion of a careful and          
elaborately  strengthened restatement of
 their case1 we confess they have       
disappointed us4 ,nor do we believe that
 even that part of the public  which has
 most sympathies with them1 and would   
most rejoice in their  success1 will    
contemplate the omission without        
surprise4    ,the origin and history of 
this ,controversy is sufficiently       
detailed in  the annexed                
,correspondence4 ,it will there be seen 
how our desire for a  really close and  
decisive examination of the several     

points at issue  between us has been    
evaded3 our reverend opponents would not
 admit of  any controversy of which     
declamation was not to be the           
instrument4    ,we have already stated  
at the opening of this ,controversy1    
that we did  not enter into this        
discussion for the sake of a ,sectarian 
triumph1 but  in the more ,christian    
hope of exposing and checking the       
,sectarian  ,spirit4 ,to exalt the      
spiritual character of ,faith above the 
verbal and  metaphysical1--to unite     
mankind through their common love and   
acceptance  of ,christ's goodness and of
 ,christ's ,god1--to make his ,church   
one by  their participation of one      
spirit1 even the spirit of the life of  
,jesus1--has been our highest aim1 not  
only on this particular occasion1  but  
throughout all our ,ministry4 ,we       
acknowledge it to be an aim that1       
indirectly at least1 is destructive of  
8,orthodoxy10 that is1 of 8the  supposed
 attainableness of ,salvation only by   

one particular set of  ,opinions10 for  
if the love of ,christ's ,god1 and the  
prayerful seeking  after ,christ's      
goodness are sufficient to place us on  
the way of  everlasting ,safety1 then   
the question is virtually decided1 for  
no man  will follow ,orthodoxy          
gratuitously4 ,it is necessary to set it
 forth as  the only escape from         
,hell1--else no man would burden himself
 with it4  ,and thus ,orthodoxy is      
condemned to be damnatory4 ,intolerance 
is the very  condition of its existence4
 ,cursing is its breath of life4 ,let it
  acknowledge that the pure heart1 and  
the pure life1 and the spirit of  faith 
in ,god1 may save a soul from death1 and
 ,orthodoxy will have  dissolved itself1
 for nothing but the last necessity1 the
  attainableness of safety by no other  
means1 could justify its existence4  ,a 
damnatory creed must be an essential of 
,salvation2--else it is the  greatest   
impiety possible to conceive4 ,was it1  
then1 the intention of  ,jesus to       

establish a certain ,creed breathing    
curses against all who do  not think#d  
alike1--however they may love and live8 
,alas6 why1 then1  was not that merciful
 being as distinct as the ,athanasian   
,creed8 ,if  ,jesus had been charged    
with the delivery of an exclusive       
,creed1 as the  only instrument of      
,salvation1 would he have veiled it from
 the eyes of  those he came to save8    
,need we pursue the argument further8   
,orthodoxy is  not ,christianity2--yet  
that in ,orthodox bosoms the ,spirit of 
,christ may  dwell1 we are not the      
persons to deny4    ,what interest or   
value can these disputations have for   
beings whose main  business in this     
world is1 in the prospect of a coming   
world1 to conform  their souls to the   
image of the heavenly model1 to ,jesus  
the pattern of  citizenship in the new  
,heavens and the new ,earth wherein     
dwelleth  righteousness6 8,whilst we are
 wrangling here in the dark10 says      
,baxter1  8we are dying1 and passing to 

the world that will decide all our      
,controversies1 and the safest passage  
thither is by peaceable holiness40      
,whilst we are struggling for points1 of
 which we know little or nothing1       
hearts are dead or perishing4 ,whilst we
 are battling for our conceits1  we are 
all of us unsound within1 not right with
 ,god1 and falling away  from the true  
service of our great master4 ,whilst    
proclaiming in  ,sectarian eagerness1   
8,lo1 ,christ is here10 and 8,lo1       
,christ is not  there10--none of us are 
sitting at his feet1 and submitting our 
souls and  passions to his yoke4 ,whilst
 we are falling out by the way1 in vain 
his  heavenly invitation is addressed to
 our unquiet hearts--8,come unto me all 
ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and 
,i will give you rest4 ,take my  yoke   
upon you1 and learn of me2 for ,i am    
meek and lowly in heart2 and ye  shall  
find rest unto your souls4 ,for my yoke 
is easy1 and my burden is  light40      
,footnote #a3      ,see 8,a ,plea for   

,unitarian ,dissenters10 pp4 #hh-i1     
published in #ahac1 by    the ,rev4     
,robert ,aspland1 from whom we take the 
exposure of this    forgery now brought 
forth again2 for in ,trinitarian        
,controversy    falsehood seems         
immortal1 and there is no work for us   
modern    advocates1 except to 8slay the
 slain40    ,footnote #b3      8,there  
is internal evidence of its being       
written in the way of banter4    ,no    
subscription appears to it1 and no      
person is named as concerned in    it1  
but a ,monsieur ,verze1 a ,frenchman1   
who might be employed as an    agent1   
and yet not be a #8,socinian'           
agent40--,,aspland4    ,footnote #c3    
,plea for ,unitarian ,dissenters1 p4    
#acg4      8,my ,lords1 if your         
,lordships attended to the manner in    
which that    quotation is introduced   
into ,leslie1 you might see that it bore
    internal evidence of being something
 of the nature of a jeu    d'esprit4444 
,my ,lords1 this ,leslie was a general  

maligner4444 ,i    really think that    
this is raking into a dunghill to       
produce this    address to the          
,ambassador of the ,emperor of          
,morocco40--,the    ,attorney-,general  
before ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,lords in the
 ,lady ,hewley    ,appeal1 ,june #bhth1 
#ahci4    ,footnote #d3      8,he       
therefore that will be saved1 must thus 
think of the    ,trinity40--,athanasian 
,creed4                                 
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,contents4                             
,,general ,,preface4                    
,,public ,,correspondence4              
,,lecture ,i4             ,,the         
,,practical ,,importance ,,of ,,the     
,,unitarian ,,controversy4              
,,by ,,rev4 ,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4   
8,christ in you1 the hope of glory3 whom
 we preach1 warning every man1     and  
teaching every man in all wisdom2 that  
we may present every man     perfect in 
,christ ,jesus40--,colossians i4 #bg1   

#bh4    8,and that because of false     
brethren unawares brought in1 who came  
in     privily to spy out our liberty   
which we have in ,christ ,jesus1 that   
they might bring us into bondage2 to    
whom we gave place by     subjection1   
no1 not for an hour2 that the truth of  
the gospel might     continue with      
you40--,galatians ii4 #d1 #e4           
,,lecture ,,ii4                   ,,the 
,,bible3 ,,what ,,it ,,is1 ,,and ,,what 
,,it ,,is ,,not4                        
,,by ,,rev4 ,,james ,,martineau4        
8,and the word was made flesh1 and dwelt
 among us1 7and we beheld his     glory1
 the glory as of the only-begotten of   
the ,father17 full of     grace and     
truth40--,john i4 #ad4                  
,,lecture ,,iii4     ,,christianity     
,,not ,,the ,,property ,,of ,,critics   
,,and ,,scholars2 ,,but ,,the ,,gift    
,,of      ,,god ,,to ,,all ,,men4       
,,by ,,rev4 ,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4   
8,for ,god1 who commanded the light to  
shine out of darkness1 hath shined      

in our hearts1 to give the light of the 
knowledge of the glory of ,god     in   
the face of ,jesus ,christ40--#b ,cor4  
iv4 #f4                                 
,,lecture ,,iv4     8,,there ,,is ,,one 
,,god1 ,,and ,,one ,,mediator ,,between 
,,god ,,and ,,men1 ,,the ,,man ,,christ 
,,jesus40                               
,,by ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,giles4    8,there 
is one ,god1 and one ,mediator between  
,god and men1 the man ,christ           
,jesus40--#a ,tim4 ii4 #e4              
,,lecture ,v4     ,,the ,,proposition   
8,,that ,,christ ,,is ,,god10 ,,proved  
,,to ,,be ,,false ,,from ,,the ,,jewish 
,,and ,,the ,,christian ,,scriptures4   
,,by ,,rev4 ,,james ,,martineau4        
8,for though there be that are called   
gods1 whether in heaven or in earth     
7as there be gods many1 and lords many17
 but to us there is but one     ,god1   
the ,father1 of whom all are things1 and
 we in him2 and one     ,lord ,jesus    
,christ1 by whom are all things1 and we 
by him40--#a ,cor4     viii4 #e1 #f4    

,,lecture ,,vi4      ,,the ,,scheme ,,of
 ,,vicarious ,,redemption ,,inconsistent
 ,,with ,,itself1 ,,and ,,the           
,,christian ,,idea ,,of ,,salvation4    
,,by ,,rev4 ,,james ,,martineau4        
8,neither is there salvation in any     
other2 for there is none other name     
under heaven given among men1 whereby we
 must be saved40--,acts iv4     #ab4    
,,lecture ,,vii4     ,,the              
,,unscriptural ,,origin ,,and           
,,ecclesiastical ,,history ,,of ,,the   
,,doctrine ,,of      ,,the ,,trinity4   
,,by ,,rev4 ,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4   
8,the ,father that dwelleth in me1 he   
doeth the works40--,john xiv4 #aj4      
,,lecture ,,viii4                       
,,man1 ,,the ,,image ,,of ,,god4        
,,by ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,giles4    8,for a 
man indeed ought not to cover his head1 
forasmuch as he is the     image and    
glory of ,god40--#a ,cor4 xi4 #g4       
8,and when he came to himself1 he said1 
,how many hired servants of my          
father's have bread enough and to spare1

 and ,i perish with hunger6 ,i     will 
arise and go to my father1 and will say 
unto him1--,father1 ,i have     sinned  
against heaven and before thee1 and am  
no more worthy to be     called thy son2
 make me as one of thy hired            
servants40--,luke xv4     #ag-ai4       
,,lecture ,,ix4        ,,the            
,,comforter1 ,,even ,,the ,,spirit ,,of 
,,truth1 ,,who ,,dwelleth ,,in ,,us1    
,,and         ,,teacheth ,,all ,,things4
                         ,,by ,,rev4    
,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4    8,if ye    
love me1 keep my commandments3 and ,i   
will pray the ,father1 and he     shall 
give you another ,comforter1 that he may
 abide with you for     ever2 even the  
,spirit of truth2 whom the world cannot 
receive1     because it seeth him not1  
neither knoweth him3 but ye know him2   
for     he dwelleth with you1 and shall 
be in you4 ,i will not leave you        
comfortless2 ,i will come to            
you40--,john xiv4 #ae-ah4               
,,lecture ,x4        ,,creeds ,,the     

,,foes ,,of ,,heavenly ,,faith2 ,,the   
,,allies ,,of ,,worldly ,,policy4       
,,by ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,giles4    8,let   
every man be fully persuaded in his own 
mind40--,rom4 xiv4 #e4                  
,,lecture ,,xi4                         
,,the ,,christian ,,view ,,of ,,moral   
,,evil4                           ,,by  
,,rev4 ,,james ,,martineau4    8,woe    
unto them that say1 444 let the counsel 
of the ,holy ,one of ,israel     draw   
nigh and come1 that we may know it2 woe 
unto them that call evil     good1 and  
good evil2 that put darkness for light1 
and light for     darkness2 that put    
bitter for sweet1 and sweet for         
bitter40--,isaiah     v4 #ah-bj4        
,,lecture ,,xii4                  ,,the 
,,christian ,,view ,,of ,,retribution   
,,hereafter4                            
,,by ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,giles4    8,and   
,god said to ,jonah1 ,doest thou well to
 be angry for the gourd8 ,and     he    
said1 ,i do well to be angry1 even unto 
death4 ,then said the ,lord1     ,thou  

hast pity on the gourd for which thou   
hast not laboured1 neither     madest it
 grow2 which came up in a night and     
perished in a night4 ,and     should not
 ,i spare ,nineveh1 that great city1    
wherein are more than     six score     
thousand persons that cannot discern    
between their right     hand and their  
left hand80--,jonah iv4 #i1 #aj1 #aa4   
,,lecture ,,xiii4                       
,,christianity ,,without ,,priest1 ,,and
 ,,without ,,ritual4                    
,,by ,,rev4 ,,james ,,martineau4    8,to
 whom coming1 as unto a living stone1   
disallowed indeed of men1 but     chosen
 of ,god1 and precious1 ye also1 as     
lively stones1 are built up     a       
spiritual house1 a holy priesthood1 to  
offer up spiritual     sacrifices1      
acceptable to ,god by ,jesus            
,christ40--#a ,pet4 ii4 #d1 #e4         
,,index ,,of ,,texts4                   
,,explained ,,or ,,referred ,,to ,,in   
,,lectures ,,ii4 ,v4 ,,vi4 ,,xi4 ,,xiii4
                                        

----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,correspondence                        
,,on ,,the                              
,,trinitarian ,,and ,,unitarian         
,,controversy                           
,,at                                    
,,liverpool4                            
---------------------               ,to 
all who call themselves ,unitarians in  
the town                      and       
neighbourhood of ,liverpool4      8,and 
when they had appointed him a day1 there
 came many to him into    his lodging to
 whom he expounded and testified the    
kingdom of ,god1    ,,persuading ,,them 
,,concerning ,,jesus1 both out of the   
law of ,moses and    out of the         
prophets1 from morning till             
evening40--,acts xxviii4 #bc4    ,men   
and ,brethren1--,i am aware that the    
term 8,religious ,controversy10 is a    
phrase peculiarly revolting to many     
minds2 that it presents to them  nothing
 in its aspect but that which has been  

sarcastically called the  8,acetum      
,theologicum10 a something bitter and   
distasteful1 of more than  common       
offensiveness and asperity4 ,it is for  
this reason that1 in  proposing a course
 of lectures on the subjects in         
controversy between  the ,church of     
,england and those who call themselves  
,,unitarians1 and who1  by that very    
term1 seem to impute to the great       
majority of professing  ,christians1 of 
almost all denominations1 a polytheistic
 creed1 and in  requesting your         
attendance on these lectures1 and       
inviting your most  solemn attention to 
those subjects1 ,i wish1 antecedently1  
to remove from  myself every suspicion  
of unkindness towards you1 and to take  
away any  supposition of unchristian    
asperity in my feelings1 or of a desire 
to  inflict upon the humblest individual
 amongst you unnecessary pain4 ,that  no
 mere political difference of opinion1  
much less that any apprehension  of     
danger to the ,established ,church1 have

 originated this movement1 will  be     
sufficiently evident from the fact1 that
 while we are surrounded by  many other 
classes of dissenters1 equally opposed  
to the principle of  our establishment1 
and much more likely to draw away the   
members of our  flocks to their         
communion1 ,i and my reverend brethren1 
who were  associated with me1 on the    
present occasion1 have limited ourselves
  exclusively to an inquiry into1 and an
 endeavour to expose1 the false         
philosophy and dangerous unsoundness of 
the ,,unitarian ,,system4    ,now1 what 
is the cause of this distinction8 ,it is
 simply this1 that  while we believe the
 other dissenting bodies to have        
arranged an  ecclesiastical system1 in  
our judgment not clearly ,scriptural1   
and  deficient in those particulars     
which constitute the perfection1 though 
they may not affect the essence of a    
church1 we do at the same time          
acknowledge that they generally hold1 as
 articles of faith1 those great         

fundamental ,gospel truths which are the
 substance of the safety of  souls2     
truths which1 while so held1 give them a
 part in that gracious  covenant in     
,christ1 within which ,god has revealed 
a way of salvation  for all and out of  
which he has not revealed a way of mercy
 to any4  ,these fundamental truths are 
the very doctrines which are            
controverted  between us and those whom 
we call in courtesy1 but not as of      
right1  ,,unitarians3 viz41 the         
,trinity1 the deity of ,christ1 the     
atoning  sacrifice1 the deity and       
personality of the ,holy ,spirit1 the   
fall of our  nature1 and the gracious   
renovation of the human soul1 through   
his  supernatural operation4 ,assured as
 ,i am that these truths 7which1        
without a desperate mutilation1 or an   
awful tampering with the plain  language
 of the ,word of ,god1 it seems         
impossible to exclude from that  divine 
record7 are of the essence of our souls'
 safety1 ,i ask you1 men  and brethren1 

,i put it to your consciences1 is it not
 of the nature of  the tenderest        
charity1 of the purest love1 of the most
 affectionate  sympathy with those in   
the extreme of peril1 and that an       
eternal  peril1 to supplicate to these  
doctrines the attention of such as have 
not yet received them1 to pray them to  
come and 8search with us the            
,scriptures1 whether these things be    
so80--,acts xvii4 #aa4 ,shall he who1   
unwittingly1 totters blindfold on the   
edge of a precipice1 deem it a  rude or 
an uncharitable violence which would    
snatch him with a strong  and a         
venturous hand1 or even it may be with a
 painful grasp1 from the  fearful ruin  
over which he impends8 ,is it not to    
your own judgment a  strong antecedent  
ground of presumption1 that you are     
alarmingly and  perilously mistaken in  
this matter1 when you see such numbers  
of  highly-gifted and intellectual men1 
men of study--of general information    
and of prayer1--holy men1 men who 8count

 not their lives dear unto them10  so   
that they may honour ,god and preach    
this gospel1 and that not in one        
particular place1 but over the whole    
surface of the church2 who yet  account 
these truths1 which you reject1 as the  
essential truths of  salvation2 truths  
built1 you will remember1 in their      
minds1 not on the  traditions or        
authority of men1 but on the lively     
oracles of ,god8    ,seeing1 then1 men  
and brethren1    #a4 ,that the points of
 difference between us are of the very  
highest  possible importance1 and not   
matters of mere theoretical speculation1
  as some of your writers have striven  
vainly to make appear2 that1 in  short1 
if ,unitarians be sound interpreters of 
,holy ,scripture1 we  ,trinitarians are 
guilty of the most heinous of all       
sins--idolatry2 and  if1 on the other   
hand1 ours be the creed of the apostles1
 saints1 and  martyrs1 ,unitarians are  
sunk in the most blasphemous and deadly 
error1  and are wholly unworthy of being

 considered ,christians1 in any proper  
sense of the word4 ,and seeing1    #b4  
,that considerable numbers1 it is       
apprehended1 especially among the       
middling and lower classes1 who         
outwardly profess ,unitarian principles1
  are in total ignorance of the         
unscriptural nature and dangerous       
character of those principles4 ,and     
seeing1    #c4 ,that the controversial  
discussion of disputed points was       
unquestionably the practice of the      
apostolic and primitive1 as well as  of 
all other ages of religious revival1 and
 is calculated as a means1  under the   
good blessing of ,almighty ,god1 to     
8open men's eyes1 and to  turn them from
 darkness to light20--,we invite and    
beseech you1 by the  mercies of ,god in 
,christ1 to come and give us at least a 
patient  hearing1 while we endeavour to 
8persuade you concerning ,jesus10 and   
8by  all means to win some of you40 ,it 
is impossible that we can have any  base
 or worldly motive in thus addressing   

you--any other motive1 indeed1  besides 
that which is here avouched1 viz41 our  
solemn impression of the  value of      
souls1 and of the peril to which the    
false philosophy of  ,unitarianism      
exposes them4    ,surely it is a sweet  
and a pleasant thing1--a thing not to   
divide and  sever1 but to unite and to  
gather into the bonds of dearest        
affection--thus to tell and to hear     
together of the great things which  our 
,god has done for our souls2 of ,his    
love to us1 when ,he1 8,who thought  it 
not robbery to be equal with ,god1 did  
take upon him the form of a  servant1   
and1 being found in fashion as a man1   
did humble himself1 and  become obedient
 unto death1 even the death of a        
cross40--,phil4 ii4 #f-h4    ,it is the 
intention of my reverend brethren and   
myself to meet together  on the morning 
of ,tuesday1 the #eth of ,february1 7the
 day immediately  preceding the         
commencement of the course17 for the    
purpose of solemn  humiliation before   

,god1 and earnest prayer for the        
blessing of our  ,heavenly ,father1 upon
 the work in which we are about to      
engage1 that we  may be enabled to      
exhibit and preserve 8the mind of       
,christ10 while  employed in 8contending
 for the faith10 and that we may have   
great  success in our endeavours to be  
instrumental in enlightening the eyes   
which we believe to have been blinded by
 8the god of this world10 and  causing  
8the light of the glorious gospel of    
,christ1 ,,who ,,is ,,the ,,image ,,of  
,,god1 to shine unto them40--#b ,cor4   
iv4 #d4    ,and now1 men and brethren1  
humbly and affectionately praying your  
serious attention to these things1 ,i   
commend you to the protection and       
blessing of the ,god and ,father of our 
,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,i remain your    
friend and servant in the gospel1 for   
the ,lord's sake1                       
,,fielding ,,ould1         ,christ      
,church1 ,jan4 #ba1 #ahci4              
,minister of ,christ ,church4           

---------------------        ,to the    
,rev4 ,fielding ,ould1 and the other    
,clergymen about to lecture             
on the ,unitarian ,controversy in       
,christ ,church4    ,reverend ,sirs1--,a
 paper has been put into our hands1 and 
an advertisement  has appeared in the   
public journals1 containing a 8,syllabus
 of a ,course  of ,lectures on the      
,controversy between the ,protestant    
,churches and the  7so called7          
,unitarians10 c4 ,as individual         
inquirers after truth1 and  disciples of
 ,jesus1 we deliberately hold the       
characteristic doctrines of  ,unitarian 
,christianity2 and1 as ministers among a
 class of ,protestants1  who1 binding   
themselves and their pastors by no human
 creed or  interpretation1 encourage us 
to seek for ourselves and expound for   
them  the uncorrupted ,gospel1 we       
publicly preach the faith which we      
privately  hold4 ,we feel1 therefore1 a 
natural interest in the determination of
  yourself and brother clergymen to call

 attention to the ,unitarian            
,controversy1 and a desire that the     
occasion may be made conducive to the   
promotion of candid research1 the       
diminution of sectarian prejudice1 and  
the diffusion of the true faith1 and the
 spirit of our great ,master4    ,we are
 not of opinion that a miscellaneous    
audience1 assembled in a  place of      
worship1 constitutes the best tribunal  
to which to submit  abstruse theological
 questions1 respecting the canon1 the   
text1 the  translation of               
,scripture--questions which cannot be   
answered by any  8defective             
scholarship40 ,you however1 who hold    
that mistakes upon these  points may    
forfeit salvation1 have consistently    
appealed to such  tribunal2 and nothing 
is left to us but to hope that its      
decision may be  formed after just      
attention to the evidence4 ,this end can
 be attained  only by popular advocacy  
on neither side1 or popular advocacy on 
both2  and1 as you have preferred the   

latter1 we shall esteem it a duty to    
co-operate with you1 and contribute our 
portion of truth and argument  towards  
the correction of public sentiment on   
the great questions at  issue between   
us4 ,deeply aware of our human liability
 to form and to  convey false           
impressions of views and systems from   
which we dissent1 we  shall be anxious  
to pay a calm and respectful attention  
to your defence  of the doctrines of    
your church4 ,we will give notice of    
your lectures1  as they succeed each    
other1 to our congregations1 and exhort 
them to  hear you in the spirit of      
,christian justice and affection2       
presuming  that1 in a like spirit1 you  
will recommend your hearers to listen to
  such reply as we may think it right to
 offer4 ,we are not conscious of  any   
fear1 any interest1 any attachment to   
system1 which should interfere  with the
 sincere fulfilment of our part in such 
an understanding2 and1  for the         
performance of yours1 we rely on your   

avowed zeal for that  ,protestantism    
which boldly confides the interpretation
 of ,scripture to  individual judgment1 
and to that sense of justice which1 in  
,christian  minds1 is the fruit of      
cultivation and sound knowledge4 ,as you
 think it  the duty of ,unitarians to   
judge of your doctrines1 not from our   
objections1 but from your vindication1  
you cannot question the duty of         
,trinitarians to take their impressions 
of our faith from us1 rather than  from 
you4    ,we rejoice to hear that the    
,christ ,church lectures will be        
published4  ,should they issue from the 
press within a week after delivery1 we  
should  desire to postpone our reply    
till we had enjoyed the opportunity of  
reading them1 persuaded that thus we    
shall best preserve that calmness  and  
precision of statement1 without which1  
controversial discussions  tend rather  
to the increase of prejudice than the   
ascertainment of  truth4 ,should the    
publication be deferred for a longer    

time1 the  necessity of treating each   
subject1 while its interest is fresh1   
will  oblige us to forego this          
advantage2 and we shall1 in such case1  
deliver1  each week1 an evening lecture 
in answer to that preached in ,christ   
,church on the preceding ,wednesday4    
,permit us to ask1 how early an         
appearance of your printed lectures may 
be expected2 and whether you  will      
recommend your congregations to attend  
with candour to our replies4    ,we     
fear1 however1 that neither from the    
pulpit nor the press will your          
statements and ours obtain access       
extensively to the same persons2 your   
discourses will1 perhaps1 obtain        
readers1 too exclusively1 among         
,trinitarians2 ours1 certainly1 among   
,unitarians4 ,in order to place your    
views and ours fairly side by side1     
allow us to propose the following       
arrangements2 that an epitome of each   
lecture1 and another of the reply1      
furnished by the respective authors1    

shall appear weekly in the columns  of  
one and the same newspaper2 the         
newspaper being selected1 and the       
length of the communications prescribed1
 by previous agreement4 ,or  should you 
be willing1 we should prefer making some
 public journal the  vehicle of a       
discussion altogether independent of the
 lectures1  conducted in the form of a  
weekly correspondence1 and having for   
its  matter such topics as the first    
letter of the series may open for       
consideration4 ,in this case you will   
perceive the propriety of conceding  to 
us the commencement of the              
correspondence1 as you have pre-occupied
  the pulpit controversy2 have selected 
the points of comparison between  your  
idea of ,christianity and ours2 and     
introduced among them some  subjects to 
which we do not attach the greatest     
interest and importance4  ,on this      
priority1 however1 we do not insist4    
,you will oblige us by  stating whether 
you assent to this proposal4    ,while  

we are willing to hope for a prevailing 
spirit of equity in this  controversy1  
we are grieved to have to complain of   
injustice1 and of a  disregard to the   
true meaning of words1 at its very      
opening4 ,we must  protest against the  
exclusive usurpation of the title       
8,protestant  ,churches10 by a class of 
religionists who practically disown the 
principle of ,protestantism3 who only   
make the ,church 7or themselves71       
instead of the ,pope1 the arbiter of    
truth2 who hold error 7that is1 an      
opinion different from their own17 to be
 fatal to salvation3 and who  allow the 
right of individual judgment only with  
the penalty of  everlasting condemnation
 upon all whose individual judgment is  
not the  judgment of their ,church4 ,we 
take objection also to the spirit that  
creeps out in the expression1 87so      
called7 ,unitarians10 maintaining  that 
the word does not 8impute to others #8a 
polytheistic creed2'0 but  that as      
8,trinitarian0 denotes one who worships 

the ,godhead in three  8persons10       
,unitarian fitly describes one who      
worships the ,godhead in  one person4   
,and1 above all1 we protest against the 
resolution of our  case into 8dishonest 
or uncandid criticism20 that is the     
wilful  maintenance of error1 knowing it
 to be such1 the ,charybdis which one of
  your lecturers proposes for us1 if we 
should be fortunate enough to  escape   
the ,scylla of 8defective scholarship40 
,we are deeply concerned  that so much  
of the 8acetum theologicum0 has mixed   
thus early in an  invitation1           
characterized by the chief inviter as 8a
 sweet and pleasant  thing20 and this1  
too1 after a public announcement of     
having purged the  mind of every feeling
 but the pure love of the pure truth4   
,and to you1 reverend sir1 in whose     
letter to the ,unitarians of this town  
and neighbourhood the announcement in   
question occurs1 it is incumbent  on us 
to address a few remarks1 with a special
 view to acquaint you with  the feelings

 awakened by your earnest invitation4   
,the anxiety which that letter manifests
 to convince us that1 in seeking  our   
conversion1 you are actuated by no 8base
 and worldly motive10 is1 we  can assure
 you1 altogether superfluous4 ,of the   
purity and  disinterestedness of your   
intention we entertain no doubt2 and we 
regard  it with such unaffected respect1
 as may be due to every suggestion of   
conscience1 however unwise and          
fanatical4 ,if1 with the ecclesiastics  
and  philosophers of the sixteenth and  
seventeenth centuries1 you esteemed  the
 denial of witchcraft as perilous a     
heresy as ,atheism itself1 we  should   
feel neither wonder nor anger at the    
zeal with which you might  become       
apostles of the doctrine of sorcery4    
,any one who can convince  himself that 
his faith1 his hope1 his idea of the    
meaning of  ,scripture1 afford the only 
cure for the sins and sorrows and       
dangers of  the world1 is certainly     
right in spending his resources and     

himself in  diffusing his own private   
views4 ,but we are astonished that he   
can feel  himself so lifted up in       
superiority above other men1 as to      
imagine that  ,heaven depends on their  
assimilation to himself1--that1 in      
self-multiplication1 in the universal   
reproduction of his own state of  mind1 
lies the solitary hope of human         
salvation4 ,we think that1 if we  were  
possessed by such a belief1 our         
affections towards men would lose  all  
,christian meekness1 our sympathies     
cease to be those of equal with  equal1 
the respectful mercy of a kindred       
sufferer2 and that1 however  much we    
might indulge a ,pharisaic compassion   
for the heretic1 we should  feel no more
 the ,christian 8honour0 unto 8all men40
    ,you ask us1 reverend sir1 whether  
it is not 8a sweet and pleasant  thing10
 8to tell and hear together of the great
 things which ,god has  done for our    
souls40 ,doubtless1 there are conditions
 under which such  communion may be most

 8sweet and pleasant40 ,when they who   
hold it agree  in mind on the high      
subjects of their conference1 it is     
8sweet and  pleasant0 to speak mutually 
of 8joys with which no stranger         
intermeddleth10 and to knit together the
 human affections1 with the  bands of   
that heavenly 8charity10 which1         
springing from one faith and  one hope1 
is yet greater than them both4 ,nay1    
when good men differ from  each other1  
it is still 8sweet and pleasant0 to     
reason together1 and  prove all things1 
and whatsoever things are pure1 and true
 and lovely1  to think on these things1 
provided that both parties are conscious
 of  their liability to error1 and are  
anxious to learn as well as to teach3   
that each confides in the integrity1    
ingenuousness1 and ability of the       
other2 that each applies himself with   
reasons to the understanding1 not  with 
terrors to the will4 ,but such          
conference is not 8sweet and  pleasant0 
where1 fallibility being confessed on   

one side1 infallibility  is assumed on  
the other2 where one has nothing to     
learn and everything  to teach2 where   
the arguments of an equal are propounded
 as a message of  inspiration2 where    
presumed error is treated as            
unpardonable guilt1 and  on the fruits  
of laborious and truth-loving inquiry1  
terms of  reprobation and menaces of    
everlasting perdition are unscrupulously
  poured4    ,you announce your         
intention to set apart1 on our behalf1 a
 day of  humiliation and prayer4 ,to    
supplicate the ,eternal ,father1 as you 
propose1 to turn the heart and faith of 
others into the likeness of your  own   
may appear to you fitting as an act of  
prayer2 it seems to us  extraordinary as
 an act of humiliation4 ,permit us to   
say1 that we could  join you in that    
day's prayer1 if1 instead of assuming   
before ,god what  doctrines his ,spirit 
should enforce1 you would1 with us1     
implore him to  have pity on the        
ignorance of us all3 to take us all by  

the hand and  lead us into the truth and
 love1 though it should be by ways most 
heretical and strange2 to wrest us from 
the dearest reliances and most  assured 
convictions of our hearts1 if they      
hinder our approach to his  great       
realities4 ,a blessed day would that be 
for the peace1 brotherhood1  and piety  
of this ,christian community1 if the    
8humiliation0 would lead  to a          
recognition of ,christian equality1 and 
the 8prayer10 to a  recognition of that 
spiritual ,god whose love is moral in   
its character1  spiritual1 not doctrinal
 in its conditions1 and who accepts from
 all his  children the spirit and the   
truth of worship4    ,we fear that you  
will consider it as a mark of great     
obduracy1 that we  are not more affected
 by that 8purest love0 for 8those in the
 extreme of  peril10 which your letter  
expresses4 ,let us again assure you that
 we by  no means doubt the sincerity of 
that affection4 ,however pure in its    
source1 it is ineffectual in its result1

 simply because no one can feel  his    
heart softened by a commiseration which 
he is wholly unconscious of  requiring4 
,the pity that feels with me is1 of all 
things1 the most  delicious to the      
heart2 the pity that only feels for me1 
is1 perhaps1  of all things1 the most   
insulting4    ,and1 if the tenderness of
 your message does not subdue us1 we    
trust its  terrors will prevail still   
less4 ,we are not ignorant1 indeed1     
that1 in  dealing with weak minds whose 
solicitude for their personal security  
is  greater than their generous faith in
 truth and ,god1 you enjoy an  advantage
 over us4 ,we avow that we have no      
alarms whereby to urge men  into our    
,church2 that we know of no 8terrors of 
the ,lord0 by which to  8persuade men10 
except against sin2 nor do we esteem    
ourselves exclusive  administrators of  
any salvation1 except that best         
salvation1 which  consists in a free    
mind and emancipated heart2 reverencing 
,christ as the  perfect image of the    

,father1 listening to the accents of    
reason and  conscience1 as to the       
breathings of ,god's spirit1 loving all 
men as his  children1 and having hope in
 death1 of a transference from this     
outer  court into the interior mansions 
of ,his house4 ,for this reason1        
imbecile  souls1 without ,christian     
trust and courage1 may think it safer1  
at all  events1 to seek a place within  
your ,church2 but we wonder that you can
  feel satisfied1 retaining your        
,protestantism1 to appeal thus to fear  
and  devout policy1 rather than to      
conviction1 and that you cannot discern 
the mockery of first placing us on the  
brink of hell and lifting up the  veil1 
and then bidding us stand there1 with   
cool and unembarrassed  judgment to     
inquire4 ,over converts1 won by such    
means1 you would surely  have as little 
reason to rejoice as had the priests of 
,rome to exult on  the recantation of   
,galileo4 ,our fellow worshippers have  
learned1 we  trust1 a nobler faith2 and 

will listen to your arguments with more 
open  and tranquil mind than your       
invitation1 had it attained its end of  
fear1  would have allowed4 ,they will   
hold fast1 till they see reason to      
abandon  it1 their filial faith in a    
,divine ,father1 of whom ,jesus1 the    
merciful  and just1 is indeed the image2
 and who1 therefore1 can have neither   
curse nor condemnation for 8unwitting0  
error1 no delight in  self-confident    
pretensions1 no wrath and scorn for any 
8honest and good  heart10 which 8brings 
forth its fruit with patience40    ,to  
this ,god of truth and love1 commending 
our high controversy1 and all  whose    
welfare it concerns1 we remain your     
fellow-labourers in the  ,gospel1       
,,james ,,martineau1                    
,minister of ,paradise-street ,chapel4  
,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom1               
,minister of ,renshaw-street ,chapel4   
,,henry ,,giles1                        
,minister of the ,ancient ,chapel1      
,toxteth ,park4    ,liverpool1 ,jan4    

#bf1 #ahci4                             
---------------------          ,to the  
,reverend ,james ,martineau1 ,j4 ,h4    
,thom1 and ,henry ,giles4               
,gentlemen1--,as ,christian courtesy    
seems to require a reply to your        
address1 published in the ,albion of    
this day1 ,i hasten to furnish it1      
though unwilling1 for many reasons1 to  
enter into a newspaper discussion  with 
you on the important subjects which just
 now engage our attention4  ,i shall1   
therefore1 7without intending any       
disrespect17 pass by  unnoticed your    
critical remarks on certain portions of 
my recently  published invitation to the
 members of your body to attend and give
 a  patient hearing to the lectures     
about to be delivered at ,christ        
,church1  and confine myself altogether 
to those points of inquiry to which it  
is  but reasonable that you should      
receive an answer4 ,and1    #a4 ,you    
ask1 whether ,i will recommend my       
congregation to attend 7,i  presume1 in 

your respective chapels7 to hear the    
replies which you  intend making to our 
proposed lectures4 ,to this ,i am       
compelled to reply  in the negative4    
,were ,i to consent to this proposal1 ,i
 should thereby  admit that we stood on 
the terms of a religious equality1 which
 is1  in limine1 denied4 ,as men1       
citizens1 and subjects1 we are doubtless
  equal1 and will also stand on a       
footing of equality before the bar of   
final judgment2 ,i therefore use the    
term 8religious equality0 in order  to  
convey to you the distinction between   
our relative position as  members of the
 community and as religionists4 ,being  
unable 7you will  excuse my necessary   
plainness of speech7 to recognize you as
  ,christians1 ,i cannot consent to meet
 you in a way which would imply  that we
 occupy the same religious level4 ,to   
you there will be no  sacrifice of      
principle or compromise of feeling1 in  
entering our  churches2 to us1 there    
would be such a surrender of both in    

entering  yours1 as would peremptorily  
prohibit any such engagement4    #b4    
,you next inquire how early an          
appearance of our printed lectures may  
be expected4 ,in answer to this ,i have 
only to say1 that arrangements  have    
been made for publishing each lecture as
 soon after its delivery as  may be     
practicable4 ,within what time this     
practicability may be found to          
coincide1 it is of course impossible    
precisely to determine4 ,it will be     
obvious1 that ,i cannot answer for my   
brethren upon this point2 but shall     
only observe for myself1 that ,i should 
hope a week or ten days will be         
sufficient for the necessary revisal of 
proofs1 arrangement of  authorities1 and
 other business connected with a careful
 and correct  publication4    #c4 ,your 
third inquiry respects a proposal to    
have an epitome of each  lecture1 and   
its reply1 published weekly in the      
columns of some  previously selected    
newspaper4 ,not having as yet had the   

opportunity of  collecting the          
sentiments of my reverend brethren1 ,i  
can only1 as  before1 give the view     
which suggests itself to my own mind4 ,i
 am  inclined to think it would be      
unfair to the respectable bookseller1   
who  has undertaken to publish the      
course at his own risk1 to expect him to
  concur in a proposal which could not  
but materially injure his sale4 ,as  it 
is our intention to publish each lecture
 separately1 as well as the  whole      
collectively1 at the close of their     
delivery1 and that in the  cheapest     
possible form1 with a view to the most  
extensive circulation1 ,i  cannot but   
hope and believe that our united object 
will be equally1 if  not better1        
answered1 than by resorting to a process
 which should  necessarily so condense  
and curtail the matter as to present a  
very  meagre and insufficient exhibition
 of the arguments1 reasonings1          
references1 and authorities1 on which so
 much of the value of the  lectures will

 depend4    #d4 ,and1 finally1 as to    
your proposal of making some public     
journal the  vehicle of a discussion    
independent of the lectures1 ,i regret  
that ,i  feel again obliged to decline  
pledging myself to concur in it4 ,while 
,i  reserve to myself the right of      
noticing and replying to any            
communication which may appear1 in a    
duly authenticated form1 in any of  the 
public journals1 ,i must at the same    
time express my conviction1 that  a     
newspaper is not the most desirable     
medium for disquisition on the  deep and
 awful subjects which must pass under   
review in a controversy  like that in   
which we are about to engage4 ,the      
ordinary class of  newspaper readers1   
including too frequently the ignorant   
scoffer1 the  sceptical1 and the        
profane1 is not precisely that whose    
attention we  desire to solicit to our  
high inquiry into the laws of           
,scriptural  ,exegesis1 and our         
application of these laws to the        

elucidation of the  profound mysteries  
of the ,book of ,revelation4 ,i feel no 
doubt that all  who feel interested on  
the subject1 will contrive to hear or   
read what  we shall preach and publish2 
and will thus be furnished with more    
solid  and suitable materials for       
forming a correct judgment1 than could  
be  afforded by the casual study of the 
ephemeral pages of the public press4    
,having thus distinctly replied to the  
several points of your letter1 on  which
 you may have reasonably expected to    
hear from me2 and trusting  that you    
will not attribute to any want of       
respect to you the omission  of all     
notice of the remainder2 and            
congratulating you with all  sincerity  
on your avowed intention of coming1 with
 your respective  congregations1 to hear
 the exposition which we are about to   
give of what  we believe to be fatally  
false in your system1 as contrasted with
 what  we think savingly true in our    
own2 and praying with all fervency1 to  

the great ,head of the ,church1 to bless
 and prosper the effort about to  be    
made for the promotion of his glory1    
through the instruction of those  who   
are 8ignorant and out of the way10      
,i remain1 ,gentlemen1                  
,yours for the ,lord's sake1            
,january #bh1 #ahci4                    
,,fielding ,,ould4                      
---------------------            ,to the
 ,rev4 ,james ,martineau1 ,j4 ,h4 ,thom1
 and ,henry ,giles4    ,gentlemen1--,i  
owe it to you and to myself to state1   
that no offence was  intended1 either by
 me1 or1 as ,i conscientiously believe1 
by my clerical  brethren1 in the title  
of the subject to which my name stands  
affixed in  the ,syllabus of the        
,lectures on the ,unitarian             
,controversy4 ,i am also  bound to      
acknowledge1 that your letter1 on the   
subject of the lecture1  is written in a
 style of calmness and courtesy1 of     
which1 ,i trust1 you  will have no      
reason to complain of the absence in the

 statements which ,i  shall have to     
submit to your attention4 ,of course1   
this is not the time  for the           
vindication of the view which ,i adopt  
on the great question3 ,i  content      
myself1 therefore1 with this public     
disclaimer of any desire to  substitute 
irritating language for sound argument4 
,i remain1 ,gentlemen1                  
,yours1 with all due respect1           
,,thos4 ,,byrth4                        
---------------------                   
,to the ,reverend ,fielding ,ould4      
,rev4 ,sir1--,we beg to offer you our   
thanks for your prompt and distinct     
reply1 in the ,liverpool ,courier of    
yesterday1 to the proposals  submitted  
to you in our letter of ,monday4 ,we are
 as little anxious as  yourself for the 
prolongation of this preliminary        
newspaper  correspondence2 and however  
much we may regret the negative         
character of  your answers to our       
questions1 we should have reserved all  
comment upon  them for notice elsewhere1

 if you did not appear to us to have    
left  still open to consideration the   
proposed discussion 7independent of the 
lectures7 through the press4 ,that the  
pulpit controversy should be on  unequal
 terms1 is1 we perceive1 a matter of    
conscience with you2 but  your          
objections to a newspaper controversy   
seem to arise1 not from any  desire to  
withhold your readers from our writings1
 as you would your  hearers from our    
preaching1 but from the unfitness of a  
political  journal to be the vehicle of 
religious argument4 ,permit us1 then1 to
  say1 that we have no preference for   
this particular medium of  discussion2  
that we are wholly indifferent as to its
 form1 provided  the substantial end be 
gained of bringing your arguments and   
ours  before the attention of the same  
parties1 and that any plan which you    
may suggest1 affording promise of the   
attainment of this end1 whether it  be  
the joint publication of the lectures in
 your church and those in  our chapels1 

or the appearance in the pages of a     
religious journal  7either already      
established1 or called into existence   
for the occasion1  and limited to this  
single object71 will receive our welcome
 acceptance4    ,had we any desire to   
see a theological opponent in the wrong1
 we should  leave the case between us in
 its present position1 and should not   
persevere thus in opening the way       
towards a fair adjudication of it2 but  
our reverence for the religion of which 
you are a representative and  symbol    
before the world1 transcends all paltry 
controversial feelings1  and we should  
see1 with grave sorrow1 the honour of   
,christianity  compromised by the       
rejection1 on the part of its authorized
 ministers1  of the acknowledged        
principles of argumentative justice4    
,you will not1  we trust1 incur the     
reproach of inviting a discussion with  
us1 and  then changing it into an       
indictment against us4 ,you have        
originated  the appeal to the great     

tribunal of public opinion in this      
,christian  community2 you are plaintiff
 in this controversy2 you will not1 we  
feel assured1 so trifle1 in things most 
sacred1 with the rules of  evidence1 as 
to insist that your case shall be heard 
in one court1 and  before one jury1     
while your defendant's case is banished 
to another1 and  the verdict pronounced 
without balancing the attestation and   
comparing  the pleadings4 ,should you1  
moreover1 succeed in convincing your    
readers1  that this is a discussion not 
7as we submit7 between church and       
church1  but 7as you contend7 between   
,christianity and ,no-,christianity1 the
  effect will be yet more to be         
deplored1 for1 in such case1            
,christianity  will appear to claim from
 its votaries the advantage of an       
exclusive  hearing for itself1 and1     
while challenging1 by the very act of   
controversy1 the appeal to argument1 to 
leave1 for those who are  stigmatized as
 unbelievers1 the honour of demanding   

that open field  which1 usually1 truth  
is found to seek1 and falsehood to      
avoid4 ,we trust  that you will not thus
 inflict a wound on a religion which1 in
 all its  forms1 we deeply venerate4    
,you deny our religious equality with   
you4 ,is it as a matter of  opinion1 or 
as a matter of certainty1 that such     
equality is denied8  ,if it is only as  
an opinion1 then this will not absolve  
you from fair  and equal discussion on  
the grounds of such opinion4 ,if it is  
with you  not an opinion1 but a         
certainty1 then1 ,sir1 this is ,popery4 
,popery  we can understand1--we know1 at
 least1 what it is1--but ,protestantism 
erecting itself into ,romish            
infallibility1 yet still claiming to be 
,protestantism1 is to us a sad and      
humiliating spectacle1 showing what     
deep roots ,roman ,catholicism has in   
the weaker parts of our common  nature4 
,we confess ourselves at a loss to      
comprehend your distinction between     
civil equality and religious equality4  

,we claim equally as  fellow-men1 as    
partakers of a common nature2 of that   
nature the  religious elements are to us
 incomparably dearer and more elevating 
than  the elements that make us merely  
citizens2 and the equality that is      
conceded in regard to all our lower     
attributes1 but denied in regard to     
those that are spiritual and immortal1  
is such an equality as you might        
concede to the brutes1 on the ground of 
their animal nature1 without  injury to 
the maintenance of your religious       
superiority4 ,what is meant  by our     
equality at the bar of final judgment1  
as citizens1 but not as  religionists1  
we do not know2 or1 if we can detect a  
meaning in it1 it  is one which we      
should have supposed belonged to our    
faith rather than  to yours4    ,in     
reference to your repugnance to enter   
our chapels we say no more1  reserving  
our right of future appeal in this      
matter to those members of  your church 
who may be unable to see the force of   

your distinction  between religious and 
social equality4 ,but we are surprised  
that you  should conceive it so easy a  
thing for us to enter your churches3 and
  should suppose it 8no sacrifice of    
principle and compromise of feeling0  in
 us to unite in a worship which you     
assure us1 must constitute in our  eyes 
8the most heinous of all                
sins--,idolatry40 ,either you must have 
known that we did not consider your     
worship to be idolatry1 or have         
regarded our resort to it as a most     
guilty 8compromise of feeling20 to      
which1 nevertheless1 you gave us a      
solemn invitation2 adding now1 on our   
compliance1 a congratulation no less    
singular4    ,we thought you had been   
aware1 that1 while our services must be1
 in a  religious view1 painfully        
deficient to you1 those of your church  
are  positively revolting to us4 ,still 
as our presence1 on such passing        
occasions as the present1 does not1 in  
our opinion1 involve any  8sacrifice of 

principle10 we shall set the example to 
our friends of  attending2 not making   
our desire that they should be just     
dependent on  the willingness of others 
to be so too4 ,and we shall have this   
satisfaction1 that1 whether you 8win0   
them1 or whether we retain them1  the   
result will be a faith held1 not on the 
precarious tenure of  ignorance or      
submission1 but in the security of      
intelligent conviction1  and the peace  
of a just and enlightened conscience4   
,we remain1 reverend ,sir1              
,yours1 with ,christian regard1         
,,james ,,martineau4                    
,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4               
,liverpool1 ,january #cast1 #ahci4      
,,henry ,,giles4                        
---------------------          ,to the  
,trinitarians of this ,town and         
,neighbourhood who may feel             
interested in the approaching ,unitarian
 ,controversy4    ,christian            
,brethren1--,a letter of public         
invitation has been addressed to  the   

,unitarians of this town and            
neighbourhood1 by the ,rev4 ,fielding   
,ould1 on behalf of himself and twelve  
other gentlemen associated with  him1   
urging us1 with the earnestness of      
,christian anxiety1 to bend our  minds  
to their expositions of our errors and  
our dangers4 ,we naturally  interpreted 
this to be an invitation to discuss the 
most momentous  questions as equal with 
equal4 ,we thought1 indeed1 that we saw 
an  assumption of superiority1 if not of
 infallibility1 perhaps inseparable     
from minds so trained3 still we         
supposed1 that this superiority was to  
be maintained by argument and fair      
discussion3 and this was all that we    
desired4 ,it never occurred to us1 that 
the reverend gentleman might  possibly  
expect us to accept him as a divinely   
appointed judge of truth1  whose        
teachings were to be received in        
submission and silence2 or that  he     
could suppose that convictions like     
ours1 convictions that have  resisted   

all the persuasions of worldly ease and 
interest1 that have  removed from us the
 charities and sympathies of men like   
him1 and held  in simple fidelity to    
truth and ,god1 could be so lightly     
shaken that  nothing more was required  
to blow them away than a course of ex   
parte  lectures without answer or       
discussion4 ,if the object had been to  
confirm  ,trinitarians in their views1  
this kind of proceeding we should have  
understood2 but surely something more   
was required when ,unitarians were      
publicly invited to the controversy4    
,much less could we anticipate that  the
 reverend gentleman1 holding himself to 
be upon a 8religious level0  far above  
us1 to belong to a different order of   
spirits1 could yet be so  far removed   
from the ,christian and ,apostolical    
spirit as to refuse to  bring his       
8light0 into direct conflict with our   
8darkness40 ,with these  expectations of
 controversy1 and having no bonds with  
anything but  truth1 we unfeignedly     

rejoiced1 that1 for the first time in   
this  community1 both sides of the great
 question were about to appear  together
 before the solemn tribunal of public   
attention4    ,in all these things we   
have been quickly undeceived4 ,in our   
simplicity1  we believed that discussion
 was really invited and desired4 ,we now
 find  that we were invited to hear1 but
 not to argue2 that to lecture us is of 
the nature of 8dearest affection20 but  
that to hear what we may have to  urge  
in reply would be to 8recognize us0 as  
8,christians10 to admit  that we stood  
on the terms of a religious equality1   
which is1 in  limine1 denied4 ,we now   
find that all reciprocity is refused to 
us2 that  it never was intended to treat
 us as equals2 that the method of       
discussing the ,unitarian controversy1  
about to be adopted1 is to hear  only   
the ,trinitarian advocates--to call us  
around the ,christ ,church  pulpit to be
 taught to listen and believe4          
,clergymen may be so blinded  by        

ecclesiastical feelings as not to       
perceive the extreme offensiveness  of  
all that is assumed in this mode of     
treating their fellow-men2 but we  turn 
to you1 the freer laity of the ,church1 
in generous confidence1 that  such      
conduct will not be found to accord with
 your spirit of  justice--with the      
nobler ideas which you have gathered1   
from the  intercourse of life1 of       
equitable dealing between man and man4  
,we proposed to the clergymen about to  
lecture at ,christ ,church1 that  since 
they had appealed to public opinion1    
through a popular advocacy1  the        
pleadings should be on both sides1 and1 
as far as possible1 before  the same    
parties4 ,this is refused to us1 because
 we are not ,christians4  ,is this in   
the spirit of the ,saviour8 ,it is also 
refused to us1 because  it is asserted1 
that ,trinitarians cannot enter our     
places of worship  without a sacrifice  
of principle1 whilst we may enter theirs
 without  pain or compromise4 ,now the  

very opposite of this1 though not the   
truth1  would have been nearer to it4   
,in our worship there would be the      
inoffensive absence of some views dear  
to you3 in your worship there  would be 
the actual presence of some views most  
painful to us4 ,in our  worship1 you    
would hear addressed that ,great ,spirit
 whom you1 too1 adore  and seek3 in your
 worship1 we should hear addressed1 as  
,god1 him whom we  revere and follow1 as
 the image of ,god1 the man ,christ     
,jesus4 ,in our  worship1 you would find
 deficiencies only2 in yours1 we should 
find  what1 to us1 is positively        
objectionable1 religion materialized and
 the  ,deity distributed into persons4  
,the ,rev4 ,fielding ,ould1 in one of   
his  letters1 represents us as looking  
upon you to be ,polytheists1 which we   
do not2 and1 in another of his letters1 
tells us1 that we may enter your        
temples without pain or compromise of   
feeling4 ,it will be evident to  you1   
,trinitarian laymen1 that the ,lecturers

 at ,christ ,church cannot  retire1 upon
 such reasoning as this1 from the full1 
public1 and  impartial discussion which 
we propose to them1 without making it   
manifest to the public1 that they are   
determined upon doing so4    ,we        
proposed to them discussion through the 
press1 as well as from the  pulpit3 and 
this also is denied to us1 on the       
ground1 that newspapers  are read by the
 sceptical1 the scoffing1 and the       
profane4 ,now1 not in  newspapers alone1
 but in any journal whatever1 was the   
controversy  offered by us2 yet we could
 not have anticipated the objection1    
when we  recollect the use made of the  
newspapers by the religious party to    
which  the reverend gentlemen belong4   
,again have we tendered discussion1     
through the press1 in any form whatever1
 with the single condition1 that  the   
views of both parties shall be presented
 to the same readers--in the  hope1 not 
as yet gratified1 of an answer in a     
juster spirit4    ,nothing now remains  

for us but to appeal from ecclesiastics 
to minds  more generally influenced1 to 
minds that1 taught in the great schools 
of  humanity1 have learned mutual       
respect1 and that have dropt1 in the    
free  and noble intercourses of man with
 man1 the monkish and cloistered        
sentiment of spiritual as of civil      
superiority4 ,to you1 then1 the         
,trinitarian laity1 we make our appeal2 
from the exclusiveness and  assumed     
infallibility of clergymen1 to men who1 
from familiarity with  wider influences1
 have formed different conceptions of   
,christian  brotherhood and of          
,christian justice4 ,we should not have 
held ourselves  authorized in thus      
addressing you had we supposed1 that    
your cause or  yourselves1 your ideas of
 justice1 had been worthily supported by
 your  ecclesiastical representatives1  
who1 we firmly believe you will agree   
with us in feeling1 have openly betrayed
 both you and it4    ,we appeal to you1 
not without confidence1 to give us that 

equal audience  which your clergymen    
have refused2 that those of you who1    
through  interest in the great question1
 are led to hear the ,trinitarian       
statements1 will1 in the love of the    
truth1 and in the spirit of  equitable  
inquiry1 hear also the ,unitarian       
replies4 ,we seek not to make  you      
,unitarians3 that1 at least1 is not our 
chief desire and aim4 ,but  would to    
,god that we could do something to      
spread that true ,christianity  which   
holds the unity of the spirit in the    
bond of peace1 and deems  charity dearer
 and more heavenly than doctrinal faith6
 ,would to ,god that  this controversy  
might have some effect1 not in building 
up any one  creed1 or swelling any one  
sect1 but in destroying the delusive and
  separating ideas that lie at the roots
 of creeds1 and are the nourishers  of  
bigotry1 uncharitableness1 and heresies6
 ,we should deserve well of  this great 
community1 if we could remove from it   
this cause of strife  and               

bitterness1--if we could exhibit the    
,god of ,jesus requiring from us1  not  
speculative opinions1 but the heart1 the
 temper1 and the life of  ,christ6--if  
we could expose the unchristian idea of 
men preparing  themselves for a moral   
heaven by a metaphysical creed1 and     
unite those  who now consume their      
energies1 their temper1 and their time1 
in  contending for abstruse and         
uncertain dogmas in the deeds of mercy  
and  of brotherhood which flow out of   
our common ,christianity1 and which1 in 
the wide wastes of sin1 of ignorance1   
and of misery1 that surround us1  are   
the moral debts of man to man1 and      
constitute the religion which1  before  
,god1 even our ,father1 is pure and     
undefiled4    ,respectfully directing   
your attention to our advertisement of a
 syllabus  of ,lectures on the          
,unitarian ,controversy1 presenting both
 sides of the  question--our portion of 
which will be delivered in ,paradise    
,street  ,chapel1 on successive         

,tuesdays1                   ,we are1   
,christian brethren1                    
,yours1 in the spirit of ,christian     
brotherhood1                            
,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4               
,liverpool1 ,feb4 #b1 #ahci4            
,,henry ,,giles4                        
,,james ,,martineau4                    
---------------------                   
,,trinitarian ,,lecture1                
,,on ,,wednesday ,,evenings ,,in        
,,christ ,,church4                      
#ahci4--;,february #f4               #a4
 ,introductory4 ,the practical          
importance of the                       
,controversy with ,unitarians4          
,rev4 ,f4 ,ould4            ,february   
#ac4               #b4 ,the ,integrity  
of the ,canon of ,holy ,scripture       
maintained against ,unitarian           
,objections4                            
,rev4 ,dr4 ,tattershall4                
,february #bj4               #c4 ,the   
,unitarian ,interpretation of the ,new  
,testament                  based upon  

defective ,scholarship1 or on           
dishonest or uncandid ,criticism4       
,rev4 ,t4 ,byrth4            ,february  
#bg4               #d4 ,the proper      
,humanity of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4  
,rev4 ,j4 ,jones4            ,march #f4 
#e4 ,the proper ,deity of our ,lord     
,jesus ,christ proved                   
from ,prophecies1 ,types1 and ,jewish   
,ordinances4                            
,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,stewart4                 
,march #ac4               #f4 ,the      
proper ,deity of our ,lord the only     
ground of                  ,consistency 
in the ,work of ,redemption4            
,rev4 ,h4 ,m#8,neile4            ,march 
#bj4               #g4 ,the ,doctrine of
 the ,trinity proved as a               
consequence from the ,deity of our ,lord
 ,jesus                  ,christ4       
,rev4 ,d4 ,james4            ,march #bg4
               #h4 ,the ,atonement      
indispensable to the ,necessities of    
,fallen ,man1 and shown to stand or fall
 with the                  ,deity of our

 ,lord ,jesus ,christ4                  
,rev4 ,r4 ,p4 ,buddicom4                
,april #c4               #i4 ,the       
,deity1 ,personality1 and ,operations of
 the ,holy                  ,ghost4     
,rev4 ,j4 ,e4 ,bates4            ,april 
#aj4               #aj4 ,the ,sacraments
 practically rejected by                
,unitarians4                            
,rev4 ,h4 ,w4 ,m#8,grath4               
,april #ag4               #aa4 ,the     
,nicene and ,athanasian ,creeds         
explained and                  defended4
                                        
,rev4 ,r4 ,davies4            ,april    
#bd4               #ab4 ,the            
,personality and ,agency of ,satan4     
,rev4 ,h4 ,stowell4            ,may #a4 
#ac4 ,the ,eternity of future ,rewards  
and ,punishments4                       
,rev4 ,w4 ,dalton4                      
--------------                          
,,unitarian ,,lecture1                  
,,on ,,tuesday ,,evenings ,,in          
,,paradise ,,street ,,chapel4           

#ahci4--;,february #ab4                 
#a4 ,the practical importance of the    
,unitarian                              
,controversy4                           
,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,thom4                    
,february #ai4               #b4 ,the   
,bible2 what it is1 and what it is not4 
,rev4 ,j4 ,martineau4                   
,february #bf4               #c4        
,christianity not the property of       
,critics and                  ,scholars1
 but the gift of ,god to all men4       
,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,thom4            ,march  
#e4               #d4 8,there is one    
,god1 and one ,mediator between ,god    
and men1 the ,man ,christ ,jesus40      
,rev4 ,h4 ,giles4            ,march #ab4
               #e4 ,the proposition     
#8,that ,christ is ,god1' proved to be  
false from the ,jewish and the          
,christian                  ,scriptures4
                                        
,rev4 ,j4 ,martineau4            ,march 
#ai4               #f4 ,the scheme of   
,vicarious ,redemption inconsistent     

with itself1 and with the ,christian    
idea of                  ,salvation4    
,rev4 ,j4 ,martineau4             ,march
 #bf4               #g4 ,the            
unscriptural ,origin and ,ecclesiastical
 ,history                  of the       
,doctrine of the ,trinity4              
,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,thom4            ,april  
#b4               #h4 ,man1 the ,image  
of ,god4                                
,rev4 ,h4 ,giles4            ,april #i4 
#i4 ,the ,comforter1 even the ,spirit of
 ,truth1 who                  dwelleth  
in us1 and teacheth all things4         
,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,thom4            ,april  
#af4               #aj4 ,christianity   
without ,priest1 and without ,ritual4   
,rev4 ,j4 ,martineau4            ,april 
#bc4               #aa4 ,creeds the foes
 of ,heavenly ,faith2 the allies of     
worldly ,policy4                        
,rev4 ,h4 ,giles4            ,april #cj4
               #ab4 ,the ,christian view
 of ,moral ,evil here4                  
,rev4 ,j4 ,martineau4            ,may   

#g4               #ac4 ,the ,christian  
view of ,retribution hereafter4         
,rev4 ,h4 ,giles4                       
---------------------                   
,to the 7so-called7 ,unitarians of      
,liverpool4    ,men and                 
,brethren1--,before the commencement of 
the lectures1 on which ,i  have taken   
the liberty of inviting your attendance1
 ,i am anxious  respectfully to address 
to you a few observations in reference  
to the  letters which have appeared in  
the public journals under the signature 
of your ministers4    ,it would appear  
that these gentlemen have been desirous 
to produce upon  the public mind an     
unfavourable impression1  priori1 of my 
reverend  brethren1 and of myself in    
particular1 because of our having       
declined1  on their proposal1 to enter  
upon a course different from that which 
we  had originally contemplated4 8,you  
will not1 we trust10 say ,messrs4       
,martineau1 ,thom1 and ,giles1 8incur   
the reproach of inviting a discussion   

with us1 and then changing it into an   
indictment against us40 ,now1  we never 
invited any discussion with these       
gentlemen2 if we had1 we  should have   
addressed ourselves to them personally4 
,but1 while we would  not1 and do not1  
shrink from any discussion with them    
into which we can  consistently enter1  
we cannot allow ourselves to be diverted
 from the  pursuit of our original      
purpose1 viz41 to deliver a course of   
lectures  upon the various points of    
,unitarian doctrine1 which we believe1  
and  think we can prove1 to be not only 
unscriptural1 but fatal to the  souls of
 those who embrace them1 and which      
cannot be maintained 7as  appears from  
the published works of the most learned 
,unitarians7 without  a virtual         
surrender of the inspiration of the     
,bible4 ,believing1 as ,i do1  that your
 best interests for time and for        
eternity are involved in the  momentous 
questions at issue--questions affecting 
the very vitality of  true religion--,i 

inserted a letter in the daily prints1  
expressed1 as ,i  had hoped1 in terms of
 courtesy and affection1 inviting your  
presence  and soliciting your attention4
 ,i also caused a notice to be published
 of  our intention to print the         
lectures1 separately and in a collective
  form1 for extensive and immediate     
circulation1 so that the amplest        
opportunity might be afforded for       
replying to our arguments on the part   
of any who might feel disposed to the   
task4 ,that is1 we proposed to  employ  
the instrumentality of the pulpit and   
the press1 7an  instrumentality1 be it  
observed1 equally at the service of     
those who  differed from us17 in order  
to promote the best interests of a      
portion  of our countrymen1 whom we     
believe to be 8perishing for the lack of
  knowledge40    ,where is there to be  
found here aught of arrogance1 or       
uncharitableness1 or 8assumed           
infallibility08 ,where is there aught   
of unfairness1 or 8any rejection on our 

parts of the acknowledged  principles of
 argumentative justice80 ,it is true we 
refuse to advise our  respective        
congregations to attend at ,unitarian   
chapels1 to hear such  answers as your  
ministers may think it right to offer in
 refutation of  our reasonings4 ,our    
principles and our consciences alike    
forbid our  concurrence in such a       
proposal4 ,we cannot go ourselves1 nor  
recommend  our people to go and have    
their ears wounded1 their hearts pained1
 and  their ,christian sensibilities    
shocked1 by the iteration of such1 in   
our  view1 blasphemous statements1 as we
 find spread in painful profusion  over 
the pages of ,unitarian theology4 ,and  
why1 then1 it is asked1 do we  invite or
 expect your attendance upon what are   
called 8the painfully  revolting0       
services of our church8 ,for this       
reason1 that1 as appears  from the works
 of all their principal writers1        
,unitarians do not attach  the same     
importance to religious doctrines and   

opinion that we do4 ,it  seems to be    
with them a matter of comparative       
indifference what dogmas a  man holds1  
provided he be sincere in his           
profession2 while with us  sincerity is 
no criterion of truth1 being persuaded  
that as a man's  religious opinions are1
 so will his conduct be in time1 and his
  destiny through eternity4 ,being of   
opinion1 then1 that our people  would   
suffer by being brought into contact    
with error1 in the same way  that the   
human body would be endangered by       
accepting an invitation to  feed at a   
table where poison was mingled with     
bread1 we feel obliged to  decline      
recommending the proposed arrangement to
 their adoption4 ,but1  feeling that    
there would be neither danger nor risk  
to those who are  represented as having 
a moral appetite for poison as well as  
bread1 and  as looking upon all         
theological opinions if not as equally  
harmless in  their bearing on their     
eternal interests1 we ventured to invite

 you to  come1 that we might 8persuade  
you concerning ,jesus40 ,if there be any
 of  you whose conscience revolts       
against a participation in ,trinitarian 
worship1 we invite not his attendance3  
we would be not intentionally  accessory
 to the wounding of the weakest         
conscience among you4    ,you will thus1
 men and brethren1 perceive what was    
intended by the  assertion that our     
8religious level0 was different4 ,we    
meant not to  arrogate to ourselves any 
undue superiority1 but simply to state a
 fact4  ,and while we think it both     
unreasonable and unjust that we should  
be  expected to become the auditors of  
what we deem blasphemous error1 or      
pledge ourselves to the joint           
circulation of what we call truth and   
falsehood1 and thus be 8partakers of    
other men's sins10--we cannot but be  of
 opinion that there is some ground for  
these charges in reference to  the      
conduct of those who1 on this ground1   
attempt to prejudice the  public mind   

against us1 as if we were declining a   
battle which we had  invited and        
provoked4    ,we are convinced that the 
attempt will not succeed4 ,the public   
will have  eyes to see with sufficient  
clearness the real merits of the case1  
and  will condemn the efforts made to   
blind its vision1 or at least incline   
it to take a distorted view of our      
relative position4    ,again repeating  
my invitation to all who can            
conscientiously accept it1  to attend   
our lectures1 and leaving cheerfully to 
others the free use of  the only weapons
 we employ--the ,,bible--the            
,,pulpit--and the ,press--and  praying  
the ,lord to guide all his inquiring    
people1 by the teaching of  his ,holy   
,spirit1 into all truth1 even the 8truth
 as it is in ,jesus10 ,i  remain1 men   
and brethren1 yours in the bonds of     
love1         ,christ ,church1 ,feb4 #e1
 #ahci4                   ,,fielding    
,,ould4                                 
---------------------              ,to  

the ,rev4 ,j4 ,martineau1 ,j4 ,h4 ,thom1
 and ,henry ,giles4                     
,gentlemen1--,having hitherto           
corresponded with you on my own         
individual  responsibility1 ,i have to  
request that you will consider me as    
alone  answerable for what has hitherto 
appeared under my signature4 ,i had this
  morning1 for the first time1 the      
opportunity of personal conference with 
my reverend brethren collectively at the
 expected meeting which took  place at  
my house4 ,i have now to address you    
upon the result4    ,all that we had    
originally contemplated was1 the        
delivery of a course of  lectures upon  
the principal doctrines in controversy  
between ,unitarians  and ourselves4 ,it 
now appears that my invitation to the   
,unitarian laity  to come and hear us1  
while we brought their avowed principles
 to the  test of the ,word of ,god1 has 
been taken advantage of by you1 and led 
to  a series of proposals on your part1 
which ,i took upon myself to decline4   

,i have this day addressed a letter to  
the members of your body  generally1    
which ,i trust will have the effect of  
setting that part of  the subject in its
 proper point of view4    ,it is1       
however1 indispensable to distinguish   
carefully between this  particular      
invitation of yours1 and discussion     
generally4 ,your  letter to the         
,trinitarian laity invites discussion in
 any shape which  shall effectually     
bring the statements of both parties    
before the same  individuals4 ,we are   
now prepared to gratify your desire1 and
 ,,we ,,accept  ,,your ,,invitation4    
,our lectures1 however1 shall be first  
delivered2 on  this we are determined4  
,then1 in the name of all1 and in       
dependence upon  our blessed ,lord and  
,master1 three of our body will be ready
 to meet you  three before a public     
audience in this town2 all preliminaries
 to be1 of  course1 arranged by mutual  
conference4 ,we propose1 if you please1 
to  take the three great subjects into  

which the controversy obviously  divides
 itself1 viz41    #a4 ,,evidence of the 
genuineness1 authenticity1 and          
inspiration of those  parts of our      
authorized version of the ,holy         
,scriptures which you deny4    #b4      
,,translation of those parts which you  
alter1 and in our judgment              
misrepresent4    #c4 ,,theology1        
involving those principles of vicarious 
sacrifice which we  deem vital1 and     
which you discard4    ,our proposal1    
then1 is to meet you either one day on  
each subject1 as  you please2 or one    
week on each subject1 as you please3 the
 discussion  to be conducted in speeches
 of one hour or half an hour each1 as   
you  please4    ,and now1 trusting that 
this proposed arrangement may prove     
satisfactory  to you1 and to all who    
take an interest in this controversy1   
and  fervently praying the great ,head  
of the ,church to overrule our purposes 
to the advancement of ,his kingdom and  
the promotion of ,his glory1            

,i remain1 ,gentlemen1                  
,yours for the ,lord's sake1            
,february #e1 #ahci4                    
,,fielding ,,ould4                      
---------------------                   
,to the ,reverend ,fielding ,ould4      
,reverend ,sir1--,it would have been    
gratifying to us to receive from you an 
answer to our offer of a discussion1    
through the press1 before being  called 
upon to consider a proposal1 altogether 
new1 for a platform  controversy4       
,you give us an invitation to talk1 and 
call this an acceptance of our  offer to
 write4 ,the two proposals are so       
distinct1 that it is not easy  to see   
how the one could be transformed into   
the other2 nor is the  mistake explained
 on turning to the words of our         
invitation1 appealed to  by you1 and    
contained in our letter to the          
,trinitarian laity4 ,they are           
these3--8,we have tendered discussion   
through the press1 in any form          
whatever1 with the single condition that

 the statements of both parties  shall  
be presented to the same readers40 ,you 
leave the impression1  that an oral     
debate is comprised within the terms of 
this offer2 but1 in  doing so1 you widen
 its scope1 by striking out the phrases 
which  restrict it to printing and      
publication1 and describe it thus2      
8,your  letter to the ,trinitarian laity
 invites discussion in any shape which  
shall effectually bring the statements  
of both parties before the same         
individuals40 ,you will at once perceive
 the misrepresentation2 will            
acknowledge that the idea of settling   
historical and philological             
controversies1 by popular debate1 has   
neither origin nor sanction from        
us2--and will permit us to recal you to 
our first proposal of discussion        
through the press1--a proposal to which1
 though now made for the third  time1 we
 have yet received no answer4           
,meanwhile1 we will not delay the reply 
which is due to this new  suggestion of 

a platform controversy4 ,we decline it  
altogether2 and for  this answer you    
must have been prepared1 by the         
sentiment we expressed  in an early     
stage of this correspondence3 8,we are  
not of opinion that a  miscellaneous    
audience1 assembled in a place of       
worship1 constitutes the  best tribunal 
to which to submit abstruse theological 
questions  respecting the canon1 the    
text1 the translation of                
,scripture1--questions  which cannot be 
answered by any defective scholarship40 
,to assemble a  similar audience in an  
amphitheatre1 where the sanctities of   
worship are  not present to calm and    
solemnize the mind1 is evidently not to 
improve  the tribunal4 ,the scholar     
knows that such exhibitions are a       
mockery of  critical theology3 the      
devout1 that they are an injury to      
personal  religion4 ,we are surprised   
that any serious and cultivated man can 
think  so lightly of the vast contents  
of the questions on which we differ1 as 

to be able to dispense with calm        
reflection on the evidence adduced1 and 
to answer off-hand all possible         
arguments against him1 within the range 
of biblical and ecclesiastical          
literature4 ,we are not accustomed to   
treat your system with such contempt1   
however trivial an achievement it  may  
seem to you to subvert ours4 ,in        
reverence for truth1 in a spirit of     
caution inseparable from our desire to  
discharge our trust with  circumspect   
fidelity1 and from a belief that1 to    
think deeply1 is the  needful           
pre-requisite to speaking boldly1 we    
offered you the most  responsible method
 of discussion1 in which we might       
present to each  other1 and fix         
ineffaceably before the world1 the      
fruits of thought and  study4 ,to this  
offer we adhere2 but cannot join you1 on
 an occasion thus  solemn1 in an appeal 
to the least temperate of all tribunals4
 ,we  recollect that one of the         
clergymen associated with you refused an

 oral  discussion of the ,roman         
,catholic controversy4 ,we approved of  
his  decision2 and1 in like             
circumstances1 adopt it4    ,will you   
allow us to correct a mistake which     
appears in your enumeration  of the     
three topics most fit for discussion8   
,we do not1 as ,unitarians1  deny the   
genuineness1 or alter the translation1  
of any part of the  authorized version  
of the holy ,scriptures4 ,the           
,unitarians have neither  canon nor     
version of their own1 different from    
those recognized by other  churches4 ,as
 biblical critics1 we do indeed1 neither
 more nor less than  others1 exercise   
the best judgment we can on texts of    
doubtful  authority1 7as did ,bishop    
,marsh1 in rejecting the 8heavenly      
witnesses10  #a ,john v4 #g17 and on the
 accuracy of translations 7as did       
,archbishop  ,newcome1 when he published
 his version of the ,new ,testament72   
but no  opinions on these matters belong
 to us as a class1 or are needful to    

the defence of our theology4 ,if you    
allude to the ,improved ,version1 we    
would state1 that it contains the       
private criticism of one or two         
individuals2 that it has never been used
 in our churches1 nor even much         
referred to in our studies1 and is      
utterly devoid of all authority with    
us2 and that1 for ourselves1 we greatly 
prefer1 for general fidelity as  well as
 beauty1 the authorized translation1    
which we always employ4    ,in your     
letter to the ,unitarians1 published in 
the ,courier of  ,wednesday1 you state  
that you never invited discussion with  
us 7the  ministers7 personally4 ,we     
never imagined or affirmed that you did4
 ,but  surely you invited discussion    
with the class of persons called        
,unitarians2 and as a class has no voice
 except through its  representatives1   
and no discussion can take place without
 two parties1  you cannot think that we 
are departing from our proper sphere in 
answering to your call4 ,did you not    

invite us 7the ,unitarians7 to you1  8to
 tell and hear together the great things
 which ,god has done for our  souls80   
,and did this mean that all the         
8telling0 was to be on one  side1 and   
all the 8hearing0 on the other8 ,did you
 not press upon our  admiration the     
primitive practice of 8controversial    
discussion of  disputed points80 ,and   
did this mean that there was to be      
neither  8controversy10 8discussion10   
nor 8dispute10 but authoritative        
teaching on one side1 and obedient      
listening on the other8 ,in one of  two 
relations you must conceive yourself to 
stand to us2--that of a  superior1 who  
instructs with superhuman authority1 or 
that of an  equal1 who 8discusses0 with 
human and fallible reasonings4 ,between 
these two conditions1 there is no third2
 nor can you1 with justice1  take       
sometimes the one and sometimes the     
other1 according as the  occasion may   
require the language of dignity or that 
of meekness4 ,we  certainly addressed   

you as an equal1 and did not pay you the
 disrespect  of imagining that your     
invitation to 8discussion0 meant nothing
 at all4    ,we are sorry that you      
ascribe to us any intention to divert   
you from  your contemplated course of   
lectures4 ,be assured nothing could be  
further from our design4 ,we simply     
desired that1 having invited us1  you   
should have recognized us when we       
presented ourselves1 as parties  in the 
8discussion40                   ,we     
remain1 reverend ,sir1                  
,yours1 with ,christian regard1         
,,henry ,,giles4                        
,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4               
,liverpool1 ,february #gth4             
,,james ,,martineau4                    
---------------------               ,to 
the ,revs4 ,j4 ,martineau1 ,j4 ,h4      
,thom1 and ,h4 ,giles4                  
,gentlemen1--,i think it due to the     
cause of truth1 as well as to the       
interest awakened in the public mind by 
this controversy1 to address to  you a  

few observations on your last letter1 as
 published in the  ,mercury of ,friday4 
,though still strongly of opinion that  
the columns  of a newspaper present a   
most undesirable medium of communication
 upon  subjects such as those we are now
 engaged in discussing1 ,i am unwilling 
in the absence of any other accessible  
instrumentality1 to lose the            
opportunity it affords of impressing    
upon the attention of all  reflecting   
men the actual position which we        
relatively occupy4    #a4--;,being aware
 of the sincere anxiety which you have  
already manifested  for 8discussion in  
any shape which should bring the        
statements on both  sides before the    
same parties10 it is not without        
considerable surprise  that ,i perceive 
that you 8decline altogether0 my        
proposal of a 8platform  controversy40  
,now1 while you say ,i invited you to   
8talk10 and ,i answer  ,i invited you to
 argue1 ,i cannot but think it will     
appear evident to  most1 that by the    

subsequent publication1 in an authentic 
form1 of our  oral debate1 you would    
have gained all that you could have     
desired in  the assistance of the press1
 while a select auditory1 equally       
composed  of the respective friends of  
both parties1 would have been able to   
judge  of your ability1 not             
intellectually1 but morally1 to meet the
 case we  could have made out against   
your system4 ,i cannot but hope that a  
secret  consciousness of the weakness of
 your cause has prompted your           
determination1 and am of opinion that   
while a discerning public will  approve 
the discretion of your resolve1 they    
will not be slow to  appreciate its     
motive1 or the precise measure of your  
zeal for a candid  impartial hearing4   
,but the 8settling of historical and    
philological controversies by  popular  
debate has neither origin nor sanction  
from you40 ,perhaps not3  but you cannot
 say that such a course is altogether   
without precedent4  ,you have doubtless 

heard of the protracted debate upon     
these same  controversies which were    
held in the north of ,ireland a few     
years ago  between ,mr4 ,bagot and ,mr4 
,porter4 ,may ,i ask whether it was the 
result  of that discussion that induced 
you to withhold your sanction from all  
future controversies so conducted8 ,mr4 
,porter did not consider it             
inconsistent with the principles of     
,unitarianism to debate his creed       
before 8a miscellaneous audience40 ,are 
you wiser than he in your  generation8  
,again3--the proposed tribunal is not   
the best 8to which to  submit abstruse  
theological questions respecting the    
canon1 the  text1 the translation of    
scripture40 ,but do you not apprise us a
  little lower down1 that you1 as       
,unitarians1 do not deny the            
genuineness1 or alter the translation of
 any part of the authorized  version of 
the holy scriptures8 ,why1 then1 there  
is no ground for the  above             
apprehension4 ,as these are not points  

which the tribunal will have  to try1   
why question its competence on their    
account8 ,you are surprised  that ,i    
would 8dispense with calm reflection on 
the evidence adduced40 ,i  am1 in my    
turn1 surprised that you should suppose 
,i have any such  intention4 ,when the  
8evidence adduced0 has been taken down  
and  published1 what is there to prevent
 its being 8calmly0 weighed and         
estimated at its proper value8 ,and then
 it is hard 8to answer off-hand  all    
possible arguments0 advanced4 ,so it is2
 but not harder for you  than for us4   
,here at least we should stand on a     
footing of perfect  equality4 ,it was   
hardly to be expected that you should   
object to  this4    #b4--;,i now come to
 the mistake into which you say ,i have 
fallen1 and  which you offer1           
obligingly1 to correct4 8,we do not1 as 
,unitarians1 deny  the genuineness or   
alter the translation of any part of the
  authorized version of the holy        
scriptures4 ,the ,unitarians have       

neither  canon nor version of their own 
different from those recognized by other
  churches40 ,if this be true ,i        
certainly have been mistaken2 but have  
the  satisfaction of knowing that this  
mistake has been shared by a host of    
abler critics and more learned scholars 
than ,i can pretend to be4 ,i had       
always thought that ,i read of the      
liberties taken with the received text  
by the ,priestleys and ,belshams--the   
,wakefields and ,channings1 when they   
were of opinion that they spoke too     
strongly the language of  ,trinitarians4
 ,i had also understood that the        
,bruces1 the ,drummonds1 and  the       
,armstrongs of ,ireland had performed   
achievements in the same line1  at which
 many not a little wondered4 ,i had     
further imagined that the               
unanswered--because                     
unanswerable--volumes of ,archbishop    
,magee presented  evidence on this      
behalf1 with which few were             
unacquainted4 ,now1 if you  mean to say 

that you1 the ministers and             
representatives of ,liverpool           
,unitarianism have never 8questioned the
 genuineness1 nor altered the           
translation of any part of the          
authorized version10 ,i can understand  
the  assertion1 and willingly take your 
own word for its truth4 ,but if you     
mean to affirm that this has not been   
done1 and to a very prodigious  extent1 
by ,unitarians1 both domestic and       
foreign1 you will excuse me if  ,i      
positively deny the allegation1 as being
 totally without foundation1  and ,i    
refer in proof to the notorious         
lucubrations of the above-named  doctors
 of ,unitarian divinity1 as well as to  
the severe exposures of  their          
semi-infidel tampering with the ,bible  
which they have called  forth4    ,but  
while you do not 8deny the genuineness  
or alter the translation of  any part10 
perhaps you question the inspiration of 
certain portions of  the sacred volume4 
,you will remember that this was one of 

the branches  of evidence that we       
proposed to discuss with you1 and that  
not the  least in importance4 ,why are  
you silent on this head8 ,is it not of  
any  moment1 think ye1 to admit the     
genuineness and confess the             
authenticity of a book or a chapter or a
 verse of scripture1 if you  withhold   
your conviction of its inspiration8 ,is 
it not a fact that you  might hold the  
genuineness of the two first chapters of
 ,st4 ,matthew  and ,st4 ,luke1 and feel
 no disposition to alter the translation
 of a  word1 and1 at the same time1     
boldly deny that they were 8given by    
inspiration of ,god80 ,if ,i am mistaken
 here too1 ,i pray to be set right4  ,if
 not1 then the public will decide upon  
the candour and fairness of  your       
profession to remove the necessity of   
any controversy with you on  the score  
of ,,evidence1 because of your admission
 of the genuineness  and your           
satisfaction with the accuracy of the   
authorized version1  while by an        

expressive but momentous silence1 you   
acknowledge that the  greatest of       
testimonial questions is by you         
disputed1 and you at the  same time     
refuse to come forward boldly1 and      
debate it fairly before the  church4    
,again--8,unitarians have neither canon 
nor version of their own different  from
 those recognised by10 c4 ,you          
anticipate here a reference to 8the     
improved version10 and tell us that 8it 
contains only the private  criticism of 
one or two individuals--that it has     
never been used in your  churches1 and  
is utterly devoid of all authority with 
you40 ,will you  excuse me for          
expressing my doubts of the accuracy of 
this statement1  for these reasons3     
--#a4 ,that work was the joint          
production of some of the  ablest men   
and best scholars that the ,unitarian   
sect has ever been able  to boast of2   
and that the shades of ,belsham1        
,lindsey1 ,jebb1 ,priestley1            
,wakefield1 c41#e might well be         

astonished to hear their learned        
labours so contemptuously spoken of by  
three modern disciples of their  school4
 #b4 ,that1 in the year #ahai1 7the date
 of the edition which ,i  possess17 the 
improved version had gone through no    
fewer than five  editions--a tolerable  
criterion of the extent of its          
circulation in  little more than twenty 
years4 ,how many it may have passed     
through  since1 ,i have been as yet     
unable to ascertain4 #c4 ,that so far   
from its  being 8devoid of all          
authority10 it professes1 in the title  
page1 to  have been 8published by the   
,unitarian ,society for promoting       
,christian  ,knowledge and the practice 
of virtue by the distribution of        
,books40 ,that  it may 8never have been 
used in your churches0 ,i can well      
believe1 as it  is probable that the    
feelings of your people would have      
revolted too  strongly against its      
introduction1 to make the experiment    
advisable3 the  food which it furnishes 

may have proved too coarse even for the 
digestive organs of popular             
,unitarianism itself4 ,it is also       
possible  that the modern professors of 
your theology may be somewhat ashamed of
  this awful specimen of 8rational and  
liberal criticism10 and may  secretly   
wish that it had never seen the light4  
,but the existence of  it1 at least1    
cannot be denied2 and there it stands1 a
 painful memorial  and a living witness1
 of what is 8in the heart0 of a system  
that exalts  reason into a dominion over
 revelation1 and that1 unwarned by the  
solemn admonitions contained in the book
 itself against the presumptuous        
additions or detractions of human pride 
or folly1 has dared  sacrilegiously to  
lay its unhallowed hands on the sacred  
ark1 and to  attempt the mutilation and 
misrepresentation of the great magna    
charta  of the spiritual liberties of   
man4    #c4--;,at the close of your     
letter1 you say1 8,surely you invited   
discussion1  with the class of persons  

called ,unitarians40 ,i again repeat ,i 
did not4  ,i determined to have a course
 of lectures delivered in my church on  
the  points at issue between us and the 
professors of what we call your         
8heresy40 ,and ,i invited the persons   
whom ,i was and am sincerely anxious  to
 benefit1 to come and hear our well     
considered convictions of their  errors 
and their consequent danger1 as well as 
our faithful exhibitions  of what we    
think 8a more excellent way40 ,it will  
not be denied that a  clergyman of any  
denomination1 in a free country1 and    
more especially a  clergyman of the     
national church1 has a right to preach1 
or authorize  others to preach1 in his  
pulpit1 according to his own discretion1
 and  invite whom he pleases to come and
 hear1 without its being understood     
that he challenges either the parties so
 invited1 or their  representatives1 to 
enter with him the lists of             
controversial  discussion4 ,i absolutely
 protest against any such understanding4

 ,i did  not seek to compel the         
attendance of any of your body1 nor yet 
to deny  to you or them1 in reply1 the  
use of the same weapons that ,i had     
employed in the attack4 ,i did mean that
 those who pleased should come  and hear
 us 8tell0 them a gospel which they were
 not told by those  upon whom we looked 
as 8blind leaders of the blind20 and    
that they  should be prepared to 8learn0
 whatever should commend itself to their
  consciences1 under our teaching1 as   
the truth of ,god4 ,we did not1 and do  
not1 expect to be able to bring         
demonstration home to the hearts of any 
by the strength of our arguments1 or by 
the force of our appeals2 but we        
anticipated that1 in answer to our      
earnest prayers1 the power of the  ,holy
 ,ghost would accompany our teaching of 
,his truth1 and make it  effectual to   
the conversion of souls 8from darkness  
to light40 ,we  propose to stand before 
the congregations that might assemble1  
neither  as 8superiors to instruct with 

superhuman authority10 nor as 8equals to
  discuss 7if you mean by that dispute7 
with human and fallible  reasonings20   
but simply as 8ambassadors for ,christ1 
as though ,god did  beseech them by us1 
that we might pray them in ,christ's    
stead--be ye  reconciled to ,god40#f    
,this is the middle position in which we
 stand1  the mean between your two      
extremes2 and by ,god's blessing1 we    
will  continue to occupy it1 until we   
shall have delivered our consciences1   
and discharged our duty to a numerous1  
respectable1 but1 in our  judgment1     
blinded and deluded class of our        
fellow-countrymen4    ,and now1         
gentlemen1 having taken such notice of  
certain allegations in  your letter as  
it seemed impossible to pass by1 and    
with the full  purpose of continuing in 
the course on which ,i have entered1    
until1  through the blessing of ,god1   
the grand object which ,i have proposed 
to  myself shall have been accomplished1
                        ,i remain1      

yours1 for the truth's sake1            
,,fielding ,,ould4      ,february #aa1  
#ahci4    -----    ,footnote #e3        
,see 8,improved ,version10 note on #a   
,john1 i4 #a4    ,footnote #f3      #b  
,cor4 v4 #bj4                           
---------------------               ,to 
the ,revs4 ,j4 ,martineau1 ,j4 ,h4      
,thom1 and ,h4 ,giles4                  
,gentlemen1--,you state1 in your letter 
of the #gth ult41 that 8your  proposal  
of discussion through the press1 though 
made for the third  time1 has as yet    
received no answer40 ,it was thought by 
ourselves and  our clerical brethren1   
that as our lectures were to be printed 
and  published1 every facility was      
afforded you of replying to them through
  the same channel1 and that thus the   
whole subject would be fairly  brought  
before the public4    ,in addition to   
this1 we have offered to meet you in    
oral discussion2 you  decline the       
proposal4    ,anxiously desirous to     
bring the whole matter before this great

  community1 so as to prove that we not 
only entertain no apprehensions as  to  
the result1 but are convinced that1 by  
such an exposition1 great good  will be 
effected1 we1 the undersigned1 on our   
own responsibility1 ,,accept  ,,your    
,,terms of discussing the momentous     
question between us1 in the form  of a  
correspondence in some public journal or
 periodical1 altogether  independent of 
the lectures4                   ,we     
remain1 ,gentlemen1                     
,yours1 for the sake of the ,gospel1    
,,thomas ,,byrth4                       
,,fielding ,,ould4       ,liverpool1    
,february #aa4                          
,,hugh ,m#8,,neile4                     
---------------------                   
,to the ,rev4 ,fielding ,ould4    ,rev4 
,sir1--,the tone of your last letter    
makes us rejoice that1 by the           
acceptance on your parts of discussion  
through the press1 this  correspondence 
may now be brought to a close4    ,let  
us1 ,rev4 ,sir1 place before you your   

own language1 and ask1 in solemn        
sadness1 are the feelings it betrays    
worthy of the occasion1 or deserved  by 
us1 or edifying to the public mind8     
,these are your words3--8,i cannot  but 
hope that a secret consciousness of the 
weakness of your cause has  prompted    
your determination1 and am of opinion1  
that while a discerning  public will    
approve the discretion of your resolve1 
they will not be  slow to appreciate its
 motive1 or the precise measure of your 
zeal for a  candid and impartial        
hearing40 ,sir1 it is not a little      
mournful to find  a ,christian ,minister
 expressing his hope that other men are 
hypocrites1--that they are secretly     
conscious of the weakness of the  cause 
which they publicly defend4 ,to hope    
that we secretly know our  errors1      
whilst publicly preaching them as truth1
 is1 indeed1 strange  preference of     
faith before works4 ,let us assure you1 
,sir1 that if we  could think of you as 
this language shows you think of us1 we 

should  decline all discussion with     
you1--we should regard you as an        
opponent too  discreditable to be       
identified with a great question1 or to 
be  considered as an honourable         
representative of your own party4    ,we
 apprehend1 ,rev4 ,sir1 that nobody but 
yourself would think of  attributing to 
conscious weakness our preference of the
 most perfect and  searching method of  
discussion1 to the most flimsy1         
insufficient1 and  unscholarlike that   
could by possibility be selected4 ,had  
we wished to  catch the ear of a popular
 assembly1 or to turn away attention    
from weak  points by oratorical         
artifices1 we should have proposed this 
platform  controversy1 instead of1 as we
 did1 carefully and purposely wording   
our  invitation and our enumeration of  
the modes in which the controversy      
might be conducted1 so as to exclude the
 idea of oral discussion4    ,we observe
 with sorrow1 and with diminished hope  
of benefit from  controversy1 that you  

can so sink the interests of truth in   
personal  championship1 as to meet our  
solemn unwillingness to entrust the     
gravest  questions to extempore         
dexterity and accidental recollection1  
with the  reply that in this respect we 
should be at least equally situated4    
,doubtless1 ,sir1 if a display of       
personal prowess was our object1 this   
would be conclusive2 but ,,truth is our 
object1 and we dare not offer it  such  
worthless advocacy4    ,with respect to 
the instance alluded to by us1 of a     
decision similar to  our own1 our       
impression had been that reasons also   
similar to our own  were given at the   
time2 and we can only regret1 since this
 impression  seems to be false1 that we 
quoted the case4    ,with regard to the 
8,improved ,version10 we shall only say 
here1 that it  has been raised to an    
importance in this discussion which is  
entirely  factitious4 ,the differences  
between us must be settled upon         
principles  of interpretation and       

criticism recognized by all scholars2   
and if these  principles can be shown1  
in any respects1 to condemn the         
8,improved  ,version10 in those respects
 we shall be the first to abandon it1   
feeling  ourselves to be in nothing     
bound by it4 ,when we said that1 as     
,unitarians1 we had no canon or version 
of our own1 we meant that we  are quite 
willing to accept the text as fixed by  
scholars1 most of them  ,trinitarians1  
on critical principles4 ,we most        
cheerfully recognize the  fundamental   
principles of ,scriptural inquiry1 so   
clearly and soundly  stated yesterday   
evening by ,dr4 ,tattershall2 and       
although agreeing with  many of your    
ablest scholars1 in thinking the        
received translation to  require        
corrections1 and not approving of the   
morality of taking up a  position in    
defence of truth unnecessarily          
unfavourable2 yet1 were our  only object
 to display the ampler and superior     
,scriptural evidence for  ,unitarianism 

than for ,trinitarianism1 the received  
translation would be  quite sufficient  
for our purpose4    ,again reminding you
 that the word 8discussion0 was         
introduced into your  original          
invitation1 which contained also        
reference to the controversial  practice
 of primitive times1 and set forth the  
advantages of 8hearing0  and 8telling0  
together1                   ,we remain1 
,your fellow-labourers and              
fellow-,christians1                     
,,james ,,martineau4                    
,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4      ,feb4    
#ad1 #ahci4                             
,,henry ,,giles4                        
---------------------           ,to the 
,revs4 ,thomas ,byrth1 ,fielding ,ould1 
and ,hugh ,m#8,neile4                   
,gentlemen1--,your willingness to       
discuss the ,unitarian and ,trinitarian 
controversy in the most satisfactory    
mode1 has given us sincere  pleasure2   
and if we have seemed to press this     
matter upon your  acceptance1 we assure 

you it was with the single desire that  
the  statements of both views1 in their 
most accurate and perfect forms1  might 
be presented to the same minds through  
an unbiassing medium2 an  object which  
could be obtained neither by the unequal
 distribution of  separate lectures1 nor
 by means so necessarily imperfect as   
oral  discussion4    ,we shall be happy 
to arrange with you1 at the earliest    
possible period1  the manner and        
conditions of our proposed discussion4  
,we shall be ready to conform ourselves 
to your wishes upon the subject2  but we
 would suggest the desirableness of the 
discussion being entered  on at         
once--partly because attention to it    
might now be secured1 and  partly       
because in the seriousness and number of
 our mutual engagements1  this          
controversy should not be allowed to    
interfere with our other  duties and    
responsibilities longer than is         
necessary4                              
,we are1 ,gentlemen1                    

,yours1 with respect1                   
,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4               
,,james ,,martineau4       ,feb4 #ad1   
#ahci4                      ,,henry     
,,giles4                                
---------------------               ,to 
the ,revs4 ,j4 ,martineau1 ,j4 ,h4      
,thom1 and ,h4 ,giles4                  
,gentlemen1--,i cannot permit our       
correspondence to terminate without a   
few  remarks on your letter1 as         
published in the ,mercury of ,friday    
last4    #a4 ,i regret that the 8tone0  
of my last address should have given you
 any  offence1 while ,i am wholly       
unconscious of any intention            
unnecessarily to  wound the feelings of 
those who1 ,i am free to admit1 have    
hitherto  written at least courteously1 
if not very candidly1 upon the subjects 
which have been recently submitted to   
the attention of the public4 ,allow  me 
distinctly to disclaim any attempt to   
charge you with hypocrisy1 or  make it  
appear that you 8secretly know as errors

 what you publicly  preach as truths40  
,i took occasion merely to express my   
surprise that  persons who seemed so    
anxious for an impartial hearing of     
their defence1  should 8altogether      
decline0 a proposal by which1 as it     
appeared1 and  still appears to me1 that
 object might have been so              
satisfactorily  attained2 and in the    
exercise of a charity that 8hopeth all  
things10 ,i  sought to attribute your   
refusal to a latent and half-formed     
conviction  within you1 that your       
principles1 in whatsoever sincerity     
entertained  and professed1 might not   
bear the light of such an investigation 
as that  to which they would have been  
subjected in a public viv voce          
discussion4 ,where is there any charge  
of hypocrisy here8 ,may not a man  be   
perfectly sincere in the maintenance of 
an opinion1 which he would  nevertheless
 be very unwilling to defend in oral    
debate1 from a proper  apprehension of  
the force of argument with which it     

might be  encountered1 and a secret     
consciousness of his own slender        
materials for  its support8 ,be assured 
it is not necessary for us to brand you 
with  hypocrisy1 in order to convict you
 of heresy4 ,we are willing to give  you
 every credit for honesty of intention  
and integrity of purpose1  while we     
cannot but suspect that you are fully   
aware of the difficulty  of maintaining 
the principles of ,unitarianism on the  
ground of an  unmutilated and           
8unimproved0 ,bible4    ,were ,i equally
 disposed with you to take offence1 ,i  
too might inquire1  8in solemn sadness1 
whether it be deserved by us1 or        
edifying to the  public mind10 that you 
should more than insinuate1 though of   
course in  very polished phrases1 that  
8we have proposed a platform            
controversy1 in  order to catch the ear 
of a popular assembly1 and to turn away 
attention  from weak points by          
oratorical artifices40 ,is this your    
opinion of us8  ,if we thought so1 8we  

should decline all discussion with you  
as  opponents too discreditable to be   
identified with a great question1 or  to
 be considered as honourable            
representatives of your own party40 ,but
  we are not offended4 ,we look upon    
your language as simply intended to     
convey an admission that your system is 
unpopular2 one that1 from its  cold1 and
 cheerless1 and unimpassioned character1
 would seek in vain to  enlist on its   
behalf any measure of popular sympathy1 
or conciliate any  favour unless from   
those whom it had imbued with its own   
proud spirit1  and accustomed to the low
 temperature of its own frigid zone4    
#b4 ,but1 gentlemen1 while ,i cheerfully
 receive the admonition on the  8tone0  
of my address which your letter does    
contain1 ,i have to  complain respecting
 the answer to a very simple question ,i
 had proposed1  which your letter does  
not contain4 ,as ,i am unwilling to     
incur the  hazard of again offending1 ,i
 will forbear from more than hinting at 

the  semblance of rhetorical dexterity  
that appears in your perhaps  undesigned
 turning away of attention from the     
,,principal ,,point which ,i  had       
submitted for your consideration1 in    
order to fasten upon me a  groundless   
charge1 and so challenge public sympathy
 in your favour1 as  men branded with   
the character of hypocrites1 and        
secretly cognizant of  errors which were
 openly preached as truths4 ,we proposed
 to discuss with  you 8the evidence of  
the genuineness1 authenticity1 and      
inspiration of  the holy scriptures40   
,you replied that you do not 8deny the  
genuineness0 and seek not 8to alter the 
translation of any part of  the         
authorized version10 which you prefer to
 the abandoned version of  ,mr4 ,belsham
 and his associates4 ,you were silent1  
however1 about the  ,,inspiration4 ,i   
ventured to inquire whether ,i was      
mistaken in supposing  you denied the   
plenary inspiration of the authorized   
version8 ,my words  were1 8,if ,i am    

mistaken here too1 ,i pray to be set    
right40 ,in your  letter now before me  
there is not a word upon the subject2 no
 answer to  my all-important inquiry4   
,there is a little further disparagement
 of the  8improved version10 which1 we  
are told1 has been raised into a        
8factitious importance in this          
controversy20 you will be the first to  
8abandon it10 if it should be condemned 
by the ordinary principles of  critical 
interpretation--so far so good4 ,but    
what of the ,,inspiration8 ,are  you    
either afraid or ashamed to speak out   
what you think on this  subject8 ,i     
would not that you should be offended at
 the 8tone0 of my  interrogations2 but  
again ,i must ask1 what are your        
opinions upon the  quality and extent of
 scripture inspiration8 ,the public are 
anxiously expecting an answer to this   
solemn query1 and our present           
correspondence cannot close until it is 
answered4 ,the way will then be  clear  
for our approaching discussion through  

the press2 we shall then  understand    
each other1 and shall have reconnoitred 
and appreciated the  character of the   
field upon which we are to take up our  
respective  positions4 ,you say that    
8truth is your object10 and not         
8personal  championship40 ,well1 then1  
let us have the truth upon ,unitarian   
views  of ,,scriptural ,,inspiration4   
,all other argument can be only an      
unmeaning  play of words until this     
point is settled4    ,we are rejoiced to
 learn that you are satisfied with 8the 
authorized  version10 and 8the received 
translation10 for the purposes of our   
present inquiry2 and when you shall     
satisfy us that you admit the full      
inspiration of all and every part of    
that volume1 we shall be in a  condition
 to inquire whether it presents 8ampler 
and superior ,scriptural  evidence for  
,unitarianism than for ,trinitarianism40
 ,we remember that ,mr4  ,belsham1 in   
his ,review of ,mr4 ,wilberforce's      
,treatise1 has said1 speaking  of the   

texts usually quoted by ,trinitarians in
 proof of the proper deity  of ,christ1 
that 8,unitarians pledge themselves to  
show that they are  all either          
interpolated1 corrupted1 or             
misunderstood40--,review1  pp4 #bgj1    
#bgb4 ,they engage to get clearly rid of
 them altogether4 ,you1  it would       
appear1 have given up the interpolations
 and corruptions2  the                  
misunderstandings1 we presume1 still    
remain chargeable against us2  but      
whether on the ground of ignorance1 or  
of mistaken confidence in  the          
inspiration of the texts in question1 we
 have yet to be informed4    ,you will  
pardon my anxiety for an answer upon    
this head1 bearing in mind  that we     
regard it as opening wide a door for the
 introduction of  infidelity1 so to give
 up any portion of the sacred volume as 
being  not of inspired authority1 as to 
render it doubtful whether any  portion 
does possess that authority1 and thus   
entirely neutralize the  effect of      

,god's message of mercy to the minds and
 hearts of men4                   ,i    
remain1 ,gentlemen1                     
,yours1 for the sake of the ,gospel1    
,february #ah1 #ahci4                   
,,fielding ,,ould4                      
---------------------                   
,to the ,rev4 ,fielding ,ould4          
,reverend ,sir1--,you proposed 7in your 
letter of the #eth ,february7 a  certain
 series of subjects as proper topics for
 the discussion between  us1 and        
submitted the list to our notice for    
acceptance or rejection4  ,from this    
enumeration we struck out two           
particulars1 viz41 the  authenticity of 
certain parts of the ,new ,testament    
writings1 on the  ground that we did not
 deny your postulates under that head2  
and the  translation of certain other   
parts of the ,scriptures1 on the grounds
  that1 with yourself1 we prefer1 on the
 whole1 the authorized version to  all  
others2 that we would not be responsible
 for any new rendering  proposed in the 

,improved ,version2 and that1 as we have
 nothing so absurd  as a system of      
translation capable of systematic       
treatment1 any  special instances1 in   
which we may think the common           
translation  inaccurate1 had better be  
discussed in connection with the        
theological  doctrines affected by the  
texts in question4    ,these subjects   
being excluded from the list1 the rest1 
comprising the  question of inspiration1
 and the doctrines of your theology1 of 
course stand over for discussion4 ,we   
said nothing of these1 because we  had  
no exception to take against them4 ,as  
our notice of the others was  to effect 
their removal1 our 8silence0 about these
 was to secure their  admission4    ,the
 plenary inspiration of the ,scriptures1
 or1 if you really prefer it1  7as your 
phraseology seems to imply17 8the       
plenary inspiration of the  authorized  
version0 remains then as an essential   
part of our  approaching controversy4   
,why you should complain that we do not 

step  aside with you individually1 to   
render you an account of our belief in  
this matter1 we cannot divine1 unless   
you think that1 by tempting us  into    
your confessional by appeals to our     
conscience1 you could impose  upon the  
8heretics0 your penance at discretion4  
,if it should be1 that  this subject is 
likely to be committed to your hands in 
this  controversy1 and you are merely   
anxious to know betimes what precisely  
are the positions which you may be      
called upon to meet1 a private          
communication of your wish would be     
sufficient4 ,the second lecture of  our 
series will be speedily published1 and  
will furnish the information  which you 
desire4    ,we are sorry that you       
discover any want of 8candour0 in our   
last letter2  and surprised that1 this  
being the case1 you can esteem it       
8courteous40  ,we regard a violation of 
8candour0 as the greatest outrage upon  
8courtesy20 and despise1 above all      
things1 the hollow and superficial      

manners1 which are empty of all         
guileless affections and ,christian     
sentiments4 ,in saying that you charged 
us with hypocrisy1 we committed  no     
breach of candour1 but only the mistake1
 which we are now happy to  correct1 of 
supposing that your language faithfully 
represented your  meaning4 ,that you did
 not think of the word 8hypocrite0 when 
you wrote  to us1 we cheerfully believe2
 but that you thought of us as doing    
that  which makes a hypocrite1 your own 
explanation renders more evident than   
it was before4 ,you attribute to us 8a  
latent and half-formed  conviction10    
that 8our principles might not bear the 
light of  investigation10 and 8a        
consciousness0 of 8the difficulty of    
maintaining  them40 ,now there can be no
 8difficulty10 where the tribunal is    
wisely  chosen1 in maintaining any set  
of opinions1 except from the superior   
force of the antagonist considerations2 
there can be no 8consciousness0  of such
 8difficulty10 except from consciousness

 of this opposing  superiority2--to be  
conscious of a preponderant evidence in 
favour of any  system1 is at heart to   
believe it2 and he who believes one     
system1 and  publicly upholds another1  
is1 as we interpret the word1 a         
hypocrite4  ,we perceive1 however1 that 
you made this charge without precisely  
meaning it2 and we think no more of it4 
,we disclaim any intention of hinting   
that you 8proposed a platform           
controversy1 in order to catch the ear  
of a popular assembly1 and to  turn away
 attention from weak points by          
oratorical artifices40 ,we simply       
affirmed1 that oral discussion would    
have afforded a better refuge for  our  
imputed 8weakness0 than the press4 ,but 
surely it does not follow  that1 because
 the consciously weak might prefer such 
a method1 therefore  all who prefer it  
must be consciously weak4 ,it would1    
indeed1 be a  strange mistake of all the
 symptoms by which the characters of men
 can  be known1 if we attributed to you 

any suspicion that you could be         
mistaken4 ,you are quite aware that your
 earnestness appears to us  perfectly   
sincere1 and even to transgress the     
bounds of a modest  confidence4         
,we remain1 ,reverend ,sir1             
,yours1 with ,christian regard1         
,,henry ,,giles4                        
,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4               
,february #ba1 #ahci4                   
,,james ,,martineau4                    
---------------------               ,to 
the ,revs4 ,j4 ,martineau1 ,j4 ,h4      
,thom1 and ,h4 ,giles4                  
,gentlemen1--,before we proceed with our
 proposed discussion1 it is  necessary  
to determine1 with a little more of     
accuracy than has been  hitherto stated1
 what our controversy is to be about4   
,we thought that you1 in common with    
,unitarians generally1 acknowledged  the
 ,scriptures of the ,new ,testament1 as 
contained in what is commonly  called   
8,the ,unitarian or ,improved ,version10
 to be inspired of ,god1 and            

consequently of infallible truth4       
,this however you1 as individuals1 have 
disclaimed2 and1 therefore1 we  are     
compelled to ask what you do acknowledge
 ,,inspired ,,revelation8    ,is our    
discussion to be1    #a4 ,upon the      
meaning of a mutually-acknowledged      
standard of truth8 ,or1    #b4 ,upon the
 question1 ,is there any such standard8 
,and if so1 what is it8    ,we affirm   
the inspiration by ,god of the ,holy    
,scriptures1 as contained in  our       
authorized canon1 and are willing to    
refer every question for  decision to   
their ascertained meaning4    ,do you   
agree in this8    ,our standard being   
known1 it is a matter of obvious        
fairness that we  should ask to have    
yours stated4    ,either you admit the  
divine inspiration1 and consequent      
infallible  truth1 of the ,bible1 or you
 do not4    ,or1 you so admit a part1   
and reject a part4 ,you will be so good 
as to  state clearly how this matter    
stands4    ,are you believers in a      

,,written and ,,infallibly-,,accurate   
,,revelation from  ,god to man8    ,if  
so1 what is that ,revelation8    ,if you
 admit only parts of our ,bible as      
inspired1 you will oblige us  by stating
 what parts4    ,the character of the   
discussion must obviously depend upon   
this3 is it  to be a discussion upon    
,,evidence or upon ,,interpretation8 ,it
 would be  manifestly a waste of time in
 us to enter upon the interpretation of 
what you might afterwards get rid of1   
7so far1 at least1 as you are           
concerned17 by declaring it only the    
opinion of a fallible man4              
,we remain1 ,gentlemen1                 
,yours1 for the sake of truth1          
,,hugh ,m#8,,neile1                     
,,fielding ,,ould1       ,march #dth1   
#ahci4                                  
,,thomas ,,byrth4                       
---------------------                   
,to the ,revs4 ,h4 ,m#8,neile1 ,f4      
,ould1 and ,t4 ,byrth4                  
,gentlemen1--,you ask us1 ,is our       

discussion to be1    #a4 8,upon the     
meaning of a mutually-acknowledged      
standard of ,,truth80 ,or1    #b4 8,upon
 the question1 ,is there any such       
standard8 ,and if so1 what is  it80     
,we answer1 distinctly1 that our        
controversy is upon the meaning1        
ascertained by ,,interpretation1 of the 
,hebrew and ,greek ,scriptures4  ,should
 any questions of criticism arise       
respecting what is the text to  be      
interpreted1 these must1 of course1 be  
argued separately1 upon purely  critical
 grounds4    ,we conceive that the real 
controversy between us respects the     
nature of  ,christianity itself2--you   
holding the ,revelation to consist in   
doctrines  deducible from the written   
words2 we holding the ,revelation to be 
expressed in the character and person of
 ,jesus ,christ1 and to be  conveyed to 
us through a faithful and authentic     
record4 ,which of these  two ideas is   
,scriptural8--that is our controversy4  
,of course1 8the standard0 by which we  

must test 8the truth0 of these  ideas is
 the ,new ,testament1 and the ,hebrew   
,scriptures1 so far as they  throw light
 on its contents4 ,whichever view of    
,christianity is supported  by the      
meaning of this standard1 is the true   
one4 ,the method of  ascertaining the   
meaning of any writings is the same1    
whether those  writings are of natural  
or supernatural origin2 so that the     
process of  interpretation may go on1   
undisturbed by any reference to the     
theory of  verbal inspiration4 ,the     
admission of an 8infallible truth0 in   
the ,bible  7which1 however1 is known   
with certainty only to ,god2 for you1   
after  admitting it1 are disputing with 
heretics of your own communion what it  
is71 cannot alter1 in any respect1 the  
true grounds of our controversy4  ,it is
 a controversy of interpretation1 and no
 theory of verbal  inspiration can make 
it anything else4    ,this theory1      
however1 we conceive to be altogether   
fallacious1 both in  its principles and 

its results2 and if you wish to make it 
the subject  of our controversy1 we have
 no objection4 ,we leave it to your     
choice1  whether we are to discuss the  
theory of verbal inspiration1 or whether
  we are to discuss the meaning of the  
original ,scriptures1 as ascertained  by
 the acknowledged principles of         
interpretation4    ,we confess to not a 
little surprise that three clergymen1   
coming forward  to discuss              
,unitarianism1 should be found to       
express themselves so  inaccurately1 or 
from such defective information1 as to  
speak of 8the  ,unitarian or ,improved  
,version10 and to represent the work1   
thus falsely  described1 as acknowledged
 by ,unitarians generally to contain the
 ,new  ,testament as inspired by ,god4  
,the theory of verbal inspiration1 which
 we  deny altogether1 we are not likely 
to claim in favour of a ,unitarian      
translator4 ,we have repeatedly stated1 
that the 8,improved ,version10 is  not  
the 8,unitarian ,version20 nor is it    

8commonly0 so 8called40 ,and now  we    
say1 once more1 that our controversy is 
not about the ,improved  ,version1 but  
about the ,greek ,testament4    ,when   
you accepted our invitation1 with its   
terms1 it was understood that  all the  
preliminaries of our controversy were to
 be arranged by mutual  agreement4 ,you 
were aware1 and we have in our letters  
distinctly stated1  that the theory of  
verbal inspiration stood as a part of   
that  controversy2 you knew1 also1 that 
in a few days a distinct statement of   
our opinions upon the nature of the     
,bible1 in the form of a printed        
lecture1 would be before the public4 ,we
 therefore look upon your letter1  in   
the ,courier of ,wednesday last1 as     
altogether unnecessary2 and we  answer1 
thus publicly1 what ought to have been  
matter of private  communication1 only  
because we are resolved not to allow any
  informalities1 on your parts1 to      
prevent our coming to a public          
discussion of our respective views of   

,christianity4                          
,we are1 ,gentlemen1                    
,yours respectfully1                    
,,james ,,martineau4                    
,,john ,h4 ,,thom4      ,march #aa1     
#ahci4                          ,,henry 
,,giles4                                
---------------------               ,to 
the ,revs4 ,j4 ,martineau1 ,j4 ,h4      
,thom1 and ,h4 ,giles4                  
,gentlemen1--,in our last letter we gave
 up the 8,improved ,version10 so far  as
 you1 as individuals1 are concerned1    
because1 as individuals1 you  disclaimed
 it4 ,we are surprised1 therefore1 that 
you should revert to  it1 and the more  
so1 because you have now ventured to    
say1 not only that  you disclaim it1 but
 also1 in the face of known facts1 that 
it is not  8the ,unitarian version10 nor
 is it 8commonly so called40 ,when you  
disclaimed it for yourselves1 we did not
 demur4 ,but when you go on to  disclaim
 it for the ,unitarian body1 7for which1
 by the way1 you have  no authority17 we

 strenuously deny your assertion1 and   
call in evidence  the language of all   
the best writers upon the controversy4  
,you have misstated our question4 ,we   
did not ask1 8,is our discussion to  be 
upon the meaning of a                   
mutually-acknowledged standard of       
,scripture80  ,we did ask1 8,is it to be
 upon the meaning of a                  
mutually-acknowledged  standard of      
truth80 ,we receive the ,scripture as a 
standard of truth4  ,the substitution of
 the one word for the other1 in this    
question1 has  mystified your whole     
letter4    ,we collect1 however1 from   
your letter1 and from ,mr4 ,martineau's 
sermon1  to which you refer us1 7and    
which we consequently conclude contains 
the  sentiments of you all17    #a4     
,that you do not believe in a written   
and infallibly-accurate  ,revelation    
from ,god to man4    #b4 ,that ,paul the
 apostle may have 8reasoned             
inaccurately10 and  8speculated         
falsely40#g    #c4 ,and that1           

consequently1 you feel yourselves at    
liberty to judge his  statements 7and   
all the statements of ,scripture7 as you
 do those of any  other books4    ,you  
seem to think that this is of little    
consequence1 and say that 8the  process 
of interpretation may go on1 undisturbed
 by any reference to the  theory of     
verbal inspiration40    ,we reply that  
such a process can lead to nothing but  
waste of time4 ,for  when we shall have 
proved some great truth1 or condemned   
some fatal  error1 upon the authority of
 ,paul1 or some other inspired writer1  
you  have kept an open door for         
yourselves to escape from the whole     
force of  our demonstration1 by saying  
that1 in the words on which we rely1 the
  sacred writers 8reasoned              
inaccurately10 or 8speculated           
falsely10--while1 if any passages in    
those writers seem to favour your       
views1 you have adroitly retained the   
privilege of ascribing to them a  sort  
of inspiration4#h    ,no1 gentlemen1 we 

are not to be deceived so1 into an      
attempt to fix the  chameleon's colour4 
,if the apostles may 8reason            
inaccurately10 and  8speculate falsely20
 if the inspiration under which they    
wrote did not  infallibly preserve them 
from error1 then there is no standard of
 truth  upon earth4 ,of what avail is   
it1 then1 to refer to the ,greek        
,testament1 or the ,hebrew ,scriptures8 
,the ,scripture1 instead of being  7what
 ,david called it1 speaking as he was   
moved by the ,holy ,ghost7 8a  lamp unto
 our feet1 and a light unto our path10  
degenerates into a  mixture of light and
 darkness1 which we dare not implicitly 
follow1 but  of which we must judge by  
some superior light in ourselves4    ,we
 observe1 further1 that1 according to   
the light that is in you1  historical   
proof of miracles having been wrought in
 attestation of what  the writers of    
,scripture say1 would ,,not be proof    
against inaccuracy in  their reasonings1
 or falsehood in their speculations4    

,this notable conclusion you come to1 by
 elevating nature into the  miraculous1 
and thus depressing the miraculous into 
the natural2 since  you say that the    
whole force of the impression made by   
proofs from  miracles arises from a     
8,,supposed contrast0 between miracle   
and  nature4#i    ,you have thus        
advanced a step beyond common ,deism1   
and rendered  yourselves inaccessible   
even by miracles4 ,this is conclusive1  
and  demands the serious attention of   
all who have hitherto been disposed to  
receive instruction from you4 ,we       
confess that we can go no further6 for1 
if there be only a supposed contrast    
between miracles and nature1 we  cannot 
prove the attesting interposition of    
,god on behalf of the  statements of    
,scripture1 and must give up as         
worthless the appeal which  ,jesus makes
 to his miracles1 in answer to the      
inquiry of ,john's  disciples3 8,go10   
said he1 8and show ,john again those    
things which ye  do see and hear2 the   

blind receive their sight1 and the lame 
walk1 the  lepers are cleansed1 and the 
deaf hear1 the dead are raised up1 and  
the  poor have the ,gospel preached to  
them40--,luke vii1 #bb4 ,upon your      
principles1 gentlemen1 this appeal is   
worthless2 for even if the  wonderful   
things here stated be established as    
historical facts1 still  they contain no
 proof1 because between these wonders   
and the course of  nature there is only 
8a supposed contrast40    ,thus then1 by
 your avowal1 that even miracles cannot 
prove inspiration1  you are left in     
undisputed possession of the field of   
infidelity4 ,we  have no common property
 of reason with you1 and without        
determining  whether men who reject the 
evidence of miracles are of an order of 
beings above or below ourselves1 we feel
 that discussion with them is           
impracticable4    ,while1 therefore1 we 
shall continue to use all lawful methods
 of  argument and persuasion1 in the    
hope of being useful to those who1      

though called ,unitarians1 are not so   
entirely separated from our common      
humanity as you seem to be1 we have no  
hesitation in saying that1 with  regard 
to yourselves as individuals1 there     
appears to be a more  insurmountable    
obstacle in the way of discussion than  
would be offered  by ignorance of one   
another's language2 because the want of 
a common  medium of language could be   
supplied by an interpreter1 but the want
 of  a common medium of reason cannot be
 supplied at all4                       
,we remain1 ,gentlemen1 yours           
respectfully1                           
,,hugh ,m#8,,neile4                     
,,fielding ,,ould4       ,march #ahth1  
#ahci4                                  
,,thomas ,,byrth4    -----    ,footnote 
#g3      ,to grant that ,paul reasons1  
and be startled at the idea that he may 
reason incorrectly--to admit that he    
speculates1 and yet be shocked at    the
 surmise that he may speculate          
falsely1--to praise his skill in        

illustration1 yet shrink in horror when 
something less apposite is    pointed   
out1--is an obvious inconsistency4 ,the 
human understanding    cannot perform   
its functions without taking its share  
of the chances    of error2 nor can a   
critic of its productions have any      
perception of    their truth and        
excellence1 without conceding the       
possibility of    fallacies and faults4 
,we must give up our admiration of the  
apostles    as men1 if we are to listen 
to them always as oracles of            
,god4--,martineau's ,sermon1 pp4 #cd1   
#ce4    ,footnote #h3      ,i believe   
,st4 ,matthew to have been inspired2 but
 ,i do not believe    him to have been  
infallible4--,sermon1 p4 #bg4           
,footnote #i3      ,all peculiar        
consecration of miracle is obtained by a
 precisely    proportioned desecration  
of nature2 it is out of a supposed      
contrast    between the two1 that the   
whole force of the impression           
arises4--,sermon1 p4 #bd4               

---------------------                   
,to the ,revs4 ,h4 ,m#8,neile1 ,f4      
,ould1 and ,t4 ,byrth4                  
,gentlemen1--,we regret the misstatement
 of your question1 which appeared  at   
the commencement of our letter of the   
#acth instant4 ,we regret still  more   
that it did not occur to you to         
attribute it to its real cause1--the    
carelessness of a printer or            
transcriber4 ,in the autograph          
manuscript  which remains in our hands1 
your question is correctly stated       
thus--8,is  our discussion to be upon a 
mutually-acknowledged standard of       
truth80  ,how the word 8truth0 became   
changed into 8scripture10 we cannot     
tell2  and not having read our letter   
after it was in print1 we were unaware  
of  the mistake until you pointed it    
out4 ,whatever 8mystification0 it       
introduced1 you will consider as now    
removed4    ,your letter announces your 
retirement from the promised            
controversy4  ,knowing that in taking   

this step you could not put yourselves  
in the  right1 it is only natural       
perhaps that you should resolve to set  
your  opponents in the wrong1 and to    
cover your own retreat by throwing scorn
  on their religious character4         
,theology appears in this instance to   
have  borrowed a hint from the 8laws of 
honour20 and as in the world a  8passage
 of arms0 is sometimes evaded1 under the
 pretence that the  antagonist is too   
little of a gentleman1 so in the church 
a polemical  collision may be declined1 
because the opponent is too little of a 
believer4    ,you refuse to fulfil your 
pledge to the public and ourselves on   
two  grounds3--    ,i4 ,because we do   
not acknowledge the plenary inspiration 
of the  ,scriptures4    ,,ii4 ,because  
we think it impossible to infer from    
miracles the mental  infallibility of   
the performer4 ,it is of no use1 you    
say1 to argue about  divine truth with  
those who do not believe in 8a written  
and infallibly  accurate revelation from

 ,god to man40    ,we will concede1 for 
the moment1 and under protest1 your     
narrow meaning  of the words            
8inspiration0 and 8revelation20 and     
without disturbing your  usage of them1 
we submit that the reasons advanced by  
you afford not  even a plausible pretext
 for having violated your pledge4       
,first1 as to  the plea that we are put 
out of the controversy by our unexpected
 denial  of the intellectual            
infallibility of the sacred writers2 and
 that to  argue about the meaning of the
 ,bible is a waste of time1 till its    
verbal  inspiration is established4 ,we 
reply1--    ,i4 ,that it was you        
yourselves who started this very        
question of  inspiration for argument   
between us4 ,in his letter of ,february 
#ahth1 ,mr4  ,ould gives this account of
 our projected controversy3 8,we        
proposed to  discuss with you the       
,,evidence of the genuineness1          
authenticity1 and  ,,inspiration ,,of   
,,the ,,holy ,,scriptures20 he taunts us

 with reluctance to  take up this       
8greatest of testimonial questions10    
with 8refusing to come  forward boldly1 
and debate it fairly before the         
church40#aj ,we have  come forward      
boldly1 and this is now the alleged     
reason why there is to  be no debate at 
all before the church4 ,moreover1 at the
 time when you  said 8we accept your    
terms10 you regarded us as holding the  
very  opinions which are now made the   
excuse for a retreat2 in your first     
lecture they are made a chief ground of 
indictment against us1 and pages  are   
crowded with citations from ,unitarian  
writers1 expressing those same          
sentiments1 which1 when avowed by your  
own opponents1 are to make them  unfit  
to be addressed1 and to exempt you from 
the duty of reply4 ,of the  spirit of   
this proceeding1 observers of honourable
 mind must judge2  they1 as well as you1
 are well aware1 that to pronounce men  
unworthy of  attack1 is itself an attack
 of the last degree of bitterness4      

,,ii4 ,your refusal to settle with us   
the meaning of ,scripture till the      
plenary inspiration is acknowledged1 is 
in plain contradiction to your  own     
principles4 ,you fix the imputation of  
deception on our statement1  that 8the  
process of interpretation may go on     
undisturbed by any  reference to the    
theory of verbal inspiration40 ,yet is  
this only a  repetition of what ,mr4    
,byrth himself says1 8,in whatever light
 the  ,christian ,scriptures are        
regarded1 whether as the result of      
plenary  inspiration1 as we             
,trinitarians believe1 or as the        
uninspired  productions of the first    
teachers of ,christianity1 or even as   
the  forgeries of imposture1 the meaning
 of their contents is a question  apart 
from all others40#aa    ,dr4            
,tattershall1 in common with all sound  
divines1 makes it the first  step of    
scriptural inquiry to 8examine the      
contents0 of the books under  the       
guidance of the following principle3    

that 8any message coming from  ,god must
 be consistent with the character of the
 same holy being1 as  exhibited in his  
works10 and must have 8consistency with 
itself30#ab  and he justly states1 that 
whether we ought to take the last step1 
of  admitting the divine authority of   
the doctrines1 must still be  contingent
 on those doctrines1 8being themselves  
wise and  holy10--8lessons worthy of    
,god40#ac ,these principles are         
violated1  unless our investigation into
 your doctrines is taken in the         
following  order3--    ,i4 ,are your    
doctrines true to the sense of          
,scripture8 ,if not1 the  controversy   
ends here2 if they are1 then1    ,,ii4  
,are they self-consistent2 reconcilable 
with the teachings of ,god's  works1    
pure and holy8 ,if not1 the controversy 
ends here2 if they  are1 then1    ,,iii4
 ,do they come to us clothed with divine
 authority1 and conveyed in  the        
language of plenary inspiration8        
,your system1 then1 must establish its  

existence in the ,bible 7which is  a    
matter of interpretation71 and its      
credibility in itself 7which we  presume
 there must be some criterion to        
determine71 before the  question of     
inspiration is capable of being         
discussed4 ,we deny both  these         
preliminaries2 protesting that we cannot
 find your system in the  ,scriptures2  
and that if we could1 it appears to us  
so far from  8self-consistent10 8wise   
and holy10 and 8worthy of ,god10 as     
exceedingly  to embarrass the claims to 
divine authority1 of any writings which 
contain it4 ,it was then in implicit    
obedience to your own rules that we     
proposed to let the question of         
interpretation take the lead2 and no    
less so1 that we presume to form a      
judgment respecting the internal        
character of doctrines professing to be 
scriptural4 ,permit us to ask  how1 but 
by some 8light in ourselves10 we are to 
determine whether  doctrines are 8wise  
and holy10 8self-consistent10 and       

8worthy of ,god80    ,secondly4 ,you    
plead that we have forfeited our claim  
on the fulfilment  of your engagement1  
by a statement of opinion in our second 
lecture1 to  this effect3 that miracles 
do not enable us to infer the           
intellectual  infallibility of the      
performer4 ,this1 it seems1 is an       
unexpected heresy1  and cancels all     
promises4 ,you appear to be affected by 
the ,popish  tendencies of the age2 and 
to have adopted the notion1 that no     
faith is  to be kept with heretics4 ,on 
this point we remark as follows3--      
#ast4 ,we are astonished at your        
assertion1 that this idea about miracles
  deprives us of any 8common medium of  
reason0 with you4 ,did you not  8propose
 to discuss with us0 the 8evidence of   
the plenary inspiration of  the holy    
,scriptures10 under the persuasion that 
we should take the  negative side8 ,in  
such discussion1 would you not have     
argued from the  miracles to the        
inspiration8 ,and how did you suppose   

that we should  reply8 ,you were well   
aware that we should admit the miracles2
 and  equally well aware that we should 
deny the plenary inspiration of  those  
that wrought them4 ,it cannot be        
supposed that1 at this point1 you  would
 have had no more to say2 but you would 
have proceeded1 as many  able writers   
have already done1 to seek some 8common 
medium of  reason10--some               
considerations1 that is1 having force   
with both parties2  by which you might  
hope to fasten the disputed connection  
between your  premises and your         
conclusion4    #bnd4 ,we are still more 
astonished to hear that this sentiment  
puts us 8a  step beyond common ,deism10 
8in undisputed possession of the field  
of  infidelity10 and even in 8separation
 from our common humanity20 seeing  that
 the opinion has been held by           
,,bishop ,,sherlock3--,who says1        
8,miracles cannot prove the truth of any
  doctrine2 and men do not speak        
accurately when they say the doctrines  

are proved by the miracles2 for1 in     
truth1 there is no connection  between  
miracles and doctrines40#ad    ,,john   
,,locke3--8,even in those books which   
have the greatest proof of  ,revelation 
from ,god1 and the attestation of       
miracles to confirm their  being so1 the
 miracles are to be judged by the       
doctrine1 not the  doctrine by the      
miracles40#ae    ,,dr4 ,,samuel         
,,clarke3--8,we can hardly affirm1 with 
any certainty1 that any  particular     
effect1 how great or miraculous soever  
it may seem to us1 is  beyond the power 
of all created beings 7whom he explains 
further to be1  #8subordinate           
intelligences1 good or evil angels1'7 in
 the universe  to produce40 ,he believes
 the ,devil to 8be able1 by reason of   
his  invisibility1 to work true and real
 miracles20 and 8whether such  7i4e4    
miraculous7 interposition be the        
immediate work of ,god1 or of  some good
 or evil angel1 can hardly be discovered
 merely by the work  itself40    ,he    

accordingly lays down the conditions    
under which the miracles will  prove the
 doctrine4#af    ,,bishop               
,,fleetwood3--8,spirits may perform most
 strange and astonishing  things1--may  
convey men through the air1 or throw a  
mountain two miles at  a cast40#ag      
,the notions expressed by the last two  
writers1 respecting the superhuman      
agency of good and evil spirits1        
evidently destroy1 no less than the     
more philosophical principle of         
,sherlock and ,locke1 all power of      
reasoning from miracles1 as such1 to the
 divine authority and  inspiration of   
the performers4 ,you cannot be ignorant 
of the fact1 that  these notions        
prevailed among all the ,fathers of both
 the ,greek and  ,latin churches2 that  
they were almost universal among        
,christians till  very recent times2 and
 that your own church lodges with the   
,bishop of  the ,diocese a discretionary
 power to license clergymen to cast out 
devils4#ah    ,nor need we remind you   

that1 by yet another process of thought1
 the  ,society of ,friends assigns to   
miracles the rank which you think so    
profane4 8,we know10 says ,barclay on   
this subject1 8that the devil can  form 
a sound of words1 and convey it to the  
outward ear2 that he can  easily deceive
 the outward senses1 by making things   
appear which are  not4 ,yea1 do we not  
see that the ,jugglers and ,mountebanks 
can do as much  as all that1 by their   
legerdemain8 ,god forbid then that the  
saint's  faith should be founded on so  
fallacious a foundation as man's outward
  and fallible senses40#ai ,and he      
urges1 8that there must be other ways   
of ascertaining divine truth2 for as to 
miracles1 ,john the ,baptist and  divers
 of the ,prophets wrought none that we  
hear of1 and yet were both  immediately 
and extraordinarily sent40#bj ,by       
different modes of  thinking1 all these 
7,christians87 have arrived at the      
sentiment in  question1 so that we      
occupy 8the field of infidelity10       

without being  8separated from0 at least
 a goodly portion of 8our humanity40    
,that this  sentiment should be of so   
deep a dye of ,deism is the more        
remarkable1  because it is advanced and 
vindicated as a scriptural sentiment1--a
  plea which1 however foolish1 can be   
shown to be so1 only by discussing  the 
interpretation of the ,new ,testament4  
,you have proposed no  explanation of   
the state of the ,apostles' minds before
 the day of  ,pentecost4 ,on that day   
they either did1 or they did not1 become
 more  enlightened than before4 ,if they
 did not1 the gift of the ,holy ,spirit 
conferred no illumination2 if they did1 
they were deficient in light  before2   
and the miraculous powers they had      
possessed and exercised did  not imply  
infallibility4 ,we thought1 indeed1 that
 the comparative  narrowness of their   
views before this period had been       
universally  admitted4 ,with respect to 
the appeal which in the presence of the 
,baptist's disciples our ,lord makes to 

his miraculous acts1 you are quite      
aware that we do not regard it as       
8worthless10 though you say we  8must0  
do so4 ,these acts 7the climax of which1
 however1 was no  miracle at all1--8the 
poor have the ,gospel preached to       
them107 fully  answered the purpose for 
which they were appealed to1 viz41 to   
determine whether ,jesus was 8,he that  
should come10 or whether ,john was  8to 
look for another20 for as ,bishop       
,sherlock remarks though miracles  may  
not 7he says 8cannot7 prove the truth of
 any doctrine10 they  8prove the        
commission of the person who does them  
to proceed from  ,god40#ba ,we repeat1  
then1 that we have started no topic     
which you did  not invite2 we have taken
 up no method of discussion which your  
own  rules did not prescribe2 we have   
advanced no idea for which your own     
,church should be unprepared4 ,you have 
quitted this controversy without  any   
justification from the unexpected nature
 of our sentiments1 and we  are         

persuaded that you can plead no         
discourtesy in our proposals  respecting
 the mechanical arrangements4 ,on this  
point we think it  right to state thus  
publicly the overtures which we made to 
you1 through  the excellent clergyman   
who communicated with us as your        
representative4  ,an objection having   
been urged by ,mr4 ,ould to discussion  
through the  newspapers1 on the ground  
that they are read by 8the ignorant     
scoffer1  the sceptical1 the profane10  
we proposed the following plan3--,that  
for  twelve or any limited number of    
weeks1 a joint weekly pamphlet of       
thirty-two pages should be published1   
each party furnishing sixteen  pages2   
that the first number of the series     
should contain a positive  statement1   
from each party1 of its fundamental     
principles in religion1  of that which  
it undertook to assail1 and that which  
it undertook to  defend2 and that within
 the limits of this programme1 the      
replies in the  subsequent numbers      

should confine themselves4 ,thus each   
party would have  chosen its own ground1
 at first2 and both would have          
disappeared from  the public view       
together1 at last4 ,this proposal was   
rejected without  any reason being      
assigned1 except that there were 8too   
many difficulties  in the way20 and     
though all preliminaries were to be     
settled 8by  previous agreement10 we    
were told that in the following ,courier
 we  should find a letter addressed to  
us1 which we might answer in whatever   
way we thought proper4 ,the public who  
have watched the proceedings in  this   
matter will bear witness1 with our      
consciences1 that we were not  the first
 to enter this controversy2 that we have
 not been the first  to leave it2 and   
that1 in its progress1 we have departed 
from no pledge1  and been guilty of no  
evasion4    ,and now1 ,gentlemen1 accept
 from us in conclusion1 our solemn      
protest  against the language of        
unmeasured insult1 in which1 under the  

cover of  sanctity1 the associated      
clergymen whom you represent1 have      
thought  proper to speak of our         
religion2 against the accusations       
personally  addressed to us1 in the     
presence of #c1jjj people1 by the       
,lecturers in  ,christ ,church1 of 8mean
 subterfuges10 8of sneering10 of 8savage
 grins10  of 8damnable blasphemy10 of   
8the greatest imaginable guilt10 of     
8doing  despite to the ,spirit of       
,grace10 of 8the most odious of crimes  
against  the ,majesty of ,heaven10 and  
in common with all ,unitarians of       
forming our  belief1 from 8the blindness
 of graceless hearts10 too bad 8to have 
been  touched by any spirit of ,god10   
and against the visible glee1 fierce as 
,tertullian's1 with which 8the faithful0
 are reminded that ere long1 we  must   
and shall bow our proud knees1 whether  
we like it or not1 to the  object of    
their peculiar worship2--so that they   
are sure of their triumph  in heaven1   
however questionable it may be on earth4

 ,you began the  controversy by         
ascribing to us one shade of            
8infidelity20 you end it by  ascribing  
to us a blacker4 ,beneath 8the lowest   
deep10 there is it seems  8a lower      
still40 ,we have sat quietly under all  
this1 bearing the rude  friction upon   
everything that is most dear to us1     
assured that if  anything in heaven or  
earth be certain1 it is this2--that no  
spirit of  ,god ever spake thus1 or thus
 administered the poison of human       
passions1  falsely labelled as the      
medicine of a divine love4 ,what is the 
difference between your religion and    
ours1 that this high tone 7than  which1 
to a pure moral taste1 nothing surely   
can be lower7 should be  assumed against
 us8 ,we believe1 no less than you1 in  
an infallible  ,revelation 7though had  
we the misfortune to doubt it1 we might 
be1 in  the sight of ,god1 neither worse
 nor better than yourselves72 you in a  
,revelation of an unintelligible ,creed 
to the understanding2 we in a           

,revelation of moral perfection1 and the
 spirit of duty to the heart2 you  in a 
,revelation of the metaphysics of       
,deity2 we in a ,revelation of the      
character and providence of the         
,infinite ,father2 you in a ,redemption 
which saves the few1 and leaves with    
,hell the triumph after all2 we in a    
,redemption which shall restore to all  
at length the image and the  immortality
 of ,god3 we do reserve1 as you suggest1
 8a sort of  inspiration0 for the       
founders of ,christianity1 8a sort0 as  
much higher  than your cold1 dogmatical1
 scientific inspiration1 as the         
intuitions of  conscience are higher    
than the predications of logic1 and the 
free  spirit of ,god1 than the petty    
precision of men4 ,we believe in a      
spiritual and moral ,revelation1 most   
awakening1 most sanctifying1 most  holy2
 which words1 being the signs of hard   
and definite ideas1 could  never        
express1 and which is therefore         
pourtrayed in a mind divinely  finished 

for the purpose1 acting awhile on ,earth
 and publicly  transferred to ,heaven4  
,all men may see that such a ,revelation
  corresponds well with the medium which
 conveys it2 but a set of  scholastic   
propositions1 like ,articles and        
,creeds1 might as well have  been       
written on the sky2 and many a bitter   
doubt and bitterer  controversy might   
have been spared4    ,we believe1       
,gentlemen1 that the minds of serious   
and considerate persons  are weary of   
the aggressions of ,churches upon the   
private and secret  faith of the        
individual heart2 that they will not    
long be forced to live  on the dry husks
 of ,creeds which have lost the kernel  
of true life2 nor  accept mere puzzles  
as divine mysteries4 ,it is at the peril
 of all  religion that its illimitable  
truths are embalmed in definite         
formulas1  and the abyss of ,god        
confidently measured by thrusting out   
the foot-rule  of ecclesiastical wisdom4
 ,the things most holy cannot without   

injury be  thus turned from the         
contemplation of the affections1 to the 
small  criticism of the intellect2 and  
the acute and polished dividing-knife of
  dialectics1 when applied to cut       
theology into propositions1 is apt to   
leave scarce a shred of faith4    ,that 
all professing ministers of the ,gospel 
may speedily turn from their  divisions 
of belief to a hearty union of spirit1  
is the desire and  prayer of            
,us1 who in this temper1 and in better  
times1 might have been                  
owned as                                
,your fellow-labourers1                 
,,james ,,martineau4                    
,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4               
,march #beth1 #ahci4                    
,,henry ,,giles4    -----    ,footnote  
#aj3      ,rev4 ,f4 ,ould's ,letter of  
,february #aa4    ,footnote #aa3        
,rev4 ,t4 ,byrth's ,lecture1 ,part ,i4  
p4 #aad4    ,footnote #ab3      ,rev4   
,dr4 ,tattershall's ,lecture on the     
,integrity of the ,canon1 p4 #fi4       

,footnote #ac3      8,whatever lessons  
of instruction or doctrines they teach  
us1 these    doctrines being themselves 
wise and holy1 must have been delivered 
under a divine sanction1 and therefore  
possess divine authority4      8,if he  
7that is1 the person who performs       
miracles7 also teaches                  
lessons1--lessons worthy of ,god1--these
 lessons undoubtedly come to us         
clothed with divine authority40--,dr4   
,tattershall's ,lecture1 pp4 #gj1       
#ga4    ,footnote #ad3      ,sherlock's 
,discourses1 ,no4 #aj1 ,hughes's        
edition1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #aig1 and    ,no4 
#ae1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #bgh4    ,footnote    
#ae3      ,lord ,king's ,life of ,locke1
 p4 #abe4    ,footnote #af3             
,sermons at the ,boyle ,lecture1 ,prop4 
xiv4    ,footnote #ag3      ,essay on   
,miracles1 p4 #ii1 seq41 as quoted by   
,farmer in his    ,dissertation on      
,miracles1 chap4 i4  #c4    ,footnote   
#ah3      8,no minister or ministers    
shall1 without the licence and direction

 of    the ,bishop of the ,diocese1     
first obtained and had under his hand   
and    seal1 444 attempt1 upon any      
pretence whatsoever1 either of          
possession    or obsession1 by fasting  
and prayer1 to cast out any devil or    
devils1    under pain of the imputation 
of imposture or cozenage1 and deposition
    from the ministry40--,constitutions 
and ,canons ,ecclesiastical1 lxxii4     
,footnote #ai3      ,apology for the    
,true ,christian ,divinity1 ,prop4 ii1  
pp4 #ce1 #cf4    ,footnote #bj3         
,ibid4 ,prop4 x4 p4 #bif4    ,footnote  
#ba3      ,discourses1 ,no4 #aj1        
,hughes's edition1 vol4 i4 p4 #aig4     
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,the                                   
,,practical ,,importance                
,,of ,,the                              
,,unitarian ,,controversy4      ,an     
attempt has been made1 in a preface to  
the ,lecture to which the  following    
pages are a reply1 to break the force1  

by anticipation1 of the  statements they
 contain4 ,the ,answerer1 however1      
evidently did not hear  the statements2 
and the preface proceeds upon some      
rumour of what was  said4 ,if ,clergymen
 are conscientiously prevented from     
going to hear  ,unitarians1 they ought  
also to be conscientiously prevented    
from  answering what they did not hear4 
,i am represented as saying that        
,trinitarians do not gather1 but        
lecture3 ,i said ,trinitarianism does   
not gather1 but scatters4 ,i am         
represented as arguing the tendency of  
,trinitarianism to ,popery from the     
recent movement of the ,oxford ,tract   
divines in that direction3 ,i argued the
 tendency of ,trinitarianism to  ,popery
 from its fundamental principles1 and ,i
 referred to the ,oxford  movement as   
one of the visible manifestations of the
 demonstrated  tendency4    ,i shall    
notice the instances in which the       
,preface proceeds upon anything  like a 
true apprehension of what was said--    

#a4 ,page vii4 viii4--8,when men tell us
 that ,jesus did not weep over  errors  
of opinion1 we maintain that it was the 
#8error of opinion'  which led them to  
reject him as the ,messiah over which he
 lamented40  ,now1 #a4 ,is the unbelief 
of the ,jews in the ,christ1 when he was
  exhibiting his divine credentials in  
his ,character and in his ,miracles     
before their eyes and to their hearts1  
in any respect similar to our  unbelief 
in the doctrine of the ,trinity1 which  
we1 accepting both the  ,scriptures and 
,christ1 declare we cannot find to be   
authorized by  either8 ,and #b4 ,is it  
not evident that ,jesus attributed the  
unbelief of  the ,jews to ,moral        
,causes1 and that therefore1 and only   
therefore1 he  condemned it8 8,this is  
the ,condemnation1 that light is come   
into the  world1 and men loved darkness 
rather than light1 because their deeds  
were evil40 ,john iii4 #ai4    #b4 ,page
 viii4--8,but these principles involve a
 violation of unity40 ,and  what if they

 do8 ,did not our ,saviour emphatically 
declare1 8,think not  that ,i am come to
 send peace on earth2 ,i came not to    
send peace but a  sword40 #a4 ,christ is
 here not describing the final purpose  
of his  ,mission nor the natural        
operation of his ,spirit1 but the       
immediate  opposition and contention    
which his religion would excite both in 
,jew  and ,gentile before it rooted out 
the old ,faiths3 ,and #b4 ,the ,christ  
is  not here alluding to differences    
between ,christians themselves1  between
 those who did accept him2 but to the   
necessary conflict of the  ,spirit of   
,jesus with the ,antagonist spirits of  
,judaism and ,heathenism4  ,this also is
 the great subject of the ,book of      
,revelations4    #c4 ,page xi4--8,but it
 is a priestly spirit which says1 #8you 
must  believe4'0 ,this ought to be      
reckoned with the instances in which the
  answer proceeds upon an incorrect     
rumour of what was said2 which was to   
this effect1--8that it is the priestly  

spirit1 whose constant cry is1  unless  
you believe this doctrine1 and unless   
you believe that  doctrine1 you cannot  
be saved40 ,belief in ,jesus1 entire    
spiritual ,trust  in him1 as1 for all   
providential purposes1 one with ,god1 we
 have  explicitly stated as our view of 
the essentials of ,christianity4        
,page xxi4--,we do not know how far the 
,author extends his approval of 8the    
tactics of holy war40 ,for ourselves we 
disapprove of all such tactics1         
especially the tactics of substituting a
 mere illustration or practical         
verification of an argument1 for the    
argument itself1 and then dealing  with 
the illustration as if there was no     
general principle behind it1 as  if the 
illustration was represented as the     
grounds of the principle1  when it is   
only represented as one of its outward  
operations4 ,and yet  this 8argumentum a
 particulari ad universale10 is one     
which the author  employs in his        
description of ,unitarianism in almost  

every page of his  ,lecture4            
,j4 ,h4 ,t4                             
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,the                                   
,,practical ,,importance                
,,of ,,the                              
,,unitarian ,,controversy4              
---------------------      ,,colossians 
,i4 #bg1 #bh4--;,christ in you1 the hope
 of glory3 whom we preach1              
warning every man1 and teaching every   
man in all wisdom2 that we        may   
present every man perfect in ,christ    
,jesus4    ,,galatians ,,ii4 #d1        
#e4--;,and that because of false        
brethren unawares brought        in1 who
 came in privily to spy out our liberty 
which we have in        ,christ ,jesus1 
that they might bring us into bondage2  
to whom we        gave place by         
subjection1 no1 not for an hour2 that   
the truth of        the gospel might    
continue with you4      ,were some      
stranger to our religion inquiring what 

it is to be a  ,christian1 there are two
 quarters from which he might derive his
 ideas  of that character4 ,he might    
draw near to him who is the only perfect
  expression of ,christianity1 and when 
he had sat at the feet of ,jesus1       
listening with hushed heart1 and then   
arisen and joined himself to the  meek  
,prophet of ,mercy on his way of ,love1 
he might receive from ,christ  his      
impressions of ,christianity and catch  
from the living ,master the  type of a  
disciple3 or he might turn for          
information to the ,christians  of the  
day1 selecting for examination the      
largest and most prominent  classes1 and
 so gather from the common specimen his 
impressions of their  temper1 their     
spirit1 and their faith4 ,each of these 
modes of inquiry  would produce a result
 of ,truth2 but the one would be a      
,truth of  reality1 and the other only a
 ,truth of description2 the one would   
present to us what we were seeking1 the 
true idea of a ,christian2 the  other   

would show with what degree of          
faithfulness ,christians had  preserved 
the spirit of the original1 or whether  
in the copy1 in the  distant reflection1
 the features had been faded1 marred1   
distorted2 the  one would furnish us    
with the great ,master's idea of a      
,disciple1 the  other would exhibit the 
,disciple as a representative of the    
,master1 and  assuming to be his ,image 
to the world2 in a word1 the one would  
be  ,christ's idea of a ,christian2 the 
other would be only a ,christian's idea 
of ,christ4 ,oh1 thanks be to ,god for  
the written ,gospel1 for the  ,epistles 
written on men's hearts1 the living     
transcripts1 give us no  worthy ideas of
 ,christ2 and were it not for those     
silent witnesses which  speak from a    
passionless page1 and cannot be made to 
wear the garb of  party1 which reflect  
,christ's realities1 and not man's      
ideas1 the ,image  of ,jesus had long   
since been irrecoverably lost6    ,let  
us then for a moment place ourselves    

beside ,jesus1 and learn from  the      
,christ what it is to be a ,christian4  
,i hear him inviting the weary  and the 
heavy laden to come and find rest unto  
their souls4 ,i listen for  that        
doctrine of rest1 the faith that gives  
the sin-bound peace4 ,i hear  him speak 
of ,god1 and they are indeed healing    
words of peace1 intended  to quell a    
superstition and a controversy3 8,god is
 a spirit3 the hour  cometh and now is  
when the true worshippers shall worship 
the ,father in  spirit and in truth1 for
 the ,father seeketh such to worship    
,him40#bb ,i  hear him speak of ,duty3  
8,the ,lord our ,god is one ,lord1 and  
thou shalt  love the ,lord thy ,god with
 all thy heart1 and with all thy soul1  
and  with all thy mind1 and with all thy
 strength3 ,this is the first           
,commandment4 ,and the second is like   
unto it3 ,thou shalt love thy  neighbour
 as thyself4 ,this do and thou shalt    
live40 ,i hear him speak of  ,heaven3   
8,blessed are the poor in spirit1 for   

theirs is the kingdom of  ,heaven4      
,blessed are the pure in heart1 for they
 shall see ,god4 ,blessed  are the      
peacemakers1 for they shall be called   
the children of ,god4  ,blessed are they
 which are persecuted for righteousness'
 sake1 for  theirs is the kingdom of    
,heaven40 8,the kingdom of ,god cometh  
not with  observation1 neither shall    
they say lo here1 or lo there1 for      
behold the  kingdom of ,god is within   
you40#bc ,i hear him speak of ,sin1     
melted1 and  transformed into penitence3
 8,to whom little is forgiven1 the same 
loveth  little4 ,thy faith hath saved   
thee4 ,go in peace4 ,sin no more1 lest a
  worse thing come upon thee40 ,i hear  
him speak of ,,discipleship3 8,he that  
hath my commandments and keepeth them1  
he it is that loveth me2 and he  that   
loveth me shall be loved of my ,father1 
and ,i will love him1 and  will manifest
 myself to him40#bd 8,herein is my      
,father glorified1 that  ye bear much   
fruit2 so shall ye be my disciples4 ,if 

ye keep my  commandments ye shall abide 
in my love2 even as ,i have kept my     
,father's  commandments1 and abide in   
,his love4 ,ye are my friends if ye do  
whatsoever ,i command you4 ,henceforth  
,i call you not servants1 for the       
servant knoweth not what his ,lord      
doeth3 but ,i have called you friends3  
for all things that ,i have heard of my 
,father ,i have made known unto  you40  
8,by this shall all men know that ye are
 my disciples if ye have  love one to   
another40#be    ,we turn now from the   
words to the life of the great ,teacher1
 in the  endeavour to get a more        
definite idea of ,duty1 ,discipleship1  
and ,faith4  ,the character of ,jesus is
 the best1 fullest1 and truest          
interpretation  of the words of ,jesus4 
,his life is his own translation of his 
own  precepts into the language of      
action4 ,we surely cannot be far from   
the  true sources of ,christianity when 
we first drink his words into our       
hearts1 and then follow him with        

reverent steps and with gazing eyes1 to 
watch his own illustrations of those    
words1 to behold the spirit  breathing  
in the life1 and from the fulness of his
 character to learn  the fulness of his 
precepts4 ,surely ,christ embodied and  
impersonated his  own teachings4 ,surely
 the life of ,christ is undoubted       
,christianity4  ,surely his character is
 ,christian ,duty2 and his destiny      
,christian ,faith4  ,surely he knew and 
exhibited the practical tendencies of   
his own  doctrines2 and surely to set   
him up at the fountain-head of our moral
  being1 as ,god's image to the         
conscience1 and to strive in all things 
to  be like unto him1 8whom we preach1  
warning every man and teaching every    
man in all wisdom1 that we may present  
every man perfect in ,christ            
,jesus10--cannot be to preach 8another  
gospel10 or to mistake fatally the      
essentials of ,discipleship4 8,if a man 
love me1 he will keep my words1  and my 
,father will love him1 and we will come 

unto him1 and make our  abode with      
him40#bf ,the definition of a           
,christian1 when deduced from  the words
 and the life of the ,christ himself1   
thus comes out to be--one  who ,,trusts 
himself in all things to that ,god of   
whom ,jesus was the  image2 and who     
,,conforms himself in all things to that
 will of ,god of  which ,jesus was the  
perfect expression4 8,this is life      
eternal that they  might know thee1 the 
only true ,god1 and ,jesus ,christ whom 
thou hast  sent40#bg    ,turn we now to 
a different quarter for an answer to our
 inquiry what it  is to be a ,christian2
 from the one ,master to the multitude  
of  professors2 from the original image1
 distinct and bright1 to the            
transmitted reflections1 all claiming to
 be genuine copies2 from the  single    
voice1 sweet and clear1 to the confusion
 of jarring tongues2 from  the pure     
fountain to the impure streams2 from    
,christ to ,christians4 ,i am  entirely 
guiltless of the intention of satire1   

but it is quite  impossible to avoid the
 appearance of it in any attempt to give
 the  features of ,christianity as they 
appear in the ,christians of the day1 in
  those1 that is1 who claim to be       
,christians exclusively2 for the tamest 
truth of description excites ideas of   
the true ,christ1 so contrasted1  that  
it has without intention all the effect 
of sarcasm4 ,surely a  stranger to the  
only true source of our religion1       
examining its actual  forms as they     
exist in the world1 and selecting its   
characteristics from  that which is     
largest and most prominent1 would not be
 guilty of  misrepresentation1 if he    
described a ,christian as one who was   
shut up  within the narrowest circle of 
religious ideas2 who identified himself 
and his opinions with absolute ,truth2  
who idolized himself and his sect  as   
the only friends of ,god2 who was so    
unconscious of a liability to  err1 that
 he breathed1 unknowingly1 an atmosphere
 of infallibility1 and  insulted the    

,rights of other men1 not more fallible 
than himself1  without perceiving the   
invasion2--one so used to arrogate to   
himself and  to his own party1 all      
excellence and all truth1 that he starts
 in  surprise1 innocent of what can be  
meant1 when he is told that he is       
pressing on the liberties of other      
minds1 who1 with as deep an interest  as
 he can have in their own salvation1    
have searched into these things  and    
read differently the mind of ,god2--as  
one who regards a few  metaphysical     
propositions1 confessedly               
unintelligible1 as the only hope  of    
human salvation1 and who1 in the        
confidence of this faith1 speaks to  his
 fellow men as if he had secret council 
with ,god2 assumes to be on 8a          
religious level0 nearer to the spirit of
 the ,most ,high1 who1 on that  more    
elevated standing1 drops more readily   
into his heart communications  from     
,heaven2--and who1 when he pays any     
regard to other men at all1 looks  down 

upon them from an eminence2 assumes as  
proved their ignorance1  their errors1  
and their sins2 insults their opinions2 
treats with no  brotherly respect the   
convictions of ,truth and the dictates  
of  ,conscience which to them are       
,voices from the living ,god2 denies    
that  they have equal zeal for truth1 or
 equal ability to discover it2 scoffs   
at the idea of religious equality1 and  
looks amazed when others tell  him1     
though it be in apostolic words1 that   
they will not 8give place by            
subjection1 no1 not for an hour20 and   
finally adds mockery to insult and      
wrong1 by telling the men whom he so    
treats1 that all this is ,christian     
affection1 and an interest in their     
souls4    ,it is painful to put last in 
order1 not the true1 but the untrue idea
 of  a ,christian1 and therefore to set 
us right1 ,i will present the original  
picture again in apostolic words4       
8,hereby we do know that we know him if 
we keep his commandments40 8,whoso      

keepeth his word1 in him verily is the  
love of ,god perfected3 hereby know we  
that we are in him40 8,if ye know  that 
he is righteous1 ye know that every one 
that doeth righteousness is  born of    
him40 8,let no man deceive you3 he that 
doeth righteousness is  righteous1 even 
as he is righteous40#bh    ,there is    
still another way of bringing into      
comparison the spirit of  ,christ and   
the character of that ,christianity     
which assumes to itself to  be the only 
fruit of his spirit4 ,we can compare the
 existing state of  the ,christian world
 with the expectations of ,jesus1 with  
that state of  things to which he looked
 forward as the ,reign of his spirit1   
the  ,kingdom of the true ,gospel upon  
earth4 ,if the ,christianity that       
prevails  has not realized the          
expectations of ,christ1 then its       
practical tendency  is evidently not in 
the direction of the true ,gospel2 it   
is1 to the  extent of the failure1 a    
departure from the power and character  

of the  original spirit4 ,christ could  
not be mistaken about the proper        
operations of his own spirit2 and the   
system whose operations do not  fulfil  
his promises cannot contain a full and  
perfect ministration of  his spirit4    
,and this argument will amount to       
something like a  demonstration1 if we  
can show1 first1 that this system which 
has failed  to realize the expectations 
of ,jesus as to the condition of his    
,church1  has1 for large tracts both of 
time and space1 been the prevailing     
influence of the ,christian world1 with 
nothing to obstruct it1 so that  it has 
had full and free scope to work its own 
works1 and to manifest  its own spirit2 
and secondly1 if we can point to the    
something in that  system1 which        
manifestly has caused it to be          
destructive of those hopes1  and to work
 counter to this expectation of ,christ4
    ,there is no sublimer idea of       
,christianity than its delightful vision
 of  a ,,universal ,,church2 the kingdom

 of the ,gospel becoming a kingdom of   
,heaven on earth2 uniting the nations by
 a spiritual bond2 in every heart  among
 the families of men kindling the same  
solemn ideas1 and opening  the same     
living springs2 subduing the differences
 of class and country  by the affinities
 of worship1 by kindred images of ,hope1
 of ,duty1 and of  ,god1 becoming a     
meeting place for the thoughts of men2  
including every  form and variety of    
mind within that spiritual faith which  
leads onwards  to the infinite1 yet     
presents distinct ideas to the heart of 
childhood1  and feeds the sources of an 
infant's prayer2 assembling in their    
countless homes the ,brotherhood of man 
around the spiritual altar of one       
,father and one ,god1 whose presence is 
a ,temple wherein all are gathered1  and
 whose ,spirit1 dwelling in each heart1 
meets and returns the seekings  of all  
his children4    ,such was the          
,christian vision of the ,,church       
,,universal1 of the union of  all good  

men in the worship of one ,god under the
 leadership of his  ,image1 growing up  
into him in all things1 which is the    
head1 even  ,christ4    ,such was the   
sublime idea that filled the mind of    
,jesus when he looked  forward in       
heavenly faith to the reign of his      
spirit1 the kingdom of his  ,gospel in  
the world4 8,other sheep ,i have which  
are not of this fold2  them also ,i must
 bring and they shall hear my voice2 and
 there shall be  one fold and one       
shepherd40#bi 8,neither pray ,i for     
these alone1 but for  them also which   
shall believe on me through their word2 
that they all  may be one2 as thou1     
,father1 art in me1 and ,i in thee2 that
 they also  may be one in us3 that the  
world may believe that thou hast sent   
me40  ,such also was the magnificent and
 healing view that filled the hearts of 
the ,apostles when they protested       
against burdens being laid upon         
,christ's freemen2 rebuked the first    
manifestations of a sectarian           

,christianity2 and would acknowledge no 
distinctions between those who  were    
walking in the steps of the same master1
 and moulding their souls  into the same
 similitude of ,christ4 8,there is one  
body1 and one spirit1  even as ye are   
called in one hope of your calling2 one 
,lord1 one faith1  one baptism1 one ,god
 and ,father of all1 who is above all1  
and through  all1 and in you all4 ,but  
unto every one is given grace1 according
 to the  measure of the gift of ,christ4
 ,till we all come in the unity of the  
faith1 and of the knowledge of the ,son 
of ,god1 unto a perfect man1 unto  the  
measure of the stature of the fulness of
 ,christ3 from whom the whole  body     
fitly joined together and compacted by  
that which every joint  supplieth1      
according to the effectual working in   
the measure of every  part1 maketh      
increase of the body1 unto the edifying 
of itself in  love40#cj 8,now there are 
diversities of gifts1 but the same      
spirit4 ,and  there are differences of  

administration1 but the same ,lord4 ,and
 there  are diversities of operations1  
but it is the same ,god which worketh   
all  in all40 8,for as the body is one1 
and hath many members1 and all the      
members of that one body1 being many1   
are one body2 so also is ,christ4  ,for 
by one spirit are we all baptized into  
one body1 whether we be ,jews  or       
,gentiles1 whether we be bond or free2  
and have been all made to drink  into   
one spirit40 8,that there should be no  
schism in the body2 but that  the       
members should have the same care one   
for another4 ,and whether one  member   
suffer1 all the members suffer with it2 
or one member be  honoured1 all the     
members rejoice with it4 ,now ye are the
 body of ,christ  and members in        
particular40#ca    ,such is the         
,christian and ,apostolic view of the   
,church of ,christ on  earth4 ,turn we  
now to the actual ,church4 ,is it a     
realization of this  divine image of the
 mind of ,jesus8 ,is there in it a unity

 of spirit in  the bond of peace8 ,do   
the branches abide in the ,vine8 ,do the
 scattered  and warring members make one
 spirit in one body8 ,alas6 could there 
be a  sadder mockery1 than to pretend to
 seek in our prevalent ,christianity    
any features corresponding to this      
divine conception8    ,trinitarian      
,christianity is founded upon a         
principle directly opposed to  the      
realization of this prospect and vision 
of ,jesus4 ,it declares that  there     
shall be no unity but a doctrinal unity4
 ,it rejects that moral and  spiritual  
union which is the bond of peace1 and   
which1 as subsisting  among his         
followers1 ,christ looked forward to as 
the great proof to the  world that ,god 
had sent him2--and it declares that     
there shall be no  bonds but the bonds  
of ,creeds4 ,it breaks up the ,christian
 world into  distinct and mutually      
repulsive parties2 each claiming--not to
 be  disciples of the life of           
,christ--not to be one with him as he   

was one  with ,god1 in will1 aspiration1
 and purpose of soul1 but--to be in     
possession of the exact doctrinal ideas 
which constitute a saving faith1  of a  
certain intellectual process of belief1 
through which alone ,god  conducts the  
sinner into ,heaven1 and without which  
no soul1 whatever may  be its spiritual 
oneness with ,jesus and his ,father1 can
 be saved4 ,now it  is clear that a     
system such as this1 requiring not a    
unity of spirit1  but a unity of        
opinion1 cannot be that primitive       
,gospel1 which1  according to the       
expectation of the ,saviour1 was to     
gather all the  believers under ,heaven 
into a universal ,church4               
,trinitarianism1 as a  system1 does not1
 and cannot1 work out these fruits of   
the spirit of  ,christ4 ,it does not    
gather1 but scatters2 it does not       
collect into one2  but disunites1       
severs1 and casts out4 ,it disowns all  
harmony but the  harmony of metaphysical
 conceptions4 ,it has no wider way of   

salvation1  no broader bond of peace1 no
 more open road to ,heaven1 than a      
coincidence of ideas1 on the essence of 
the ,deity1 the mysterious modes  of the
 divine existence2 a person in whom     
there are two natures2 and  then1 again1
 a nature in which there are three      
persons2 and this as  preparatory to a  
moral process1 in which a penalty is    
paid by  substitution for a guilt       
incurred by substitution4 ,i ask not now
 whether  these ideas are true2 whether 
they are realities of ,god's mind2 but  
,i  ask1 ,have they ever been1 or can   
they ever be1 bonds of union for a      
,church ,universal8 ,are these the grand
 affinities towards which all  hearts   
shall be drawn2 and which1 breaking down
 our minor distinctions  into less than 
nothing1 shall bind together the        
families of man in the  fellowship of   
one spirit8 ,you all know1 every man    
knows1 that a  uniformity of opinion is 
an impossibility2 that ,god has nowhere 
provided  the means for producing it2   

that nowhere does it exist2 no--not in  
that  closely-fenced and                
strictly-articled ,church1 whose bosom  
at this very  hour is rent by heresies1 
even as1 throughout all her history1    
they  shattered the unity and split the 
bosom even of infallible ,rome2 and     
seeing1 therefore1 that there is no such
 doctrinal unity on earth1 if  ,jesus   
understood his own gospel1 this cannot  
be the oneness with his  ,father and    
himself1 to which he looked forward as  
the ,reign of his  ,spirit in the world4
 ,and yet the ,trinitarian ,church of   
,england1 one of  whose ,ministers when1
 on a late occasion1 denouncing         
,unitarian heresies1  took the          
opportunity to give the relief of       
expression to his horror of  other      
heresies in the bosom of his own        
communion1 and openly denounced  as     
heretics ordained clergymen and         
dignitaries of his own ,church1--this   
,church of ,england1 notwithstanding all
 this1 still claims to be the  great    

bulwark1 among ,protestants1 of the     
unity of the ,faith1 the  dignified     
rebuker of schisms and sects2 and still 
offers to the harassed  and distracted1 
to the rent and divided body of ,christ1
 a creed--and what  a creed6--as the    
only bond of agreement and of peace4    
,either1 then1 ,christ miscalculated the
 workings of his own spirit1 when  he   
contemplated a ,universal ,church as its
 natural fruit2 or  ,trinitarianism1    
when it destroys the spiritual union of 
the ,church1 a  moral oneness with      
,jesus and with his ,father1 by its     
demand for a  doctrinal conformity1 is1 
to the extent of this operation1 an     
,antichrist1 a departure from the       
healing and uniting spirit of the true  
,gospel4 ,let me1 for the sake of       
distinctness1 put you in possession of  
the exact difference between the        
fundamental principles of ,unitarian and
  ,trinitarian ,christianity4 ,to a     
,unitarian the essentials of            
,christianity  are2 that a man takes    

into his heart the moral image of       
,jesus1 and loves  it supremely1 and    
trusts it absolutely as his example of  
perfection1 and  his leader up to ,god4 
,if ,i was asked to define a ,christian1
 ,i would say  that he was one who took 
,jesus ,christ as he is presented in the
 gospels1  as his best idea of ,duty1   
and his best programme of ,heaven2 the  
very  ideal of the religious spirit and 
life2 the perfect image of ,god2 and    
the perfect model for man4 ,these are a 
,unitarian's essentials of              
,christianity4 ,to a ,trinitarian the   
essentials of a ,christian are these3   
not that he receive ,jesus as his image 
of ,god1 his model of ,duty1 and  his   
type of ,heaven1--but that he receive a 
certain metaphysical ,creed1  certain   
doctrinal ideas1 which 8except he keep  
whole and undefiled1  without doubt he  
shall perish everlastingly40 ,now1 a    
union of all  hearts1 under the         
leadership of one ,christ1 and in the   
love and  reverence of one moral        

,spirit1 is a possible thing2 but a     
union of all  minds in the reception of 
certain metaphysical ideas which the    
minds  of ,milton1 of ,newton1 and of   
,locke1 could not find1 either in       
,reason or  in ,scripture1 is not a     
possible thing3 and therefore my first  
assertion  of the 8practical importance0
 of the ,unitarian ,controversy is to   
this  effect3--that ,trinitarianism1 by 
its fundamental principle of a doctrinal
  conformity1 a principle not known to  
the true gospel1 is the originating     
cause of all religious disunion and     
strife2 the creator of all schisms1     
sects1 and heresies2 the great and      
effectual antagonist of any  realization
 of that sublimest and most heavenly    
conception of the  ,saviour--a          
,universal ,church1 cherishing the same 
,hopes1 studying the same  ,models1     
trusting to the same ,image of ,god to  
guide us to ,his presence1--a  union of 
all hearts1 seeking to be one1 even as  
,god and ,christ were one1  in the      

fellowship of the same spirit4 ,this is 
my heaviest indictment  against the     
practice of ,trinitarianism1 that it    
destroys ,christ's  delightful image of 
his ,spirit's ,reign on earth1 and      
creates in its  place--what shall ,i    
say8--the strife and disunion1 the fears
 of the weak  and the arrogance of the  
coarse2 the wranglings of creeds and the
  absence of love2 the heat of          
controversy and the chill of religion1  
through the midst of which we are now   
passing4#cb    ,trinitarianism has long 
been the prevailing influence of the    
,christian  world2 it holds all the     
religious power of these countries in   
its own  hands2 there is nothing        
external to prevent its carrying into   
existence  its own ideas2 and if in the 
day of its power it has not wrought the 
works and realized the hopes of ,christ1
 it must be because it has worked  in   
another spirit1 and preached another    
gospel2 adding to the primitive  8glad  
tidings0 of 8repentance and remission of

 sins10 other conditions  which are not 
glad tidings1 and which are not         
,christ's4 ,now not only can  we point  
to the actual failure in proof of the   
absence of the true  spirit1 but we can 
lay our finger upon the element of      
mischief1 and  demonstrate it to be the 
parent of the evils we deplore1 the     
frustrator  of the hope of ,christ4     
,trinitarianism1 by demanding a         
doctrinal  assimilation1 an intellectual
 instead of a spiritual union1 and      
wielding1 as it does1 the prevailing    
influences of religion1 has1 in the  day
 of its power1 forcibly prevented the   
formation of that universal  ,church    
which ,christ contemplated4 ,and until  
it drops from its essentials  the       
doctrinal oneness1 and substitutes in   
its place a spiritual oneness  derived  
from obedience to ,god as he is         
manifested in ,jesus1 it cannot  gather 
into one fold1 and constitute the       
kingdom of ,heaven on ,earth4    ,now   
let us suppose1 for a moment1 that this 

doctrinal conformity is  required by    
,christianity1 and that not ,,trust in  
,christ1 but belief of  ,creeds1        
constitutes acceptance of the gospel4   
,then comes the question1  and a most   
perplexing one it would be1 how can any 
one be sure that the  creed he trusts to
 contains exactly the ideas to which    
,god has annexed  safety8 ,supposing    
creeds to be the essentials of          
,christianity1 then how  can any        
,christian be sure that he has got the  
true creed8 ,i can easily  conceive with
 what fear1 with what apprehensions of  
mind1 with what a  paralyzed intellect1 
and unconfiding heart1 sinking the love 
of truth in  selfish terrors1 a man     
trembling under the conviction that his 
everlasting safety depended upon his    
reception of a doctrine1 would come  to 
the examination of the ,scriptures2 ,i  
can well conceive how his  judgment     
would be gradually bereft of all calm   
and trustful  independence2 how his     
fears and passions would slavishly draw 

him over  to whatever party predominated
 in intolerance1 and in the confidence  
of  their assumptions1 frightening him  
into the belief that safety was with    
them1 for that if creeds were the       
essentials of salvation1 the more of    
creed the more of certainty2--but after 
all this sacrifice has been  submitted  
to1 after terror has wrought its work1  
and the intellect has  surrendered to   
the passions--after the man in the      
pursuit of selfish  safety has given up 
his ,reason and his free mind1 and      
stooped his neck  to the yoke1--,i      
cannot see how in any way he has altered
 or bettered his  position2 ,i cannot   
see how he has attained the end for     
which he has paid  such degrading wages2
 how he can be certain that he has got  
the creed  which ensures salvation2--and
 after having sold his birthright1      
parted  with his free soul for the sake 
of a safety built upon doctrines1 he    
discovers at last1 unless he is a ,roman
 ,catholic1 that he has no  absolute    

certainty of these doctrines being the  
true ones2 he is still  left in doubt   
whether after all he is in possession of
 the particular  creed that works       
salvation--whether1 after all1 he has   
not bowed down his  soul for nothing4   
,if ,god requires from men certain      
doctrinal convictions  as necessary to  
salvation1 then how can any man be sure 
that he has got  the true convictions8  
,even the verbal and plenary inspiration
 of the  ,bible1 if we believed in it1  
which we do not1 would not relieve a    
,protestant ,trinitarian of this        
difficulty3 for those who agree in      
believing the ,bible in every word      
inspired1 can draw from it very         
different meanings1 as none have reason 
to know better than the divines  of the 
,english ,church4    ,i am tempted to   
give a few specimens of the differences 
between existing  divines of the ,church
 of ,england on the very points of      
accusation  against ,unitarianism4 ,you 
are aware of the place that the         

,atonement  holds in ,evangelical       
preaching4 ,listen then to the new party
 in the  ,church1 the leaders of which  
are1 one of them1 the ,oxford ,professor
 of  ,hebrew and a ,canon of ,christ    
,church1 and the others distinguished   
both  in the ,church and in the         
,university4 ,these are their           
words3--8,we now  proceed to the        
consideration of a subject most         
important in this point  of view1--the  
prevailing notion of bringing forward   
the ,atonement  explicitly and          
prominently on all occasions4 ,it is    
evidently quite  opposed to what we     
consider the teaching of ,scripture1 nor
 do we find  any sanction for it in the 
gospels4 ,if the ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul
  appear to favour it1 it is only at    
first sight40#cc ,again1 you are  aware 
of the importance attached to the       
doctrine of ,justification by  ,faith1  
that test1 as it is described1 of a     
rising or a falling church4  ,listen    
then once more to one of the heads of   

the ,oxford party3--8,the  instrument of
 our righteousness1 ,i would maintain1  
is holy baptism4  ,our ,church considers
 it to be the ,sacrament of ,baptism2   
they 7the  ,reformers7 consider it to be
 ,faith4 999999,christians are justified
 by the  communication of an inward1    
most sacred1 and most mysterious gift4  
,from  the very time of baptism they are
 temples of the ,holy ,ghost4999999     
,faith1  then1 being the appointed      
representative of baptism1 derives its  
authority and virtue from that which it 
represents4 ,it is justifying  because  
of baptism2 it is the faith of the      
baptized1 of the  regenerate1 of the    
justified4 ,faith does not precede      
justification2 but  justification       
precedes faith1 and makes it            
justifying40#cd ,i must quote  one other
 sentiment of this ,oxford section of   
the ,english ,protestant  ,church1      
respecting the ,,mass3--8,at the time of
 the ,reformation1 we1 in  common with  
all the ,west1 possessed the rite of the

 ,roman ,church1 or ,st4  ,peter's      
,liturgy4 ,this sacred1 and most        
precious monument1 then of  the         
,apostles1 our reformers received whole 
and entire from their  predecessors1 and
 they mutilated the tradition of #aejj  
years40#ce ,now  it only bears out my   
argument that this movement of          
,trinitarianism is in  the direction of 
,popery4    ,such being the doctrinal   
uniformity of the ,church of ,england1  
where then  is the infallible authority 
that is to put me in possession of those
  doctrinal ideas1 that absolute truth1 
without which ,i cannot be saved8       
,having got an inspired ,bible1 ,i still
 want an inspired ,interpreter1 who1    
out of all the possible meanings that   
the words will bear1 will set  aside all
 the wrong ones1 and select that one    
interpretation which1 in  the shape of  
doctrine1 ,god has made the source of   
safety4 ,where is this  ,interpreter to 
be found8 ,where am ,i to look for this 
infallible  authority1 which is to      

explain to me the exact sense of the    
,bible1  without which ,i cannot be     
saved1 and to acquaint me with the very 
ideas  of ,god8 ,is it the ,church of   
,england that is to do me this important
  service2 to be my infallible guide    
through the possible meanings of  words2
 and to present me with the one creed   
that will operate as a charm  for my    
salvation8 ,oh no6 for the ,church is   
,protestant1 and recognizes  the        
sufficiency of ,scripture1 and the right
 of free inquiry1 and rails  at the     
,pope because he denies these things4   
,but still ,i ask1 if ,i cannot  be     
saved without this doctrinal truth1     
where am ,i to find it1 and how  can ,i 
feel certain that ,i have it8 ,a ,roman 
,catholic would relieve me of  my       
difficulties4 ,he would treat me more   
kindly1 and with an ampler  provision   
for my security1 than do the divines of 
the ,english ,church4  ,they tell me    
that my salvation depends upon my having
 the true creed1  and then they leave me

 in the dark1 without any means of      
ascertaining  what the true creed is1   
and whether ,i have it or not4 ,the     
,roman  ,catholics1 on the other hand1  
seeing that exact truth is necessary1   
take  care to provide for me an         
infallible ,judge of truth4 ,they are   
merciful  in the accuracy of their      
provisions for relieving my fears1 when 
compared with the worse than ,egyptian  
inconsistency1 the contradictory        
tyranny of my ,protestant taskmasters4  
,the ,egyptians asked for bricks1  and  
provided no straw4 ,the ,church of      
,england asks for absolute ,truth1  and 
provides no judge of ,truth4 ,and this  
it does in the face of the fact  that1  
not even to its own clergymen is the    
inspired ,bible a source of  certainty3 
that three distinctly marked divisions  
now constitute the  ,unity of the       
,church1 and dwell1 not peaceably1      
together4    ,to any man1 then1 who     
believes that doctrinal convictions are 
the  essentials of ,christianity1 there 

is no escape from ,popery4 ,out of      
,popery1 there is no ,church that       
professes to have interpreted ,scripture
  with infallible certainty4 ,if ,i am  
to be saved by a true creed1 show me    
the divinely appointed tribunal1 and let
 me bow down before it4 ,but do  not    
tell me1 unless you are a ,roman        
,catholic1 that ,i must be saved by     
,truth1 and that your ,truth is the one 
to which ,i must bow down my soul1  or  
perish everlastingly4 ,one man's ,truth 
is as good as another man's  ,truth1    
unless there is a divinely appointed    
tribunal to judge between  them4#cf     
,where is this tribunal8 ,i know it is  
supposed to be in the  ,roman ,catholic 
,church2 and ,i know that the ,english  
,church1 if it  possessed such a        
tribunal1 could not speak with a whit   
more confidence  than it does4 ,i enter 
it then as my second indictment against 
the  practice of ,trinitarianism1 that  
by building the ,church of ,christ upon 
the foundation of a doctrinal           

uniformity1 it is an ally of ,popery2   
that  if it was consistent with itself1 
it would be ,popish altogether2 and     
that this is not a mere tendency but    
actually taking effect1 is  manifested  
in that ,church which is most open to   
the temptations of  spiritual ambition1 
by its gradual and lately accelerating  
movements in  the direction of ,roman   
,catholicism4 ,i know that the          
,evangelicals  denounce the ,oxford     
modification of ,popery1 but they are   
both of one  spirit1 and neither will   
find their natural issues until they    
fall into  the arms of the infallible   
,church1 and leave whatever             
,protestantism  still remains in the    
land1 unencumbered by their presence4   
,listen to some of the ,clergymen of the
 ,church of ,england1 and tell me1  can 
you distinguish their tones from the    
tones of ,popery8 ,i have lately  done  
so4 ,i heard this language1 ,i mean     
language to this effect3  8,unitarians  
think our pity insulting1 because they  

are not conscious of  requiring of it3  
but when ,jesus wept over ,jerusalem1   
was his pity an  insult to those who had
 no sympathy with the sources of his    
tears80 ,so  that we are left to infer1 
first1 that he who uses this language   
knows  our need as fully as ,jesus did1 
when amid the brief acclaim of his      
followers1 he forgot the momentary      
triumph1 and his sympathy gushed out  in
 tears wept over the doomed city--and1  
secondly1 that the speculative  errors  
of ,unitarians1 supposing them to be    
such1 require tears of the  same        
description as did the crimes of        
,jerusalem4 ,did ,jesus ever weep for   
errors of opinion2 over ,samaritan      
heresies for instance8 8,ye know not    
what manner of spirit ye are of4 ,the   
,son of ,man is not come to destroy     
men's lives2 but to save them40         
,again ,i heard1 in substance1 this     
language1 and could not distinguish it  
from ,popery4 8,christianity must have  
its essentials2 these to us are the     

,deity of ,christ2 the corruption of    
human nature2 and the remedy of a       
vicarious sacrifice4 ,the ,unitarians   
who deny these points we therefore  do  
not hold to be ,christians1 and not     
believing them to be so1 we  plainly    
tell them so40 ,and accordingly they    
treat us as if we were not4  ,now ,i    
acknowledge that this is entirely       
consistent upon their part4 ,they  make 
the essentials of ,christianity to      
consist in doctrinal ideas1 and         
consequently1 whether they choose it or 
not1 and almost without knowing  it1    
they are forced to assume the tones of  
,popish ,infallibility1 and to  decide  
authoritatively1 by their metaphysical  
standard1 who are  ,christians and who  
are not4 ,i am quite aware that this is 
not  intentional arrogance on their     
part1 but a necessity in which their    
first principles involve them4 ,they    
cannot begin with a ,salvation  through 
creeds1 without ending in ,popery2 and  
of all the forms of  ,popery1 that which

 professes ,protestantism1 is the most  
offensive4    ,it was a fresh proof to  
me of the authoritative character which 
,trinitarianism by necessity assumes1   
when ,i heard naturally and             
unconsciously the same kind of doctrinal
 compactness ascribed to  ourselves1 as 
if a church could not exist without a   
fixed creed2 and  quotations from all   
sorts of minds brought forward1 without 
a suspicion1  but they were all received
 among us as recognized standards of    
opinion4  ,there were ,arians and       
,humanitarians1 ,necessarians and       
,libertarians1 and  one foreign writer1 
who1 as ,i am informed1 was no          
,christian at all--and  all these were  
appealed to as standards of             
,unitarianism4 ,now we  certainly glory 
in it that our religion does not destroy
 our  individuality2 that in consistency
 with the great principle of ,christ    
being our ,leader1 we tolerate freely   
intellectual differences1 and  encourage
 the virtues of free thought and speech2

 but it is a little  unfortunate1 and a 
little unfair1 if the fundamental       
principles of  ,unitarian ,theology and 
,religion are to be answerable1 with    
their life1  for all the sayings of all 
the ,unitarians from ,marcion and the   
,ebionites  down to the present day4    
,take one form of ,unitarianism as it is
  represented by ,priestley2 or take    
another and better form of it as it is  
represented by ,channing2 but do not    
confuse in one two minds so  radically  
different1 and call a combination which 
never had existence1  the ,unitarian    
,faith4 ,it was owing to this ,popish   
idea that all ,religions  must have a   
doctrinal compactness1 that ,i heard a  
sentiment of  ,priestley's1 which ,i    
entirely disown1 imputing idolatry to   
,trinitarians1  ascribed to all         
,unitarians4 ,if ,unitarians worshipped 
,christ not  believing him to be ,god   
they would be idolaters3 but            
,trinitarians  worshipping one ,god in  
three persons1 and still believing him  

to be one1  are as certainly not        
,polytheists4 ,again ,i heard the       
,improved ,version  stated to be the    
,unitarian ,bible3 and that the         
,unitarians not finding  their favourite
 doctrines in the actual ,bible made a  
,bible for  themselves4 ,now let it be  
known that this new ,bible is simply an 
,english  ,version of the ,new          
,testament having for its basis or model
 a translation  made by an ,archbishop  
of the ,united ,church of ,england and  
,ireland1 a  circumstance which we were 
not told2 that it is founded upon the   
translation of ,archbishop ,newcome2    
that it is not used in ,unitarian       
worship and possesses no authority      
amongst us except such as it may  derive
 from its just merits1 which are not    
generally rated by us as very  high3 and
 lastly1 that no one is answerable for  
it except its  editors1#cg and not even 
they any longer than they choose4 ,and  
yet1 one  would suppose1 that the       
,church of ,england divines might be    

sufficiently  conversant with varieties 
of opinion1 even in a church more       
strictly  bound than ours1 and ought not
 to fall into the error of taking any   
book  whatever1 or any man whatever1 as 
the standards of a faith4 ,with all our 
differences ,i am not aware that our    
bond of union covers wider varieties  of
 opinion on the great questions of      
,theology and ,criticism1 than those    
which separate ,bishop ,marsh1 ,bishop  
,butler of ,durham1 ,archdeacon ,paley1 
to say nothing of the older and nobler  
school of ,sherlock and  ,barrow1#ch    
,tillotson and ,taylor1 from the modern 
,evangelical ,divines2  and both from   
the ,oxford approach to ,popery1 a late 
movement in the  direction which we have
 now endeavoured to show is the destined
 path of  ,creeds4    ,but ,i shall be  
asked1 has ,christianity no essentials1 
and may a man  believe anything he      
likes1 and yet be a ,christian8 ,i      
answer that the  essential belief of a  
,christian is the belief that ,jesus    

,christ is the  moral image of ,god2    
that to be one with him is to be one    
with his ,father  and become fitted for 
that ,heaven in harmony with which his  
mind was  made2 and that any doctrinal  
ideas which a man can hold in           
consistency  with this act of spiritual 
allegiance1 he may hold1 and yet be a   
,christian4    ,and yet we do not hold  
that all doctrines are indifferent1 for 
we think  that some are nearer than     
others to the great realities of ,god2  
that  some1 more than others1 are in    
harmony with the mind of ,christ2 that  
some more than others give us solemn and
 inspiring views of the infinite        
,spirit2 worthy conceptions of the      
mission and offices of ,jesus1 and      
elevating sympathies with his character2
 sublime and true ideas of ,duty2       
peaceful yet awful convictions of the   
retributions of ,god2 and therefore  are
 more effectual to build us up in the   
oneness with his ,father and  with      
himself1 which is the sublimest aim of  

,christ4 ,other views may  operate      
powerfully on those who hold them2 but  
as long as they do not  accord with our 
best ideas of perfection1 with our      
noblest views of the  character of      
,jesus and of ,god1 they cannot confer  
upon us that  salvation which we take to
 be the essence of the ,gospel1         
assimilation to  the infinite ,spirit as
 we know him through his ,image1 perfect
 ,trust in  our heavenly ,father1 as he 
is manifested in ,christ4    ,i warn you
 against an imposture that is practised 
upon you1 not  knowingly but ignorantly1
 in the use that is made of such        
expressions  as1 8salvation by faith and
 not by works10 and ,st4 ,paul's        
anathema on  those who preached another 
gospel1 which he declared was not       
another  gospel1 that is1 that it did   
not contain 8glad tidings10 and was     
therefore no gospel at all4 ,now        
salvation by 8faith0 does not mean      
salvation by doctrines1 but by ,,trust  
in ,jesus ,christ as our spiritual      

,master1 ,god's representative to man2  
and exemption from 8works0 does not     
mean exemption from moral excellence1   
but exemption from all the works  and   
conditions of the ,jewish ,law1 from    
which1 with all the bondage of  its     
sacrifices1 services and exactions1 the 
,gospel1 as offered by  ,christ1 was the
 glad tidings of deliverance4 ,it is on 
this account that  ,st4 ,paul denounces 
any man who preaches another gospel1    
that is1 who  adds to it unspiritual    
conditions which would bring men again  
under the  yoke of the ,law1 and change 
the glad tidings of ,liberty into the   
burdens  of a woeful superstition4      
8,behold1 ,i ,paul say unto you1 that if
 ye be  circumcised1 ,christ shall      
profit you nothing40 ,to go back to the 
bondage  of the law1 is to make the     
spiritual liberty of ,christ's freemen  
of no  avail4 ,now the scriptural       
knowledge that is necessary for these   
explanations is of the scantiest        
measure2 that ,faith means moral ,trust1

  spiritual acceptance and confidence2  
that works frequently mean1 when  used  
by ,paul1 not ,christian holiness but   
,jewish ,ceremonies2 and that the       
,gospel means not a scheme of doctrines 
but the glad ,message of  deliverance   
from every yoke of bondage3 and yet the 
false meanings that  lurk under these   
words1 are again and again thrust       
forward as ,scripture  evidence for     
doctrines entirely alien to their       
spirit4 ,elsewhere1 would  the anathema 
of the noble-minded ,apostle be ready to
 descend upon all  other additions as   
well as ,jewish ones1 to ,christ's      
gospel of spiritual  liberty8#ci    ,i  
have contrasted the fundamental         
principles of ,trinitarian and          
,unitarian ,christianity1 and1 without  
entering into their peculiar  tenets1 ,i
 have shown that the practical tendency 
of ,trinitarianism is to  disunite the  
,church of ,christ2 to lead to ,popery  
as the only known  provision for        
doctrinal certainty2 and to preach      

8another gospel10  which1 to us at      
least1 is no gospel at all1 and has     
defaced the grace  and glory of the     
original message4 ,i have now to proceed
 to the  particular views in which these
 principles respectively issue when     
applied to the examination of the       
,scriptures1 and to contrast the        
practical tendencies of the             
distinguishing doctrines of ,unitarian  
and  ,trinitarian ,christianity4 ,the   
,unitarians think that ,trinitarianism1 
with  all its dependent ideas1 is not a 
system which the ,scriptures would of   
their own accord naturally suggest to a 
free mind1 examining them  without      
prejudice or fear1 in a spirit of       
confidingness in ,god and in  truth2 and
 that its peculiar set of notions are   
chiefly arrived at by  inferences drawn 
from the ,scriptures in the spirit of   
preconceived  theories1 and under the   
intimidation of priest-taught fears4 ,we
  recognize nothing but the priestly    
spirit in all those systems whose cry   

is1 8unless you believe this and unless 
you believe that1 you cannot be  saved20
 and acknowledging no salvation but that
 of a spirit morally one  with ,god and 
with his ,christ1 salvation from        
superstition1 and salvation  from sin1  
and salvation from unconfiding fears2   
and believing that all  truth is one and
 from ,god1 we confidently appeal1 in   
confirmation of our  scriptural         
soundness1 to that great and independent
 test of ,truth which  is furnished by  
the moral tendencies of doctrines4 ,i   
shall aim to show  that ,unitarianism   
has more power both with the            
understanding and the  heart2 that the  
,intellect which ,trinitarianism has no 
resource but to  disparage1 and the     
,reason at which ,i lately heard1       
doubtless not without  good reasons1    
such melancholy scoffs 7for what can be 
more melancholy  than to hear a man     
scoffing at ,reason1 and attempting to  
reason men  into a contempt for         
,reason871 that this ,reason1 our ray of

 the divine  mind1 we enlist on the side
 of our religion and of our souls2--that
 the  spiritual nature which            
,trinitarianism insults and scorns we   
contemplate  with trembling reverence as
 made for holiness and for ,god2--and   
that the  personal holiness and love1   
the ,christ-like spirit and the         
,christ-like  life to which             
,trinitarianism assigns a secondary     
place1 and in  disparagement of which it
 can stumble1 as happened on a late     
occasion1  on a condemnation of the     
,scripture law1 that every man shall be 
judged  according to his works#dj--this 
holy living and dying we set forth as   
the very salvation of the sons of ,god1 
the very way of spiritual safety        
trodden by the ,forerunner and the      
,saviour1 even ,christ the righteous4   
,i desire to be understood to affirm    
nothing about the actual characters  of 
those who hold views which ,i think     
unfriendly to the soul4 ,the  tendencies
 of opinions may be counteracted3 but   

still wherever there is  error1 that is1
 wherever there is anything not         
conformed to the mind of  ,god1 there   
there is1 to the extent of its agency1 a
 principle of evil1  or at least of     
misdirection1 at the fountain of our    
life1 though there  may also be         
sweetening influences which are strong  
enough to neutralize  its power4        
,trinitarianism does not produce all its
 natural fruits1  though it produces    
some that are sufficiently deplorable1  
because it is  kept in check by the     
better principles of our nature1 with   
which it is  not in alliance4 ,it is    
vain to pretend that a man's belief has 
no  influence upon his life and upon his
 soul4 ,the belief of a man is that     
which animates his sentiments1 and      
peoples his imagination1 and provides   
objects for his heart2--and if he bears 
no impress of it upon his  character1 it
 is only because it forms no real part  
of his spiritual  existence1 it is not  
written upon the living tablets of the  

mind4  ,believing then that our views of
 ,truth1 when they become a part of our 
living thoughts1 woven into the         
spiritual frame and the daily food of   
the mind1 do exercise a controlling     
influence over the whole being1 it  is  
our ardent desire to discover those     
views of the ,gospel which put  forth   
most mightily this power over the heart1
 and we openly confess1  that it is     
because we believe it possesses an      
unrivalled efficacy to  save the soul1  
by bringing it into a holy and trustful 
union with ,god  and ,christ1 that we   
value unspeakably1 and adhere to through
 all  temptation and scorn1 the faith   
that is in us4 ,to us it is the light1  
as  it is the gift of ,god1 and we will 
not abandon it1 so long as it points    
,conscience to the things that are      
before2 leads us up to ,god through the 
love and imitation of his ,christ2      
speaks with heavenly serenity of grand  
and tranquillizing truths in moments of 
trial3 and true to our spiritual        

connections with ,heaven1 suffers our   
sins to have no peace1 and our  virtues 
no fears4    ,i shall endeavour1 briefly
 but distinctly1 to bring out the       
prominent  points of difference between 
,unitarian and ,trinitarian             
,christianity1 in  their moral aspects4 
,and1 first1 ,unitarianism alone puts   
forth the great view that the moral  and
 spiritual character of the mind itself 
is its own recompense1 its  own glory1  
its own heaven2 and that this harmony   
with ,god and with his  ,christ is not  
the means of salvation only1 but        
salvation itself4  ,unitarianism alone  
receives the spiritual view of ,christ  
that the  kingdom of ,heaven is within  
us2 and works not for outward wages1 but
 to  make the inward soul a holy temple 
for the ,spirit of ,god2 that through   
its purified affections ,jesus1 our best
 type of ,heaven1 may shed his own      
peace1 and that he and his ,father may  
be able to love us1 and come unto  us1  
and make their abode with us4 ,now you  

are aware that this qualifying  of      
ourselves for ,heaven through heavenly  
frames of mind1 is so prominent  a part 
of our faith1 that it is actually       
converted into a charge against  us4 ,i 
heard the ,unitarians charged with a    
want of gospel humility for  regarding  
holy affections and a ,christ-like life 
as the substance of the  hope of        
,heaven2 and ,i thought on the words of 
the ,apostle--8,the kingdom  of ,god is 
righteousness1 and peace1 and joy in the
 ,holy ,spirit40#da  ,this is not the   
salvation so loudly vaunted by          
,trinitarianism4 ,it  assigns another   
office to ,christ than that of leading  
men to ,god through  a resemblance to   
himself4 ,jesus stands to ,trinitarians 
not principally  as the ,inspirer of    
virtue1 the quickener of holiest        
affections1 the  guide of the           
heaven-bound spirit2 but as bearing on  
his own person the  punishment due to   
their sins1 and as performing in his own
 person the  righteousness that is      

imputed to them1 and being transferred1 
by an act  of faith1 makes good their   
claim to ,heaven4 ,now these notions of 
,heaven  regard it as so much property1 
which one person may purchase and       
transfer to another4 ,christ1 by an act 
of self-sacrifice1 becomes the          
purchaser of ,heaven1 and gives a right 
of settlement in the blessed land  to   
every one who consents to regard his    
death as a substitution for his  own    
punishment1 and his righteousness as a  
substitution for his own  virtues4      
,there is no flattering unction that    
could be laid to the soul1  no drug to  
stupefy its life1 that could more       
thoroughly turn it away  from the       
spiritual purposes of ,jesus4#db ,he    
lived that men might know  their own    
nature1 and work out its glory for      
themselves4 ,he lived that  he might    
rescue that nature from low views of its
 duties and its powers1  by showing     
humanity in the image of ,god4 ,he bore 
his cross that men  might look to       

,calvary and behold the moral heroism of
 the meekest heart  when it trusts in   
,god2 with what serenity a filial faith 
can pass  through the vicissitudes of   
severest trial1 and take the cup from   
the  hand of a ,father1 though he       
presents it from out the darkest cloud  
of  his providence4 ,he died1 because   
,death crossed his path of ,duty1 and   
not  to turn aside was part of his      
loyalty to the ,spirit of ,truth1 8for  
this  cause was ,i born1 and for this   
cause came ,i into the world1 that ,i   
should bear witness unto the truth20--he
 died that earth and heaven might  unite
 their influences on the human soul     
treading an uninterrupted path  to ,god1
 that its light might come from beyond  
the grave1 and its hope  from the peace 
of a world that is never troubled2 and  
yet1 alas6 for the  perversion--men are 
found to stand beneath the cross1 and so
 far to  mistake the spirit of the      
celestial sufferer1 as to appropriate1  
to  transfer to themselves1 by an act of

 faith1 its moral character1 and to     
call themselves the redeemed of ,christ4
 ,surely there is a 8practical          
importance0 in the ,unitarian           
controversy1 if it warns men against    
these  notions of substitution1 these   
unspiritual views of ,heaven and        
,christ4  ,the worst of all delusions is
 that which turns us away from inward   
holiness1 inward qualifications for     
,heaven1 and holds out to our too  ready
 grasp some foreign1 some adventitious1 
and extrinsic hope4 ,it is  right that  
we should rely on ,god1 for his strength
 is our strength1 and  his mercy our    
supporting hope2 it is right that we    
should love and  look unto ,jesus1 for  
his influences are our spiritual wealth1
 and his  path our bright and beaming   
way2--but where in ,heaven or earth are 
we to  rest at last1 but in what ,god   
and ,christ do for us1 in the formed    
character of our own souls8    ,and now 
shall ,i be told1 that this is claiming 
,heaven on the ground of  our own       

merits8 ,and how often shall we have to 
repel that false  accusation8 ,if by    
this is meant1 that we deem our virtues 
to be  deserving of ,heaven1 the charge 
of insanity might as well be laid       
against us1 as that infinite            
presumption2 but if it is meant that1 to
 a  holy spirit1 and to a holy life1 to 
a supreme love for the ,right1 the      
,true1 the ,good1 and to these alone1   
,god1 with a love that is infinite1  has
 attached something of the blessedness  
of his own nature2--then we do  hold    
this as the first and brightest of      
,truths1 the very substance of  the     
,gospel1 the sublimest lesson of the    
,saviour's life1 shadowed by his  death1
 only to be authenticated and glorified 
by his resurrection and  ascension4 ,i  
know of nothing so deeply sad as to     
witness the ministers  of ,christ       
appealing for support to the lowest     
parts of human nature--the  fishers of  
men casting out their nets1 that they   
may take into the drag  the most selfish

 passions and fears--bribing over to    
their side the  terrors and the         
weaknesses1 to which1 except through    
penitence and  restoration1 ,unitarian  
,christianity dare not offer peace4     
,trinitarianism  will not deal so justly
 and so strictly with sin4 ,we are      
speaking of its  tendencies2 not of the 
forms it sometimes1 nay we will say     
often1  assumes in the higher and purer 
order of minds4 ,it is true to the      
weaknesses of men2 but false to their   
strength4 ,it seems to many to save     
them in their low condition1 not from   
it4 ,it will not meet the soul1  and    
tell it that there is no substitute for 
holiness1 and that to move  guilt from  
its punishment would be to move ,god    
from his throne4 ,it takes  that guilty 
soul1 and instead of dealing with it    
truly1 cleansing from  sin1 and pouring 
in the spirit of the life of ,christ1   
leans it against  the ,atoning          
,sacrifice1 and the ,righteousness that 
cometh by imputation1  an unhallowed and

 unnatural alliance1 to make that       
glorious virtue an  easy retreat for    
guilt1 and the holy ,jesus a 8,minister 
of ,sin40#dc  8,they have healed the    
hurt of my people slightly1 saying1     
,peace1 peace1  where there is no       
peace40#dd    ,and if we value          
,unitarianism for what we feel to be the
 efficacy of its  views in regard to the
 offices of ,christ1 we value it even   
more1 for its  views of ,god1 and for   
the connections it gives us with his    
spirit4 ,piety  is the noblest          
distinction1 the richest happiness1 the 
purest fountain  of the soul2 and we    
love1 without measure1 the faith that   
nurtures it  most strongly4 ,we feel our
 affections to be drawn towards one ,god
 and  ,father with a singleness and     
intensity1 that we believe would be     
impossible1 if the heart was to be      
distributed among three objects1 or     
distracted by a confused conception of a
 tripersonal ,god4 ,we boast an         
undivided worship1 and an undivided     

,temple1 where all the soul's  devotion 
centres upon one ,father4 ,his spirit   
was with us when we knew  not the power 
that was exciting our irrepressible joy2
 and though ,he has  led us through his 
ways of discipline1 we knew it was the  
same hand that  had guided our early    
steps2 ,he has met our souls when they  
were abroad  through ,nature1 and       
touched them with his breathing ,spirit2
 ,he has  pursued us into our solitudes1
 and1 in our more solemn moments of     
penitence and suffering1 ,he has made us
 to see light in darkness1 mercy  in    
trial1 and to drink of the deepest      
fountains of life2 ,his compassion  has 
mercifully cooled the burning shame of  
our guiltiest confessions1  and saved us
 through fear and weakness by heavenly  
hope2 ,his peace has  descended upon all
 our aspirations1 and shielded their    
feebleness from  blight and death2--and1
 throughout this varied experience1     
there was but  one voice speaking to the
 heart2 the pressure of one hand on the 

pulses  of life2 one ,god revealing     
himself to the spirits of his children4 
,whatever is delightful in the          
,universe1 whatever is pure in earthly  
joy1  whatever is touching in ,jesus1   
whatever is profoundly peaceful in a    
holy  spirit1 are to us the splendours  
of one ,god1 the gifts of one ,father2  
bonds upon the heart1 uniting it to one 
spiritual and everlasting  ,friend4 ,we 
do not profess that our ,piety has      
glowed with the intensity  of these     
mingling fires1 but we feel that there  
is a power of motive  drawing us to the 
love of one ,god1 which no other        
,theology may lay claim  to4    ,but the
 8practical importance0 of our views of 
,god consists not merely  in that ,unity
 of being1 through which all the        
devotion of the soul is  poured into one
 central affection2 it affects also the 
unity of his  ,character1 the moral     
perfections of the source of ,piety4 ,we
 reject that  faith which represents the
 moral government of ,god as a system of

  favouritism4 ,we meet with nothing in 
nature to impeach the ,impartiality  of 
our ,heavenly ,father4 ,we believe that 
the same ,god who sends his sun  and his
 rain upon the evil and upon the just1  
is willing to shed the dew  of his      
blessing upon the hearts of all his     
children4 ,we rejoice to  overlook the  
vain and perishable distinctions of     
time2 to believe that  all the human    
family1 partakers of one spirit1 meet in
 the love of the  universal ,father2    
that ,god in heaven is no respecter of  
persons2 and  that the humblest and most
 neglected of his children may rise into
  hallowed intercourse with the infinite
 spirit4 ,we protest with a strong      
abhorrence against the dreadful views   
which are given of ,god's inability  to 
forgive1 of the ,justice of the ,father 
horribly satisfied by the  substitution 
of the innocent for the sins of the     
guilty4 ,we profess to  have no hope    
either in time or in eternity1 but in   
the unclouded  goodness of ,him who     

sitteth on ,heaven's throne and reigneth
 overall--and  if these things may be1  
and yet ,god be good1 it is a goodness  
we do not  understand and cannot        
calculate upon1 and the pillars of our  
faith are  shaken in all the reliances  
of futurity4 ,we do not enter now into  
the  scriptural evidence for or against 
these doctrines--that will be done in   
other parts of this course2 our present 
concern is with the question1  which of 
these views is the most calculated to   
nourish piety1 to kindle  within us a   
warm1 unselfish1 and intelligible love  
of ,god4 ,we meet in  the world the     
children of one ,parent1 with the same  
souls1 the same  hopes1 the same        
capacities for joy2 with the same ,god  
to comfort their  sorrows and to guard  
their happiness2 breathing on them the  
same holy  and inspiring influences2    
leading them to the same ,saviour1 and  
beckoning them to the same ,heaven2 and 
our love for ,god and our  fellowship   
with man thus mingle intimately in the  

same heart and shed  through it the     
serene and blissful light of a full1    
radiant1 and  unclouded ,piety4 ,the    
spiritual influences of ,unitarianism   
thus lead to a  supreme love and        
veneration for ,god by exhibiting the   
,holiness1 the  ,forgivingness1 and the 
all-embracing ,impartiality of the      
,divine  ,character1 without a stain    
upon their brightness and their purity4 
,we believe that there is in the spirit 
of these views a peculiar power  to     
excite an interest in the souls of our  
brethren2 to give an expansive  spirit  
of humanity2 to make us feel that we are
 bound by the holiest of  ties2 united  
in the purposes of one ,father2 children
 of the same ,god1  and educating for   
the same destinies4 ,wherever we cast   
our eyes they  fall upon ,god's         
everlasting ones4 ,in the humblest we   
see the future  immortal2 and in the    
proudest we can see no more4 ,we believe
 that ,god  made every living soul that 
it might become pure1 virtuous and      

blessed2  we believe that his eye of    
watchful care is never removed from it2 
we  believe that ,he never abandons it1 
that ,he accompanies it in all its      
wanderings1 and that he will ultimately 
lead it by his own awful yet  merciful  
discipline1 in this world or in the     
next1 in safety to  ,himself--and we    
dare not to scorn the spirit which ,god 
is tending and  which ,he purposes      
ultimately to save4    ,and with this   
belief at our hearts1 we wonder that    
there is not more  heroism in the cause 
of the human soul2 we wonder that the   
noblest of  all philanthropy1 that which
 seeks the realization of ,christian    
states  of character1 is so rare among  
men2 that there is so little of a strong
  and yearning love drawing us towards  
sinning and suffering man2 that  souls  
are permitted to slumber and die without
 an awakening voice2 that  our hearts   
are not stirred within us when we look  
to the awful and  neglected wastes of   
human ignorance and sin1 and reflect    

that through  each guilty bosom1 and    
each polluted home there might breathe  
the purity  and the peace of ,christ4   
,we despair of none4 ,we believe that   
the  guiltiest may be turned from their 
iniquities and saved4 ,we believe that  
,god works by human means and expects   
our aid4 ,we believe that the fire  of  
heaven is still smouldering1 and that a 
spark might light it into  undying      
flame2 and we are sure that the end of  
this faith is love  unwearied1 which    
ought to assume more earnest forms of   
interest for our  nature1 and to vent   
itself in purer efforts for its highest 
good4 ,others  may defend themselves by 
casting the whole burden upon ,god2 may 
point in  despair to the hopeless       
condition of man's heart2 wait for fire 
from  heaven to come down and stir the  
sinner's soul2 and having thus 8looked  
upon0 the moral sufferer may pass by    
upon the other side2 but with us  there 
is but one duty2 to go to him1 to pour  
the spirit of ,jesus into  his wounded  

heart1 to lay upon ourselves his        
burdens1 and to toil for  his           
restitution as a brother immortal4 ,the 
8practical importance10 then1  of       
,unitarianism as contrasted with        
,trinitarianism is in this--that it     
tends to penetrate our hearts with a    
deeper spirit of ,christian love2 to    
give us hope and interest in our nature2
 to call out the highest efforts  of the
 spirit of humanity2 and to supply us   
with lofty motive for  emulating the    
self-sacrifice of ,jesus4    ,we think1 
further1 that in our views of ,god1 of  
,christ1 and of human  nature1 we have a
 peculiar encouragement for the personal
 virtues1 a  peculiar demand for        
individual holiness4 ,we have already   
alluded to the  force and distinctness  
with which we teach that the greatest   
work of  ,christ is in giving inward    
power1 strength of purpose to the soul2 
and  that there is no salvation except  
where the purity1 the freedom1 and the  
love of ,heaven are growing in the      

heaven-bound heart2 but we also         
recognize peculiar claims upon us in the
 conviction which we hold so  sacred    
that our righteous ,father has created  
us with a nature capable of  knowing and
 of doing ,his ,will4 ,others may cast  
the odium of human sins  upon human     
inability1 and thus at last throw down  
their burdens at the  door of their     
,god2 but as for us1 we can only bow our
 heads in sorrow  and ask the           
forgiveness of ,heaven4 ,we believe that
 ,god has united us by  no necessity    
with sin2 we deny altogether the        
incapacity of man to do  the will of    
,god2 we feel that there are energies   
within us which1 if but  called out into
 the living strife1 would overcome all  
the resistance of  temptation2 we hear a
 deep voice issuing from the soul and   
witnessed to  by ,christ1 calling us to 
holiness and promising us peace2--and   
with ,god's  seal thus set upon our     
nature1 and ,god's voice thus calling to
 the  kindred spirit within1 why are we 

not found farther upon the path of      
,christ1 and brightening unto the       
perfect man8    ,for1 alas6 there is not
 only energy and holy motive in this    
lofty  conviction1 there are also the   
elements of a true and deep humility4   
,if  the glory of our souls is marred it
 is our own work4 ,if the spirit of     
,god is quenched within us1 we have     
ourselves extinguished it4 ,if we have  
gained but little advancement upon      
,heaven's way1 we have wasted and       
misdirected immortal powers4 ,elevation 
of purpose1 and true humility of  mind1 
the humility that looks upwards to      
,christ and ,god1 and bows in  shame1   
are thus brought together in the        
,unitarian's faith1 as they are  by no  
other form of ,christianity4 ,i know it 
is said1 with a strange  blindness1 that
 this doctrine of the incapacity of man 
to know and to do  the will of ,god is  
rejected by ,unitarianism because it    
rebukes our  pride2 but no--it suffers  
man to be a sinner without hurting his  

pride2  it transfers the disgrace from  
the individual to the race2 and that1 on
  the other hand1 is the humbling       
picture which represents our sins not of
  our inheritance but of our choice1 the
 voluntary agent of evil degrading  a   
spirit made in the image of ,god1       
pouring the burning waters of           
corruption into a frail though noble    
nature1 until the crystal vessel is     
stained and shattered4 8,preach unto me 
smooth things1 and prophesy  deceits10  
is the demand of the less spiritual     
parts of man1 and  ,trinitarianism is   
certainly the ,preacher whose views of  
sin fall softly  on enervated souls4    
,we cannot conclude without alluding1   
however generally1 to the practical     
importance of our views of the future   
life4 ,we believe that the fitness  of  
the soul for ,heaven1 its oneness with  
,god and ,christ1 will form the  measure
 of its joy2 and that the thousand      
varieties of goodness will  each be     
consigned to its appropriate place in   

the allotments of  happiness4 ,we       
believe that the glory of ,heaven will  
brighten for ever as  the character is  
perfected under the influences of       
,heaven1 and that to  this growing      
excellence there is no limit or end4 ,we
 believe that even  in the future there 
is discipline for the soul2 that even   
for the  guiltiest there may be         
processes of redemption2 and that the   
stained  spirit may be cleansed as by   
fire4 ,we believe that this view of a   
strict  and graduated retribution exerts
 a more quickening1 personal1 realizing 
power than that of ,eternal torments    
which no heart believes1 which no  man  
trembles to conceive2 where the iniquity
 which is to be visited with  such an   
awful punishment becomes a shifting line
 which every sinner  moves beyond       
himself2 until ,heaven itself is        
profaned1 and all its  sacredness       
violated and encroached upon by those   
who feel that it would  be infinite     
injustice to plunge them into an        

,eternity so unutterably  dreadful1 but 
who have been taught to believe that to 
escape this ,hell  is to be sure of     
,heaven4    ,now our present objection  
to this doctrine of eternal punishment  
is the  practical one that it has no    
moral power4 ,it does not come close    
enough  to truth and justice to take a  
hold upon the conscience1 and so instead
  of binding and constraining1 it is    
inoperative and lax4 ,the fact is1 it   
is not practically believed4 ,it is too 
monstrous to be realized4 ,where1  we   
ask1 are the fruits of this appalling   
doctrine1 which is everywhere  preached8
 ,one would suppose that its            
dreadfulness would keep the tempted     
spirit in constant alarm4 ,i know that  
it occasions misery to the timid1  to   
the sensitive1 to the feeble of nerve1  
that is just to those who  require the  
purer and gentler influences of religion
 to give them trust  in ,god3 but what  
sinner has it alarmed8 what guilty heart
 has it made  curdle with terror8 what  

seared conscience has been scared from  
evil by  the shriek of woe coming up    
from the depths of the everlasting      
torture8  ,no2 these are not the        
influences that convert sin4 ,they are  
not believed  or realized1 and yet they 
displace from the thoughts those        
definite  views of the future which     
would have power to move and save the   
soul4  ,the righteous allotments with   
which ,god will award the joys and      
sorrows  of the future2 the character of
 the individual mind when it first      
appears for judgment2 the value of every
 moment of present time in  assigning us
 our first station in immortality2 the  
exact righteousness  in which every     
variety of character shall have its     
graduated place on  the scale of        
recompense2 the appalling thought of    
every separate spirit  standing before  
,god just as the last effort of         
convulsed nature  dismissed it from the 
body2--the trifler in his levity1 the   
drunkard with  his idiot look1 the      

murderer with the blood-stains on his   
soul--and the  sainted spirit passing on
 the breath of prayer from the outer to 
the  inner ,court of ,god's             
presence2--these1 the solemn            
distinctions of that  awful world1 are  
all lost1 because of that common ,hell  
into whose abyss  unawed ,conscience    
hurls her fears1 and then forgets the   
infinite  gradations of punishment that 
still remain to pour dread recompense on
  evil at the award of a retributive    
,god4    ,there are some objections     
urged against these views of the        
practical  importance of ,unitarianism  
to which ,i must now give brief and     
emphatic  answer4    #a4 ,it is said    
that ,unitarianism generates no love to 
,christ3 and the  reason assigned is1   
that as we reject the primal curse of   
original sin1  we have not so much to be
 forgiven1 and consequently not equal   
obligation to love2 for to whom little  
is forgiven1 the same loveth  little4   
,now in our view forgiveness is of ,god1

 in whom ,trinitarians find  no         
forgiveness1 and ,christ is the image of
 our ,father in ,heaven1 and we  love   
him who leads us into that pure and     
blissful presence1 and in  whose face we
 have the light of the knowledge of the 
glory of ,god1 full  of grace and truth4
 ,we love ,jesus for what he is to our  
souls1 and not  for the theological     
fiction1 that he took off a             
disqualification which  our ,god laid   
on4 ,we love all holy and good beings   
for the same reasons1  that they        
strengthen in our own nature the springs
 of goodness and  unselfish love1 and   
lift us into fellowship with themselves2
 and  therefore we love ,god supremely1 
and next to ,god1 him who through       
self-devotion and perfect filial trust  
preserved the moral lineaments of       
,heaven1 of a mind harmonized with      
providence1 against the weaknesses and  
through the temptations of this         
humanity1 whose tremblings we know so   
well1 and whose fallings away in        

ourselves from the higher impulses of   
,god have taught us the love of         
veneration for him who made it bear the 
likeness of ,heaven1 and1 through its   
trials and its shrinkings1 realized     
perfection4 ,the moral estimate that    
would proportion our love to ,christ1   
not to his own fitness to inspire love1 
to the heavenly benevolence that        
breathed through his own life and death1
 but to the selfish measure of  the     
outward benefits received1 can be       
equalled in the confusion and  impurity 
of its moral ideas only by another moral
 judgment pronounced  upon the same     
occasion--that the guilt of the ,jews1  
when they crucified  ,jesus1 must be    
estimated and measured in proportion as 
,jesus was man or  ,god4 ,this certainly
 is quite consistent with the           
,trinitarian scheme1  that guilt can be 
contracted unknowingly2 but who will set
 right this  utter ignorance of the     
primitive ideas of morality8 ,what      
spectres of the  thirteenth century rise

 before us when we listen to these      
conceptions--of  ,god dying under the   
hands of his creatures2 and of their    
guilt1 by some  process1 7not moral1 but
 metaphysical17 becoming infinite       
because the  sufferer was infinite1     
though they knew it not1 and believed   
themselves  to be crucifying the man    
,jesus6 ,it is only further proof that  
the  ,atonement and its allied ideas    
tends to confuse in the minds that      
receive it the fundamental perceptions  
of ,right and ,wrong4#de    #b4 ,it is  
said that ,unitarianism leads to        
infidelity3 and the proof  assigned is  
that those whom ,trinitarianism makes   
sceptics1 find with us  ideas of ,christ
 and ,christianity with which they have 
sympathies4 ,we  intercept the minds    
whom they have driven from ,belief2 we  
present our  serene and perfect image of
 ,duty and of ,god to minds wearied and 
perplexed with views of ,religion which 
are felt to be too coarse for  their own
 nature and therefore infinitely        

unworthy of the spirit of ,god2  but    
because they leave the ,church1 that    
,christian ,jerusalem1 and come to  sit 
at the feet of ,jesus in our humble     
,bethany1 where at least he is  loved   
purely and for himself2--then this is   
,infidelity1 and we who stay  the       
wanderer1 and retain him within the     
fold1 are called producers of  unbelief4
 ,the spirit of ,jesus said1 8he that is
 not against us is for  us40 ,the spirit
 of ,trinitarianism says1 8he that is   
not for us is  against us40 ,it was said
 that the spirit of infidelity is the   
spirit of  this age4 ,i only ask1 if    
this is so1 could there be a more       
practical  condemnation of that system1 
and of that ,church1 which sways all the
  religious influences of the country2  
and whose representations of ,christ    
and of ,christianity1 the universally   
prevailing ones1 have produced the      
religious character of these times8 ,if 
there is ,infidelity in the land1  it is
 mainly the recoil from ,orthodoxy4#df  

#c4 ,it is said that ,unitarianism      
encourages the pride of human ,reason4  
,now ,i shall answer this very briefly1 
because any lengthened exposure  would  
necessarily take the form of sarcasm4   
,whose ,reason is it that we  oppose    
when we reject ,trinitarianism8         
,trinitarians say that it is the        
,reason of ,god4 ,but how do they know  
this8 ,because they are sure that  they 
know the ,mind of ,god as it is revealed
 in the ,scriptures2 and  they are sure 
that we are in error4 ,infallibility    
again6 ,so that to  oppose their        
interpretation of the ,scriptures1 is to
 set up our own  ,reason against the    
,reason of ,god4 ,now ,i ask1 in all    
simplicity1 ,can they  who say these    
things have taken the trouble to clear  
their own ideas8 ,if  there is any pride
 of ,reason1 on which side does it lie8 
,they first  identify their own sense of
 the ,scriptures with ,god's sense1 and 
then  they charge other men with the    
pride of ,reason1 for not bowing down   

their minds to ,god1 having first taken 
it for granted that their  ,reason and  
,god's ,reason are one and the same4    
,look again to the  uncertain doctrines 
which they deduce from the ,scriptures  
by processes  of inference1 sometimes   
technical and sometimes mystical1 and   
say1 does  the world afford a more      
marked exemplification of the pride of  
human  ,reason1 than the absolute       
confidence with which these doubtful    
conclusions are received1 and not only  
that1 but pressed upon men1 as  the     
exact meaning of ,god1 at the peril of  
their eternal ,salvation8 ,what  do     
these divines rest upon when they deduce
 from the ,scriptures their  essentials 
of ,christianity8 ,their own reasonings4
 ,and yet they will tell  you1 that to  
differ from them1 is to oppose your own 
,reason to the  mind of ,god4 ,i ask1   
hereafter in this controversy1 ,should  
not this  matter of the pride of human  
reason be a weapon of attack in our     
hands1  an accusation against           

,trinitarians1 instead of a charge which
 ,unitarians  are to answer8 ,we have   
too long1 in this and many other        
matters1 stood  upon the defensive4#dg  
,and now1 in conclusion1 let me say once
 more1 that though we think             
,trinitarian views of man's connections 
with ,god injurious to ,christian       
perfection1 inasmuch as they throw the  
minds which receive them out of  harmony
 with the realities of ,god1 and must   
therefore undergo future  correction and
 re-adjustment1 still our strongest     
objection to the  ,trinitarian scheme is
 the fundamental one that it is based   
upon  principles of exclusiveness1 upon 
the indispensable conditions of a       
narrow and technical creed1 and that    
thus it is the parent and fomenter  of  
all those dissensions and practical     
evils in religion which these  times    
witness and deplore4 ,how many has      
orthodoxy persecuted into a  hatred for 
the very name of religion8 ,in how many 
minds has it darkened1  or mixed up with

 the most incongruous associations1 the 
beautiful image  of ,christ1 destroying 
its healing and persuasive power8 ,o6   
why should it  be1 except for this      
,trinitarian scheme of an ,exclusive    
,salvation1 that  ,religion should be   
directing her whole energies to the     
support of  creeds1 instead of going    
about doing good1 and with her heavenly 
spirit  entering into conflict with the 
moral evils that afflict society1 and   
degrade man1 and rebel against ,god8    
,why is it1 that instead of this1 we    
have a distinct class of sufferings1    
that go under the name of religious     
evils8 ,why is it that we are here      
holding controversy with our            
fellow-,christians1 instead of uniting  
our spirit and our strength to  work the
 works of ,christ8 ,we wage not this    
controversy for the purpose  of aiding a
 sect2 but we wage it1 to do what we can
 to expose and put  down universally the
 sectarian spirit4 ,the great evils of  
society1 the  crying wrongs of ,man1 are

 mainly owing to this diversion of      
,religion  from spiritual and practical 
objects to the strife of tongues and    
,salvation by creeds4 ,what is the      
,religion of this country doing8        
,contending for creeds4 ,what ought it  
to be doing8 ,spreading the spirit  of  
the life of ,christ through the hearts  
of men and the institutions of  society4
 ,how long are these things to be8 ,how 
long are the spiritual  influences of   
this country to be all consumed in      
striving with heresies  instead of      
striving with sins2 leaving untouched   
the bad heart of  society1 whilst       
wrangling for a metaphysical faith8     
,look to the  religious apparatus of    
this country4 ,look to the number of    
pulpits that  should send forth the     
spiritual influences of righteousness   
and peace2  and the number of men that  
should move through society apostles of 
the  beneficence of ,christ4    ,suppose
 all this strength directed to practical
 and spiritual objects1  and could the  

things that are1 remain as they are1 if 
the religious  forces of the country1   
instead of being exclusive1 doctrinal1  
controversial1 were full of the love of 
,jesus1 and sought simply to  establish 
the kingdom of ,heaven upon ,earth6     
,could ,religion excite the  angry      
passions that she does1 if her aims were
 spiritual and not  doctrinal8 ,could   
,religion be divorced as she is from    
practical life1 and  confined to a class
 kept under powerful stimulants1 and    
called the  8religious public10 if her  
aims were spiritual and not doctrinal8  
,could  ,religion leave the people      
neglected and without education1        
practical  ,heathens1 while she is      
settling her creeds1 if her aims were   
spiritual  and not doctrinal8 ,could    
,religion have left unpurified the      
streams and  sources of public morality1
 if her aims were spiritual and not     
doctrinal8 ,could she have suffered ,war
 still to disgrace the world1 and  not  
long since have extinguished the        

,earthborn passion by the ,heavenly     
spirit and the moral instrument1 if the 
direction of her energies had  been     
spiritual and not controversial8 ,could 
she have shown so little  interest in   
the great mass of the people8 ,could she
 have abandoned them  to ignorance and  
grinding oppressions and not raised her 
omnipotent  voice on their behalf8      
,could she have so separated herself    
from the real  business of life and left
 the moralities of intercourse          
unsanctified  whilst she remained       
unsympathizing and cloistered8 ,every   
friend to  practical religion has an    
interest in destroying this exclusive   
,theology1 which turns away from the    
works of love to the war of creeds4     
,if then we preach ,unitarianism1 it is 
that we may win men's hearts to  the one
 ,spirit who pervades all things1 and   
harmonizes all things1 and  sends all   
blessings1 and sanctifies all thoughts1 
all duties1 and all  times4 ,if we      
preach the man ,christ ,jesus1 the word 

made flesh1 it is  that we too may      
sanctify our nature1 and make it a      
temple for the living  ,god1 and grow up
 into him in all things who is our head1
 even ,christ4 ,if  we preach           
,salvation1 not by creeds1 but by the   
spirit of ,christ in us1  the hope of   
glory1 it is that our fitness for       
,heaven may commence on  ,earth2 that we
 may live now as those who when they    
have slept the brief  sleep of death    
shall awake in the presence of ,christ  
and ,god1 and find  themselves in that  
,heaven wherein dwelleth righteousness4 
,and if we  preach not indiscriminate   
happiness and indiscriminate tortures in
  futurity1 but the just retributions of
 ,god1 it is that we may redeem the     
time1 remembering that each moment lost 
throws us back on the heavenly  way1    
that there is an infinite perfection    
before us1 providing work for  our      
infinite capacities through an immortal 
life2 that ,god is faithful  and        
inflexible in his retributions2 that no 

virtue shall be without its  reward1 no 
sin without its woe2 that we shall be   
judged according to our  works1 and reap
 what we have sown4    ,to sum up1 the  
two great principles of ,unitarianism   
are these3--    ,i4 ,spiritual          
allegiance to ,christ as the image of   
,god4 8,whom we preach1  warning every  
man1 and teaching every man in all      
wisdom2 that we may  present every man  
perfect in ,christ ,jesus40    ,,ii4    
,spiritual liberty from ought besides2  
,creeds1 ,traditions1 ,rituals1  or     
,priests4 8,false brethren1 unawares    
brought in1 who came in privily to  spy 
out our liberty which we have in ,christ
 ,jesus1 that they might bring  us into 
bondage3 to whom we gave place by       
subjection1 no1 not for an  hour2 that  
the truth of the gospel might continue  
with you40                              
,,appendix4                             
---------------------                   
,,note #a1 page #ad4    8,the free and  
unprejudiced mind dwells with delight on

 the image of the  universal church or  
convocation of ,christ1 as it would     
naturally have  grown #8into the fulness
 of the body' of its glorious founder 99
 99 99 99    8,and what 7let me         
earnestly and solemnly ask7 has hitherto
 turned this  view into a mocking       
dream1--a dream that deludes by images  
which are the  very reverse of the sad  
realities which surround us8            
,,orthodoxy2--the  notion that the      
eternal happiness or misery of          
individuals is intimately  connected    
with the acceptance or rejection of a   
most obscure system of  metaphysics2 a  
system perplexing in the extreme to     
those who are best  acquainted with its 
former technical1 now obsolete language1
 and  perfectly unintelligible to the   
rest of the ,christian world3 a system  
which1 to say the least1 seems to       
contradict the simplest and most        
primitive notions of the human mind     
concerning the unity1 the justice1  and 
the goodness of the ,supreme ,being2 a  

system which1 if it be  contained in the
 ,scriptures1 has been laid under so    
thick and  impenetrable a veil1 that    
thousands who have sought to discover   
it1 with  the most eager desire of      
finding it1 whose happiness in this     
world would  have been greatly increased
 by that discovery1 and who1 at all     
events1  would have escaped much misery 
had they been able to attest it1 even on
  the grounds of probability sufficient 
to acquit themselves before their  own  
conscience1 have been compelled1 by     
truth1 to confess their want of         
success4 ,yet ,orthodoxy declares this  
very system identical with              
,christianity--with that ,gospel which  
was #8preached to the poor1' and        
#8revealed unto babes2' such a system1  
we are told1 is that faith which1       
#8except every one keep whole and       
undefiled1 without doubt he shall       
perish everlastingly4'0--,heresy and    
,orthodoxy1 by ,rev4 ,j4 ,blanco        
,white4                                 

,,note #b1 page #ah4    8,what do       
divines understand by ,christian ,truth8
 ,the answer1 at first1  appears        
obvious4 #8,christian truth 7it will be 
said7 is what ,christ and  his apostles 
knew and taught concerning ,salvation   
under the ,gospel4'  ,thus far we find  
no difficulty2 but 7let me ask1 again7  
where does this  exist as an object     
external to our minds8 ,the answer      
appears no less  obvious than the       
former3 #8,in the ,bible4' ,still ,i    
must ask1 ,is the  ,,material ,bible the
 ,christian truth about which           
,christians dispute8 ,no3  it will be   
readily said not the ,,material ,bible1 
but the ,,sense of the  ,bible4 ,now 7,i
 beg to know7 is the ,,sense of the     
,bible an object  external to our minds8
 ,does any ,sense of the ,bible1        
accessible to  man1 exist anywhere but  
in the mind of each man who receives it 
from the  words he reads8 ,the ,divine  
mind certainly knows in what sense those
  words were used2 but as we cannot     

compare our mental impressions with     
that model and original of all truth1 it
 is clear that by the ,,sense of  the   
,bible we must mean our own sense of its
 meaning4 ,when therefore any  man      
declares his intention to defend        
,christian truth1 he only  expresses his
 determination to defend his own        
notions1 as produced by  the words of   
the ,bible4 ,no other ,christian truth  
exists for us in our  present           
state40--,heresy and ,orthodoxy4        
,,note #c1 page #bb4    8,if different  
men in carefully and conscientiously    
examining the  ,scriptures1 should      
arrive at different conclusions1 even on
 points of  the last importance1 we     
trust that ,god1 who alone knows what   
every man  is capable of1 will be       
merciful to him that is in error4 ,we   
trust that  ,he will pardon the         
,unitarian1 if he be in error1 because  
he has fallen  into it from the dread of
 becoming an idolater--of giving that   
glory to  another which he conceives to 

be due to ,god alone4 ,if the worshipper
 of  ,jesus ,christ be in error1 we     
trust that ,god will pardon his mistake1
  because he has fallen into it from the
 dread of disobeying what he  conceives 
to be revealed concerning the nature of 
the ,son1 or commanded  concerning the  
honor to be given him4 ,both are        
actuated by the same  principle--the    
fear of ,god2 and though that principle 
impels them into  different roads1 it is
 our hope and belief1 that if they add  
to their  faith charity1 they will meet 
in ,heaven40--,watson4    8,we should   
learn to be cautious1 lest we charge    
,god foolishly1 by  ascribing that to   
him1 or the ,nature he has given us1    
which is owing  wholly to our own abuse 
of it4 ,men may speak of the degeneracy 
and  corruption of the world1 according 
to the experience they have had of  it2 
but human nature1 considered as the     
divine workmanship1 should1  methinks1  
be treated as sacred3 for in the image  
of ,god made he  man40--,bishop ,butler4

                                  ,,note
 #d1 page #bd4    8,but1 if ,,orthodoxy 
cannot be the principle of union among  
,christians1  upon what are men to agree
 in order to belong to the              
,,convocation1 or  people of ,christ8 ,i
 believe that the ,apostle ,paul has    
said enough to  answer this question4   
,when by using the word anathema1 he    
rejects from  his spiritual society even
 an angel from ,heaven1 were it possible
 that  such a being should 8preach      
another gospel10 he lays down the only  
principle1 without which there can be no
 communion among ,christians4           
,unhappily the word ,,gospel1 like the  
word ,,faith1 is constantly understood  
as expressing a certain number of       
dogmatical articles4 ,owing to this     
perversion of the original meaning1     
these very passages of ,paul are        
conceived to support the                
long-established notion that ,orthodoxy 
is the  only condition of ,christian    
communion2 and want of it1 a sufficient 

cause for anathema4 ,i have1 however1   
already proved1 that ,orthodoxy1        
without a supreme judge of religious    
opinions1 is a phantom2 and since  it is
 demonstrable that no such judge has    
been appointed1 it clearly  follows that
 the ,apostle ,paul1 by the name of     
,gospel1 could not mean a  string of    
dogmatic assertions4 ,it is necessary1  
therefore1 to ascend to  the original   
signification of the word ,gospel1 if we
 are not to  misunderstand the reason of
 the anathema pronounced by ,paul4 ,let 
such as  wish to rise above the clouds  
of theological prejudice1 remember that 
the whole mystery of godliness is       
described by the expression #8glad      
tidings4' ,sad1 not glad tidings1       
indeed1 would have been the ,apostles'  
preaching1 if they had announced a      
salvation depending on ,orthodoxy1  for 
7as ,i have said before7 it would have  
been a salvation depending on  chance4  
,but salvation promised on condition of 
a change of mind from the  love of sin  

to the love of ,god 7which is           
repentance72 on a surrender  of the     
individual will to the will of ,god1    
according to the view of that  divine   
will which is obtained by trust in      
,christ's example and teaching1  which  
is faith2 a pardon of sins independent  
of harassing religious  practices1      
sacrifices1 and ascetic                 
privations--these were #8glad tidings   
of great joy1' indeed1 to all who1      
caring for their souls1 felt  bewildered
 between atheism and                    
superstition40--,heresy and ,orthodoxy4 
,,note #e1 page #bg4    8,men want an   
object of worship like themselves1 and  
the great secret of  idolatry lies in   
this propensity4 ,a ,god1 clothed in our
 form1 and  feeling our wants and       
sorrows1 speaks to our weak nature more 
strongly1  than a ,father in ,heaven1 a 
pure spirit1 invisible and              
unapproachable1  save by the reflecting 
and purified mind4 ,we think1 too1 that 
the  peculiar offices ascribed to ,jesus

 by the popular theology1 make him the  
most attractive person in the ,godhead4 
,the ,father is the depositary of  the  
justice1 the vindicator of the rights1  
the avenger of the laws of  the         
,divinity4 ,on the other hand1 the ,son1
 the brightness of the divine  mercy1   
stands between the incensed ,deity and  
guilty humanity1 exposes  his meek head 
to the storms1 and his compassionate    
breast to the sword  of the divine      
justice1 bears our whole load of        
punishment1 and purchases  with his     
blood every blessing which descends from
 ,heaven4 ,need we state  the effect of 
these representations1 especially on    
common minds1 for  whom ,christianity   
was chiefly designed1 and whom it seeks 
to bring to  the ,father as the         
loveliest being8 ,we do believe1 that   
the worship of a  bleeding1 suffering   
,god1 tends strongly to absorb the mind1
 and to draw  it from other objects1    
just as the human tenderness of the     
,virgin ,mary  has given her so         

conspicuous a place in the devotions of 
the ,church of  ,rome4 ,we believe1 too1
 that this worship1 though attractive1  
is not most  fitted to spiritualize the 
mind1 that it awakens human transports1 
rather than that deep veneration of the 
moral perfections of ,god1 which  is the
 essence of piety4    8,we are told1    
also1 that ,christ is a more interesting
 object1 that his  love and mercy are   
more felt1 when he is viewed as the     
,supreme ,god1 who  left his glory to   
take humanity and to suffer for men4    
,that ,trinitarians  are strongly moved 
by this representation1 we do not mean  
to deny2 but  we think their emotions   
altogether founded on a misapprehension 
of their  own doctrines4 ,they talk of  
the second person of the ,trinity's     
leaving  his glory and his ,father's    
bosom to visit and save the world4 ,but 
this  second person being the           
unchangeable and infinite ,god1 was     
evidently  incapable of parting with the
 least degree of his perfection and     

felicity4 ,at the moment of his taking  
flesh1 he was as intimately  present    
with his ,father as before1 and equally 
with his ,father filled  heaven1 and    
earth1 and immensity4 ,this             
,trinitarians acknowledge2 and  still   
they profess to be touched and          
overwhelmed by the amazing  humiliation 
of this immutable being6 ,but not only  
does their doctrine1  when fully        
explained1 reduce ,christ's humiliation 
to a fiction1 it  almost wholly destroys
 the impressions with which his cross   
ought to be  viewed4 ,according to their
 doctrine1 ,christ was1 comparatively1  
no  sufferer at all4 ,it is true his    
human mind suffered2 but this1 they tell
  us1 was an infinitely small part of   
,jesus1 bearing no more proportion to   
his whole nature1 than a single hair of 
our heads to the whole body1 or  than a 
drop to the ocean4 ,the divine mind of  
,christ1 that which was more  properly  
himself1 was infinitely happy1 at the   
very moment of the  suffering of his    

humanity2 whilst hanging on the cross1  
he was the  happiest being in the       
universe1 as happy as the infinite      
,father2 so that  his pains1 compared   
with his felicity1 were nothing4 ,this  
,trinitarians  do1 and must acknowledge4
 ,it follows necessarily from the       
immutableness  of the divine nature1    
which they ascribe to ,christ2 so that  
their system  justly viewed1 robs his   
death of interest1 weakens our sympathy 
with his  sufferings1 and is1 of all    
others1 most unfavourable to a love of  
,christ1 founded on a sense of his      
sacrifices for mankind4 ,we esteem our  
own views to be vastly more affecting4  
,it is our belief1 that ,christ's       
humiliation was real and entire1 that   
the whole ,saviour and not a part  of   
him suffered1 that his crucifixion was a
 scene of deep and unmixed  agony4 ,as  
we stand round his cross1 our minds are 
not distracted1 nor  our sensibility    
weakened by contemplating him as        
composed of incongruous  and infinitely 

differing minds1 and as having a balance
 of infinite  felicity4 ,we recognize in
 the dying ,jesus but one mind4 ,this1  
we think1  renders his sufferings1 and  
his patience1 and love1 in bearing them2
  incomparably more impressive and      
affecting1 than the system we           
oppose40--,channing4                    
,,note #f1 ,page #bi4    8,we believe1  
too1 that this system is unfavourable to
 the character4 ,it  naturally leads men
 to think that ,christ came to change   
,god's mind1  rather than their own2    
that the highest object of his mission  
was to  avert punishment rather than to 
communicate holiness2 and that a large  
part of religion consists in disparaging
 good works and human virtue1  for the  
purpose of magnifying the value of      
,christ's vicarious  sufferings4 ,in    
this way1 a sense of the infinite       
importance and  indispensable necessity 
of personal improvement is weakened1 and
 high  sounding praises of ,christ's    
cross seem often to be substituted for  

obedience to his precepts4 ,for         
ourselves1 we have not so learned       
,jesus4  ,whilst we gratefully          
acknowledge that he came to rescue us   
from  punishment1 we believe that he was
 sent on a still nobler errand1  namely1
 to deliver us from sin itself1 and to  
form us to a sublime and  heavenly      
virtue4 ,we regard him as a ,saviour1   
chiefly as he is the light1  physician1 
and guide of the dark1 diseased1 and    
wandering mind4 ,no  influence in the   
universe seems to us so glorious as that
 over the  character2 and no redemption 
so worthy of thankfulness as the        
restoration of the soul to purity4      
,without this1 pardon1 if it were       
possible1 would be of little value4 ,why
 pluck the sinner from hell1 if a  hell 
be left to burn in his own breast8 ,why 
raise him to heaven1 if he  remain a    
stranger to its sanctity and love8 ,with
 these impressions1 we  are accustomed  
to value the gospel chiefly as it       
abounds in effectual  aids1 motives1    

excitements to a generous and divine    
virtue4 ,in this  virtue1 as in a common
 centre1 we see all its doctrines1      
precepts1  promises meet2 and we believe
 that faith in this religion is of no   
worth1 and contributes nothing to       
salvation1 any further than as it uses  
these doctrines1 precepts1 promises1 and
 the whole life1 character1  sufferings 
and triumphs of ,jesus1 as the means of 
purifying the mind1 of  changing it into
 the likeness of his celestial          
excellence40--,channing4                
,,note #g1 page #cg4    8,i can direct  
you to nothing in ,christ more important
 than his tried1  and victorious1 and   
perfect goodness4 ,others may love      
,christ for his  mysterious attributes2 
,i love him for the rectitude of his    
soul and  life4 ,i love him for that    
benevolence which went through ,judea1  
instructing the ignorant1 healing the   
sick1 giving sight to the blind4 ,i     
love him for that universal charity     
which comprehended the despised         

publican1 the hated ,samaritan1 the     
benighted heathen1 and sought to  bring 
a world to ,god and to happiness4 ,i    
love him for that gentle1 mild1         
forbearing spirit1 which no insult1     
outrage1 injury1 could overpower2  and  
which desired as earnestly the          
repentance and happiness of its foes  as
 the happiness of its friends4 ,i love  
him for the spirit of  magnanimity1     
constancy1 and fearless rectitude with  
which1 amid peril  and opposition1 he   
devoted himself to the work which ,god  
gave him to do4  ,i love him for the    
wise and enlightened zeal with which he 
espoused the  true1 the spiritual       
interests of mankind1 and through which 
he lived and  died to redeem them from  
every sin1 to frame them after his own  
,god-like  virtue4 ,i love him1 ,i have 
said1 for his moral excellence2 ,i know 
nothing else to love4 ,i know nothing so
 glorious in the ,creator or his        
creatures4 ,this is the greatest gift   
which ,god bestows1 the greatest to  be 

derived from his ,son4 ,you see why ,i  
call you to cherish the love of         
,christ4 ,this love ,i do not recommend 
as a luxury of feeling1 as an  exstasy  
bringing immediate and overflowing joy4 
,i view it in a nobler  light2 ,i call  
you to love ,jesus1 that you may bring  
yourselves into  contact and communion  
with perfect virtue1 and may become what
 you love4  ,i know no sincere1 enduring
 good1 but the moral excellence that    
shines  forth in ,jesus ,christ4 ,your  
health1 your outward comforts and       
distinctions1 are poor1 mean1           
contemptible1 compared with this2 and to
  prefer them to this is                
self-debasement1 self-destruction4 ,may 
this great  truth penetrate our souls2  
and may we bear witness in our common   
lives1  and especially in trial1 in sore
 temptation1 that nothing is so dear to 
us as the virtue of ,christ6 99 99 99   
8,thus ,jesus lived with men2 with the  
consciousness of unutterable  majesty he
 joined a lowliness1 gentleness1        

humanity1 and sympathy1 which  have no  
example in human history4 ,i ask you to 
contemplate this  wonderful union4 ,in  
proportion to the superiority of ,jesus 
to all around  him was the intimacy1 the
 brotherly love1 with which he bound    
himself to  them4 ,i maintain1 that this
 is a character wholly remote from human
  conception4 ,to imagine it to be the  
production of imposture or  enthusiasm1 
shows a strange unsoundness of mind4 ,i 
contemplate it with a  veneration second
 only to the profound awe with which ,i 
look up to ,god4  ,it bears no mark of  
human invention4 ,it was real4 ,it      
belonged to1 and it  manifested1 the    
beloved ,son of ,god4    8,but ,i have  
not done4 ,may ,i ask your attention a  
few moments more8 ,we  have not yet     
reached the depth of ,christ's          
character4 ,we have not  touched the    
great principle on which his wonderful  
sympathy was founded1  and which        
endeared him to his office of universal 
,saviour4 ,do you ask  what this deep   

principle was8 ,i answer1 it was his    
conviction of the  greatness of the     
human soul4 ,he saw in man the impress  
and image of the  ,divinity1 and        
therefore thirsted for his redemption2  
and took the  tenderest interest in him1
 whatever might be the rank1 character1 
or  condition in which he was found4    
,this spiritual view of man pervades and
  distinguishes the teaching of ,christ4
 ,jesus looked on men with an eye  which
 pierced beneath the material frame4    
,the body vanished before him4  ,the    
trappings of the rich1 the rags of the  
poor1 were nothing to him4 ,he  looked  
through them1 as though they did not    
exist1 to the soul2 and  there1 amidst  
clouds of ignorance and plague-spots of 
sin1 he recognized  a spiritual and     
immortal nature1 and the germs of power 
and perfection  which might be unfolded 
for ever4 ,in the most fallen and       
depraved man1  he saw a being who might 
become an angel of light4 ,still more1  
he felt  that there was nothing in      

himself to which men might not ascend4  
,his own  lofty consciousness did not   
sever him from the multitude2 for he    
saw1 in  his own greatness1 the model of
 what men might become4 ,so deeply was  
he  thus impressed1 that again and      
again1 in speaking of his future        
glories1  he announced that in these his
 true followers were to share4 ,they    
were  to sit on his throne1 and partake 
of his beneficent power4 ,here ,i pause2
  and ,i know not1 indeed1 what can be  
added to heighten the wonder1           
reverence1 and love which are due to    
,jesus4 ,when ,i consider him not only  
as possessed with the consciousness of  
an unexampled and unbounded  majesty1   
but as recognizing a kindred nature in  
all human beings1 and  living and dying 
to raise them to an anticipation of his 
divine glories2  and when ,i see him1   
under these views1 allying himself to   
men by the  tenderest ties1 embracing   
them with a spirit of humanity1 which no
  insult1 injury1 or pain could for a   

moment repel or overpower1 ,i am  filled
 with wonder1 as well as reverence and  
love4 ,i feel that this  character is   
not of human invention1 that it was not 
assumed through  fraud1 or struck out by
 enthusiasm2 for it is infinitely above 
their  reach4 ,when ,i add this         
character of ,jesus to the other        
evidences of his  religion1 it gives to 
what before seemed so strong a new and  
vast  accession of strength2 ,i feel as 
if ,i could not be deceived4 ,the       
,gospels  must be true2 they were drawn 
from a living original2 they were       
founded  on reality4 ,the character of  
,christ is not fiction2 he was what he  
claimed to be1 and what his followers   
attested4 ,nor is this all4 ,jesus  not 
only was1 he is still1 the ,son of      
,god1--the ,saviour of the world4  ,he  
exists now2 he has entered that ,heaven 
to which he always looked  forward on   
earth4 ,there he lives and reigns4 ,with
 a clear1 calm faith1 ,i  see him in    
that state of glory2 and ,i confidently 

expect1 at no distant  period1 to see   
him face to face4 ,we have1 indeed1 no  
absent friend whom  we shall so surely  
meet4 ,let us then1 by imitations of his
 virtues1 and  obedience to his word1   
prepare ourselves to join him in those  
pure  mansions where he is surrounding  
himself with the good and pure of our   
race1 and will communicate to them for  
ever his own spirit1 power1 and         
joy40--,channing4                       
,,note #h1 ,page #ch4    8,at the       
present moment ,i would ask1 whether it 
is a vice to doubt the  truth of        
,christianity as it is manifested in    
,spain and ,portugal4 ,when a  patriot  
in those benighted countries1 who knows 
,christianity only as a  bulwark of     
despotism1 as a rearer of inquisitions1 
as a stern jailer  immuring wretched    
women in the convent1 as an executioner 
stained and  reeking with the blood of  
the friends of freedom1--,i say when the
  patriot1 who sees in our religion the 
instruments of these crimes and  woes1  

believes and affirms that it is not from
 ,god1 are we authorized to  charge his 
unbelief on dishonesty and corruption of
 mind1 and to brand  him as a culprit8  
,may it not be that the spirit of       
,christianity in his  heart emboldens   
him to protest with his lips against    
what bears the  name8 ,and if he thus   
protest1 through a deep sympathy with   
the  oppression and sufferings of his   
race1 is he not nearer the kingdom of   
,god than the priest and the inquisitor 
who boastingly and exclusively  assume  
the ,christian name8 ,jesus ,christ has 
told us that #8this is the              
condemnation' of the unbelieving1 #8that
 they love darkness rather than  light2'
 and who does not see that this ground  
of condemnation is  removed1 just in    
proportion as the light is quenched1 or 
,christian truth  is buried in darkness 
and debasing error80--,channing4        
99       99       99       99       99  
8,i am not ashamed of the ,gospel of    
,christ3 for it is ,true4 ,it is true2  

and its truth is to break forth more and
 more gloriously4 ,of this ,i have  not 
a doubt4 ,i know that our religion has  
been questioned even by  intelligent and
 good men2 but this does not shake my   
faith in its divine  original or in its 
ultimate triumphs4 ,such men have       
questioned it1  because they have known 
it chiefly by its corruptions4 ,in      
proportion as  its original simplicity  
shall be restored1 the doubts of the    
well-disposed will yield4 ,i have no    
fears from infidelity2 especially  from 
that form of it which some are at this  
moment labouring to spread  through our 
country 7,america74 ,i mean1 that       
insane1 desperate unbelief1  which      
strives to quench the light of nature as
 well as of revelation1  and to leave   
us1 not only without ,christ1 but       
without ,god4 ,this ,i dread  no more   
than ,i should fear the efforts of men  
to pluck the sun from his  sphere2 or to
 storm the skies with the artillery of  
the earth4 ,we were  made for religion2 

and unless the enemies of our faith can 
change our  nature1 they will leave the 
foundation of religion unshaken4 ,the   
human  soul was created to look above   
material nature4 ,it wants a ,deity for 
its  love and trust1 an ,immortality for
 its hope4 ,it wants consolations not   
found in philosophy1 wants strength in  
temptation1 sorrow1 and death1  which   
human wisdom cannot minister2 and       
knowing1 as ,i do1 that  ,christianity  
meets these deep wants of men1 ,i have  
no fear or doubts as  to its triumphs4  
,men cannot long live without religion4 
,in ,france there  is a spreading       
dissatisfaction with the sceptical      
spirit of the past  generation4 ,a      
philosopher in that country would now   
blush to quote  ,voltaire as an         
authority in religion4 ,already atheism 
is dumb where once  it seemed to bear   
sway4 ,the greatest minds in ,france are
 working back  their way to the light of
 truth4 ,many of them cannot indeed yet 
be  called ,christians2 but their path1 

like that of the wise men of old1 who   
came star-guided from the ,east1 is     
towards ,christ4 ,i am not ashamed of   
the ,gospel of ,christ4 ,it has an      
immortal life1 and will gather strength 
from the violence of its foes4 ,it is   
equal to all the wants of men4 ,the     
greatest minds have found in it the     
light which they most anxiously         
desired4 ,the most sorrowful and broken 
spirits have found in it a  healing balm
 for their woes4 ,it has inspired the   
sublimest virtues and  the loftiest     
hopes4 ,for the corruptions of such a   
religion ,i weep1 and ,i  should blush  
to be their advocate2 but of the ,gospel
 itself ,i can never  be                
ashamed40--,channing4                   
,,note #i1 page #ci4    8,having found  
that pride of reason is an aggression   
upon other men's  reason1 arising from  
an over-estimate of the worth of the    
aggressor's  own1 we may now proceed in 
our inquiry1 who are justly chargeable  
with  pride of reason8 ,is it those who1

 having examined the ,scriptures1       
propose their own collective sense of   
those books to the acceptance of        
others1 but blame them not for rejecting
 it8 or those who positively  assert1   
that their own sense of the ,scriptures 
is the only one which an  honest man1   
not under diabolical delusion1 can find 
there8 ,the answer is  so plain1 that a 
child1 who could understand the terms of
 the question1  might give it4 ,and yet 
experience has taught me that there is  
no chance  of unravelling the confused  
ideas which prevent many a well-meaning 
,christian from perceiving that the     
charge of the pride of reason falls     
upon the ,orthodox4 ,their own sense of 
the ,scripture 7such is the dizzy  whirl
 which their excited feelings produce7  
must be the word of ,god1  because      
,,they cannot find another4 ,my sense of
 the ,scripture must1 7for  instance17  
on the contrary1 be a damnable error1   
because it is the work  of my reason1   
which opposes the word of ,god1 i4e41   

,,their sense of  the ,scriptures3 hence
 the conclusion that ,i am guilty of    
pride of  reason4 #8,renounce that      
pride1 7they say17 and you will see in  
the  ,scriptures what we propose to     
you3' which is to say1 surrender your   
reason to ours1 and you will agree with 
us4 99 99 99    8,it is remarkable that 
,christians are accused of ,pride of    
reason in  proportion as their view of  
,christianity contains fewer doctrines  
of  inference than that of the accusers4
 ,compare the creed of the  ,trinitarian
 with that of the ,unitarian4 ,the      
former may be true1 and the  latter     
erroneous1 though ,i adhere to the      
latter2 but unquestionably the          
,trinitarian ,creed is nearly made up of
 inferences1 it is almost  entirely a   
work of reason1 though1 in my eyes1     
sadly misapplied4 ,why1  then1 is the   
,unitarian accused of pride of reason1  
when he only  employs it to show that   
the ,trinitarian has not any sound      
reason to  draw those inferences8 which 

of the two is guilty of encroaching upon
  another man's rights of reason8 ,is it
 not he who claims for his              
inferences--the work of his own         
reason--an authority above human        
reason8    8,it is not1 however1 to     
inferences alone 7the work of logical   
reason7  that the ,trinitarian creed    
owes its existence1 and1 more than its  
existence1 its popularity4 ,my          
observation has shown me1 and that of   
every competent judge will find1 that   
the strongest hold which that  creed has
 on the minds of its supporters1        
consists in preconceived  theories      
concerning the nature of ,god and of    
sin1 and of some  necessity which places
 the ,divine ,nature in a state of      
difficulty in  regard to the pardon of  
sin4 ,the work of saving the race of man
 from a  most horrible fate depends     
7according to this theory7 not only on a
 very  mysterious method of overcoming  
the difficulty which prevents pardon by 
an act of mercy1 on repentance1 but also

 on the acknowledgment of the  mystery  
by the sinner4 ,the remedy prepared by  
the wisdom of ,god is  7according to    
this theory7 totally powerless1 unless  
we believe a  certain explanation of the
 manner in which it acts4    8,now      
people who cordially embrace this view  
very naturally work  themselves into a  
state of the most agonizing excitement3 
for if the  whole world is to perish    
because it does not know how the saving 
remedy  acts1 or because its activity is
 explained in a wrong way1 benevolent   
men1 who think themselves in possession 
of that important secret1 must  burn    
with zeal to spread it1 and with        
indignation against those who  propagate
 an explanation which deprives the      
remedy of all its power4  #8,believing1'
 says an orthodox writer1 though a      
dissenter from the  orthodoxy of the    
,church of ,england1 #8the doctrine 7of 
the divinity of  ,christ7 to comprehend 
within itself the hopes of a guilty and 
perishing  world1 while ,i would contend

 meekly1 ,i must be pardoned if1 at the 
same time1 ,i contend earnestly4' ,it is
 this preconceived theory 7one of  the  
strangest that was ever founded on      
reasonings  priori7 that  guides most   
,christians in the exposition of the    
,new ,testament1 and even  in that of   
many passages of the ,hebrew            
,scriptures4 ,the notion that sin  could
 not be pardoned unless a person equal  
to ,god suffered for it1  is the        
deeply-coloured glass through which the 
orthodox read the  ,scriptures4 ,i do   
not blame them for this extraordinary   
conception4  ,what ,i earnestly wish is1
 that their religious fears may allow   
them to  perceive that this theory of   
redemption is made up of preconceived   
notions and inferences4 ,even if that   
theory were true1 it would              
unquestionably be a work of reason      
working by inference4 ,can1 then1  the  
attempt to make it the very soul of the 
,gospel be acquitted of the  charge     
which is constantly in the mouth of the 

orthodox8 ,are they not  guilty of the  
pride of reason80--,heresy and          
,orthodoxy4                             
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,comments on ,rev4 ,f4 ,ould's ,lecture 
on the practical              importance
 of the ,controversy with ,unitarians4  
,page #e4--;,it is here argued that the 
error1 if an error1 of denying          
,unitarians to be ,christians is as     
innocent1 as the error1 if one1 of      
denying ,jesus to be ,god4 ,certainly1  
if equally involuntary and the pure     
conclusion of a truthful mind4 ,but1 if 
an error1 it involves two               
errors1--first1 the mistake as to the   
nature and offices of ,jesus1 and       
second1 the mistake of making essentials
 which ,jesus did not make1 and  of     
passing judgments which ,jesus did not  
pass4 ,it is also essentially           
,anti-,protestant4      ,page           
#f4--8;,but if it be a characteristic of
 true ,christianity so to trust  in     

,christ1 as to commit the salvation of  
our souls into his hands1 how  can we   
conceive of those as true ,christians   
who consider him only a                 
fellow-creature1 and consequently repose
 in him no such trust80 ,trust is  a    
moral act of the mind4 ,we trust ,jesus 
spiritually4 ,our souls feel  him to be 
the ,image of ,god3 and we confide      
ourselves with a perfect  trust to the  
,god of ,love whom ,jesus imaged4 8,let 
not your hearts be  troubled3 ye believe
 in ,god1 believe also in me40 ,our     
hearts are not  troubled because our    
faith rests upon the ,god whom ,jesus   
has made known  to us4 ,this is the only
 intelligible meaning of ,,trust as a   
spiritual  act4 ,we trust him whom we   
believe ,god to have trusted and sent4  
,page #h4--8,we maintain that the ,bible
 is alone safely interpreted by its     
,author and ,inspirer1 the ,holy        
,ghost40 ,do the ,trinitarians mean that
  their interpretations of the ,bible   
are the interpretations of the ,holy    

,spirit8 ,if so1 we can have no         
controversy with them4 ,if they are     
inspired to interpret1 what the         
,apostles were inspired to write1       
nothing  is required but that this      
should be proved4      ,pages #aa1      
#ab4--8,the ,new ,testament writers also
 assert their own  inspiration in       
language equally strong4 #8,all         
,scripture is given by  inspiration of  
,god1 and is profitable1' c4 ,st4 ,paul 
does not here  assert his own           
inspiration1 but the inspiration of the 
,jewish  ,prophets1 the study of whom   
had made ,timothy wise unto salvation   
through  faith in ,christ4 ,the         
,christian ,scriptures were not in      
existence when the  words were written4 
,it is also very doubtful whether the   
word  translated1 #8given by inspiration
 of ,god1' signifies #8breathing of     
,god1' or #8breathed from ,god4'        
8#8,no prophecy of the ,scripture is of 
any private interpretation1' c4  ,the   
inspiration of ,prophecy is not denied4 

,but can anything be more idle  than to 
prove the inspiration of all the books  
of the ,old ,testament by  such a       
quotation as this3 #8,hear me1 ,o       
,judah1 and ye inhabitants of           
,jerusalem1 believe in the ,lord your   
,god1 so shall ye be established2       
believe his prophets1 so shall ye       
prosper'80      ,page #af4--8,so then1  
it appears1 that if these #8rational and
 liberal'  critics are not allowed to   
,unitarianize the ,bible1 they are      
prepared to  deny its divine authority1 
and to give it up to its enemies60 ,dr4 
,channing does not say so4 ,what he says
 is1 that he cannot defend the          
,scriptures unless he is allowed to     
interpret them by the same principles   
which are applied to all other works4   
,and this principle of  interpretation  
we understood ,dr4 ,tattershall freely  
to admit4 ,the use  that is made of the 
extract from ,dr4 ,channing1 exhibits   
the temptations  of controversy4 ,there 
is nothing in the extract that          

,trinitarians  themselves would not say 
upon occasion4 ,why is it thought worthy
 of  being marked in italics that the   
dispensation of ,moses is imperfect when
  compared with that of ,jesus8 ,is this
 denied8 ,why is the word seems         
italicized1 when the connected word is  
not rejects1 but only  distrusts8 ,yet  
the author praises the candour of ,dr4  
,channing4      ,pages #bj1 #ba4--8,the 
improved ,version40 ,it is a curious    
fact that most of  the ,trinitarian     
objections to the ,improved ,version    
have been provided  for them by an      
,unitarian ,critic and ,reviewer4 ,dr4  
,carpenter in his reply  to ,archbishop 
,magee states1 8,i furnished to the     
opponents of the  ,improved ,version    
some of the most powerful weapons       
against it40 ,again1  8,at my request a 
young friend undertook to draw up the   
table ,i wished4  ,this led him to      
collate the two ,versions1 which he did 
with great  patience and fidelity4 ,he  
discovered some variations from the     

basis  which were not noticed2 and ,i   
thought it right to point them out4 ,it 
is  not too much to say that1 but for   
this1 neither ,bishop ,magee1 nor any   
others who have censured the ,improved  
,version1 would have been aware of      
their existence40--pp4 #cjh1 #cji4      
,whatever becomes of the ,improved      
,version1 the ,controversy between      
,unitarianism and ,trinitarianism       
remains  just where it was1 to be       
settled upon independent principles1    
critical  and exegetical4 ,so far1 the  
whole indictment against the ,improved  
,version relates to the introductory    
chapters of ,matthew and ,luke4         
,suppose those chapters authentic and   
genuine1 and what follows from  them8   
,the doctrine of the ,miraculous        
,conception1 which most ,unitarians     
believe4 ,professor ,norton1 the ablest1
 perhaps1 of ,american ,unitarian       
,critics1 defends this doctrine4 ,the   
introductory chapters of ,matthew he    
rejects1 chiefly on account of their    

inconsistencies with those of ,luke1    
the authenticity of which he does not   
doubt4 ,dr4 ,carpenter also  critically 
dissents from the ,notes in the         
,improved ,version on the  introductions
 of ,matthew and ,luke4 ,reply to ,dr4  
,magee1 p4 #bii4 ,it is not  then such a
 new thing among ,unitarians1 to        
question the authority of  the ,improved
 ,version4 ,will the ,author inform us  
where he got his  knowledge respecting  
,ebion1 his existence and opinions8     
,page #be4--;,in an introductory        
,lecture on the 8practical0 tendencies  
of  views1 we labour under the          
disadvantage of being obliged to allow  
scriptural language to be quoted in a   
sense which we do not admit4 ,it  would 
be evidently quite out of place to enter
 here into the textual  controversy4    
,this will be done abundantly in the    
course of these  ,lectures4      ,page  
#cg4--;,does the ,author deny that ,free
 ,inquiry generates a degree of         
scepticism--that is1 not of unbelief1   

but of the examining and  questioning   
spirit8 ,or does he mean to object to   
all free inquiry on  account of this    
tendency8 ,it is extraordinary reasoning
 to take ,dr4  ,channing's caution      
against a sceptical spirit1 proceeding  
from the  very constitution of mind1 as 
a proof of the tendency of ,unitarianism
 to  infidelity4 ,if ,unitarianism leads
 to unbelief1 it is strange that so     
many ,unitarians should defend the      
,evidences of ,christianity1 and that   
one of them1 ,dr4 ,lardner1 is the great
 authority from which ,trinitarians     
themselves draw their knowledge of the  
external testimonies4      ,page        
#ci4--8;,another leading principle1     
common to both systems1  7,unitarianism 
and ,infidelity17 is the non-importance 
of principle  itself to the enjoyment of
 the ,divine favour40 ,let it be known1 
that by  principle here1 the ,author    
means opinions4      ,page #da4--8;,does
 the ,deist reject the ,bible because   
,god is represented as  a being who     

takes vengeance8 ,so does the ,unitarian
 for the very same  reason reject the   
,gospel4 ,does the ,deist reject the    
,bible because it  contains the doctrine
 of atonement and of divine sovereignty8
 ,for the  very same reason the         
,unitarian rejects the ,gospel40 ,it is 
melancholy to  have to remark upon this 
passage4 ,the ,unitarian does not reject
 the  ,gospel1 unless the ,gospel means 
,trinitarianism1 a use of words which1  
in controversy1 cannot be justified4    
,the ,unitarian does not deny that  ,god
 takes vengeance1 if by vengeance is    
meant the infliction of  retribution4   
,the ,unitarian accepts the ,gospel1 but
 does not find in it  the doctrine of   
,atonement4      ,page #df4--8;,how1 on 
,unitarian principles1 this reasoning   
can be answered1  is more than ,i can   
tell40 ,jesus did refer to ,god both his
 words and  his works4 ,but ,unitarians 
do not regard the mission of ,jesus as  
similar  to that of any of the          
,prophets4 ,it was essentially          

different4 ,he was  himself the         
,revelation3 a man in the image of ,god4
 ,by the ,prophets1 ,god  taught the    
,jews certain lessons1 and inspired     
certain expectations4 ,by  ,jesus1 in   
whom was the spirit without measure1    
,god exhibited a perfect  revelation    
both of human perfection and of human   
destinies4 ,god's word  was made flesh1 
and dwelt amongst us4 ,the purposes of  
the ,deity were  impersonated4 ,he was  
consequently the life1 and the way1 as  
well as the  truth4      ,page          
#ei4--;,does the ,author mean to contend
 that ,thomas was an ,,inspired ,,man   
when he refused to believe in the risen 
,jesus8 ,we had thought the             
,trinitarian view was1 that the day of  
,pentecost dated the inspiration of  the
 apostles4 ,but it appears the ,author  
believes ,thomas to be inspired  when   
refusing to believe in the resurrection 
of ,christ4      ,page #fj4--;,is not   
the ,author aware of the doubtful       
authenticity of the  second epistle of  

,peter1 from which he quotes twice1     
contrary to the  judgment of ,lardner1  
who decides that the doubtful ,epistles1
 so stated  by ,eusebius1 should not be 
used as authority for doctrines8        
,there are other passages in this       
,lecture on which we might comment4 ,but
  we refrain4 ,we wished to remark upon 
those passages which affect the  cause1 
and not more than was unavoidable upon  
those which affect only  the advocate4  
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,i4    ,footnote
 #bb3      ,john iv4 #bc1 #bd4          
,footnote #bc3      ,luke xvii4 #bj1    
#ba4    ,footnote #bd3      ,john xiv4  
#ba2 xv4 #h1 #i1 #aj4    ,footnote #be3 
,john xiii4 #ce4    ,footnote #bf3      
,john xiv4 #bh4    ,footnote #bg3       
,john xvii4 #c4    ,footnote #bh3       
#a ,john ii4 #c1 #e1 #bi2 iii4 #g4      
,footnote #bi3      ,john x4 #af2 xvii4 
#bj1 #ba4    ,footnote #cj3      ,ephes4
 iv4    ,footnote #ca3      #a ,cor4    
xii4    ,footnote #cb3      ,note #a4   

,footnote #cc3      ,the ,oxford        
,tracts1 ,no4 #hj1 as quoted in 8,dr4   
,hook's #8,call to ,union1'             
answered40    ,footnote #cd3            
,newman on ,justification4    ,footnote 
#ce3      ,newman4    ,footnote #cf3    
,note #b4    ,footnote #cg3      ,it is 
absurd to say that a work becomes a     
standard authority1 because    a ,book  
,society admits it into its ,catalogue1 
or thinks its objects of    sufficient  
importance to aid in its publication4   
,doubtless the    ,unitarian ,society   
thought the 8,improved ,version0        
valuable as a    ,scriptural aid4       
,footnote #ch3      ,note #c4           
,footnote #ci3      ,note #d4           
,footnote #dj3      ,see ,rev4 ,f4      
,ould's ,lecture1 page #ce4    ,footnote
 #da3      ,rom4 xiv4 #ag4    ,footnote 
#db3      ,note #e4    ,footnote #dc3   
,gal4 ii4 #ag4    ,footnote #dd3        
,note #f4    ,footnote #de3      ,note  
#g4    ,footnote #df3      ,note #h4    
,footnote #dg3      ,note #i4           

----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,the ,,bible3                          
,,what ,,it ,,is1 ,,and ,,what ,,it ,,is
 ,,not4                                 
---------------------                   
,,lecture ,,ii4                   ,,the 
,,bible3 ,,what ,,it ,,is1 ,,and ,,what 
,,it ,,is ,,not4                        
,,by ,,rev4 ,,james ,,martineau4        
8,,and ,,the ,,word ,,was ,,made        
,,flesh1 ,,and ,,dwelt ,,among ,,us1    
7,,and ,,we ,,beheld ,,his     ,,glory1 
,,the ,,glory ,,as ,,of ,,the ,,only    
,,begotten ,,of ,,the ,,father17 ,,full 
,,of     ,,grace ,,and ,,truth40--,john 
i4 #ad4      ,the ,bible is the great   
autobiography of human nature1 from its 
infancy  to its perfection4 ,whatever   
man has seen and felt and done on the   
theatre of this earth1 is expressed     
therein with the simplicity and         
vividness of personal consciousness4    
,the first wondering impressions of  the
 new-created being1 just dropt upon a   

scene quite strange2--the  hardened     
heart and daring crimes of the          
long-resident here1 forgetting  that he 
dwells in a hospice of the ,lord1 and   
not a property of his  own2--the        
recalled and penitent spirit1 awakened  
by the voice of ,christ1  when1 to a    
world grown old and dead in custom1 he  
brought back the  living presence of    
,god1 and to the first reverence added  
the maturest  love2--all this is        
recorded there1 written down in the     
happiest moments  of inspiration which  
have fallen upon our race during the    
lapse of  sixteen centuries4 ,the volume
 stations us on a spot1 well selected as
 a  watch-tower1 from which we may      
overlook the history of the world2--an  
angle of coast between the ancient      
continents of ,africa and ,asia1        
subtended by the newer line of ,european
 civilization4 ,thence have we a        
neighbouring view of every form of human
 life1 and every variety of  human      
character4 ,the solitary shepherd on the

 slopes of ,chalda1  watching the       
changing heavens till he worships them2 
the patriarch  pitching his tent in the 
nearer plain of ,mamre2 the ,arab1 half 
merchant1  half marauder1 hurrying his  
fleet dromedaries across the sunny      
desert2  the ,phnician commerce         
gladdening the ,levant with its sails1  
or1 on its  way from ,india1 spreading  
its wares in the streets of ,jerusalem2 
the  urban magnificence of ,babylonia1  
and the sacerdotal grandeur of ,egypt2  
all are spread beneath our eye1 in      
colours vivid1 but with passage  swift4 
,even the echo of ,grecian revolutions1 
and the tramp of ,roman  armies1 and the
 incipient rush of ,eastern nations1    
that will overwhelm  them both1 may be  
distinctly heard2 brief agents1 every   
one1 on this  stage of ,providence1     
beckoned forward by the finger of       
,omnipotence1 and  waved off again by   
the signals of mercy ever new4    ,the  
interest of this wide and various       
scriptural scene1 gradually  gathers    

itself in towards a single point4 ,there
 is ,one who stands at the  place where 
its converging lines all meet2 and we   
are led over the  expanse of            
world-history1 that we may rest at      
length beneath the eye of  the ,prophet 
of ,nazareth4 ,he is the central object1
 around whom all the  ages and events of
 the ,bible are but an outlying         
circumference2 and when  they have      
brought us to this place of repose1 to  
return upon them again  would be an idle
 wandering4 ,they are all preliminaries1
 that accomplish  their end in leading  
us hither4--8,the law10 aye1 and the    
prophets too1 we  esteem 8our           
schoolmasters to bring us to            
,christ30#dh and though1 like  grateful 
pupils1 we may look back on them with   
true-hearted respect1 and  even think   
their labours not thrown away on such as
 may still be  children in the ,lord1 we
 have no idea of acknowledging any more 
the  authority of the task1 the threat1 
the rod4 ,to sit at the feet of ,jesus  

we take to be the only proper position  
for the true disciple2 to listen  to his
 voice 8the one thing needful20 and     
however much others1  notwithstanding   
that he is come1 may make themselves    
8anxious and  troubled about many       
things0 besides1 and fret themselves    
still about the  preparations for his   
entertainment1 we choose to quit all    
else1 and keep  close to him1 as that   
better 8part1 which shall not be taken  
from0 us4  ,whatever holy influences of 
the ,divine ,word may be found in the   
old  ,scriptures1 are all collected into
 one at length2 8the ,word hath been    
made ,flesh10 and in a living form hath 
8dwelt among us20 and from its  fulness 
of 8grace and truth0 we will not be torn
 away4    ,if the ultimate ends of      
,scripture are attained in ,christ1 that
 portion  of the ,bible which makes us  
most intimate with him1 must be of      
paramount  interest4 ,compelled then as 
,i am1 by my limits1 to narrow our      
inquiry  into the proper treatment of   

,scripture1 ,i take up the ,new         
,testament  exclusively1 and especially 
the ,gospels1 for examination and       
comment  to-night4    ,suppose then that
 these books are put into our hands for 
the first  time2--disinterred1 if you   
please1 from a chamber in               
,pompeii2--without  title1 name1 date1  
or other external description2 and that 
with  unembarrassed mind and fresh      
heart1 we go apart with these treasures 
to  examine them4    ,it is not long    
before their extraordinary character    
becomes evident4 ,all  minds are known  
by their works1--the human quite as     
distinctly as the  ,divine3 and if 8the 
invisible things of ,god0 8are clearly  
seen0 8by the  things that are made10   
and on the material structures of the   
universe  the moral attributes of his   
nature may be discerned1--with much     
greater  certainty do the secret        
qualities of a man's soul1--his honesty 
or  cunning1 his truthfulness or        
fraud1--impress themselves on his speech

 and  writings4 ,to a clear eye his     
moral nature will unerringly betray     
itself1  even in a disquisition2 more1  
in a fiction2 more still1 in a history2 
and most of all1 in a biography of a    
personal companion and teacher1  drawing
 forth in turns his friendship and      
grief1 his pity and terror1  his love   
and doubt and trust1 his feelings to    
country1 to duty1 to ,god1  to heaven4  
,accordingly in these ,gospels1 and in  
the ,journal of travels  and ,collection
 of letters1 which carry out and        
illustrate the  development of a new    
religion1 ,i find myself in the presence
 of honest  and earnest men1 who are    
plainly strangers to fiction and        
philosophy1  and lead me through        
realities fairer and diviner than       
either4 ,they take  me to actual places1
 and tell the events of a known and     
definite time4  ,they conduct me through
 villages1 and streets1 and markets2 to 
frequented resorts of worship1 and      
hostile halls of justice1 and the       

tribunals of ,roman rulers1 and the     
theatres of ,asiatic cities1 and the    
concourse of ,mars' hill at ,athens3 so 
that there is no denying their  appeal1 
these things were 8not done in a        
corner40#di ,yet their frank            
delineation of public life is less      
impressive1 than their true and  tender 
touches of private history4 ,following  
in the steps of the world's  domestic   
prophet1 they entered1 evening and      
morning1 the homes of  men1--especially 
of men in watching and in grief1 the    
wasted in body or  the sick in soul3 and
 the unconsciousness with which the most
 genuine  traits of nature gleam through
 the narrative1 the infantile simplicity
  with which every one's emotions1 of   
sorrow1 of repentance1 of affection1    
give themselves to utterance1 indicate  
that1 with ,one who bare the key  of    
hearts1 the writers had been into the   
deep places of our humanity4  ,the      
infants in his arms look up in the face 
of ,jesus as we read2 the  ,pharisee    

mutters in our ear his sceptic          
discontent at that loving 8woman  who   
was a sinner0 kneeling at the ,teacher's
 feet2 and the voice of the  bereaved   
sisters of ,lazarus trembles upon the   
page4    ,but1 above all1 these writings
 introduce me to a ,being so            
unimaginable1  except by the great      
,inventor of beauty and ,architect of   
nature himself1  that ,i embrace him at 
once1 as having all the reality of man  
and the  divinest inspiration of ,god4  
,gentle and unconstrained as he is1 ever
  standing1 even on the brink of the    
most stupendous miracles1 in the        
easiest attitudes of our humanity1 so   
that we are drawn to him as to one  of  
like nature1 we yet cannot enter his    
presence without feeling our  souls     
transformed4 ,their greatness1 first    
recognized by him1 becomes  manifest to 
ourselves3 the death of conscience is   
broken by his tones2  the sense of      
accountability takes life within the    
deep2 new thoughts of  duty1 shed from  

his lips1 shame us for the past1 and    
kindle us for the  future with hope and 
faith unknown before4 ,his promise#ej   
fulfils  itself1 whilst he utters it2   
and whenever we truly love him1 ,god    
comes1  and 8makes his abode with0 us4  
,he has this peculiarity3 that he       
plunges  us into the feeling1 that ,god 
acts not there1 but here2 not was  once1
 but is now2 dwells1 not without us1    
like a dreadful sentinel1  but within us
 as a heavenly spirit1 befriending us in
 weakness1 and  bracing us for conflict4
 ,the inspiration of ,christ is not any 
solitary1  barren1 incommunicable       
prodigy2 but diffusive1 creative1       
vivifying as  the energy of ,god3--not  
gathered up and concentrated in himself1
 as an  object of distant wonder2 but   
reproducing itself1 though in fainter   
forms1 in the faithful hearts to which  
it spreads4 ,while in him it had  no    
human origin1 but was spontaneous and   
primitive1 flowing directly  from the   
perception and affinity of ,god1 it     

enters our souls as a gift  from his    
nearer spirit1 making us one with him1  
as he is one with the  ,eternal ,father4
 ,children of ,god indeed we all are3   
nor is there any mind  without his      
image3 but in this ,man of ,sorrows the 
divine lineaments are  so distinct1 the 
filial resemblance to the ,parent-spirit
 is so full of  grace and truth1 that in
 its presence all other similitude fades
 away1  and we behold his 8glory as of  
the only begotten of the ,father40 ,it  
is  the very spirit of ,deity visible on
 the scale of humanity4 ,the colours  of
 his mind1 projected on the surface of  
,infinitude1 form there the  all-perfect
 ,god4 ,the mere fact of his            
consciousness of the alliance with  the 
,creator1 and his tranquil announcement 
of it1 without the slightest  inflation1
 and amid the exercise of the meekest   
sympathies1 appears to  me              
all-persuasive4 ,from whom else could we
 hear such claims without  disgust8 ,in 
a moment they would turn respect into   

aversion1 and we  should pity them as   
insanity1 or resent them as impiety4    
,but to him they  seem only level and   
natural2 we hear them with assent and   
awe1 prepared  by such a transcendent   
veneration as only a being truly        
,god-like could  excite4 ,this is one of
 those statements which refutes or      
proves itself4  ,whoever1 calmly        
affirming himself the ,son and express  
similitude of ,god1  can thereby draw to
 him1 instead of driving from him1 the  
affections of  the wise and good1       
proclaims a thing self-evident2         
requiring1 however1  to be stated1 in   
order to be tested4    ,of such         
self-evidence as this1 the gospels      
appear to me to be full4  ,whenever men 
shall learn to prefer a religious to a  
theological  appreciation of ,christ1   
and esteem his mind greater than his    
rank1 much  more of this kind of        
internal proof will present itself4 ,it 
has the  advantage of requiring no      
impracticable learning1 and being open1 

on  internal study of the books1 to all 
men of pure mind and genuine heart2  it 
is moral1 not literary2 addressing      
itself to the intuitions of  conscience1
 not to the critical faculties4 ,it     
makes us disciples1 on the  same        
principles with the first followers of  
,christ1 who troubled  themselves about 
no books1 and forged no chains of       
scholastic logic to  tie them to the    
faith2 but watched the ,prophet1 beheld 
his deeds of  power1 felt his heavenly  
spirit1 heard his word1 found it glad   
tidings1  and believed4 ,in short1 it is
 identical with the evidence to which   
our  ,lord was so fond of appealing when
 he said1 8,no man can come to me1      
except the ,father1 which hath sent me1 
draw him20#ea 8every one that is  of the
 truth heareth my voice20#eb 8if ,i do  
not the works of my ,father1  believe me
 not20#ec 8my sheep hear my voice1 and  
,i know them1 and they  follow me20#ed  
8if any man will do ,his will1 he shall 
know of the  doctrine1 whether it be of 

,god1 or whether ,i speak of myself40#ee
 ,this  spiritual attraction to ,christ1
 arising out of mere contemplation and  
study of the interior of his life1 is   
enough to bring us reverently to  his   
feet1--to accept him as the             
divinely-sent image of ,deity1 and the  
appointed representative of ,god4 ,if   
this be not discipleship1 allow me  to  
ask1 8,what is it80    ,i consider1     
then1 this internal or self-evidence of 
the ,new ,testament1  as incomparably   
the most powerful that can be adduced2  
as securing for  ,christianity an       
eternal seat in human nature1 so as to  
throw ridicule on  the idea of its      
subversion2 and as the only evidence    
suitable1 from its  universality1 to a  
religion intended for the majority of   
men1 rather  than for an oligarchy of   
literati4    ,but though the divine     
perfection and authority of ,christ may 
thus be  made manifest to our moral and 
spiritual nature1 what is called the    
plenary inspiration of the whole ,bible 

is by no means a thing equally          
self-evident4 ,by the term plenary      
inspiration is denoted the              
doctrine1--,that every idea which a just
 interpretation may discover in  the    
,scriptures1 is infallibly true1 and    
that even every word employed in  its   
expression is dictated by the unerring  
spirit of ,god2 so that every           
statement1 from the beginning of        
,genesis to the end of ,revelations1    
must  be implicitly received1 8as though
 from the lips of the ,almighty         
himself40 ,we are first assured that    
whoever denies this1 shall have his     
name cancelled from the ,book of life2  
and then we are called upon to  come    
forward1 and say plainly whether we     
believe it4 ,the invitation  sounds     
terrible enough4 ,nevertheless1 having a
 faith in ,god1 which takes  the awe out
 of ,church thunders1 ,i say distinctly1
 this doctrine we do  not believe2 and  
ere ,i have done1 ,i hope to show that  
no man who can  weigh evidence1 ought to

 believe it4    ,it is clear that1 by no
 interior marks1 can a book prove this  
sort of  inspiration to belong to       
itself4 ,accordingly1 the advocates for 
it are  obliged to quit the intrinsic   
evidence1 of which ,i have hitherto     
spoken1  and to seek external and       
foreign testimony on behalf of the      
,biblical  writings1 and of the ,new    
,testament in the first instance4 ,the  
course of  the reasoning is thus        
adverted to by ,bishop ,marsh3 8,the    
arguments which  are used10 he says1    
8for divine inspiration1 are all founded
 on the  previous supposition that the  
,bible is true2 for we appeal to the    
contents of the ,bible in proof of      
inspiration4 ,consequently1 these       
arguments can have no force till the    
authenticity and credibility of the     
,bible have been already                
established10#ef 8,suppose10 observes   
the same  author1 8that a professor of  
,divinity begins his course of lectures 
with  the doctrine of divine            

inspiration2 this doctrine1 however true
 in  itself1 or however certain the     
arguments by which it may be            
established1  cannot possibly1 in that  
stage of his enquiry1 be proved to the  
satisfaction of his audience2 because he
 has not yet established other  truths1 
from which this must be deduced4 ,for   
whether he appeals to the  promises of  
,christ to his ,apostles1 or to the     
declarations of the  ,apostles          
themselves1 he must take for granted    
that these promises and  declarations   
were really made2 i4e41 he must take for
 granted the  authenticity of the       
writings in which these promises and    
declarations  are recorded4 ,but how is 
it possible that conviction should be   
the  consequence of postulating1 instead
 of proving1 a fact of such             
importance80 8,if 7as is too often the  
case in theological works7 we  undertake
 to prove a proposition by the aid of   
another which is  hereafter to be       
proved1 the inevitable consequence is1  

that the  proposition in question       
becomes a link in the chain by which we 
establish that very proposition1 which  
at first was taken for granted4  ,thus  
we prove premises from inferences1 as   
well as inferences from  premises2 or1  
in other words1 we prove--nothing40#eg  
,in perfect consistency with these      
remarks1 was the lucid exposition of    
the true method of theological enquiry1 
which ,i had the privilege of  hearing  
in ,christ ,church1 on ,wednesday last3 
to every word of which  7limiting it1   
however1 to the external evidences of   
,christianity7 ,i  entirely assent4 ,it 
was then stated that we must    7#ast47 
,ascertain that the books under         
examination are self-consistent1  and   
that they contain nothing at variance   
with the character of ,god  impressed   
upon his works4    7#bndly47 ,enquire   
whether the writings are really the     
productions of the  authors whose names 
they bear2 or1 in other words1 determine
 their  authenticity4    7#c;dly47      

,whether the writers were in            
circumstances to know what they  relate1
 and were persons of character and      
veracity4    7#dthly47 ,whether we have 
the works in an unmutilated state1 and  
as they  came from the pens of the      
authors4    ,if all these researches    
should have an issue favourable to the  
writings1  the ,lecturer conceives1 for 
reasons which ,i think very             
inconclusive1  that the following       
inferences may be drawn3--    7#a47     
,that the whole contents of the ,bible  
have divine authority1 because  they    
truly report the fulfilment of prophecy1
 and the performance of  miracles2 and  
all the doctrines and lessons of a      
person who works  miracles must have    
divine authority4    7#b47 ,that the    
writers were so inspired1 that their    
writings are1 in all  respects1         
infallibly correct2 for1 among the facts
 narrated 7and which  we admit to be    
true71 is this one2 that the ,holy      
,ghost was promised to  the ,apostles1  

and actually descended on the disciples 
assembled on the  day of ,pentecost1 and
 was so extensively communicated through
 them to  the early church1 that no ,new
 ,testament writer could be without it4 
,so  that these books are as strictly   
the ,word of ,god1 as if all their      
statements proceeded at once and        
immediately from the lips of the        
,almighty himself4    ,as 8the ,word of 
,god0 is a beautiful ,scriptural phrase1
 which ,i must  refuse to give up to    
this most unscriptural idea1 ,i shall   
replace it1  when ,i wish to speak of   
verbal inspiration1 by the more         
appropriate  expression1 the ,words of  
,god4 ,i discern in the ,bible the ,word
 of  ,god1 but by no means the ,words of
 ,god4    ,for the sake of brevity1 ,i  
may be allowed to compress this         
elaborate  system of external evidence  
into two successive divisions2 and1     
taking  up the first ,gospel as an      
example1 ,i should say1 we have to      
enquire  respecting it1    7#a47        

,whether we have the words of ,st4      
,matthew4 ,and if this be determined  in
 the affirmative1    7#b47 ,whether we  
have the words of ,god4    7#a47 ,our   
first attempt then must be1 to establish
 the origin of these  books from        
,apostles or ,apostolic men1--which is  
the sole ground for  affirming their    
infallibility4 ,the method by which     
their origin must be  ascertained is    
admitted to be similar to that which    
would be employed in  the case of any   
work not sacred4 ,it is an enquiry      
altogether historical  or               
antiquarian2--a process of literary     
identification4 ,we must collect1  and  
dispose along an ascending chronological
 line1 the various writers  who have    
quoted and mentioned the ,new ,testament
 writings2 call each1 in  turn1 into the
 court of criticism1 to speak to the    
identity of the work  he cites with that
 which we possess2 and if the series of 
witnesses be  complete1--if1 in         
following into antiquity the steps of   

their  attestation1 we find ourselves in
 contact with the ,apostolic age1 and   
near the seats of ,apostolic labours1 we
 justly conclude that we have the       
genuine and original productions4 ,by   
the help of this foreign testimony1     
almost all the books of the ,new        
,testament may be traced perhaps to the 
middle of the second century2 the       
remaining fifty or sixty years to the   
death of ,st4 ,john1 and eighty or      
ninety to that of the ,apostle of the   
,gentiles1 must be filled up by         
arguments showing1 that this chasm is   
too  small for the possibilities of     
forgery and mistake to take effect4 ,the
  results of this process are not fit   
matter for detailed criticism here2  ,i 
will simply state1 in general1 that they
 yield a preponderating  probability in 
favour of the general reception1 in the 
second age of the  church1 of all the   
,new ,testament writings1 under the     
names of their  reputed authors2 and    
that it would be unreasonable to expect 

more  precise external evidence of      
authenticity than this4 ,it is indeed   
much  easier to prove in this way the   
origin1 from the founders of our        
religion1 of the books which we receive1
 than to disprove a like  authority with
 respect to others which we disown1 or  
whose memory 7for  many of them are     
lost7 we dishonour4 ,the equal antiquity
 of some of  these repudiated works1 it 
is scarcely possible to deny2 their     
inferior  authority we are obliged      
either to conclude from their intrinsic 
character1 7a reason1 often abundantly  
satisfactory17 or to assume on  the word
 of a set of ecclesiastical writers1 not
 generally distinguished  for sound     
judgment or tranquil passions1 nor      
always trustworthy1 even in  matters of 
fact2 and who notoriously formed their  
estimate of ,christian  books1 less from
 enquiry into their genuineness1 than   
from the supposed  orthodoxy of their   
contents4 ,the ,christian ,fathers1 on  
whose statement  the whole case rests1  

were undoubtedly guilty of that which1  
at all  events1 with far less justice1  
is charged on ,unitarian authors3 they  
threw away many a writing as spurious1  
because they did not like its           
doctrines2 testing the work by their own
 belief1 instead of their own  belief by
 the work4 ,the zone of proof which     
encircles the books within  the canon1  
and separates them from the apocryphal  
tribe without1 appears  to me less      
sacred1 and more faint1 than it is      
common for theologians to  allow4 ,and  
even when the selection has been made1  
and we have agreed to  accept the canon 
as it is1 it is impossible1 until it is 
shown that one  uniform inspiration     
produced the whole1 to acknowledge the  
equal value  of every part4 ,it is usual
 to urge the 8authenticity0 upon us as a
 kind  of technical quantity which we   
must take or reject1 an indivisible     
theological unit admitting of no        
variation1 but that of positive or      
negative4 ,but it would surely be       

extraordinary1 if all the twenty-seven  
books of the ,new ,testament should have
 precisely the same amount of           
historical attestation in their favour2 
and it is undeniable that they  have    
not4 ,the probabilities are much        
stronger in behalf of some books  than  
in that of others1 though preponderant  
in all4 ,there is a gradation  of       
evidence1 arranging the writings along  
at least five separate steps  in the    
descent of proof2 in effecting this     
division1 however1 let it be  clearly   
understood1 that ,i refer solely to the 
literary question of  personal          
authorship1 not to that of religious    
worth and authority2 and  that1 for the 
moment1 ,i take into account the        
internal as well as  external           
considerations bearing upon this single 
point4    #a4 ,the letters of ,st4 ,paul
 7excepting ,hebrews7 occupy the highest
  station of evidence4    #b4 ,the      
remaining letters1 excepting #bnd ,peter
 and ,hebrews again1 ,i  should place   

next4    #c4 ,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john 
is more certainly authentic than the    
other  three2 which1 however1 would     
follow in the    #dth place with the    
book of ,acts4 ,and the list will be    
closed by    #e4 ,the ,apocalypse1 #b   
,peter1 and the ,epistle to the         
,hebrews4    ,this arrangement might be 
justified1 if it were necessary1 in     
detail4  ,but my sole purpose in stating
 it now1 is to convey a distinct idea of
  the kind of graduated scale of proof  
which1 from the very nature of the      
enquiry1 must be applied to the         
authenticity of the ,christian records2 
and to give force to the protest1 which 
truth compels me to enter  against the  
indiscriminate coercion of assent       
attempted by theologians  in this       
argument4 ,with this qualification then1
 we approve the general  decision of the
 ,protestant ,churches1 and adopt as    
authentic the canon as  it stands4      
8,unitarians10 we repeat1 8have neither 
canon nor version of  their own40       

8,what6 not the ,improved ,version80 ,i 
shall be asked3--that favourite         
achievement of your most renowned       
,unitarian champions2--published by a   
,unitarian society2--circulated among   
your laity in three simultaneous        
editions2 when assailed successively by 
,dr4 ,nares and ,archbishop ,magee1     
repeatedly defended by your ablest      
critics in your own ,journals2          
containing moreover all the standard    
heresies of your sect2 using all  your  
received methods of getting rid of      
troublesome texts2 and  especially      
relieving you of the doctrine of the    
miraculous conception by  the liberal   
application of ,jehoiakim's pen-knife to
 the initial chapters  of ,matthew and  
,luke8#eh 8,the shades of ,belsham1     
,lindsey1 ,jebb1  ,priestley1           
,wakefield1 c41 might well be astonished
 to hear their  learned labours so      
contemptuously spoken of by0 the 8modern
 disciples of  their school40#ei    ,now
 it so happens1 that1 excepting two1 all

 these good men were dead  before the   
commencement of that work4 ,of the two  
survivors1 ,mr4 ,lindsey  was disabled1 
by the infirmities of age1 from any     
participation in it1  and scarcely lived
 to see it published4#fj ,the remaining 
divine1 ,mr4  ,belsham1 was the real    
editor of this translation2 and alone1  
among  ,unitarians1 must have the whole 
honour or dishonour of the work4 ,the   
funds for the publication were doubtless
 furnished by a society1 whose  members 
hoped thus to present the theologian    
with a valuable  contribution to        
,biblical literature2 but had neither   
power nor wish to  bind themselves or   
others to an approval of its criticisms1
 or a  maintenance of its               
interpretations4 ,that 8all the         
ministers belonging to  this ,society0  
were enrolled in the ,committee for     
preparing the ,work1 is  itself a proof 
of the small proportion which the       
,association bore to the  whole body of 
,unitarians2 and is well known to have  

been an inoperative  form1 which had no 
practical effect in dividing the chief  
,editor's  responsibility4 ,the ,version
 adopts1 as a basis1 the 8,attempt      
towards  revising our ,english          
,translation of the ,greek ,scriptures10
 by ,archbishop  ,newcome1 ,primate of  
,ireland2 from which1 including the     
smallest verbal  variations1 there are  
not1 on an average1 more than two       
deviations in a  page2 and it is a      
principle with the ,editors1 that these 
departures  shall be noticed in the     
margin2 so that any one1 having the     
,improved  ,version in his hand1 has the
 ,archbishop's ,revision also before    
him4 ,how  far this translation has     
authority with ,unitarians1 may perhaps 
be  judged of from one fact4 ,the       
clergymen who are holding up this work  
to  the pious horror of their hearers   
are repeating charges against it1 long  
ago preferred by ,archbishop ,magee2    
who1 in his time1 reproduced them  from 
,dr4 ,nares1 the ,regius ,professor of  

modern history in the ,university  of   
,oxford2 who1 again1 borrowed no small  
part of his materials from a  ,review of
 the ,version1 in the ,monthly          
,repository for #ahji1 by ,dr4          
,carpenter1 a distinguished ,unitarian  
,divine4 ,i do not mean that there  was 
nothing but reproduction of the original
 ,reviewer's materials  throughout all  
these steps2 if it were so1 ,i should be
 ashamed to call  that venerable man my 
friend3 fresh objections were added at  
every  stage2 and1 by ,archbishop       
,magee1 a mass of abuse the most coarse1
 and  misrepresentation the most black2 
repeated still by unsuspecting and      
unlearned admirers1 who find it easier  
to acquire from him his aptitudes  for  
calumny than his acuteness in criticism4
 ,but the principal  objections to the  
,improved ,version were certainly       
anticipated by ,dr4  ,carpenter1 who    
furnished a list of unacknowledged      
deviations from  ,newcome's revision1   
and from ,griesbach's and the ,received 

,texts2--who  censured the whole system 
of departure from that text1 which      
seemed to  be adopted as a standard2 the
 license allowed to conjectural         
emendation2  the preference of          
,newcome's to the authorized version as 
a basis2 the  introduction of any       
doctrinal notes2 and1 what is especially
 to our  present purpose1 who           
vindicated1 from the suspicion of       
spuriousness1 the  initial chapters of  
,st4 ,luke's ,gospel1 and consented to  
part with those  of ,st4 ,matthew's1    
only because at variance with the       
authority of the  third ,evangelist4    
,from the armoury1 therefore1 of our own
 church1 are  stolen the very weapons1  
wherewith now1 amid taunts of sacerdotal
  derision1 we are to be driven as      
intruders from the fair fields of       
learning4 ,for myself1 when the learned 
labours of ,dissenters are  ridiculed1  
and the 8defective scholarship0 of      
heretics affirmed1 by the  privileged   
clergy of the established church1 ,i    

always think of the                     
,universities1--those venerable seats of
 instruction1 from which                
,nonconformists must be excluded4 ,the  
precious food of knowledge is first     
locked up2 the key is hung beyond our   
reach2 and then the starvelings  must be
 laughed at1 when they sink and fall4   
,but so is it always with  unjust power2
 the habit of injury begets the         
propensity to scorn4#fa    ,but we are  
called upon to say1 whether we really   
mean to repudiate the  ,improved        
,version4 ,if by 8repudiate0 be meant1  
confess the truth of all  the           
accusations brought against it1 or      
reject it from our libraries as         
unworthy of consultation1 we do not     
repudiate it4 ,but we do refuse to be   
held responsible1 directly or           
indirectly1 for any portion of its      
criticisms2 with which we have no more  
concern1 than have our ,reverend        
assailants with the ,translation of     
,luther or the ,institutes of ,calvin4  

,if we are pressed with the personal    
inquiry1 8but1 what portion of its      
peculiarities1 especially in relation to
 the narrative of the miraculous        
conception1 do you as a matter of fact1 
approve80 ,i can answer for no  one but 
myself1 for we have no theological      
standards1 nor any  restriction on the  
exercise of private judgment1 on such   
subjects4 ,but1  individually1 ,i have  
no objection to state1 that ,i consider 
,mr4 ,belsham  as having brought over   
the threshold of his conversion so much 
of his  original orthodoxy1 that1 like  
all who insist upon finding a uniform   
doctrinal system prevading the various  
records of ,christianity1 he is  justly 
open to the charge of having            
accommodated both his criticism and  his
 interpretations to his belief2 that his
 objections to the  authenticity of both
 accounts of the miraculous conception1 
appear to me  altogether inconclusive2  
that ,i therefore leave these histories 
as  integral parts of the gospels they  

introduce4#fb ,whether ,i receive all   
their statements as unerringly true1 is 
a question altogether different2  nor   
can the ,lecturer who calls on us to    
satisfy him on this point1 link         
together in one query our reception of  
these chapters as authentic and  as     
true1 without falling into ,mr4         
,belsham's own error of mixing these    
two things so obviously distinct4 ,it no
 more follows1 because these  chapters  
are ,matthew's1 that they must be       
reconcilable with ,luke1 and  so1 free  
from objection to their truth2 than1    
because they are  inconsistent with     
,luke1 therefore they cannot be         
,matthew's4 ,this part of  the enquiry  
belongs to the second portion of our    
discussion respecting  the ,new         
,testament2 whether1 granting that we   
have the veritable words of  the reputed
 authors1 we have1 in consequence1 the  
ipsissima verba of  ,god4 ,to this topic
 let us now proceed4    7#b47 ,the      
advocate of plenary inspiration1 having 

obtained our assent to  the authenticity
 of the ,christian ,scriptures1 proceeds
 to show their  truth4 ,he reminds us   
that the depositions are no longer      
anonymous2 and  that1 the testimony     
having been duly signed1 we may examine 
the  character of the witnesses4 ,we    
call them therefore before us4 ,they are
  plain1 plebeian1 hard-handed men of   
toil1 who have laboured in the  fields  
and olive-grounds of ,juda1 or held an  
oar on the ,galilean ,lake2  who        
nevertheless have been not without the  
cottage and the home1 the  parent1 wife 
and child2 belonging1 moreover1 to a    
country having  something to remember1  
and more to expect4 ,addressed by a     
solitary and  houseless wanderer from   
,nazareth1 won by some undefinable      
attraction  that makes them think him a 
man of ,god1 they follow him awhile1    
hoping  for promotion1 if he should     
prove1 as they suspect1 to be some great
  one4 ,daily this hope declines1 but   
hourly the love increases4 ,they hang   

upon his words2 their passions sink     
abashed before his look2 they  blindly  
follow his steps1 knowing nothing but   
that they will be the  steps of mercy2  
they rebuke the blind beggar who cries2 
but he calls him  groping to him1 and   
sends him dazzled away2 they go to help 
the cripple1  and ere they reach him1 at
 a word he leaps up in strength2 they   
fly at  the shriek of the maniac from   
the tombs1 when lo6 he lapses into      
silence1 and sits at the feet of the    
,nazarene in the tears of a right  and  
grateful mind4 ,how can they leave him8 
yet why precisely do they  stay8 ,if    
they depart1 it is but to return with   
joy2 and so they linger  still1 for they
 learn to trust him better than         
themselves4 ,they go with  him          
sorrowing2 with occasional flashes of   
brilliant ambition1 but with  longer    
darkness between2 with lowering hopes1  
but deepening love2 to the  farewell    
meal2 to the moonlit garden1 its        
anguished solitude1 its  tranquil       

surrender to the multitude1 making the  
seeming captive the real  conqueror2 a  
few of them to the trial2 one1 to the   
cross2 the women1  even to the          
sepulchre2 and all1 agitated and        
unbelieving1 were recalled  in          
breathless haste from their despair by  
the third day's tidings1 the  ,lord has 
risen indeed6 ,thenceforth1 they too are
 risen from the dead2  the bandages1 as 
of the grave1 drop from their souls2 the
 spirit of ,god1  which is the spirit of
 truth1 comes to loose them and let go4 
,not higher  did the ,lord ascend to the
 heaven which holds him now1 than did   
they  rise above the level of their     
former life4 ,they understand it all1   
and  can proclaim it2 the things that   
were to come1--that dreadful cross1 that
  third day1 so darkly hidden from their
 eyes1--are shown them now2 a  thousand 
things which he had said unto them1     
rush1 by the help of this  new spirit1  
to their remembrance4 ,and forth they   
go1 to tell the things  which they have 

seen and heard4 ,they most of them      
perished1 not without  joy1 in the      
attempt2 but they did tell them1 with a 
voice that could  summon nations and    
ages to the audience2 which things are  
this day  sounded in our ears4    ,but  
,i suppose we must endeavour to speak   
coolly of these venerable men1  if we   
are to save them from being deprived of 
their manhood1 and turned  into the     
petrified images and empty vessels of a 
physical or  intellectual inspiration4  
,why will the extravagance of ,churches 
compel  us to freeze down our religion  
into logic1 to prevent it blazing into  
an  unsocial fanaticism8 ,if1 however1  
we must weigh the ,apostles' claims     
with nice precision1 we must say 7at    
this stage of our enquiry we can  say   
only7 that they were honest personal    
witnesses of visible and  audible facts2
 deserving therefore of all the reliance
 to which  veracity1 severely tested1 is
 entitled4 ,to everything then which    
comes  under the description of personal

 testimony1 their demand on our         
confidence extends2 their own           
impressions we believe to have been as  
they record4 ,but their inferences1     
their arguments1 their  interpretations 
of ancient writings1 their speculations 
on future  events1 however just and     
perfect in themselves1 are no part of   
the  report which they give in evidence1
 and cannot be established by  appeal to
 their integrity4    ,nor1 in this      
limitation of testimony to its proper   
province1 is there  anything in the     
slightest degree dishonourable to these 
8chosen  witnesses40 8,is the judgment  
of the writers of the ,new ,testament10 
says  ,archdeacon ,paley1 8in           
interpreting passages of the ,old1 or1  
sometimes  perhaps in receiving         
established interpretations1 so         
connected either  with their veracity1  
or with their means of information      
concerning what  was passing in their   
own times1 as that a critical mistake1  
even were it  clearly made out1 should  

overthrow their historical credit8 ,does
 it  diminish it8 ,has it any thing to  
do with it80 8,we do not usually        
question the credit of a writer1 by     
reason of an opinion he may have        
delivered upon subjects unconnected with
 his evidence2 and even upon  subjects  
connected with his account1 or mixed    
with it in the same  discourse or       
writing1 we naturally separate facts    
from opinions1  testimony from          
observation1 narrative from             
argument40#fc ,moreover1 our  dependence
 upon a faithful witness1 besides being 
restricted to matters  of fact1 is      
measured by his opportunities of        
observation2 and it would  be absurd to 
insist on his being heard with precisely
 equal belief1  whether he relates1 to  
the best of his knowledge1 that which   
happened  before he was born1 or tells  
an occurrence that passed under his     
eyes4  ,if this distinction be not well 
founded1 then has personal contact with 
events no advantage2 the stranger is on 

a footing with the observer2 and  all   
the defensive reasonings which          
theologians have thrown round           
,christianity1 from the station which   
the ,apostles occupied as               
eye-witnesses1 are destitute of meaning2
 supported though they are by  the      
sanction of the ,apostles themselves1   
whose constant claim to belief1  when   
they preached1 was this only1 8and we   
are witnesses of these  things40 ,and if
 this distinction be well founded1 there
 is just ground  for discriminating     
between the different parts of an       
historian's  narrative1 and giving the  
highest place of credit to that which he
 had  the best means of knowing2 nor is 
it possible to admit the rule which ,i  
heard laid down on ,wednesday evening1  
that if we discover in an  ,evangelist a
 single incorrect statement1 the whole  
book must be  repudiated1--selection    
being wholly out of the question4 ,of   
the birth of  ,christ1 for example1 ,st4
 ,matthew was not a witness2 of his     

ministry he  was2 and has the report of 
the latter no higher claim upon belief  
than  the history of the former1--seen  
as it was only in retrospect1 at the    
distance of from thirty to sixty years1 
and through the colours of a  subsequent
 life so great1 so marvellous1 so       
solemn8 ,hence1 with relation  to the   
initial chapters of the first and third 
,evangelists1 while ,i  leave them on an
 equality with the rest of the ,gospels1
 in respect of  authenticity1 ,i place  
them in an inferior rank of credibility2
  especially since ,i find it impossible
 to reconcile them with each other4  ,to
 justify this opinion1 ,i will point out
 two inconsistencies between  them1 one 
chronological1 the other geographical4  
,i heard it affirmed on  ,wednesday     
evening1 that the former of these       
difficulties was only  apparent1 and    
arose from the mistaken calculation of  
our ,christian era1  the commencement of
 whose year1 #a1 does not really strike1
 as it ought1  the hour of the nativity4

 ,well1 then1 we will throw this era    
aside for  the moment1 and employ       
another mode of reckoning1 prevalent    
among the  historians of those times1   
dating from the building of ,rome4 ,st4 
,luke  tells us that in the fifteenth   
year of ,tiberius1 our ,lord was about  
thirty years of age2 this would assign  
the birth of ,christ1 at the  earliest1 
to ,jan4 #a of the year of ,rome #gea4  
,according to ,st4 ,matthew1  he was    
born full one year before the death of  
,king ,herod1 whose massacre  of the    
innocents included all under two years2 
the latest date that can  be fixed for  
the death of ,herod is ,feb4 or ,march  
#gea1 so that the  nativity falls1      
according to one ,evangelist not later  
than #gej1  according to the other not  
earlier than #gea4fd ,the geographical  
discrepancy between the two ,evangelists
 has reference to the habitual          
residence of the ,virgin ,mary2 ,st4    
,matthew supposes ,bethlehem to have    
been ,joseph's usual dwelling place2 and

 8nothing can be more evident  than     
that1 according to the account of ,st4  
,luke1 ,joseph was a total  stranger at 
,bethlehem40 ,i quote the opinion of the
 ,rev4 ,connop  ,thirlwall1 a divine    
whose distinguished philological        
attainments have  given him a ,european 
reputation1 without at present raising  
him to that  station in his own church1 
which would best suit his merits and her
  dignity4#fe    ,the variance between  
two narratives is no sufficient reason  
for  rejecting both1 though it compels  
the disbelief of one4 ,in the present   
instance1 the probabilities appear to   
preponderate in favour of ,st4  ,luke's4
 ,and1 returning from the particular    
case to the general rule1 ,i  conclude  
this topic by repeating1 respecting the 
8credibility0 of any  set of historical 
works1 the remark formerly made         
respecting their  8authenticity40 ,i    
protest against its being urged upon us 
as an  indissoluble magnitude1 without  
fractional parts1 incapable of increment

  or decrement1 analysis or composition1
 which must be taken whole1 or  rejected
 whole2 and ,i claim the right1 till it 
can be shown not to  belong to me1 of   
reducing the recorded events of         
,scripture into classes1  according to  
their decree of probability and their   
force of testimony4  ,with this         
qualification1 we maintain1 with all    
other ,christians1 the  ample           
credibility and the actual truth of the 
,gospel records1 making no  divorce     
between the natural and the miraculous1 
but taking both as  inseparably woven   
together into the texture of the same   
faithful  narrative4    ,but this step  
in the argument1 ,i am reminded1 cannot 
be taken without  another1 which brings 
us directly to the intellectual         
infallibility of  the ,apostles4 ,among 
the primary and undisputed facts which  
they record  from personal experience1  
are the miracles which they wrought2 and
  miracles1 being an interposition of   
,god1 establish the divine authority  of

 the performer2 so that all the lessons 
and sentiments propounded by a  person  
so endowed1 must be received as         
immediate communications from the       
,unerring ,spirit4    ,to this argument1
 if somewhat limited in the extent of   
its conclusion1 ,i  believe that most   
,unitarians would yield their assent4   
,certain it is  that their best writers 
constantly reason from the miraculous   
acts1 to  the doctrinal inspiration of  
the first preachers of ,christianity2   
and  ,dr4 ,priestley calls it 8egregious
 trifling0#ff to question the  soundness
 of the proof4 ,yet it is surely        
difficult to reconcile it with  fact and
 ,scripture2 and not less so to state it
 logically in words4 ,in  whatever form 
it is expressed1 it rests upon a        
postulate which ,i hold to  be false and
 irreligious2 viz41 that the            
supernatural is ,divine1 the  natural   
not ,divine2 that ,god did the miracles1
 and since the creation  has done       
nothing else2 that ,heaven gave a       

mission to those whom it thus  endowed1 
and has given no mission to those who   
are otherwise endowed4  ,all peculiar   
consecration of miracle is obtained by a
 precisely  proportioned desecration of 
nature2 it is out of a supposed contrast
  between the two1 that the whole force 
of the impression arises4 ,the          
imagination which overlooks and forgets 
all that is sacred in the common  earth 
and sky1 that gives itself over to the  
dream1 that all is dead                 
mechanism1--downright clock-work1 wound 
up1 perhaps at creation1 but  running   
down of itself till doom2 the heart that
 feels nothing divine in  life1 and     
nothing holy in man2 that has lost1 from
 ,epicurean sloth and  sickness of soul1
 the healthy faculty of spontaneous     
wonder1 and worship  ever fresh1--are   
the pupils most ripe for this tutelage4 
,the ,deity must  be thrust from the    
universe1 or else benumbed there1 in    
order to  concentrate his energies in   
the preternatural4 ,the speculative     

convert  to miracles1 is the practical  
,atheist of nature4    ,i need not      
remind any reader of the ,gospels1 of   
the accordance of this  view with the   
general temper of our ,lord's mind4 ,his
 miracles1 surely1  sprung from         
compassionate1 not proselytizing        
impulses2 had a practical1  not a       
didactic air2 were not formally wrought 
as preliminaries to a  discourse1 but   
spontaneously issued from the quietude  
of pity2 they were  not syllogisms1 but 
mercies4 ,nay1 where conviction was most
 needed1 what  is said of him8 8,he did 
not many mighty works there1 because of 
their  unbelief20#fg unless he wished   
them to continue in unbelief1 he must   
have regarded miracles as an improper   
instrument of overcoming it4 ,and  can  
we forget his language of rebuke1       
8except ye see signs and wonders1  ye   
will not believe10#fh ,when he appeals  
to his 8works10 it is to his  8many good
 works20#fi to the benevolence of his   
acts1 not their  marvellousness chiefly1

 to their being 8the works of his       
,father10#gj  conceived in the spirit of
 ,god1 and bearing the impress of his   
character4    ,this estimate of the     
logical force of miracles 7the moral    
power of those  which belong to         
,christianity is incalculable7 appears  
to be consonant  with experience4 ,i    
conceive that1 in fact1 unbelievers are 
very seldom  convinced by the appeal to 
the supernatural2 that the avenues of   
admission to ,christianity lie usually  
in quite a different direction2  and    
that the reason and affections surrender
 to ,christ's spirit1 and  thus         
comprehend the thing signified1 before  
they can receive and  interpret 8the    
sign40 ,nay1 let me put the case home to
 your own  experience4 ,would you1 by   
this instrumentality1 become convinced  
of that  which you before held false8   
,if1 before your eyes1 a person were to 
multiply five loaves into five hundred1 
and then say1 8this is to prove  the    
doctrines which ,i teach1 that ,god is  

malignant1 and that there is no  heaven 
after death10--should you be converted1 
and follow him as his  disciple8        
,certainly not2 the statement being     
incredible1 the miracle  would be       
powerless4 ,and the inference ,i would  
draw is this3 that the  primitive force 
of persuasion lies in the moral doctrine
 as estimated by  our reason and        
conscience1 not in the preternatural act
 displayed before  our senses2 for1 the 
moment you test their forces1 by        
bringing them into  collision1 the      
original convictions of the reason      
obtain the mastery4 ,it  is no answer to
 say1 that such a case is of impossible 
occurrence4 ,for  the purpose to which  
,i apply it1 viz41 to try an experiment 
with our own  minds1 respecting the real
 argumentative capabilities of miracles1
 an  imaginary case is not only as good 
as an actual one1 but a great deal      
better3 for so long as a good truth and 
a good miracle are linked  together1 and
 move in the same direction1 we rest    

confusedly in the  joint support of     
physical and moral evidence1 and are    
unable to  determine which is the       
ascendant power4    ,the statements and 
examples of ,scripture tend to the same 
conclusion4  ,the personal disciples of 
our ,lord returned from a mission on    
which he  had sent them2 exclaiming1    
8,lord1 even the devils are subject unto
 us  through thy name10#ga ,yet1 though 
they were possessed of these  miraculous
 powers1 their views of the very kingdom
 which they had gone  forth to preach   
were at this time exceedingly narrow and
  erroneous1--leading them into acts and
 desires ambitious1 passionate1 and     
false4    ,miracles1 then1 are simply   
awakening facts3 demanding and securing 
reverential and watchful regard to      
something1 or to everything1 in the     
persons performing them2 but not        
specifically singling out any portion   
of their doctrinal ideas1 and affording 
them infallible proof4 ,is it not       
competent to ,god thus to draw human    

attention to a person1 as well as  a    
truth2--to a character1 as well as a    
doctrine8 ,at all events1 it is  an     
unwarrantable presumption in us to      
select for the ,all-wise the  particular
 motive with which exclusively he ought 
to create a miracle2  instead of humbly 
noting the actual results1 and judging  
thence of his  divine purposes4    ,but1
 it will now be urged1 whatever         
sentiments may be entertained           
respecting the proper inference from    
miracles in general1 there is one  in   
particular which directly establishes   
the plenary inspiration of the  apostles
 and first disciples4 ,it is recorded in
 the book of ,acts1 that  on the day of 
,pentecost1 when they were with one     
accord in one place1  the ,holy ,ghost  
descended upon all4#gb ,the two         
,evangelists1 ,st4 ,matthew  and ,st4   
,john1 were present2 so were ,st4 ,peter
 and ,st4 ,james2 for all  these were   
,apostles4 ,and we know that1 by the    
laying on of the hands of  the          

,apostles1 the same power passed into   
all disciples on whom they  might choose
 to confer the privilege4 ,we cannot    
suppose any of the ,new  ,testament     
authors to have been excluded from this 
class2 and must  therefore believe1 that
 every word of the ,christian canon was 
composed  under the influence of the    
,unerring ,spirit4 ,this argument is    
proposed in  the following words1 by    
,dr4 ,tattershall1 in his published     
sermon on the  8,nature and ,extent of  
the ,right of ,private ,judgment40      
8,the ,scriptures have been already     
proved0 444 8to be a true and  authentic
 history2 one of the principal facts of 
which history is1 the  outpouring of the
 gift of the ,holy ,spirit upon the     
disciples of ,christ4  ,i take1         
therefore1 as an example1 the ,gospel of
 ,st4 ,matthew1 and reason  as          
follows3--,i learn1 from the history1   
that ,christ's disciples were  inspired 
by the ,holy ,ghost2 among this number  
was ,st4 ,matthew2 therefore  ,st4      

,matthew was inspired2 and1             
consequently1 that which he wrote1 under
  this influence of inspiration1 is to  
be regarded as the ,word of ,god4       
,whereas1 on the other hand1 if ,st4    
,matthew was not inspired1 the history  
relates that which is not true1 and the 
credibility of the whole sacred  history
 is at once destroyed3 and1 with it1    
both the ,church1 and also              
,christianity itself1 must fall to the  
ground40#gc    ,now to convey1 at the   
outset1 a distinct idea of the reason   
why this  argument does not convince me1
 let me say1 that ,i believe ,st4       
,matthew to  have been inspired2 but ,i 
do not believe him to have been         
infallible4 ,i  am sure that he nowhere 
puts forth any such claim3 and if he    
does not  affirm it himself1 ,i know not
 who can affirm it for him4 ,indeed1 to 
the  advocates of this doctrine it must 
seem strange1 that even ,st4 ,john the  
,divine1 instead of bearing down all    
doubt by this overwhelming claim1       

should so modestly and carefully        
conciliate the belief of his readers1   
by appealing to his own human           
opportunities of information3 8and he   
that saw it bare record1 and his record 
is true30#gd 8this is the  disciple that
 testifieth of these things1 and wrote  
these things30#ge  and that ,st4 ,luke  
should content himself with saying1 at  
the  commencement of his ,gospel1 that  
its materials were furnished by those   
who 8from the beginning were            
eye-witnesses40#gf    ,everything in    
this argument clearly depends on the    
meaning which we are  to attach to the  
phrases 8,holy                          
,ghost10--8,inspiration10--8,spirit of  
,god10--and other forms of expression   
employed to denote this peculiar        
influence4 ,what1 according to the      
,scriptures1 were the appropriate       
functions of this ,divine ,agent8 and   
are we to include among them an         
exemption of those on whom its power    
fell from all possibilities of  error1  

in narration1 in reasoning1 in          
expectation1 in speculative and         
practical doctrine8 ,in short1 do the   
sacred writers represent this ,holy     
,spirit as conferring intellectual      
infallibility8    ,now the original     
account of the descent of the ,holy     
,spirit certainly  implies nothing of   
the kind4#gg ,the gift of tongues1 which
 ,st4 ,paul1  though possessed of it in 
the highest degree1#gh places in the    
lowest  rank of spiritual gifts1#gi and 
which he expressly discriminates from   
8the word of wisdom10 and 8the word of  
knowledge10#hj is the only              
preternatural effect there ascribed to  
this new influence4 ,other  passages    
descriptive of this agency equally fall 
short of this claim of  infallibility4  
,we read1 for example1#ha that by the   
direction of the  ,apostles1 seven      
persons were to be selected from the    
general body of  believers1 who were to 
be men 8full of the ,holy ,ghost1 and   
wisdom10--the two attributes being      

distinguished4 ,it must be supposed1    
too1 that the qualifications demanded of
 these officers had some  proportionate 
reference to the duties assigned4 ,these
 duties were simply  the management of  
the society's financial accounts1 and   
the distribution  of its eleemosynary   
funds4 ,when it is said that ,john the  
,baptist should  8be filled with the    
,holy ,ghost1 even from his mother's    
womb10#hb are we  to understand1 that   
from earliest infancy he was            
infallible8--he who1 in  the very midst 
of his ministry1 sent to ,jesus for     
information on this  question1 8,art    
thou he that should come1 or do we look 
for  another80#hc--;a question1 be it   
observed1 which implies doubt on the    
great subject-matter of the ,baptist's  
whole mission4 ,perhaps1 however1  it   
will be admitted that there are inferior
 degrees of this inspiration2  so that  
passages like this may be found1 in     
which the phrases denoting  it are used 
in a lower sense4 ,but1 it will be said1

 in its highest  intensity it cannot be 
so restricted1 and is even distinctly   
affirmed to  involve infallibility4 ,the
 operations of the spirit of ,god are   
distributed by theologians into two     
classes1--the extraordinary1            
experienced by the apostles1 and        
exempting them from liability to        
error1--the ordinary1 which are assured 
to all true disciples1 and whose  office
 implies no further illumination of the 
understanding1 than is  needful for the 
sanctification of the heart4 ,now if    
this statement and  division be really  
true and scriptural1 we shall doubtless 
find ,christ  and his ,apostles         
separating their promises of divine     
influence into two  corresponding sets2 
keeping things so different1 clear of   
all confusion2  and fully as exact in   
this 8discerning of spirits10 as their  
modern  disciples4 ,but so far is this  
from being the case1 that between the   
greater spirit of the twelve apostles1  
and the less spirit of the  general     

church1 no distinction whatever is      
drawn2 nor any between the  intellectual
 infallibility which was to await the   
apostles1 and the  spiritual            
sanctification promised to the faithful 
multitude of all  ages4 ,nay1 it so     
happens1 that the most unlimited        
expressions relating  to the subject    
occur in such connections1 that they    
cannot be confined  to the apostles1 but
 obviously apply to all private         
,christians4 ,for  instance1 shall we   
say that our ,lord's promise of the     
8,comforter1 which  is the ,holy        
,ghost10 explained by the remarkable    
synonym which he  appended1 8the spirit 
of truth0 which should 8teach them all  
things10 and 8lead them into all        
truth0--implies universal  illumination 
of the understanding8 ,close at hand is 
a clause forbidding  the interpretation1
 by spreading the promise over all ages 
of the  church2 8,i will pray the       
,father1 and he will give you another   
,comforter1  that he may abide with you 

for ever1 even the spirit of truth20#hd 
and the expression is accordingly quoted
 by ,dr4 ,wardlaw1 as descriptive  of   
the common operations of the spirit4#he 
,again1 ,st4 ,john in his first         
,general ,epistle 7addressed of course  
to the whole church7 says1 8,ye  have an
 unction from the ,holy ,one1 and ye    
know all things40#hf ,take  then the    
strongest and most unqualified          
expressions on this subject1 and  if    
they prove the infallibility of the     
apostles1 they prove the same of  all   
private ,christians4 ,or1 take those    
which show sanctification to be  the    
characteristic office of the ,holy      
,spirit with respect to the general     
church1 and you show that this also was 
its agency on the ,apostles4    ,one or 
two texts are occasionally adduced in   
defence of this doctrine2  their paucity
 and inapplicability show how slight is 
the scripture  foundation on which it   
rests4 ,by far the most remarkable of   
these is  found in #b ,tim4 iii4 #af4   

8,all scripture is given by inspiration 
of ,god1  and is profitable for         
doctrine1 for reproof1 for correction1  
for  instruction in righteousness40 ,now
 observe1    #a4 ,that the verb is1     
which constitutes the whole affirmation 
here1 has  nothing corresponding to it  
in the ,greek1 and is put in by the     
,english  translators4 ,of course the   
sentence requires a verb somewhere1 but 
the  place of its insertion depends on  
the discretion of the translator4       
,baxter1 ,grotius1 and other critics1   
accordingly render the passage thus3    
8,all scripture1 given by inspiration of
 ,god1 is also profitable10 c4  ,the    
,apostle has already been reminding     
,timothy of the importance of  those    
scriptures with which he had been       
acquainted from his youth1 to  his      
personal faith3 and he now adds1 that   
they are also useful for  his public    
teaching4 ,he therefore simply says that
 whatever scriptures  are given by      
inspiration of ,god1 are thus           

profitable4    #b4 ,since ,paul first   
speaks generally of those scriptures    
with which  ,timothy had been familiar  
from his youth1 and then proceeds to    
select  from these a certain class1 as  
given by inspiration of ,god1 his       
description extends to no portion of the
 ,new ,testament1 and only to some      
writings of the ,old4 ,the purpose for  
which he recommends them1 indicates     
what books were in his thoughts4 ,as    
they were to aid ,timothy in his  public
 duty of convincing his countrymen that 
,jesus was the ,messiah1 he  refers to  
those books which had sustained the     
expectation of a  ,messiah1--the ,jewish
 ,prophets4 8,the whole extent of his   
doctrine1 ,i  conceive to have been     
expressed by the ,apostle ,peter thus3  
#8prophecy  came not in old time by the 
will of men2 but holy men of ,god spake1
  moved by the ,holy ,spirit2'#hg--that 
those also who recorded these  speeches1
 wrote by the ,holy ,spirit2 that1 in   
addition to the  superhuman message1    

there was a superhuman report of it1 is 
a notion  which no trace can be found in
 the apostolic writings4 ,the whole     
amount1  therefore1 of the ,apostle's   
doctrine is this2 that the prophets had 
a  preternatural knowledge of future    
events2 and that their communications   
were recorded in the prophetic books4   
,by the admission of these points1  the 
theory of inspired composition obviously
 gains nothing40#hh    ,no appeal can be
 more unfortunate for the advocate of   
plenary  inspiration1 than to the       
writings of the great apostle of the    
,gentiles4  ,not a trace can be found in
 them of the cold1 oracular             
dignity1--the  bold1 authoritative      
enunciation1--the transcendental        
exposition1 equally  above argument and 
passion1 in which conscious and         
confessed  infallibility would deliver  
its decisions4 ,all the natural         
faculties of  the man are shed forth1   
with most vehement precipitation1 on    
every page4  ,he pleads with his        

disciples1 as if kneeling at their feet4
 ,he  withstands ,peter to the          
face1--though no less inspired than     
himself1--because he was to be blamed   
for unsound sentiments and  inconsistent
 conduct4 ,he hurries so eagerly1 and   
sinks so deep into an  illustration1    
that scarcely can he make a timely      
retreat4 ,he too quickly  seizes an     
analogy to apply it with exactitude and 
precision4 ,and above  all1 he is       
incessantly engaged in reasoning3 and by
 that very act1 he  selects as his own  
the common human level of               
address1--generously submits  his       
statements to the verdict of our        
judgment1 and leaves that judgment  free
 to accept or to reject them4 ,nor is it
 on mere subordinate points  that he    
contents himself with this method1      
which1 by challenging search1  abandons 
infallibility4 ,the great controversies 
of the infant church1  which involved   
the whole future character of           
,christianity1 which decided  how far it

 should conciliate ,polytheism1 and how 
much preserve of  ,judaism1 the apostle 
of the ,gentiles boldly confides to     
reasoning3 and  his writings are        
composed chiefly of arguments1          
protective of the  ,gospel from         
compromise with ,idolatry on the one    
hand1 and slavery to the  ,law on the   
other4    ,nor is this denied by any    
instructed divine of any church4 ,in    
insisting  8upon the duty of professed  
,christians to abstain from all         
compliance  with the idolatrous         
practices of the heathens around them10 
says ,dr4  ,tattershall1 8,st4 ,paul1   
even though an inspired ,apostle1 does  
not  proceed upon the mere dictum of    
authority1 but appeals to the reason  of
 those to whom he writes2 and calls upon
 them to reflect upon the  inconsistency
 of such conduct1 with the nature of    
their ,christian  profession4 ,in fact1 
he produces arguments1 and desires them 
to weigh  the reasons which he assigns1 
and see whether they do not fully       

sustain  the conclusion which he draws  
from them4 #8,i speak1' says he1 #8as to
  wise men1 ,,judge ,,ye what ,i        
say4'0#hi    ,if then the ,apostle wrote
 his letters under inspiration1 have we 
not  here direct authority to sit in    
judgment on the productions of          
inspiration1 or the contents of the word
 of ,god2 not merely to learn  what is  
said1 but to consider its inherent      
reasonableness and truth8 ,no  one1     
indeed1 can state more forcibly than    
,dr4 ,tattershall himself the           
principle1 of which this conclusion is  
only a particular case4 8,when ,i       
reason with an opponent10 says he1 8,i  
do not invade his acknowledged  right of
 private judgment1 nor do ,i require of 
him to surrender that  judgment to me4  
,i am1 in fact1 doing the precise       
contrary of this4 ,i  am1 by the very   
act of reasoning1 both acknowledging his
 right of  judgment1 and making an      
appeal to it40#ij    ,to acknowledge the
 right of judgment1 is to forego the    

claim of  infallibility1 and to concede 
the privilege of dissent2 and thus      
frankly  does ,st4 ,paul deal with me4  
,vainly do his modern expounders attempt
 to  make him the instrument of their   
own assumptions4 ,to appeal to my       
reason1 and then1 if ,i cannot see the  
force of the proof1 to hold me up  as a 
blasphemer and a rebel against the word 
of ,god1 is an  inconsistency1 of which 
only the degenerate followers of the    
great  ,apostle could be guilty4 ,his   
writings disown1 in every page1 the     
injurious claims which would confer on  
them an artificial authority1 to  the   
ruin of their true power and beauty4 ,in
 order to show the absolute  divine     
truth of all that may be written by an  
inspired man1 it is not  enough to      
establish the presence of inspiration1  
you must prove also  the absence of     
everything else4 ,and this can never be 
done with any  writings made up1 like   
the ,apostle's1 of a scarce-broken      
tissue of  argument and illustration4   

,it is clear that he was not forbidden  
to  reason and expound1 to speculate and
 refute1 to seek access1 by every       
method of persuasion1 to the minds he   
was sent to evangelize2 to appeal1  at  
one time to his interpretation of       
prophecy1 at another to the visible     
glories of creation1 and again to the   
analogies of history4 ,where could  have
 been his zeal1 his freshness1 his      
versatility of address1 his             
self-abandonment1 his various success1  
if his natural faculties had not  been  
left to unembarassed action8 ,and the   
moment you allow free action  to his    
intelligence and conscience1 you        
inevitably admit the  possibilities of  
error1 which are inseparable from the   
operations of the  human mind4 ,to grant
 that ,paul reasons1 and be startled at 
the idea that  he may reason            
incorrectly1--to admit that he          
speculates1 and yet be  shocked at the  
surmise that he may speculate           
falsely1--to praise his  skill in       

illustration1 yet shrink in horror when 
something less apposite  is pointed out1
 is an obvious inconsistency4 ,the human
 understanding  cannot perform its      
functions without taking its share of   
the chances of  error2 nor can a critic 
of its productions have any perception  
of their  truth and excellence1 without 
conceding the possibility of fallacies  
and  faults4 ,we must give up our       
admiration of the ,apostles as men1 if  
we are  to listen to them always as     
oracles of ,god4    ,but ,i must proceed
 to my last argument1 which is a plain  
one1 founded  upon facts1 open to every 
one who can read his ,bible4 ,i state it
 in the  words of ,mr4 ,thirlwall3 8the 
discrepancies found in the ,gospels     
compel  us to admit that the            
superintending control of the ,spirit   
was not  exerted to exempt the sacred   
writings altogether from errors and     
inadvertencies20#ia nay1 he speaks of   
8the more rigid theory of  inspiration0 
having been so long 8abandoned by the   

learned on account of  the insuperable  
difficulties opposed to it by the       
discrepancies found in  the ,gospels1   
that it would now be a waste of time to 
attack it40#ib    ,i heard it affirmed  
on ,wednesday evening1 that1 in the     
sacred writings1  no case can possibly  
occur of self-contradiction or erroneous
 statement2  that the very idea of      
inspiration is utterly opposed to all   
supposition  of the presence of error2  
that the occurrence of such a blemish   
would  prove1 that the writer was not so
 under the immediate teaching and       
superintendence of ,almighty ,god as to 
be preserved from error2 or1 in  other  
words1 that he was not inspired2 that   
the erroneous passage must  indeed be   
rejected1 but1 with it1 the whole work  
in which it is found1  as destitute of  
divine authority4 ,i have brought ,mr4  
,thirlwall to  confront the question of 
fact2 let me quote ,dr4 ,paley in       
relation to  this statement of          
principle4 8,i know not10 he says1 8a   

more rash or  unphilosophical conduct of
 the understanding1 than to reject the  
substance of a story1 by reason of some 
diversities in the circumstances  with  
which it is related4 ,the usual         
character of human testimony 7,dr4      
,paley is discussing the discrepancies  
between the several ,gospels71 is1      
substantial truth under circumstantial  
variety40 8,on the contrary1 a  close   
and minute agreement induces the        
suspicion of confederacy and  fraud40#ic
 ,if both these statements be true1 the 
phenomena of  inspiration would be      
identical with those of confederacy and 
fraud4 ,i  estimate the ,scriptures far 
too highly to hesitate1 for a moment1   
about  pointing out to your notice      
certain small variations and            
inconsistencies1 utterly destructive of 
the doctrine of plenary  inspiration2   
but absolutely confirmatory1 in some    
instances1 of the  veracity of the      
historians1 and1 in all1 compatible with
 it4 ,our faith  scorns the insinuation1

 that these sacred writings require 8any
  forbearance from the boasted          
understanding of man40    #a4 ,the      
different ,evangelists are at variance  
with each other1 with  respect to the   
calling of the first ,apostles4 ,they   
differ with respect  to the time1 the   
place1 the order2 e4g43    ,first1 as to
 time2 ,matthew#id represents the       
imprisonment of ,john the  ,baptist as  
the occasion of our ,lord's beginning to
 preach1 and as  preceding the call of  
any ,apostles4    ,john#ie represents   
,andrew and ,simon1 ,philip and         
,nathanael1 as  called1--the miracle at 
,cana as wrought1 a ,passover as        
attended at  ,jerusalem1--a residence of
 ,jesus and his disciples in the rural  
district  of ,juda1 as going on2 and    
then adds1 8for ,john was not yet cast  
into  prison40    ,next1 as to place2   
according to ,matthew and ,mark1#if     
,andrew and ,peter  are called by the   
,lake of ,galilee2 according to ,john1  
in ,juda4    ,and as to order2 ,matthew 

and ,mark represent the two pairs of    
brothers1  as successively called3      
first1 ,andrew and ,peter2 then1 after a
 short  interval1 ,james and ,john4     
,luke1#ig making no mention of ,andrew1 
represents the others as  simultaneously
 called4    ,john represents ,andrew as 
called with himself2 and ,peter1 as     
subsequently called1 through the        
instrumentality of his brother ,andrew4 
,of ,james 7though affirmed by the other
 ,evangelists to have been his own      
companion in the call71 he is silent4   
,the three first writers not being      
present1 it is nothing wonderful that   
they are less accurate than the fourth1 
who was4    #b4 ,the three denials of   
,peter1 as recorded by the first1 third1
 and  fourth ,evangelists1 will be found
 inconsistent in their minute           
circumstances4 ,the denials are uttered1
                                  #a4 to
 a maid4     according to ,matthew1#ih  
#b4 to another maid4                    
#c4 to those who stood by4              

#a4 to a maid4     according to         
,luke1#ii     #b4 to a man4             
#c4 to another man4                     
#a4 to the maid who admitted him4       
according to ,john1#ajj    #b4 to the   
officers of the palace4                 
#c4 to a man 7a relation of ,malchus74  
#c4 ,matthew#aja and ,luke#ajb state1   
that one ,simon bore our ,lord's  cross 
to ,calvary2 ,john1#ajc that ,jesus bore
 it himself4    #d4 ,the inscription    
annexed by ,pilate to the cross is given
 differently  by every one of the       
,evangelists4        ,matthew3#ajd      
8,this is ,jesus the king of the ,jews40
      ,mark3#aje     8,the king of the  
,jews40      ,luke3#ajf     8,this is   
the king of the ,jews40      ,john3#ajg 
8,jesus of ,nazareth1 the king of the   
,jews40    #e4 ,matthew#ajh and         
,mark#aji2 state that our ,lord on the  
cross was  reviled by both the          
malefactors2 but ,luke#aaj affirms that 
when one of  them was guilty of this    
shocking mockery1 he was rebuked by the 

other2  and that the latter received the
 well-known assurance1 8this day shalt  
thou be with me in ,paradise40    #f4   
,the last discrepancy which ,i shall    
mention1 has reference to the  final    
,passover1 and its relation to the day  
of crucifixion4 ,but in order  to       
understand the case1 and indeed to read 
with intelligence the whole  series of  
events connected with the crucifixion   
and resurrection1 it is  necessary to   
bear in mind the following facts3--     
7a47 ,that the ,jewish day commenced in 
the evening1 and was reckoned from      
sunset to sunset4    7b47 ,that the     
,jewish ,sabbath was the seventh day of 
the week1 and  extended from six o'clock
 on ,friday evening1 to the same time on
  ,saturday4    7c47 ,that at the       
,passover1 the paschal lamb was slain at
 the end of one  ,jewish day1 and eaten 
immediately1 i4e41 at the commencement  
of the  next1 or about six or seven in  
the evening4 ,the three hours before    
sunset1 during which it was prepared1   

were called preparation of the          
,passover1 and belonged to the          
fourteenth of the month2 while the hours
  after sunset1 during which it was     
eaten1 belonged to the fifteenth4 ,the  
phrase1 preparation of the ,sabbath1 was
 used in like manner1 to denote  the    
three hours before sunset every ,friday4
    7d47 ,the ,passover being fixed to  
the fifteenth of the month1 and  that a 
lunar month1 necessarily moved over all 
the days of the week2  and might fall1  
of course1 into coincidence with the    
weekly ,sabbath4    7e47 ,the feast of  
unleavened bread was a festival of seven
 days'  duration1 the first day of which
 coincided with that on which the       
,passover was eaten1 following of course
 that on which it was killed4    ,these 
things being premised1 we are prepared  
to notice the points on  which the      
,evangelists agree1 and those in which  
they disagree1 in their  accounts of the
 crucifixion1 and its connected events4 
,they all agree in  assigning the same  

distinguishing incidents of our ,lord's 
personal  history to the four great days
 of the week most interesting to        
,christians1 viz41 to the ,thursday the 
last supper2 to the ,friday1 the        
crucifixion2 to the ,saturday1 the sleep
 in the sepulchre2 to the ,sunday1  the 
resurrection4 ,but about the position of
 the ,jewish ,passover upon  these days1
 they singularly differ2 ,st4 ,john     
fixing it on the ,friday  evening1 and  
making it therefore coincide with the   
weekly ,sabbath2 the  other three fixing
 it on the ,thursday evening1 and so    
following it up by  the ,sabbath4 ,the  
variance is the more interesting from   
its influence on  our views of the last 
supper2 which1 according to the three   
first  ,evangelists was the ,passover1  
according to the fourth1 was not the    
,passover4 ,the institution of the      
,communion1 as a ,christian             
transformation of the ,jewish ,festival 
rests entirely on the former of  these  
narratives2 ,st4 ,john is altogether    

silent respecting it4 ,yet it  was he   
who leaned on ,jesus' bosom1 and stood  
beneath his cross4    ,now what is the  
just inference from such discrepancies8 
,is it that the  writers were           
incompetent reporters of the main facts8
 ,not so2 for there  are few            
biographers1 however well-informed1     
whose testimony1 produced in            
circumstances at all parallel1 would not
 yield1 on the application of as  severe
 a test1 inconsistencies more           
considerable4 ,is it that they are  not 
veracious8 ,not so2 for not a trace of  
self-interest is discernible  in these  
cases4 ,is it that they were not        
inspired8 ,not so2 for the  transition  
they underwent from peasants to         
apostles1 from dragging the  lake to    
regenerating the world1 is the sublimest
 case of inspiration  7except one7 with 
which ,god has refreshed the nations4   
,but it is this2  that they were not    
intellectually infallible4    ,i have   
now endeavoured to give some idea of two

 different ways of  regarding the       
,christian records4    ,i4 ,they possess
 an internal and self-evidence1 in their
 own moral  beauty and consistency1 and 
the unimaginable perfection of the great
 ,son  of ,god1 whom they bring to life 
before us4 ,with this evidence1 which is
  open to every pure mind and true      
heart1--which speaks to the conscience  
like a voice of ,god without1 conversing
 with the spirit of ,god within1  all   
those may be content1 who think that1 to
 accept ,christ as the image  of ,deity1
 and the authoritative model of ,duty1  
is to be a ,christian4    ,,ii4 ,those1 
however1 who think that1 in order to be 
,christians1 we must  hold one only     
doctrinal creed1 containing many things 
hard to  understand1 and harder to      
believe1 are aware that nothing short of
 a  divine infallibility can prevail    
with us to receive a system so          
repugnant to our nature4 ,and as this is
 incapable of self-proof1 they  appeal  
chiefly to the external evidence and    

foreign attestation which  belong to the
 ,christian records2 beginning with the 
historical method1  they endeavour to   
show1    7#a47 ,that we have the        
original words of the ,gospel witnesses 
7authenticity73    7#b47 ,that1 this    
being the case1 we have the very ,words 
of ,god 7plenary  inspiration74    ,now 
let me detain you by one reflection on  
these two methods4 ,suppose  each1 in   
turn1 to prove insufficient1 as a basis 
of ,christianity1 the  other remaining  
firm2 and consider what consequences    
will result4    ,if the internal or     
self-evidence be inadequate1 7which our 
objectors  must suppose1 for it cannot1 
they admit1 prove their creeds17 then   
every  one must seek a foundation for   
his faith in the other4 ,he must satisfy
  himself1 in limine1 of the personal   
authorship of the books in the  ,canon2 
a purely literary inquiry1 and one of   
extraordinary labour1 even  to those who
 enjoy every advantage for its          
prosecution4 ,in order to be  saved1    

doctrines must be embraced1 requiring   
for their proof an  inspiration1 which  
does not exist in the ,new ,testament   
writings1 except  on the supposition of 
their apostolic origin4 ,the            
ascertainment1 then1  of this point1 is 
the necessary prelude to all saving     
faith2 this duty  lies on the outermost 
threshold of our acceptance with the    
,giver of  salvation4 ,so that ,god     
hangs the eternal welfare of every man  
on an  investigation so critical and    
elaborate1 that a whole life of research
  is not too much to understand it1 and 
the most familiar with its details  are1
 by no means1 the most uniformly        
confident of its results2 an            
investigation which assigns a certain   
date to each book1 as the lowest  limit 
of security2 and says1 if you dare to   
fix this letter or that  ,gospel upon a 
time later by half a century1 you are   
lost for ever4    ,but may not the young
 and the ignorant trust in the guidance 
of a  teacher8 ,in his sermon on private

 judgment1 ,dr4 ,tattershall treats of  
this question1 and lays down the        
following rule3--8,in the case of       
adults1  such reliance is justifiable so
 far1 and no farther1 than it is        
unavoidable4 ,so far as ,god has not    
given the ability1 or the opportunity   
of investigation1 so far he will not    
require it2 but in whatever degree  any 
person has the power and opportunity of 
examining the will of ,god  for         
himself1--in that degree1--whether he   
exercise his privilege or  not1--,god   
will hold him responsible4 ,as to the   
liability to fall into  error2--beyond  
all doubt1 such liability exists1       
whether we submit to the  guidance of   
any teacher1 or exercise our own private
 judgment40#aaa  ,how1 let me ask1 can  
we avoid drawing the following          
inferences8    7#a47 ,that the greater  
part of mankind must be held to be in a 
condition  rendering this reliance on a 
teacher 8unavoidable40    7#b47 ,for    
this reliance1 then1 such portion of    

mankind must be held  justified in the  
sight of ,god4    7#c47 ,but such       
dependence makes them liable to err2 and
 must1 in fact1  have led countless     
multitudes into error4    7#d47 ,if     
these errors are fatal to salvation1    
then ,god inflicts  eternal torments for
 the inevitable results of a justifiable
 act4    7#e47 ,if these errors are not 
fatal to salvation1 then there is       
salvation out of the faith4    ,the     
result1 then1 of this external system   
is1 that you may be saved on  either of 
two conditions2 that you belong to the  
orthodox literary sect1  and hold the   
antiquarian opinions of the priests2 or1
 that you belong to  the ignorant1 and  
can find out the right persons to whom  
to say1 8,i will  believe1 as you       
believe40    ,reverse the supposition4  
,conceive that in the process1 becoming 
ever  more searching1 of historical     
inquiry1 the other and external method  
should be found to be inadequate to the 
maintenance of its  superstructure2 what

 would be the fate of ,christianity1    
trusted solely  to its self-evidence8 ,i
 will imagine even the worst3 and       
suppose that  the first three ,gospels  
are shown to be not personally          
authentic1 not  the independent         
productions of three apostolic men2 but 
a compilation of  very composite        
structure1 consisting of 7we will say7  
some thirty  fragments1 obviously from  
different hands1 and all of anonymous   
origin4  ,in such case1 the individual  
testimony of eye-witnesses being gone1  
the  whole edifice of external proof    
which supports a dogmatic ,christianity1
  must fall4 ,but the self-evidence of a
 moral and spiritual ,christianity1  of 
a ,christianity that clings to the      
person and spirit of ,christ1 is not    
only unharmed1 but even incalculably    
increased4 ,for how often1 and how      
truly1 has it been argued1 that the mere
 inspection of the four ,gospels  is    
enough to prove the reality of ,christ2 
that the invention1 and  consistent     

maintenance of a character so           
unapproachable1 so destitute of  all    
archetype beneath the skies1 so         
transcending the fictions of the        
noblest genius1 and so unlike them1 are 
things utterly incredible1 were  they   
supposed even of one writer3 and that1  
for the same divine image to  gleam     
forth with coincident perfection from   
four1 belongs to the highest  order of  
impossibilities4 ,what then should we   
say1 if these four were  resolved into  
thirty8 ,the coalescence of so many     
fragmentary records1  could no more make
 a ,christ1 than the upsetting of an    
artist's colours  could paint a         
,raffaelle4 ,whatever then becomes of   
,church ,christianity1  that which lives
 in ,christ1 and has the power of love  
in man1 is  everlasting as the soul4    
,we are warned that 8the ,bible is not a
 shifting1 mutable1 uncertain  thing40  
,we echo the warning1 with this         
addition1 that ,christianity is  a      
progressive thing2 not a doctrine dead1 

and embalmed in creeds1 but a  spirit   
living and impersonated in ,christ4 ,two
 things are necessary to a  revelation3 
its record1 which is permanent2 its     
readers1 who perpetually  change4 ,from 
the collision of the lesson and the mind
 on which it drops1  starts up the      
living religion that saves the soul     
within1 and acts on  the theatre of the 
world without4 ,each eye sees what it   
can1 and what it  needs2 each age       
develops a new and nobler idea from the 
immortal page4  ,we are like children1  
who1 in reading a book above their      
years1 pass  innocently and             
unconsciously over that which is not    
suited to their  state4 ,in this divine 
tale of ,christ1 every class and every  
period  seizes1 in succession1 the views
 and emotions which most meet its wants4
  ,it is with ,scripture as with nature4
 ,the everlasting heavens spread  above 
the gaze of ,herschel1 as they did over 
that of ,abraham2 yet the  latter saw   
but a spangled dome1 the former a forest

 of innumerable  worlds4 ,to the mind of
 this profound observer1 there was as   
much a new  creation1 as if those       
heavens had been1 at the time1 called up
 and  spread before his sight4 ,and thus
 it is with the ,word of ,god4 ,as its  
power and beauty develop themselves     
continually1 it is as if ,heaven were   
writing it now1 and leaf after leaf     
dropped directly from the skies4 ,nor   
is there any heresy like that1 which    
denies this progressive unfolding  of   
divine wisdom1 shuts up the spirit of   
heaven in the verbal  metaphysics and   
scholastic creeds of a half-barbarous   
period1--treats the  inspiration of ,god
 as a dry piece of antiquity1 and cannot
 see that it  communes afresh with the  
soul of every age2 and sheds1 from the  
living  ,fount of truth1 a guidance ever
 new4                                   
,,notes4                                
---------------------                   
,a4                           ,on the   
,improved ,version4    ,great allowance 

must perhaps be made for the clergymen  
who persist1  after repeated            
expostulation1 in their assumption that 
the ,improved  ,version is an           
authoritative exposition of ,unitarian  
theology4 ,the  convenience of limiting 
their studies1 for the most part1 to a  
single  work1 and the inconvenience of  
dispensing with the previous labours of 
,dr4 ,nares1 and ,archbishop ,magee1    
whose hostile criticisms furnish the    
orthodox divine with invaluable         
prolegomena to the book1 ought to       
diminish our surprise at the tenacious  
adherence to this ground of  attack4    
,the advantage too of giving fresh      
currency to the popular  notion1 that   
some dreadful production exists1        
containing unmentionable  impieties1 and
 constituting the 8,unitarian ,bible10  
is undeniable4 ,it is  evident that the 
utility of fostering this impression is 
by no means  overlooked3 for after      
strong assertion and contemptuous       
comments have  given to a very few      

passages of the ,improved ,version the  
appearance1 to  an unlearned audience1  
of falsification of the word of ,god1 ,i
 have heard  it said1 that these cases  
are but a small sample of a system1     
which  might be illustrated to an       
indefinite extent from every page4 ,as  
there  are not1 on an average1 more than
 two variations in a page from          
,archbishop ,newcome1 the charge must1  
in an incalculable majority of          
instances1 fall on him4    ,i am at a   
loss1 however1 to perceive even any     
controversial advantage to  be gained by
 the rash statement of ,mr4 ,byrth2 that
 every ,unitarian  minister is as much  
bound to uphold the criticism and       
interpretation of  the ,improved        
,version1 as the ,established ,clergy to
 maintain the  ,thirty-nine ,articles4  
,a clergyman1 it is known1 signs the    
articles1 and  solemnly contracts to    
preach in conformity with them2 a       
minister among  ,unitarians may never   
see the ,improved ,version1 or hear its 

name4 ,during  a five years' course of  
study at the college where ,i received  
my  education for the ministry1 ,i do   
not remember any mention of it in the   
theological classes1 and only two in the
 ,greek classes3 both of which  were    
condemnatory2 one1 of the introduction  
of the ,english indefinite  article to  
indicate1 in certain cases1 the absence 
of the definite  article in the         
original2 the other1 of the rendering of
 the preposition  1 with the genitive1  
by the word 8for40 ,the fact that most  
ministers  of our persuasion subscribe  
to the ,british and ,foreign ,unitarian 
,association1 which has succeeded to the
 property in the ,improved  ,version1   
and continues to circulate it1 no more  
makes them responsible  for its         
criticisms than a contribution to the   
,bible ,society makes a  clergyman      
accountable for the forgery of the      
8heavenly witnesses40 ,the  one aids in 
distributing a possibly defective1 the  
other a certainly  interpolated1 copy of

 the ,christian records4 ,let us apply  
another test  to this imprudent parallel
 between the established clergy1 and the
  ,unitarian ministers4 ,in the ,united 
,states of ,america1 no one1 ,i presume1
  could take holy orders in the         
,episcopal church1 without pledging his 
assent to the ,thirty-nine ,articles2   
and should he cease to approve of  them1
 his ordination vow would require him to
 resign his preferment4 ,but  in that   
country are hundreds of ,unitarian      
ministers1 who know nothing of  the     
,improved ,version2 and would be as much
 astonished to be told that  they were  
bound by it1 as would ,dr4 ,tattershall 
to hear that he must  answer for the    
,oxford ,tracts4    ,but the mere fact1 
that within a year after the publication
 of this  work1 a ,unitarian divine1 a  
subscriber to the ,unitarian society1 in
 a  ,unitarian periodical1 submitted it 
to a criticism far more searching and   
elaborate than that which an acumen     
sharpened by theological hostility  is  

now able to produce1 is sufficient to   
set in its true light the  statement    
which ,i have quoted4 ,i beg to call the
 attention of our  ,reverend opponents  
to the following enumeration of the     
points1 to which  the censures of the   
,reviewer 7,dr4 ,carpenter7 are         
directed4    7#a47 ,the selection of    
,newcome's ,revision1 instead of the    
authorized  version1 as the basis4      
7#b47 ,the departure1 and without any   
intelligible rule1 from ,griesbach's    
text1 which1 in the introduction1 had   
been mentioned in a way to excite  the  
expectation of its invariable adoption4 
,of these departures1 a  complete table 
is given4    7#c47 ,the neglect of      
proper acknowledgment and defence of    
these  departures4    7#d47 ,the        
professed employment of brackets for one
 purpose1 7to indicate  words which1    
according to ,griesbach1 were probably1 
though not  certainly1 to be expunged17 
and the actual use of them for another2 
as1  for example1 in the introduction of

 ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 which is thus 
enclosed4    7#e47 ,the use of italics  
7intended to indicate doubtful          
authority7  without adequate evidence of
 doubtful authority1 and in violation of
 the  apparent intention to repudiate   
critical conjecture4 ,and in particular1
  the use of this type in the           
introduction to ,st4 ,luke's gospel2    
which  8the evidence is far too little  
to justify20 and in the introduction to 
,st4 ,matthew's gospel4 ,both these     
examples are considered by the reviewer 
as instances of conjectural criticism4  
7#f47 ,the unwarrantable license allowed
 in general to conjectural  emendation  
of the text2 of which particular cases  
are adduced2 as the  transposition of   
verses1 ,john i4 #ae1 #ah2 and1 in a    
lower sense of the  word conjecture1 the
 omission of   1 ,rom4 iii4 #be2 and    
the  in #b ,tim4 iii4 #af4    7#g47 ,the
 departures from the received text      
without notice4 ,of these  departures1 a
 complete table is given4    7#h47 ,the 

departures from ,newcome's ,revision1   
without sufficient notice2  of these1 a 
list was given1 and a synoptical table  
has since been  published in the        
appendix to ,dr4 ,carpenter's reply to  
the 8unanswered0  ,archbishop ,magee4   
7#i47 ,the use of the ,english          
indefinite article1 in certain cases1   
where  there is no ,greek definite      
article4 ,for example1 the ,centurion's 
exclamation at the crucifixion1 ,matt4  
xxvii4 #ed2 in his remarks on  which1   
,mr4 ,byrth will perceive that he has   
been anticipated by the  reviewer4      
7#aj47 ,the introduction of doctrinal   
notes1 which the reviewer thinks  ought 
to have been entirely excluded4#aab     
,the culpable omission of the epithet1  
8,unitarian10 from the description  of  
the 8,society for promoting ,christian  
,knowledge10 in the title-page of  the  
first edition1 has since received the   
censure of the same friendly  but just  
critic4#aac    ,if then1 all that is    
original and 8orthodox10 in the recent  

assaults on  the ,improved ,version1 be 
the sarcasm and extravagance2 and all   
that is  8candid0 and 8scholar-like0 was
 long ago anticipated by a ,unitarian   
divine1 7to whom ,dr4 ,nares awards the 
praise of being 8the very learned  and  
dispassionate reviewer107 with what     
propriety can we be held  responsible1  
as ,unitarian ministers1 for the        
peculiarities of the work1  and called  
upon to defend it from strictures1      
produced at second-hand in  ,christ     
,church1 and originally published among 
ourselves4 ,if ,dr4  ,carpenter had been
 minister in ,liverpool1 instead of     
,bristol1 would he  have been bound to  
come forward and answer himself8    ,i  
by no means intend to charge the        
clergymen engaged in this controversy   
with plagiarism4 ,their great authority1
 ,archbishop ,magee1 so completely      
withheld in his postscript1 all notice  
of his obligations to the  ,unitarian   
,reviewer1 that a reader may well be    
excused for not knowing  that there was 

such a person4 ,nor do ,i at all doubt  
the competency of  our respected        
opponents to originate whatever they    
have advanced1  without the aid of any  
one's previous researches4 ,i simply    
affirm that  they have been anticipated1
 in a quarter1 and to an extent1 which  
disprove their assertions respecting the
 acceptance and influence of the        
,improved ,version among ,unitarians4   
,for the very same reason1 however1 that
 we are not bound to praise this  work  
when faults are fairly attributed to it1
 neither are we bound to be  silent1    
when merit is unjustly denied it4 ,with 
the corrections  introduced in the      
fourth and fifth ,editions1 it has the  
exclusive honour  of accomplishing the  
following important ends3    7#a47 ,it  
exhibits the text of the ,new ,testament
 in the most perfect  state1 being      
conformed to ,griesbach's second        
,edition4    7#b47 ,it enables the      
,english reader to compare this critical
 with the  ,received text1 all their    

variations being noticed4    7#c47 ,it  
places before its possessors ,archbishop
 ,newcome's ,revision1  which otherwise 
would have passed into unmerited        
oblivion4 ,wherever it  departs from its
 basis1 and advances any new            
translation1 the ,primate's  rendering  
is given also2 so that the whole extent 
of the innovation is  seen1 and free    
choice afforded to the reader4    ,when 
the advocates of the common version     
shall exert themselves to bring  it into
 accordance with the true text1 they    
will attack the ,improved  ,version1    
from a safer position4 ,but so long as  
they leave with this  heretical work the
 sole praise1 among ,british            
translations1 of showing  what the      
,evangelists and ,apostles really wrote1
 and content themselves  with           
circulating a version containing words  
and passages1 without mark  or warning1 
which they know to be spurious1 and in  
more than one case1  to be ancient      
theological allies of their creed1 they 

are too much open  to the charge of     
availing themselves of detected         
forgeries1 to be  entitled to read      
lectures to others1 about reverence for 
the text4 ,dr4  ,tattershall enforces   
well 8the duty of preserving the ,canon 
of ,scripture  in its integrity40 ,will 
he permit me to remind him of the duty  
of  preserving it in its simplicity3 or 
is there1 in the bare proposal of       
curtailment of the volume1 a sinfulness 
which does not exist in the  practical  
and persevering maintenance of known    
interpolation8                          
---------------------                   
,b4                      ,on the        
,ebionites and their ,gospel4    ,the   
argument of ,mr4 ,belsham against the   
authenticity of ,matthew's  account of  
the miraculous conception appears to me 
very unsound3 but ,dr4  ,tattershall's  
criticism upon it1 ,i must think to be  
altogether  unsuccessful2 if at least1  
amid its intricate construction1 ,i have
  really apprehended the points to which

 its force is applied4 ,in  rejecting   
this portion of ,scripture1 ,mr4        
,belsham relies on the authority  of the
 ,nazarenes and ,ebionites1 or early    
,hebrew ,christians3 who are  affirmed  
by ,epiphanius and ,jerome1 to have used
 copies of ,matthew's  ,gospel1 without 
the introductory passages in question4  
,as the value of this argument depends  
altogether on the character of the      
attesting parties and documents1 ,dr4   
,tattershall calls in question the      
respectability of them all2 and         
disparages1 first1 the ancient          
,nazarenes  and ,ebionites themselves2  
secondly1 the testimony1 in this matter1
 of  ,epiphanius and ,jerome2 thirdly1  
the ,hebrew gospel or record1 which they
  describe4 ,the positions advanced     
under every one of these heads1 appear  
to me to be erroneous4    ,i4 ,nothing1 
it is said1 can be more incorrect than  
to admit the claim of  the ,nazarenes   
and ,ebionites to be regarded as the    
original1 or main  body of ,hebrew      

,christians4 ,they were a sect1 at first
 united1 then  divided into two2        
successors of the ,judaizing            
,christians2 and after  ,adrian's       
destruction of ,jerusalem 7,a4 ,d4      
#acb71 they separated from the  general 
community of the ,christian ,church4    
,i certainly had conceived that this    
qustio vexata of ecclesiastical         
history1 might be considered as set at  
rest1 since the controversy  respecting 
it between ,bishop ,horsley and ,dr4    
,priestley2 and still more1  since the  
production of many additional loca      
probantia from the  ,fathers1 by        
,eichhorn1 ,olshausen1 ,bertholdt and   
others1 who have engaged  in the inquiry
 respecting the origin of the three     
first gospels4 ,if1  however1 the       
subject is still open to agitation1 the 
principle on which  it must be discussed
 is evident4 ,if1 as ,dr4 ,tattershall  
states1 the  ,nazarenes and ,ebionites  
did not embrace in extent1 the main     
body1 and  in time1 the original        

societies1 of ,jewish believers1 it is  
incumbent  on him to find some clear    
traces of other or earlier ,hebrew      
,christians1 denominated by some        
different term1 or at all events        
excluded from these4 ,until such persons
 are discovered1 in the  primitive      
history of the church1 the ,nazarenes   
and ,ebionites must remain  in          
undisturbed possession of their title as
 8,the early ,hebrew  ,christians40     
,meanwhile1 in direct proof of their    
claim to be so  regarded1 ,i submit the 
following considerations3    7#a47      
,their name is applied1 in a direct     
definition1 to the whole of  the ,jewish
 ,christians4 ,origen says1 8,those from
 among the ,jews who  received ,jesus as
 the ,christ10 were called              
,ebionites4#aad    7#b47 ,the           
characteristic sentiments of this       
8sect10 are ascribed to  the early      
,hebrew ,christians generally4 ,these   
were1 the persuasion of  the continued  
obligation of the ,mosaic law1 on       

persons of ,jewish birth1  and the      
belief that ,christ was a creature1 some
 considering him as  simply human1      
others as pre-existent4#aae ,origen     
says1 8,those from  among the ,jews who 
have faith in ,jesus1 have not abandoned
 their ancient  law2 for they live in   
conformity with it1 deriving even their 
name  7according to the true            
interpretation of the word17 from the   
poverty of  the law2 for ,ebion1 among  
the ,jews1 means poor40#aaf ,origen     
again  says1 8,and when you observe the 
belief respecting the ,saviour1 held by 
those from among the ,jews who have     
faith in ,jesus1 some supposing that  he
 was of ,mary and ,joseph1 and others   
that he was of ,mary alone and the      
,holy ,spirit1 but still without the    
notion of his ,deity1 c40#aag    7#c47  
,the characteristic ,gospel of the sect 
7under its frequent title  8,gospel     
according to the ,hebrews07 was used by 
the ,hebrew ,christians  generally4     
,eusebius says3 8,in this number1 some  

have placed the ,gospel  according to   
the ,hebrews1 which is a favourite      
especially with the  ,hebrews who       
receive ,christ40#aah ,the gospel here  
given to 8the ,hebrews  who received    
,christ10 is given in the following to  
the 8,ebionites10 by  the same author4  
8,they 7the ,ebionites7 made use only of
 that which is  called #8the ,gospel    
according to the ,hebrews2' the rest    
they made small  account of40#aai    ,if
 these passages be thought sufficient to
 identify the ,ebionites and  ,nazarenes
 with the 8main body of ,hebrew         
,christians10 perhaps the  following may
 be held to prove their early existence2
 as it states that  they presented the  
,apostle ,john with a motive for        
composing his ,gospel3  ,epiphanius     
says1 8,when therefore the blessed ,john
 comes and finds men  speculating about 
the human nature of ,christ1--the       
,ebionites going astray  respecting the 
genealogy of ,christ in the flesh1      
deduced from ,abraham1  and by ,luke    

from ,adam2 and when he finds the       
,cerinthians and ,merinthians  affirming
 his natural birth as a mere man2 the   
,nazarenes too1 and many  other         
heresies2 coming as he did1 fourth1 or  
in the rear of the  ,evangelists1 he    
began1 if ,i may say so1 to recall the  
wanderers1 and  those who speculated    
about the human nature of ,christ1 and  
to say to  them1 when from his station  
in the rear1 he beheld some declining   
into  rugged paths1 and quitting1 as it 
were1 the straight and true one1        
#8whither are you tending1 whither are  
you going1 you who are treading a  path 
rugged and obstructed1 conducting1      
moreover1 to a precipice8  ,return1 it  
is not so2 the ,god1 ,logos1 who was    
begotten of the ,father  from the       
beginning1 is not from ,mary only4'0#abj
    ,that the ,nazarenes and ,ebionites 
were truly 8the early ,hebrew           
,christians10 must be considered as a   
fact established by such evidence  as   
the foregoing1 till some testimony to   

the contrary can be produced4  ,that    
they were the successors of the         
,judaizing ,christians reproved by  ,st4
 ,paul is an assertion destitute of     
support2 for the opponents who  troubled
 the ,apostle of the ,gentiles were     
distinguished by their  pertinacious    
attempts1 as ,hebrews1 to force the     
,mosaic ,law on ,gentile  converts2     
whereas1 respecting the ,nazarenes1     
,lardner observes1 8,divers  learned    
moderns are now convinced of this1 and  
readily allow1 that the  ,jewish        
believers1 who were called ,nazarenes1  
did not impose the  ordinances of the   
law upon others1 though they observed   
them as the  descendants of ,israel and 
,abraham40#aba    ,the application by   
,epiphanius of the words 8sect0 and     
8heretics0 to  these believers1 does not
 prove that he was speaking of a        
different  class from the early ,hebrew 
,christians2 but only that this same    
class  began1 in his time1 to be spoken 
of in a different and more disparaging  

way4 ,he is the first writer1 so far as 
,i can discover1 who describes  them in 
such reproachful language4 ,on this     
point ,dr4 ,wall observes3 8,he  styles 
them heretics1 for no other reason that 
,i can see1 but that they1  together    
with their ,christian faith1 continued  
the use of circumcision  and of the     
,jewish rites2 which things ,st4 ,paul  
never blamed in a ,jewish  ,christian1  
though1 in the ,gentile ,christian1 he  
did3 and ,epiphanius with  the same     
propriety1 as far as ,i can perceive1   
might have blamed ,st4  ,james1 bishop  
of ,jerusalem1 and those thousands of   
,jewish ,christians  with him1          
concerning whom ,james said to ,paul1   
#8,thou seest1 brother1 how  many       
thousands of ,jews there are which      
believe1 and they are all zealous  for  
the law4'0#abb    ,and as to the        
,nazarenes and ,ebionites separating    
from the general  community of the      
,christian church1 after the second     
destruction of  ,jerusalem by ,adrian1  

and thus bringing upon themselves the   
opprobrium  of heresy1 the fact1 stated 
in this form1 cannot be proved4 ,from   
the  first1 the ,hebrew ,christians had 
formed a separate body from the ,gentile
  ,christians4 ,but their proportion to 
the whole body of believers seems to    
have been for some time too considerable
 to admit of their being spoken  of in  
contemptuous language4 ,when the        
,gentile portion of the ,church  became 
altogether ascendant1 and especially    
when it furnished all the               
ecclesiastical writers1 7one of whose   
chief functions it has been1 in  every  
age1 to call names17 the ,jewish        
brethren1 destitute of all  pretensions 
to philosophy1 and free from that       
ambitious speculative  spirit out of    
which orthodox theology arose1 were     
naturally treated with  less respect1   
and regarded as exceptions to that      
general union which had  consolidated   
itself independently of them1 and at    
last completely left  them out4 ,it does

 not appear that any further change was 
wrought by  ,adrian's destruction of    
,jerusalem1 than necessarily followed   
from his  resolution to exclude1 from   
the new colony which he founded there1  
all  who practised ,jewish rites4 ,this 
imperial determination compelled the    
withdrawal of the ,hebrew ,christians to
 the ,north of ,palestine2 and they     
were replaced by a new church1 whose    
,gentile origin and customs  qualified  
its members 7under the ,emperor's       
decree7 for settlement on the  ancient  
site4    ,,ii4 ,dr4 ,tattershall        
disparages the testimony of the         
witnesses cited in  this                
cause1--,epiphanius and ,jerome2 and not
 without good reason1 if there  should  
be sufficient proof1 when the whole case
 is before us1 of his  two allegations1 
viz43    ,first1 ,that ,epiphanius      
contradicts himself2 affirming now the  
completeness1 and then the mutilation1  
of the ,gospel in question4             
,secondly1 ,that ,epiphanius contradicts

 ,jerome2 in asserting1 what  8,jerome  
does not admit10 the identity of the    
,ebionite ,gospel with that  of ,st4    
,matthew4    ,premising that one and the
 same work is to be understood as       
described1  by the several titles1      
8,nazarene ,gospel10 8,ebionite         
,gospel10 8,gospel  according to the    
,hebrews10 8,gospel according to the    
,twelve ,apostles10 ,i  would submit    
that the first of these allegations is  
more plausible than  true1 and that the 
second is wholly untenable4    ,the     
contradictory statements of ,epiphanius 
are the following3    7a47 8,they 7i4e4 
the ,nazarenes7 have the ,gospel of     
,matthew most  entire in the ,hebrew    
language among them2 for this1 truly1 is
 still  preserved among them1 as it was 
at first1 in ,hebrew characters4 ,but ,i
  know not whether they have taken away 
the genealogy from ,abraham to          
,christ40#abc    7b47 8,in that ,gospel 
which they 7i4e4 the ,ebionites7 have   
called the  ,gospel according to ,st4   

,matthew1 which is not entire and       
perfect1 but  corrupted and curtailed1  
and which they call the ,hebrew         
,gospel10  c4#abd    ,the verbal        
contradiction between these two         
passages1 is no doubt  manifest enough2 
and in a writer of more accuracy than   
,epiphanius1 might  have justified the  
proposal of ,casaubon 7approved by      
,jones7 to effect a  violent            
reconciliation1 by the conjectural      
insertion of the negative  adverb in the
 former sentence1 which would then      
describe the document as  not wholly    
perfect4 ,but the looseness of this     
author's style appears  to me sufficient
 to explain the opposition between the  
statements2 which  seem indeed1 to look 
defiance at each other1 when brought by 
force1 face  to face2 but which at the  
intervals of separate composition1 may  
be1 by  no means1 irreconcilable4 ,that 
in the first1 ,epiphanius designed the  
phrase 8most entire10 to be understood  
with considerable latitude1 is  evident 

from the expression of suspicion which  
instantly follows1 that  the genealogy  
might probably be absent4 ,and if the   
work in question  contained a quantity  
of matter additional to ,matthew's      
,gospel1 whilst it  also omitted some of
 its integral parts2 it seems not       
unnatural that  the same writer1 who    
with his thoughts running on its        
redundancies1 had  at one time called it
 a most full copy1 should at another1   
when  dwelling on its deficiencies1     
style it an incomplete edition of the   
first ,evangelist4 ,but it is more      
important to observe1 that on the       
points for which the ,editors of the    
,improved ,version adduce the  testimony
 of ,epiphanius1 viz41 to identify the  
,gospel of ,matthew with  that of the   
,nazarenes and ,ebionites1 and to attest
 the absence from this  book of the     
story of the miraculous conception1     
there is here no  contradiction         
whatever4 ,in both passages he states   
the work to be  ,matthew's1 and in      

neither1 according to ,dr4 ,tattershall1
 does he say  that the first two        
chapters were wanting4 ,the harmony     
then1 on these1  the only points in     
dispute1 is complete4    7#b47          
8,jerome10 it is said1 8does not admit  
the work in question to be  the ,gospel 
of ,st4 ,matthew20 which puts him at    
issue with ,epiphanius4  ,will ,dr4     
,tattershall permit me to lay before him
 a passage of ,jerome1  which has been  
under his eye recently1 for he has      
quoted a sentence from  ,jones which    
occurs on the adjacent page2 it runs    
thus4 8,matthew1 also  called ,levi1 who
 became from a publican an ,apostle1 was
 the first who  composed a gospel of    
,christ2 and for the sake of those who  
believed in  ,christ among the ,jews1   
wrote it in the ,hebrew language and    
letters2 but  it is uncertain who it was
 that translated it into ,greek4        
,moreover the  ,hebrew 7copy7 itself is 
to this time preserved in the library of
  ,csarea1 which ,pamphilus1 the martyr1

 with much diligence collected4 ,the    
,nazarenes1 who live in ,bera1 a city of
 ,syria1 and make use of this  volume1  
granted me the favour of writing it out2
 in which 7,gospel7 there  is this      
observable1 that wherever the           
,evangelist either himself cites1  or   
introduces our ,saviour as citing1 any  
passage out of the ,old  ,testament1 he 
does not follow the translation of the  
,seventy1 but the  ,hebrew copies3 of   
which there are these two instances1    
viz41 that #8,out  of ,egypt ,i have    
called my son2'#abe and that1 #8,he#abf 
shall be called  a ,nazarene4'0#abg     
,here ,jerome1 ,i presume1 does admit   
the ,nazarene ,gospel to be that of     
,matthew2 and the harmony on this point1
 between him and ,epiphanius1 is        
complete4    ,besides alleging the above
 contradiction1 ,dr4 ,tattershall       
notices a  supposed variance 7not       
amounting to inconsistency7 between     
these two  ,fathers on another point4   
,from a statement of ,jerome1 he 8thinks

 it may  be fairly inferred10 that he   
knew the first two chapters of          
,matthew's  ,gospel to be wanting in the
 ,nazarene record4 ,but it is denied    
that  ,epiphanius gives any countenance 
to the notion of their absence4 ,now ,i 
conceive that if this statement be      
precisely reversed1 we shall have the   
true state of the case before us4       
,epiphanius gives us testimony to the   
absence1 ,jerome to the presence1 of    
these chapters in the ,nazarene         
,gospel4    ,first1 as to ,epiphanius3  
he makes the following statements       
bearing on  this point3    7#a47 ,he    
says that 8the beginning of their 7the  
,ebionites'7 ,gospel was  this3 #8,it   
came to pass in the days of ,herod1 the 
king of ,juda1 that  ,john came         
baptizing with the baptism of repentance
 in the river  ,jordan4'0#abh ,is it not
 evident from this1 that the initial    
event of  this narrative was the advent 
of the ,baptist1 and that the previous  
account of the birth of ,christ was     

absent8 ,so1 at least1 it has been      
hitherto supposed4    7#b47 ,he says in 
positive terms1 8,they have taken away  
the genealogy from  ,matthew1 and       
accordingly begin their ,gospel1 as ,i  
have above said1  with these words2     
#8,it came to pass1' c40#abi ,it cannot 
be imagined  that this will bear any but
 the common interpretation1 that the    
,gospel  began with the substance of our
 third chapter4 ,the introduction of the
  miraculous conception1 after ,john's  
mission1 would be an incredible         
disturbance of arrangement4#acj    7#c47
 ,he says1 8,that ,cerinthus and        
,carpocrates1 using this same ,gospel of
  theirs1 would prove from the beginning
 of that ,gospel according to  ,matthew1
 viz4 by its genealogy1 that ,christ    
proceeded from the seed of  ,joseph and 
,mary40 ,but to what purpose would these
 heretics have put this  construction   
upon the genealogy1 and argued from it  
the mere humanity of  ,christ's origin1 
if it was immediately followed by a     

section1 flatly  contradicting what they
 had been labouring to prove8 ,it is    
impossible  then to get rid of          
,epiphanius's testimony to the absence  
of these  chapters4    ,secondly1 let us
 turn to ,jerome4 ,dr4 ,tattershall     
conceives that because  this author     
speaks of certain men without the spirit
 and grace of ,god1  as having had some 
concern in the composition of this      
gospel1 we may  conclude that the       
introductory chapters were wanting from 
the copy which  he used4 ,the inference 
is not very obvious2 and is at once     
destroyed by  the fact1 that ,jerome's  
quotations from the ,nazarene ,gospel1  
contain  passages of ,matthew's         
introductory chapters4 ,in a passage1   
e4g41 which  ,i have adduced above1     
occur two instances2 8,out of ,egypt ,i 
have called  my son20 and1 8,he shall be
 called a ,nazarene40    ,this          
discrepancy between these two fathers   
would have furnished ,dr4  ,tattershall 
with a more powerful argument against   

the ,editor's note1  than any which he  
has adduced2 and have enabled him to    
show that ,jerome1  being cited for one 
purpose1 establishes precisely the      
reverse4    ,,iii4 ,dr4 ,tattershall    
adduces in evidence against the worth of
 the  ,nazarene ,gospel1 the absurd     
chronological mistake in its first      
sentence1  which assigns the ,baptist's 
appearance to the days of ,herod1 king  
of  ,juda4    ,on this ,i have only to  
observe1 that it might have been well to
 state1  that the blunder is commonly   
attributed to ,epiphanius himself1      
rather  than to the ,gospel which he    
cites4 ,whatever that work may have     
been1 it  was produced near the spot    
where the ,herods lived1 in times when  
the  remembrance of them was fresh1 for 
the people over whom they reigned2 so   
that a mistake of that magnitude1 in its
 first verse1 must be regarded  as of   
improbable occurrence4 ,on the other    
hand1 ,epiphanius1 it is  admitted1 had 
never seen this ,gospel1 and therefore  

cited it from  hearsay2 he wrote in the 
latter part of the fourth century1 and  
is  remarkable for inaccuracy of every  
kind1 and especially with regard to     
time4 ,there is then no improbability in
 the supposition that ,epiphanius       
confounded ,herod the king1 with ,herod 
the tetrarch1 and with the purpose  of  
explanation1 inserted a mistake1 by     
adding the words1 8,king of  ,juda40    
,eichhorn says1 8,two different ,herods 
are confounded  together1--the ,king    
,herod under whom ,john was born1 and   
,herod ,antipas1  under whom the        
,baptist publicly appeared2--an evident 
mark of a later  annotating or          
correcting hand1 unguided by a knowledge
 of the true  chronology1 as contained  
in ,luke1 and so substituting one ,herod
 for  another40#aca ,for the foregoing  
reasons1 it appears to me that ,dr4     
,tattershall has not1 by making his     
strictures sound1 earned the right to   
render them severe4    ,the evidence    
bearing upon the introduction of ,luke's

 ,gospel1 is much  simpler and less     
confused2 and to ,dr4 ,tattershall's    
estimate of it1 no  valid objection1 ,i 
think1 can be urged4                    
---------------------                   
,c4                ,on the              
,chronological ,inconsistency between   
the           introductory chapters of  
,matthew1 and those of ,luke4    ,in his
 note on this subject1 ,dr4 ,tattershall
 points out1 as an example  of          
carelessness in the ,editors of the     
,improved ,version1 the following       
discrepancy between two of their        
statements4 ,in their note on ,matthew  
i4  #af1 they say1 8,if it be true1 as  
,luke relates1 that #8,jesus was        
entering  upon his thirtieth year1 in   
the fifteenth year of the reign of      
,tiberius2'0 and in their note on ,luke 
i4 #d1 they say1 8,the ,evangelist      
7,luke7 expressly affirms that ,jesus   
had completed his thirtieth  year10 c4  
,it would have been only just to add1   
that in the more recent  editions of the

 ,improved ,version1 this inconsistency 
does not exist4 ,the  fourth edition    
7#ahag7 lies before me2 and in it the   
latter note stands  thus3 8,the         
,evangelist expressly affirms that      
,jesus had entered upon1 or1  as        
,grotius understands it1 had completed  
his thirtieth year10 c4    ,to all the  
other strictures contained in ,dr4      
,tattershall's note1 8the  ,unitarian   
,editors0 appear to me to be justly     
liable4#acb ,the inaccuracy  of their   
chronology was long ago perceived1 by   
more friendly critics  than their       
present assailants2 and sounder         
calculations of the dates of  our       
,lord's birth1 and ministry1 were       
instituted and published by ,dr4        
,carpenter1 in the admirable            
dissertation prefixed to his            
8,apostolical  ,harmony of the          
,gospels40 ,not being aware of any      
method1 at all  satisfactory1 by which  
the notes in the 8,improved ,version10  
referring to  this point1 can be        

defended1 ,i do not profess to          
understand why they  appear again and   
again without remark or correction1 in  
the successive  editions of that work4  
,dr4 ,tattershall1 ,i perceive1 adopts  
the usual mode of reconciling the       
chronology of ,matthew and ,luke2 and   
supposes that the reign of ,tiberius    
must be reckoned1 not from his          
succession to the dignity of ,emperor1  
on  the death of ,augustus1 but from his
 previous association with ,augustus1   
in the tribunitial authority4 ,widely as
 this explanation has been  adopted1 it 
cannot be denied that it has been       
invented to suit the case2  that such a 
mode of reckoning would never have been 
thought of1 had it  not been for this   
discrepancy between the two             
,evangelists2 and that it  has nothing  
to support it but the evidence which    
belongs to all  hypotheses1 viz41 that  
if true1 it removes the difficulty which
 it was  designed to explain4 ,even the 
industry of ,lardner has failed to      

present  us with any instance in which a
 ,roman historian has reckoned the reign
  of ,tiberius1 from this association   
with his predecessor2 or with any       
distinct trace that such a mode of      
computation was ever employed4 ,and it  
is notorious that all the ,christian    
,fathers calculated the fifteenth  year 
of ,tiberius from the death of          
,augustus4 ,should ,dr4 ,tattershall be 
in possession of any evidence in support
 of this mode of reckoning1 more        
satisfactory than that which has        
hitherto been adduced1 he would render  
an important service to biblical        
literature by producing it4             
---------------------                   
,d4    ,it is so universally understood 
that we are indebted to ,mr4 ,thirlwall 
for the admirable translation of        
,schleiermacher's ,essay1 that ,i       
conceive  there can be no impropriety in
 speaking of the work as his2 though his
  name does not appear in the           
title-page2--a circumstance of which ,i 

was  not aware1 till making this extract
 for the press4 ,the whole note from    
which are taken the words in the        
,lecture1 is as follows3--8,the         
arguments  by which ,hug attempted to   
reconcile the two ,evangelists on the   
residence  of ,joseph1 are extremely    
slight and unsatisfactory4 ,he admits   
that ,st4  ,matthew supposes ,bethlehem 
to have been ,joseph's usual            
dwelling-place4  ,but1 he asks1 was ,st4
 ,matthew wrong8 ,this1 however1 is not 
the question1  but only whether he is   
consistent with ,st4 ,luke4 ,now1       
nothing can be  more evident than that1 
according to the account of the latter1 
,joseph  was a total stranger at        
,bethlehem4 ,bethlehem was indeed1 as   
,hug remarks1  in one sense his own     
city1 but clearly not in the sense that 
,matthew's  account supposes4 ,here too1
 therefore1 ,schleiermacher's position  
seems  to remain unshaken40--7,see note 
on p4 #dd1 of ,translation of           
,schleiermacher's ,critical ,essay on   

,st4 ,luke's ,gospel47                  
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,,ii4           
,footnote #dh3      ,galatians iii4 #bd4
    ,footnote #di3      ,acts xxvi4 #bf4
    ,footnote #ej3      ,john xiv4 #bc4 
,footnote #ea3      ,john vi4 #dd4      
,footnote #eb3      ,john xviii4 #cg4   
,footnote #ec3      ,john x4 #cg4       
,footnote #ed3      ,john x4 #bg4       
,footnote #ee3      ,john vii4 #ag4     
,footnote #ef3      ,lectures on the    
,criticism and ,interpretation of the   
,bible4 ,preliminary    ,lecture ,,ii4  
p4 #ce4    ,footnote #eg3               
,preliminary ,lecture ,i41 pp4 #d1 #e4  
,footnote #eh3      ,jer4 xxxvi4 #bc4   
,see ,rev4 ,dr4 ,tattershall's ,lecture 
on the ,integrity of    the ,canon4     
,introduction4    ,footnote #ei3        
,rev4 ,f4 ,ould's ,letter of ,february  
#aa1 #ahci4    ,footnote #fj3      ,the 
,improved ,version was published in     
,august1 #ahjh4 ,rev4 ,t4 ,lindsey1     
who had been labouring under the effects

 of paralysis ever since #ahja1    died 
,november #crd1 the same year4          
,footnote #fa3      ,see ,note ,a4      
,footnote #fb3      ,see ,note ,b4      
,footnote #fc3      ,evidence of        
,christianity1 part ,,iii1 chapter #b4  
,footnote #fd3      ,see ,note ,c4      
,footnote #fe3      ,see ,note ,d4      
,footnote #ff3      ,institutes of      
,natural and ,revealed ,religion1 part  
,,ii4 ch4 ii4  #a4    ,footnote #fg3    
,matt4 xiii4 #eh4    ,footnote #fh3     
,john iv4 #ah4    ,footnote #fi3        
,john x4 #cb4    ,footnote #gj3         
,john x4 #cg4    ,footnote #ga3         
,luke x4 #ag4    ,footnote #gb3         
,acts ii4 #a-d4    ,footnote #gc3       
,pp4 #bcf1 #bcg4    ,footnote #gd3      
,john xix4 #ce4    ,footnote #ge3       
xxi4 #bd4    ,footnote #gf3      ,luke  
i4 #b4    ,footnote #gg3      ,acts ii4 
#a-d4    ,footnote #gh3      #a ,cor4   
xiv4 #ah4    ,footnote #gi3      #a     
,cor4 xiv4 passim3 especially #d1 #e1   
#ac1 #ai1 #bc4    ,footnote #hj3      #a

 ,cor4 xii4 #h1 #aj4    ,footnote #ha3  
,acts vi4 #a-d4    ,footnote #hb3       
,luke i4 #ae4    ,footnote #hc3         
,matt4 xii4 #c4    ,footnote #hd3       
,john xiv4 #af1 #ag1 #bf4    ,footnote  
#he3      ,discourses on the principal  
,points of the ,socinian ,controversy1  
p4    #cda4 ,disc4 xi4    ,footnote #hf3
      #a ,john ii4 #bj4    ,footnote    
#hg3      #b ,pet4 i4 #ba4    ,footnote 
#hh3      ,unwilling to repeat what ,i  
have already said1 in a former          
publication1    ,i have contented myself
 with a brief and slight notice of this 
celebrated text4 ,it is discussed in a  
less cursory manner in the notes    to  
the first ,lecture in the 8,rationale of
 ,religious ,inquiry40 ,i would    only 
add1 that ,schleusner considers the word
 1 as    belonging1 not to the          
predicate1 but to the subject1 of the   
sentence4    ,see his ,lexicon in ,nov4 
,test4 in verb4 8,in ,n4 ,t4 semel      
legitur #b ,tim4    iii4 #af4   1 omnis 
scriptura divinitus inspirata1    seu1  

qu est originis divin40    ,footnote    
#hi3      ,sermon on the ,nature and    
,extent of the ,right of ,private       
,judgment p4    #bch4    ,footnote #ij3 
,p4 #bdi4    ,footnote #ia3             
,schleiermacher's ,critical ,essay on   
the ,gospel of ,st4 ,luke4              
,introduction by the ,translator1 p4 xv4
    ,footnote #ib3      ,pp4 xv4 and xi4
    ,footnote #ic3      ,evidences of   
,christianity1 part ,,iii4 ch4 i4       
,footnote #id3      ,matt4 iv4 #ab-bb4  
,footnote #ie3      ,john i4 #ce-ea4    
,footnote #if3      ,mark i4 #af-bj4    
,footnote #ig3      ,luke v4 #aj1 #aa4  
,footnote #ih3      ,matt4 xxvi4        
#fi-;end4    ,footnote #ii3      ,luke  
xxii4 #ef-fb4    ,footnote #ajj3        
,john xviii4 #ae-be4    ,footnote #aja3 
xxvii4 #cb4    ,footnote #ajb3          
xxiii4 #bf4    ,footnote #ajc3      xix4
 #ag4    ,footnote #ajd3      xxvii4    
#cg4    ,footnote #aje3      xv4 #bf4   
,footnote #ajf3      xxiii4 #ch4        
,footnote #ajg3      xix4 #ai4          

,footnote #ajh3      xxvii4 #dd4        
,footnote #aji3      xv4 #cb4           
,footnote #aaj3      xxiii4 #ci-dc4     
,footnote #aaa3      ,pp4 #bdc1 #bdd4   
,footnote #aab3      ,see ,monthly      
,repository of ,theology and ,general   
,literature1 #ahji1 pp4    #ig1 seqq42  
#aeb1 seqq42 #bgd1 seqq42 #chd1 seqq4   
,footnote #aac3      ,reply to ,magee1  
p4 #cjb4    ,footnote #aad3             
4--,contr4 ,cels41 lib4 ii4 c4 #a4 ,op4 
tom4 i4 pp4 #che ,c4    #chf ,a4 ,ed4   
,delarue4 ,paris4 #agcc4    ,footnote   
#aae3           1           1    1 '    
4--,contr4 ,cels41 lib4 v4 c4 #fa4 ,op4 
tom4 i4 p4 #fbe ,a4    ,footnote #aaf3  
' 1            4           4--,contr4   
,cels41 lib4 ii4 c4 #a4 ,op4 tom4 i4 p4 
#che4    ,footnote #aag3                
1          1             1           1  
c4--,comment4    in ,matt41 tom4 xvi4 c4
 #ab4 ,op4 tom4 iii4 p4 #gcc ,a4        
,footnote #aah3       '      '   1      
4--,hist4 ,eccles41 lib4    iii4 c4 #be4
 vol4 i4 pp4 #bdf1 #bdg4 ,heinichen     

,lips4 #ahbg4    ,footnote #aai3        
'   1        4--,lib4 iii4 c4 #bg4 vol4 
i4 p4 #beb4 ,both    passages are in    
,jones1 ,pt4 ,,ii4 ch4 #be4    ,footnote
 #abj3            1             1       
1      1                         1   1  
1      1    1  1     1            1    7
  1                1     7  1  1        
2 4   1           1        4--,epiphan4 
adv4 ,hreses1 ,hr4 #di vel #fi4  #bc4   
,op4    ,petav4 ,colon4 #afhb1 vol4 ii4 
pp4 #gdf1 #gdg4    ,footnote #aba3      
,jewish ,testimonies1 ,i41 ,works3      
,kippis's ed4 #dto4 vol4 iii4 p4 #dhd4  
,footnote #abb3      ,acts xxi4 #bj4    
,wall's ,preface to ,critical ,notes on 
the ,n4 ,t4 p4 #ab4    ,footnote #abc3  
,hres4 #bi1  #i1 as cited by ,jones1    
,part ,,ii41 ch4 #be1 and by ,dr4       
,tattershall1 p4 #hi4    ,footnote #abd3
      ,hres4 #cj1  #ac1 as cited by     
,jones1 ,part ,,ii4 ch4 #be1 and by ,dr4
    ,tattershall1 p4 #hi4    ,footnote  
#abe3      ,matt4 ii4 #ae4    ,footnote 
#abf3      ,matt4 ii4 #bc4    ,footnote 

#abg3      ,catal4 vir4 illust4 in      
,matth4 ,giving ,jones's translation1 ,i
 do not    think it necessary to quote  
the original ,latin4 ,see ,jones on the 
,canon1 ,part ,,ii4 ch4 #be4            
,footnote #abh3      ,hr4 #cj1  #ac1    
quoted by ,jones1 ,part ,,ii4 ch4 #be4  
,footnote #abi3      ,ibid4    ,footnote
 #acj3      ,see ,eichhorn's ,einleitung
 in das ,n4 ,t4 ,i41  #h2 ,leipzig1     
#ahbj4    ,footnote #aca3               
,einleitung in das ,n4 ,t41 ,i41  #h1   
#ca2 ,leipzig1 #ahbj4 ,see also         
,evidences of the ,genuineness of the   
,gospels1 by ,andrews ,norton1 ,note    
,a4 sec4 ,v4 i4 ,boston1 ,u4 ,s41 #ahcg4
    ,footnote #acb3      ,there is a    
misprint in ,dr4 ,t4's note1 p4 #ajd4   
,the sentence at the end    of the third
 paragraph should close thus3 8nine     
months after that    event1 on one      
calculation1 or three months before it1 
on the other40                          
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        

,,lecture ,,iii4                        
,,christianity ,,not ,,the ,,property   
,,of ,,critics ,,and ,,scholars2        
,,but ,,the ,,gift ,,of ,,god ,,to ,,all
 ,,men4                          ,,by   
,,rev4 ,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4        
8,,for ,,god ,,who ,,commanded ,,the    
,,light ,,to ,,shine ,,out ,,of         
,,darkness1 ,,hath ,,shined     ,,in    
,,our ,,hearts1 ,,to ,,give ,,the       
,,light ,,of ,,the ,,knowledge ,,of     
,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,god     ,,in ,,the 
,,face ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ40          
#b ,cor4 iv4 #f4      ,no fact can be   
more extraordinary than that a          
,revelation from ,god should  give rise 
to endless disputes among men1 that     
8light0 should produce the  effects of  
8darkness10 causing confusion and doubt4
 ,a ,revelation in  which nothing is    
revealed6 ,a ,revelation that occasions 
the most bitter  controversies upon     
every question and interest it embraces6
 ,a ,revelation  that perplexes mankind 
with the most uncertain speculations1   

and splits  the body of believers into  
sects and divisions too numerous to be  
told6  ,a ,revelation in which nothing  
is fixed1 in which every point is       
debated  and disputed from the character
 of ,god to the character of sin6 ,a    
,revelation which is so little of a     
,revelation1 that after nearly two      
thousand years the world is wrangling   
about what it means3 this surely  is a  
fact that demands an explanation1 which 
should make the ,believer  pause and ask
 whether he may not be guilty1 by some  
dogmatism about what  he calls          
essentials1 of casting this discredit   
upon ,revelation1 making  the very word 
a mockery to the ,unbeliever1 who       
inquires in simplicity  8what is        
revealed8 ,i find you disputing about   
everything and agreeing  about nothing20
 and to whom the ,believer is certainly 
bound to render an  account of this     
strange state of things1 before he      
condemns his  infidelity4 ,can any two  
ideas be more opposed1 more directly    

inconsistent1 than ,christianity        
considered as a ,revelation1 a gift of  
,,light from ,god1 and ,christianity as 
it exists in the world--the most dark   
and perplexed1 the most vexed and       
agitated of all subjects1 no two        
parties agreeing where the light is1 or 
what the light is1 or who has  it8      
,surely if ,christianity is a           
,revelation1 the things it has revealed 
must constitute the essence of the      
,revelation1 and not the things which   
it has left unrevealed4 ,surely the     
illumination from ,god must be in  the  
clear ,truths communicated1 and not in  
the doubtful controversies  excited4    
,surely it is a mockery of words to call
 that a ,revelation upon  which there is
 no agreement even among those who      
accept the ,revelation4  ,a ,revelation 
is a certainty1 and not an uncertainty3 
and therefore we  must strike out of the
 class of revealed truths every doctrine
 that is  disputed among ,christians4   
,many of these doctrines we may possess 

other  and natural means of determining2
 but it is clear that that which is so  
far unrevealed as to be constantly      
debated among believers themselves1     
cannot yet be revealed by ,god4 ,now the
 ,,unity of ,god is not one of  these   
debated points4 ,all ,christians regard 
it as revealed2 and  therefore it       
remains as a part of the ,revelation4   
,but the doctrine of  the ,trinity1 an  
addition to the ,unity1 and as some     
think a mode of the  divine ,unity1 is a
 disputed point2 it does not manifest   
itself to all  believers2 it does not   
make a part of the light of the         
knowledge of the  glory of ,god in the  
face of ,jesus ,christ2 ,christ's life  
would teach no  man that there are three
 persons in the ,godhead--neither would 
,christ's  words2 the doctrine is not   
anywhere stated in ,scripture2 it is    
deduced  by a process of fallible       
reasonings from a number of unconnected 
texts1  doubtful both in their criticism
 and in their interpretation2 it is not 

a declaration made by ,god1 but an      
inference drawn by man1 and1 as many    
think1 incorrectly drawn2 the doctrine  
of the ,trinity therefore1 whether  true
 or not1 cannot be regarded as a        
revealed ,truth2 what is still a        
subject of controversy cannot be a      
portion of ,revelation4 ,if then1       
turning away from our disputes1 we could
 ascertain the universal ideas  which   
,christianity implants in all minds     
which receive it2 the images  of ,god1  
of ,duty1 and of ,hope1 which it        
deposits in all hearts2 the  impression 
of ,christ taken off by every spirit of 
man from the ,image and  ,son of        
,god2--these would be the essentials of 
the ,revelation1 for since  these are   
the only uniform impressions that       
,christianity has actually  made upon   
those who believe it1 we must suppose   
that these were the  chief impressions  
which ,god intended it to make4 ,this   
alone can be 8the  light which1 coming  
into the world1 lighteth every man40    

,but ,i may be answered here1 that      
,christianity itself is a matter of     
debate1 and that if doubtful things     
cannot be revealed1 then  ,christianity 
itself is not a ,revelation4 ,to this ,i
 reply1 that  ,christianity is a matter 
of debate chiefly because ,christ       
himself is not  offered to the hearts of
 men1 because controversialists thrust  
forward  their own doctrinal conceptions
 as the essentials of ,christianity1    
presenting themselves1 and not ,jesus to
 make his own impression on the  heart4 
,if not creeds1 but ,jesus the ,christ  
was offered spiritually to  the souls of
 men1 unbelief would be soon no more4   
,no earnest and pure  mind would reject 
from its love and faith the serene and  
perfect image  of the living ,jesus4    
,men can deny metaphysical doctrines3   
but they could  not deny the spiritual  
,christ4 ,the spirit of ,god in every   
man would bear  witness to him who was  
the fulness of that spirit1 and would   
recognize  the heavenly leadership of   

the ,son of ,god4 ,if the essentials of 
,christianity had not been made by      
,divines and ,theologians to consist in 
disputed doctrines1 if it had been      
offered to faith on the ground of its   
inherent excellence1 its ample          
attractions for our spiritual nature1   
how  readily1 how universally would it  
have been received by all who felt  that
 it had echoes within the soul1 and that
 ,jesus was indeed the  brightest image 
of ,god1 and the very ideal of humanity6
 ,who would not be  a ,christian1 if to 
be a ,christian required faith only in  
such truths as  these3--that the holy   
and affectionate ,jesus was the human   
image of the  mind of ,god1 and that the
 ,universal ,father is more perfect and 
more  tender than his holy and gentle   
child1 by as much as ,deity transcends  
humanity2 that the character of the     
,christ is ,god's aim and purpose for   
us all1 the result at which ,he desires 
each of us to arrive through the        
discipline and sufferings of            

earth2--that traces of ,immortality were
 upon  that heavenly mind2 that his     
profound sympathy with the ,spirit of   
,god1  the surrender of his own         
immediate interests for the sake of the 
purposes and drift of providence1 the   
identification of himself with the  will
 of ,god1 the constant manifestation of 
a style of thought and action  drawn on 
a wider scale than this present life1   
and that placed him in  harmony with    
better worlds1--that these marked him   
out as a being whose  nature was        
adjusted to more glorious scenes1 whose 
soul was out of  proportion to his      
merely earthly and external lot1 and    
whose appropriate  home must be the pure
 ,heaven of ,god8 ,would any one refuse 
admission to  these spiritual views as  
they are given off to our souls from the
 pure  life of ,jesus1 if he was        
permitted to receive them from ,christ  
himself1  and not obliged on his way to 
that ,heavenly ,image of grace1 liberty1
 and  truth1 to stoop his free neck to  

the yoke of ,churches and of ,creeds8   
,but  men preach themselves1 not        
,christ4 ,they embody their own         
conceptions of  ,christianity in        
formulas1 and pronounce these to be     
essentials1 instead  of suffering ,jesus
 to make his way to the heart1 and stamp
 there his own  impression4 ,hence the  
origin of unbelief4 ,i quote the words  
of an  eminent ,unitarian1 himself      
converted from orthodoxy chiefly by the 
force  of the argument ,i am about to   
state3 8,settle your disputes 7says the 
unbeliever71 and then ,i will listen to 
your arguments in defence of            
,christianity4 ,both of you1 ,romanists 
and ,protestants1 offer me salvation  on
 condition that ,i embrace the          
,christian faith4 ,you offer me a       
sovereign remedy1 which is to preserve  
me alive in happiness through all       
eternity2 but ,i hear you accusing each 
other of recommending to the  world1 not
 a remedy but a poison2 a poison1       
indeed1 which1 instead of  securing     

eternal happiness1 must add bitterness  
to eternal punishment4  ,you both agree 
that it is of the essence of            
,christianity to accept  certain        
doctrines concerning the manner in which
 the ,divine ,nature  exists2 the moral 
and intellectual condition in which man 
was created2  our present degradation   
through the misconduct of our first     
parents3 the  nature of sin1 and the    
impossibility of its being pardoned     
except by  pain inflicted on an innocent
 person2 the existence or non-existence 
of  living representatives of ,christ   
and his apostles2 a church which        
enjoys1 collectively1 some extraordinary
 privileges in regard to the  visible   
and invisible world2 the presence of    
,christ among us by means of            
transubstantiation1 or the denial of    
such presence2 all this1 and much  more1
 some of you declare to be contained in1
 and others to be opposed  to1 the      
,scriptures2 and even here1 there is a  
fierce contention as to  whether those  

,scriptures embrace the whole of that   
,christianity which is  necessary for   
salvation1 or whether tradition is to   
fill up a certain  gap4 ,i am1          
therefore1 at a loss how to account for 
the invitation you  give me4 ,to me 7the
 unbeliever might continue7 it is quite 
evident that  the ablest opponents of   
,christianity never discovered a more   
convincing  argument against            
,,revelation in general1 than that which
 inevitably  arises from your own       
statements1 and from the controversies  
of your  churches4 ,god 7you both       
agree71 pitying mankind1 has disregarded
 the  natural laws fixed by himself1 and
 for a space of four thousand years1    
and more1 has multiplied miracles for   
the purpose of acquainting men  with the
 means of obtaining salvation1 and      
avoiding eternal death1  eternal death  
signifying almost universally1 among    
you1 unending  torments4 ,but when ,i   
turn to examine the result of this 7as  
you deem  it7 miraculous and all-wise   

plan1 ,i find it absolutely incomplete2 
for  the whole ,christian world has been
 eighteen centuries in a perpetual      
warfare 7not without great shedding of  
blood71 because ,christians cannot      
settle what is that faith which alone   
can save us4 ,have you not thus         
demonstrated that the revelation of     
which you boast cannot be from ,god8    
,do you believe1 and do you wish me to  
believe1 that when ,god had decreed  to 
make a saving truth known to the world1 
he failed of that object1  or wished to 
make ,revelation a snare80#acc    ,now  
not believing that ,revelation has      
failed of its object1 or that it  is a  
snare1 and believing that under all the 
so-called ,essentials1 which  we regard 
as mere human additions1 there is yet a 
true and universal  impression received 
from the spirit of ,jesus1 believing1 in
 fact1 that  our ,controversies are     
about accidentals1 and that under all   
our  differences there is1 deeper down1 
the untroubled well of ,christ          

springing up into everlasting life1 ,i  
would proceed to expose those  errors in
 the ,trinitarian conception of         
,revelation which have laid it  open to 
the charge of not being a ,revelation1  
of dividing mankind by  ,controversies  
instead of uniting them by moral        
,certainty1--and to  contrast this      
,trinitarian ,conception of ,revelation 
with what1 for the  following reasons1  
we hold to be the true one2 because it  
represents  ,god as accomplishing what1 
from the very nature of a ,revelation1  
he must  have intended to accomplish1   
namely1 the communication of moral and  
spiritual knowledge3 because it removes 
the materials for doctrinal  strife and 
controversial rancour which never could 
have been ,god's  object in sending a   
,revelation1 but which are inseparable  
from  ,trinitarian ideas of ,revelation2
 and because it would realize that union
  for which ,christ prayed and ,apostles
 intreated1 a moral oneness with ,god   
as revealed in ,jesus1 a unity of spirit

 in the bond of peace4    ,let us       
suppose1 then1 ,god having the design to
 send a ,revelation to  ,mankind4 ,there
 are two methods1 either of which ,he   
might adopt in the  execution of that   
intention4 ,he might send them a written
 ,revelation in  the form of a ,book3 or
 ,he might send them a living           
,revelation in the  form of a ,man4 ,he 
might announce to them ,his ,will       
through words3 or ,he  might send to    
them one of like nature with themselves1
 who would  actually work the ,will of  
,god before their eyes2 one who1 passing
  through their circumstances of life   
and death1 would show them in his  own  
person the character which ,god intended
 this present discipline to  create2 and
 who1 appearing again after death1      
morally unchanged1 and  passing into the
 ,heavens1 would reveal to them1 by     
these his own  destinies1 the unbroken  
spiritual connection of the present with
 the  future1 and the immortal home     
which ,god has with ,himself for the    

spirits  of those holy ones who are no  
more on ,earth4 ,in the first case1     
then1 we  suppose ,god to send a verbal 
,message to men1 a communication by     
words  teaching doctrines1 spoken first1
 and afterwards committed to writing3   
in the second case we suppose that a    
pure and heavenly being1  manifesting   
the will and purposes of ,god through   
his own nature1 which  is also our      
nature1 is himself the divine ,message  
from our ,father2 one  who walks this   
earth amidst our sorrows and our        
sins1--transfiguring the  one and       
reclaiming the other--and gathering up  
into his own soul the  strength that is 
to be derived from both2 who enters our 
dwellings1  sheds through them the      
divine light of heavenly love1 plants   
the hope of  immortality in the midst of
 trembling1 because loving and dying1   
beings1  and binds together the         
perishing children of ,earth in the     
godlike ,trust  of imperishable         
affections which ,death can glorify but 

cannot kill2 who  places himself in our 
circumstances of severest trial1 and    
shows us the  energy of a filial heart1 
and the unquenchable brightness of a    
spirit in  prayerful communion with the 
,god of ,providence2 who1 that he might 
be a  revelation of a heavenly mind     
amidst every variety of temptation1     
passed  on his way to death through     
rudest insults1 and showed how awful a  
thing  is moral greatness1 how calm1 how
 majestic1 how inaccessible1 how it     
shines out through aggressive           
coarseness1 a mental and ineffaceable   
serenity1 a spirit that has its glory in
 itself1 and cannot be  touched2--who1  
having showed man how to live and to    
suffer1 next showed  him how to         
die2--who in the spirit and power of    
,duty subdued this garment  of throbbing
 flesh to the will of ,god1 and in the  
death agonies was  self-forgetful enough
 to look down from the cross in the     
tenderest  foresight for those he left  
behind1 and to look up to ,heaven1      

presenting  for his murderers the only  
excuse that heavenly pity could         
suggest1--8,father forgive them6 they   
know not what they do20--and who  having
 thus glorified ,god upon the earth1 and
 finished the work given  him to do1 was
 himself glorified by ,god2 taken to    
that ,heaven which is  the home of      
goodness2--thus showing the issues to   
which ,god conducts the  tried and      
perfected spirit1 that ,his             
,faithfulness is bound up with the      
destinies of those that trust ,him1 and 
that ,his providence is the  recompense 
of the just1 who live now by ,faith4    
,now the first thing that will strike   
you in comparing these two possible     
methods of a ,revelation is1 that the   
written communication containing        
doctrines is cold1 formal1 indistinct   
and distant1 when contrasted with  the  
living presence of a pure and heavenly  
being1 who places himself at  our side1 
enters into our joys and sorrows1 shows 
us in action and in  suffering the will 

of ,god reflected on every form of life1
 and works out  before our eyes the vast
 idea of perfection4 ,no message1 no    
written  document1 no form of words1    
could leave such distinct impressions or
  quicken such sympathy and love1 as the
 warm and breathing spirit who  entered 
into communication with us1 whose       
influences we felt upon our  trembling  
souls1 whose eye penetrated and whose   
voice melted us1 and who  took us by the
 hand and showed us how children of ,god
 should prove their  filial claim1 and  
through the vicissitudes of a ,father's 
providence pass  meekly to their ,home4 
,such a living ,revelation could of     
course be preserved for posterity  only 
through the medium of written records1  
but then these records would  be chiefly
 descriptive2 and their grand purpose   
would be faithfully to  convey to the   
men of other times the true image of    
that heavenly being2  to re-create him1 
from age to age1 in the heart of life2  
to introduce  the ,son of ,god with the 

power of reality into the business and  
the  bosoms of men2 to impress upon the 
silent page such graphic characters     
that they give off to the mind animated 
scenes1 and bring the living  ,christ   
before the gazing eye2 and the written  
,revelation would perfectly  fulfil its 
mission1 when by vivid and faithful     
narrative1 without  comment or          
reflection of its own1 it had placed us 
in the presence of  ,jesus1 and left us1
 like the disciples of old1 to collect  
our  impressions of the ,christ as we   
waited upon his steps1 and watched the  
spirit working into life1 and caught the
 tones of living emotion2 when  we      
walked with him through the villages of 
,galilee1 and saw him arrest  the       
mourners1 and touch the bier1 and       
restore the only son of the  widowed    
mother2 when we retired with him to the 
lone mountain1 and  witnessed how the   
spirit ascended to ,god before it       
entered into the  conflicts of          
temptation2 when we stood with him in   

the ,temple ,court1 and  beheld how much
 more noble than the ,temple is the     
,spirit that sanctifies  the ,temple1   
and how the ,priest in his strong hold  
quailed and trembled  under the         
thrilling tones and simple majesty of   
,truth2 when we followed  him to his    
home1 not neglecting to observe how his 
eye1 that was never  cold to goodness1  
fell upon the widow and her mite as he  
left the  ,temple2 when we leaned with  
the loved disciple on his bosom1 and    
watched  his last offices1 and listened1
 with hushed hearts1 for his last words2
  when we saw him kneel at the          
disciples' feet1 that the spirit of     
equality and brotherhood might enter    
into their hearts2 and break the  bread 
of remembrance and distribute the       
parting cup1--that bound up with  such  
symbols of self-sacrifice1 he1 the      
living ,christ1 might come back  in     
moments of severe ,duty1 and pour his   
own spirit of self-denial  through      
deathless memories2 when we listened to 

his last prayers and  consolations1 and 
observed that1 in that awful pause      
between life and  death1 he was the     
comforter2 when we watched with him in  
,gethsemane's  garden1 and beheld the   
tears of nature1 the holy one and the   
just1  beneath the awe of his mission1  
trembling and melted before ,god2 when  
we  stood by him in ,pilate's hall1 and 
saw the moral greatness of the          
unassailable spirit unobscured by       
bitterest humiliation2 when we drew     
nigh to his cross1 and witnessed the    
crown placed upon a glory that in       
mortal form could rise no higher--8,it  
is finished40 ,to place us by its  vivid
 descriptions in such communication with
 ,jesus himself1 is the  great purpose  
of the historical record of             
,christianity2 and in  proportion as it 
makes this intercourse real and         
intimate1 does the ,new  ,testament     
become to us the instrument and vehicle 
of a ,revelation4  ,without this        
reproduction in our hearts of ,jesus1   

the same yesterday1  to-day1 and for    
ever1 the ,scriptures are but a dead    
letter1 barren  symbols1 perverted to   
mere verbal and logical uses1 that awake
 no life1  and serve no spiritual       
purpose4    ,the next observation that  
could not fail to strike you in         
contrasting  the two methods of         
,revelation which ,i have supposed1 a   
written  communication containing       
doctrines1 and a living character       
representing  the will of ,god1 is the  
great uncertainty and liability to      
various  interpretations of the written 
method of ,revelation when compared with
  the acted ,revelation1 the will of    
,god embodied in ,christ ,jesus4        
,nothing  is so unfixed as the meaning  
of words2 nothing is so fixed as the    
meaning of actions4 ,nothing is so vague
 as language2 nothing is so  definite as
 character4 ,you may fail to collect the
 exact ideas of a  written              
communication2 but you cannot fail to   
understand a living1  feeling1 acting1  

suffering1 and dying man1 who1 on his   
own person1 works  out the will of ,god 
before your eyes2 and1 instead of       
communicating with  you through writing1
 communicates with you through a        
character that can  have no two         
meanings1 and that requires no doubtful 
application of  scientific rules of     
interpretation to make it plain4 ,place 
me in the  presence of ,christ1 and the 
,revelation is impressing itself on my  
answering heart1 and exhibiting itself  
before my living eyes4 ,place me  before
 some lengthened statement in words1 and
 ,i may draw from them a  variety of    
senses1 and perhaps fix upon1 as their  
true sense1 one that  their ,author did 
not intend4 ,who will protect me from   
error in all my  applications of the    
difficult science of interpreting words8
 ,how1 for  instance1 shall ,i be       
certain that ,i do not impress my own   
limited  conceptions upon the most      
solemn and inspired language8 ,how shall
 ,i rise  through words1 which are mere 

symbols1 to conceptions1 which1 not     
being  in my own soul1 mere words do not
 suggest8 ,if ,i saw a living being     
embodying these sublime conceptions     
before me1 or read a description of  him
 that brought him vividly before the    
soul1 then the words would be no  longer
 clothed with my poor meanings1 but     
would bring before me the  living forms 
of goodness and of greatness into which 
they expanded when  represented by that 
heavenly mind4 ,to illustrate my meaning
 by a single  instance3 ,jesus said1    
8,love your enemies40 ,now how poor     
would be my  conception of that duty1 if
 ,i had only these words1 if ,i had not 
his own  acted interpretations of their 
fulness1 if ,i could not stand by his   
cross1 and witness his own exhibition of
 this heavenly spirit4 ,the  precept    
would be narrowed to my own littleness  
if ,i had not the  illustration of the  
living ,christ4 ,it is possible to put a
 limitation  upon the revelation of     
mercy as it is written in the dead      

words3 it is  not possible to put any   
limitation on 8the word made flesh10 the
  ,revelation of ,mercy breathing from  
the dying ,jesus4 ,such then is the     
greater clearness1 and freedom from     
uncertainty1 of the meaning of ,god1    
when that meaning is revealed on the    
person of a living being1 than when  it 
is a statement of ,doctrines expressed  
through a medium so indefinite1  so     
susceptible of a variety of             
interpretations1 as written language4   
,that there is a distinct branch of     
study called the ,art of                
,interpretation2 that its principles are
 derived from the profoundest           
acquaintance with the ,mind2 that it is 
in fact a practical ,metaphysics1  which
 even1 when most fully understood1      
requires1 for its correct  application  
to ancient writings1 the most varied and
 extensive  knowledge1 and the utmost   
natural acuteness1 disciplined by long  
practice1--these things1 which every one
 knows1 scholar or no scholar1  are     

standing and undeniable proofs of the   
inherent ambiguity of  language1 of the 
variety of meanings1 which no skill in  
the use of words  can possibly prevent1 
and out of which we have to make a      
selection of  some one1 when we apply   
ourselves to interpret a document4 ,now 
were ,i to  enter into a full           
enumeration of the considerations that  
should  determine an interpreter of the 
,new ,testament1 and out of all the     
possible meanings direct his selection  
of that one which he adopts1 ,i  should 
have to present you with a disquisition 
on perhaps the most  profound and       
difficult department of literary        
inquiry4 ,i should have to  speak of    
,archology and original languages1      
themselves even in their  most general  
character1 the study of a life2 ,i      
should have to speak of  one form of    
those original languages1 peculiar and a
 study in itself1  the ,hellenistic     
,greek1 in which the ,new ,testament is 
written1 and in the  interpretation of  

which we are left without the aid that  
is derived from  the usages of language 
by other authors3 ,i should have to     
speak of the  particular writer whose   
words we were examining1 of the         
character of his  mind1 of the          
peculiarities of his style1 whether he  
wrote oratorically  or scientifically1  
whether we were to tame down his        
metaphors1 or  whether we were to regard
 them as literally descriptive2 ,i      
should have  to speak of the age and    
country in which he lived1 of the state 
of  opinion and philosophy in his times1
 of the colourings which his words  or  
thoughts were likely to adopt from the  
then prevailing theories1 of  the       
particular purpose for which he was     
writing1 and of the particular  minds1  
their circumstances and states of       
knowledge to which the writing  was     
addressed2 and after all this ,i could  
not allow any man1 however  erudite1 to 
be a competent ,interpreter who was not 
richly endowed with  that noble but most

 rare ,faculty which can re-create the  
past and place  us in the heart of a    
by-gone world1 that ,historic           
,imagination which  throws itself into  
the sympathies of ,antiquity and        
re-produces the  living forms of        
,society that kindled the very thoughts 
and modified the  very language now     
submitted to our minds2 and in addition 
to all this ,i  should demand1 also1 as 
an essential requisite for an           
,interpreter1 a  mind emptied of all    
prejudice1 a calm and sound judgment4   
,now it is most evident that a result   
depending on so many qualifications     
will be necessarily uncertain2 that in  
every separate man who comes to  the    
study of the ,new ,testament1 according 
as these instruments of  interpretation 
exist in different degrees of perfection
 will they derive  various meanings from
 the written document2 and that         
consequently1 since  nowhere do these   
requisites for a perfect interpretation 
exist in  perfection1 there is no one of

 the contested meanings that can be     
relied  upon with an absolute           
confidence4 ,it is also to be noticed1  
that this  uncertainty attending the    
meaning of words does not attach to the 
narrative or historical portion of a    
document1 but is very much  confined to 
that portion of it which contains       
doctrinal ideas1  philosophical         
theories1 or metaphysical statements4   
,the descriptive  portion of an ancient 
writing 7and especially when1 as in the 
case of  ,christ1 the description is of 
a moral nature1 and is addressed to the 
affections and the soul1 which are the  
same in all ages17 will convey a        
uniform and universal impression1 whilst
 the didactic portion of the  very same 
writing will suggest as many meanings as
 there are varieties  of intellectual   
texture and complexion in the minds that
 read it4 ,the  character of ,jesus     
shines out from the ,gospels to be seen 
of all men1  full of grace and truth4   
,no one mistakes that4 ,it does not     

depend upon  the skilful application of 
the science of ,interpretation4 ,the    
symbols of  language that reveal the    
living ,jesus are of universal          
significance1 and  finding their way at 
once to every heart1 stamp upon it a    
faithful image  of the ,christ4 ,but    
doctrinal conceptions cannot be conveyed
 in this way3  there is no universal and
 unchanging language for metaphysical   
ideas--and  consequently it is          
impossible that any written             
communication on such  subjects should  
be free from a variety of               
interpretations4 ,and  especially must  
this be so1 when1 as is the case with   
the ,trinity1 the  doctrine is nowhere  
expressly stated in the document1 but is
 only  inferred by connecting together  
into a system a number of ideas which it
  seems to contain4 ,let me give you an 
illustration that was lately  brought   
before me of the impossibility of a     
,revelation of doctrines  being made to 
man1 by means of written language1 upon 

such subjects as  the ,trinity1 the     
modes in which the essence of the ,deity
 enables him  personally to subsist4 ,i 
heard it stated on a late occasion by   
,dr4  ,tattershall1 that the ,trinity   
existed as one nature in three          
personalities2 and that to ask how three
 could be one and one three1 was  to ask
 an unmeaning and irrelevant question1  
because that the ,trinity  was three and
 one in different senses1 three in      
,person but one in  ,essence4 ,i turn   
now to ,dr4 ,sherlock1 and ,i find these
 words3 8,to say10  says ,dr4 ,william  
,sherlock1 8that there are three divine 
persons1 and not  three distinct        
infinite minds1 is both heresy and      
nonsense40 8,the  distinction of persons
 cannot be more truly and aptly         
represented than  by the distinction    
between three men2 for ,father1 ,son1   
and ,holy ,ghost1  are as really        
distinct persons as ,peter1 ,james1 and 
,john40 ,here then we  have ,dr4        
,tattershall charging ,sherlock with    

polytheism2 and we have  ,sherlock      
charging ,dr4 ,tattershall with ,heresy 
and nonsense4 ,that is1  neither of     
these ,trinitarians regards the other as
 having the true  faith4 ,is it not     
evident then1 that the doctrine of the  
,trinity1 seeing  how ,trinitarians     
themselves charge one another with      
heresy1 cannot be a  doctrine of        
,revelation1 cannot be a part of that   
universal ,gospel  which was preached to
 the poor1 and revealed unto babes8     
,it was stated in ,christ ,church1 by   
the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,byrth1 that the         
controversy between us was solely a     
question of ,interpretation4 ,it is  so1
 because in the case cited1 our dispute 
is about doctrines4 ,the  question of   
,unitarianism or ,trinitarianism must be
 decided by  ,interpretation after      
,criticism has fixed the ,text to be    
interpreted2 but  ,i deny1 altogether1  
that the question of ,christianity or   
,no-,christianity is to be decided by   
any such imperfect and doubtful         

instrument4 ,though no one honours      
,scholarship more1 or has a profounder  
veneration for its noble functions1 and 
altogether renouncing the  vulgarity of 
depreciating its high offices1 and      
maintaining1 wherever ,i  have          
influence1 especially for our own       
,church and in our own day1 the         
necessity for a learned ,ministry1 able 
to refresh their souls at the  original 
wells and unfrighted by confident       
dogmatism to give a reason  for the     
faith that is in them1 ,i yet declare1  
that ,christianity is a  religion for   
the people2 that the ,gospel was        
originally preached to the  poor2 that  
,christ is manifested to the heart and  
soul of every man whom  he attracts by  
heavenly sympathy2 that when not many   
wise1 not many  learned were called1 the
 lowly but honest in heart1 recognized  
the  divine brightness1 and sat at the  
feet of ,jesus docile and rejoicing2    
and ,i protest altogether against any   
learned ,aristocracy1 any literary      

,hierarchy1 any priestly ,mediators1    
having more of the true light that      
lighteth every man than the humblest of 
their brethren1 who has taken to  his   
heart the free gift of ,god1 and loves  
the ,lord ,jesus with sincerity4        
,now1 strange to say this principle was 
broadly admitted4 ,it was broadly       
admitted that ,christianity is not the  
property of scholars or critics1  but   
the gift of ,god to all men2 and yet1   
with a remarkable  inconsistency1 it was
 added1 that 8the all men0 to whom      
,christianity is  the gift of ,god1 must
 find in it the doctrine of the         
,trinity1 else they  are no ,christians 
at all4 ,that is1 ,christianity is the  
gift of ,god to  those who1 by the aids 
of interpretation and criticism1 become 
,trinitarians1 and to all those who1    
following their leaders1 accept this    
doctrine2 but is not the gift of ,god to
 ,unitarians1 who1 though loving  ,jesus
 as their ,light on ,earth and their    
,forerunner amid the skies1  cannot so  

read either the written ,gospel or the  
light of the knowledge  of the glory of 
,god in the face of ,jesus ,christ1 as  
to collect from them  the doctrine of a 
,trinity4 ,if ,trinitarianism is        
,christianity  exclusively1 then        
,christianity is not the gift of ,god to
 all men2 for  many1 in all ages of the 
,church and in the first century1       
perhaps1  without exception1 have       
accepted ,christ1 but knew no ,trinity4 
,if  ,trinitarianism is ,christianity   
exclusively1 then ,christianity is the  
property of critics and scholars1 for   
that doctrine is not a  self-evidencing 
,truth1 it does not shine out from the  
,gospels so that no  honest mind and    
pure heart can fail to receive it1 and1 
if capable of  being proved at all1 it  
can only be proved by a most technical  
and  subtle logic1 by far-fetched       
inferences from disconnected texts1     
every  one of which is open to a hostile
 criticism1 and by a most scholastic    
and indirect system of interpretation1  

which is a task1 and that a most        
painful one1 for plain men to           
comprehend4 ,my audience will be enabled
 to  judge of this matter for themselves
 when ,i tell them that one of the      
strongest reliances of modern           
,trinitarians1 until proved to be       
completely fallacious1 was the power of 
the ,greek article2 and that one  of the
 texts long used in this controversy1   
and still used1#acd owes  its whole     
importance to an accident so minute as  
this1 whether the  letter ,o was written
 with a central dot1 or without the dot2
 so that the  chance touch of a         
transcriber might put in or put out one 
of the  principal proofs of the doctrine
 of the ,trinity4 ,now ,i further       
declare1  that all the strongest        
evidence for the doctrine of the        
,trinity is  exactly of the same        
critical nature--that the only text of  
the slightest  difficulty1 cited in     
,christ ,church on ,wednesday evening1  
owes its whole  force to a question of  

punctuation2 and that the best critics  
and  scholars1 and they ,trinitarians1  
for true scholars never degrade their   
high calling1 nor enter the solemn      
sanctuary open to them alone1 to        
falsify the oracle1 give many           
authorities against the ,trinitarian1   
and  in favour of the ,unitarian1       
,interpretation4#ace ,now will any man  
tell  me that the doctrine of the       
,trinity1 which1 if true1 is the most   
awful  ,truth that ever bowed down the  
heart1 that the ,god of ,heaven walked  
this  earth1 a partaker of our          
sufferings and our sorrows1 and lived   
our life1  and died our death1 would be 
left to be proved by evidence of this   
nature1 by a controversy nearly two     
thousand years after the ,revelation1   
about the force of the ,greek article   
and the punctuation of a ,greek         
manuscript8 ,is this the light that     
lighteth every man that cometh into  the
 world8 ,there could have been no       
difficulty in revealing this  doctrine1 

in words at least1 if it was intended to
 be revealed4 ,the  ,athanasian ,creed  
is at least explicit enough1 and leaves 
us in no doubt  of the purpose of its   
,author4 ,now ,i conclude that if       
,trinitarianism  alone is ,christianity1
 and if such are the processes of       
criticism and  interpretation by which  
alone that doctrine can be proved1 then 
,trinitarianism is the property of      
,critics and ,scholars1 and those who   
implicitly trust them2 and ,christianity
 requiring us either to be  ,critics or 
to prostrate ourselves before ,critics1 
not agreed among  themselves1 is not the
 free 8gift of ,god to all men40 ,the   
rightful  privileges of critics and     
scholars are large enough1 and let no   
man  disown them2 but ,i do disown this 
literary ,hierarchy arrogating to       
themselves sole access to the oracles of
 ,god1 and limiting ,christ's free      
approach to the souls of the people to  
long processes of inferential  reasoning
 and the winding ways of a syllogism4 ,i

 entreat them to stand  aside1 and let  
the living ,jesus come into             
communication with the living  heart1   
and not place themselves1 like the      
multitude who threatened the  blind     
beside the way1 between the ready mercy 
of the ,heavenly ,teacher  and the      
humblest follower who seeks his face1   
that a ray of the light  that shineth   
there may fall upon eager and wistful1  
though dimmed and  earth-stained1 eyes4 
8,and it came to pass1 that as he was   
come nigh unto  ,jericho1 a certain     
blind man sat by the way-side begging4  
,and hearing  the multitude pass by1 he 
asked what it meant4 ,and they told him1
 that  ,jesus of ,nazareth passeth by4  
,and he cried1 saying1 ,jesus thou son  
of  ,david1 have mercy on me4 ,and they 
which went before rebuked him1 that he  
should hold his peace3 but he cried so  
much the more1 ,thou son of ,david1     
have mercy on me4 ,and ,jesus stood and 
commanded him to be brought unto  him3  
and when he was come near he asked him1 

saying1 ,what wilt thou that  ,i shall  
do unto thee8 ,and he said1 ,lord1 that 
,i may receive my sight4  ,and ,jesus   
said unto him1 ,receive thy sight3 thy  
faith hath saved thee40    ,i trust that
 you will perceive now the essential    
distinction between a  ,revelation by   
words1 of doctrines1 and a ,revelation  
by a living being2  between the         
uncertain meaning that is arrived at by 
the interpretation  of language1 and the
 light of the knowledge of the glory of 
,god shining  on the face of ,jesus     
,christ4 ,in the one case we have a     
statement of  doubtful doctrines in     
written words2 in the other we have a   
living  ,character4 ,in the one case we 
have the dead letter2 in the other we   
have  the 8word made flesh40 ,in the one
 case we have the ,mind of ,god stated  
in  propositions2 in the other we have  
the ,image of ,god set up in our        
hearts1 and the purposes of ,god for    
man1 both while on earth and beyond  the
 grave1 realized before us1 to be seen  

of all men4 ,if ,christianity is  a     
scheme of doctrines in a written        
communication from ,god1 then of  course
 it is subject to all the necessary     
ambiguities of language2 and  expositors
 will be busy upon it1 to draw out of it
 all the meanings it  can possibly      
contain2 and every fresh interpretation 
will be regarded by  some as part of the
 ,revelation from ,heaven1 and never    
will men rest lest  there should be some
 lurking sense in it that they have not 
reached1 and  every interpreter will    
thrust in the face of the world1 as the 
essential and saving meaning1 his own   
reading of the document4 ,and as        
language is a thing that is never fixed1
 but is always gathering fresh  imports 
from the developments of ,time1 this is 
a process that must go on  for ever1 and
 the document will speak a new ,message 
to the men of every  age1 and the       
,doctrines that constitute ,salvation   
will be always the  subject matter of a 
controversy4 ,but if ,christianity1     

instead of a form  of written words1 is 
a character sent to us by ,god1 to      
manifest his will  in the flesh1 and to 
reveal living ,truth in a living being2 
if ,jesus  himself is the record we are 
to study2 if it is not an inspired ,book
 but  an inspired ,life that is the gift
 of ,god2 if his works of ,power and    
,love1 his actions and his sufferings1  
his holy living and dying1 are the  full
 and spiritual ,scriptures imprinted on 
humanity by ,god's own hand1  then the  
whole work of a ,christian is to        
understand and love that                
,character1--then is the ,revelation    
like a light shining in a dark place1   
8a salvation prepared before the face of
 all people10 8a light to  lighten the  
,gentiles1 and to be the glory of his   
people ,israel10 a ray  of ,god's light 
shining into the heart of man1 touching 
the mountain tops  of humanity and      
piercing the deep valleys1 that all     
flesh may see it  together4    ,it is in
 remarkable consistency with these views

 that very little is  said in the       
popular systems of ,christ's character4 
,the doctrinal ideas  respecting ,jesus 
are all in all3 the moral and spiritual 
ideas are  looked upon as not peculiarly
 ,christian4 ,a vast deal is said about 
his  ,rank1 his ,merits1 his            
,mediatorial ,distinction3 very little  
is said about  his ,life1 his ,example1 
his ,revelations of ,duty and of        
,destiny4 ,the  ,trinitarians taunt us  
with having no use for ,christ in our   
system4  ,certainly we believe in a ,god
 who does not require their ,christ4 ,we
 do  not speak of ,atonement therefore4 
,but we might retort1 that if we        
neglect their metaphysical ,christ1 they
 neglect our moral and spiritual        
,christ4 ,they speak little of his      
character1 his life1 his example1 as a  
model for humanity3 nor could they in   
consistency with their system4  ,jesus1 
as ,god and man1 is powerless as an     
exhibition of what man may be4  ,he is  
no revelation of ,humanity to ,humanity4

 ,humanity with ,deity  attached to it1 
or indwelling1 is ,humanity no more4    
,if ,christianity is a system of        
doctrines to be deduced from words1 and 
if our salvation depends upon the       
certainty of our deductions1 then is  it
 not clear that ,god would be requiring 
an absolute ,truth of  ,interpretation  
which he has not given us the means of  
attaining1 and  that the ,revelation1   
even to 8,critics and ,scholars10 would 
be an  uncertain property8 ,but if      
,christianity is an inspired ,life1 the 
,duties and the ,destinies of ,man shown
 forth on the ,son of ,god1 the word    
made flesh1 the glory of ,god shining in
 the face of ,jesus ,christ1 a          
character perfectly reflecting the      
purposes of ,providence1 and preserved  
for us1 in faithful narratives that     
still enable us to have the image of    
,jesus formed within us1 then is it not 
clear that the ,revelation is           
perpetuated in our hearts1 and that the 
,christ with us still1 the same         

yesterday1 and to-day1 and for ever1 is 
the gift of ,god to all men8 8,lo1  ,i  
am with you always1 to the end of the   
world40 ,now this is ,christ's own      
account of himself as a ,revelation4 8,i
 am the ,light of the world40 8,i am    
the ,resurrection and the ,life40 8,i am
 the way1 and the truth1 and the  life3 
no man cometh unto the ,father but by   
me4 ,if ye had known me1 ye  should have
 known my ,father also3 and from        
henceforth ye know him and  have seen   
him40#acf 8,the ,son can do nothing of  
himself1 but what he  seeth the ,father 
do3 for what things soever ,he doeth1   
these also doeth  the ,son              
likewise40#acg 8,whoso hath seen me hath
 seen the ,father also40  ,and to crown 
all this scriptural evidence1 this is   
,god's own account of  his ,christ as a 
,revelation1 authenticating him at the  
opening of his  ,mission1 and repeated  
again as ,his seal upon its close1      
8,this is my  beloved ,son1 in whom ,i  
am well pleased40    ,i have shown that 

there is no doctrinal certainty in      
,christianity  considered as a written  
,revelation3 but neither is there any   
moral  certainty as to the ,will of ,god
 and his practical requirements conveyed
  by mere words4 ,when ,god tells me in 
words to love ,him and to love my       
neighbour1 ,i do not know what practical
 forms these feelings are to  assume1   
neither do ,i know how all the          
influences of my present life are  to   
control me in the exercise of these     
affections4 ,but ,i understand what     
,god means when ,i see ,jesus           
interpreting for me this will of ,god by
 his  own character1 and combining in   
his own life1 through all circumstances1
  the perfect love of ,god and ,man4    
,now ,i maintain1 that no system of     
,doctrine could be a ,revelation to me  
of the purposes and ends of life4  ,it  
is a practical question1 and practically
 must it be solved4 ,he who  will work  
out for me on this scene of things the  
great designs of my  being1 and show to 

me1 in action and in suffering1 in      
sympathy and in  struggle1 in the       
throbbings of life and in the hushed    
sublimities of  death1 the right        
attitudes of my nature1 the fitting     
dignities of  enlightened and           
heaven-bound man1--he who is not the    
,prophet merely of  divine ,truth but   
the ,impersonator of his own views1 who 
stands  successively in each practical  
position and robes himself in the living
  glories of duty1--he alone can pretend
 to be a ,revelation of character1  as  
,god wills it1 having stamped upon his  
views illustrations of ,reality4  ,and  
he alone can pretend to have unravelled 
the mystery of our  ,discipline1 who    
himself passes through our trials1 and  
transmutes them  into the nurseries of  
,power1 the pregnant schools of         
,character--who shows  us the outward   
circumstance1 as a torch to the ,spirit1
 lighting up the  energies of ,duty's   
inviolable will1--who moves amid the    
evil that is in  the world1 and is not  

overcome by it1 but overcomes it with   
good1--who  encounters sin and sinners1 
and treats them with the pity of a      
brother1  yet with the holiness of one  
whose ,father is the spiritual          
,god1--who  stands amid baffled purposes
 of good1 the broken projects of        
benevolence  in the unquelled trusts of 
,faith1 seeing1 though afar off1 the    
,harvest  of this unpromising           
,spring1--in whom the worst aspects of  
,humanity only  draw out the            
unselfishness of ,charity2 and the      
clouded countenance of  ,god1 veiled to 
sight though not to ,faith1 the perfect 
peace of a filial  ,spirit4 ,he who     
passes for us through all this variety  
of mortal  circumstance1 and exhibits   
each1 even the most dark and            
unpromising1 as  full of the materials  
of our ,education1 contributing to the  
formation of  that perfect mind which is
 the end and heaven of our being1 is    
indeed a  perfect ,revelation1          
8unimproved and unimprovable10 though   

improving us  to the end of ,time1 an   
embodied ,scripture1 the word made flesh
 and  dwelling amongst us4              
,christianity will be a matter of       
controversy so long as men look to it   
for what they are to think1 and not for 
what they are to trust in and  be4      
,creeds will divide the world1 so long  
as ,christianity is regarded  as a      
,revelation of ,doctrines1 and not as a 
,revelation of ,character1 of           
,practical ,interests1 of ,destinies and
 of ,duties4 ,in the one case it will   
be the 8property of ,critics and        
,scholars10 held by an uncertain tenure2
  in the other case1 it will be 8the    
gift of ,god to all men40 ,strange that 
all ,protestants do not feel the force  
of this argument6 ,and as for ,roman    
,catholics1 if we had any controversy   
with them1 the argument has only to     
take another step to hold them too in   
its grasp4    ,and now ,i shall be      
obliged to speak of ,critics and        
,scholars in a way  that ,critics and   

,scholars should never expose themselves
 to be spoken  of4 ,i have a most       
painful duty before me1 very different  
from the one ,i  had been led to        
expect1--which ,i had hoped would have  
been to answer  calm1 learned1 judicious
 reasonings1 instead of simply to resist
  pretension1 a task1 which if much     
easier1 is yet one that neither         
elevates nor instructs4 ,nothing could  
justify me in using in this place  the  
language of grave remonstrance1 but the 
consciousness that thereby  instead of  
indulging ,i am wounding my own         
feelings1 and the conviction  that1 in  
this case1 ,duty to ,truth and to the   
,public requires it from me4  ,every one
 must have felt that the declaration    
before the world1 of 8the  ,unitarian   
,interpretation of the ,new ,testament1 
based upon defective  ,scholarship1 or  
on dishonest or uncandid criticism10    
ought to have been  amply supported1 or 
never made4 ,to fail in the proof was to
 pass not  only intellectual but the    

severest moral condemnation on such a   
statement4 ,i know of no abuse of ,power
 and ,place more immoral1 than when  a  
,scholar uses his ,scholarship to libel 
others before the unlearned1  than when 
a ,preacher uses his sacred and elevated
 standing to make  assertions that are  
taken upon his word1 but which are not  
correct1 and  of which nothing but the  
certainty that they were correct could  
justify the utterance4 ,if ,i cannot    
take example from what ,i witnessed in  
,christ ,church on ,wednesday evening1  
let me at least take warning4 ,i will   
not pray to be preserved meek and       
truthful1 and then regard my prayer as  
an indemnity for unlicensed speech4 ,i  
will not commit here the  disrespectful 
impropriety of quoting ,greek4 ,neither 
will ,i pay this  audience the false    
compliment of pretending to make such   
subjects  intelligible and interesting  
to them1 but ,i will make some          
statements  that shall go forth to the  
world1 and there find fitting judgment4 

,there  are some points1 however1 to    
which ,i shall have to advert1 of which 
every one may judge4    #a4 ,it was     
stated by the ,preacher that he could   
not himself believe the  mysterious     
statements of the ,new ,testament unless
 he first believed in  their            
inspiration1 and that this alone could  
command his faith4 ,now  there was great
 candour in this1 but no ,scholarship4  
,you cannot prove  the ,inspiration of  
the ,bible except by first proving the  
truth of the  ,bible1 for there are no  
proofs of ,inspiration except what the  
,bible  itself contains4 ,to believe in 
the truth of the ,bible1 because it is  
inspired1 and then to prove it inspired 
because it is true1 is an error  in     
reasoning inexcusable in the divines of 
the ,church of ,england1 for an  eminent
 ,bishop of their own ,church1 ,bishop  
,marsh1 has abundantly exposed  it4     
#b4 ,it was stated that every ,unitarian
 ,minister in ,england was as much      
bound by the ,improved ,version1 as     

every ,clergyman of the ,establishment  
was by the ,articles of the ,church4    
,the ,preacher has written his name     
beneath those ,articles2 as long as he  
remains in the ,church he has1 to  use  
,milton's expression1 to those ,articles
 subscribed 8,slave20 he has  entered   
into a vow to preach nothing contrary to
 them2 he belongs to a  body of men     
organized to prevent all dissent from   
those ,articles1 and  pledged to oppose 
and avenge every attempt to break up the
 dogmatical  principle of their ,church 
,union1 and yet he stated solemnly      
before an  assembled multitude that no  
,clergyman of the ,church was more bound
 by  the ,articles of the ,church than  
was every ,unitarian ,minister by a     
,book  which one man edited on his sole 
literary responsibility1 and which      
other men contributed to publish1 simply
 because they expected from it  some    
valuable scriptural aid4 ,now when a man
 is capable of making such a  statement1
 when his judgment will allow him to do 

so1 his credibility as  a witness to    
facts ,i do not dispute1 but his opinion
 on any question1  merely as coming from
 him1 ,i cannot feel deserving of my    
confidence4 ,i  might quote passages of 
contemporary ,unitarian criticism       
reflecting on  the ,improved ,version2  
,i might quote ,dr4 ,carpenter in his   
answer to  ,archbishop ,magee1 ascribing
 the whole responsibility to ,mr4       
,belsham2 ,i  might quote ,mr4 ,yates in
 his able answer to ,mr4 ,wardlaw1      
exposing the  false impression made by  
,dr4 ,magee1 that the ,improved ,version
 was the  ,unitarian ,version3 but ,i   
cannot so misuse your time4 ,the        
,unitarians1  most of whom never saw the
 work1 and whose pride it is that their 
,ministers study the ,scriptures freely1
 and lay before them the results1  will 
smile at the idea of these ,ministers   
being as much bound by the  ,improved   
,version as the ,clergy by the ,articles
 of the ,church1 though in  a graver    
spirit they must morally condemn an     

assertion so recklessly  made4 ,it was  
stated that all ,protestant ,christians 
were satisfied with  the received       
,version up to the time of the ,improved
 ,version1 and1 to  advance no other    
proof of the ignorance displayed by such
 a statement1  in the next breath it was
 declared that the ,improved ,version   
was on the  basis of ,archbishop        
,newcome's ,translation1 the title of   
which is this1  8,an ,attempt towards   
revising our ,english ,translation of   
the ,greek  ,scriptures40 ,but what     
means this attempt to fasten us down to 
the  ,improved ,version8 ,is it not     
clear that these clergymen wish us to   
fight  the battle upon a disadvantageous
 ground8 ,is it not clear that they wish
  us to take up some weak position1 and 
defend that1 rather than meet us  in the
 strongest positions that criticism and 
scholarship enable us to  assume and to 
maintain8 ,is not our controversy       
between ,unitarianism and               
,trinitarianism1 and what can be more   

unworthy of critics and scholars  than  
to conduct that controversy on any      
ground but that of the original         
,scriptures8 ,we do not think of fixing 
them down to any particular  critic of  
their own church1 many of whom we could 
advance who abandon  almost every       
position they maintain2 we freely give  
them advantage of  the best criticism   
and the best scholarship they can       
anywhere obtain2  and we do confess that
 we hold it very uncandid towards us1   
and very  unconfiding in their own      
strength1 and very disloyal towards     
,truth1 to  tell opponents1 ,i wish ,i  
could say fellow inquirers1 that they   
are not  to defend their cause by the   
best arguments known to them1 but by a  
certain set of arguments published in a 
certain book more than thirty  years    
ago1 and before some of us now engaged  
in this controversy were  born4 ,our    
controversy is not about the ,improved  
,version1 but about the  ,greek         
,testament2 and ,i must certainly regard

 any attempt to intercept us  in our    
appeal to the original ,scripture1 by   
thrusting any other ,version  in our    
faces1 as a sign either of great        
weakness or of great unfairness4  ,where
 would the ,lecturers at ,christ ,church
 have got matter of indictment  against 
us1 if it had not been for this         
,improved ,version8    #c4 ,it was      
stated that minute examination of the   
,scripture ,evidence for                
,trinitarianism hardly influenced the   
result1 for so thoroughly were the      
,scriptures imbued with its doctrines1  
that if but a fragment of them          
remained1 the mysterious truths that    
pervade the whole would be found in     
that fragment4 ,now ,i doubt not that   
men can say these things sincerely1  and
 yet methinks they ought to ask         
themselves before they mislead a        
multitude1 is there ,reality in these   
statements8 ,now ,i can not only        
mention fragments1 but whole books1 in  
which ,trinitarians themselves  will    

confess that there is not a trace of    
these doctrines2 the whole  ,gospel of  
,st4 ,mark2 the whole ,gospel of ,st4   
,luke1 for the portions  respecting the 
miraculous generation cannot be proof of
 the ,deity of the  person so generated2
 the whole of the book of ,acts2 and    
very many of the  ,epistles4 ,we have   
the ,gospel which the ,apostle ,peter   
delivered to the  ,gentiles1 when he    
gave them his exposition of             
,christianity1 and we find  from it that
 ,cornelius and the ,gentiles might have
 believed all that  the ,apostle taught 
them1 and yet1 according to the         
,trinitarians1 be lost  everlastingly   
from the scantiness of their faith4     
,here then is the  ,gospel which ,peter 
delivered to the ,gentiles1 containing  
the whole  account he gave them of the  
doctrine of ,christ3 8,then ,peter      
opened his  mouth1 and said1 ,of a truth
 ,i perceive that ,god is no respecter  
of  persons2 but in every nation he that
 feareth him1 and worketh               

righteousness1 is accepted with him4    
,the word which ,god sent unto the      
children of ,israel1 preaching peace by 
,jesus ,christ3 7he is ,lord of  all37  
,that word1 ,i say1 ye know1 which was  
published throughout all  ,juda1 and    
began from ,galilee1 after the baptism  
which ,john preached2  how ,god anointed
 ,jesus of ,nazareth with the ,holy     
,ghost and with power3  who went about  
doing good1 and healing all that were   
oppressed by the  devil2 for ,god was   
with him4 ,and we are witnesses of all  
things which he  did both in the land of
 the ,jews1 and in ,jerusalem3 whom they
 slew and  hanged on a tree3 ,him ,god  
raised up the third day1 and shewed him 
openly3 not to all the people1 but unto 
witnesses chosen before of ,god1  even  
to us1 who did eat and drink with him   
after he rose from the dead4  ,and he   
commanded us to preach unto the people1 
and to testify that it is  he which was 
ordained of ,god to be the ,judge of    
quick and dead4 ,to him  give all the   

prophets witness1 that through his name 
whosoever believeth  in him shall       
receive remission of sins40#ach ,now you
 will know what  weight1 what measure of
 calm and considerate truth attach to   
the  assertions made at ,christ ,church1
 when you compare this account of       
,christianity by the ,apostle ,peter1   
with the bold statement that if only  a 
fragment of the ,new ,testament         
remained1 it would contain and show     
forth the mysterious doctrines of       
,trinitarianism4    #d4 ,it was stated  
that a slight degree of evidence might  
affect the  introductory chapters of    
,matthew and ,luke1 if the statements   
they  contain were not supported by the 
rest of the ,gospels1 but that so full  
were the ,gospels of the peculiarities  
of these chapters1 to remove them  would
 be like removing the ,portico from a   
,temple4 ,the only evidence  brought to 
support this large declaration was the  
last verse of the  ,gospel of ,st4      
,matthew1 8,lo1 ,i am with you always1  

even unto the end of  the world40 ,now  
,i am not concerned in the correctness  
or the  incorrectness of the ,improved  
,version's translation of this passage1 
,lo1  ,i am with you alway1 to the end  
of the age1 or dispensation1 that is1   
till the new dispensation was fully     
established3 for in the first place  ,i 
have no difficulty in believing that the
 spirit and power of ,jesus was  with   
his followers when in the strength of   
love and trust they lived and  died for 
him and for his truth1 and that thus    
spiritually he still is  with all who   
give him a place in their hearts1 even  
unto the end of the  world2 and1 in the 
second place1 translate this passage in 
any way you  will1 and it contains no   
assertion of the ,deity of ,jesus1 and  
no  confirmation of the miraculous      
conception4 ,but when ,i hear it        
confidently asserted in the presence of 
a crowd ready to take the  ,preacher's  
word for anything he chooses to assert  
about ,greek1 that  any scholarship is  

utterly contemptible that interprets the
 8end of  the world0 to mean 8the end of
 the era or age10 or that puts any other
  interpretation on these words than    
that of the received version1 ,i        
confess ,i am amazed at the boldness    
with which men not habitually under     
correction will make rash statements1   
even at times when they must know  that 
watchful eyes are upon them4 ,i turn to 
,schleusner's ,lexicon of the  ,new     
,testament1 ,i look for the word in     
question1 and ,i find from that         
authority that the word signifies       
primarily1 an undefined period of       
considerable extent1 and1 secondarily1  
the state of things existing  within    
that period2 ,i find him quoting the    
very passage in question  which we are  
told every scholar would translate 8to  
the end of the  world10 and explaining  
it to mean 8to the end of the lives0 of 
the  ,apostles2 ,i find that in other   
cases where this word is used1 a limit  
is  put upon its meaning1 restricting it

 to the signification of 8age or        
dispensation10 and rendering it         
impossible it should mean the 8end of   
the world10 in our sense1 by such a     
clause as this1 8,verily ,i say unto    
you1 this generation shall not pass     
until all these things be               
fulfilled20#aci ,i find in our common   
version the plural#adj of this  word    
translated exactly as the singular1     
where if 8dispensations0 was            
substituted for 8world10#ada all        
difficulty would disappear2 ,i find the 
interpretation of the ,improved ,version
 given by such scholars as ,hammond  and
 ,le ,clerc1 and adopted consistently   
and throughout by ,bishop ,pearce1  who 
argues for it against the common        
rendering1 and whether it is true  or   
not1 which is really a matter of no     
importance1 ,i do calmly but  solemnly  
protest against any man so abusing his  
actual place and his  reputation for    
learning1 as to proclaim to a multitude 
that no scholar  would countenance such 

a translation1 and that no interpreter  
would  adopt it1 except for the sake of 
an  priori meaning4 ,no man who         
understood the dignity and the          
privileges of scholars would in this way
  forfeit them4#adb    #e4 ,it was      
stated that no scholar would translate  
the first verse of  the ,gospel of ,st4 
,john thus3 8,in the beginning was the  
word1 and the  word was with ,god1 and  
the word was a ,god40#adc ,now for      
myself ,i do not  agree with this       
translation4 ,i think that the ,logos1  
or ,word1 is a very  usual              
personification of the ,power and       
,wisdom of ,god4 7,see ,prov4 viii47  ,i
 think that this verse has no reference 
to ,jesus whatsoever2 that in  the first
 place ,god alone is spoken of2 his     
,power and ,wisdom are  described as    
belonging to and dwelling with him2 that
 ,he is described as  purposing to      
communicate or reveal these to men1 for 
of course it is not  ,god himself1 but  
only a portion of his ,knowledge and    

,will that can be  revealed to us2 and  
then for the first time in the          
fourteenth verse is  ,jesus introduced1 
as the person through whose character   
these attributes  are to be             
communicated1 8the ,word was made flesh 
and dwelt amongst  us40 ,i dissent      
therefore from the translation which    
,mr4 ,byrth condemned2  but when ,i am  
told that ,,no ,,scholar would tolerate 
such a translation1 ,i  turn to my      
books1 and ,i find ,origen and ,eusebius
 not only tolerating but  actually      
adopting and insisting upon this very   
translation4 ,i recollect  that ,greek  
was the vernacular tongue of these      
eminent men2 and when ,i  am told by an 
,englishman1 in this nineteenth century1
 that no ,greek  ,scholar would do what 
,origen and ,eusebius have done1 ,i     
think it is not  disrespectful to       
decline his authority in all matters    
that require  calmness and accuracy4    
#f4 ,it was stated that no scholar could
 translate the fifth verse of  the ninth

 chapter of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle to the
 ,romans thus3 8,whose are  the fathers1
 and of whom as concerning the flesh    
,christ came3 ,god who is  over all be  
blessed for ever40 ,perhaps the more    
correct rendering would  be1 8whose are 
the fathers1 and of whom as concerning  
the flesh ,christ  came 7i4e4 from among
 whom the ,messiah was to be born72 he  
who was  over all1 was ,god blessed for 
ever30 or with more fidelity1 because   
with  more rapidity1 our language not   
admitting1 like the ,greek1 the ellipsis
  of the substantive verb--8,he who was 
over all1 being ,god blessed for  ever40
 ,with regard to the ellipsis of the    
substantive verb1 nothing can  be more  
common4 ,it occurs again and again in   
the verses that lie on each  side of the
 text in question4 ,and in ascriptions  
of praise it is almost  uniform4 ,and   
nothing can be more natural than that   
the ,apostle should  state as the       
closing distinction of the ,jews1 that  
over all their  dispensations it was    

,god who presided1 the ,god of their    
signal  ,theocracy4 ,now when ,i am told
 that no scholar would so translate1 let
 me  simply name to you some of the     
,scholars who do adopt this translation3
  ,erasmus1 ,bucer1 ,le ,clerc1         
,grotius1 and ,wetstein2 the first three
 most  learned ,trinitarians1 and the   
last two1 if not of unquestioned        
orthodoxy1 only of suspected ,heresy4   
,let me now give you some quotations    
from other ,scholars of an earlier date1
 from the ,christian ,fathers1 even     
when adopting the received translation  
of this passage4 ,tertullian1  whose    
temper rather than his learning has been
 preserved in controversy1  says1 8,we  
never speak of two ,gods or two ,lords2 
but following the  ,apostle1 if the     
,father and the ,son are to be named    
together1 we call the  ,father1 ,god1   
and ,jesus ,christ1 ,lord40 8,but when  
speaking of ,christ  alone1 ,i may call 
him ,god1 as does the same ,apostle2 of 
whom is ,christ1  who is ,god over all  

blessed for ever4 ,for speaking of a ray
 of the sun  by itself10 continues      
,tertullian1 8,i may call it the sun2   
but when ,i  mention at the same time   
the sun1 from which this ray proceeds1  
,i do not  then give that name to the   
latter40 8,some of the earlier ,,greek  
,,fathers10  who ,i suppose it will be  
admitted knew ,greek1 8expressly denied 
that  ,christ is #8the ,god over all4'0 
8,supposing10 says ,origen1 8that some  
among the multitude of believers1 likely
 as they are to have  differences of    
opinion1 rashly suppose that the        
,saviour is ,god over  all2 yet we do   
not1 for we believe him when he said1   
#8,the ,father who  sent me is greater  
than ,i4'0 ,even after the ,nicene      
,council1 ,eusebius1 in  writing against
 ,marcellus1 says3 8,as ,marcellus      
thinks1 ,he who was born  of the holy   
virgin1 and clothed in flesh1 who dwelt 
among men1 and  suffered what had been  
foretold1 and died for our sins1 was the
 very ,god  over all2 for daring to say 

which1 the ,church of ,god numbered     
,sabellius  among ,atheists and         
,blasphemers40#add    ,i have one other 
observation to make upon this verse4    
,the translation of  the passage depends
 very much on a question of punctuation1
 and1 so far1  is a question for        
,critics and ,scholars4 ,now we have    
seen already the  high authorities that 
give the punctuation in favour of the   
,unitarian  rendering4#ade ,i say       
nothing of the conjectural readings of  
these two  passages1 because1 though    
brought by the ,preacher as instances of
  unlicensed ,conjecture1 he treated    
them chiefly as mistranslations1 with   
the view1 ,i suppose1 of introducing the
 same passages over and over  again1 to 
multiply the instances of ,unitarian    
alterations4 ,the  conjecture is not    
adopted by the improved version2 and    
yet1 for allowing  some little weight to
 the authority of ,dr4 ,whitby in the   
latter case1  for it allows none        
whatever to the conjecture of ,crellius 

in the former1  it is charged with two  
sins3 first1 the sin of adopting the    
conjecture2  and secondly1 the sin of   
mistranslation after rejecting the      
conjecture4 ,this is a method of        
multiplying sins1 or rather charges4    
,indeed1 if ,i understood the ,preacher1
 he admitted that ,crellius and         
,slichtingius1 in the then state of     
,biblical knowledge1 might very         
justifiably have made the conjectures1  
for they were ,scholars3 but  that now1 
with all our new lights1 such a         
conjecture is inadmissible2  that is to 
say1 ,biblical ,literature was not far  
enough advanced in their  day to enable 
them to discover in these texts1 what   
yet if they did not  discover there1 or 
somewhere else1 they must perish        
everlastingly4 ,and  yet we were told   
that ,christianity was not the property 
of critics and  scholars1 but the gift  
of ,god to all men4#adf    ,now when ,i 
examine into these things1 my duty to   
scholarship1 my  reverence for its high 

functions1 my duty to ,truth1 my duty to
 the  public1 who ought not1 in matters 
not of opinion but of knowledge1 to be  
misled by their ,teachers1 and my duty  
to the ,pulpit1 which suffers in  power 
and credit by every unwarrantable       
statement that proceeds from it1  all   
oblige me to declare that the impression
 which ,i carried away from  ,christ    
,church1 that the supposed ignorance of 
a vast assembly was  sported with1 and  
their confidence abused1 has been more  
than confirmed4    ,so much for         
scholarship and candour together4 ,i    
have now to speak of  8candour0 alone4  
#a4 ,a sentiment was quoted from        
,coleridge1 expressing his belief1 that 
if  ,jesus was not ,god1 he was a       
deceiver3 and then the ,preacher asked  
his  audience1 8,can the advocates of a 
system that makes ,jesus a deceiver be  
,christians80 thus identifying          
,unitarians with the sentiment of       
,coleridge4 ,how long will              
controversalists condescend to such     

practices8  ,from any controversy so    
conducted no good can come3 but great   
scandal to  ,religionists1 and deep pain
 to all who love ,religion and ,truth   
better  than their own party4    #b4    
,advantage was taken of some words of my
 ,colleague1 the ,minister of  this     
,chapel1 to produce the impression that 
,unitarianism1 as a religious  faith1   
was merely negative4 ,now the words     
themselves not only bear no  such       
meaning1 but guard against it2 and the  
whole speech from which they  were      
extracted is rich in the overflowings of
 the true1 working1 onward  spirit of   
our faith1 as you who have the privilege
 of worshipping here1  well know        
everything from the same mind must      
necessarily be4 ,the words  quoted were 
these3 8,i conceive that1               
controversially1 our system is          
correctly described as purely negative20
 and the whole object of the  speech was
 to enforce the peaceful and fruitful   
view that the power of  our religion    

proceeds not from what we disbelieve1   
but from what we  believe4 ,no man who  
read the speech could be ignorant of    
this2 and it is  remarkable1 that the   
very next words1 containing a passage   
quoted by ,mr4  ,byrth1 are these3 8,let
 us place the utmost reliance upon      
positive  religious principles2 and     
especially let us act on our own        
internal  convictions40 ,my valued      
friend is abundantly equal to the task  
of  defending himself1 and not often    
should ,i do him the disservice of      
appearing for him1 but as this statement
 was made in a lecture which it  was my 
duty to answer1 and as ,i am always     
confirmed in any view of my  own that ,i
 can identify with him1 ,i shall1 to    
show that the present is  no forced     
advocacy1#adg extract a few sentences   
from an ,article1 which  nearly at the  
time he was speaking1 it happened to be 
my duty to be  writing4 8,we are not    
devotional1 we are not practical1 in our
  combative aspects4 ,we are on         

preliminary1 not on ,christian ground4  
,we  are not improving1 we have not a   
,religion1 until we have ceased         
contending and commenced cultivating4   
,moral progress proceeds from           
cultivation of the faith we rest in1    
producing its fruits in the warmth  of  
love4 ,we must pursue what is our own1  
and forget our controversial  attitudes4
 ,they never will nourish the inner life
 of a ,congregation1 nor  keep its      
interest alive4 ,they give us no        
character of our own4 ,they feed  no    
intense yearnings4 ,they make no devoted
 disciples4 ,we must proceed  upon our  
own views1 not defending them1 but      
loving them and studying  them4 ,we must
 pursue a more independent course of    
,,developement4 ,we must  understand our
 own mission1 which is not to battle but
 to advance2 not  to be dogmatists of   
any kind1 but cherishers of ,spirit and 
of ,truth4 ,our  ,union must be a moral 
one1 a sympathy of ,spirit4 ,we can have
 no  intellectual or doctrinal union4   

,we must give up therefore the idea of  
aggregate life1 as a ,body devoted to a 
uniform ,belief1 and held together  by  
the forms of an uniform ,ecclesiastical 
,government4 ,the whole body can        
flourish only by the members having each
 life in himself4 ,our union must  be   
one of sentiment and first principles2  
our life one of  individualities40 ,and 
again1 speaking of ,unitarian           
,ministers3 8,they  should present a    
,christianity qualified by its energy to
 meet both the  strength and the        
weakness of the spiritual being1 to     
inspire a devoted  love1 and to lead    
souls captive4 ,they should take their  
stand upon no  combative ground4 ,they  
should eschew a religion of negations4  
,,faith  should be their great power2 a 
faith that appeals to the faith of their
  hearers1 nourishing it where it is1   
creating it where it is not4 ,with no   
other bond of union than this power to  
satisfy the deep spiritual wants  of    
those to whom they minister1 they above 

all others should cultivate a           
,christianity that has positive         
attractions for the spirit of man1 a    
,christianity that is fitted to draw    
upon itself the warmest and purest      
affections2 a ,christianity that engages
 to do for us what it did for  ,christ1 
to elevate the diviner tendencies1      
whilst it supports the  weakness of our 
frail yet noble nature4 ,from the       
absence of creeds1 and  its want of a   
mystical or fanatical interest1 no sect1
 so much as  ,unitarianism1 requires a  
sympathetic1 generous1 deep-hearted     
faith1 an  affirmative and nutritive    
,christianity1 to lay hold upon the     
religious  affections1 and feed the     
religious life of its ,churches4 ,there 
is no  other sect to which coldness in  
,religion could be so fatal40#adh    ,i 
have now gone through all the evidence  
adduced on ,wednesday evening1  in      
support of the allegation1 8,the        
,unitarian interpretation of the ,new   
,testament based upon defective         

,scholarship1 or on dishonest or        
uncandid  ,criticism40 ,such a          
declaration1 again ,i say1 should never 
have been  made1 or should have been    
adequately sustained4 ,to fail in the   
proof is  to pass upon the statement not
 intellectual only1 but moral           
condemnation4 ,we were told by the      
preacher that when the time came to     
support the allegation1 he would not use
 irritating language1 but sound         
argument4 ,i grieve to say that pledge  
was not redeemed4 ,and the moral        
condemnation of advancing such a charge1
 and leaving it unproved1 falls  upon   
him4 ,i understand that the lecture was 
continued yesterday evening2  when the  
press puts it into my hands ,i shall    
have an opportunity of  seeing what     
additional comments it may require4 ,but
 when ,i was told by  the preacher      
himself1 on ,wednesday evening1 that on 
the evidence then  adduced1 and which ,i
 have now presented to you1 he regarded 
his charge  made out not only in one but

 in both its clauses1 that in short he  
had  been too forbearing1 for that      
instead of the disjunctive he might have
  used the copulative conjunction1 and  
made his accusation to be this1  8,the  
,unitarian ,interpretation of the ,new  
,testament based upon defective         
scholarship1 and on dishonest and       
uncandid ,criticism10--,i held myself   
discharged from all further duty of     
attention4    ,and now1 after the       
8expostulations0 to which you have been 
subjected  elsewhere1 your convictions  
treated as sins1 and the exercise of    
your  conscientious judgment represented
 as exposing you to the wrath of a  holy
 ,god1 7strange combination of ideas1   
wrath and holiness67 ,i may1  perhaps1  
not unbecomingly address a few words to 
you my  fellow-believers4 ,trinitarians 
have the power to deny you the name of  
,christians2 but they have not the power
 to deny you the ,reality4 ,they  cannot
 prevent you being ,christians2 and it  
is a light thing for you  to be judged  

by man's judgment1 provided only you can
 disprove the  judgment by preserving   
your ,christianity unprovoked1 by       
retaining your  ,christian love towards 
those who deny you the ,christian name4 
,the worst  operation of persecution and
 fanaticism is its tendency to produce a
  reaction4 ,the worst working of an    
,evil ,spirit is that it calls up other 
evil spirits to oppose it4 ,the temper  
we complain of has a tendency to        
provoke the same temper in ourselves4   
,and yet an evil spirit cannot be       
conquered by an evil spirit4 ,this is   
one of the divine prerogatives of  the  
spirit of goodness4 ,you must overcome  
evil with good4 ,you must be  prepared  
to expect that men who deem themselves  
your religious  superiors1 will comport 
themselves accordingly4 ,you must regard
 it as  only natural that men who hold  
themselves to be the favourites of ,god1
  and never expect to meet you in       
heaven1 should treat you with little    
respect on earth4 ,nay1 you must even   

have some tenderness for the  feelings  
of irritation which this very faith     
cannot fail to generate in  the kindlier
 nature of those who hold it4 ,holding  
you to be lost1 and  having human       
hearts1 how can they avoid assailing you
 with eager1  anxious1 and even         
persecuting aggression8 ,i blame them   
not for this3 ,i  only wonder there is  
so little of it3 that they leave us to  
our fate1  with so little effort1 to use
 their own favourite figure1 to pluck   
the  brands from the burning4 ,nay1 my  
friends1 more than this1 their          
confidence in their own salvation       
depending on the dogmatical assurance   
with which they hold certain doctrinal  
ideas1 they are naturally alarmed  lest 
this essential faith should in any way  
be disturbed in their  bosoms1 and they 
come to look upon every freer mind as a 
tempter and an  enemy4 ,and as their    
,faith is by their own boast not a      
rational ,faith1  as it has no roots in 
their intellectual nature1 they feel    

that their  danger is all the greater1  
and that their caution must be all the  
more4  ,they are not happy in their     
exclusive faith4 ,how can they if they  
have  ,christian hearts8 ,it rests upon 
an evidence out of themselves1 so that  
they cannot1 at all times1 be confident 
in it4 ,it presents to them many        
unhappy images1 a vindictive ,god1#adi  
an exclusive ,heaven1 a condemned       
world1 fellow-beings against whom their 
religious feelings are  embittered1 but 
towards whom their hearts still yearn4  
,all these are  reasons why you should  
exercise forbearance4 ,you have an      
easier part4  ,you have a faith that    
supports you in meek ,hope and ,trust   
for all4 ,your  hearts are at peace both
 with ,man and ,god4 ,you can wait in   
patience  until ,heaven does justice    
unto all4 ,having this more blessed and 
peaceful faith1 you must also make it   
more fruitful1 and thus be enabled  to  
meet the question1 8,what do ye more    
than others80    ,for ourselves1 let us 

pursue our own way1 and love our own    
,christ in  meek faith and trust4       
,doctrines are uncertain3 but the spirit
 of ,jesus  is not uncertain4 ,you know 
what that is2 and that its fruits are1  
8love1  joy1 peace1 long-suffering1     
gentleness1 goodness1 faith1 meekness1  
temperance40 ,love1 venerate1 obey in   
all things1 the ,heaven-sent and        
,heaven-marked ,christ2 cherish the     
growth of his spirit in your souls2     
place him before you in moments of      
trying duty2 and in all times of        
nature's languishing see him at the open
 gate of ,heaven1 inviting you to  be   
faithful to the end1 that you may join  
him at the resurrection of the  just4   
,do this and your souls shall live4 ,to 
be this is to be ,christians4  ,others  
may hold a different language2 but you  
owe no allegiance save to  ,god in      
,christ4 ,one is your master1 and all ye
 are brethren4                          
------------------------------------    
,,appendix4                             

---------------------                   
,see pp4 #cj1 #ca4                      
--the end of the age4    8,hanc ob      
causam ,judi universum tempus in duas   
magnas periodos  dispescere             
consueverunt1 alteram ,messi adventum   
antecedentem 7   vel   71 alteram       
consequentem 7  vel   vel 74 ,postremam 
illius 7 7 partem1 vo ,messiano         
annexam1 nominarunt  1  1   1   1       
exitumque ejus     vel                  
40--,bertholdt4 ,christologia ,judorum  
,jesu ,apostolorumque tate4  pp4 #ch1   
#ci4                      99       99   
99       99       99    8,on this       
account the ,jews were accustomed to    
divide ,,time into two great  ,periods1 
one preceding the advent of the         
,messiah1 and called #8this  world1'    
#8this age1' or1 #8the world that now   
is1' #8the age that now is2'  the other 
subsequent to the advent1 and called    
#8the world to come1' #8the  age to     
come1' #8that world1' #8that age4' ,the 
latter portion of the former  ,period1  

that immediately adjoining the          
,messianic ,age1 they called #8the      
latter times1' #8the last time1' #8these
 last days1'--and its close 7that  is1  
the close of the ,ante-,messianic       
,period71 #8the ends of the world1'  or1
 #8the end of the world1' #8the end of  
the age4'0                              
---------------------                   
,the ,introduction of ,st4 ,john's      
,gospel4                                
,see pp4 #ca1 #cb4    8,in the beginning
 was the ,,logos1 and the ,,logos was   
with ,god1 and the  ,,logos was ,god40  
8,there is no word in ,english answering
 to the ,greek word ,logos1 as here     
used4 ,it was employed to denote a mode 
of conception concerning the  ,deity1   
familiar at the time when ,st4 ,john    
wrote1 and intimately blended  with the 
philosophy of his age1 but long since   
obsolete1 and so foreign  from our      
habits of thinking1 that it is not easy 
for us to conform our  minds to its     
apprehension4 ,the ,greek word ,logos1  

in one of its primary  senses1 answered 
nearly to our word ,reason4 ,it denoted 
that faculty by  which the mind disposes
 its ideas in their proper relations to 
each  other3 the ,disposing ,power1 if  
,i may so speak1 of the mind4 ,in       
reference  to this primary sense1 it was
 applied to the ,deity1 but in a wider  
significance4 ,the ,logos of ,god was   
regarded1 not in its strictest sense1   
as merely the ,reason of ,god1 but under
 certain aspects1 as the ,wisdom1  the  
,mind1 the ,intellect of ,god4 ,to this 
the ,creation of all things was         
especially ascribed4 ,the conception may
 seem obvious in itself2 but  the ,cause
 why the creation was primarily referred
 to the ,logos1 or  ,intellect of ,god1 
rather than to his goodness or          
omnipotence1 is to be  found in the     
,platonic ,philosophy1 as it existed    
about the time of  ,christ1 and         
particularly as taught by the eminent   
,jewish philosopher1  ,philo of         
,alexandria4    8,according to this     

philosophy1 there existed an archetypal 
world of  ,,ideas1 formed by ,god1 the  
perfect model of the ,sensible          
,universe2  corresponding1 so far as    
what is divine may be compared with what
 is  human1 to the plan of a building or
 city1 which an architect forms in  his 
own mind before commencing its erection4
 ,the faculty by which ,god  disposed   
and arranged the world of ,,ideas was   
his ,logos1 ,reason1 or  ,intellect4    
,this world1 according to one           
representation1 was supposed to  have   
its seat in the ,logos or ,mind of ,god2
 according to another1 it was           
identified with the ,logos4 ,the        
,platonic philosophy further taught1    
that  the ,ideas of ,god were not merely
 the archetypes1 but1 in scholastic     
language1 the essential forms of all    
created things4 ,in this philosophy1    
matter in its primary state1 primitive  
matter1 if ,i may so speak1 was         
regarded merely as the substratum of    
attributes1 being in itself devoid  of  

all4 ,attributes1 it is conceived1 were 
impressed upon it by the ,ideas  of     
,god1 which ,philo often speaks of under
 the figure of seals4 ,these  ,ideas1   
indeed1 constituted those attributes1   
becoming connected with  primitive      
matter in an incomprehensible manner1   
and thus giving form and  being to all  
things sensible4 ,but the seat of these 
ideas1 these  formative principles1     
being the ,logos1 or intellect of ,god2 
or1  according to the other             
representations mentioned1 these ,ideas 
constituting the ,logos1 the ,logos was1
 in consequence1 represented as  the    
great agent in creation4 ,this doctrine 
being settled1 the meaning of  the ,term
 gradually extended itself by a natural 
process1 and came at  last to comprehend
 all the attributes of ,god manifested  
in the creation  and government of the  
,universe4 ,these attributes1 abstractly
 from ,god  himself1 were made an object
 of thought under the name of the       
,logos4 ,the  ,logos thus conceived1 was

 necessarily personified or spoken of   
figuratively as a person4 ,in our own   
language1 in describing its             
agency1--agency1 in its nature personal1
 and to be ultimately referred to       
,god1--we might indeed avoid attaching a
 personal character to the ,logos       
considered abstractly from ,god1 by the 
use of the neuter pronoun it4  ,thus we 
might say1 ,all things were made by it4 
,but the ,greek language  afforded no   
such resource1 the relative pronoun1 in 
concord with ,logos1  being necessarily 
masculine4 ,thus the ,logos or          
,intellect of ,god came to  be1         
figuratively or literally1 conceived of 
as an intermediate being  between ,god  
and his creatures1 the great agent in   
the creation and  government of the     
universe40 99 99 99    8,the conception 
and the name of the ,logos were familiar
 at the time when  ,st4 ,john wrote4    
,they occur in the ,apocryphal book of  
the ,wisdom of  ,solomon4 ,the writer1  
speaking of the destruction of the      

first-born of  the ,egyptians1 says     
7xviii4 #ae73    8#8,thine almighty     
,logos leapt down from heaven1 from his 
royal throne1 a  fierce warrior1 into   
the midst of a land of destruction4'0   
,in another passage1 likewise1 in the   
prayer ascribed to ,solomon1 he is      
represented as thus addressing ,god 7ix4
 #a1 #b73                    8,god of   
our fathers1 and ,lord of mercy1        
,who hast made all things by thy ,logos1
                   ,and fashioned man by
 thy ,wisdom4 99 99 99    8,st4 ,john1  
writing in ,asia ,minor1 where many1 for
 whom he intended his  ,gospel1 were    
familiar with the conception of the     
,logos1 has probably1  for this reason1 
adopted the term ,logos1 in the proem of
 his ,gospel1 to  express that          
manifestation of ,god by ,christ1 which 
is elsewhere referred  to the spirit of 
,god40    8,but to return3 the          
conception that has been described      
having been  formed of the ,logos1 and  
the ,logos being1 as ,i have said1      

necessarily  personified1 or spoken of  
figuratively as a person1 it soon       
followed1 as  a natural consequence1    
that the ,logos was by many             
hypostatized1 or  conceived of as a     
proper person4 ,when the corrective of  
experience and  actual knowledge cannot 
be applied1 what is strongly imagined is
 very  likely to be regarded as having a
 real existence2 and the philosophy of  
the ancients was composed in great part 
of such imaginations4 ,the ,logos1  it  
is to be recollected1 was that power by 
which ,god disposed in order  the ,ideas
 of the archetypal world4 ,but in       
particular reference to the  creation of
 the material universe1 the ,logos came 
in time to be  conceived of by many as  
hypostatized1 as a proper person going  
forth1 as  it were1 from ,god in order  
to execute the plan prepared1 to dispose
 and  arrange all things conformably to 
it1 and to give sensible forms to       
primitive matter1 by impressing it with 
the ideas of the archetypal  world4 ,in 

many cases in which the term #8,logos'  
occurs1 if we understand  by it the     
,disposing ,power of ,god in a sense    
conformable to the notions  explained1  
we may have a clearer idea of its       
meaning than if we render  it by the    
term #8,reason1' or #8,wisdom1' or any  
other which our language  offers40 99 99
 99    8,from the explanations which    
have been given of the conceptions      
concerning the ,logos of ,god1 it will  
appear that this term properly  denoted 
an attribute or attributes of ,god2 and 
that upon the notion of  an attribute or
 attributes1 the idea of personality was
 superinduced40  99 99 99    8,it was   
his 7,st4 ,john's7 purpose in the       
introduction of his ,gospel1 to  declare
 that ,christianity had the same divine 
origin as the ,universe  itself2 that it
 was to be considered as proceeding from
 the same power  of ,god4 ,writing in   
,asia ,minor1 for readers1 by many of   
whom the term  #8,logos' was more       
familiarly used than any other1 to      

express the  attributes of ,god viewed  
in relation to his creatures1 he adopted
 this  term to convey his meaning1      
because from their associations with it1
 it  was fitted particularly to impress 
and affect their minds2 thus  connecting
 the great truths which he taught with  
their former modes of  thinking and     
speaking4 ,but upon the idea primarily  
expressed by this  term1 a new          
,conception1 the ,conception of the     
proper personality of  those attributes1
 had been superinduced4 ,this doctrine1 
then1 the  doctrine of an hypostatized  
,logos1 it appears to have been his     
purpose  to set aside4 ,he would guard  
himself1 ,i think1 against being        
understood  to countenance it4 ,the     
,logos1 he teaches1 was not the agent of
 ,god1 but  ,god himself4 ,using the    
term merely to denote the attributes of 
,god as  manifested in his works1 he    
teaches that the operations of the      
,logos are  the operations of ,god2 that
 all conceived of under that name is to 

be  referred immediately to ,god2 that  
in speaking of the ,logos we speak of   
,god1 #8,that the ,logos is ,god4'      
8,the ,platonic ,conception of a        
personal ,logos1 distinct from ,god1 was
 the  ,embryo form of the ,christian    
,trinity4 ,if1 therefore1 the view just 
given  of the purpose of ,st4 ,john be  
correct1 it is a remarkable fact1 that  
his  language has been alleged as a main
 support of that very doctrine the      
rudiments of which it was intended to   
oppose40--,norton on the ,trinity4    ,i
 shall now give a paraphrase of the     
,introduction of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel   
in harmony with the ,conception that the
 ,logos is described first as  dwelling 
in ,god--and afterwards as manifested   
through ,christ--the ,logos  made       
flesh--8,god manifest in the flesh10 an 
expression which is so far  from        
implying ,trinitarianism1 that it       
exactly expresses the ,unitarian  idea  
of ,christianity as a revelation of     
,god--of ,deity imaged perfectly  on the

 human scale--of the light of the       
knowledge of the glory of ,god on  the  
face of ,jesus ,christ4                 
,proem of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel4    8,in 
the beginning was the ,logos1 and the   
,logos was with ,god1 and the  ,logos   
was ,god4 ,it was in the beginning with 
,god4 ,by it all things were  made1 and 
without it was not any thing made1 that 
was made4 ,it was life  7the source of  
life7--and the source of life or        
blessedness was the light  of men4 ,and 
the light shineth in darkness1 and the  
darkness comprehended  it not4 ,there   
was a man sent from ,god4 ,this man came
 as a witness to  bear testimony        
concerning the light2 that all men      
through him might  believe4 ,he was not 
the ,light1 but he was sent to bear     
testimony  concerning the ,light4 ,that 
was the true ,light1 which lighteth     
every man  that cometh into the world4  
,it was in the world1 and the world was 
made  by it1 and the world knew it not4 
,it came unto its own1 and its own      

received it not4 ,but to as many as     
received it1 it gave power to become    
the ,sons of ,god 7,,logoi7--being born1
 not of favoured races1 nor through  the
 will of the flesh1 nor through the will
 of man1 but being children  of ,god4   
,and the ,logos became flesh 7was       
manifested through a man1 the  ,mind or 
,spirit#aej of ,god shown on the human  
,image71 and dwelt amongst  us1 and we  
beheld his glory as of the only begotten
 of the ,father1 full  of grace and     
truth40                                 
---------------------                   
,romans4 ix4 #e1 page #cb4    8,whose   
are the fathers1 and of whom as         
concerning the flesh ,christ came2  ,god
 who is over all be blessed for ever40  
,amen4       1                  4 4     
,the objections made to our rendering of
 this passage are these3--    #a4 ,that 
coming first in the sentence must refer 
to the nominative  774 ,but there is no 
grammatical rule to prevent   commencing
  a sentence and referring to a         

subsequent nominative2 so that to say it
  must refer to the preceding  is only  
to take the desired  interpretation for 
granted4    #b4 ,that another article is
 required before 1 and the position of  
the  words to be       1 4 4 4 ,if  had 
been placed  first in the sentence the  
article would have been used1 but the   
qualifying expression    more than      
supplies its place4 ,a  passage from    
,philo exactly parallel is cited by the 
,rev4 ,w4 ,hincks in  his very able     
,review of ,dr4 ,j4 ,p4 ,smith's        
,scripture ,testimony to the  ,messiah  
4 ,ed4 #afaj1 7apud ,middleton17 p4     
#hfj4 ,also ,clem4 ,rom4 ad ,cor4 cap4  
xxxii4   1 where   is equivalent to    4
 ,eusebius has this passage1            
4 ,see  ,jortin4 ,eccles4 ,hist4 vol4   
ii4 #bce4    #c4 ,that  ought to come   
first in the sentence4 ,but the words   
8for ever10   1 whenever used1 are      
placed at the end of the  sentence1 and 
this naturally draws  to the same       
position1 to  avoid awkwardness or      

ambiguity4 ,in the cases where  has     
dependent  words1 then  comes first1    
that the words connected by             
construction may not be awkwardly       
separated3 in the case of   having      
dependent words1 as here1 then  would   
naturally come first4    ,in the only   
three cases in which     occur in the   
,new ,testament they follow one another 
in this fixed order4    ,in the         
,septuagint1 contrary to the statement  
of ,whitby1 there is one  clear instance
 of a similar construction3    1 ,ps4   
lxviii4 #ai4    ,finally1  is nowhere in
 the ,new ,testament applied to ,jesus4 
#d4 ,that our rendering requires another
 substantive verb4 ,of such  ellipsis   
examples might be given without number4 
,see ,rom4 x4 #ab4 #b ,cor4  v4 #e4     
,ephes4 iv4 #f1 a case exactly in point4
 ,rev4 xiv4 #ac4    #e4 ,that there is  
an antithesis intended by ,st4 ,paul    
between 8as  concerning the flesh10 and 
8,god over all04 ,but the sentence is   
not an  antithesis but a climax closed  

by ,christ1 as the consummation3 and at 
the close of a climax of blessings and  
privileges1 acknowledgment almost       
spontaneously bursts out to ,god4       
------------------------------------    
,comments on the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,byrth's    
,lecture entitled 8,the ,unitarian      
,interpretation of the ,new ,testament  
based upon defective ,scholarship1    or
 on dishonest or uncandid ,criticism40  
,page #ajh4--8;,it does appear to me    
extraordinary1 that my opponents should 
appear to complain of the introduction  
of critical and scholastic              
considerations into this discussion40   
,we make no such complaint4 ,we         
complain that the essence of            
,christianity should be derived from the
  ,criticism and ,interpretation of     
controverted passages4 ,will my         
reverend opponent state a single        
argument for ,trinitarianism1 or adduce 
a single scriptural evidence1 not fairly
 open to hostile ,criticism or          
,interpretation8 ,to us the ,revelation 

is not derived from any thing  doubtful2
 it is derived from those impressions of
 ,jesus the ,christ which               
,trinitarianism itself receives4 ,to us 
the ,revelation is the ,person1 7in     
which we include his ,life1 ,character1 
,destinies17 of the man ,christ  ,jesus4
 ,we know our ,god when we know that he 
who was as full of grace as  of truth   
was the ,image of our ,father's ,mind3  
we know ,god's will for man  when we    
look upon him who was perfected human   
nature3 we know the  connections of     
,heaven with ,duty when we see the      
crucified made the  glorified1 and taken
 to the bosom of his ,father4           
---------------------    ,page          
#aae4--8;,it does not1 however1 follow  
that1 because the ,unitarian            
interpretation of the ,new ,testament   
bears this character1 all ,unitarians   
are defective ,scholars1 or uncandid or 
dishonest ,critics4 ,many of them  may  
have received their opinions through the
 channel of traditional  education2 and 

may never have deemed it obligatory upon
 them to examine  the matter for        
themselves40 ,so1 we have the choice of 
any one of three  characters1 viz41     
,,bad ,,scholars1 ,,dishonest ,,critics1
 or ,so-called  ,christians1 who know   
nothing and care nothing about the      
matter4 ,does  ,mr4 ,byrth really think 
that this last refuge removes the insult
 of his  ,title1 or softens its         
indictment8 ,some of us1 confined to a  
choice  among these three descriptions1 
preach ,christianity1 and are therefore 
certainly bound to 8examine the matter0 
for ourselves2 nor is it to us  that the
 suspicion usually attaches of receiving
 our 8opinions through  the channels of 
a traditional education40    8,the      
dogmata are too few1 too general1 too   
unimportant1 to elicit  inquiry1 or to  
excite anxiety as to their truth40      
,there is some truth in  this1 though   
not exactly of the kind the author      
contemplated4 ,the  interest of         
,trinitarianism depends greatly on the  

number of its dogmata1  their intricacy1
 their supposed necessity to salvation1 
the exactness of  their right mutual    
positions4 ,there is much in a saving   
,theology1  having an intricate scheme1 
and whose main principles and evidences 
are  external to the mind of the        
believer1 and therefore constantly      
agitating  him with apprehension as to  
whether he has disposed them according  
to  the precise conditions of orthodoxy1
 to occupy and sometimes oppress  minds 
that have little affinities with a      
saving ,religion1 a simple  spirit of   
,worship1 ,duty1 and ,trust immortal4   
,but is it true that these  ,unitarian  
doctrines are 8unimportant0--,the       
,fatherhood of ,god--the  ,brotherhood  
of ,man--the relations of ,jesus to ,god
 as ,his ,image1 and to  ,man as his    
,model--the retributions of             
,eternity--the ,heaven of ,duty8        
---------------------    ,page          
#aai4--,see the ,note4--,surely ,mr4    
,byrth will perceive the unfairness of  

concluding a ,book to be our ,standard1 
merely because some other  parties1 very
 unfavourably disposed towards us1      
choose to represent it  as such4        
---------------------    ,page          
#abd4--,see the ,note4--8,i have been   
charged with almost or altogether       
suppressing1 in the delivery of this    
,discourse1 the word                    
#8controversially4'0 ,i eagerly assure  
,mr4 ,byrth that no such charge was     
ever made1 nor could be made with truth1
 and ,i am much grieved that any  rumour
 has conveyed to him the pain of such an
 impression4 ,though using  hard words  
to his opponents1 and giving them the   
choice of any one of  three bad         
characters1 ,i believe him perfectly    
incapable of  8dishonesty40 ,believing  
me to have made such a charge1 whilst ,i
 do not  excuse him for so believing    
upon hearsay1 ,i feel obliged by his    
forbearance1 and for a courtesy in      
denying the charge1 which if made ,i    
should not have deserved4 ,i complained 

that the 8controversial0  attitudes of  
,unitarianism were confounded with its  
own peaceful and  positive ones1 two    
things that were most carefully         
separated in the  speeches from which   
,mr4 ,byrth took extracts2 and that he  
represented as  a description of        
,unitarianism1 what was distinctly      
stated to be  ,unitarianism1            
8controversially0 described4 ,mr4       
,byrth1 though giving the  word         
8controversially10 overlooked its       
meaning4                                
---------------------    ,page          
#acb4--8;,epiphanius asserts that the   
,ebionites10 c43 also the note  marked 4
    ,as it is exceedingly inconvenient  
to repeat subjects and answers1 and so  
never to get rid of a topic1 ,i refer   
,mr4 ,byrth and my readers to note ,b1  
on the ,ebionites and their ,gospel1 in 
the ,appendix to the ,second ,lecture   
of our ,course4                         
---------------------    ,page          
#adj4--,see the ,note4--8,i cannot but  

express my satisfaction that in  the    
very place where this book was thus     
regarded as an authority1 and  thus     
earnestly recommended1 it is now        
renounced and disclaimed40    ,i do not 
know what ,mr4 ,byrth includes in       
8renouncing0 and 8disclaiming40  ,if    
these words mean 8rejecting as a        
standard authority10 then in the  place 
alluded to was the ,improved ,version   
always renounced and  disclaimed4       
,the praise quoted in the note certainly
 requires much qualification4           
,nevertheless the ,improved ,version is 
neither renounced nor disclaimed4  ,we  
have no predilection for the rude       
principle of taking things in the  mass1
 or leaving them in the mass1 without   
discrimination4 ,and ,i fancy  that if  
our opponents were in these matters as  
much at liberty as  ourselves1 there are
 some of their standards which would    
soon be  thoroughly sifted4             
---------------------    ,page          
#adc4--8;,for even they would scarcely  

think highly of the scholarship  of     
,bishop ,pearce40    ,i have quoted     
,bishop ,pearce1 not for his learning1  
though unquestionably  that was         
respectable1 but for the sake of stating
 that the acceptance by  a ,bishop of   
the ,english ,church of a certain       
interpretation ought to have  screened  
8a reputed heretic0 from the charge of  
accepting the same  interpretation      
solely for the sake of an a priori      
meaning4                                
---------------------    ,page          
#adf4--8;,epiphanius has little         
authority with any one else40 ,mr4      
,byrth  is quite right in his estimate  
of ,epiphanius4 ,but it is hardly wise  
for  those who1 like ,mr4 ,byrth1 rest  
their faith upon external testimonies1  
to look too closely into the characters 
of the witnesses1 or raise  doubts      
respecting them in the public mind4 ,we 
know how much of the  weight of these   
testimonies rests upon ,eusebius--and ,i
 doubt not ,mr4  ,byrth knows very well 

that he is clearly convicted of having  
interpolated one passage in ,josephus1  
and corrupted another4 ,how can we  tell
 how far this process of reconciliation 
was carried8 ,why is it that  we have   
not the works of the ,heretics1 of whose
 names ecclesiastical  ,history is so   
full8                                   
---------------------    ,page          
#adg4--,see the ,note4--,mr4 ,byrth     
seems to think it impossible to have    
worded the ,title of his ,lecture so as 
not to have insulted some one4  ,will he
 allow me to suggest what the ,title    
might have been without  offence1 though
 not with exact truth of                
description--8,some of the              
interpretations of the ,improved        
,version of the ,new ,testament based   
upon  defective ,scholarship40 ,to      
attribute 8dishonesty0 and want of      
8candour10  ,mr4 ,byrth will ,i am sure 
feel to be too vulgar to be altogether  
worthy  of his character as a ,critic   
and a ,scholar4 ,in the text of his     

,lecture  7p4 #abb71 he indeed states   
his belief that ,unitarian              
,interpretation1 of  every kind1 wants  
scholarship1 or wants honesty--and it   
was to the proof  of this statement that
 he ought to have applied himself1 or   
else to have  altered the ,title of his 
,lecture4                               
---------------------    ,page          
#adh4--,luke iii4 #bc4--8;,and ,jesus   
himself began to be about thirty  years 
of age1 being 7as was supposed7 the son 
of ,joseph40    ,this passage was not   
introduced into the first part of ,mr4  
,byrth's  ,lecture as originally        
delivered4 ,i state this only to excuse 
myself for  having taken no notice of it
 in the body of my ,lecture4 ,this is   
the case  also with some other passages4
 ,there were also expressions and       
sentiments of ,mr4 ,byrth spoken1 but   
not printed4 ,i would not state this    
were it not necessary to justify some   
passages in my own ,lecture4 ,i  refer  
especially to an oratorical use that was

 made of a most  objectionable and      
irreverent sentiment of ,coleridge's1   
full of the very  spirit of dogmatism   
and presumption4 ,p4 #afa4    ,with     
regard to ,luke iii4 #bc4 ,the rendering
 of the ,improved ,version is  that of  
,bishop ,pearce1 who ,i suppose had no  
heretical reason for  preferring it4 ,i 
confess it does not seem natural4 ,dr4  
,carpenter thinks  the words 8as he was 
supposed10 put in to guard against some 
,gnostic or  ,platonic error1 and for   
the purpose of stating distinctly that  
he was  the son of ,joseph1 as he was   
supposed to be4 ,the same writer acutely
  remarks that it is most improbable1   
indeed next to impossible1 that any     
writer should trace our ,lord's descent 
from ,david through ,joseph1 and  then  
declare that ,joseph was only supposed  
to be his father1 thus  nullifying his  
own genealogy4 ,kuinoel gives a         
suggestion of ,boltenius1  to which he  
evidently inclines that   applies not to
 the  supposed descent of ,jesus from   

,joseph but to the whole genealogy4 ,i  
annex his note4    8,boltenius ad h4 l4 
suspicatus est1 verba  1 non tantum eo  
referenda esse1 quod ,judi falso        
putaverint1 ,josephum esse ,christi     
parentem1 sed spectari quoque his verbis
 genealogiam ipsam h4 l4  exhibitam1    
eaque reddenda esse3 hanc putabant esse 
,jesu genealogiam1  erat pater ejus     
,josephus1 hujus pater ,eli1 etc41 ut   
adeo ,lucas  professus sit1 se          
inseruisse genealogiam1 prouti ea in    
manus ipsius  venisset1 seque authentiam
 illius acrius defendere nolle4 ,hac    
ratione  admissa1 explicari forte etiam 
posset1 qu factum sit1 ut ,lucas        
genealogiam ipsi suspectam1 in          
,evangelio infanti ,jesu propositam1 ad 
calcem illius fortasse adjectam1 h4 l4  
inseruerit1 quod nempe aliquamdiu       
dubius hsisset1 an eam reciperet4 ,alii 
opinati sunt1 hanc genealogiam1  cum    
diversa sit ab ea qu in ,matthi         
commentariis reperitur1 cum laxiori     
vinculo superioribus annexa sit1 non a  

,luca ipso1 sed serius additam  esse40  
---------------------    ,page          
#adi4--,see the ,note4--8,jacob begat   
,joseph1 the husband of ,mary3 of  whom 
7,mary7 was born 7or was begotten7      
,jesus who is called the ,christ40      
8,now is it possible to declare1 in     
plainer terms1 that1 though ,jesus was  
born of ,mary1 who was married to       
,joseph1 yet that ,joseph did not beget 
him40--,magee4 ,great is the ingenuity  
here1 wonderfully misapplied4 ,is  it   
not clear that ,st4 ,matthew was tracing
 the descent of ,jesus from  ,david1 and
 that he brings down the chain to the   
very last link1 namely  ,joseph1 that   
is1 the very ,joseph necessary to be    
included1 the husband  of the mother of 
,jesus8 ,that ,joseph1 the very husband 
of ,mary1 from  whom ,christ was born1  
being thus shown to be a lineal         
descendant of  ,david1 the ,evangelist  
stops4 ,what could he do more8 ,his     
object being to  trace the descent of   
,jesus from ,david1 what could be more  

natural than1  when he arrived at       
,joseph1 to say--here is the unbroken   
succession1 for  this is the very man   
who was the husband of that ,mary from  
whom ,jesus  was born4 ,of course the   
writer could not alter the form of      
expression  until he arrived at the very
 man whom he wished to identify as the  
husband of ,mary1 the mother of         
,jesus--and the reason for altering it  
then  is very obvious4    ,if ,joseph   
was not the father of ,jesus1 the       
genealogy is vitiated1 for it  is       
through ,joseph that the descent is     
traced4                                 
---------------------    ,pages #aeg1   
#aeh4--8;,he was in the world1 and the  
world was made by him1 and  the world   
knew him not40 8,he was in the world1   
and the world was  enlightened by him1  
and yet the world knew him not40--,i4   
,v4 ,this  interpretation cannot1 ,i    
think1 be defended4 ,i am sorry it was  
ever  given4 ,yet ,mr4 ,byrth's sarcasm 
is quite powerless against it1 8what    

kind  of light is that which blinds the 
eyes which it was intended to           
illuminate80 in the face of the         
text--8the light shineth in darkness1   
and  the darkness comprehendeth it not20
 unless he adopts the  interpretation of
 some of the ,fathers1--8,and the       
darkness did not  insinuate itself into 
the light1 interpenetrate and quench    
it40                                    
---------------------    ,page          
#afa4--,the liberality of ,,robert      
,,hall4 ,we desire to speak with respect
  of this great and good man4 ,but      
perhaps it would be impossible to name a
  man more illiberal as a               
controversialist1 and who allowed       
himself such  an unmeasured use of      
uncharitable language4 ,it was only the 
other day ,i  learned an anecdote of him
 from the person to whom the words were 
spoken1 descriptive at once of his      
vigour and his rancour3 speaking of  the
 ,unitarians he said--8they are inspired
 from beneath10--with a look1  said my  

informant1 never to be forgotten4 ,many 
passages might be brought  from his     
writings1 especially his ,reviews1      
demonstrative of this  temper1--but the 
passage given by ,mr4 ,byrth himself1 in
 which he is  satisfied to rest         
conclusions so momentous and fearful    
upon reasonings  so arbitrary and vague1
 is quite enough4 ,when any man         
acquainted with  the state of           
,theological opinion in the world1 and  
with the  impossibility of uniformity1  
can fix upon his own opinions as        
essential1  and run a doctrinal line    
between ,heaven and ,hell1 we require no
 further  tests of his 8liberality10    
unless indeed he is1 what ,mr4 ,hall was
 not1  only a traditional believer4     
------------------------------------    
,i have already remarked that some of my
 observations apply more to the  spoken 
than to the printed lecture4 ,were it   
possible to efface the  impressions made
 by the speaker1 and which required to  
be counteracted1  gladly would ,i efface

 every word of personal reference from  
my pages4  ,even now1 with the          
recollection fresh upon my mind1 of the 
unsparing  contempt1 both literary and  
moral1 expressed by words and tones1 not
  conveyed by the printed page1 when the
 speaker1 feeling that the  sympathies  
of his audience were with him to the    
full1 and that their  knowledge of the  
subject required from him the broadest  
statements1 to  render it intelligible1 
gave himself to the excitement of the   
moment1--,i  have more than doubted     
whether it would not have been better to
 have  avoided every personal allusion4 
,i believe that ,i have in no case      
overstated or misrepresented what was   
said4 ,i deeply grieve to fix  upon my  
pages the suggestions1 perhaps1 of      
momentary excitement1 which  ,mr4       
,byrth's better feeling has1 in some    
instances1 refused to record--and  that 
the obligation ,i was under to remove an
 impression actually made1  does not    
permit me to give full effect to this   

working of a kinder  spirit1 the        
manifestations of which1 in other ways1 
,i have respectfully  to acknowledge4   
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,,iii4          
,footnote #acc3      8,heresy and       
,orthodoxy10 by ,rev4 ,j4 ,b4 ,white1   
pp4 #h1 #i4    ,footnote #acd3          
,scholz retains 4    ,footnote #ace3    
,see ,griesbach4 ,chrysostom omits 8who 
is ,god over all40 ,clement1 in a       
passage evidently imitated from this1   
omits the doxology1 which he is    not  
likely to have done if he understood it 
as referring to ,christ4 ,in    addition
 to other authorities for pointing the  
passage in consistency    with the      
,unitarian ,interpretation1 ,griesbach  
quotes 8,many ,fathers who    denied    
that ,christ could be called #8the ,god 
over all4' ,multi patres1    qui        
,christum     appellari posse negant40  
,in an    edition of ,griesbach1 printed
 by ,taylor and ,walton in #ahcg1 this  
punctuation is given1 and is stated also

 to be the pointing of ,scholz4         
,footnote #acf3      ,john xiv4 #f1 #g4 
,footnote #acg3      ,john v4 #ai4      
,footnote #ach3      ,acts x4 #cd-dc4   
,footnote #aci3      ,matt4 xxiv4 #c1   
#cd4    ,footnote #adj3      8,the      
mistranslation of the word 1 by the     
,english word #8worlds1'    in the      
commencement of the ,epistle to the     
,hebrews4 ,for giving this    sense to  
the original term1 there is not1 ,i     
think1 any authority to be    found     
either in ,hellenistic or classic       
,greek40--,norton on the    ,trinity4   
,footnote #ada3      ,heb4 ix4 #bf4     
,footnote #adb3      ,whitby1 from whose
 armoury ,i find so many weapons have   
been taken1    contends also for 8the   
end of the world10 on the ground that   
,christ's    miraculous assistance was  
continued sensibly till the beginning of
    the fourth century4    ,footnote    
#adc3      ,john x4 #cd1 #ce1 #cf4      
,footnote #add3      ,wetstein1 quoted  
by ,norton4    ,footnote #ade3      ,see

 note1 page #ai4 ,i have no access to   
the text of ,scholz1 except in    the   
edition published by ,taylor and        
,walton4 ,this places a period after    
1 flesh2 which1 however1 it also gives  
in the text as the    pointing of       
,griesbach1 contrary to the only other  
edition ,i have at    present the       
opportunity of examining4    ,footnote  
#adf3      ,see ,appendix for a fuller  
examination of these two passages1 viz41
 the    ,proem of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 
and ,rom4 ix4 #e4    ,footnote #adg3    
,and especially since ,mr4 ,byrth has   
alluded to the disapprobation with      
which the sentiment was received4       
,footnote #adh3      ,christian         
,teacher1 ,new ,series1 ,no4 ,i1 pp4    
#ca1 #cb4    ,footnote #adi3      ,by   
this ,i mean a ,god who cannot forgive  
except by one    process--advantage of  
which must be taken by an act of        
faith--it being    always uncertain     
whether the faith is right or           
sufficient4    ,footnote #aej3      ,we 

find in the first beginnings of the     
,trinity1 the ,logos and the ,holy      
,spirit identified4 ,this is even       
angrily contended for by ,tertullian4   
8,what6 when ,john said that the ,logos 
was made flesh1 and the angel0          
7respecting the miraculous conception7  
8that the ,spirit was made    flesh1 did
 they mean any thing                    
different80--,tertullian1 ,advers4      
,praxeam4 ,cap4 xxvi4                   
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,lecture ,,iv4             8,,there    
,,is ,,one ,,god1 ,,and ,,one ,,mediator
 ,,between ,,god ,,and ,,men1           
,,the ,,man ,,christ ,,jesus40          
,,by ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,giles4            
8,,there ,,is ,,one ,,god1 ,,and ,,one  
,,mediator ,,between ,,god ,,and ,,men1 
,,the ,,man ,,christ      ,,jesus40--#a 
,tim4 ii4 #e4      ,the passage ,i have 
read suggests the subject of my lecture1
 the position  in which we stand to our 
opponents will suggest the tendency of  

the  commentary4 ,the text announces the
 two great truths on which our entire   
system of ,christianity is based1 and   
ours in all essential points1 we  think1
 coincides with simple1 with evangelical
 ,christianity4 ,the truths  propounded 
in the text are1 the ,unity of ,god1 and
 the ,unity of ,christ4--,a  unity in   
each case absolute and perfect1 without 
division of nature or  distinction of   
person4 ,we believe that ,god is        
one1--that he is one being1  one mind1  
one person1 one agent4 ,and this belief1
 and no other1 we can  deduce from the  
works of creation1 and the teachings of 
the ,scriptures4    ,that ,god is one   
universally and absolutely1 we have     
impressed upon us  from the order of    
creation2 that he is great1 we learn    
from the  magnitude of his works2 and   
that he is good1 we learn from their    
blessedness and beauty4 ,this sublime   
truth is illustrated in every  region of
 existence1 so far as we know it1 and   
every illustration is an  argument4 ,it 

is written on the broad and immortal    
heavens in characters  of glory and     
light2 it is manifested in that mighty  
law which binds atom  to atom into a    
world1 and world to world in a system1  
and system to  system1 until from that  
wonderful universe which science can    
traverse1  we arise to him1 whom no     
knowledge can fathom1 whom no limits can
 bound1  and in contemplating whom      
science must give place to faith4       
,the heavens declare the glory of ,god1 
the firmament showeth his  handy-work4  
,day unto day uttereth speech1 and night
 unto night showeth  knowledge--and that
 ,god is one1 is proclaimed in this     
speech1 and  manifested in this         
knowledge4 ,it gleams in the light1 it  
breathes in the  air1 it moves in the   
life of all created nature2 it is the   
harmony of  creation1 and the spirit of 
providence1 the inspiration of reason1  
and  the consistency of wisdom4 ,the    
existence of one ,supreme ,intelligence 
is  the ,testimony of ,nature1 and to   

the same import are the testimonies of  
,scripture4 ,we are told1 and told it in
 every variety of tone1 that to  believe
 one ,god in three persons is absolutely
 needful to ,salvation1 yet  we may read
 from ,genesis to ,revelations without  
finding such a doctrine  either as a    
statement of truth1 or a means of       
sanctity3 but the simple  and           
unqualified declaration that ,god is    
one1 without any of these  dogmatical   
distinctions which men of later ages    
have invented1 ,i need  not tell a      
,bible-reading audience1 are interwoven 
with the whole texture  of revelation4  
,it was that for which ,abraham left his
 home1 and went  forth a wanderer from  
his family and his nation2 it was that  
for which  ,moses refused to be called  
the son of ,pharaoh's daughter1 and for 
which  he chose rather to suffer        
affliction with the people of ,god2 it  
was that  over which he had long thought
 in his shepherd-life in an ,arabian    
wilderness2 it was that with which he   

was more deeply inspired in the  solemn 
retirements of ,mount ,horeb2 it was    
that to which all his laws and          
institutions pointed4 ,our ,saviour took
 the doctrine as a known maxim--and  in 
this his disciples followed him4 ,we    
have then the truth brought down  to us 
through ,scripture1 in patriarchal      
tradition1 in ,mosaic  legislation1 in  
the poetry of prophets1 in the words of 
,christ1 in the  preaching of           
apostles1--and we have it brought down  
to us without one of  those distinctions
 with which it has been since surrounded
 by  theological ingenuity4 ,we are     
zealous in the assertion of it1 not for 
its mere metaphysical correctness1 but  
for its moral power and its moral       
consistency4 ,it does not divide our    
hearts1 and it does not confuse our     
heads4 ,it leads our minds up to one    
spirit1 infinite in power1 infinite  in 
wisdom1 and infinite in goodness4       
,without confusion or perplexity we  can
 trace ,god in all and all in ,god3 in  

the atom that trembles in a  sunbeam1 as
 in the planet that moves in boundless  
light1 from the blush  of a flower to   
the glory of the heavens--from the throb
 of an insect to  the life of an        
immortal4 ,the ,unitarian faith in the  
universal father is  clear1 simple1 and 
defined2 inflicting no violence on our  
understandings1 and raising no conflicts
 in our affections4 ,one1 and one  in   
the strictest sense1 is our parent1 one 
is our sovereign1 one is our  highest   
benefactor1 one is our protector and our
 guide1 one is our  deliverer and       
sanctifier2 one has bestowed all we     
possess1 one alone can  give all we hope
 for2 one is holy who demands our       
obedience2 one is  merciful who pities  
our repentance2 one is eternal in whose 
presence we  are to live1 and therefore 
whether we present our adorations in    
dependence1 or bow down in submission1  
or send forth our praises in  gratitude1
 there is one1 and but one1 to whom our 
aspirations can  ascend1 and to whom our

 hearts can be devoted4 ,thus impressed1
 we must  feel united to one ,father in 
filial obedience1 and to all men in a   
common and fraternal relationship2 we   
cannot look upon some as selected1  and 
upon others as outcasts2 we cannot look 
upon some as purchased1 and  upon others
 as reprobate2 we cannot look upon some 
as sealed with the  spirit of grace for 
ever unto glory everlasting1 and upon   
others as  abandoned1 unpitied1 and     
unprotected1 the victims of an          
everlasting  malediction4 ,we regard men
 as bound in a community of good1       
consequently  as bound in a community of
 praise2 we regard them as struggling in
 like  trials1 and therefore indebted to
 each other for mutual sympathy2 we     
regard them as heirs of the same glory1 
and on the level of their  heavenly     
hopes1 standing on a basis of sacred and
 eternal equality4 ,if  these sentiments
 are false1 they are at least generous1 
and it is not  often that generosity is 
found in company with falsehood4 ,alas1 

how many  heart-burning enmities1 how   
many deadly persecutions have been      
caused by  different apprehension of    
,god's nature or ,god's worship2 how    
often have  these differences broken all
 the fraternal bonds of humanity1 made  
man  the greatest enemy to man1--more   
savage and cruel than the beast1 yea1   
and cruel in proportion to the zeal he  
pretended for his ,god4 ,but never      
could this have been1 had men believed  
in ,god1 had men believed in            
,christ--had they believed in ,god as an
 impartial and universal ,father1  had  
they believed in ,christ as an equal and
 universal brother4--,then we  could    
have all sent our mingled prayers to the
 skies1 and with a  ,christianity as    
broad as our earth1 and as ample as our 
race1 and  generous as the soul of      
,jesus1 we could have taken all mankind 
to our  heart4 ,we maintain it not in   
mere abstract speculation1 but because  
we  consider it a positive and a vital  
truth4 ,were the point metaphysical  and

 not moral1 we conceive it would be     
little worthy of dispute--and in  that  
sense ,i for one would have small       
anxiety1 whether ,god existed in  three 
persons or in three thousand4 ,in like  
manner we hold the simple  and absolute 
unity of ,christ2 a unity of nature1 a  
unity of person1 and  a unity of        
character4 ,but as this topic is to     
occupy so large a space in  the present 
lecture1 ,i shall here forbear from     
further comments4    ,the statement of  
our subject in a text1 was alluded to by
 the ,christ  ,church ,lecturer1 in a   
tone that at least approached to        
censure4 ,but we  consider it amongst   
our privileges1 that we can express our 
main  principles in the simple and      
obvious language of ,scripture2 and if  
in  this case deep scholarship and acute
 criticism be needed to give it to      
common minds a meaning different from   
that in which we understand it1  the    
fault certainly is not ours4--,neither1 
indeed1 is ours the blame1 if  a similar

 phraseology pervades the whole         
,christian ,scriptures2 that in  every  
page we read of ,god and ,christ1 and   
never of ,god in three persons1  or of  
,christ in two natures4 ,to find out    
such distinctions1 we leave to          
,scholastic ingenuity2 to give them     
definition and perpetuity1 we consign   
to the framers of creeds and            
articles--and to receive and reverence  
them  we turn over to the admirers of   
,athanasian perspicuity4 ,we take the   
,new  ,testament as the best formulary2 
we are satisfied with a religion direct 
and simple in its principles1 and we    
long not for a religion of  deducibles4 
,we have been accused of tortuous       
criticism2 and although we  desire not  
to retort the accusation on our         
opponents1 so far ,i mean1 as  it       
implies moral delinquency1 we cannot    
forbear observing that the  intellectual
 sinuosities by which some of these     
deductions have been  drawn from the    
,new ,testament is to us1 certainly1 a  

subject of not a  little admiration4    
,our motive in selecting this text was  
the best of all  which governs men in   
the use of language1 simply that with   
greatest  brevity and greatest          
perspicuity1 it enunciates our opinions4
 ,our  opponents1 however1 have no right
 to complain2 the advantage of being    
first in the field was on their side1   
and the struggle was not provoked  on   
our part but on theirs3 they of course  
selected their own subjects1  and they  
suggested ours4 ,they could1 therefore1 
have had no uncertainty  either as to   
our views or interpretation of the text4
 ,i would not allude  to a matter so    
small1 were it not for the contradictory
 delinquencies  with which ,unitarians  
are accused--one time they are charged  
with  dreading an appeal to ,scripture1 
and when by the very title of their     
subject1 they tacitly appeal to         
,scripture1 there is wanting still no   
occasion to blame4    ,what1 in         
,unitarian views1 is ,christ the ,man1  

and what is ,christ the  ,mediator1     
shall make the subject of the present   
,lecture4    ,i4--,first1 ,i beg your   
attention to the enquiry as to what we  
believe of  ,christ as man4 ,to this we 
answer1 that in his nature we think him 
simply  and undividedly human2 that in  
his character we regard him morally     
perfect4 ,we cannot recognize in ,christ
 a mixture of natures1 and we  wonder   
that any who read the gospel's records  
can4 ,that he was simply  and merely    
human1 is a conclusion which meditation 
on these ,records but  fixes more       
profoundly on our understandings1 and   
makes more precious to  our faith4 ,we  
derive the conclusion from ,christ's own
 language--8,ye seek  to kill me10 he   
says1 8a man--which hath told you the   
truth1 which ,i  heard of               
,god40--,again1 when a worldly and      
ambitious individual1 mistaking  the    
true nature of this kingdom1 desired to 
become his disciple3 8,the  foxes1 said 
,jesus1 have holes1 and the birds of the

 air have nests1 but  the ,son of man   
hath not whereon to lay his head40      
,instances1 too many to  repeat1 might  
be enumerated2 but the only other ,i    
shall adduce is that  in which ,christ's
 human nature speaks from its deepest   
sorrows1 and its  strongest love3 when  
,jesus1 as he hung upon the ,cross1 saw 
his mother  and the disciple whom he    
loved standing by1 he saith unto his    
mother1  8,woman1 behold thy son40 ,it  
is vain to tell us of an infinite ,god  
veiled  behind this suffering and       
sweetness1 the mind repels it1 despite  
of all  the efforts of theology4#aea    
,the impression of a simple humanity was
 that which he left on the mind  of his 
countrymen4 ,what other impression could
 they have of one whom  they daily saw  
amongst them as of themselves8 who came 
weary to rest in  their habitations2 who
 came hungry to sit at their boards2    
whom they met  in their streets sinking 
with fatigue2 whom they might see upon  
their  wayside asking drink from a well2

 one whom they saw weep over their      
troubles and rejoice in their gladness4 
,nay1 the very intenseness of his       
humanity became a matter of accusation4 
,to many it seemed subversive of        
religion4 ,that spirit which sympathized
 with human beings1 in their joys  and  
woes1 which not only loved the best1 but
 would not cast out the  worst1 was what
 those of strait and narrow hearts could
 not understand4  ,he came eating and   
drinking1 and they called him a man     
gluttonous and a  wine-bibber4 ,had he  
said long prayers at the corners of     
their streets1  and been zealous for the
 traditions of the fathers1 they would  
have  revered him as a saint4 ,those who
 were panoplied in their own spiritual  
sufficiency knew not how he could be the
 friend of sinners2 how he could        
associate with the deserted and the     
excommunicated2 how he could take to    
his compassion the weary and the        
heavy-laden4 ,the pharisee who proudly  
asked him to his house1 but gave him no 

salute1 no oil for his stiffened        
joints1 and no water for his parched    
feet1 had nothing within him  whereby to
 interpret the feeling of ,jesus towards
 her who anointed his  head with        
ointment1 washed his feet with her      
tears1 and wiped them with  the hairs of
 her head4 ,yes1 it was this truth and  
fulness of humanity  which made ,jesus  
hateful to the pharisees1 but loved and 
blessed by the  poor2 it was this that  
made the common people hear him gladly1 
and gave  his voice a power which they  
never felt in the teachings of the      
scribes2  which drew crowds around him1 
in wilderness and mountain1 that hung   
raptured on the glad tidings which he   
preached4 ,the flatterers of ,herod  on 
a particular occasion cried out1 8,it is
 the voice of a god and not of  a man20 
but no one ever thought of insulting    
,jesus with such an  exclamation4       
,the guilt of the ,jews in crucifying   
,christ has been alluded to in the      
present controversy4 ,but this is only  

an additional proof that ,jesus  left no
 other conviction on the minds of his   
countrymen than that he was  simply a   
man4 ,that our views diminish this guilt
 has been urged as a  powerful objection
 against us2 but1 with reverence ,i say 
it1 the  objection turns more against   
,christ himself4 ,either then he was    
simply  man1 or being ,deity1 he        
suppressed the evidence which would     
prove it1  and allowed this people to   
contract the awful guilt of killing a   
,god-man4 ,if the first be true1 the    
guilt asserted has no existence2 if  the
 second1 ,i leave you to judge in what  
light it places the sincerity  and      
veracity of an incarnate ,deity4 ,there 
is neither declaration nor  evidence    
afforded by ,christ by which the ,jews  
could think him more than  man4 ,on the 
contrary he disclaims expressly the far 
lower honour at  which they thought his 
presumption aimed1 by a quotation from  
their own  ,scriptures3 8,it is written 
in your law0 he observes1 8,i said ye   

are  ,gods4 ,if he called them ,gods1   
unto whom the word of ,god came 7and the
  ,scripture cannot be broken71 say ye  
of him whom the ,father hath  sanctified
 and sent into the world1 thou          
blasphemest1 because ,i said ,i  am the 
,son of ,god40#aeb ,there is then no    
declaration1 nor yet is there  evidence4
 ,miracles were not such3 for the       
,jewish mind and memory were  filled    
with instances of these1 and to the     
performers of which they  never thought 
of attributing a nature above humanity4 
,if ,christ was  more1 the fact should  
have been plainly manifested1 for the   
idea of a  ,god in a clothing of flesh  
was one not only foreign but repugnant  
to  every ,jewish imagination4 ,the     
difference between the ,jews and pagans 
in  this particular is not a little     
striking4 ,jesus raised the dead before 
their eyes1 and yet they thought him but
 a man having great power from  the     
,creator4 ,paul1 in company with        
,barnabas1 healed a cripple at ,lystra1 

and the populace cried out1 8,the ,gods 
are come down to us in the  likeness of 
men40 ,when ,paul in ,melita shook      
without harm the viper from  his hand1  
the spectators who at first considered  
him a murderer1 changed  their minds1   
and said that he was a ,god4 ,in        
proportion then to the  natural and     
religious repugnance which the ,jews had
 to humanize the  divinity1 should there
 have been clearness in the proof of it 
on the  part of ,jesus4 ,no such proof  
was given4    ,the greatest miracles of 
,jesus disturbed not the conviction of  
the ,jews  in his simple human nature4  
,the woman of ,samaria1 wondering at    
once at  his charity and his knowledge1 
called her neighbours to see a man who  
told her all things whatsoever she did4 
,she asked them1 then is not this  the  
,christ8 ,the blind man awakened by his 
touch from thick darkness into  the     
marvellous light of ,god's creation     
describes him but as a man who  anointed
 his eyes4 ,the ,jewish officers struck 

dumb before his wisdom1  declare that   
never man spake like this man4 ,the     
,jews who stood  around him and saw     
,lazarus1 whose body had been already   
dissolving1 come  forth quickened from  
the grave1 beheld in him but the        
powerful and the  loving friend4 ,the   
multitudes of ,judea1 who in desert and 
city were  amazed at his wonderful      
works1 simply 8glorified ,god who had   
given such  power unto men40    ,similar
 was the impression which he left upon  
his intimate friends4 ,what  would have 
been their emotions had they a belief   
that continually they  were in the      
bodily presence of the incarnate ,god8  
,how would they not  have bowed         
themselves in the dust1 and stopped the 
familiar word as it  trembled on their  
lips8 ,instead of approaching with      
unfearing hearts1  how would they not   
have stood afar off and apart1 and gazed
 with awe  upon a being who was pacing a
 fragment of the world he created1      
instead  of clinging to him as one of   

themselves8 ,whenever they saw his      
mysterious appearance1 would they not   
call on the mountains to fall upon      
them1 and the hills to cover them8 ,but 
not so was it4 ,the lowly1 the  humble1 
and the poor rejoiced to see him1 and   
were glad when he entered  their        
habitations4 ,they were consoled by the 
benediction of peace with  which he     
sanctified his approach and his         
departure4 ,for him was the             
gratulations of loving friends1 and for 
him were the smiles of little  children4
 ,in ,bethany1 ,martha1 when he came1   
was busy in much serving1  and the meek 
and gentle ,mary sat at his feet to     
drink in his heavenly  wisdom4 ,at the  
last supper ,john leaned upon his bosom4
 ,at the cross1  when the head of ,jesus
 bent heavily in anguish1 and solitary  
torture was  wearing away his life1     
there again we meet the same disciple1  
there also  we meet the mother of ,jesus
 and the grateful ,magdalene1 all three 
oppressed with darkest affliction and   

despair4 ,some of them we again  behold 
at the sepulchre in utmost alarm4 ,now  
this grief at the cross and  this       
perplexity at the tomb is consistent    
with no other supposition than  that    
they regarded him simply as a man4 ,why 
else should they have been  afflicted8  
,what though his enemies were strong1 if
 knowing him to be  ,god1 they must also
 have known that his power was boundless
 and his  triumph certain4 ,this sorrow 
and uncertainty1 ,i repeat1 can have no 
other foundation than a belief in his   
simple humanity4 ,and surely if his     
mother had only such impression1 it is  
hard to expect that the ,jews at  the   
time1 and many ,christians since1 could 
have had any other4    ,i anticipate the
 objection that the glories of his deity
 were concealed1  and that this         
concealment was necessary to his        
mediatorial work4 ,i  answer then1 that 
when he had departed1 and when such a   
secresy was no  longer needful1 his     
apostles on some of the most solemn     

occasions merely  asserted his humanity1
 on occasions1 too1 when1 if he were    
,god as well  as man1 the whole truth   
were to be expected4 ,paul1#aec in      
announcing  him as the great and final  
judge of the world1 calls him no more   
than  man4 ,nor does his language assume
 a higher import when he speaks of him  
as the pattern and pledge of            
immortality4#aed ,no other conclusion is
 to  be drawn from the address of ,peter
 to ,cornelius2 and if a belief of      
,christ's deity be necessary to         
salvation1 the centurion might1 for     
anything ,peter asserted1 have gone     
direct to perdition4#aee ,still more    
remarkable is it1 that in this apostle's
 first public address after the         
departure of his master to the skies1 we
 have nothing more than the same        
declaration4 ,the occasion and the      
circumstances not only justified1 but   
demanded the highest announcement that  
could be made respecting ,christ4  ,the 
disciples had just seen him taken up    

into heaven1 and the awe of the         
ascension was yet upon their hearts4 ,he
 who had trod this weary earth in  many 
sorrows was taken from their sight4     
,they who had recently seen his  blood  
streaming warmly on ,calvary1 had come  
fresh from the glory of  ,olivet4 ,he   
who had been their suffering companion  
and instructor was now  their blessed   
and triumphant master4 ,alone in the    
midst of a gainsaying  and persecuting  
world1 with gladness solemnized by      
reverence1 and  victory tempered by     
grief1 they had assembled to await the  
promised  ,comforter4 ,after that event 
they were to be separated1 and each was 
to  take his own path in the moral      
wilderness that stretched far and       
desolately before him4 ,the ,spirit of  
,promise came4 ,the cloven tongues of   
fire fell upon them3 that beautiful     
emblem of the eloquent spirit of the    
gospel that was to carry light and heat 
to the hearts of all  generations1 and  
through every language of earth2 that   

beautiful emblem  of a ,christianity    
which might exist in many forms1 but be 
at the same  time enlightened and       
enflamed by the soul of a common        
charity4  ,multitudes from all nations  
were collected in the ,holy             
,city2--under the  influence of recent  
and solemn events ,peter rises to       
address them4 ,the  tragedy of ,calvary 
was yet fresh in the general            
imagination1 the stain  of a slave and  
malefactor's death was still dark on the
 forehead of  ,christianity4 ,this      
surely was the time to cover the        
ignominy that lay on  the humanity of   
,jesus by proclaiming the resplendent   
glory of his  godhead4 ,this was        
especially to be expected from ,peter4  
,he had on a  preceding occasion spurned
 the idea of such a shameful death1     
though  coming from ,christ's own lips2 
now was the time to pour the glory of   
the  ,god over the humiliation of the   
man2 he too1 who in an hour of weakness 
denied his master1 was the one who in   

the time of his strength and  repentance
 would be most ready to vindicate and   
assert his highest  honour4 ,it is said 
that the apostles were not thoroughly   
inspired1 and  did not fully know       
,christ before the day of ,pentecost4   
,but this was the  day of ,pentecost4   
,if1 besides1 it was the speaker's      
object--as indeed it  must have         
been--that ,christ should be rightly and
 widely known1 now was  the opportunity 
to send forth his name and nature       
through every kingdom  and in every     
tongue4 ,if1 according to the doctrine  
some time since  propounded in ,christ  
,church1 the sin of the ,jews was dark  
in proportion  to the grade of being in 
which we place the ,saviour1 now was the
 time1  while the event was recent1 to  
strike their hearts with terror and     
compunction4 ,contrast1 then1 these     
natural1 these fair and unexaggerated   
expectations1 with the actual speech of 
,peter1 and without a word of  comment  
the contrast is itself the strongest    

argument4 8,ye men of ,israel  hear     
these words3 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 a man 
approved of ,god among you by  miracles1
 and wonders1 and signs which ,god did  
by him in the midst of  you1 as ye      
yourselves know3 him being delivered by 
the determinate  counsel and            
foreknowledge of ,god1 ye have taken1   
and by wicked hands  have crucified and 
slain3 whom ,god hath raised up1 having 
loosed the  pains of death1 because it  
was not possible that he should be      
holden of  it40 7,acts ii4 #bb1 #bd47   
,had you been listeners to this address1
 ,i ask  your candour1 ,i ask your      
intellect1 could you conceive that the  
apostle  was speaking1 not of a         
glorified man1 but of an incarnate      
,deity8 ,no1  certainly4    ,the        
testimony of ,peter thus clearly given1 
is more and more confirmed as  we look  
upon the life of ,jesus4 ,in every stage
 of that life we see him  human1 and    
though in all moral purity and moral    
grandeur1 yet simply  human4 ,we are not

 ashamed of our belief4 ,no1 we glory in
 it1 and we  rejoice in it4 ,we glory in
 it1 for it is the proof that the       
elements of  our nature can be moulded  
into such beauty2 and we rejoice in it1 
for it  is the proof that he who left a 
religion for the immortal heart of man  
was himself purely and simply of the    
nature he would sanctify4 ,we see  him  
as the infant cradled in ,bethlehem1 the
 nurseling hanging on a  mother's care1 
and we escape the moral and intellectual
 confusion of  joining the omnipotence  
of a ,god with the feebleness of a babe4
 ,we see  him in maturer years in his   
social relations and social intercourse 
casting a holy light around him1 and    
spreading the influence of all that  is 
most blessed in human affections4 ,we   
destroy not the virtue of the  man by   
absorbing it in the glory of the ,god4  
,human1 and only human1 we  see him in  
goodness1 in duty1 and in suffering4    
,even in his most  marvellous works of  
mercy1 so harmonious is his power with  

our common  nature1 that we feel as if  
they were merely ordinary acts of       
kindness4  ,when he compassionated the  
widow's anguish and restored her son2   
when  pitying the blind1 he opened their
 eyes to the joy and beauty of light2   
when to the ears of the deaf he gave an 
inlet to the music of nature and  the   
voice of friendship2 when he cast out   
the dumb spirit and unclosed  sealed    
lips in hymns of gratitude and praise2  
when he fed multitudes on  the          
mountain's brow2 when lepers went clean 
from his presence to their  fellows and 
their homes2 when parents clung to their
 restored children1  and friends who had
 separated in despair met again in      
hope1--wonderful as  are all these      
events1 we connect them with the man    
,christ ,jesus1 the  real1 simple1 holy1
 and perfect man4    ,the lecturer in   
,christ ,church stated three            
peculiarities which  distinguished the  
,unitarian from the orthodox belief in  
,christ's  humanity4 ,the third of these

 was his pre-existence4 ,the ,lecturer  
defined  with admirable accuracy the    
essentials of humanity1 one of which1 as
  would be universally admitted1 was to 
be born4 ,i was therefore not  prepared 
to hear the proper humanity of ,christ  
before he was born most  zealously      
defended4 ,i look upon it1 however1 as a
 mere oversight1 and no  doubt it will  
be corrected in the printed lecture4    
,the main point is1 however1 that of    
,christ's pre-existence1 which          
independently of mistake in arrangement 
or expression is a fair topic of        
argument and discussion4 ,the ,lecturer 
quoted a number of texts from the       
evangelist ,john1--from any other of the
 gospel-writers he could not have  taken
 the shadow of a proof3 these he seemed 
to think invincible  evidence4 ,good    
scholars1 however1 and candid critics1  
aye1 and honest  ,christians1 have found
 such explanations of these expressions 
as  satisfied both their intellects and 
their conscience4 ,orthodox             

commentators are aware that the idiom of
 the ,new ,testament frequently  uses   
the tense grammatically past to signify 
events which are actually  future4 ,i   
ask those critics what they have urged1 
what they usually  urge1 against ,roman 
,catholic controversialists1 who1 in    
proving the  doctrine of                
transubstantiation1 quote the text1     
8,this is my body which  is broken for  
you40 ,what says the ,protestant        
opponent8 ,oh1 it is a mere  idiomatic  
expression1 by which an event is        
represented as complete which  is yet to
 be accomplished4 ,in like manner and   
with a like  interpretation1 we hear the
 orthodox use the phrase1 8,the lamb    
slain  from the foundation of the       
world40 ,they have in this case no      
scruple to  speak of that as actually   
existing which was merely contemplated  
in  eternal foreknowledge4 ,if it be    
said that all events are present to the 
mind of ,god1 so we answer are all      
persons2 and so was ,christ4 ,this view 

of the subject has satisfied many       
reflective1 and whatever our opponents  
may think1 many able and honest minds4  
,but ,i avail myself of this            
opportunity to state distinctly and     
plainly1 that though challenged by  our 
opponents in the title of their subject 
to discuss this point1 it is  one on    
which ,unitarians have great differences
 of opinion1 but one which  would not   
disturb a moment's harmony in ,unitarian
 ,churches4 ,personally  the ,lecturers 
in the present controversy1 on our side1
 do not believe  the pre-existence of   
,christ2 but there are congregations and
 individuals  amongst us1 with whom we  
hold1 and wish to hold1 kindly1         
brotherly1 and  ,christian communion1   
who cling to this doctrine most sacredly
 and most  reverently4 ,we all agree in 
maintaining the absolute unity of ,god1 
and  if ,i may so speak1 the            
,,creatureship of ,christ4 ,we desire to
 bind our  charity to no dogmas1 and we 
simply say1 with the ,apostle1 8,let    

every  man be persuaded in his own      
mind40    ,on this point1 and indeed in 
this discussion generally1 ,i have      
observed  with great pain a disposition 
on the part of our opponents to connect 
the venerable name of ,priestley with   
odium4 ,it is an unworthy office for    
men of education in the nineteenth      
century4 ,we take not the authority of  
,priestley1 nor of any other1 except    
,jesus4 ,one is our ,master1 even       
,christ3 and all we are brethren4 ,but  
in venerating ,priestley1 yea1 and  in  
loving his memory1 we are guilty of no  
,sectarianism1 we but agree  with the   
generous1 the excellent1 the enlightened
 of the earth3 we but  agree with       
,robert ,hall1 a stern but eloquent     
,trinitarian1 who in  allusion to the   
,birmingham riots1 deprecated in glowing
 language the  insults offered to       
philosophy in 8the first of her sons40  
,both his  critical and his religious   
opinions are fair subjects for          
investigation  and opposition4 ,but     

great sacrifices and honourable         
consistency should  render his moral    
character sacred1 if any thing could    
melt the stony  heart of polemical      
austerity4 ,when we hear1 as lately we  
did hear1 that  ,priestley sought not   
for truth1 but for arguments to sustain 
a system1  we are not only impelled to  
ask1 with ,pilate1 8,what is truth80 but
 also  to inquire1 8,who are those who  
seek it80 ,one thing we do know1 that if
  he gave himself to a system1 it was a 
devotion to one which had little        
wherewith to recompense him2 and we know
 also that as far as the good  things of
 this world is concerned1 that he might 
have turned his  devotion to a far      
better purpose4 ,instead of having his  
home and his all  shattered in the storm
 of popular turbulence1 instead of being
 left  houseless in the land of his     
nativity1 he might have been great      
amongst  the heads of colleges1 or first
 upon the bench of ,bishops2 instead of 
being expatriated amidst vulgar         

execration1 he might have spent his life
  fairing sumptuously every day1 clothed
 in purple and fine linen1 with a       
dignified hypocrisy2 instead of burying 
his later sorrows in a foreign  land1   
and dropping there his last and most    
bitter tears1 and leaving  there his    
venerable dust1 and his still more      
venerable memory1 to the  shame of      
,england1 and to the immortal honour of 
his most generous and  hospitable       
entertainers1 we might now have had     
proposals for a national  monument to   
him1 long lists of subscribers' names1  
and loud clamours of  exulting praise4  
,one consolation at least was left3 his 
right hand was  clean1 and had he been  
dragged to the stake he need never have 
thrust it  in the flame for having been 
the instrument to give signature to a   
lie1  from a beggarly1 a dastardly1 and 
a cowardly fear of death4 ,if he could  
look from where he lives in heaven1 he  
would have a still nobler  consolation1 
in being aware that1 despite of bigots1 

his name is  treasured in venerated     
recollection with the pious and         
philosophical of  all sects and         
parties--that to give him due and most  
beautiful  praise#aef was amongst the   
last earthly acts of a kindred spirit1  
but  of another soil1 that fanatics may 
rant and rage1 but the good will        
love4--,that when this1 with such       
controversies in general1 sink into the 
common and oblivious grave to which all 
polemical divinity is doomed1  the good 
his invention have given to mankind will
 survive1 and the  witness he has left  
of an upright conscience will be an     
everlasting  example4    ,the conviction
 of his reason1 it is true1 was so      
strong against the  pre-existence of    
,christ1 that he would suppose the      
apostle misunderstood  the ,saviour's   
words1 or the amanuensis mistranscribed 
the apostle's  language4 ,this was urged
 as a mighty accusation1 as a most      
blasphemous  transgression4 ,there are  
here an opinion and an alternative4 ,the

 opinion  is the belief in ,christ's    
simple humanity2 the alternative is     
merely to  suppose the want of memory in
 an evangelist1 or the want of accuracy 
in  a copyist4 ,place in contrast to    
this ,coleridge as quoted by our        
opponents4 ,he has also an opinion and  
an alternative--his opinion is1  that   
,christ was ,god1 and his alternative   
is1 that if not ,god he was a  deceiver4
 ,if ,dr4 ,priestley was wrong1 he left 
not only ,christ but his  apostles      
morally blameless--if ,coleridge        
mistook1 he attributed directly  and    
without compromise the want of even     
common honesty to the ,author of  our   
religion3 ,i leave you to judge between 
the two cases4 ,i do not wish  to       
disparage erring and departed genius2   
but when the name of ,coleridge  is     
called up in my mind in connection with 
that of ,priestley1 it is not  in human 
nature to avoid comparison4 ,the one    
steeped the best part of  his life in   
opium1 the other spent it in honourable 

toil2 the one  squandered his brilliant 
and most beautiful genius in discursive 
efforts  and magical conversations1 the 
other with heroic self denial shut      
himself up in dry and laborious studies 
for the physical good1 and the  moral   
wants of mankind2 the one wrote sweet   
and wild and polished poesy  for their  
pleasure1 the other has left discoveries
 for their endless  improvement4 ,yet   
orthodoxy builds for one the shrine of a
 saint1 but  like those who in other    
days dug up the bones of ,wickliff to be
 burned1  drags forth the memory of the 
other from the peaceful and forgiving   
past1 to inflict an execution of which  
we might have supposed his  lifetime had
 a sufficient endurance4 ,tranquil in   
the far-off and quiet  grave be the     
ashes of the ,saint and ,sage3 his soul 
is beyond the  turmoils and battles of  
this fighting world4 ,when these who are
 now in  strife shall be at last in     
union1 his will not be the spirit to    
whom  that blessed consummation will    

give least enjoyment4    ,the preacher  
in ,christ ,church made some lengthened 
observations on the  two-fold nature of 
,jesus4 ,this topic will more properly  
be included in  another lecture4 ,i only
 mention it here for the purpose of     
making a  passing remark4 ,the          
preacher's language implied that among  
our reasons  for rejecting the doctrine 
is1 that it is a mystery4 ,now we       
maintain  that a mystery is properly no 
doctrine1 for it can be neither affirmed
  or denied4 ,the lecturer observed that
 there are mysteries in life and        
nature4 ,if by such he meant facts which
 we do not fully comprehend1 or         
ultimate facts beyond which we cannot   
penetrate1 he is right4 ,but of  these  
we assert nothing1 of these we deny     
nothing4 ,intellectually or  spiritually
 they are in no sense subjects of       
contemplation4 ,the  preacher1 if my    
memory deceives me not1 maintained that 
philosophy has  also mysteries4 ,the    
principles or phenomena of ,philosophy  

are not  mysteries--and so far as they  
are mysteries they are not philosophy4  
,we  reject not the doctrine proposed to
 us on any such ground4 ,we reject it1  
not because we do not understand the    
terms in which it is expressed1 but     
because we do understand them1 and find 
them equally repugnant to  reason and to
 ,scripture4 ,we reject it because it   
does equal violence to  faith and       
intellect2 we reject it1 not only from  
the want of  consistency1 but the want  
of evidence4    ,the apology for mystery
 made by the defenders of the           
incarnation has  been as often1 as ably1
 and as successfully used by the        
advocates of  ,transubstantiation4      
,among other questions1 we are asked by 
both  parties--it is a favourite        
illustration--if we know how a grain of 
wheat  germinates and fructifies6       
,without hesitation we reply--no4 ,and  
not only  do we not understand this how1
 but many others which might seem very  
much simpler4 ,but where1 ,i ask1 is the

 analogy8 ,a grain of wheat is  buried  
in the earth1 and the spirit of         
,universal ,life prepares it for        
reproduction1 and in the harvest it     
comes forth abundantly multiplied1  to  
make glad the hearts of men4 ,on this   
point ,i am equally willing to  confess 
my ignorance and my gratitude4 ,all the 
facts are not known to  me1 but such as 
,i do know are perfectly consistent with
 each other4 ,if ,i  am told that ,i    
know not how a grain of wheat           
germinates1 ,i admit it  without        
hesitation2 but ,i should certainly be  
startled if ,i were also  told1 that    
besides being a grain of wheat it was   
also1 by a mysterious  compound of      
natures1 the ,planet ,herschel1 or the  
archangel ,michael4 ,and  yet this does 
not amount by infinite degrees of       
self-contradiction to  the assertion1   
that the same being is ,god and man2    
that one part of the  nature is weary1  
and hungry1 and thirsty1 bowed down by  
every want and  grief1 while the other  

is resting in peace and                 
blessedness--that in the  same person   
there is one mind which is ignorant of  
that which is to come  in a day1 and    
another in which reside the secrets of  
the universe1 of  time1 and of eternity4
    ,the preacher1 in speaking to       
,unitarians specially1 commenced his    
address  to us in a tone of exhortation1
 and closed it in that of rebuke4 ,and  
what was the ground and subject of      
rebuke8 ,why1 the smallness of our      
numbers4 ,he exhorted us on our want of 
humility1 of modesty1 in opposing  the  
whole ,christian world4 ,i wondered1 if 
,i were in a place of  ,protestant      
worship1 or if ,i heard an advocate for 
the right of private  judgment4 ,my     
mind1 as by a spell1 was thrown back    
upon the early and  infant history of   
,christianity2 ,i saw the disciples     
going forth on that  opposing world1 of 
which their master had given them no    
enticing  picture2 ,i saw ,peter at     
,antioch1 and ,paul harassed and        

toil-worn at ,rome  and ,athens2 ,i     
heard the cry of the vulgar1 and the    
sarcasms of the  philosophical1 going   
forth in prolonged utterance in         
condemnation of the  strange doctrine2  
,i visioned before me the little knots  
of ,christians1  bound to each other in 
love1 holding their own faith1 despite  
of  multitudes and despite of antiquity1
 fronting the world's scorn and the     
world's persecution4 ,i thought of      
,luther1 standing1 as he confessed1     
against the world1 an admission which   
was made one of the strongest  arguments
 against him1--an argument that there   
are piles of divinity to  maintain on   
the one side1 and to repel on the other4
 ,i thought on the  persecution of the  
,waldenses and the ,albigenses2 ,i saw  
them1 few1 and  scattered1 and          
shivering1 and dying1 in their ,alpine  
solitudes3 for  persecution1 like the   
sun1 enters into every nook4 ,i thought 
of the  early struggle of ,protestantism
 in this country1--of ,latimer1 of      

,cranmer1  and of ,ridley2 ,i thought of
 these honest and right-noble beings    
given1  by a barbarous bigotry1 to a    
death of infamy2 delivered over to the  
fires of ,smithfield2 perishing amidst  
vulgar yells2 not only abandoned1  but  
condemned1 by episcopal domination4 ,i  
remembered having read1 in the  ,life of
 ,saint ,francis ,xavier1 precisely     
similar objections made against  him by 
the bonzas of ,japan4 ,i also considered
 how many societies at  present send    
missionaries to the ,heathen4 ,i        
considered that1 amidst the             
populousness of ,india1 the ,brahmins   
might make a similar objection with     
much greater force4 ,our fathers1 they  
might say1 never heard these  things2   
our people repudiate them4    ,but      
notwithstanding such general objections1
 we do not withhold our  admiration from
 ,xavier and such self-denying men who  
were willing to  spend and be spent so  
that they might make known the glory of 
,christ2 we  rejoice in seeing men thus 

forget their persons in love to their   
principles1 and in ,doctor ,carey       
standing alone1 preaching under a tree  
opposite to ,juggernaut--we recognize   
with joy the impersonation of           
,christian sincerity and ,christian     
philanthrophy4 ,if numbers were the     
proof of truth1 what changeful shapes   
might not truth assume to meet the      
humour of the multitude6 ,and we hear   
the immortal ,chillingworth--the  first 
of logicians1 the most charitable of    
polemics--thus replying to one  of his  
assailants3 8,you obtrude upon us10 says
 he1 8that when ,luther  began1 he being
 yet but one1 opposed himself to all1 as
 well subjects as  superiors4 ,if he did
 so in the cause of ,god it was         
heroically done of  him4 ,this had been 
without hyperbolizing1 ,mundus contra   
,athanasium et  ,athanasius contra      
mundum4 ,neither is it so impossible    
that the whole  world should so far lie 
in wickedness 7as ,st4 ,john speaks17   
that it may  be lawful and noble for one

 man to oppose the world4 ,but yet were 
we put  to our oaths1 we should not     
surely testify any such thing for you2  
for  how can we say properly that he    
opposed himself to all unless we could  
say also that all opposed themselves to 
him80 ,the same noble writer goes  on to
 say 8that though no man before him     
lifted up his voice as ,luther  did1 yet
 who can assure us but that many before 
him both thought and  spake in the lower
 voice of petitions and remonstrances in
 many points  as he did80--,one fact at 
least must be conceded1 and we are      
entitled to  any advantage it implies1  
that it is more painful and             
self-sacrificing  to be of the few than 
of the many1 that there is far more to  
endure in  being a little flock1 than of
 the great multitude2 and that in       
maintaining with all honesty our        
opinions in the face of the world's     
odium and the world's revilings1 in     
despite of popular outcry and           
theological accusation1 if no other     

virtues1 we can surely claim those  of  
sincerity and fortitude1 of moral       
courage and moral consistency4    ,the  
preacher alluded to the ransom which    
,christ paid for sinners1 and  compared 
it to that which anciently was given in 
exchange for slaves4  ,the question is1 
to whom were mankind slaves8 ,to whom or
 what was the  purchase-ransom to be    
paid8 ,was this slavery to sin1 to      
,satan1 or to  ,god8 ,whosoever or      
whatsoever held the captive1 must1 of   
course1 receive  the price of           
redemption4 ,to which of these was it   
due1 and how holds the  analogy8 ,i     
leave the subject with the lecturer4    
,i now turn to what is greatly more     
agreeable in this discussion1 the       
statement that we hold ,christ to have  
been morally perfect4 ,to this we       
assent with all our conscience1 with all
 our hope1 and with all our  hearts4 ,we
 regard him as pure and perfect in every
 thought and word4 ,we  see him with a  
holy piety illuminating his whole       

character and conduct4  ,we see him1 in 
solitude and society1 holding communion 
with his ,father  and our ,father1 his  
,god and our ,god4 ,we see him in       
darkest moments1 in  periods of deepest 
anguish1 maintaining a hopeful and a    
trustful spirit2  in every affliction   
holding true to his love for ,god and   
man4 ,we see him  with a patience that  
toiled for all1 and never tired4 ,we see
 him  plodding through every thankless  
labour1 which here can find no          
recompense1 except it be that wherein   
the act itself is a blessing to  the    
,spirit4 ,we see him in vexation and    
sorrow2 and1 whilst we gaze upon  his   
tranquil brow1 we feel our stormy       
passions silenced into peace4 ,we  see  
him in his struggles and temptations1   
and we feel how poor and  pitiful are   
our deepest griefs or sorest trials     
compared with his4 ,we  regard him in   
the greatness of his benevolence1 and we
 hear from his  lips such words as never
 man spake before4 ,we behold him1 whose

 soul was  never tainted with sin1 turn 
most mercifully on the repentant sinner1
  striking the heart with rending       
anguish1 yet filling the eye with       
sweetest and most hopeful tears4 ,we see
 him with a bosom throbbing with  all   
human charities1 and an ear open to     
every cry of woe and  wretchedness4 ,we 
see him in all unselfish sacrifices1 and
 all generous  labours2 and regarding   
our nature in him as most lovely1 most  
glorious1  and most triumphant1 we      
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of
 glory4  ,we see him as the most perfect
 image of his ,father2 and the first1   
among  all his brethren1 filled with the
 inspiration of ,god1 and spreading it  
forth abundantly on the souls of men4   
,amongst other wrongs to ,christ1 we are
 accused of taking away all  motives of 
love to him4 ,it may be fair1 then1 to  
ask1 for what do  ,trinitarians love    
him8 ,and it may be also fair to ask1   
what is it in him  that moves their     
affections which may not equally move   

ours8 ,they cannot  love ,christ the    
,god in the same sense or on the same   
grounds on which  they love ,christ the 
man4 ,for what1 then1 do they love      
,christ the man1  or ,christ the        
mediator1 for which1 in that aspect1 we 
may not love him  as deeply and as      
truly8 ,is it for his many and great    
labours8 ,on even  the orthodox         
doctrine1 these were the toils of the   
manhood and not of  the godhead4 ,is it 
for his sufferings8 ,the ,god could not 
suffer1 could  not be weary1 could not  
be persecuted1 could not die1 could     
neither be  hooted nor crucified2 if1   
therefore1 all the strongest motives of 
love  to ,christ be founded in his      
humanity1 then ,i assert we have all    
these  motives4 ,on any supposition1 it 
was not the second person of the godhead
  that bent his bleeding head on        
,calvary1 it was the man ,christ ,jesus4
  ,if it be said that ,unitarian views  
do not move the heart1 we have only     
with sorrow to confess1 that no views of

 ,christ's nature or character  move us 
practically as they ought2 and for the  
small results which his  doctrines have 
produced amongst us1 we1 with others1   
have reason to bend  down our heads in  
deepest humiliation3 but we solemnly    
deny that our  convictions about ,christ
 have any tendency to produce such an   
effect4 ,in  the case of wrong1 the     
fault is in ourselves1 and not in our   
doctrines4    ,,ii4 ,having thus        
explained our views on ,christ as a man1
 ,i shall occupy  the remaining part of 
this discourse by stating1 as briefly as
 ,i can1  the difference between        
,trinitarians and ourselves on his      
character as a  mediator4    ,what are  
the religious needs of man8 says the    
,trinitarian4 ,consequently1  ,what is  
the office of the ,messiah8 ,if we take 
the ,calvinistic scheme1  and at present
 that is the most popular1 the reply    
would be1 or should  be1 thus3--,there  
is a decree of eternal election and     
reprobation by which  millions1 before  

the foundation of the world1 were       
destined to be saved  or lost4 ,the     
numbers were fixed1 and could neither be
 enlarged or  diminished4 ,for the      
salvation of the elect1 and these only1 
the second  person in the godhead became
 incarnate3 them he purchased with his  
blood1 and the rest were left to perish4
 ,the elect entered into life  with the 
seal of predestination on their birth1  
redeemed1 to be  justified1 to be       
sanctified1 and finally to be glorified4
 ,the  remainder came into the same life
 burdened with the imputation of a sin  
committed centuries previous to their   
existence4 ,foredoomed to  perdition1   
overpassed by the ,father1 and          
disregarded by the ,son1 and  unvisited 
by the ,holy ,spirit1 they die in their 
sins1 enter on their  predetermined     
destiny1 and1 to use the tremendous     
language of the  ,athanasian ,creed1    
8perish everlastingly40    ,in this     
statement1 ,i do no wrong to ,calvinism1
 and scarcely justice4 ,it  might easily

 be made more dark1 and without a whit  
of controversial  exaggeration4 ,but if 
this be a true idea of ,christianity1 it
 is a system  of terror and not of      
mercy1 an anathema and not a blessing1  
the fiat of  universal wrath and not the
 words of universal mercy1 the          
proclamation  from an austere and angry 
,deity and not a remedy for a weak and  
erring  humanity4 ,orthodoxy in this    
scheme1 instead of endearing ,christ to 
the  human heart1 alienates and removes 
him from it2 instead of making him an   
encouragement1 renders him a terror2    
instead of placing him before us as  the
 impersonation of almighty clemency1    
through him proclaims an  almighty      
vindictiveness2 places ,jesus out of the
 sphere of human  affections1 and       
wrenches him from the worn and suffering
 heart of man4  ,on the orthodox        
principle1 he is out from us1 and not of
 us4 ,he is alone  in his own mysterious
 nature4 ,our affections are perplexed1 
and our  heads are bewildered4 ,to offer

 our sympathy1 or to look for his1 would
  be the very climax of presumption4 ,he
 is in no proper sense identified  with 
us1 or allied to us4 ,his example is    
more an accident than an  essential of  
his work4 ,the substance of his work1 on
 the orthodox  scheme1 might have taken 
place in the most secret recesses of the
  universe2 and ,god would be satisfied1
 and the elect would be  redeemed4#aeg  
,what1 says ,unitarianism1 are the moral
 wants of man8 ,consequently1 what  is  
the mediator he requires8    ,religion1 
we maintain1 was made for man1 and not  
man for religion4 ,the  mediator1       
therefore1 which we require1 is one who 
would guide and not  confound our       
nature2 who would ennoble but not       
perplex it4 ,we would look  for a       
mediator by whom we should receive the  
light and truth of ,god and  heaven to  
our souls4 ,we need to see the          
capacities1 the duties1 and the         
destinies of our kind1 in one who is    
perfectly1 but yet simply1 of           

ourselves4 ,our sorrows1 our sufferings1
 and our darkness1 we regard as  but so 
many reasons why our ,redeemer and      
,saviour should be entirely of  our own 
kind4 ,we require one who would manifest
 to all that ,god is  really interested 
in us4 ,we require one who would show   
that we are not  shut out from communion
 with the infinite1 the invisible1 and  
the  future4 ,we require one who would  
correct our evils1 and yet resolve our  
doubts4 ,we require one who could       
sympathize with our weakness4 ,we       
require one who would show us of what   
our nature is capable1 and thus  flash  
upon us the guilt of our deficiencies1  
or inspire us with the hope  of         
advancement4 ,we are feeble1 and need   
strength2 we are tempted1 and  need     
support4 ,jesus proves to us that the   
strength is in us1 if we use  it2 and   
that the support is at hand1 if we      
choose to apply it4 ,in our             
transgressions1 we are but too much     
inclined to yield to1 or justify        

ourselves with1 a guilty sophistry2 but 
our views of ,jesus leave us no  room   
for such delusion4 ,whilst              
,trinitarianism places most of our      
religious wants afar off and outside us1
 ,unitarianism fixes them within  us4   
,whilst ,trinitarianism demands a       
,christ which shall reconcile ,god to   
us1 ,unitarianism holds a ,christ which 
shall conform us to ,god3--to us his    
word and work is a spirit of life1 his  
word and work to them but dogma  or     
mystery4    ,upon our views1 ,christ is 
properly a mediator2 on those of        
orthodoxy1 he  can bear no such         
character3 compounded of ,deity and     
humanity1 he is  truly of neither4 ,it  
is said that we have no need of ,christ2
 that1 in  fact1 he has no purpose in   
our system2 that he might be taken from 
it  without creating any loss4 ,we      
maintain the contrary4 ,we maintain that
  ,christ is our all in all2 that he is 
the impersonation of our religion1  that
 he is bodily our ,christianity4 ,whilst

 others principally regard him  in the  
retrospect1 we have him as a present and
 a living reality4 ,whilst  others trust
 him for what he has done1 we love him  
for what he was4  ,whilst others make   
his nature the subject of hard and      
abstruse dogmas1  we hold it forth as   
the subject of affectionate             
contemplation4 ,whilst  others propose  
faith1 we propose imitation as the      
greatest virtue4 ,we  look upon him as  
the ,instructor in our moral doubts2 the
 enlightener of  our ignorance1 which1  
in so many cases1 press down our hearts 
respecting  the general course of       
,providence and our future destiny2 of  
our  ignorance respecting ,god1 and all 
that belongs to the future1 the ,past1  
and the ,invisible4    ,the ,past1 yea1 
and the present also1 is filled1 we     
confess1 with  difficulties that alarm  
our fears1 and call forth our sorrows4  
,and it is  only when we look to ,christ
 as really and simply human that we have
 any  tangible consolation1 or any solid

 support4 ,the trials or temptations or 
sufferings of a ,god are not only       
repugnant to our reasons1 but foreign   
to our hearts4 ,such ideas can create no
 confidence1 and therefore can  afford  
no ground of sympathy--and no ground of 
hope1 of strength1 or of  consolation4  
,if one who is a ,god--were temptation  
to such a being  possible--overcomes    
temptation1 on what grounds can any     
other conclude he  can resist it8--,if  
one who is a ,god resists indignity with
 quietude and  calmness1 on what ground 
can another make such conduct an        
example8--,if  one who is a ,god meets  
agony and death with confident and      
fearless  mind--knowing that his life is
 safe in eternal beatitude--on what     
possible  principles of reason or       
expectation can this be a consolation or
 hope to  feeble mortals8--,if a ,god by
 his own inherent power rise from the   
dead1  by what logic of faith or        
intellect are we to conclude man as man 
is  to live for ever8 ,it is only then  

upon our principles that ,i think he    
can properly fulfil the offices that    
pertain to his character as  ,mediator1 
that he can be our ,teacher1 that he can
 be our ,exemplar1 that  he can be the  
,discloser of our duties and our        
destinies1 that he can be  at the same  
time a revealer and a revelation1 that  
he can be the  foundation of our hope   
and the source of our strength3--that he
 can1 ,i  say1 be our ,teacher2 for what
 is necessary to the position of a moral
  instructor8 not merely to be able to  
announce truth1 but to announce it  with
 living effect4 ,the being who suffered 
no pain would have no power  in         
preaching fortitude4 ,sympathy is       
necessary to confidence1 and  confidence
 is necessary to moral influence4       
,christ in his simple  humanity has a   
power which we could not give to him1   
supposing he was of  a compound         
constitution4 ,without this belief that 
he was simply and  naturally man1 his   
instructions have small effect1 and his 

actions have  no reality4--,moreover1 ,i
 assert it is only in this view he can  
be our  exemplar1 ,i mean the ideal1 or 
representative of what we ought to be1  
or  of what in a more perfect condition 
we will be3 for it is utterly and       
outrageously absurd to propose as the   
pattern of human conduct or human       
hopes1 one who had in the same person   
the might and security of a ,deity  with
 the dangers and the trials of a man3   
and in truth it is  outrageously absurd 
to say he could have such dangers and   
trials at  all1--it would not be a      
mystery but a mockery3--and1 lastly1 ,i 
contend1  that it is our views--weakly  
,i have expressed them--which bring to  
the  human spirit most of strength and  
most of comfort4 ,they give consistency 
and sublimity to his communion with     
,god1 and to his revealings of  another 
world4 ,they give immeasurable value to 
his miracles4 ,they put  the seal of    
divine confirmation on his resurrection 
as the pledge of  human immortality4 ,he

 is then our ,instructor in every doubt2
 our  ,consolation in every sorrow2 our 
,strength in the griefs of life1 and our
  ,support in the fears of death4 ,we   
see him in his own ennobling and        
sanctifying human nature1 and by his    
impressive and vital energy sending  out
 from him the power for its redemption4 
,the character of ,god1 as revealed in  
,christ's teaching1 and manifested  by  
,christ's life1 in the ,unitarian faith1
 is not only discerned with a  clearer  
light1 but commands a more sacred       
reverence1 as well as a more  willing   
love4 ,he that hath seen me1 says the   
,saviour1 hath seen the  ,father4 ,now  
we believe this expression to be full of
 profoundest truth1  if we receive it as
 a moral revelation2 but orthodoxy      
reduces it to a  mystical enigma1 and   
robs it of meaning and of value4 ,we    
discern ,god  through ,christ as a      
,father1 universal1 merciful1 good1     
holy1 and  all-powerful4 ,this we       
collect from the teachings of ,christ2  

we could  never deduce it from the      
teachings of ,calvinism4 ,if we turn to 
the  teachings of ,christ1 we hear of a 
,father impartial and unbounded2 if we  
turn to the teachings of ,calvinism1 we 
read of a ,god that1 in any  benignant  
sense1 is but father to a few1 and these
 few purchased by the  agonies of       
innocence2 if we turn to the teachings  
of ,christ1 we are  instructed of a     
,father who is merciful1 and that mercy 
is proposed to us  as the most perfect  
object of imitation2 if we turn to the  
teachings of  ,calvinism1 we are told of
 a ,father who properly cannot be       
merciful at  all1 for the good he gives 
has been purchased1 and is the          
equivalent of  a price2 a ,father1 ,i   
repeat1 whose good-will is paid for2 the
 primary  element in whose character1 as
 drawn in many popular creeds and       
formularies1 is a stern wrath1 falsely  
called justice2 the imitation of  which1
 in the creature1 would turn earth into 
a darker hell than ever  theology       

visioned4 ,if we turn to the teachings  
of ,christ1 we find in  them a ,father  
supremely good1 holding towards all his 
creatures a  benignant aspect2 who1 when
 his children ask for bread will not    
give  them a stone1--who casts with     
equal hand the shower and the sun-shine2
  who rules in the heavens with glory1  
and in earth with bounty2 who hears  the
 raven's cry as well as the ,seraph's   
song4 ,if we turn to ,calvinism we  are 
informed of a ,deity who has seen the   
ruin and the wreck of his own           
workmanship1 and pronounced a curse over
 that which he did not choose to        
prevent2 we are told that all creatures 
sicken under that original  curse2 that 
earth feels it to her centre2 that it   
spreads a frown over  heaven1 and roars 
with a voice of destruction in the      
thunder and the  tempest2 that living   
creatures throughout all their countless
 tribes1  suffer by it2 that it pursues 
man from the first tears of infancy to  
the  last pang of death4 ,if we turn to 

the teachings of ,jesus1 we are taught  
that ,god is most holy2 we are placed   
before that invisible ,being who        
searches the heart1 and sees it in its  
last recesses4 ,thus piercing to  the   
very source of action1 ,christ makes    
guilt and holiness inward and  personal1
 inflicts on the criminal the full      
penalty1 and secures to  rectitude its  
great reward3 covering the one with     
moral hideousness1 and  the other with  
exceeding beauty4 ,if we turn to the    
teachings of  ,calvinism1 sin is        
contracted by imputation1 and           
righteousness is  acquired by imputation
 also4 ,the lost endure the penalty of  
guilt in  their own persons1 the elect  
endure it by substitution1 in the person
 of  another4 ,if we turn to the        
teachings of ,jesus1 we have a ,father  
whose  power is infinite as his         
goodness1 in which we trust for the     
redemption  and perfection of the       
universe4 ,if we turn to the teachings  
of  ,calvinism1 we see ,god consigning a

 vast portion of his rational creation  
to eternal sin and misery1 and          
therefore1 if we would save his         
benevolence we are constrained to       
sacrifice his power4 ,christ1 ,saint    
,paul declares1 is the image of ,god2   
but if the ,father be the avenger1  and 
,christ the victim1 he is not his image1
 but his contrast1 and then  our souls1 
instead of ascending to ,god in love1   
turn from him1 and fix  all their       
sympathies on ,christ4 ,as ,unitarians  
apprehend him1 we conceive  him in      
perfect union with the ,father1 imaging1
 with resplendent  sweetness1 the       
attributes of his ,father's character4  
,in the compassion1  in the benevolence1
 in the purity1 and in the miracles of  
,christ1 we  have revealed to us the    
goodness1 the holiness1 and the power of
 ,god2  upon the calm and gracious      
countenance of ,jesus we may read the   
glory of  ,god1 and1 as in a stainless  
mirror1 behold the scheme of his        
providence4    ,place these views side  

by side with common experience and human
 feeling1  and which1 ,i ask1 is the    
most consistent8 ,who1 in a healthy     
state of  mind1 has any compunction     
because ,adam sinned--but who1 with his 
moral  emotions awakened1 is not anxious
 to know what is the duty of man here1  
and what his destiny hereafter8 ,by     
which scheme1 ,i inquire1 are these     
momentous problems best resolved8       
,testing these views by the common      
experience to which ,i have appealed1   
taking its ordinary convictions as  the 
standard1 ,i may fairly inquire1 whether
 our principles are not  consistent in  
their hopes1 and high and pure in their 
consolations8  ,comparing each with the 
history and life of ,christ1 ,i have no 
doubt of  what would be the result1 if  
system or dogmatism did not interfere   
with  our convictions4 ,regarding       
,christ as our perfect1 immortal1 but   
human  ,brother1 we have the living     
evidence that ,god is our ,father1 and  
,heaven  is our ,home4--,our views of   

,christ makes his history of most       
precious  value to us--his life1 his    
death1 his crucifixion and his          
resurrection--,christ becomes to us the 
great interpreter of ,providence1       
equally of its fears and hopes4 ,he     
becomes to us the symbol of humanity1   
equally of its grief and glory--near his
 cross we weep over death1 and at  his  
tomb we rejoice in the certainty of     
life4 ,in ,christ crucified1 we  see our
 nature in its earthly humiliation2 in  
,christ glorified1 we  behold it in its 
immortal triumph4 ,as ,jesus on the     
cross sets forth our  sorrow1 so ,jesus 
from the tomb sets forth our hope4      
,identified with  ,jesus in the one1 we 
are also identified with him in the     
other4 ,we  behold 8the man10 and in    
that man we behold the two solemn stages
 of our  nature1 the struggle of        
affliction and the glory of             
success4--,we see the  man of sorrow and
 the man of joy--the man of earth1 and  
the man of  heaven--the man of death and

 the man of immortality4 ,we are made   
more  assured of that doctrine to which 
we fly in every painful turn of         
life--and in which we seek a deeper and 
kinder refuge as years and  troubles    
gather over us4 ,without this persuasion
 we feel ourselves  creatures weak and  
desolate2 when our pleasures here have  
sunk1 when our  hopes here have long    
since died1 how much would we1 in this  
wilderness1  desire to lay our heads1 as
 ,jacob did1 on a cold stone1 if like   
,jacob we  beheld an opened heaven2 but 
how much more sweetly may we look upon  
the  risen and the living face of       
,jesus4 ,he was of ourselves4 ,he was   
identified with us4 ,i see then in      
,jesus1 not the illustration of an      
argument or of a theory4 ,i see in him  
the embodiment of human goodness1  human
 affections1 and human hopes1 and human 
capacities1 and human  destinies4 ,when1
 especially1 ,i think of human          
suffering1 some necessary  and some     
blameless1--when ,i behold the ignorant 

and the vicious1 the  ignorant and the  
wretched pining away in a crowded       
solitude1--when ,i see  the man of weary
 years and many adversities1 seeking at 
last but some  spot in which to         
die1--when ,i see a sickened wretch1    
tired of existence1  poor1 indigent1    
cold and naked1 the victim of almost    
every want and  grief1 toiling through  
life and shivering into death1--when ,i 
see  laborious age1 after few enjoyments
 of either soul or sense1 lying at  last
 on the bed where the weary are at rest1
 where at last the still  small voice of
 ,christ is more desired than all the   
logic of  polemics1--when ,i see        
multitudes with dead1 or dormant1 or    
perverted  energies--benevolent ardour  
wasted1 or most honourable philanthropy 
defeated1--when ,i consider the         
thousands1 and the tens of thousands of 
human beings chained to a dark fatality 
in the destiny of moral and  physical   
circumstances--the ignorance1 the       
bondage1 the cruelties1 the  unrevealed 

wretchedness without a name heaped on   
the heads of myriads1  generation after 
generation1--when ,i think of unspeaking
 and unspeakable  agonies lurking in    
every corner of civilized               
society--hereditary penury1  unavoidable
 ruin1 unforeseen misfortune1 the pangs 
of noble minds  struggling in vain      
against dependence2 the writhings of    
dying hearts1  concealing their last    
sighs from watching friends1 the stifled
 laments  of honest virtue cast forth on
 over-grown cities and populations1     
where  sufferer after sufferer sink     
unheard in the noise of indifferent     
millions1--when ,i remember unrewarded  
toil1 fine spirits crushed1 and  fair   
names blighted1--when ,i see the        
enjoyment of the worthless and the      
prosperity of the vicious1 the success  
of the worst passions1 and the  basest  
plans1 the triumph of wickedness over   
truth and virtue1--when ,i  reflect     
seriously and solemnly on the strange   
sights which this world  has seen--the  

persecutor on the throne and the martyr 
at the stake1 the  patriot on the       
scaffold and the tyrant on the          
bench--the honest man  ruined1 and the  
villain the gainer1--,i have before me1 
,i admit1 a dark  and startling problem4
 ,in the dying ,christ ,i have the      
difficulties3 in  the risen ,christ ,i  
have their solution4 ,in ,christ on the 
cross ,i see our  crucified humanity--in
 ,christ risen and ascending ,i see the 
same humanity  glorified2 at the cross  
of ,jesus my heart would sink1 but at   
his empty  grave my hope is settled and 
my soul at ease4 ,i go to that vacant   
tomb1  and there ,i am shown that the   
bands of death are loosed1 and the gates
  of glory are lifted up4 ,near ,jesus  
on the cross1 ,i have but thick clouds  
and darkness2 in ,jesus risen the       
shadows are melted1 and the gloom is    
lost in brightness1 and the sun which   
burst it shines forth more              
resplendent--the blackness of the sky   
breaks forth into light1 and the  wrath 

of the ocean softens into peace1 the    
curtain of mist is folded up1  and a    
lovely world bursts upon my gaze4 ,when 
,i stand at the cross ,i have  man      
imaged in fears1 in struggles and in    
death4 ,i have around me our  nature in 
its crimes and passions2 but when ,i see
 the ascending and  glorified ,christ1  
,i behold humanity in its most          
triumphant hopes3--,when ,i  stand over 
the silent tomb of ,jesus1 and would    
weep1 as if all beneath  and beyond the 
skies were hopeless1 a light shines out 
from the  darkness1 and throws a halo of
 peace about the desponding soul4 ,in   
,christ crucified1 believing him human1 
simply human1 ,i feel around me  the    
right of man--in ,christ risen1         
believing him also human1 ,i exult in   
unclouded and unsetting light3--near    
,christ crucified1 ,i tremble with      
exceeding fear2 near ,christ glorified1 
,i am comforted with exceeding  joy--and
 in each case because ,i feel he is     
truly and simply human4    ,in both     

parts of his life and history we have   
opposing aspects of  ,providence4 ,but  
if in his sufferings we have the pillar 
of cloud1 in his  glory we have the     
pillar of fire2 and in this wilderness  
pilgrimage we  are saddened and         
solemnized by the one1--enlightened and 
guided by the  other4 ,christ crucified 
and ,christ glorified1 united in our    
faith and  feelings1 identified with our
 nature1 our history1 and our race1     
opens  views to the ,christian's soul1  
not only of consolation but of triumph1 
that defy expression4 ,it pours light   
and hope and dignity on universal       
destiny and on every individual         
condition4 ,in analogy with ,god's      
material creation in its workings1 it   
shows glory arising out of  humiliation1
 and renovated beauty from apparent     
destruction--it shows in  man as in     
nature--the world of grandeur1 of       
purity1 and of softness--born  in the   
throes of chaotic formation2 the streams
 of spring filled with  the year's      

rejoicing gushing out of the frozen     
fountains of winter2 the  fresh1 and    
bright1 and peaceful morning generated  
in the midnight storm4  ,if these views 
of ,christ are seated in our hearts and 
faith3 if we truly  identify ourselves  
with one as with the other3 feeling that
 in each case  ,christ is simply and    
perfectly our brother1--what can deaden 
our hope1  and what can sever us from   
duty8 ,though friends be absent and     
enemies be  fierce1 and pain wreck our  
frames and poverty lay bare our         
dwellings1  and disappointment wait on  
our struggles1 and grief thicken heavily
 on  our souls1 in ,christ suffering    
there is our worst extremity2 in ,christ
  glorified there is that worst         
extremity redeemed into the fulness of  
salvation2 in ,christ we see personified
 our entire humanity1 except its  sins2 
in him we behold its subjection and its 
triumph4 ,view its pains in  his        
humiliation1 and its future prospects in
 his victory1 and what a  glory does it 

not spread upon our race8 ,is there a   
single track of the  past on which it   
does not rain showers of light--on which
 it does not  leave the persuasion of   
immortal and universal existence8 ,by   
,christ's  doctrines and his life we are
 led to the conclusion that no human    
existence has been ever spent in vain2  
that of all the vast ocean of           
intelligent beings with which           
generations have flooded the earth2 that
  in that vast universe of life1 one    
heart has never panted without a        
purpose2 that no thought ever started   
into being1 not a throb of misery1  not 
a solitary charity1 not a silent prayer1
 not an honest effort1 not a  fervent   
wish or desire1 not a single good       
intention1 not a single  instance of    
sacrifice or worth1 ever existed to be  
destroyed1 but that  on the contrary    
they have been transferred to more      
genial scenes in  another world1 and    
left seeds for better fruits in this4   
,believing on  ,christ the crucified and

 the glorified1 and still regarding him 
as the  image of ,god1 it is pleasant to
 dwell equally upon the past and upon   
the  future2 to think of the good and   
true who suffered here for virtue1      
collected hereafter in all the unity of 
peace1 having escaped the  fightings of 
earth1 settled in the joys of heaven4   
,but why confine  ourselves to the      
excellent and the great8 ,the glory of  
,christ proclaims  life to all2 it      
attracts to itself whosoever lived or   
suffered on earth1  all that ever will  
live or suffer4 ,into what a glory has  
,christ then not  entered3 go to the    
most seclusive church-yard3 worlds there
 moulder in  the smallest space2 within 
its range as many sleep as might have   
peopled  an empire1 and in a few steps  
we may walk over millions4 ,beneath     
those  pacings what parents and         
children1 and companions1 have          
mouldered8 ,what  friendships1 and      
hopes1 and energies have melted in this 
simple dust8    ,but why say a          

,church-yard8 ,all earth is a grave4    
,the world is sown with  bodies3 is     
futurity as filled with souls8 ,is this 
spot on which we  breathe for a moment a
 mere speck between two eternities of   
infinite  nothingness8 ,have the        
generations as they vanished1 sunk into 
eternal  sleep1 so that 8,it is         
finished10 should be the proper epitaph 
of all  departed humanity8 ,christ alone
 gives the full solution of this awful  
problem2 and this solution is clear and 
consolatory1 as we feel him to  be of   
ourselves4 ,he is thus the great type of
 our death and of our life1  throwing   
light over the grave1 and opening to our
 faith a growing and  everlasting       
future1--where all exist1 the great and 
good to more perfect1  and the evil to  
be redeemed1--and where every stream    
that flows on to  eternity will bear    
along with it a fresh burden of joy and 
beauty4 ,jesus  the crucified1 and      
,jesus the glorified1 of simple but holy
 humanity1 is  the great interpreter of 

the past and the future1 and by him     
interpreted1 how glorious are the words1
 all our memories on earth and  our     
hopes in heaven4                        
------------------------------------    
,,appendix4    ,i think it right to     
state here that one or two passages are 
printed in  the lecture1 which1 as time 
was failing1 ,i passed over in the      
delivery4  ,they affect in nowise the   
general import or argument4 ,i thought  
it  possible that one sentence in       
reference to ,mr4 ,jones's lecture would
  require to be expunged2 but having now
 read the lecture in print1 ,i see  the 
sentence may stand4 ,mr4 ,jones defined 
with clearness and accuracy  his belief 
in ,christ's humanity--that ,christ was 
really a man1 8that he  had a corporeal 
and mental existence like our own10     
8that he possessed a  body of flesh and 
blood1 such as is common to our race10  
8that in that  body dwelt a rational    
soul1 to whose volitions it was         
subject10 8that he  was conceived in the

 womb1 and born a helpless infant1 and  
dependent on  the care of his parents   
through the whole of his childhood and  
youth40#aeh ,here1 then1 we have a set  
of qualities in the man ,christ  ,jesus1
 which from their very nature must have 
commenced with his earthly  life4 ,thus 
defined1 the lecturer afterwards goes on
 to say that 8though  there was nothing 
in his corporeal or mental powers       
essentially  different from other men1  
yet were there certain peculiarities    
connected with his perfect manhood1     
which it is of momentous  consequence   
that we should know and believe40#aei   
8,first1 he possessed  moral            
perfection40 ,on this all ,unitarians   
are agreed4 ,secondly1 the  lecturer    
noticed the miraculous conception4 ,on  
this we have  differences amongst us4   
,now a third peculiarity was also       
marked1 which  by the order of the      
lecturer's argument we are entitled to  
rank with the  others as belonging to   
the manhood of ,christ4 ,mr4 ,jones is  

still  speaking of the man ,christ      
,jesus1 and yet the third peculiarity is
  alleged to be his pre-existence4 ,but 
if to have been born of a woman1  if to 
have had a corporeal and mental         
existence like our own1 were  essentials
 of his humanity1 then this is a flat   
contradiction2 if this  attribute were  
meant to apply to him as ,god1 we should
 have been told  so2 and even then1 the 
distinction would be wholly powerless1  
for no one  thinks of comparing other   
men with ,jesus as ,god4 ,mr4 ,jones    
does not  introduce that portion of his 
subject until we have passed over       
several  pages4#afj ,the analogy of body
 and soul in man is incessantly used to 
illustrate a two-fold nature in ,christ4
 ,nothing can be more fallacious4  ,it  
breaks down at every step2 for if it be 
used to signify the possible  union of  
two different elements in one being1    
then ,christ is not  two-fold but       
three-fold1 there are in his person the 
divine soul and the  human soul1 and in 

addition to all1 the human body4 ,if it 
be used to  signify the union of two    
natures in one person1 the soul and body
 are  not two distinct natures1 in the  
sense required1 and therefore can       
neither illustrate nor prove the        
dogmatical complexity ascribed to       
,christ4 ,every nature that we know is  
composite1 but it is one thing to  be   
compounded of various qualities1 and    
another to be a union of                
irreconcileable ones4 ,if man had two   
souls in one body1 so perfectly  united 
as to make a single person1 and yet that
 one should be ignorant  of what the    
other knew1 then we should have an      
illustration that would  be correct and 
intelligible4 ,mr4 ,jones uses the      
following illustration1  to shew that we
 distinguish between the body and the   
soul when we do not  express the        
distinction in words4 8,if we say10 he  
observes1 8that a  neighbour is sick1 or
 in pain1 or hungry1 or thirsty1 or in  
want1 we  mean that his body is sick1 or

 in pain1 or hungry1 or thirsty1 or in  
want1 and no one for a moment supposes  
that we refer to his soul4 ,and  if1 on 
the other hand1 we say that a man is    
learned1 or ignorant1 wise  or unwise1  
happy or miserable1 humble or proud1 it 
is equally obvious  that we refer to the
 soul1 and not to the body40#afa ,no    
such  distinction is known either in    
grammar or philosophy1 and the laws of  
thought as well as those of language    
equally repudiate it4 ,a man may be     
healthy or sick by means of the         
excellence or defect of his body1 but   
the assertion is made of the man as a   
person4 ,he may in like manner be  wise 
or ignorant by means of the excellence  
or defects of the  faculties of his     
soul2 but again1 the assertion is of the
 person4 ,and1  indeed1 if we were to   
speak with severe and metaphysical      
precision1  every instance which the    
preacher has adduced should be          
predicated of  the ,soul1 for so far as 
they are sensations1 they belong        

properly to the  soul2 and the body is  
but their medium or instrument4 ,by the 
laws1 then1  both of thought and        
language1 whatever ,christ affirms of   
himself1 he  affirms of his person1 be  
the elements what they may that enter   
into  its constitution4 ,but how are we 
to think of the dogma for which such    
hair-splitting distinctions are adduced2
 distinctions which1 had not the        
solemnity of the subject forbidden the  
use of ridicule1 might be shown  by all 
forms of speech to be as incongruous as 
they are puerile1 and as  ridiculous as 
they are false4                         
,note on ,john xii4 ,see page #h4    ,on
 the supposition of our ,lord's simple  
humanity1 this chapter exhibits  a most 
sublime revelation of his nature4 ,on   
any other hypothesis it  loses all its  
moral beauty1 and leaves us nothing but 
inconsistency4 ,the  belief of his      
simple human nature gives a more sacred 
awe to the  circumstances in which he   
was placed1 explains to us those        

struggles and  workings of his inmost   
soul1 which were deepening the          
bitterness of his  hour of travail4 ,we 
can then appreciate the grandeur with   
which1 in the  spirit of duty1 he arose 
to meet the approaching storm2 and we   
can also  appreciate the tenderness and 
sensibility with which he shrunk for a  
moment from the anguish that awaited    
him4 ,to say that the godhead  withdrew 
its support from him is a solution      
unintelligible in any sense4  ,for      
through every moment of his existence he
 must have been conscious of  his proper
 ,deity1 or he was not2 if he was1 why  
tremble8 if not1 then  during that      
period his godhead was virtually        
extinguished1 and he  remained simply   
man4 ,but every utterance of his in this
 profound chapter  is truly             
human1--breathings of that nature from  
its inmost recesses1  strong in duty1   
but struggling with fear and grief4     
,there is no period of our ,lord's      
mission in which we see so profound a   

solemnity around him4 ,he had come from 
the quiet and hospitable home of  his   
friends in ,bethany1 had made his public
 and triumphant entry into  ,jerusalem1 
but the awful close and consummation was
 at hand2 he knew  that these hosannahs 
would scarcely have died on the ear1    
before their  change into hootings and  
revilings2 and the hands which spread   
the palm  were ready to drag him to the 
cross4 ,the next day was big with       
sorrows  and tortures4 ,the mysteries of
 death and the grave were to be         
resolved2  and it is no dishonour to our
 ,lord to suppose such a prospect should
  fill his heart with trouble2 for the  
most finely constituted nature is  ever 
the most sensitive1 and those who       
perceive clearly and vividly1  apprehend
 circumstances which it never enters    
into coarser minds to  discern4 ,in     
proportion as our personal sensations   
are acute1 is the  victory of duty noble
 that overcomes them1 in the same       
proportion also  is the strength of     

submission1 or the beauty of patience4  
,with these  views1 we can well         
interpret for our consolation and       
example the  anguished exclamation of   
,christ1--8,now is my soul troubled1 and
 what  shall ,i say8 ,father1 save me   
from this hour2 but for this cause came 
,i  to this hour40    ,if ,christ were  
,god as well as man1 words like these   
are absolutely  unaccountable2 and as we
 cannot be so profane as to think that  
,christ  spoke for mere effect1 we have 
only to conclude that it was the fervent
  and simple exclamation of a being who 
felt he needed help from ,heaven4  ,this
 were impiety of the darkest die1 if    
,jesus in one portion of his own  person
 was infinite and omnipotent4           
,,note #a1 see page #ah4    8,priestley1
 loaded with glory1 was modest enough to
 be astonished at his  good fortune1 and
 at the multitude of beautiful facts    
which nature  seemed to reveal to him   
alone4 ,he forgot that her favours were 
not  gratuitous1 and that if she had so 

well explained herself1 it was  because 
he had known how to constrain her by his
 indefatigable  perseverance in         
questioning her1 and by a thousand      
ingenious means of  wresting from her   
her answers4 ,others carefully conceal  
what they owe to  accident4 ,priestley  
seemed to wish to ascribe to it all his 
merit4 ,he  records1 with unexampled    
candour1 how many times he had profited 
by it  without knowing it1 how many     
times he was in possession of new       
substances without having perceived     
them2 and he never concealed the        
erroneous views which sometimes directed
 his efforts1 and which he  renounced   
only from experience4 ,these confessions
 did honour to his  modesty1 without    
disarming jealousy4 ,those whose views  
and methods had  never led them to      
discovery1 called him a mere maker of   
experiments1  without method1 and       
without an object3--8,it is not         
astonishing10 they  added1 8that among  
so many trials and combinations he      

should find some  that were successful4 
,but real natural ,philosophers were not
 duped by  these selfish                
criticisms40--,after some remarks on    
,priestley's changes in  religious      
opinions1 and tracing rapidly his       
progress from fiercest  ,calvinism to   
simple humanitarianism1 he thus         
beautifully describes the  close of his 
laborious life3--8,his last moments were
 full of those  feelings of piety which 
animated his whole life1 and the        
improper  controul of which had been the
 foundation of all his errors4 ,he      
caused  the gospel to be read to him1   
and thanked ,god for having allowed him 
to  lead an useful life1 and granted him
 a peaceful death4 ,among the list of   
the principal blessings1 he ranked that 
of having personally known  almost all  
his contemporaries4 #8,i am going to    
sleep as you do1' said he  to his       
grand-children1 who were brought to him1
 #8but we shall wake again  together1   
and1 ,i hope1 to eternal happiness2'    

thus evincing in what  belief he died4  
,these were his last words4 ,such was   
the end of that man1  whom his enemies  
accused of wishing to overthrow all     
morality and  religion1 and yet whose   
greatest error was to mistake his       
vocation1 and  to attach too much       
importance to his individual sentiments 
in matters  when the most important of  
all feelings ought to be the love of    
peace40#afb    ,the ,edinburgh          
,review1#afc from which this extract is 
taken1 introduces  it with the following
 liberal and generous remarks3--    8,we
 cannot pass unnoticed the ,eloge of    
,dr4 ,priestley1 which brought  his     
biographer into the field of theological
 discussion1 and which  deserves to be  
studied in a country where the          
,character of that  extraordinary man1  
both as a ,philosopher and a ,christian1
 has been so  greatly misrepresented40  
,the conclusion of the following extract
 is earnestly recommended to the        
consideration of those pious men who    

have been misled by the intolerant      
spirit of the day2 and who1 on lending  
their aid1 without being  conscious of  
what they are doing1 to break the cords 
of affection which  ought to unite the  
professors of our common ,christianity4 
,,note #b1 see page #bf4    ,a great    
mass of the religious world1 in the     
orthodox meaning of that  phrase1 is now
 called evangelical1 and although that  
term1 ,i admit1  does not necessarily   
imply absolute ,calvinism1 yet1 in point
 of fact1  the greater number of those  
whom it designates are ,calvinists4 ,the
  opponents of ,calvinism are often     
accused of misrepresenting it4 ,for this
  reason ,i have endeavoured here to    
make it speak for itself--by some of    
its principal formularies1 by one or two
 of its popular writers1 and by  the    
author of it himself1 in his own        
words1--,many will say they hold no     
such sentiments3 for the sake of human  
nature ,i sincerely believe them2  if ,i
 thought such a faith 7the terms being  

understood7 could be  extensively       
entertained1 confidence in my species   
would be turned into  fear4 ,but1       
notwithstanding1 many opinions which    
they do hold1 logically  pursued1 lead  
directly to the conclusions contained in
 the extracts1 the  writers of which    
were perfectly consistent with their    
system4 ,numbers  who are called        
,calvinists1 ,i am aware1 not only do   
not believe its worst  doctrines1 but do
 not understand them4 ,in the statement1
 however1 of  opinions1 we cannot be    
guided by individual feelings1 except in
 cases  where we have individual protest
 to the contrary4 ,the members of the   
,church of ,england may object to the   
,westminster confession of ,faith1 not  
being a formulary of their ,church3 it  
is1 however1 the sworn authority  of a  
large body of clergy with whom1 when    
purpose needs1 they refuse not  to hold 
friendly communion4 ,it is1 however1 an 
accurate digest of  ,calvinism3 in that 
relation ,i have used it1--to such of   

the ,english  clergy as are not         
,calvinists it can have no reference4 ,i
 wish to quote  it as a theological1 and
 not as an ecclesical authority4 ,but   
the  seventeenth article of the ,english
 ,church1 though softened in            
expression1 is the same in sense4       
,burnet ,i know has made the            
unsuccessful effort to suit it to both  
sides for the sake of tender            
consciences2 but that must be a most    
convenient and comprehensive  latitude  
of phraseology which can sound all the  
notes of the theological  scale1 from   
high ,calvinism down to low             
,arminianism4 ,that the meaning of  the 
article is properly ,calvinistic1 is    
plain from the times in which it  was   
composed1 from the opinions of the men  
who drew it up1 and from the  terms in  
which it is expressed4 ,yet many        
thousand ministers with all  varieties  
and shades of opinions1 solemnly affirm 
they believe it1  although the law      
demands that the articles shall be taken

 in their plain  and grammatical sense4 
,this is one proof of the consistency of
 creeds4 ,i  quote one author1 ,boston1 
who seems actually to feast and         
luxuriate  amidst the dark monstrocities
 which he pictures2 his spirit appears  
to  bound1 and his heart to exult within
 him1 at the sound of the dreadful      
trumpet which calls the wicked to their 
final doom2 and one can almost  imagine 
the rapture of his eye1 as in fancy he  
saw the flame kindling1  and the smoke  
of torment arising in which they were to
 burn for ever4 ,in  his description of 
hell he displays no ordinary degree of  
graphic and  geographical talent1 and   
when he comes to paint the sufferings of
 damned  bodies1 he is so accurate and  
anatomical1 that as ,paley at #fj       
learned  anatomy1 to write on natural   
theology1 you would suppose that ,boston
  learned it to enlarge with correctness
 on the physical tortures of the  lost4 
,i wish not to fix his opinions upon any
 man or body of men2  substantially1    

however1 they are no more than          
,calvinism1 though some  might object to
 his mode of expressing them4 ,this ,i  
may fairly say to  any of those who do  
not agree with ,boston in their         
,calvinism1 and would  yet fix the      
,improved ,version on us1 that they are 
as bound to receive  the one as we the  
other4 ,nay1 more so1 inasmuch as       
,boston's work is in  a wider           
circulation1 and with the evidence of   
most extensive approval4  ,it is        
published by the ,london ,tract         
,society1 and ,i have an edition  before
 me as late as #ahch2 it is sold by     
every evangelical bookseller1  and it is
 to be found on the shelves of every    
evangelical circulating  library4 ,we   
are accused of rebellion against ,god   
and ,christ2 but let any  one read      
dispassionately the extracts contained  
in this1 and reflect on  the sentiments 
to be deduced from their collective     
testimony1 and then  let him say whether
 deeper injury was ever done to ,god1 or

 ,christ1 or  man1 than is inflicted by 
these repulsive dogmas4 ,by these       
descriptions1  if ,god is a being of    
love or justice1 then language has no   
meaning1 or  we are to interpret the    
terms by their contradictories4 ,if you 
were only  to disguise the words1 but   
preserve the sentiments1 and attribute  
the  character implied in them to the   
parent of the most zealous of           
,calvinists1 he would spurn the         
aspersion with honest indignation4 ,and1
  if we mean not by goodness in ,god1   
something analogous to goodness in  man1
 what is it that we can mean8 ,the      
abstractions in which these dogmas  are 
involved by scholastic mysticism1 blinds
 the mind to their ordinary  import4    
,but let us suppose an illustration4    
,take the case of a human  father1 who1 
granting he had the power1 should       
pre-ordain his child to  misery2 should 
attribute a guilt to him1 he never knew2
 should require  from him what he had no
 power to accomplish1 and condemn him   

because he  had not fulfilled it2 should
 place him in circumstances in which he 
was  sure to grow worse1 and yet        
withhold the help that could make him   
better2 should1 as the son sunk deeper  
in iniquity1 heap heavier  malediction  
on the wretch he abandoned2 should see  
without pity the ruin  that continually 
grew darker1 and gaze ruthlessly on the 
suffering that  was finally to be       
consummated in despair4--,suppose       
further1 and you  render the picture    
complete1 that such conduct was defined 
as the  vindication of parental dignity1
 the very glory of justice2 and he who  
practised it as a father of exceeding   
love4 ,but we will go further1 and      
suppose this father has the power to    
cast his child into misery  everlasting1
 and that he does it2 must we close the 
analogy here8 ,no3 we  can carry it one 
step higher3 swell out this being into  
infinite  existence1 make him omnipotent
 and omniscient1 place him on the throne
  of the universe1 and put all creatures

 within his boundless control1 he  is   
then the ,god of ,calvin's theology4    
,this view ,i give not rashly1 nor      
without foundation2 it is more than     
justified by the quotations that ,i     
bring forward4 ,our faith is            
characterized as a blasphemous heresy3  
we  employ no epithet1 but we are not   
afraid to have it contrasted with       
,calvinistic orthodoxy4                 
,character of ,god4    8,predestination 
is the everlasting purpose of ,god2     
whereby 7before the  foundations of the 
world were laid7 he hath constantly     
decreed by his  counsel1 secret to us1  
to deliver from curse and damnation     
those whom he  hath chosen in ,christ   
out of mankind1 and to bring them to    
everlasting  salvation1 as vessels made 
to honour40--,from the #agth ,article of
 the  ,church of ,england4    8,by the  
decree of ,god1 for the manifestation of
 his glory1 some men and  angels are    
predestined unto everlasting life1 and  
others fore-ordained  to everlasting    

death4 ,these angels and men1 thus      
predestined and  fore-ordained1 are     
particularly and unchangeably designed2 
and their  number is so certain and     
definite1 that it cannot be either      
increased or  diminished40    8,the rest
 of mankind ,god was pleased1 according 
to the unsearchable  counsel of his own 
will2 whereby he extendeth or           
withholdeth mercy as he  pleaseth1 for  
the glory of his sovereign power over   
his creatures1 to  pass by and to ordain
 them to dishonour and wrath for their  
sin1 to the  praise of his glorious     
justice40    8,as for those wicked and  
ungodly men whom ,god1 as a righteous   
judge1 for  former sins doth blind and  
harden1 from them he not only           
withholdeth his  grace1 whereby they    
might have been enlightened in their    
understandings1  and wrought upon in    
their hearts1 but sometimes also        
withdraweth the  gifts which they had1  
and exposeth them to such objects as    
their  conception makes occasion of sin2

 and withal1 gives them over to their   
own lusts1 the temptations of the world1
 and the power of ,satan2 whereby  it   
cometh to pass1 that they harden        
themselves1 even under those means      
which ,god useth for the softening of   
others40--,westminster ,confession of   
,faith1 ch4 iii1  #c1 #d1 #g2 ch4 v1    
#f4    8,god1 in his providence1        
permitted some angels wilfully and      
irrecoverably to fall into sin and      
damnation1 limiting and ordering that   
and all their sins to his own glory2 and
 established the rest in  holiness and  
happiness1 employing them all1 at his   
pleasure1 in the  administrations of his
 power1 wisdom1 and justice40--,larger  
,catechism1  q4 #ai4    8,i grant1      
indeed10 says ,calvin1 8that all the    
children of ,adam fell1 by  the will of 
,god1 into that misery of state whereby 
they be now bound2  and this is it that 
,i said at the beginning1 that at length
 we must  alway return to the           
determination of the will of ,god1 the  

cause whereof  is hidden in himself4    
,the angels which stood fast in their   
uprightness1  ,paul calleth the elect4  
,if their steadfastness was grounded on 
the good  pleasure of ,god1 the falling 
away of the others proveth that they    
were  forsaken2 of which thing there can
 be no other cause alleged than         
reprobation1 which is hidden in the     
secret counsel of ,god40--,inst4  note1 
b4 iii1 ch4 #bc1  #d4                   
8,predestination1 whereby ,god adopteth 
some into the hope of life1 and         
adjudgeth some to eternal death1 no man1
 that would be accounted godly1  dare   
deny40 8,predestination we call the     
eternal decree of ,god3 he had it       
determined with himself what he willed  
to become of every man4 ,for all  are   
not created to like estate2 but to some 
eternal life1 and to some  eternal      
damnation1 is fore-appointed4 ,therefore
 every man is created to  one or the    
other end4 ,so we say he is             
predestinated to life or to             

death40--,ibid4 b4 iii1 ch4 #ba1  #e4   
8,the ,scripture crieth out that all men
 were in the person of one man  made    
bound to eternal death4 ,since this     
cannot be imputed to nature1 it  is     
plain it proceeded from the wondrous    
counsel of ,god4 ,but it is too  much   
absurdity that these1 the good patrons  
of the righteousness of ,god1  do so    
stumble at a straw and leap over beams4 
,again ,i ask1 how came it  that the    
fall of ,adam did wrap up in eternal    
death so many nations1 with  their      
children1 being infants1 without remedy1
 but because it so pleased  ,god8 ,here 
their tongues1 which are otherwise so   
prattling1 must be dumb4  ,it is a      
terrible decree1 ,i grant2 yet no man   
shall be able to deny but  that ,god    
foreknew what end man should have ere he
 created him1 and  therefore foreknew   
because he had so ordained by his       
decree40--,ibid4 b4  iii1 ch4 #bc1  #g4 
,these quotations1 did space permit1 or 
the patience of my readers1 might  be   

multiplied to a much greater extent2 and
 might do something1 perhaps1  to       
illustrate the character of the         
persecutor of ,servetus4 ,his actions1  
as a man1 were not inconsistent with his
 ideas of ,god as a theologian4    8,who
 can fully describe10 asks ,boston1 8the
 wrath of an angry ,god8 ,none  can do  
it40 8,wrath10 he says1 8is a fire in   
the affections of man1  tormenting the  
man himself2 but there is no            
perturbation in ,god4 ,his  wrath does  
not in the least mar that infinite      
repose which he hath in  himself40      
,then1 speaking of man generally1 he    
says1 8,there is a wrath in  the heart  
of ,god against him2 there is a wrath in
 the word of ,god  against him2 there is
 a wrath in the hand of ,god against    
him40 ,we have  here his statement of   
wrath in ,god as an agent2 and1 through 
pages of  gloomiest description1 he     
makes man its unsheltered object4       
8,there is a  wrath on his body4 ,it is 
a piece of accursed clay1 which wrath is

  sinking into1 by virtue of the first  
covenant4 ,there is a wrath on the      
natural man's enjoyments4 ,wrath is on  
all he has3 on the bread he eats1  the  
liquor he drinks1 and the clothes he    
wears40--,boston's ,fourfold  ,state4   
,character and ,condition of ,man4      
8,with such bondage of sin then as will 
is detained1 it cannot move  itself to  
goodness1 much less apply               
itself40--,calvin ,inst41 b4 ii1 ch4    
#c1  #e1 ,london ,edition1 #fcd4        
8,works done by unregenerate men1       
although for the matter of them they    
may be things which ,god commands1 and  
of good use both to themselves and      
others1 yet because they proceed not    
from a heart purified by faith1 nor  are
 done in a right manner1 according to   
the word1 nor to a right end1  the glory
 of ,god1 they are therefore sinful1 and
 cannot please ,god1 or  make a man meet
 to receive grace from ,god3 and yet    
their neglect of them  is more sinful   
and displeasing unto                    

,god40--,westminster ,confession of     
,faith1 ch4 xvi4  #g4    8,man in his   
depraved state is under an utter        
inability to do anything  truly         
good40--,boston4    ,the same doctrine  
is taught more leniently in the #acth   
article of the  ,church of ,england1 so 
that amongst the theologians1 8the      
natural man10  as they call him1 is in a
 sad condition1 for act as he will he   
cannot  but sin3 if he does good works1 
he commits sin1 and if he neglects them 
he is guilty of still greater sins4     
,quotations in the spirit of those      
already adduced might be swelled into   
volumes from the vast treasures of      
,calvinistic divinity4 ,but ,i shall    
close these by an extract from the      
author ,i have before mentioned and     
quoted from1 an author1 as ,i have      
said1 highly popular and largely        
circulated2 and here is a passage of    
his on ,christ and the last             
judgment4--8,the judge will pronounce   
the  sentence of damnation on the       

ungodly multitude4 ,then shall he say   
also  to them on the left hand1         
#8,depart from me ye cursed into        
everlasting  fire prepared for the devil
 and his angels3' 444 ,the ,lamb of ,god
 shall  roar as a lion against them2 he 
shall excommunicate and cast them out of
  his presence for ever1 by a sentence  
from the throne1 saying1 #8,depart  from
 me1 ye cursed4' ,he shall adjudge them 
to everlasting fire1 and to  the society
 of devils for evermore4 ,and this      
sentence also we suppose1  will be      
pronounced with an audible voice by the 
man ,christ4 ,and all the  saints shall 
cry1 #8,hallelujah6 true and righteous  
are his judgments6'  ,none were so      
compassionate as the saints when on     
earth1 during the time  of ,god's       
patience3 but now that time is at an    
end2 their compassion for  the ungodly  
is swallowed up in joy in the           
,mediator's glory1 and his  executing of
 just judgment1 by which his enemies are
 made his footstool4  ,though when on   

earth the righteous man wept in secret  
places for their  pride1 and because    
they would not hear1 yet he shall       
rejoice when he  seeth the vengeance2 he
 shall wash his feet in the blood of the
 wicked  7,ps4 lviii4 #aj74 ,no pity    
shall then be shown them from their     
nearest  relations4 ,the godly wife     
shall applaud the justice of the judge  
in the  condemnation of her ungodly     
husband3 the godly husband shall say    
,amen  to the condemnation of her who   
lay in his bosom2 the godly parent      
shall say ,hallelujah at the passing of 
the sentence against their  ungodly     
child2 and the godly child shall1 from  
the bottom of his heart1  approve the   
condemnation of his wicked parents1--the
 father who begat  him1 and the mother  
who bore him4 ,the sentence is just1    
they are judged  according to their     
work40--,rev4 xx4 #ab4    ,it were      
surely preferable to labour under the   
blindest mistakes  concerning the       
essence of ,god1 or the person of       

,christ1 than be guilty  of believing   
such atrocious representations as these 
of their moral  character4 ,the zealous 
may scout us if they choose1 as         
infidels2 but if  ,calvinism and        
,christianity were identical1 infidelity
 would be virtue1  it would be but the  
righteous rebellion of human nature     
against creeds1  in vindication of the  
truth of its own affections1 and the    
rectitude of  its ,god4                 
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,,iv4           
,footnote #aea3      ,see ,note on ,john
 xii4    ,footnote #aeb3      ,john x4  
#cd-cf4    ,footnote #aec3      ,acts   
xvii4 #cj1 #ca4    ,footnote #aed3      
#a ,cor4 xv4 #ba1 #dg4    ,footnote     
#aee3      ,acts4 x4    ,footnote #aef3 
,cuvier4 ,see ,note #a4    ,footnote    
#aeg3      ,see ,note #b4    ,footnote  
#aeh3      ,lect4 pp4 #bai1 #bbj4       
,footnote #aei3      ,lect4 p4 #bbb4    
,footnote #afj3      ,lecture1 p4 #bcc4 
,footnote #afa3      ,lecture1 p4 #bdd4 

,footnote #afb3      ,cuvier's ,eloge on
 ,priestley4    ,footnote #afc3         
,no4 #abf1 #ahcf4                       
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,the ,,proposition                     
8,,that ,,christ ,,is ,,god10           
,,proved ,,to ,,be ,,false ,,from ,,the 
,,jewish                       ,,and    
,,the ,,christian ,,scriptures4         
---------------------                   
,,preface4    ,the length of the        
following ,discourse rendered it        
necessary to omit  large portions of it 
in the delivery2 the remainder has      
undergone no  alteration in preparing   
the ,lecture for the press4    ,it is   
one of the duties of the                
controversialist to drop each subject of
  debate so soon as everything          
materially affecting it has been        
advanced2  and to seize the time for    
silence1 as promptly as the time for    
speech4  ,this consideration would have 
led me to abstain from any further      

remarks  respecting the ,improved       
,version1 did it not appear that it is  
considered  disrespectful to pass       
without notice any argument adduced by  
our  opponents4 ,in briefly adverting to
 ,mr4 ,byrth's strictures on my former  
,lecture1 contained in the preface to   
his own1 ,i am more anxious to avert    
from myself the imputation of           
discourtesy to him than to disprove his 
charge of 8,,pitiful ,,evasion20 which  
even the accuser himself1 ,i imagine1   
cannot permanently esteem just4         
,notwithstanding the criticisms of my   
respected opponent1 ,i still  maintain  
that a ,subscriber to the ,british and  
,foreign ,unitarian  ,association is no 
more responsible for the alleged        
delinquencies of the  ,improved         
,version1 than is a ,subscriber to the  
,british and ,foreign ,bible  ,society  
for the known departures from the true  
standard of the text  which its funds   
are employed to circulate4 ,mr4 ,byrth  
appears to  enumerate three particulars1

 in which he thinks that the parallelism
  between these two cases fails3        
,first2 8,the ,authorised ,version does 
not profess to be a systematic          
,interpretation4 ,it is not1 in one     
word1 a ,creed and an ,exposition4  ,it 
is only a literal translation1 without  
note or comment40 ,so much  the worse1  
must we not say8 ,whatever deception a  
false text can produce1  is thus wholly 
concealed and undiscoverable2 the       
counterfeit passes into  circulation1   
undistinguished from the pure gold of   
the ,divine ,word1  bearing on its front
 the very same image and superscription4
 ,did this  version 8profess to be a    
systematic ,interpretation10 readers    
would  be on their guard2 but while     
professing to be 8without note or       
comment10  it inserts 8a note0 or gloss 
7in the case of the ,heavenly           
,witnesses7  into the text itself4 ,the 
doctrinal bearing of this and other     
readings1 in which ,griesbach's differs 
from the ,received ,text1 makes the     

,authorised ,version1 quoad hoc1 a      
creed1 while it disclaims this          
character4    ,secondly2 ,to constitute 
the ,parallelism1 the ,bible ,society   
ought to be1  8,the ,trinitarian        
,society for ,promoting ,christian      
,knowledge10 avowedly  publishing an    
8,improved ,version of the ,scriptures10
 c4 ,so long1 then1  as ,churchmen      
abstain from proposing 8an ,improved    
,version10 and designate  their         
societies by neutral names1 they may be 
acquitted1 8in foro  conscienti10 for   
retaining any corruptions which may     
happen to exist in  the un-improved     
,translation4 ,it is easy to conjecture 
that1 on this  principle1 it will be    
long before the ,church incurs the      
needless guilt  of an 8,improved        
,version40 ,surely the frank avowal1 by 
the words  8,trinitarian ,society10 of a
 party purpose1 would rather abate than 
augment the culpability of retaining a  
,trinitarian gloss2 since the  reader   
would have fair warning that the work   

was edited under  ,theological bias4    
,and one of the most serious charges    
against 8the  ,improved ,version0 was   
precisely this3 that its first edition  
was without  party badge 7the word      
,unitarian not appearing in the title72 
so that  it might possibly deceive the  
unwary4    ,thirdly2 ,the parallelism is
 said to fail in extent2 the            
peculiarities  of the ,improved ,version
 being much more numerous1 and sustained
 by less  evidence1 than the false      
readings of the ,authorized             
,translation4 ,i  cannot concur in this 
remark1 so far as it affects the        
evidence against  #a ,john v4 #g4 ,but  
,i pass by this matter of opinion1 to   
protest against  the unjust exaggeration
 of a matter of fact1 contained in ,mr4 
,byrth's  supposition of a ,trinitarian 
counterpart to the ,improved ,version4  
,he  speaks of 8a text corrected on the 
principle of0 8,theological  criticism  
and conjecture30--he knows that not one 
text is so corrected2  that ,griesbach's

 second edition is followed without     
variation2 that any  proposed deviations
 from it are only typographically       
indicated1 or  suggested and defended in
 the notes4 ,he speaks of the retention 
of  8questionable passages10 without    
8notice that their authenticity had     
ever been doubted20 and the expunging of
 as many perplexing doctrinal  texts as 
possible3--he knows that not one word of
 the most approved  text is expunged1 or
 of any less perfect text retained2 and 
that notice  is given of every deviation
 on the part of the ,editors1 in        
questions  either of authenticity or of 
translation1 from their standards1      
,griesbach and ,newcome1 and from the   
,received ,text4 ,mr4 ,byrth is aware   
that his opponents in this controversy  
do not altogether admire the  ,improved 
,version2 but it is not fit that        
advantage should be taken of  this to   
publish extravagant descriptions of it1 
in which the accuracy of  the scholar1  
and even the justice of the ,christian1 

are for the moment  lost in the         
vehemence of the partisan4    ,it is    
desirable to add1 that the ,society     
which originally published the          
,improved ,version1 has long since been 
merged in the ,british and ,foreign     
,unitarian ,association4 ,in this larger
 body three other societies 7of  which  
one1 at least1 surpassed in scale and   
influence the unfortunate  object of our
 opponent's hostility7 are consolidated2
 and its  subscription list contains the
 names of those who previously supported
  any of the constituent elements of the
 ,association4 ,hence it can1 with  no  
propriety1 be called 8,the ,society     
instituted for the circulation0 of  the 
,improved ,version4 ,it cannot be       
alleged that a subscriber is bound to   
anything more than a general and        
preponderant approbation of the complex 
objects of the ,association2 nor does   
he1 by retaining his name on the  list  
of its supporters1 forego his right of  
dissenting from particular  modes of    

action which its ,directors may adopt4  
,may ,i assure ,mr4 ,byrth1 that ,i did 
not intend to insinuate1 that his       
strictures were produced 8second-hand30 
except in the sense that many of  them  
had1 in fact1 been anticipated4 ,i      
expressly guarded myself against  any   
construction reflecting on the          
originality and literary honour of  our 
opponents4    ,the remaining            
animadversions of ,mr ,byrth1 involving 
no public interest1  and having merely  
personal reference to myself1 ,i        
willingly pass by2  knowing that they   
can have no power but in their truth2   
and in that case  ,i should be sorry to 
weaken them4                            
---------------------                   
,,lecture ,v4                  ,,the    
,,proposition 8,,that ,,christ ,,is     
,,god10 ,,proved                    ,,to
 ,,be ,,false ,,from ,,the ,,jewish     
,,and ,,the                             
,,christian ,,scriptures4               
,,by ,,rev4 ,,james ,,martineau4        

8,,for ,,though ,,there ,,be ,,that     
,,are ,,called ,,gods1 ,,whether ,,in   
,,heaven ,,or ,,in     ,,earth 7,,as    
,,there ,,be ,,gods ,,many1 ,,and       
,,lords ,,many71 ,,but ,,to ,,us ,,there
 ,,is ,,but     ,,one ,,god1 ,,the      
,,father1 ,,of ,,whom ,,are ,,all       
,,things1 ,,and ,,we ,,in ,,him2 ,,and  
,,one     ,,lord ,,jesus ,,christ1 ,,by 
,,whom ,,are ,,all ,,things1 ,,and ,,we 
,,by ,,him40--#a ,cor4     viii4 #e1 #f4
      ,scarcely had ,christ retired from
 our world1 before his influence began  
to be felt by mankind in two different  
ways4 ,he transformed their  ,worship1  
and purified their interpretation of    
,duty4 ,they have ever  since adored a  
holier ,god1 and obeyed a more exalted  
rule of right4  ,looking upward1 they   
have discerned in heaven a ,providence  
more true and  tender than they had     
believed2 looking around1 they have seen
 on earth a  service allotted to their  
conscience1 nobler and more responsible 
than  they had thought before4 ,watched 

from above by an object of infinite     
trust and veneration1 they have found   
below a work of life most sacred1  to be
 performed by obedient wills beneath his
 sight4 ,faith has flown to  its rest   
there1 and conscience has toiled in its 
task here1 with a  tranquil energy never
 seen in a world not yet evangelized4   
,to suppose that a set of moral         
precepts1 however wise and              
authoritative1  could ever have         
produced1 in either of these respects1  
the effects which  have flowed from     
,christianity1 seems to me altogether   
unreasonable4 ,had  ,christ done no more
 than leave in the world a sound code of
 ethics1 his  work would probably have  
expired in a few centuries1 and have    
been very  imperfect while it endured4  
,a few prudential and dispassionate     
minds  would have profited by its       
excellence2 but never would it have     
trained  the affections of childhood1 or
 overawed the energy of guilt1 or       
refined  the rugged heart of ignorance1 

or consecrated the vigils of grief4     
,the power of ,christ's religion is not 
in his precepts1 but in his  person2 not
 in the memory of his maxims1 but in the
 image of ,himself4 ,he  is his own     
system2 and1 apart from him1 his        
teachings do but take their  place with 
the sublimest efforts of speculation1 to
 be admired and  forgotten with the     
colloquies of ,socrates1 and the        
meditations of ,plato4  ,himself first1 
and his lessons afterwards1 have the    
hearts of the people  ever loved3 his   
doctrines1 indeed1 have been obscured1  
his sayings  perverted1 his commands    
neglected1 the distinctive features of  
his  instructions obliterated1 but he   
himself has been venerated still2 his   
unmistakable spirit has corrected the   
ill-construed letter of the  ,gospel2   
and preserved some unity of life amid   
the various1 and even  opposing         
developments of ,christian civilization4
    ,the person of ,christ may be       
contemplated as an object of religious  

reverence1 or as an object of moral     
imitation4 ,he may appear to our  minds 
as the representative of ,deity1 or as  
the model of humanity2  teaching us1 in 
the one case1 what we should believe1   
and trust1 and  adore in heaven2 in the 
other1 what we should do on earth3--the 
rule of  faith in the one relation1 the 
rule of life in the other4    ,did his  
office extend only to the latter1 were  
he simply an example to  us1 displaying 
to us merely what manhood ought to be1  
he might indeed  constitute the centre  
of our morality2 but he would not       
properly belong  to our religion3 he    
would be the object of affections equal 
and social1  not devout2 he would take a
 place among things human1 not divine2  
would  be the symbol of visible and     
definite duties1 not of unseen and      
everlasting realities4 ,a ,christianity 
which should reduce him to this         
relation1 would indeed be a step removed
 above the mere cold preceptive  system1
 which depresses him into a law-giver2  

but it would no more be  entitled to the
 name of a religion1 than the ,ethics of
 ,aristotle1 or  the ,offices of        
,cicero4    ,it is then as the type of  
,god1 the human image of the everlasting
 ,mind1  that ,christ becomes an object 
of our ,faith4 ,once did a dark and     
doubting world cry1 like ,philip on the 
evening of ,gethsemane1 8,show us  the  
,father1 and it sufficeth us30 but now  
has ,christ 8been so long with  us0 that
 we1 8who have seen him1 have seen the  
,father40 ,this ,i conceive  to have    
been the peculiar office of ,jesus2 to  
show us1 not to tell  us1 the spirit of 
that ,being who spreads round us in     
,infinitude1 and  leads us through      
,eternity4 ,the universe had prepared   
before us the  scale of ,deity2 ,christ 
has filled it with his own spirit2 and  
we  worship now1 not the cold           
intellectual deity of natural religion2 
not  the distant majesty1 the bleak     
immensity1 the mechanical omnipotence1  
the immutable stillness1 of the         

speculative ,theist's ,god3 but ,one far
  nearer to our worn and wearied hearts2
 ,one whose likeness is seen in  ,jesus 
of ,nazareth1 and whose portraiture1    
suffused with the tints of  that soul1  
is impressed upon creation2 ,one1       
therefore1 who concerns  himself with   
our humblest humanities1 and views our  
world with a  domestic eye1 whose       
sanctity pierces the guilty mind with   
repentance1  and then shelters the      
penitent from rebuke2 who hath mercy for
 the  victims of infirmity1 and a recall
 for the sleepers in the grave4 ,let    
,messiah's mind pass forth to fill all  
time and space2 and you behold the      
,father1 to whom we render a loving     
worship4    ,in order to fulfil this    
office of revealing1 in his own person1 
the  character of the ,father1 ,christ  
possessed and manifested all the moral  
attributes of ,deity4 ,his absolute     
holiness2 his ineffable perceptions of  
right2 his majestic rebuke of sin2 his  
profound insight into the corrupt  core 

of worldly and hypocritical natures1 and
 to the central point of  life in the   
affectionate and genuine soul2 his      
well-proportioned mercies  and          
disinterested love1 fill the whole      
meaning of the word ,divine3 ,god  can  
have no other1 and no more1 perfection  
of character intelligible to  us4       
,these moral attributes of ,god1 we     
conceive to have been compressed1 in    
,christ1 within the physical and        
intellectual limits of humanity2 to have
  been unfolded and displayed amid the  
infirmities of a suffering and  tempted 
nature2 and1 during the brevity of a    
mortal life1 swiftly  hurried to its    
close4 ,and this immersion of divine    
perfection in the  darkness of weakness 
and sorrow1 so far from forfeiting our  
appreciation  of him1 incalculably      
deepens it4 ,the addition of infinite   
force1  mechanical or mental1 would     
contribute no new ingredient to our     
veneration1 since force is not an object
 of reverence2 and it would take  away  

the wonder and grandeur of his soul1 by 
rendering temptation  impossible1 and   
conflict a pretence4 ,since ,god cannot 
be pious1 or  submissive to his own     
providence1 or cast down in doubt of his
 own  future1 or agonized by the insults
 of his own creatures1 such a           
combination seems to confuse and destroy
 all the grounds of veneration1  and to 
cause the perfection of ,christ to pass 
in unreality away4    ,to this view1    
however1 of the person of ,christ1      
,trinitarians object as  defective2 and 
proceed to add one other ingredient to  
the conception1  viz41 that he possessed
 the physical and intellectual          
attributes of  ,deity2--that he is to be
 esteemed no less eternal1 omnipotent   
and  omnipresent1 than the ,infinite    
,father2 the actual creator of the      
visible  universe1 of the very world    
into which he was born and of the mother
 who  bare him1 of the disciples who    
followed and of the enemies who         
destroyed  him4 ,these essential        

properties of ,deity by no means1 we are
 assured1  interfered with the          
completeness of his humanity2 so that he
 had the  body1 the soul1 the           
consciousness1 of a man2 and1 in union  
with these1  the infinite mind of ,god4 
,but in a question of mere words1 in    
which the  guidance of ideas is         
altogether lost1 ,i dare not trust      
myself to my own  language4 ,to disturb 
the juxtaposition of charmed sounds1 is 
to endanger  orthodoxy2 and1 in         
describing the true doctrine1 ,i        
therefore present you  with a portion of
 that unexampled congeries of luminous  
phrases1  commonly called the           
,athanasian ,creed4 8,the ,catholic     
faith is this3 that  we worship ,one    
,god in ,trinity1 and ,trinity in       
,unity2 neither confounding  the        
persons1 nor dividing the substance4    
,for there is one person of the         
,father1 another of the ,son1 and       
another of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,but the   
,godhead of the ,father1 of the ,son1   

and of the ,holy ,ghost1 is all one2    
the glory equal1 the majesty co-eternal4
 ,such as the ,father is1 such is  the  
,son1 and such is the ,holy ,ghost3 444 
the ,father eternal1 the ,son  eternal1 
and the ,holy ,ghost eternal2 and yet   
they are not three  eternals1 but one   
eternal4444 ,so the ,father is ,god1 the
 ,son is ,god1 and  the ,holy ,ghost is 
,god2 and yet they are not three ,gods1 
but one ,god4444  ,so there is one      
,father1 not three ,fathers2 one ,son1  
not three ,sons2 one  ,holy ,ghost1 not 
three ,holy ,ghosts4 ,and1 in this      
,trinity1 none is afore  or after other2
 none is greater or less than another2  
but the whole  three persons are        
co-eternal together and co-equal40      
,of the second of these three persons1  
the second article of the ,church  of   
,england gives the following account3-- 
8,the ,son1 which is the ,word of the   
,father1 begotten from everlasting of   
the ,father1 the very and eternal ,god1 
and of one substance with the  ,father1 

took man's nature in the womb of the    
blessed ,virgin1 of her  substance2 so  
that two whole and perfect              
natures1--that is to say1 the  ,godhead 
and the ,manhood1--were joined together 
in one ,person1 never to be  divided2   
whereof is ,one ,christ1 very ,god and  
very ,man2 who truly  suffered1 was     
crucified1 dead1 and buried1 to         
reconcile his ,father to  us40    ,in   
opposition to this theory1 we maintain  
the ,personal ,unity of ,god1 and  the  
simplicity of nature in ,christ4 ,it is 
my duty at present to submit  these     
contrasted schemes to the test of       
,scripture4 ,in order to effect  this1  
,i advance these three positions3       
7#a47 ,that if the ,athanasian doctrine 
be found in ,scripture1 then1 on our    
opponents' own principles1 ,scripture   
does not contain a revelation from      
,god4    7#b47 ,that if it be really in 
the ,bible1 certain definable traces of 
it  there may justly be demanded2 and1  
before opening the record1 we should    

settle what these traces must be4       
7#c47 ,that such traces cannot be found 
in ,scripture4    ,i4 8,if10 says       
,bishop ,butler1 8a supposed revelation 
contain clear  immoralities or          
contradictions1 either of these would   
prove it  false40#afd ,this principle1  
generally recognized by competent       
reasoners1 has been distinctly admitted 
in the present discussion2 and  ,dr4    
,tattershall1 in particular1 has        
employed much ingenuity to prove  that  
the doctrine of the ,trinity1 containing
 no absurdity or  contradiction1        
involves in no danger the authority of  
the writings  supposed to teach it4 ,but
 no subtlety can avail to remove the    
inherent  incredibility of this tenet1  
which even its believers cannot1 without
  uneasiness1 distinctly and steadily   
contemplate4 ,long usage and ,church    
authority alone prevent men from        
perceiving that the propositions1       
announcing it1 are either simple        
contradictions1 or statements empty of  

all meaning4 ,the same remark is        
applicable to the notion of the two     
natures in ,christ4    ,before          
proceeding to justify this assertion1   
let me guard myself from  the imputation
 of rejecting this doctrine because it  
is mysterious2 or  of supporting a      
system which insists on banishing all   
mysteries from  religion4 ,on any such  
system ,i should look with unqualified  
aversion1 as  excluding from faith one  
of its primary elements2 as obliterating
 the  distinction between logic and     
devotion1 and tending only to produce an
  irreverent and narrow-minded          
dogmatism4 8,religion without mystery0  
is a  combination of terms1 than which  
the ,athanasian ,creed contains nothing 
more contradictory2 and the sentiment of
 which it is the motto1 ,i take  to be a
 fatal caricature of rationalism1       
tending to bring all piety into         
contempt4 ,until we touch upon the      
mysterious1 we are not in contact with  
religion2 nor are any objects reverently

 regarded by us1 except such as1  from  
their nature or their vastness1 are felt
 to transcend our  comprehension4 ,god1 
of whose inscrutable immensity creation 
is but the  superficial film2 ,christ1  
the love of whom surpasseth knowledge2  
futurity1 veiled in awful shadows1 yet  
illumined by a point or two of  light2  
these1 which are slightly known1 and    
greatly unknown1 with  something        
definite1 representing a vast           
indefinite1 are the peculiar  objects of
 trust and veneration4 ,and the station 
which the soul  occupies1 when its      
devout affections are awakened1 is      
always this3 on  the twilight1 between  
immeasurable darkness and refreshing    
light2 on the  confines1 between the    
seen and the unseen2 where a little is  
discerned1  and an infinitude concealed2
 where a few distinct conceptions stand1
 in  confessed inadequacy1 as symbols of
 ineffable realities3 and we say1  8,lo6
 these are part of his ways2 but the    
thunder of his power1 who can           

understand80 ,and if this be true1 the  
sense of what we do not know is as      
essential to our religion as the        
impression of what we do know3 the      
thought of the boundless1 the           
incomprehensible1 must blend in our mind
  with the perception of the clear and  
true2 the little knowledge we have  must
 be clung to1 as the margin of an       
invisible immensity2 and all our        
positive ideas be regarded as the mere  
float to show the surface of the        
infinite deep4    ,but mystery1 thus    
represented1 offers anything but objects
 of belief3 it  presents nothing to be  
appreciated by the understanding2 but a 
realm of  possibilities to be explored  
by a reverential imagination2 and a     
darkness that may be felt to the centre 
of the heart4 ,being1 by its very       
nature1 the blank and privative space1  
offered to our contemplation1  nothing  
affirmative can be derived thence2 and  
to shape into definite  words the things
 indefinite that dwell there is to      

forget its character4  ,we can no more  
delineate anything within it than an    
artist1 stationed at  midnight on an    
,alpine precipice can paint the rayless 
scene beneath him4    ,there cannot1    
however1 be a greater abuse of words1   
than to call the  doctrine of the       
,trinity a mystery2 and all the         
analogies by which it is  attempted to  
give it this appearance1 will instantly 
vanish on near  inspection4 ,it does not
 follow1 because a mystery is something 
which we  cannot understand1 that       
everything unintelligible is a mystery2 
and we  must discriminate between that  
which is denied admittance to our       
reason1  from its fulness of ideas1 and 
that which is excluded by its emptiness2
  between a verbal puzzle and a         
symbolical and finite statement of an   
infinite truth4 ,if ,i were to say of a 
triangle1 each of the sides of  this    
figure has an angle opposite to it1 yet 
are there not three angles  but one     
angle1 ,i should be unable to shelter   

myself1 under the plea of  mystery1 from
 the charge of bald absurdity2 and the  
reply would be  obviously this3 #8,never
 was anything less mysterious put into  
words2 all  your terms are precise and  
sharp1 of definable meaning1 and        
suggestive  of nothing beyond3 the      
difficulty is1 not in understanding your
  propositions separately1 but in       
reconciling them together2 and this     
difficulty is so palpable1 that either  
you have affirmed a direct              
contradiction1 or you are playing tricks
 with words1 and using them in a  way   
which1 being unknown to me1 turns them  
into mere nonsense4' ,if to  this ,i    
should answer1 that the contradiction   
was only apparent1 for that  the three  
and the one were affirmed in different  
senses2 and that  it would be very      
unfair to expect1 in so deep a mystery1 
the word  angle to be restrained to its 
usual signification2 ,i should no doubt 
be called upon to explain in what novel 
sense this familiar term was  here      

employed1 since1 in the interval between
 the expulsion of the old  meaning and  
the introduction of the new1 it is mere 
worthless vacancy4  ,and if1 then1 ,i   
should confess that the strange meaning 
was some  inscrutable and superhuman    
idea1 which it would be impossible to   
reach1  and presumption to conjecture1  
,i should not be surprised to hear the  
following rejoinder2 #8you are talking  
of human language as if it were         
something more than an implement of     
human thought1 and were like the  works 
of nature1 full of unfathomable wonders 
and unsuspected relations2  hidden      
properties of things there doubtless    
are1 but occult meanings  of words there
 cannot be4 ,words are simply the signs 
of ideas1 the  media of exchange1       
invented to carry on the commerce of    
minds1--the  counters1 either stamped   
with thought1 or worthless counterfeits4
 ,nay  more1 in this monetary system of 
the intellectual world1 there are no    
coins of precious metal that retain an  

intrinsic value of their own1  when the 
image and superscription imprinted by   
the royalty of  intelligence are gone2  
but mere paper-currency1 whose whole    
value is  conventional1 and dependent on
 the mental credit of those who issue   
it3  and to urge propositions on my     
acceptance1 with the assurance that they
  have some invisible and mystic force1 
is as direct a cheat1 as to pay me  a   
debt with a bill palpably marked as of  
trivial value1 but1 in the  illegible   
types of your imagination1 printed to be
 worth the wealth of  ,crsus4'          
8,verbal mysteries10 then1 cannot exist1
 and the phrase is but a fine  name for 
a contradiction or a riddle4 ,the       
metaphysics which are invoked  to       
palliate their absurdity1 are           
fundamentally fallacious2 and equally   
vain is it to attempt to press natural  
science into the service of  defence4   
,in the case of a ,theological mystery1 
we are asked to assent to  two ideas1   
the one of which excludes the other2 in 

the case of a  natural mystery1 we      
assent to two ideas1 one of which does  
not imply  the other4 ,in the one case1 
conceptions which destroy each other are
  forced into conjunction2 in the other1
 conceptions which had never  suggested 
each other1 are found to be related4    
,when1 for example1 we say  that the    
union1 in our own constitution1 of body 
and mind is perfectly  mysterious1 what 
do we really mean8 ,simply1 that in the 
properties of  body there is nothing    
which would lead us1 antecedently1 to   
expect any  combination with the        
properties of mind2 that we might have  
entertained  for ever the notions of    
solidity1 extension1 colour1            
organization1  without the remotest     
suspicion of such things as sensation1  
thought1  volition1 affection1 being    
associated with them4 ,the relation is  
unanticipated and surprising2 for       
thought does not imply solidity3 but    
then neither does it exclude it2 the two
 notions stand altogether apart1  nor   

does the one comprise any element       
inconsistent with the other4 ,it is     
evident that it is far otherwise with   
the union of the two natures in         
,christ2 the properties of the ,divine  
nature1 omnipotence1 omniscience1       
omnipresence1 directly exclude the      
properties of the human                 
nature1--weakness1 fallibility1 local   
movement and position2 to affirm  the   
one is the only method we have of       
denying the other2 and to say of  any   
,being1 that besides having the         
omniscience of ,god1 he had the  partial
 knowledge of man1 is to say that in    
addition to having all  ideas1 he       
possessed some ideas4 ,all the natural  
analogies at which  theologians hint in 
self-justification1 fail in the same    
point4 ,they  tell me truly that it is a
 mystery to me how the grass grows4 ,but
 by  this is meant only1 that from the  
causes which produce this phenomenon1   
,i could not have antecendently         
predicted it2 that if ,i had been a     

fresh  comer on the globe1 the          
meteorological conditions of the earth  
in spring  might have been perceived by 
me without my suspecting1 as a sequence1
  the development of a green substance  
from the soil4 ,we have again an        
example of an unforeseen relation2 but  
between the members of that  relation   
there is not even a seeming             
contradiction4 ,nor do ,i know of any   
other signification of the word mystery1
 as applied to our knowledge or  belief1
 except in its usage to express         
magnitudes too great to be filled  by   
our imaginations2 as when we speak of   
the mysterious vastness of  space1 or   
duration of time3 or1 viewing these as  
the attributes of a  ,being1 stand in   
awe of the immensity and eternity of    
,god4 ,but neither in  this case is     
there any approach to the admission of  
ideas which exclude  each other2 on the 
contrary1 our minds think of a small    
portion1--take  into consideration a    
representative sample1 of those         

immeasurable  magnitudes1 and           
necessarily conceive of all that is left
 behind1 as  perfectly similar1 and     
believe the unknown to be an endless    
repetition  of the known4    ,it is     
constantly affirmed that the doctrines  
of the ,trinity1 and of the  two natures
 in ,christ1 comprise no contradiction2 
that it is not stated  in the former    
that there are three ,gods1 but that    
,god is three in one  sense1 and one in 
another2 and in the latter1 that ,christ
 is two in one  sense1 and one in       
another4    ,i repeat and proceed to    
justify my statement1 that if1 in the   
enunciation of these tenets1 language is
 used with any appreciable  meaning1    
they are contradictions2 and if not1    
they are senseless4 ,i  enter upon this 
miserable logomachy with the utmost     
repugnance2 and am  ashamed that in     
vindication of the simplicity of        
,christ1 we should be  dragged back into
 the barren conflicts of the schools4   
8,if10 says ,dr4 ,tattershall1 8it had  

been said that ,he is ,,one ,,god and   
also ,,three ,,gods1 then the statement 
would have been self-contradictory1  and
 no evidence could have established the 
truth of such a  proposition40#afe ,now 
,i take it as admitted that this being  
is called  ,,one ,,god2 and that there  
are ,,three ,,gods1 is undoubtedly      
affirmed  distributively1 though not    
collectively2 each of the three persons 
being separately announced as ,god4 ,in 
the successive instances1 which we  are 
warned to keep distinct1 and not        
confound1 of the ,father1 the ,son1  and
 the ,holy ,ghost1 proper ,deity is     
affirmed2 in three separate cases1  all 
that is requisite to constitute the     
proper notion of ,god1 is said to       
exist2 and this is exactly what is      
meant1 and all that can be meant1 by    
the statement1 that there are three     
,gods4 ,i submit then that the same     
creed teaches that there are three      
,gods1 and also that there are not      
three ,gods4    ,from this contradiction

 there is but one escape1 and that is1  
by  declaring that the word ,god is used
 in different senses2 being applied  to 
the triad in one meaning1 and to the    
persons in another4 ,if this be         
alleged1 ,i wait to be informed of the  
new signification which is to be        
attached to this title1 hitherto        
expressive of all the ideas ,i can form 
of intellectual and moral perfection4   
,more than this1 which exhausts  all the
 resources of my thought1 it cannot     
mean2 and if it is to mean  less1 then  
it withholds from ,him to whom it is    
applied something which  ,i have        
hitherto esteemed as essential to ,god4 
,meanwhile1 a word with an  occult      
meaning is a word with no meaning2 and  
the proposition  containing it is       
altogether senseless4    ,but the       
favourite way of propounding this       
doctrine is the following3  that ,god is
 three in one sense1 and one in another2
 ,three in ,person1 but  only ,one      
,individual1 ,subsistence1 or ,being4   

,the sense1 then1 if ,i  understand     
aright1 of the word ,person1 is         
different from the sense of  the words  
,individual1 ,being1 or ,subsistence2   
and if so1 ,i may ask what  the         
respective senses are1 and wherein they 
differ from each other4 ,in  reply ,i am
 assured1 that by person is to be       
understood 8a subject in  which resides0
 8an entire set or series of those      
properties which are  understood to     
constitute personality2 viz4 the        
property of ,life1 that  of             
,intelligence1 that of ,volition1 and   
that of ,activity1 or power  of         
,action40#aff ,very well2 this is       
distinct and satisfactory2 and now  for 
the other sense1 viz4 of the words      
,individual1 ,being1 and  ,subsistence4 
,about this an ominous silence is       
observed2 and all  information is       
withheld respecting the quite different 
meaning which  these terms contain4 ,now
 ,i say1 that their signification is the
 very  same with that of the word       

,person1 as above defined2 that when you
 have  enumerated to me a complete 8set 
of personal attributes10 you have       
called up the idea of an ,individual1   
,being1 or ,subsistence2 and  that when 
you have mentioned to me these phrases1 
you have made me think  of a complete   
set of personal attributes2 that if you 
introduce me to  two or three series of 
personal attributes1 you force me to    
conceive of  two or three beings2 that a
 complete set of properties makes up an 
entire subsistence1 and that an entire  
subsistence contains nothing else  than 
its aggregate of properties4 ,to take1  
for example1 from ,dr4  ,tattershall's  
list of qualities which are essential to
 personality2 tell  me of two lives1 and
 ,i cannot but think of two individuals2
 of two  intelligences1 and ,i am       
necessitated to conceive of two         
intelligent  beings2 of two wills or    
powers of action1 and it is impossible  
to  restrain me from the idea of two    
,agents2 and if each of these lives1    

intelligences1 and volitions1 be divine1
 of two ,gods4 ,the word  substance1 in 
fact1 will hold no more than the word   
person2 and to the  mind1 though not to 
the ear1 the announcement in question   
really is1  that there are three        
persons1 and yet only one person4 ,thus 
men 8slide  insensibly10 to use the     
words of ,archbishop ,whately1 8into the
  unthought-of1 but1 ,i fear1 not       
uncommon1 error of ,tritheism2 from     
which  they think themselves the more   
secure1 because they always maintain the
  ,unity of the ,deity2 though they     
gradually come to understand that ,unity
  in a merely figurative sense2 viz4 as 
a ,unity of substance1--a ,unity of     
purpose1 concert of action1 c42 just as 
any one commonly says1 #8,my  friend    
such-an-one and myself are one2' meaning
 that they pursue the  same designs with
 entire mutual confidence1 and perfect  
co-operation1  and have that exact      
agreement in opinions1 views1 tastes1   
c41 which is  often denoted by the      

expression one mind40#afg    ,no doubt  
this excellent writer is correct in his 
impression1 that the  belief in three   
,gods is prevalent in this country1 and 
kept alive by the  creeds of his own    
church4 ,and how does he avoid this     
consequence  himself8 ,by understanding 
the word ,persons1 not in ,dr4          
,tattershall's1  which is the ordinary  
,english sense1 but in the ,latin       
signification1 to  denote the relations1
 or capacities1 or characters1 which an 
individual may sustain1 the several     
parts which he may perform2 so  that the
 doctrine of the ,trinity amounts only  
to this1 that the ,one  ,infinite ,deity
 bears three relations to us4 ,this is  
plain ,unitarianism1  veiled behind the 
thinnest disguise of speech4 ,between   
this and  ,tritheism1 it is vain to seek
 for any third estate4#afh    ,the      
contradiction involved in the doctrine  
of the two natures of ,christ  is of    
precisely the same nature and extent4   
,we are assured that he had a  perfect  

human constitution1 consisting of the   
growing body and  progressing mind of a 
man2 and also a proper divine           
personality1  comprising all the        
attributes of ,god4 ,now1 during this   
conjunction1  either the human mind     
within him was1 or it was not1 conscious
 of the  co-existence and operation of  
the divine4 ,if it was not1 if the      
earthly  and celestial intelligence     
dwelt together in the same body without 
mutual recognition1 like two persons    
enclosed in the same dark chamber1  in  
ignorance of each other1 then were there
 two distinct beings1 whom it  is a     
mockery to call 8one ,christ20 the      
humanity of our ,lord was  unaffected by
 his ,deity1 and in all respects the    
same as if disjoined  from it2 and his  
person was but a movable sign1          
indicating the place and  presence of a 
,god1 who was as much foreign to him as 
to any other human  being4 ,if the human
 nature had a joint consciousness with  
the divine1  then nothing can be        

affirmed of his humanity separately2 and
 from his  sorrows1 his doubts1 his     
prayers1 his temptations1 his death1    
every  trace of reality vanish away4 ,if
 he were conscious1 in any sense1 of    
omnipotence1 nothing but duplicity could
 make him say1 8of mine own self  ,i can
 do nothing20 if of omniscience1 it was 
mere deception to affirm  that he was   
ignorant of the time of his second      
advent2 if of his  equality with the    
,father1 it was a quibble to say1 8my   
,father is greater  than ,i40 ,i reject 
this hypothesis with unmitigated        
abhorrence1 as  involving in utter ruin 
the character of the most perfect of    
created  beings4    ,the intrinsic      
incredibility then of these doctrines1  
involving1 as they  do1 8clear          
immoralities and self contradictions10  
would throw discredit  on the claims of 
any work professing to reveal them on   
the authority of  ,god4 ,and whether we 
listen to the demands of ,scripture on  
our  reverential attention1 must depend 

on this3--whether these tenets are      
found there or not4 ,and to this enquiry
 let us now proceed4    ,one remark ,i  
would make in passing1 on the supposed  
value of the theory  of the two natures1
 as a key to unlock certain difficult   
passages of  the ,bible1 and to         
reconcile their apparent contradictions4
 ,christ1 it is  affirmed1 is sometimes 
spoken of as possessing human qualities1
  sometimes as possessing divine2 on the
 supposition of his being simply  man1  
one class of these passages contradicts 
us2 on the assumption of  his being     
simply ,god1 another4 ,let us then      
pronounce him both1 and  everything is  
set right2 every part of the document   
becomes clear and  intelligible4#afi    
,now which1 let me ask1 is the greater  
difficulty3 the obscure language1  which
 we wish to make consistent1 or the     
prodigious hypothesis1 devised  for the 
reconcilement of its parts8 ,the sole   
perplexity in these  portions of        
,scripture consists in this1--that the  

divine and the human  nature are felt to
 be incompatible1 and not to be         
predicable of the same  being3 if we did
 not feel this1 we should be conscious  
of no opposition2  and the ingenious    
device for relieving the bewilderment1  
is to deny the  incompatibility1 and    
boldly to affirm the union4 ,if you will
 but believe  both sides of the         
contradiction1 you will find the        
contradiction  disappear6 ,what would be
 thought of such a principle of         
interpretation  applied to similar cases
 of verbal discrepancy8 ,it is stated1  
for  example1 in the ,book of ,genesis1 
that ,abraham and ,lot received a divine
  communication respecting the          
destruction of ,sodom2 and the bearers  
of  the message are spoken of1 in one   
place1 as ,jehovah himself2 in another1 
as angels2 in a third1 as men4#agj ,what
 attention would be given to any        
interpreter who should say2 #8it is     
clear that these persons could not be   
simply ,god1 for they are called men2   

nor simply men1 for they are called     
angels2 nor simply angels1 for they are 
called ,god3 they must have had a       
triple nature1 and been at the same time
 perfect ,god1 perfect angel1 and       
perfect man8' ,would such an explanation
 be felt to solve anything8 ,or  take   
one other case1 in which ,moses is      
called ,god with a distinctness  which  
cannot be equalled in the case of       
,christ3 8,moses called together  all   
,israel1 and said to them3 444 ,i have  
led you forty years in the  wilderness2 
your clothes have not waxen old upon    
you1 and thy shoe is  not waxen old upon
 thy foot4 ,ye have not eaten bread1    
neither have ye  drunk wine or strong   
drink2 that ye might know that ,i am the
 ,lord your  ,god40#aga ,what relief1   
let me ask1 should we obtain from the   
difficulty of this passage1 by being    
told that ,moses had two natures in  one
 person1 and must be received as        
,god-man8 ,who would accept 8a key0     
like this1 and not feel that in         

loosening one difficulty1 it locked fast
  another1 and left us in labyrinthine  
darkness8    ,,ii4 ,when a ,trinitarian1
 and a ,unitarian1 agree to consult     
,scripture  together1 and to bring their
 respective systems to this written     
standard1 it is essential that they     
should determine beforehand what it  is 
that they must look for3 what internal  
characters of the books are to  be      
admitted in evidence2 what kind and     
degree of proof each is entitled  to    
expect4 ,each should say to the other   
before the ,bible is opened1  8,tell me 
now1 distinctly1 what are the marks and 
indications in these  records1 which you
 admit would disprove your scheme3 what 
must ,i succeed  in establishing1 in    
order to convince you that you are      
mistaken80 ,the  mutual exchange of some
 such tests is indispensable to all     
useful  discussion4 ,i am not aware that
 any rules of this kind have ever been  
laid down1 or ,i would willingly adopt  
them4 ,meanwhile ,i will propose a  few2

 and state the phenomena which ,i think 
a ,unitarian has a right to  expect in  
the ,bible1 if the ,athanasian          
doctrine#agb be revealed there1  and its
 reception made a condition of          
salvation4 ,if the criteria be in  any  
respect unreasonable1 let it be shown   
where they are erroneous or  unfair4 ,i 
am not conscious of making any          
extravagant or immodest  petition for   
evidence4    ,if1 then1 the existence of
 three ,persons1 each ,god1 in the ,one 
,infinite  ,deity1--and the temporary   
union of the second of these ,persons1  
with a  perfect man1 so as to constitute
 ,one ,christ1--be among the prominent  
facts communicated in the written       
,revelation of the ,bible1 we may expect
  to find there the following           
characters3    7#a47 ,that somewhere or 
other1 among its thousand pages1 these  
doctrines  so easily and compendiously  
expressed1 will be plainly stated4      
7#b47 ,that as it is important not to   
confound the three persons in the       

,godhead1 they will be kept distinct1   
having some discriminative and not      
interchangeable titles2 and1 moreover1  
since each has precisely the  same claim
 to be called ,,god1 that word will be  
assigned to them with  something like an
 impartial distribution4    7#c47 ,that 
as1 in consistency with the ,,unity1 the
 term ,god will always be  restricted to
 one only being or substance2 so1 in    
consistency with the  ,,trinity1 it will
 never be limited to ,,one ,,person to  
the exclusion of  the ,,other ,,two4    
7#d47 ,that when the ,,persons are named
 by their distinctive divine  titles1   
their equality will be observed1 nor any
 one of them be  represented as         
subordinate to any other4    7#e47 ,that
 since the ,,manhood of ,christ         
commenced1 and its peculiar  functions  
ceased1 with his incarnation1 it will   
never be found  ascribed to him in      
relation to events1 before or after this
 period4    ,all these phenomena1 ,i    
submit1 are essential to make scripture 

consistent with ,athanasianism2 and not 
one of these phenomena does  scripture  
contain4 ,this it is now my business to 
show4    ,,iii4 7#a47 ,is then our      
expectation realized1 of finding        
somewhere within  the limits of the     
,bible1 a plain1 unequivocal statement  
of these  doctrines8 ,confessedly not2  
and notions which1 in one breath1 are   
pronounced to be indispensable to       
salvation1 are in another admitted to   
be no matters of revelation at all1 but 
rather left to be gathered by  human    
deduction from the sacred writings4     
8,the doctrine of the ,trinity10  says a
 respectable ,calvinistic writer1 ,mr4  
,carlile of ,dublin1 8is rather  a      
doctrine of inference and of indirect   
intimation1 deduced from what  is       
revealed respecting the ,father1 and the
 ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost1 and        
intimated in the notices of a plurality 
of persons in the ,godhead1 than  a     
doctrine directly and explicitly        
declared40 ,and elsewhere the same      

author says1 8,a doctrine of inference  
ought never to be placed on a  footing  
of equality with a doctrine of direct   
and explicit  revelation40#agc ,if this 
be so 7and the method of successive     
steps by  which it is attempted1 in this
 very controversy1 to establish the     
doctrine of the ,trinity1 proves ,mr4   
,carlile to be right71 then to deny     
this mere inference is not to deny a    
revelation4 ,but why1 we may be         
permitted to enquire1 this shyness and  
hesitancy in the scriptures in          
communicating such cardinal truths8     
,whence this reserve in the ,holy       
,spirit about matters so momentous8#agd 
,what is the source of this  strange    
contrast between the formularies of the 
,church of ,england1 and  those of the  
primitive ,church of ,christ8 ,the      
,prayer-book would seem to  have greatly
 the advantage over the ,bible2 for it  
removes all doubts at  once1 and makes  
the essentials most satisfactorily      
plain2 compensating1  shall we say1 by  

8frequent repetitions10 for the defects 
and ambiguities  of ,holy ,writ8 ,nay1  
it is a singular fact1 that in the      
original languages  of the ,old and ,new
 ,testaments1 no phraseology exists in  
which it is  possible to express the    
creeds of the ,church4 ,we give to the  
most  learned of our opponents the whole
 vocabulary of the ,hebrew and the      
,greek ,scriptures1 and we say1 8with   
these materials translate for us  into  
either language1 or any mixture of both1
 your own ,athanasian  ,creed10 ,they   
well know1 that it cannot be done3 and  
ought not then this  question to be well
 weighed8 if the terms indispensable for
 the  expression of certain ideas are   
absent from the ,bible1 how can the     
ideas  themselves be present8 ,scarcely 
can men have any important notions      
without the corresponding words1--which 
the mind coins as fast as it  feels the 
need2 and most assuredly they cannot    
reveal them4 ,let us  hear no more the  
rash assertion that these tenets may be 

proved from any  page of scripture2 we  
frankly offer every page1 with          
unrestricted  liberty to rewrite the    
whole2 and we say1 with all this1 they  
cannot be  expressed4    7#b47 ,let us  
proceed to apply our second criterion1  
and ascertain whether  the divine       
persons1 whom it is essential to        
distinguish1 are so  distinguished by   
characteristic titles in scripture2 and 
share among  them1 with any approach to 
equality1 the name of ,,god4    ,it is  
self-evident1 that a verbal revelation  
can make known  distinctions only by    
distinctive words2 that if two or more  
objects  of thought receive             
interchangeable names1 and the term     
which had seemed  to be appropriated to 
the one is transferred to the other1    
those objects  are not discriminated1   
but confounded4 ,we require1 then1      
separate words  in scripture to denote  
the following notions2 of the ,one      
,divine  ,substance1 or ,triune ,being2 
of the ,first1 of the ,second1 of the   

,third  person1 in this infinite        
existence2--of the ,divine ,nature and  
of the  ,human ,nature of ,christ4 ,for 
the ,trinity1 it is acknowledged1 there 
is no  scripture name2 unless1 indeed1  
the plural form of the word ,god in the 
,hebrew language is to be claimed for   
this purpose2 and thus an attempt  be   
still made to confirm our faith by      
argument which an orthodox  commentator 
calls 8weak and vain1 not to say silly  
and absurd40#age  8,from the plural     
sense of the word ,elohim10 says the    
great ,calvin1 8it  is usual to infer   
that there are three persons in the     
,godhead4 ,but as  this proof of so     
important a point appears to me by no   
means solid1 ,i  will not insist upon   
the word4 ,let me then warn my readers  
against such  ,,violent                 
,,interpretations40#agf 8,i must be     
allowed10 says ,dr4 ,lee1 ,arabic       
,professor in the ,university of        
,cambridge1 8to object to such methods  
of  supporting an article of faith1     

which stands in need of no such         
support40#agg ,of the first person in   
the ,trinity1 the word 8,father10  it is
 to be presumed1 may be considered as   
the distinctive name2 of the  ,second   
person1 the terms ,son1 ,son of ,god1   
and the ,word or ,logos2  of the ,third 
person1 the phrase ,holy ,ghost1        
,spirit1 ,paraclete2 and  of the human  
nature of ,christ1 as distinguished from
 the ,second  distinction in the        
,trinity1 the names ,jesus of ,nazareth1
 ,son of ,man1  the ,man ,christ ,jesus4
 ,if these names be not distinctive1    
there  certainly are no others2 and if  
there be none at all1 then the          
distinctions themselves are not         
impressed upon the record2 they are     
altogether destitute of signs and       
expressions1 and must be pronounced     
purely imaginary4 ,meanwhile we will    
assume the titles1 which ,i have just   
enumerated1 to be appropriated to the   
purposes which have been assigned4  ,to 
the use of the words ,father and ,son ,i

 shall have particular  occasion to     
revert4    ,the usage of the word ,god1 
in the ,new ,testament1 presents us with
 some  remarkable phenomena4 ,the       
,athanasian doctrine offers to our      
belief four  objects of thought1 to     
which this word is equally and          
indifferently  applicable2 the ,triune  
,divine ,being2 and each of the three   
,persons2 and  its advocates profess to 
have learned from ,scripture the        
well-adjusted  equipoise of these claims
 upon the great and sacred name4 ,we are
 hardly  then prepared by its           
instructions1 distinct and emphatic as  
they are1  for the following fact2      
allowing every one of the ,trinitarian  
interpretations to be correct1 the word 
,god is used in the ,new ,testament     
,,ten times of ,christ2 and of some     
other object1 upwards of ,,thirteen     
,,hundred times4#agh ,whence this       
astonishing disproportion8 ,some        
cause1--something corresponding to it in
 the minds of the writers1 it  must have

 had2 nor is it easy to understand1 how 
an equal disposition of  the ,divine    
,persons in the habitual conceptions of 
the ,authors1 could  lead to so unequal 
an award of the grand expression of     
,divinity4    ,even the few instances1  
which for the moment ,i have allowed1   
will  disappear on a nearer examination4
 ,this appears to be the proper place   
to pass under review the most remarkable
 passages1 which1 under  ,trinitarian   
exposition1 appear to sanction the      
doctrine of the proper  ,deity of       
,christ4    7a47 ,the evangelist        
,matthew applies to ,christ#agi the     
following words  of the prophet ,isaiah1
 which1 in order to give the truest     
impression of  the original1 ,i will    
quote from the translation of ,bishop   
,lowth3 8,behold  the ,virgin           
conceiveth1 and beareth a son2 and she  
shall call his name  ,emmanuel40#ahj ,as
 this name is significant1 and means    
8,god with us10 it  is argued1 that it  
could not be assigned to any one who was

 not properly  ,god4    ,now even if    
this name were really assigned by the   
prophet to ,christ1 the  most           
superficial ,hebraist must be aware that
 it teaches us nothing  respecting the  
nature and person of our ,lord4 8,the   
fact is  unquestionable10 says ,dr4 ,pye
 ,smith1 8that the gratitude or hope of 
individuals1 in the ancient scriptural  
times1 was often expressed by the       
imposition of significant appellations  
on persons or other objects1 in  the    
composition of which ,divine names and  
titles were frequently  employed2 these 
are1 therefore1 nothing but short       
sentences1 declarative  of some blessing
 possessed or expected40#aha ,thus the  
name ,lemuel  means ,god with them2     
,elijah1 ,god the ,lord2 ,elihu1 ,god is
 he4  ,so that to use the words of one  
of the ablest of living ,trinitarian    
writers1 8to maintain that the name     
,immanuel proves the doctrine in        
question is a fallacious argument40#ahb 
,but1 in truth1 this name is not given  

to the ,messiah by the prophet2 and  the
 citation of it in this connection by   
the evangelist is an example of  those  
loose accommodations1 or even           
misapplications1 of passages in the     
,old ,testament by writers in the ,new1 
which the most resolute orthodoxy  is   
unable to deny2 and which 7though       
utterly destructive of the theory  of   
verbal inspiration7 the real dignity of 
the ,gospel in no way requires  us to   
deny4 ,turning to the original prophecy1
 and not neglecting the  context and    
historical facts which illustrate it1 we
 find that ,jerusalem  was threatened   
with instant destruction by the         
confederated kings of  ,syria and       
,samaria2 that1 to the terrified ,jewish
 monarch ,ahaz1 the  prophet is         
commissioned to promise the deliverance 
of his metropolis and  ruin to his      
enemies2 that he even fixes the date of 
this happy reverse2  and that he does   
this1 not in a direct way1 by telling   
the number of  months or years that     

shall elapse1 but by stating that ere a 
certain  child1 either already born1 or 
about to be born within a year1 shall be
  old enough to distinguish between good
 and evil1 the foe shall be  overthrown2
 and that this same child1 whose infancy
 is thus  chronologically used1 shall   
eat the honey of a land peaceful and    
fertile  once more4 ,nor is this        
interpretation any piece of mere        
heretical  ingenuity4 ,dr4 ,pye ,smith  
observes3 8,it seems to be as clear as  
words can  make it1 that the ,son       
promised was born within a year after   
the giving  of the prediction2 that his 
being so born at the assigned period1   
was  the sign or pledge that the        
political deliverance announced to ,ahaz
  should certainly take place40#ahc     
,without assenting to the latter part   
of this remark1 ,i quote it simply to   
show that1 in the opinion of this       
excellent and learned ,divine1 the      
,emmanuel could not have been born      
later than a year after the delivery of 

the prophecy4 ,it will  immediately     
appear that there is nothing to preclude
 the supposition of  his being already  
born1 at the very time when it was      
uttered4    ,who this child1 and who his
 mother1 really were1 are questions     
wholly  unconnected with the present    
argument4 ,as the date1 and not the     
person1 was the chief subject of the    
,prophet's declaration1 any son of      
,jerusalem1 arriving at years of        
discretion within the stated time1 would
  fulfil the main conditions of the     
announcement2 and as a sign of ,divine  
deliverance1 might receive the name     
,emmanuel4 ,in fact1 however1 the       
child1 in the view of ,isaiah1 seems to 
have been no other than the  ,king's own
 son1 ,hezekiah2 and the ,virgin ,mother
 to have been1 in  conformity with a    
phraseology familiar to every careful   
reader of the  ,old ,testament1 the     
royal and holy city of ,jerusalem4      
,amos1 speaking of  the city1 says1     
8,the virgin of ,israel is fallen10#ahd 

,jeremiah1  lamenting over its          
desolation1 exclaims1 8,let mine eyes   
run down with  tears night and day1 and 
let them not cease2 for the virgin      
daughter of  my people is broken1 with a
 great breach1 with a very grievous     
blow40#ahe ,micah1 apostrophizing the   
citadel1 bursts out1 8,o                
tower10--8stronghold of the daughter of 
,zion10--8is there no king in thee8  ,is
 thy counsellor perished8 ,for pangs    
have taken thee1 as a woman in          
travail40#ahf ,the fact that ,hezekiah  
was already born1 seems to confirm      
rather than to invalidate this          
interpretation4 ,a living child to his  
parents1 he was yet the city's embryo   
king4 ,what sign more fitted to         
reassure the terrified and faithless    
monarch than this2 that1 ere his  own   
first-born should reach the years of    
judgment1 his twofold enemy  should be  
cast down8 ,what language1 indeed1 could
 be more natural  respecting an heir to 
the throne1 of whom great expectations  

were  excited in grievous times8 ,the   
royal city dreamt of his promised life  
with gladness2 he was the child of      
,jerusalem1 in the hour of her anguish  
given to her hopes2 in after years of   
peace fulfilling them4#ahg    7b47 ,this
 prince appears evidently to have been  
the person described  also in another   
passage1 from which1 though never cited 
in the ,new  ,testament as applicable to
 ,christ at all1 modern theologians are 
accustomed to infer his ,deity4 ,it is  
as follows3 8,unto us a child is  born1 
unto us a son is given2 and his name    
shall be called wonderful2  counsellor2 
the mighty ,god2 the everlasting        
,father2 the ,prince of  ,peace40#ahh   
,we have only to look at the terms in   
which this great one's  dominion is     
described1 and the characters that are  
to mark his reign1 in  order to assure  
ourselves that he is some person very   
different from  ,christ2 the ,northern  
district of ,palestine is to be         
delivered by him  from the sufferings of

 an ,assyrian invasion2 he is to break  
the yoke  which ,tiglath-,pileser had   
imposed on the land of ,gennesareth2 to 
destroy  the rod of the oppressor2 to   
make a conflagration of the spoils of   
the  battle-field1 and burn the greaves 
and blood-stained garments of his       
country's enemies4#ahi ,it seems to me  
impossible to imagine a more  violent   
distortion of ,scripture than the       
application of this passage to  ,christ4
 ,but1 be it even otherwise1 there are  
only two of these titles  which can be  
thought of any avail in this argument4  
,one is1 the  8everlasting ,father20    
which if it proves anything1 establishes
 that the  second person in the ,trinity
 is the first person1 or else that the  
word  ,father must be given up as a     
distinctive name1 a concession          
destructive of the whole doctrine4 ,the 
other is the phrase1 8the mighty  ,god10
 or by inversion1 8,god the mighty20 on 
which ,i presume no stress  would have  
been laid if1 instead of being presented

 to us in a  translation1 it had been   
given in the original1 and called       
,,gabriel4 ,for  the word ,god1 ,martin 
,luther substitutes 7,held7 hero1 as the
 juster  rendering4#aij ,but1 in truth1 
it is sad trifling thus to crumble      
,hebrew  names to pieces1 in order to   
yield a few scarce visible atoms of     
argument to replenish the precarious    
pile of church orthodoxy1 wasted by  the
 attrition of reason1 the healthful dews
 of nature1 and the sunshine  and the   
air of ,god4#aia    7c47 ,let us turn to
 the ,proem of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel2    
that most venerable  and beautiful of   
all the delineations which ,scripture   
furnishes1 of the  twofold relation of  
,christ's spirit1 to the ,father who    
gave it its  illumination1 and to the   
brethren who were blessed by its light4 
,to our  cold understandings1 indeed1   
this passage must inevitably be obscure2
  for it deals with some of the         
characteristic conceptions of that lofty
  speculative reason1 which1 blending   

the refinements of ,platonism with  the 
imaginative license of the oriental     
schools1 assumed in early times  the    
intellectual empire of the church1 and  
has kept the world ever since  in       
deliberation on its creations4 ,i do not
 mean that the ,apostle was a           
,platonist1 or a disciple of any        
philosophical system4 ,but he wrote in  
,asia ,minor1 where he was surrounded by
 the influences1 in constant            
familiarity with the terms1 and         
accustomed to the modes of thought1     
peculiar to the sects of speculative    
religionists most prevalent in his      
time4 ,at all events1 it is a fact that 
he uses language nowhere  employed by   
the other ,evangelists or ,apostles2 and
 that this language is  the very same   
which is the common stock1 and technical
 vocabulary of  ,philo1 the ,platonizing
 ,jew1 and several ,christian writers of
 the same or  a kindred school4 ,before1
 however1 endeavouring to suggest the   
idea  which the ,apostle did mean to    

convey1 let me call your attention to   
that  which he did not4    ,there cannot
 be a more misplaced confidence1 than   
that with which the  introductory verses
 of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel are appealed to
 by the holders  of the ,athanasian     
doctrine4 ,whatever explanation is      
adopted1 which does  not throw contempt 
upon the composition of the ,evangelist1
 is at all  events subversive of their  
system3 and ,i do not hesitate to say1  
that  this is the only thing which ,i   
can regard as certain respecting this   
passage2 that it never could have been  
written by an ,athanasian4 ,in  order to
 test this assertion1 it is not         
necessary to look beyond the  first     
verse2 and before we read it1 let us    
allow the ,trinitarian to  choose any   
sense he pleases of the word ,god1 which
 is its leading term4  ,let us suppose  
that he accepts it as meaning here      
8,,the ,,father10 and that  the ,word or
 ,logos means ,,god ,,the ,,son4 ,with  
these substitutions the verse  reads    

thus3--    ,in the beginning was the    
,son2 and the ,son was with the ,father2
 and the  ,son was the ,father4 ,this   
surely is to 8confound the persons40    
,let us then suppose the meaning        
different1 and the whole ,godhead or    
,,trinity to be denoted by the word     
,,god4 ,the verse would then read       
thus3--    ,in the beginning was the    
,son2 and the ,son was with the         
,trinity1 and the  ,son was the         
,trinity4    ,we are no nearer to       
consistency than before3 and it is      
evident that  before the ,trinitarian   
can find in the passage any distinct    
enunciation1  the term ,,god must be    
conceived to bear two different meanings
 in this  short verse1--a verse so      
symmetrical in its construction as to   
put the  reader altogether off his guard
 against such a change4 ,he must read it
  thus3--    ,in the beginning was the  
second person in the ,trinity2 and the  
second  person was with the first2 and  
the second person was possessed of      

divine  attributes as such4    ,we might
 surely ask1 without unreasonableness1  
why1 when the society  or personal      
affinity of the ,son in the ,godhead1 is
 mentioned in the  middle clause1 the   
companionship of the ,father only is    
noticed1 and  silence observed          
respecting the ,holy ,spirit2 who at    
that moment could  not possibly have    
been absent from the conceptions of any 
,athanasian  writer4 ,but independently 
of this1 the awkwardness of the         
construction1  the violence of the      
leading transition of meaning1 render   
the  interpretation altogether          
untenable4 ,if it be true1 never surely 
was  there a form of speech worse       
devised for the conveyance of the       
intended  ideas4    ,in order to give   
the passage its true force1 there is no 
occasion to  assign to the word ,,god   
any but its usual signification2 as the 
name of  the ,one infinite ,person or   
,being who created and rules the        
universe4 ,but  it is less easy to      

embrace and exhibit with any            
distinctness1 the notion  implied in the
 phrase ,,word or ,,logos4 ,the ancient 
speculative schools1  seeing that the   
,deity had existed from eternity1 and   
therefore in a long  solitude before the
 origin of creation1 distinguished      
between his  intrinsic nature1--deep1   
remote1 primeval1                       
unfathomable1#aib--;and that  portion of
 his mind which put itself forth1 or    
expressed itself by  works1 so as to    
come into voluntary and intelligible    
relations to  men4#aic ,this section of 
the ,divine ,mind1 to which was         
attributable the  authorship of the     
divine works1 they called the ,,logos1  
or the ,,image of  ,god2 both terms     
denoting the expression or power which  
outwardly  reveals internal qualities2  
the one taking its metaphor from the    
ear1  through which we make known our   
sentiments by speech2 the other from the
  eye1 to which is addressed the natural
 language of feature and  lineament4 ,if

 ,i might venture on an illustration    
which may sound  strangely to modern    
hearers1 ,i should say that the ,logos  
was conceived  of in relation to ,god1  
much as with us ,genius is1 in relation 
to the  soul of its possessor2 to denote
 that peculiar combination of           
intellectual and moral attributes1 which
 produces great1 original1  creative    
works1--works which let you into the    
spirit and affections1 as  well as the  
understanding1 of the ,author4 ,any one 
who can so possess  himself with the    
speculative temper of ,christian        
antiquity1 as to use  with reverence the
 phrase genius of ,god1 would find it1  
,i am  persuaded1 a useful ,english     
substitute 7though ,i am well aware1 not
 a  perfect equivalent7 for the word    
,logos4 ,dwelling within the blank      
immensity of ,god1 was this illuminated 
region of ,divine ideas2 in which1  as  
in the fancy and the studio of an       
artist1 the formative conceptions1  the 
original sketches and designs1 the      

inventive projects of beauty and  good1 
shaped and perfected themselves2 and    
from which they issued forth1  to       
imprint themselves upon matter and life1
 and pass into executed and  visible    
realities4 ,from the energy of this     
creative spirit1 or blessed  genius of  
,god1 two very different orders of      
results were conceived to  flow3--the   
forms and symmetrical arrangements of   
the material universe1  by which1 as by 
the engraving of a seal1 ,deity stamped 
his perfections  into vision3 and the   
intuitions of pure reason and conscience
 in the  human soul1 by which1 as by a  
heavenly tone or vibration1 ,deity      
thrilled  himself into consciousness4   
,and when ,i say ,deity1 ,i mean the    
,logos  of ,deity2 for this alone1 it   
was conceived1 stood in any relation to 
us2 the rest was an unexpressed and     
unfathomable ,essence4    ,this portion 
of the ,divine ,infinitude was          
incessantly and vividly  personified2 so
 as to assume1 even in the writings of  

the ,jew and  undoubted ,monotheist     
,philo1 the frequent aspect of a second 
,god3 though  scarcely have you taken up
 this idea from one series of passages1 
before  you are recalled and corrected  
by others1 clearly showing that this is 
a  false impression1 too hastily derived
 from the intensity of the imagery  and 
language4 ,indeed the distinction       
between a mere personification and  a   
positive mythological personage is very 
faint4 ,when a writer  personifies an   
abstraction1 for the moment he conceives
 of this object  of thought as a person2
 and were this state of mind            
perpetuated1 he  would believe it to be 
a person4 ,but his mental attitude      
changes2 and  in a less excited hour1   
that which had constructed and painted  
itself  almost into a being1 fades away 
again into an attribute4 ,hence the     
fluctuation of writers1 at once         
imaginative and speculative1 like ,philo
  and some of the early ,christian      
,fathers1 between the logical and the   

mythical method of speaking of the      
properties of the ,divine nature4 ,and  
it may be remarked1 that the ,apostle   
,john partook1 though in a very  slight 
degree1 of the same tendency4 ,he was   
fond of abstract words3  calling our    
,saviour the way1 rather than the guide2
 the truth1  rather than the teacher2   
the light1 rather than the illuminator2 
and so ,i conceive1 in the commencement 
of his ,gospel1 the inspiration1  rather
 than the inspired of ,god4 ,and then1  
as if to remedy the  indistinctness of  
this mode of representation1 he resorts 
to  personification3 thus1 at the       
dictation of his reverence1 first       
reducing  the living person to an       
abstraction2 and afterwards1 at the     
bidding of  his imagination1 recreating 
the abstraction into a person4 ,the     
extent to  which this personification   
may be carried1 by an author who        
certainly  had no notion but of ,one    
personal ,god1 may be estimated from a  
few  sentences1 referring to this very  

conception of the ,logos1 from the      
,jewish ,philo4 ,the invisible and      
intellectual ,logos1 he says1 is the    
image of ,god1 by whom the world was    
fashioned2 his first-born son1 his      
vicegerent in the government of the     
world2 the mediator between ,god and    
his creatures2 the healer of ills2      
,god's divine ,son1 whose mother is     
wisdom4 ,in another place1 the ,logos is
 the very same with the wisdom of  ,god2
 the most ancient angel1 the first-born 
of ,god2 to the resemblance  of whom    
every one1 who would be a son of ,god1  
must fashion himself4 ,he  is even the  
8second ,god10 8,to the ,archangel1 and 
most ancient ,logos10  says this writer1
 8,god granted this distinguished       
office1 that he should  stand on the    
confines of creation1 and separate      
between it and its  ,creator4 ,with the 
incorruptible being he is the suppliant 
for perishable  mortality4 ,he is the   
ambassador of the ,supreme to the       
subject creation4  ,he announces the    

will of the ,ruler to his subjects4 ,and
 he delights in  the office1 and boasts 
of it1 saying2 ,i had stood between you 
and the  ,lord as mediator2 being       
neither unbegotten as ,god1 nor begotten
 as you1  but between the two extremes1 
and acting as hostage to both10#aid ,all
  this sounds very mysterious2 the      
important thing to bear in mind is1     
that the writer is certainly speaking   
not of any separate divine person1  but 
of the impersonated attributes of ,one  
,sole ,supreme4    ,st4 ,john then1 ,i  
conceive1 does the very same2 only he   
carefully warns  us against thinking of 
his personification as otherwise than   
identical  with the ,supreme1 by saying 
outright1 that the ,logos is ,god2 and  
therefore that whatever he may say about
 the former1 is really to be  understood
 as spoken of the latter4 ,the whole    
proem divides itself into  two ideas3   
that from the ,genius or ,logos of ,god 
have proceeded two sets  of divine      
works2 the material world2 and the soul 

and inspiration of  heaven shed upon the
 world through ,christ4 ,his object1 ,i 
believe1 is to  link together these two 
effects as successive and analogous     
results1  physical in one case1         
spiritual in the other1 of the same     
divine and  holy energy4 ,having warned 
us1 as ,i have said1 in the very first  
verse1  that this energy is not really a
 person distinct from the ,supreme1 he  
abandons himself without reserve to the 
beautiful personification which         
follows2 assuring us that thereby were  
all things made at first1 and  thereby  
were all men being enlightened now2 that
 our very world1 which  felt that       
forming hand of old1 had not discerned  
the blessed influence  which again      
descended to regenerate it3 ungrateful  
treatment6 as of one  who came unto his 
own1 and his own received him not4 ,yet 
were there some  of more perceptive     
conscience and better hearts2 and they1 
be they ,jew  or ,gentile1 whose spirits
 sprung to the divine embrace1 were     

permitted  to become1 by reflected      
similitude1 the ,sons of ,god4    ,thus 
far1 that is1 to the end of the         
thirteenth verse1 there is no  mention  
of ,jesus ,christ as an individual2     
there is only the unembodied            
personification of the abstract energy  
of ,god in the original design1  and the
 newer regeneration of the world4 ,nor  
should there be any  difficulty in this 
separation of the ,divine ,spirit from  
its positive and  personal results4 ,of 
the ,creative ,mind of ,god we can      
easily think1 as  not only prior to the 
act of creation1 but still apart from   
the forms of  matter2 and so can we of  
the illuminating or regenerative ,mind  
of ,god1  as not only prior to its      
manifestation in ,christ1 but apart from
 its  embodiment in his person4 ,in the 
next verse1 however1 the heavenly       
personification is dropped upon the man 
,jesus2 the mystic divine light  is     
permitted to sink into the deeps of his 
humanity2 it vanishes from  separate    

sight3 and there comes before us1 and   
henceforth lives within  our view       
throughout the ,gospel1 the ,man of     
,sorrows1 the ,child of ,god1  with the 
tears and infirmities of our mortal     
nature1 and the moral  perfection of the
 ,divine4 8,and the ,word was made      
flesh1 and dwelt among  us 7and we      
beheld his glory1 the glory as of the   
only-begotten of the  ,father71 full of 
grace and truth40#aie    7d47 ,the      
spirit of this exposition is directly   
applicable to another  passage1 adduced 
to prove the deity of ,christ3 8,god was
 manifest in the  flesh1 justified in   
the spirit1 seen of angels1 preached    
unto the  ,gentiles1 believed on in the 
world1 received up into glory40#aif ,it 
is  well known that in the most approved
 text1 the word ,god does not  exist1   
and the passage reads1 8,he who was     
manifest in the flesh10 c4  ,were it    
permitted to indulge personal wishes in 
such matters1 ,i could  desire that the 
common rendering were the true one4 ,i  

know of no more  exact description of   
,christ1 than that he was a living and  
human  manifestation of the character of
 ,god4#aig    7e47 ,let us now turn to  
the introductory verses of the ,epistle 
to the  ,hebrews2 a passage which is    
claimed as the clearest disclosure of   
the  ,deity of ,christ2 for no          
discoverable reason1 except that from   
its great  obscurity1 it reveals less1  
perhaps1 than any other portion of      
,scripture1 except the ,revelations4    
,from the earliest times it has been    
justly regarded as exceedingly doubtful 
whether the ,apostle ,paul was the      
author of this letter2 the difficulties 
and darkness of which are of a  very    
different character from those which    
embarrass us in his noble  writings1 and
 arise from mental habits far more      
artificial and less  healthy than his4  
,but whatever be the authority of this  
work1 and  whatever the doctrine of its 
introductory portion1 it is so far from 
giving any support to the ,trinitarian  

sentiments1 that it affords1 even  in   
its most exalted language1 arguments    
sufficient to disprove them4 ,the  first
 verses of the epistle1 altered slightly
 from the common  translation1 in order 
to exhibit more faithfully the meaning  
of the  original1 are as follows3--     
8,god who at sundry times1 and in divers
 manners1 spake in times past  unto the 
fathers by the prophets1 hath1 at the   
close of these days1  spoken unto us by 
his ,son2 whom he hath appointed heir of
 all things2  through whom also he made 
the ages of the world2 who1 being the   
brightness of his glory1 and the image  
of his nature1 and ruling all  things by
 the word of his power1 having by       
himself made purification of  our sins1 
sat down on the right hand of the       
majesty on high2 being  become so much  
greater than the angels1 as he hath     
obtained by  inheritance a more         
excellent name than they4 ,for unto     
which of the  angels said he at any     
time1 #8thou art my son2 ,i have this   

day begotten  thee8' ,and again1 #8,i   
will be to him a ,father1 and he shall  
be to me a  ,son4' ,and when ever he may
 again introduce his first-born into the
  world1 it 7i4e4 the ,scripture7 saith1
 #8let all the angels of ,god pay       
homage to him4' ,and with reference to  
the angels1 it saith1 #8who maketh  his 
angels spirits1 and his ministers a     
flame of fire4' ,but with  reference to 
the son1 it saith1 #8thy throne1 ,o     
,god6 is for ever and  ever1 a sceptre  
of righteousness is the sceptre of thy  
kingdom2 thou  hast loved righteousness 
and hated iniquity2 therefore1 ,o ,god6 
thy ,god  hath anointed thee with the   
oil of gladness above thy fellows4'0    
,i terminate the quotation here1 because
 ,i do not believe that the  following  
words have any relation to ,christ4 ,the
 writer's argument not  only admits1 but
 requires1 that they should be referred 
to the supreme  ,god and ,father of all4
    ,now observe with what distinctness 
the most lofty phrases applied to our   

,lord in this passage1 affirm his       
subordination1 and deny his equality    
with the infinite ,father4 ,at the very 
moment when he is addressed as  ,god1 he
 is said to have fellows1 and to be set 
above them as a reward  for his         
goodness2 in the same breath which      
declares his throne to be for  ever and 
ever1 he is described as having a ,god  
who anoints him with the  oil of        
gladness4 ,he is greater than the       
angels1 not by nature1 but by  the gift 
of a better inheritance4 ,he is not the 
original divine  effulgence1 but an     
emanation of that glory1 an image of    
that  perfection2 and in constituting   
the worlds1 or rather the great ras of  
its appointed history1 he is not the    
designer of its revolutions1 but  the   
instrument of ,god in effecting         
them4#aih ,if this teaches the  supreme 
,deity of ,christ1 in what language is  
it possible to disclaim and  to deny    
supremacy8    ,with respect to the      
peculiar terms of dignity applied in    

this passage to  ,christ1 ,i would      
observe as follows3--    ,the words     
8,thy throne1 ,o ,god1 is for ever and  
ever10 were originally  addressed by a  
poetical courtier to ,solomon or some   
other ,hebrew  monarch1 on his accession
 and marriage2#aii nor can the slightest
  reason be assigned for supposing that 
the ode in which the words occur  had   
any reference more remote than the      
immediate occasion of its  composition4 
,the first half of the ,psalm#bjj is    
addressed to the  prince2 the remainder 
to his bride1#bja who is exhorted to    
give her  undivided affection to the new
 relation which she has formed2 to      
8forget  her own people1 and the house  
of her father20 and who is consoled with
  the hope1 that 8instead of her fathers
 she shall have her sons1 whom she      
shall make princes through all the      
land40 ,those who can satisfy           
themselves with the theological conceit1
 that this is a prophetic  allegory1    
descriptive of the relation between     

,christ and his ,church1  appear to have
 placed themselves so far beyond the    
reach of all the  rules of              
interpretation1 that argument becomes   
fruitless2 no possible  media of        
refutation exist4 ,they must belong to  
the class who have  succeeded in        
spiritualizing the ,song of ,solomon2 to
 whom therefore it  has ceased to be a  
matter of the smallest consequence1 what
 words are  presented to them in        
,scripture1 as they have attained the   
faculty of  seeing one set of ideas1    
wherever they look1 and an incapacity to
 see  anything else4 ,bishop ,young1    
convinced that the prophetic claims of  
this  ,psalm must be relinquished1 and  
that the term ,god in it is addressed   
merely to the ,hebrew monarch1 and      
therefore used in an inferior sense1    
renders the passage thus2 8thy throne ,o
 mighty prince1 is for ever and         
ever40#bjb ,and surely1 even those who  
can persuade themselves that  scripture 
can have two intended meanings1 and who 

imagine the poem in  question to have   
referred primarily to ,solomon1 and     
remotely to the  ,messiah1 must perceive
 that a word by which the ,jewish prince
 might be  accosted1 cannot imply the   
supreme deity of ,christ4 ,christ is    
said1 in  the common translation1 to    
have made the worlds2 but it is         
generally  admitted that the phrase does
 not denote the construction of the     
material universe1 and is even incapable
 of bearing this meaning4 ,it  describes
 ,jesus as the agent of ,god in bringing
 about the successive  states of our    
social world2 in introducing the        
preluding revolutions1  and the final   
catastrophe of human affairs4 ,if it be 
asked1 what ages1  what revolutions1 are
 thus attributed to the instrumentality 
of ,christ8  the answer must be sought  
in the fact1 that the author was a      
,hebrew1  writing to ,hebrews4 ,he      
seized on the grand ,jewish division of 
time and  ,providence into two          
portions--the period before1 and the    

period after1  the coming of the        
,messiah2 and these were the two ,,ages1
 frequently  called 8the present world10
 and 8the world to come10 which ,christ 
is  said to have constituted4 ,does any 
one inquire1 in what way our ,lord1 if  
he were not at least pre-existent1 could
 administer the arrangements of         
,providence in the former of these      
periods1 that is1 before his own        
mission to mankind8 ,i submit1 in       
answer1 a suggestion which seems to me  
essential to the clear understanding of 
all the ,christian records1 and         
especially of those which relate to the 
years after the ascension4 ,the  advent 
of the ,messiah was represented1 during 
those years1 not as  past1 but as still 
future2#bjc they were regarded as the   
close of  the old and earthly epoch1 not
 the commencement of the new and        
heavenly2  so that all that ,jesus of   
,nazareth had already done1 the mighty  
changes  which he had set in            
operation1--were an action upon the     

former of the  two great ages2 nor would
 the latter be introduced till he       
returned  from heaven2 to rule1 for a   
period vast or even indefinite1 as the  
personal vicegerent of ,god over his    
faithful children here4 ,this event1    
which in our own days ,millenarians are 
expecting soon1 and which the  early    
,christians expected sooner1 was        
regarded as the true coming of the      
,messiah--the point of demarcation      
between the ages--the introduction of   
8the new heaven and the new earth       
wherein dwelleth righteousness40#bjd    
,meanwhile the old world was drawing to 
a close1 of which a warning 7like  that 
given to ,noah before the flood7#bje had
 been given by the  preliminary visit1  
with unmistakable credentials1 of him   
who was to be  the ,messiah2 he had come
 in the flesh1 and retired in the       
spirit2 and  was leaving time for the   
tidings of his appointment and his      
approach to  spread1 by the voice of    
witnesses and preachers who published   

the  pledges of his power4 ,of those    
pledges1 which marked him out as the    
future prince of life and earth1 none   
were so distinguished as his            
resurrection and ascension1 by which    
,god had given assurance that he  would 
one day judge or rule the world in      
righteousness2#bjf by which he  was     
declared to be the son of ,god with     
power2#bjg and on the very day  of which
 he became the first-born or the        
begotten child of ,god2#bjh and  sat    
down on the right hand of the majesty on
 high4#bji ,invested with  his office1  
he yet abstained from immediately coming
 to claim its  prerogatives2 he         
continued sequestered in the heavens1   
allowing to the  world a time of        
preparation1 a solemn pause before      
judgment2#baj  repressing the impatient 
moment of the great revolution1 and by  
his  powerful word1 bearing a while and 
upholding all things as they  are4#baa  
,if this were really the conception of  
the apostles1 it  follows1 no doubt1    

that they prematurely expected the      
return of their  ,lord2 but that they   
did so1 is no new assumption2 and in    
adopting it ,i  protect myself by the   
authority of ,mr4 ,locke1 who says in a 
note on a  passage of the ,epistle to   
the ,romans1 8,it seems1 by these two   
verses1 as  if ,st4 ,paul looked upon   
,christ's coming as not far off2 to     
which there  are several other occurrent
 passages in his epistles40#bab    ,if  
the foregoing interpretation of the     
introduction to this epistle be  true1  
it follows that all the power and       
dignity there ascribed to ,christ  are  
described as acquisition after his      
ascension2 that not till then  was he   
accosted with the title of divinity     
previously applied to  ,solomon2 not    
till then did he become greater than the
 angels1 or receive  an anointment of   
gladness above his fellows2 not till    
then did he  receive his heirship1 his  
filiation1 his vicegerency of ,god4 ,of 
his  supreme ,deity scarcely could any  

more emphatic denial be conceived4#bac  
7f47 ,the following passage is sometimes
 quoted as affirmative of the  ,deity of
 ,christ3 8,we know that the ,son of    
,god is come1 and hath given us  an     
understanding1 that we may know him that
 is true2 and we are in him  that is    
true1 in 7or by7 his ,son ,jesus        
,christ4 ,this is the true ,god1  and   
eternal life40#bad ,but it is surely    
evident that with ,calvin1  ,newcome1   
,dr4 ,adam ,clarke1#bae we must consider
 the concluding pair of  epithets as    
parallel respectively with the two      
penultimates4 8,by him  that is true10  
says the ,apostle1 8,i mean the true    
,god10 8and this ,jesus  ,christ is     
eternal life40#baf ,as to the pretence  
of over-nice  grammarians1 that the     
pronoun 8this0 must refer to ,jesus     
,christ as the  nearest antecedent1 the 
,apostle ,john himself dismisses it with
 this one  sentence3 8,many deceivers   
are entered into the world1 who confess 
not  that ,jesus ,christ is come in the 

flesh4 ,this 7not ,jesus ,christ1 it is 
to be presumed7 is a deceiver and an    
antichrist40#bag ,the antecedent1  in   
this case1 is not only remote1 but      
plural4    7g47 ,i know of only one     
other set of passages requiring         
explanation from  a ,unitarian2 and of  
these ,i take the following as an       
example2 giving1  you will observe1 a   
translation slightly differing from the 
authorized  version1 but to which no    
competent judge will probably           
object3--8,let this  mind be in you1    
which was also in ,christ ,jesus2 who1  
being in the form  of ,god1 never       
thought his equality with ,god a thing  
to be eagerly  retained2 but divested   
himself of it1 and took on him the form 
of a  servant1 and assumed the likeness 
of men2 and being in the common         
condition of man1 still humbled himself1
 and became obedient unto death1  aye1  
and the death of the cross4 ,wherefore  
,god also hath highly exalted  him      
c40#bah ,elsewhere ,paul briefly        

expresses this sentiment thus3  being   
rich1 for your sakes he became poor4#bai
    ,now1 in order to appreciate the    
striking beauty of this passage1 it is  
necessary to remember that the ,apostle 
is writing to ,gentiles2 and to  enter  
into his remarkable conception          
respecting the relation of the  ,messiah
 to them4 ,this great object of promise 
was1 according to the  original idea of 
him1 a mere national appropriation of   
the ,jews2 made  their own by birth and 
lineage as well as by office4 ,so long  
as these  peculiarities belonged to him1
 he could not1 without breaking through 
all the restraints of the sacred ,mosaic
 law1 stand in any friendly  connection 
with the ,gentiles2 nor did our ,lord1  
during his mortal life1  ever extend his
 ministry beyond his native land4       
,moreover1 there was  nothing1 ,paul    
conceived1 to prevent his realizing at  
once1 had he willed  it1 all the        
splendid anticipations of the ,hebrews2 
nothing to obstruct  his seizing1 from  

the hills of ,galilee1 or the heights of
 ,jerusalem1 the  promised royal        
sceptre1 and making himself1 without    
delay1 the ,lord of  all below2 nothing 
but his holy resolve to be no mere      
,jewish ,messiah1  and his desire to    
embrace the ,gentiles1 too1 within the  
blessings of his  sway4 ,and how could  
this be accomplished8 ,never1 so long as
 the  personal characteristics of the   
,israelite attached to him4 ,he         
determined  then to lay these aside1    
which could be done by death alone4 ,on 
the  cross1 or in the ascension1 he     
parted from the coil of mortality1 in   
which were enveloped all the            
distinctions that made him national     
rather  than human2 the lineage1 the    
blood1 the locality1 the alliance1      
passed  away2 the immortal spirit alone 
remained1 and departed to the rest of   
,god2 and this his soul was not ,hebrew1
 but was human2 and so his  relations   
expanded1 and the princely ,son of      
,david became1 through death1  the      

divine ,messiah of humanity4 ,writing   
then to ,gentiles1 the ,apostle  reminds
 them of this2 tells them of what       
attainable splendours ,jesus had        
deprived himself1 what rightful glories 
he had resigned1 what anguish he  had   
endured1 to what death he had submitted1
 in order to drop his mortal            
peculiarities which had excluded the    
nations from the peace of his  dominion1
 and to assume that spiritual state to  
which they might stand  related4 ,it was
 not his ,godhead1 not the application  
of his miracles to  his personal        
advantage1 but the dignities of the     
,prince of ,israel1 the  prerogatives   
and triumphs of ,god's vicegerent1 of   
which he emptied  himself1 and for the  
,gentiles' sakes became poor4 ,he whose 
office made  him as ,god1 became1 by his
 pure will1 a servant2 he who1 without  
the  slightest strain of his rights1    
might have assumed an equivalence to    
,providence on earth1 and administered  
at once the promised theocracy of       

heaven1 was in no eager haste to seize  
the privilege2 but1 that he might  call 
in those who else had been the exile and
 the outcast people1  entered first the 
shadow of suffering and shame2 he who   
might have been  exempt from death1 took
 the humiliation of the cross2 showing a
 divine  and self-forgetful love1 which 
disregards his own rights to pity       
others'  privations2 and which gave a   
resistless force to the exhortation1    
8,look  not every man on his own things1
 but every man also on the things of    
others40#bbj    7h47 ,in direct contrast
 with this past humiliation of ,christ1 
is the  present glory and future        
dominion with which1 in the verses      
immediately  following1 the ,apostle    
describes him as invested by the        
rewarding  complacency of ,god4 ,and    
here the passage enters the same class  
with  three others1#bba of which the    
introduction of the ,epistle to the     
,hebrews is one1 but the most remarkable
 is the following3 8,christ1 444  who is

 the image of the invisible ,god1 the   
first-born of every creature2  for by   
him were all things created1 that are in
 ,heaven and that are in  earth1 visible
 and invisible1 whether they be thrones1
 or dominions1 or  principalities1 or   
powers1 all things1 were created through
 him and for  him2 and he is before all 
things1 and by him all things consist4  
,and he  is the head of the body1 the   
church2 who is the beginning1 the       
first-born from the dead2 that in all   
things he might have pre-eminence2  for 
it pleased the ,father that in him      
should all fulness dwell40#bbb          
,calvin himself warns us that 8the      
circumstances of this place require us  
to understand it as spoken10 not of the 
original formation of the  universe1 but
 8of the renovation which is included in
 the benefit of  ,redemption40#bbc      
,indeed a very superficial acquaintance 
with the  phraseology of the ,apostle1  
is sufficient to convince us that the   
language which we have here is very     

unlike that in which he speaks of  the  
construction of the material system of  
things and very like that  in which he  
describes the regeneration of the world 
by the faith of  ,christ4 ,describing   
the natural creation1 he makes no such  
strange  selection of objects as        
thrones1 principalities1 dominions1     
powers1 with  unintelligible avoidance  
of everything palpable3 but says        
plainly1 8,the  living ,god1 who made   
,heaven and earth1 and the sea1 and all 
things that  are in them40#bbd ,and     
characterizing1 on the other hand1 the  
effects of  the ,gospel1 he says1 8,we  
are ,god's workmanship1 created in      
,christ ,jesus  unto good works20#bbe   
and 8,if any man be in ,christ1 he is a 
new  creature2 the old things have      
passed away1 behold all things have     
become  new40#bbf ,nor does the language
 of this passage appear so violently    
figurative as commentators have usually 
supposed4 ,apply to it the  ,apostle's  
conception respecting the return of his 

,lord from ,heaven1 to  reign visibly   
upon earth1 over a community holy and   
immortal1 and the  obscurity will no    
longer be felt4 ,that advent1           
introducing the future  age or world to 
come1 would be attended by a revolution 
which could be  called no less than a   
8new creation40 ,no term less emphatic  
would  adequately describe the          
superseding of all existing             
arrangements1 the  extinction of earthly
 rule1 authority1 and power2#bbg the    
recal to  earth of the spirits of the   
just2#bbh the immortalizing of the      
saints  who had not slept2#bbi the      
gathering together the whole family of  
the  holy in ,heaven or earth2#bcj the  
everlasting destruction of the          
faithless from the presence of the      
,lord1 and the glory of his  power2#bca 
the bowing of every knee before the     
,prince of ,life2#bcb the  opening of   
the kingdom that cannot be moved2#bcc   
and the award of  recompense to those   
who1 having suffered1 should reign with 

him4#bcd    ,already were the elements  
of this blessed society drawing         
themselves  together1 some in ,heaven1  
others upon earth2 the investiture with 
immortality had commenced4 ,christ was  
the beginning1 the first-born from  the 
dead3 and the departed saints sharing   
his heavenly rest1 and ready  for the   
,lord to bring with him2#bce the        
afflicted ,church below1 in  earnest    
expectation of the manifestation of     
those ,sons of ,god1 and  though waiting
 for the redemption of the body1 yet    
risen together with  ,christ to that    
spiritual mind which is life and        
peace2#bcf all these  were kept by the  
power of ,god unto the salvation1 which 
was ready to be  revealed in the last   
time4#bcg ,the multitude of the holy was
 thronging  in1 showing that no scant   
dominion was forming2 but that it       
pleased the  ,father that1 in his       
vicegerent1 all fulness should dwell1   
and whatever  is perfect be united4     
,lifted above the hostile reach of human

 might and  dominion1 above all mean    
comparison with earthly names of        
dignity1 he  sees all things already    
beneath his feet in the world as it is1 
and all  things prospectively submissive
 in the world as it is to be4#bch ,nor  
was ,jesus1 in his retirement above1    
unoccupied with the glories of his      
commission1 or indifferent to the       
recompense of his followers2 rather is  
he preparing and allotting to the       
glorified there1 and the toiling here1  
the privileges and powers of the        
everlasting age which shall take place  
of the thrones and principalities of    
this4 ,over both portions of the        
community of ,saints1 the seen and the  
unseen1 the ,heavenly and the  earthly1 
he is the living head1 and his spirit   
filleth all4#bci    ,this vision of the 
,advent1 with all the magnificent ideas 
which gathered  round it1 seems to me to
 have given rise to the glorious        
8rapture0 of  this passage2 to have     
thrown in1 at first1 its light and      

darkness1 and  when applied now to its  
interpretation1 to disclose the dim     
outline of  its plan4 ,and though1 in   
form1 the anticipation itself was at    
least  premature1 in spirit it receives1
 in the providence of the ,gospel1 one  
prolonged fulfilment2 and many of its   
accompanying conceptions realize        
themselves perpetually4 ,though as yet  
,christ comes not back to us1 yet  do   
the faithful go to him1 and there1 not  
here1 are for ever with the  ,lord4     
,though with no visible sway he dwells  
on earth1 he more and more  rules it    
from afar2 wins and blesses the hearts  
of its people1 bends  their wills1 sends
 his image to be their conscience2 and  
long has he had  a might and name among 
us1 far above our principalities and    
powers1 and  made the cross superior to 
the crown4 ,and who can deny that he    
hath  united in one the family in heaven
 and earth1 compelled death to fasten   
innumerable ties of love between the    
kindred spheres1 and trained our        

rejoicing sympathies to see in creation 
but one society of the good1  whether   
they toil in service and exile here1 or 
have joined the colony  above of the    
emancipated sons of ,god4    ,what then 
is the result of our inquiry into the   
scriptural use of the  word ,god8 ,that 
it is once applied1 by way of           
transference1 to ,christ1 in  a passage 
of whose honours ,solomon was the first 
proprietor4 ,the views  of the writer1  
and the purpose of his letter1 might    
make this secondary  application of the 
,hebrew poem right and useful4 ,but now1
 how miserably  barren must be that     
religion1 how unspeakably poor that     
appreciation of  ,christ1 which thinks  
to glorify him1 by throwing around him  
the cast-off  dignities of a ,jewish    
prince6 ,all these convulsive efforts to
 lift up  the rank of ,jesus1 do but    
turn men from that greatness in him     
which is  truly divine4 ,and after all  
they utterly fail--except in turning    
into  caricature the image of perfect   

holiness1 and into a riddle the         
statement of the grandest truths3 for   
the scanty evidence will not bear  the  
strain that is put upon it4 ,nothing    
short of centuries of  indoctrination   
could empower so small a testimony to   
sustain so enormous  a scheme1 and      
enable ecclesiastics1 by sleight of     
words1 to metamorphose  the simplicity  
of the ,bible into the contradictions of
 the ,athanasian  creed4    ,our        
remaining criteria may be very briefly  
applied4    7#c47 ,our next demand from 
a ,trinitarian ,bible is this2 that as  
there are  three persons equally        
entitled to the name of ,god1 that word 
must never  be limited to ,one of these1
 to the exclusion of the other two4     
,yet do the ,scriptures repeatedly      
restrict this title to the ,father so   
positively1 that no more emphatic       
language remains1 by which it would be  
possible to exclude all other persons   
from the ,godhead4 ,if the texts we     
shall adduce of this class do not teach 

the personal unity of ,god1 let  it be  
stated what terms would teach it2 or    
whether we are to consider  it as a     
doctrine incapable of being revealed at 
all1 however true in  itself4           
,meanwhile1 ,i would ask1 whether the   
most skilful logician could  propose a  
form of speech1 closing the ,godhead    
against all but the  ,father1 more      
absolutely than these passages2 8,there 
is but ,one ,god1 the  ,,father40#bdj   
8,,father6 444 this is life eternal1 to 
know ,,thee ,,the ,,only  ,,true ,,god1 
and ,jesus ,christ whom thou hast       
sent40#bda 8,the true  worshippers shall
 worship ,,the ,,father in spirit and in
 truth2 the ,father  seeketh such to    
worship him2 ,,god is a spirit1 and they
 that worship him  must worship him in  
spirit and in truth40#bdb 8,there is    
,,one ,,god ,,and  ,,father ,,of        
,,all40#bdc    ,if such passages as     
these do not deny the ,deity of all     
persons but ,one1  it must be because   
the word 8,father0 is used in them to   

denote the whole  ,trinity2 and if this 
be so1 then this name ceases to be      
distinctive of  the first person in the 
,godhead2 no discriminative title of    
that person  remains2 it becomes        
impossible for language to characterize 
him2 and the  whole mechanism of speech1
 by which alone a verbal revelation     
could  disclose the distinctions in the 
divine nature1 vanishes away4 ,you must 
either confess absence of the           
distinctions themselves1 or show the    
presence of distinctive names4    7#d47 
,our next demand from a ,trinitarian    
,bible would be this2 that when  the    
persons are named1 by their distinctive 
,divine titles1 their  equality will be 
recognized1 nor any one of them be      
represented as  subordinate to another4 
,if an ,athanasian received a divine    
commission to prepare a ,gospel1--a     
statement of the essentials of          
,christianity1--for the use of some     
unevangelized nation1 he would not1 we  
may presume1 habitually represent  the  

,son1 in his very highest offices1 as   
inferior to the ,father1 as  destitute  
of independent power1 as without        
underived knowledge1 and  possessed only
 of a secondary and awarded glory4 ,at  
all events1 these  representations would
 not be made without instant            
explanation2 and the  writer would      
accuse himself of rashly periling the   
mysteries of ,god1 if  he committed     
himself to such statements without guard
 or qualification1  in broad unlimited  
propositions4 ,yet these are precisely  
the phenomena  of ,scripture4 ,it is    
perpetually maintained by ,trinitarians1
 that the  miracles of ,christ were acts
 of power1 inexplicable except by proper
  ,deity1 united with his humanity2 and 
that his superhuman wisdom was an       
expression of that ,divine ,nature which
 blended itself with his mortal         
constitution4 ,if so1 his miracles were 
wrought and his teachings  dictated by  
that element of his personality which   
was ,god1--that is1 by  ,,god ,,the     

,,son2#bdd but this1 our ,lord          
unequivocally denies2 8,the ,son can  do
 nothing of himself1 but what he seeth  
the ,father do20 8,i can of mine  own   
self do nothing40#bde 8,the words which 
,i speak unto you1 ,i speak  not of     
myself2 but the ,father that dwelleth in
 me1 he doeth the  works20#bdf 8,as the 
living ,father hath sent me1 and ,i live
 by the  ,father20#bdg 8,the works which
 the ,father hath given me to           
perform40#bdh ,these passages declare1  
with all the precision of which         
language admits1 that the wisdom and the
 might which dwelt in ,christ1  were not
 those of the ,son1 but those of the    
,father2 the incarnate ,god  had no     
concern with them1 for they are ascribed
 exclusively to him who  never became   
incarnate4 ,indeed we ask1 and we ask in
 vain1 for any one  divine act or       
inspiration ascribed by our ,lord to    
this humanized ,deity  with whom his    
mortal nature was united3 his teachings 
are one prolonged  declaration that the 

divinity that dwelleth within him was   
,,the ,,father4  ,if he felt within him 
a co-equal ,godhead1 how could he make  
the  unqualified affirmation1 8,my      
,father is greater than all80#bdi ,or   
can a  more specific disclaimer of      
,omniscience be framed than this2 8,of  
that  day and that hour knoweth no man1 
no1 not the angels who are in ,heaven1  
,,neither ,,the ,,son1 but the          
,father80#bej ,dr4 ,adam ,clarke1 unable
 to resist  this overpowering text1     
expresses his suspicion that it is not  
altogether genuine1 and that the words1 
8neither the ,son10 should be  expunged4
 ,it would appear that the temptations  
to 8mutilation0 are felt  by other      
parties than the ,editors of the        
,improved ,version4 ,if it be  said1    
that in the passages which have been    
cited1 the subordination  alleged of    
,christ1 refers to his human nature1 and
 his mediatorial  office1 then it       
follows that his highest title may      
become the name of  what is called his  

lowest capacity2 and if this be so1 no  
medium of  verbal proof remains by which
 to establish any higher nature4#bea    
,but  can any supposition be more       
monstrous than this2 that whenever our  
,lord  used the familiar language of    
personality1 and discoursed with the    
peasants of ,galilee1 and the populace  
of ,jerusalem1 he was perpetually       
performing a metaphysical resolution of 
himself into natures1  characters1 and  
offices1 and putting forth1 now a phrase
 from the  divine1 now another from the 
human capacity2 here a sentence from the
  pre-existent1 and there another from  
the mediatorial compartment of his      
individuality8 ,and the absurdity is    
crowned1 when writings1 crowded thus    
with mental reservations1 are handed    
over to us as a ,revelation4    7#e47   
,our last expectation from a            
,trinitarian ,bible is this2 that1 since
  with the incarnation began and ended  
the peculiar office of ,christ's        
humanity1 he will not be spoken of as   

man1 in relation to the events  before  
or after this period4    ,the glory     
which our ,lord is thought to have      
possessed before his  entrance into this
 world1 was the essential1 underived1   
inalienable  glory1 which belonged to   
his ,divinity2 nor was his highest      
nature yet  blended with the suffering  
elements1 or capable of being described 
by  the inferior titles1 of his         
mediatorial office1 or his mortal       
existence4  ,yet is it under the        
designation of ,,son ,,of ,,man that he 
is described1  according to the         
prevalent interpretation1 as            
pre-existent2 it is the  ,,son ,,of     
,,man who 8was before10 in that state1  
whither he was to 8ascend up            
again20#beb it was1 8,he that came down 
from ,heaven1--even the ,,son ,,of      
,,man1 who is in ,heaven40#bec ,whatever
 doubt there may be respecting the      
precise import of this title1 it        
certainly cannot be thought to denote   
the separate divine nature of ,christ1  

as it existed before the  incarnation4  
,in perfect consistency with this       
language1 it appears that  for the      
restoration of this original glory1     
,jesus declares himself  wholly         
dependent on the ,father2 8,and now1 ,o 
,father1 glorify me with  thine own     
self1 with the glory which ,i had with  
thee before the world  was40#bed ,here1 
if there be truth in the ,trinitarian   
hypothesis1 it was  the man that prayed 
for a re-bestowal of that which the man 
never  possessed1 and which the ,god    
never lost or could receive from        
another4  ,it must be admitted that no  
expression of dependence can be more    
solemn  and absolute1 than that which   
pours itself forth in prayer2 and if our
  ,lord was able to resume his former   
state1 by the energy of his own         
,omnipotence1 this act of supplication  
loses all semblance of sincerity4  ,yet1
 if here his dependence on the ,father  
is acknowledged to be implied1  with    
what consistency can another passage1   

relating also to his  departure from    
earth to ,heaven1 be seized upon to     
prove that he raised  himself from the  
dead1 by that inextinguishable and      
glorious power1  which1 nevertheless1 he
 entreats the ,father to restore8 ,if   
his proper  ,deity brought back to life 
the crucified humanity1 it was a mockery
 for  his manhood to concern itself in  
prayer1 for the restoration of the      
proper ,deity4 ,that his resurrection is
 not ascribed to inherent power of  his 
own1 is evident1 not merely from the    
habitual language of the  preachers of  
this great miracle1 who declare without 
reserve that 8this  ,jesus hath ,god    
raised up20#bee nor from the words of   
,paul1 who calls  himself 8an ,apostle  
by ,jesus ,christ and ,god the ,father1 
who raised him  from the dead20#bef but 
even from the very text 7when read      
without  curtailment7 which is adduced  
to prove the contrary2 8,no man taketh  
it  7my life7 from me1 but ,i lay it    
down of myself2 ,i have power to lay it 

down1 and ,i have power to take it      
again2 this commandment have ,i         
received of my ,father40#beg 8,the      
,messiah is privileged to be immortal2  
and my seeming fall by hostile hands    
will neither disprove my claim to  the  
office1 nor deprive it of this peculiar 
feature2 my mission gives me  a right to
 live1 which will not be forfeited1     
though ,i exercise the  right to die4   
,let no one think that my life is forced
 from me without  consent of my own     
will2 you can no more take it from me1  
than you can  restore it to me4 ,it is  
by the arrangement of the ,father1 whose
 will is  also mine1 that ,i take my    
,messianic immortality1 not at once1 but
  through a process of suffering and    
death40    ,if we pass forward beyond   
the mortal life1 to the final exaltation
 of  ,christ1 he is still presented to  
us undivested of his humanity4 ,listen  
to the modern preachers of ,orthodoxy1  
and they will tell you that the         
judicial capacity of the ,saviour could 

be filled by ,deity alone2 that to  pass
 judgment on an assembled world1 to read
 the secrets of all hearts1  and allot  
their final doom1 are offices demanding 
nothing less than  ,omniscience1        
,omnipotence1 ,independence4#beh ,but   
from the ,apostle ,paul  we learn1 that 
8,god will judge the world in           
righteousness by that ,,man  whom he    
hath ordained20#bei and our ,lord       
himself says1 8,i can of mine  own self 
do nothing2 as ,i hear ,i judge20#bfj   
8,the ,father hath given him  authority 
to execute judgment also1 ,,because ,,he
 ,,is ,,the ,,son ,,of ,,man40#bfa  ,nor
 is it the presumption of heresy alone  
that esteems it possible for  ,god to   
confer on a human being the requisites  
for so august an office2  for it is     
,archbishop ,tillotson who says1 8,we   
may promise to ourselves a  fair and    
equal trial at the judgment of the      
,great ,day1 because we shall  then be  
judged by a man like ourselves4 ,our    
,saviour and judge himself  hath told   

us1 that for this reason ,god hath      
committed all judgment to  the ,son1    
because he is the ,son of man4 ,and this
 in human judgments is  accounted a     
great privilege1 to be judged by those  
who are of the same  rank and condition 
with ourselves1 and who are likely to   
understand  best1 and most carefully to 
examine and consider all our            
circumstances1  and to render our case  
as if it were their own4 ,so equitably  
doth ,god  deal with us1 that we shall  
be acquitted or condemned by such a     
judge  as1 according to human measures1 
we ourselves should have chosen1 by one 
in our own nature1 who was made in all  
things like unto us1 that only  excepted
 which would have rendered him incapable
 of being our judge1  because it would  
have made him a criminal like ourselves4
 ,and therefore  the ,apostle offers    
this as a firm ground of assurance to us
 that ,god  will judge the world in     
righteousness1 because this judgment    
shall be  administered by a man like    

ourselves2 ,he hath1 saith he1 appointed
 a day  wherein he will judge the world 
in righteousness1 by that man whom he   
hath ordained10 c4#bfb    ,it is1 then1 
in his humanity1 that this high         
prerogative belongs to  ,jesus4 ,yet are
 our opponents right in their assertion 
that1 if there be  any office attributed
 to him1 requiring divine perfection1 it
 is this2  no higher exaltation remains1
 no superior glory is referred to him   
from  which1 with any better reason1 we 
can conclude his equality with the      
,father4 ,human in this1 he is human in 
all things4    ,not one then of the     
proper characteristics of a ,trinitarian
 ,bible can be  found in the            
,scriptures2 and it is vain for the     
,athanasian system to  claim their      
support4 ,this conclusion can be        
subverted only in two ways2  either by  
showing1 that the criteria which ,i have
 laid down1 for  ascertaining the       
theology of the sacred writings1 are    
unreasonable and  incorrect2 or by      

showing1 that the application of them   
does not yield  any of the results which
 ,i have stated4 ,i say any of the      
results2 for  if all the phenomena which
 ,i have assumed as tests1 would be     
necessary  to give a ,trinitarian       
complexion to the ,scriptures1 the      
absence of even  a portion of them would
 decide the controversy against our     
opponents'  scheme1 whatever            
difficulties might remain to embarrass  
our own4 ,if the  list of criteria be   
thought materially wrong1 let it be     
shown where  and why2 let it be         
explained how there can be a verbal     
revelation of  8distinctions10 without  
any distinctive names2 how1 without such
  discriminative words1 we are to know1 
unless we assume the whole  doctrine to 
be proved1 when the human nature of     
,christ speaks1 or is  spoken of1 when  
the divine2 how the poor1 who first had 
the gospel  preached to them1           
ascertained this with the requisite     
degree of nicety2  and above all1 we    

would request to be furnished with a    
better set of  criteria2 and to be      
distinctly informed1 what scriptural    
phenomena  would be required1 in order  
to disprove the ,trinitarian scheme4    
,if1 on  the other hand1 ,i have erred  
in the application of my tests1 let it  
be  shown how far into the substance of 
the argument the error extends4 ,i      
cannot hope that the exposition which ,i
 have given will be found free  from    
mistake and inaccuracy2 and let these be
 exposed with such severity  as they may
 deserve4 ,only let it be remembered1   
that the real question  is not about the
 skill of the advocate1 but respecting  
the truth of the  scheme2 and when all  
the errors of the one have been cleared 
away1 let  it be still asked1 in what   
condition stands the evidence of the    
other4 ,i  have purposely taken my      
principal station on the least          
favourable ground  of the ,unitarian    
argument2 ,i have exhausted the         
strongest passages  adduced against our 

theology3 and ,i have done this the more
 readily1  because these portions of    
scripture appear to possess an          
excellence and  beauty1 which are       
obscured by their unresisted            
controversial repetition1  and marred by
 the lacerations of ,orthodoxy4    ,and 
may we not1 without immodesty1 ask any  
candid ,trinitarian1 are these  passages
 so very plain and easy1 are they so    
numerous1 are our  interpretations so   
irrational and ignorant1 as to justify  
the imputation  of deceit1 of blasphemy1
 of wilful mutilation of the word of    
,god1 which  we are condemned           
perpetually to hear8 ,as to that        
excellent man1 who on  ,wednesday last1 
treated in this way our most cherished  
convictions1 and  our most innocent     
actions1 ,i have said nothing in reply  
to his  accusations2 for ,i well know   
them to have failed in benevolence1 only
  from excess of mistaken piety4 ,had he
 a little more power of  imagination1 to
 put himself into the feelings and ideas

 of others1  doubtless he would         
understand both his ,bible and his      
fellow-disciples  better than he does4  
,meanwhile1 ,i would not stir1 with the 
breath of  disrespect1 one of his grey  
hairs2 or by any severity of            
expostulation  disturb the peace of an  
old age1 so affectionate and good as    
his4 ,he and  we must ere long pass to a
 world1 where the film will fall from   
the eye  of error1 and we shall know1   
even as we are known4#bfc    ,in        
conclusion1 then1 ,i revert with        
freshened persuasion1 to the  statement 
with which ,i commenced4 ,jesus ,christ 
of ,nazareth1 ,god hath  presented to us
 simply in his inspired humanity4 ,him  
we accept1 not  indeed as very ,god1 but
 as the true image of ,god1 commissioned
 to show  what no written doctrinal     
record could declare1 the entire moral  
perfections of ,deity4 ,we accept1--not 
indeed his body1 not the struggles  of  
his sensitive nature1 not the travail of
 his soul1 but his purity1  his         

tenderness1 his absolute devotion to the
 great idea of right1 his  patient and  
compassionate warfare against misery and
 guilt1 as the most  distinct and       
beautiful expression of the ,divine     
mind4 ,the peculiar  office of ,christ  
is to supply a new moral image of       
,providence2 and  everything therefore  
except the moral complexion of his mind1
 we leave  behind as human and          
historical merely1 and apply to no      
religious use4 ,i  have already stated  
in what way nature and the gospel       
combine to bring  before us the great   
object of our trust and worship4 ,the   
universe gives  us the scale of ,god1   
and ,christ his ,spirit4 ,we climb to   
the ,infinitude  of his nature by the   
awful pathway of the stars1 where whole 
forests of  worlds silently quiver here 
and there1 like a small leaf of light4  
,we  dive into his ,eternity1 through   
the ocean waves of ,time1 that roll and 
solemnly break on the imagination1 as we
 trace the wrecks of departed  things   

upon our present globe4 ,the scope of   
his ,intellect1 and the  majesty of his 
,rule1 are seen in the tranquil order   
and everlasting  silence that reign     
through the fields of his volition4 ,and
 the ,spirit  that animates the whole is
 like that of the ,prophet of ,nazareth2
 the  thoughts that fly upon the swift  
light throughout creation1 charged with 
fates unnumbered1 are like the healing  
mercies of ,one that passed no  sorrow  
by4 ,the government of this world1 its  
mysterious allotments of  good and ill1 
its successions of birth and death1 its 
hopes of progress  and of peace1 each   
life of individual or nation1 is under  
the  administration of ,one1 of whose   
rectitude and benevolence1 whose        
sympathy with all the holiest           
aspirations of our virtue and our love1 
,christ is the appointed emblem4 ,a     
faith that spreads around and within    
the mind a ,deity thus sublime and holy1
 feeds the light of every pure          
affection1 and presses with ,omnipotent 

power on the conscience2 and our  only  
prayer is1 that we may walk as children 
of such light4                          
---------------------                   
,,notes4                                
---------------------                   
,a4                   ,on               
,impossibility1 ,physical and ,logical4 
,in order to break the force of all     
reasonings respecting the inherent      
incredibility of the ,trinitarian       
doctrine1 the principle has been        
frequently advanced1 that a statement   
which would be contradictory1 if  made  
respecting an object within reach of our
 knowledge1 cannot be  affirmed to be   
so1 if applied to an object beyond our  
knowledge2 since  in the one case we    
have1 in the other we have not1 some    
experience  to guide our judgment1 and  
serve as a criterion of truth4 ,thus1 it
 is  said1 to affirm of man1 that his   
nature comprises more than one          
personality1 might1 without presumption1
 be pronounced a contradiction2  because

 we are familiar with his constitution2 
but knowing nothing of  the mode of     
,god's existence1 except what he is     
pleased to reveal1 we  cannot prove the 
same statement to be contradictory1 when
 made  respecting his essence4    ,this 
rule1 like all the ,trinitarian         
reasonings on this subject1 derives  its
 plausibility from an ambiguous use of  
terms4 ,it has one sense in  which it is
 true1 but inapplicable to this subject2
 and another1 in  which it is           
applicable1 but false4 ,the rule is     
sound or unsound1  according to the     
meaning which we assign to the word     
contradiction2 a  word which1 in other  
arguments besides this1 has made dupes  
of men's  understandings4 ,there are    
obviously two kinds of                  
contradiction3--one  relating to        
questions of fact1 as when we say1 it is
 contradictory to  experience that ice  
should continue solid in the fire2 the  
other1  relating to questions of mere   
thought1 as when we say1 it is          

contradictory to affirm that force is   
inert1 or that the diameters of a       
circle are unequal4 ,the former of these
 suggests something at variance  with   
the established order of causes and     
effects1 and constitutes a  natural or  
physical impossibility2 the latter      
suggests a combination  of              
irreconcileable ideas1 constituting a   
logical or metaphysical  impossibility1 
or more properly1 a self-contradiction4 
,it is almost self-evident that1 in     
order to pronounce upon a physical      
impossibility1 we must possess          
experience1 and have a knowledge of the 
properties of objects and successions of
 events external to us2 and that  to    
pronounce on a metaphysical             
impossibility1 we require only to have  
the ideas to which it refers2 of the    
coincidence or incompatibility of  which
 with each other1 our own consciousness 
is the sole judge4 ,when ,i  deny that  
ice will remain frozen in the fire1 ,i  
do so after frequent  observation of the

 effect of heat in reducing bodies1     
especially water1  from the solid to the
 liquid form2 and in reliance on the    
intuitive  expectation which all men    
entertain1 of like results from like    
causes4  ,experience is the only        
justification of this denial2 and       
priori1 no  belief could be held on the 
subject2 a person introduced for the    
first  time to a piece of ice and to    
fire1 could form no conjecture about the
  changes which would follow on their   
juxtaposition4 ,and as our judgment  in 
such cases has its origin1 so does it   
find its limits1 in experience2  and    
should it be affirmed that1 in a distant
 planet1 ice did not melt on  the       
application of fire1 the right of denial
 would not extend to this  statement1   
because1 our knowledge does not extend  
to the world to which  the phenomenon is
 referred4 ,the natural state of mind1  
on hearing such  an announcement1 might 
be expressed as follows2 8,if what you  
affirm be  true1 either some new cause  

must be called into operation1          
counteracting the result which else     
would follow2 or1 some of the causes    
existing here are withheld3 the         
sequence1 ,i am compelled to believe1   
would be the same1 unless the           
antecedents were somehow different4     
,were  the fact even a miracle1 this    
would still be true2 for the            
introduction  of a new or different     
divine volition would be in itself a    
change in the  previous causes4 ,but ,i 
am not authorized to pronounce the      
alleged fact  impossible2 its variance  
from all the analogies of experience1   
justifies  me in demanding extraordinary
 evidence in its favour2 but ,i do not  
say  that1 in the infinite receptacle of
 causes unknown to the human            
understanding1 there cannot exist any   
from which such an effect might  arise40
    ,there is then1 ,i conceive1 no     
physical impossibility1 which might not 
be rendered credible by adequate        
evidence2 there is nothing1 in the      

constitution of our minds1 to forbid its
 reception under certain  conditions of 
proof sufficiently cogent4 ,it simply   
violates an  expectation which1 though  
necessary and intuitive before the fact1
 is  not incapable of correction by the 
fact2 it presents two successive        
phenomena1 dissimilar instead of        
similar2 and between two occurrences1   
allocated on different points of time1  
however much analogy may fail1  there   
can be no proper contradiction4 ,the    
improbability that both  should be true1
 may attain a force almost1 but never   
altogether  infinite2 a force1          
therefore1 surmountable by a greater4   
,the thoughts  can at least entertain   
the conception of them both2 nor is it  
more  difficult to form the mental image
 of a piece of ice unmelted on the      
fire1 than of the same substance melting
 away4    ,it is quite otherwise with a 
metaphysical impossibility or proper    
contradiction4 ,the variance is1 in this
 case1 not between successive           

phenomena1 but between synchronous      
ideas4 ,we deny that the diameters  of a
 circle are unequal1 without experience1
 without measurement1 and  just as      
confidently respecting a circle in the  
remotest space1 as  respecting one      
before our eyes4 ,as soon as we have the
 ideas of  8circle10 8diameter10        
8equality10 this judgment necessarily   
follows4 ,our  own consciousness makes  
us aware of the incompatibility between 
the idea  expressed by the word         
8circle10 and that expressed by the     
phrase  8unequal diameters20 the former 
word being simply the name of a curve   
having equal diameters4 ,the variance1  
in this case1 is not between two        
external occurrences1 but between two   
notions within our own minds2 and       
simply to have the notions is to        
perceive their disagreement4 ,it  would 
be vain to urge upon us that1 possibly1 
in regions of knowledge  beyond our     
reach1 circles with unequal diameters   
might exist3 we should  reply1 that the 

words employed were merely the symbols  
of ideas in our  consciousness1 between 
which we felt agreement to be out of the
  question2 that so long as the words   
meant what they now mean1 this must     
continue to be the case2 and that if    
there were any one1 to whom the  same   
sound of speech suggested a truth       
instead of a falsehood1 this  would only
 show1 that the terms did not stand for 
the same things with  him as with us4   
,it will be observed that1 in this case1
 we cannot even  attain any conception  
of the thing affirmed2 no mental image  
can be  formed of a circle with unequal 
diameters2 make the diameters unequal1  
and it is a circle no more4    ,a       
further analysis might1 ,i believe1     
reduce more nearly under the same  class
 a physical and a metaphysical          
impossibility2 and might show that  some
 of the language in which ,i have       
endeavoured to contrast them1 is  not   
strictly correct4 ,but the main         
difference1 which the present  argument 

requires1 7viz41 that no experience can 
reconcile the terms  of a logical       
contradiction17 would only be brought   
out more clearly than  ever4 ,i am      
aware1 for instance1 that the           
distinction which ,i have drawn  between
 my two examples1--that the latter deals
 with ideas within us1  the former with 
facts without us1--does not penetrate to
 the roots of the  question2 that       
external phenomena are nothing to us1   
till they become  internal2 nothing1    
except through the perceptions and      
notions we form  of them2 and that the  
variance therefore1 even in the case of 
a physical  impossibility1 must lie     
between our own ideas4 ,i may           
accordingly be  reminded1 that the      
notion of 8melting with fire0 is as     
essentially a  part of our idea of      
8ice10 as the notion of 8equal          
diameters0 is of our  idea of a         
8circle20 so that the final appeal      
might1 with as much reason1  be made to 
our own consciousness in the one case as

 in the other4 ,might  it not be said1  
8so long as the word ice retains its    
meaning1 the  proposition in question is
 a self-contradiction2 for that word    
signifies a certain substance that will 
melt on the application of  heat80 ,this
 is true2 and resolves the distinction  
which ,i have  endeavoured to explain   
into this form2 the word 8ice0 may be   
kept open  to modifications of meaning1 
the word 8circle0 cannot4 ,and the      
reason is  obvious4 ,the idea of the    
material substance is a highly complex  
idea1  comprising the notion of many    
independent properties1 introduced to us
  through several of our senses3 such as
 solidity1 crystalline form1            
transparency1 coldness1 smoothness1     
whiteness1 c42 the quality of  fusion by
 heat is only one among many of the     
ingredients composing the  conception2  
and should this even be found to be     
accidental1 and be  withdrawn1 the idea 
would still retain so vast a majority of
 its  elements1 that its identity would 

not be lost1 nor its name undergo       
dismissal4 ,but the notion of the circle
 is perfectly simple2 being  wholly made
 up of the idea of equal diameters1 and 
of other properties  dependent on this2 
so that if this be removed1 the whole   
conception  disappears1 and nothing     
remains to be denoted by the word4      
,hence1 a  physical contradiction       
proposes to exclude from our notion of  
an object  or event one out of many of  
its constituents1--an alteration        
perfectly  akin to that which further   
experience itself often makes2 a        
metaphysical  contradiction denies of a 
term all1 or the essential part1 of the 
ideas attached to it4 ,the materials for
 some sort of conception remain  in the 
one case1 vanish in the other4    ,now  
the terms employed in the statement of  
the doctrine of the ,trinity  are       
abstract words2 8person10 8substance10  
8being30 and the numerical  words 8,one0
 and 8,three10 are all names for very   
simple ideas2 not indeed  7except the   

two last7 having the precision of       
quantitative and  mathematical terms2   
but having none of that complexity which
 would allow  them to lose any meaning1 
and yet keep any2 to change their sense 
without forfeiting their identity4 ,the 
ideas which we have of these  words are 
as much within ourselves1 and as capable
 of comparison by our  own              
consciousness1 as the ideas belonging to
 the words angle and  triangle2 and     
when1 on hearing the assertion that     
there are three  persons in one mind or 
being1 ,i proceed to compare them1 ,i   
find the word  8person0 so far          
synonymous with the word 8mind0 or      
8being10 that the  self-contradiction   
would not be greater1 were it affirmed  
that there are  three angles in one     
--the mere form of speech being varied  
to hide  the absurdity from eye and ear4
 ,to say that our ideas of the words are
  wrong1 is vain2 for the words were    
invented on purpose to denote these     
ideas3 and if they are used to denote   

other ideas1 which we have not1  they   
are vacant sounds4 ,to assert that      
higher beings perceive this  proposition
 to be true1 really amounts to this2    
that higher beings speak  ,english1 7or 
at all events not ,hebrew1 or           
,hellenistic ,greek17 but have  recast  
the meaning of these terms2 and to say  
that we shall hereafter  find them to be
 true1 is to say that our vocabulary    
will undergo a  revolution2 and words   
used now to express one set of ideas1   
will  hereafter express some other4     
,meanwhile1 to our present minds all    
these  future notions are nonentities2  
and using the words in question in the  
only sense they have1 they declare a    
plain logical contradiction4 ,hence1    
every attempt to give consistency to the
 statement of the ,trinity1 has  broken 
out into a heresy2 and the ,indwelling  
and the ,swedenborgian  schemes1 the    
model ,trinity of ,wallis and ,whately1 
the tritheistic  doctrine of ,dr4 ,w4   
,sherlock1 are so many results of the   

rash propensity  to seek for clear ideas
 in a form of unintelligible or         
contradictory  speech4        4         
---------------------                   
,b4                         ,on the     
,hebrew ,plural ,elohim4    ,the        
perseverance with which this argument   
from the ,hebrew plural is  repeated1   
only proves the extent to which learning
 may be degraded into  the service of a 
system4 ,the use of a noun1 plural in   
form1 but singular  in sense1 and the   
subject of a singular verb1 to denote   
the dignity of  the person named by the 
noun1 is known to be an idiom common to 
all the  ,semitic languages4 ,every one 
who can read a ,hebrew ,bible is aware  
that  this peculiarity is not confined  
to the name of ,god2 and that it occurs 
in many passages1 which render absurd   
the inference deduced from it4 ,for     
instance1 from ,ezek4 xxix4 #c1 it would
 follow that there is a plurality  of   
natures or 8distinctions0 in the        
crocodile1 the name of which is  there  

found in the plural1 with a singular    
adjective and singular  verb2--    1    
8,the great crocodile that lieth in  the
 midst of his rivers40 ,so in ,gen4     
xxiv4 #ea1 the plural form 1  ,lord1 so 
constantly used of a human individual1  
is applied to ,abraham3     1 8,and she 
shall be a wife to the son of thy       
masters10 i4e41 thy master ,abraham4 ,it
 is unnecessary to multiply  instances1 
which any ,hebrew ,concordance will     
supply in abundance4 ,i  subjoin one or 
two additional authorities from eminent 
,hebraists1 whose  theological          
impartiality is above suspicion4        
,schroeder says1 8,hebri sermonis       
proprietas1 qu ,pluralis1 tam           
masculinus1 quam femininus1 usurpari    
potest de un re1 qu in suo  genere magna
 est et quodammodo excellens2 ut 1      
maria1 pro mari  magno2 1 dracones1 pro 
dracone prgrandi2 1 domini1 pro  domino 
magno et potente2 1 numina1 pro numine  
admodum  colendo2 1 sancti1 pro deo     
sanctissimo2 1 besti1 pro  besti grandi1

 qualis est elephas2  plag1 pro plag    
gravi2  1 flumina1 pro flumine magno40  
,n4 ,g4 ,schroederi ,institutiones  ad  
fundamm4 ling4 ,hebr4 ,reg4 #ajj4 not4  
i4    ,simonis4 8,plur4 adhibetur de    
,deo vero2 ad insinuandam1 ut multis    
visum  est1 personarum divinarum        
pluralitatem2 quod etiam alii1 maxime   
,judi  rect negant3 quoniam vel ibi in  
plurali ponitur1 ubi ex mente           
,theologorum de un modo triadis sacr    
person sermo est1 velut ,ps4 xlv4  #g1  
adeoque gentium unus aliquis deus       
pluraliter  dicitur1 ut  ,astarte #a    
,reg4 xi4 #cc2 ,baal muscarum et quidem 
is1 qui ,ekron colebatur  #b1 ,reg4 i4  
#b1 #c4 ,denique sanctam triadem si     
significasset1 multo  notior usuque adeo
 lingu quotidiano tritior sub prisco    
fdere hc  doctrina fuisset1 quam sub    
novo4 ,ex nostr sententi hic plur4      
indicio  est1 linguam ,hebram sub       
,polytheismo adolevisse2 eo vero        
profligato  plur4 hic in sensum abiit   
majestatis et dignitatis40 ,eichhorn's  

,joh4  ,simonis' ,lexicon ,hebr4 in     
verb4 1 p4 #abj4    ,buxtorf4 1 plurale 
pro singulari3 ,lex ,chaldaicum1        
,talmudicum et  ,rabbinicum2 in verb4   
,gesenius4  pluralis excellenti3 ,gott1 
von der ,einheit2 wie  1 4 ,hebr4 und   
,chald4 ,handwrterbuch3 in verb4        
,even ,lewis ,capel1 in his defence of  
this verbal indication of the  ,trinity1
 admits the absurdity of using the      
argument with  ,anti-trinitarians3      
8,siquis ergo vellet adversus ,judos1   
,samosatenianos1  aliosque sanctissim   
,trinitatis prfractos hostes1 urgere hoc
  argumentum1 eoque uno et nudo uti1    
frustra omnino esset3 ni prius          
demonstraret falsam esse quam illi      
causantur phraseos istius rationem1     
evinceretque eam in voce ist  locum     
habere non posse3 quod forte  non usque 
adeo facile demonstrari posset4 ,atque  
eatenus tantm jure  possunt suggillari  
,theologi1 si argumento illo nudo1 et   
solo1 non ali  ratione fulto1 utantur ad
 ,judos et ,samosatenianos coarguendos  

et  convincendos2 non vero si eo utantur
 ad piorum fidem jam ante aliunde       
stabilitam1 porro augendam atque        
fovendam40 ,lud4 ,cappelli ,critica     
,sacra4  ,de nom4  ,diatriba4 c4 vii4   
,ed4 #afej1 p4 #fgf4    ,may we ask of  
our learned opponents1 how long the     
mysterious contents  of this plural have
 been ascertained8 ,who was the         
discoverer1 forgotten  now by the       
ingratitude of ,learning1 but doubtless 
living still in the  more faithful      
memory of ,orthodoxy8 ,and why those of 
the ,christian  ,fathers1 who devoted   
themselves to ,hebrew literature1 were  
not permitted  to discern the           
,trinitarianism of the ,israelitish     
syntax8 ,they had not  usually so dull  
an eye for verbal wonders4    ,the      
celebrated ,brahmin1 ,rammohun ,roy1    
whose knowledge of oriental  languages  
can be as little disputed1 ,i presume1  
as the singular  greatness and          
simplicity of his mind1 says3 8,it could
 scarcely be  believed1 if the fact were

 not too notorious1 that such eminent   
scholars  444 could be liable to such a 
mistake1 as to rely on this verse 7,gen4
 i4  #bf4 ,and ,god said1 let us make   
man in our image1 after our likeness17  
as  a ground of argument in support of  
the ,trinity4 ,it shows how easily      
prejudice1 in favour of an already      
acquired opinion1 gets the better of    
learning40 ,and he proceeds to argue on 
8the idiom of the ,hebrew1 ,arabic1  and
 of almost all ,asiatic languages1 in   
which the plural number is often  used  
for the singular to express the respect 
due to the person denoted  by the noun40
 ,rammohun ,roy was1 ,i believe1 the    
first to call attention  to the fact1   
obvious to any one who will read a few  
pages of the ,koran1  that ,mohammed1   
whose belief in the strict personal     
,unity of the ,divine  ,nature gave the 
leading feature to his religion1        
constantly represents  ,god as speaking 
in these plural forms4 ,i extract a few 
instances from  ,sale's ,koran4 ,lond4  

#agcd3    8,god said2 when we said unto 
the angels1 worship ,adam10 c4    8,god 
said2 and we said1 ,o ,adam1 dwell      
thou10 c4--,ch4 ii4 p4 #ca4    8,we     
formerly created man of a finer sort of 
clay2 444 and we have  created over you 
seven heavens2 and we are not negligent 
of what we  have created3 and we send   
down rain from heaven by measure2 and we
  cause it to remain on the earth10 c4  
8,and we revealed our orders  unto him1 
saying2 444 speak not unto me in behalf 
of those who have  been unjust40 8,god  
will say1 did ye think that we had      
created you in  sport10 c4--,ch4 xxiv4  
pp4 #bha1 #bhb1 #bhg4    ,in the very   
passages in which ,mohammed condemns the
 doctrine of the  ,trinity1 the same    
form abounds3 8,we have prepared for    
such of them as  are unbelievers a      
painful punishment40 8,we have revealed 
our will unto  thee40 8,we have given   
thee the ,koran1 as we gave the psalms  
to  ,david40 8,o ye who have received   
the ,scriptures1 exceed not the just    

bounds in your religion2 neither say of 
,god any other than the truth4  ,verily 
,christ ,jesus1 the ,son of ,mary1 is   
the apostle of ,god1 and his  ,word1    
which he conveyed into ,mary1 and a     
spirit proceeding from him4  ,believe   
therefore in ,god and his apostles1 and 
say not1 ,there are three  ,gods3       
forbear this2 it will be better for you4
 ,god is but one ,god4 ,far  be it from 
him that he should have a ,son6 ,unto   
him belongeth whatsoever  is in heaven  
and on earth40--,ch4 iv4 pp4 #hj1 #ha4  
---------------------                   
,c4                      ,on the        
,prophecy of an 8,immanuel40    ,for the
 ,interpretation which identifies 8the  
,virgin0 with the city of  ,jerusalem1  
,i am indebted to ,rammohun ,roy1 who   
has justified it by  reasons which      
appear to me satisfactory4 ,see his     
,second ,appeal to the  ,christian      
,public4 ,appendix ,,ii4 ,calcutta1     
#ahba1 p4 #abh seqq4 ,the use of  the   
definite article with the word 77 points

 out the ,virgin as  some known object1 
who would be recognized by ,king ,ahaz1 
without  further description4 ,it will  
hardly be maintained that this prince   
was  so familiar with evangelical       
futurities1 as to understand the phrase 
of  ,mary of ,nazareth4 ,nor does it    
seem at all likely that either the      
prophet's wife1 or any other person not 
previously the subject of  discourse1   
should be thus obscurely and abruptly   
described4 ,but if 8the  ,virgin0 was a 
well-understood mode of speaking of     
,jerusalem1 ,ahaz would  be at no loss  
to interpret the allusion4 ,and that    
this metaphor was one  of the           
common-places of ,hebrew speech1 in the 
time of the prophets1  might be shown   
from every part of their writings4      
8,thou shalt be built1  ,o virgin of    
,israel2 thou shalt again be adorned    
with thy tabrets1 and  shalt go forth in
 the dances of them that make           
merry40#bfd 8,then shall  the ,virgin   
rejoice in the dance40#bfe 8,the ,lord  

hath trodden the  ,virgin1 the daughter 
of ,judah1 as in a wine-press40#bff ,and
 ,isaiah  himself uses this expression  
respecting a foreign city3 8,thou shalt 
no  more rejoice1 ,o thou oppressed     
,virgin1 daughter of ,sidon40#bfg ,and  
expressing to the invader ,sennacherib1 
the contempt which ,god authorized      
,jerusalem to entertain for his threats1
 he says1 8,the ,virgin1 the  daughter  
of ,zion1 hath despised thee and laughed
 thee to scorn40#bfh    ,it should he   
remembered1 however1 that the           
establishment of this  interpretation is
 by no means necessary to the proof of  
invalidity in  the ,trinitarian         
application of the prophecy4 ,the       
reasons which ,i have  adduced1 together
 with the use in a neighbouring passage1
 of the phrase  8over the breadth of thy
 land1 ,o ,immanuel10#bfi appear to me  
to point  out some prince as the        
,virgin's ,son4 ,but many eminent       
interpreters  consider him as only one  
of the ,prophet's own children1 8whom   

the ,lord  had given him1 for signs and 
for wonders in ,israel40#bgj ,and the   
first  four verses of the next chapter  
certainly speak of ,isaiah's son in a   
manner so strikingly similar1 as to give
 a strong support to this               
interpretation4 ,but whatever obscurity 
there may be in the passage1 the  one   
clear certainty in it is this3 that it  
does not refer to any  person to be born
 seven or eight hundred years after the 
delivery of the  prediction4 ,and it is 
surely unworthy of any educated         
,theologian1  possessing a full         
knowledge of the embarrassments         
attending the  ,trinitarian appeal to   
such texts1 still to reiterate that     
appeal1  without any specification of   
the mode in which he proposes to sustain
  it4 ,is it maintained that ,jesus of  
,nazareth was the primary object of  the
 prophecy8 ,or will any one be found    
deliberately to defend the  hypothesis  
of a double sense8 ,or must we fear1    
that a lax and  unscrupulous use is     

often made of allusions which sound well
 in the  popular ear1 without any       
distinct estimate of their real         
argumentative  value8    ,it is no doubt
 convenient to cut the knot of every    
difficulty by the  appeal to            
inspiration2 to say1 e4g41 that ,matthew
 applies the word  ,emmanuel to ,christ1
 and with a correctness which his       
infallibility  forbids us to impeach4   
,but are our opponents prepared to abide
 by this  rule1 to prove its truth1 to  
apply it1 without qualification1 to the 
,new  ,testament citations from the     
,hebrew ,scriptures8 ,will they1 for    
instance1  find and expound1 for the    
benefit of the church1 the prophecy     
stated by  ,matthew to have been        
fulfilled in ,jesus1 8,he shall be      
called a  ,nazarene80#bga ,the words are
 declared to have been 8spoken by the   
prophets40 ,but they are not            
discoverable in any of the canonical    
prophecies3 so that either the          
,evangelist took them from some inspired

  work now lost1--in which case the     
canon is imperfect1 and ,christianity is
  deprived of the benefit of certain    
predictions intended for its support2   
or1 he has cited them so incorrectly    
from our existing ,scriptures1  that the
 quotation cannot be identified4 ,i     
cannot refrain from  expressing my      
amazement1 that those1 whose constant   
duty it is to  expound the ,new         
,testament writings should be conscious 
of no danger to  their authority1 when  
it is strained so far as to include an  
infallible  interpretation of the ,older
 ,scriptures4                           
---------------------                   
,d4                               ,on   
,isaiah ix4 #f4    ,the translation of  
this passage is not unattended with     
difficulties3 and  many of the versions 
which learned men have proposed leave   
nothing on  which the ,trinitarian      
argument can rest4 ,it is clear that    
divines ought  to establish the meaning 
of the verse1 before they reason from   

its  theology4 ,i subjoin a few of the  
most remarkable translations4    ,the   
,septuagint2 8,and his name shall be    
called #8,messenger of a great          
counsel2' for ,i will bring peace upon  
the rulers1 and health to him40    ,the 
,targum of ,jonathan2 8,and by the      
,wonderful in counsel1 by the ,mighty   
,god who endureth for ever1 his name    
shall be called the ,messiah 7the       
anointed71 in whose days peace shall be 
multiplied upon us40 ,the  following    
allusion to the titles in this passage  
from ,talmud ,sanhedrim1  #aa ch41 will 
show to whom they were applied by       
,jewish commentators3 8,god  said1 let  
,hezekiah1 who has five names1 take     
vengeance on the king of  ,assyria1 who 
has taken on himself five names also40  
,grotius2 8,wonderful2 ,counsellor of   
the ,mighty ,god2 ,father of the future 
age2 ,prince of ,peace40    ,editor of  
,calmet2 8,admirable1 ,counsellor1      
,divine ,interpreter1 ,mighty1  ,father 
of ,future time1 ,prince of ,peace40    

,bishop ,lowth2 8,wonderful1            
,counsellor1 the ,mighty ,god1 the      
,father of the  everlasting age1 the    
,prince of ,peace40    ,many other      
translations might be added3 and even if
 the prophecy were  not obviously spoken
 of ,hezekiah1 we might reasonably ask1 
what  doctrinal certainty can be found  
in so uncertain an announcement8 ,and   
how is the fact accounted for that1     
important as it was to the apostles'    
success to make the largest possible use
 of their ancient scriptures1  not one  
of them ever alludes to this prediction8
                                        
---------------------                   
,e4                            ,on the  
,proem of ,john4    ,the objection which
 is most commonly entertained to the    
foregoing  interpretation of the ,proem 
of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 arises from the
  strength and vividness of the         
personification of the ,logos4 ,a real  
personality1 it is said1 must be        
assumed1 in order to satisfy the terms  

of the description1 which could never   
have been applied by the apostle  to a  
mere mental creation4    ,i am by no    
means insensible to the force of this   
objection3 though ,i  think it of less  
weight than the difficulties which beset
 every other  explanation4 ,and it      
appears to be greatly relieved by two   
considerations2 first1 that a           
considerable part of the difficulty     
arises  from a want of correspondence   
between the ,greek and the ,english     
usage of  language2 secondly1 that this 
personification did not originate with  
the  apostle1 but had become1 by slow   
and definable gradations1 an            
established formula of speech4    #a4   
,the first of these considerations ,i   
will introduce to my readers in  the    
words of ,archbishop ,whately3 8,our    
language possesses one remarkable       
advantage1 with a view to this kind of  
,energy1 in the constitution of  its    
genders4 ,all nouns in ,english1 which  
express objects that are  really neuter1

 are considered as strictly of the      
neuter gender2 the  ,greek and ,latin1  
though possessing the advantage 7which  
is wanting in  the languages derived    
from them7 of having a neuter gender1   
yet lose the  benefit of it1 by fixing  
the masculine or feminine genders upon  
many  nouns denoting things inanimate2  
whereas in ,english1 when we speak of   
any such object in the masculine or     
feminine gender1 that form of           
expression at once confers personality  
upon it4 ,when #8,virtue1' e4g4  or our 
#8,country' are spoken of as females1 or
 #8,ocean' as a male1 c41  they are1 by 
that very circumstance1 personified2 and
 a stimulus is  thus given to the       
imagination1 from the very circumstance 
that in calm  discussion or description1
 all of these would be neuter2 whereas  
in  ,greek or ,latin1 as in ,french or  
,italian1 no such distinction could be  
made4 ,the employment of #8,virtus1' and
  in the feminine gender1  can          
contribute1 accordingly1 no animation to

 the style1 when they could  not1       
without a solecism1 be employed         
otherwise40#bgb    ,now let any one read
 the ,english ,proem of ,john1 and ask  
himself1 how  much of the appearance of 
personality is due to the occurrence1   
again  and again1 of the pronouns 8he10 
8him10 8his10 applied to the ,logos2 let
  him remember that this much is a mere 
imposition practised unavoidably  upon  
him by the idiom of our language1 and   
8gives no animation to the  style0 in   
the original2 and ,i am persuaded that  
the violence of the  personification    
will be tamed down to the apprehension  
of a very  moderate imagination4 ,it is 
true that the ,logos does not1 by this  
allowance1 become impersonal2 other     
parts of the personal conception        
remain1 in the acts of creation and of  
illumination1 attributed to  this       
,divine ,power3 and hence the           
substitution of the neuter pronouns     
8it0 and 8its20 for the masculines 8he10
 8him10 8his10 though useful1           

provisionally1 for shaking off the      
,english illusion to which ,i have      
referred1 cannot be allowed to represent
 the sentiment of the passage           
faithfully4    ,there appears to be     
another peculiarity of our language and 
modes of  thought1 as contrasted with   
the ,greek1 which exaggerates1 in the   
,common  ,translation1 the force of the 
personification4 ,the ,english language 
leaves to an author a free choice of    
either gender for his  personifications3
 and the practical effect of this has   
been1 that the  feminine prosopopeia has
 been selected as most appropriate to   
abstract  qualities and attributes of   
the mind2 and although instances are not
  wanting of masculine representations  
of several of the human passions1  the  
figure is felt1 in such cases1 to be    
much more vehement and more  entirely   
beyond the limits of prose1 than the    
employment of the other  gender4 ,what  
imagination would naturally think of    
,pity1 of ,fear1 of ,joy1  of ,genius1  

of ,hope1 as male beings8 ,it may be    
doubted whether our most  imaginative   
prose writers present any example of a  
male personification  of an attribute3  
,i can call to mind instances in the    
writings of  ,milton and ,jeremy        
,taylor1 of this figure so applied to   
certain material  objects1 as the ,sun1 
the ,ocean1 but not to abstract         
qualities or  modes1 unless when a      
conception is borrowed 7as of 8,old     
,time07 from the  ancient mythology4    
,and accordingly1 to an ,english reader1
 such a style  of representation must   
always appear forced and strange4 ,but a
 writer in  a language like the ,greek  
cannot choose the sex of his            
personifications2  it is decided for    
him1 by the gender already assigned to  
the  abstraction1 about which he is     
occupied2 and both he and his readers   
must accommodate their conceptions to   
this idiomatic necessity4 ,in the       
,german1 the ,moon is masculine2 the    
,sun feminine2 and every reader of  that

 language knows the strange             
incongruities which1 to ,english        
perceptions1 this peculiarity introduces
 into its poetical imagery4 ,for        
example1 there is a ,german translation 
of ,mrs4 ,barbauld's ,hymns in  prose2 a
 passage of which1 rendered literally   
into ,english would read  thus3 8,i will
 show you what is glorious4 ,the ,sun is
 glorious4 ,when ,she  shineth in the   
clear sky1 when ,she sitteth on the     
bright throne in the  heavens1 and      
looketh abroad over all the earth1 ,she 
is the most  excellent and glorious     
creature the eye can behold4 ,the ,sun  
is glorious2  but ,he that made the ,sun
 is more glorious than ,she40 ,again2   
8,there is  the ,moon1 bending ,his     
bright horns1 like a silver bow1 and    
shedding ,his  mild light1 like liquid  
silver1 over the blue firmament40 ,in   
the ,greek  literature1 accordingly1 the
 masculine personification of           
abstractions  is as easy and common as  
the feminine2 and the former occurs in  

many  instances in which an ,english    
author1 having free choice1 would prefer
  the latter3 thus in ,homer1 ,fear is a
 son of ,mars3                    1     
1  1    1             4#bgc    ,but in  
,collins1 a nymph3                8,o   
,fear6 444              ,thou who such  
weary lengths hast past1                
,where wilt thou rest1 mad nymph6 at    
last80#bgd    ,and so in ,coleridge3    
8,black ,horror screamed1 and all her   
goblin rout           ,diminish'd shrunk
 from the more withering scene40#bge    
,pindar must make ,envy a masculine     
power3                    8     40#bgf  
,coleridge thus describes the same      
feeling1 giving itself speech3          
8444 ,shall ,slander squatting near1    
,spit her cold venom in a dead man's    
ear80#bgg    ,and common as it is for   
,english writers to give a feminine     
personification to ,wisdom and ,genius1 
,philo expressly says they are of  the  
masculine gender 7     72#bgh and  the  
husband of the other faculties of the   

soul4    ,the divine attributes are1 ,i 
think1 uniformly represented by the     
pronoun  she1 in imaginative religious  
writers1 like ,bishop ,taylor2 mercy1   
justice1 goodness1 thus assume1 in the  
works of that great man1 the same  form 
as ,wisdom in the book of ,proverbs2 and
 it may be doubted whether1  if the     
apostle ,john had written in the        
,english language and with ,english     
feelings1 the personification in his    
proem might not have presented  itself  
in the same shape4 ,any one who will    
read over the passage1 with  this idea1 
will find1 ,i think1 that the figure1   
thus modified1 appears  by no means     
inconceivable4 ,have we not1 in the     
peculiarity of our  language to which ,i
 have alluded1 one reason why ,english  
theologians  appear to have felt more   
difficulty than foreign divines in      
seizing the  true idea of the ,logos2   
and why the disposition to consider it  
as an  objective and absolute ,person   
has been much more prevalent among all  

parties here1 than on the ,continent8   
#b4 ,but a more important consideration1
 for the understanding of this  ,proem1 
is this3 that the ,apostle is not the   
originator of the conception  respecting
 the ,logos1 but simply adopted it in   
the shape1 towards which  it had been   
organizing itself for centuries4 ,three 
successive states of  the idea can be   
traced2 in the ,old ,testament1 it      
appears 7in ,prov4  viii47 as a mere    
transient personification of ,divine    
,wisdom2 in the  ,apocryphal ,books of  
,ecclesiasticus and of ,wisdom1 it      
presents itself in  a more permanent and
 mythical character2 and1 in the        
writings of ,philo1  it assumes so      
embodied and hypostatized a form1 as to 
perplex the  simplicity of his          
,monotheism4 ,from his writings1 the    
whole ,proem of his  contemporary ,john 
7except where the ,baptist and ,jesus   
are mentioned by  name7 might be        
constructed4 ,this coincidence in       
phraseology so  remarkable1 cannot be   

considered as accidental4 ,is it thought
 impossible  that ,john should say of an
 attribute of ,god1 that it was with him
 from  the first8 ,we reply1 ,philo does
 say so2 calling ,goodness the most     
ancient of ,god's qualities2 ,wisdom    
older than the universe2 ,logos1 the    
,assessor 7 and 7 of ,god prior to all  
creations1 a needful  companion of      
,deity1 as the joint originator with him
 of all things4#bgi  ,and the ,son of   
,sirach says1 in his personification of 
,wisdom3 8,i am come  out of the mouth  
of the most ,high1 first-born before all
 creatures30 8,he  created me from the  
beginning1 and before the world40#bhj   
,is it said  that such a statement is   
unworthy of ,revelation8 ,we reply1 it  
occurs in  the writings of ,solomon3    
8,the ,lord possessed me in the         
beginning of his  way1 before his works 
of old20 8then ,i was by him as one     
brought up with  him30#bha where the    
feminine form 7vv4 #b1 #c7 totally      
excludes the idea  of ,wisdom being     

anything more than a personification4   
,is it thought  impossible that an      
attribute of ,god should be called the  
only-begotten  ,son of ,god8 ,we turn to
 ,philo1 and find this same ,logos      
entitled the most  ,ancient ,son of ,god
 7   71 the ,first-begotten 7  74 ,is it
 inconceivable that1 through this       
transforming energy  of ,god1 those who 
received it should be said to become    
,sons of ,god8  ,philo says1 8,if you   
are not yet worthy to be denominated a  
,son of ,god1  be earnest to put on the 
graces of his ,first-begotten           
,logos1--the most  ancient angel1 and1  
we may say1 an archangel of various     
titles30 8for if  we are not prepared to
 be esteemed children of ,god1 we may at
 all events  be thus related to the most
 ,holy ,logos1 his eternal ,image2 for  
the most  ,ancient ,logos is the ,image 
of ,god40#bhb    ,as all ,theological   
considerations1 suggested by heretics1  
are apt to be  dismissed with mere      
expressions of surprise and contempt1 ,i

 am happy to  refer1 in confirmation of 
the foregoing views1 in the most        
essential  particulars1 to an ,orthodox 
,writer1 whose accurate and various     
learning1  and sound and grave judgment1
 have given him a merited pre-eminence  
among the ,commentators on the ,gospel  
of ,john4 ,i allude to ,professor       
,lcke1 whose 8,commentar ber das        
,evangelium des ,johannes0 ,i have had  
the  opportunity1 since the delivery of 
this ,lecture1 of consulting4 ,i wish   
that ,i could lay before my readers the 
whole of his admirable history of  the  
rise and progress of the idea of the    
,logos2 but ,i must content  myself with
 translating a few brief extracts4#bhc  
8,the origin and germ10 he says1 8of the
 theological ,formula of the  ,logos1   
are furnished in the ,canonical ,hebrew 
,books 7alluding to certain  passages1  
especially ,prov4 viii4 which he has    
been showing to be mere  poetical       
personifications of ,divine             
,attributes74 ,it obtained its full     

development in the ,jewish ,theology1 in
 the writings of the ,alexandrine       
,philo4 ,and1 in an intermediate state  
of formation1 we find it in the  ,greek 
,apocryphal books of the ,old           
,testament40    ,lcke examines the      
conception in all these stages2 and1    
from his  analysis of ,philo's mode of  
thought1 ,i extract the following3      
8,according to ,philo1 ,god1 in his     
interior ,essence1 is inconceivable1    
occult1 solitary 7das absolute71        
self-comprised1 and without relations   
to any other existence4444 ,although the
 absolute cause of all that is1  ,god   
cannot1 in his own essence1 and         
immediately1 operate on the  universe1  
either in the way of creation1          
preservation1 or government4  ,concealed
 in his absolute separation1 ,god is    
manifest and an object of  knowledge in 
the world1 only through his ,powers 773 
these1  external forces of ,god in the  
universe1 apart from his absolute       
essence1  are the necessary media of his

 presence in the universe4444 ,these    
divine   ,philo calls sometimes ,ideas1 
sometimes ,angels1 sometimes  ,logoi4   
,this identification of notions1 powers1
 ideas1 angels1 logoi1  which is        
frequent in the writings of ,philo1 is  
of great importance for  the right      
apprehension of his doctrine of the     
,divine ,logos4 ,this ,logos  he        
considers in a twofold relation4        
,sometimes he regards it as  inherent   
7immanent71 and refers it to him as a   
capacity 7facultativ72  when it is the  
,divine 1 analogous to the human4 ,but  
this attributive  conception gives way  
to that of the  1 as a living1          
energetic 1 which tends to external     
action4 ,of this1 ,philo1 in  the spirit
 of ,platonism1 conceives as  1 the     
,ideal of things1  the archetypal ,idea1
 the pattern ,world1 the  1 which is    
extant in ,god as a reality1 before all 
outward creations of the actual         
universe4 ,in this sense the  is the    
primary energy of ,god1--the  1 the   4 

,but1 at the same time1 the  is also 2  
and1 as a forming  activity1 goes forth 
out of ,god4 ,but as this is only       
another relation of  the ,divine ,logos1
 viz41 relation to the world1 so is it  
the product  of the former2 yet         
essentially one with it1 like the  of   
the  inherent ,logos1--as human speech  
is the resident point of the idea1 its  
form of manifestation4 ,all living1     
active relations of ,god to the  world1 
all his objective manifestations1 are   
comprised in this emanated  ,logos4 ,he 
forms the world or creates it1          
imprinting himself on matter as  a      
,divine seal 774 ,and as he has created 
the world 7or otherwise1  ,god through  
him1 ' 17 so he preserves it2 he is the 
indwelling  and sustaining power1 full  
of light and life1 and filling          
everything  with ,divine light and life4
 ,so in the human world1 he is both the 
natural divine power of every soul1 the 
pure intellect1 the conscience2  and the
 bestower of wisdom1 and the watch of   

virtue4 ,he is the same with  the       
,wisdom of ,god1 the ,holy ,spirit of   
,god in his objective manifestation  in 
the world2 partly because animating and 
inspiring men1 particularly  in the     
capacity of ,prophetic ,spirit4         
8,hence the ,logos is the eldest        
,creation of ,god1 the ,eternal         
,father's  eldest ,son1 ,god's ,image1  
,mediator between ,god and the ,world1  
the ,highest  ,angel1 the ,second ,god1 
the ,high-priest1 the ,reconciler1      
,intercessor for  the ,world and ,men1  
whose manifestation is especially       
visible in the  history of the ,jewish  
people40#bhd    ,it ought to be added1  
that some able writers1 as ,grossman and
 ,gfrrer1  conceive that ,philo invested
 his ,logos with a real personality4    
,the  reasons for this opinion do not   
appear to me to be satisfactory4 ,even  
those who adopt it assign to this       
hypostasis a rank wholly subordinate1   
in ,philo's estimation1 to the ,supreme 
,god3 and ,lcke strenuously  maintains  

that both the ,alexandrine philosopher  
and the apostle ,john  apply the name   
,god to the ,logos only in a figurative 
sense 7  74 ,he considers the clause    
8the ,word was ,god10 merely            
incidental1 and unimportant compared    
with the preceding clause1 8the  ,word  
was with ,god40 8,john10 he observes1   
8sums up the purpose of the  first verse
 in the words of the second2       4    
,from his not taking up again the idea  
1 we must conclude1  that he considered 
this position only an accessory4 ,thus  
the     is evidently to be the more     
prominently marked assertion40 8,john   
would say1 the primeval ,logos is   2   
that is1 is in such  communion with     
,god1 stands in such relation to him1   
that he may be  called 4 ,looking at the
 historical connection between the mode 
of  expression in ,philo and in ,john1  
there is no room for doubt1 that   is to
 be taken in the sense in which ,philo  
applies the name  to the     1--and     
explicitly calls the  ,god--    2 but to

 prevent misunderstanding1 expressly    
subjoins that this is  only  4 ,though  
,john1 as we have seen1 understands by  
the  ,logos1 a real ,divine ,person1 he 
yet1 as a ,christian ,apostle1 held the 
monotheistic conception of ,god in a    
still higher degree1 and an             
incomparably purer form 7xvii4 #c2 #a   
,john v4 #bj7 than ,philo3 and are we   
then at liberty to suppose1 that by him1
 less than by ,philo1 the  position     
is meant simply  8 ,it is true that  the
 substitution for  of the adjective  is 
at variance with the  analogy of ,new   
,testament diction3 but must we not1    
with the ,alexandrine  ,fathers1        
especially ,origen1 conclude that       
without the article1 is  to be taken as 
marking the difference between the      
indefinite sense of  #8,divine nature1' 
and the definite1 absolute1 conception  
of ,god1  expressed by  8 ,thus would   
,john's  correspond with ,paul's    4   
,such an accordance between the manner  
of ,paul and of ,john is  an advantage  

which must appear an equally desirable  
result of exegesis1  whether we consider
 it in its dogmatical or its historical 
relations40#bhe    ,from this extract it
 appears1 that if the author does not   
approve of the  old ,socinian           
interpretation1 which considers the     
,logos as synonymous  from the first    
with ,jesus ,christ2 it is not because  
he knows1 that   in the predicate cannot
 signify a god2 or slights ,origen's    
opinion on  the usage of ,n4 ,t4 and    
,hellenistic ,greek4 ,we have here an   
authority1  than which no higher can be 
produced from among the living or the   
dead1  in favour of a meaning which1 to 
the fastidious scholarship of ,liverpool
  theologians1 is absolutely            
intolerable4 ,lcke of course admits the 
general rule1 respecting the omission of
 the article with the  predicative noun2
 but he conceives 7greatly to the       
horror1 no doubt1 of  those whose soul  
resides in syntax7 that the good old    
,apostle would even  have committed a   

solecism in respect of a ,greek article1
 for the sake of  clearing a great truth
 in respect of ,god4 8,if there had been
 any  intention to express the          
substantial unity of the ,logos and     
,god1 we  should have expected the      
,apostle to write  4 ,on account of the 
equivocal meaning of  without the       
article1 the article could not  possibly
 have been absent40#bhf ,it is vain to  
say that such corrupt  ,greek as this   
cannot be ascribed to the ,apostles4    
,here are examples from  ,john2     2   
#bhg     3 #bhh  and here are others    
from ,paul2     3 #bhi        4 #bij    
,nay1 we have an example in the         
following text1 of a total inversion of 
the rule1 the article being  attached to
 the predicate1 and not to the subject2 
77  4#bia    ,it will be perceived by   
the text of this ,lecture that ,i do not
 adopt the  rendering of the            
,alexandrine ,fathers2 but ,i am        
anxious1 in rejecting it1  to pass no   
slight on the learning of those who     

maintain it2 and to show  that1 out of  
,england1 orthodoxy can afford to be    
wise and just4    ,i think it right to  
add1 that to the view which has been    
given of the  ,proem1 an objection of   
some weight occurs in the twelfth verse4
 ,the  clause #8to them that believe on 
his name' presents the question1 #8who  
is  denoted by the pronoun his1--the    
,logos or ,jesus ,christ personally8'   
,according to the interpretation which  
,i have recommended1 it should mean  the
 former2 according to the analogy of    
,scriptural diction1 certainly  the     
latter4 ,feeling the force of the       
difficulty1 ,i yet think it less        
serious than those which attend every   
other hypothesis3 and incline to  think1
 that the clause is an anticipation of  
the personal introduction  of the       
,incarnate ,logos which immediately     
follows2 a point of transition  from the
 personification to the history4    ,in 
conclusion1 may ,i take occasion to     
correct an erroneous statement in  ,mr4 

,byrth's ,lecture2--that ,samuel ,crell 
was a convert to ,trinitarianism  before
 his death4 8,he died10 we are told1 8a 
believer in the ,supreme  ,divinity of  
,christ1 and the efficacy of his atoning
 sacrifice40#bib ,i  have before me the 
most authentic collection of ,socinian  
,memoirs which  has been published1 by  
,dr4 ,f4 ,s4 ,bock1 ,greek ,professor1  
and ,royal  ,librarian at ,knigsberg4   
,the work is principally from original  
sources2  and the testimony of the      
following passage will probably be      
received as  unimpeachable4 ,it appears 
that a vague statement in the ,hamburgh 
,literary ,news gave rise to the report 
of ,crell's conversion3 8,obiit         
,crellius ,amstelodami1 a4 #agdg4 d4    
#ab4 ,maii1 anno t4 #hg4 ,in novis      
litterariis ,hamburg4 #agdg1 p4 #gjc1   
narratur1 quod circa vit finem  errorum 
suorum ipsum pnituerit1 hujusque        
pnitenti non simulat haud  obscura      
dederit documenta1 quod ,paulo ,burgero1
 ,archidiacono  ,herspruccensi in iisdem

 novis publicis ,hamb4 #agdh1 p4 #cde1  
eam ob  caussam veri haud absimile      
videtur1 quia sibi ,amstelodami degenti 
,crellius1 a4 #agca1 oretenus testatus  
fuerit1 in colloquiis cum ,celeb4       
,schaffio ,lugdunensi institutis1 qudam 
placita1 jam sibi dubia reddita  esse1  
adeo ut jam anceps circa eadem hreat4   
,sed in iisdem novis #agdi1  p4 #ib1 et 
p4 #dhj1 certiores reddimur3 ,crellium  
ad ultimum vit su  halitum perstitisse  
,unitarium1 quod etiam frater ipsius1   
,paulus1 mihi  coram pluribus vicibus   
testatus est40#bic                      
---------------------                   
,f4    ,in the rendering which ,i have  
given to this passage the word  is      
considered as equivalent to 4 ,the      
interpretation1 however1 in no  way     
requires this2 and if it should be      
thought necessary to maintain the       
distinction between them1 to which the  
analogy of ,greek formation1 in  the    
case of verbal nouns1 undoubtedly       
points1 and to limit the former to  the 

active sense of the 8operation of       
seizing10 the latter to the  passive    
sense of 8the object seized20 the       
general meaning will remain  wholly     
unaffected4 ,the only difference will be
 this2 that the whole of  the sixth     
verse must1 in that case1 be considered 
as descriptive of the  rightful glory of
 ,christ2 and the transition to his     
voluntary  afflictions will not commence
 till the #gth4 ,the signification of   
this  doubtful word simply determines1  
whether the clause in which it stands   
shall be the last in the account of our 
,lord's dignity1 or the first in  the   
notice of his humiliation4 ,the         
rendering1 however1 which ,i have       
adopted1 is confirmed by the use made of
 this passage in the most  ancient      
citation from this epistle4 ,in the     
letter of the churches of  ,vienne and  
,lyons1 the #fth verse is quoted1       
without the sequel1 and the  fact that  
,christ thought it not  to be equal with
 ,god1 is  adduced as an example of     

humility2 8who showed themselves so far 
emulators and imitators of ,christ2 who 
being in the form of ,god thought  not  
his equality with ,god1 a thing to be   
eagerly seized40--,euseb4 ,eccl4  ,hist4
 ,lib4 ,v4  #b4 ,heinichen1 vol4 ii4 p4 
#cf4    ,with considerable variation of 
expression1 the same idea occurs in the 
7#ast7 ,epistle of ,clement of ,rome to 
the ,corinthians4 8,christ is theirs    
who are humble4 ,our ,lord ,jesus       
,christ1 the sceptre of the majesty of  
,god1 came not in the show of pride and 
pre-eminence1 though he could  have done
 so2 but in humility4 ,ye see1 beloved1 
what is the model which  has been given 
us40 ,c4 xvi4 ,if the ,trinitarian view 
of the mediatorial  office of ,christ be
 correct1 it is not easy to perceive how
 he could  have come in the show of     
pride and pre-eminence2 had he not laid 
aside  the glories of his ,deity1 and   
clothed himself with a suffering        
humanity1  his mission1 as commonly     
conceived1 could have had no existence1 

nor any  one purpose of it have been    
answered4 ,but he might have been the   
great  ,hebrew ,messiah1 had he not     
chosen rather1 by a process of suffering
 and  death1 to put himself into        
universal and spiritual relations to all
 men4                                   
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,v4    ,footnote
 #afd3      ,analogy of ,religion1 part 
ii4 ch4 #c4    ,footnote #afe3          
,sermon on the ,integrity of the ,canon1
 p4 #hj4    ,footnote #aff3      ,dr4   
,tattershall's ,sermon on the ,integrity
 of the ,canon1 p4 #ha4    ,footnote    
#afg3      ,elements of ,logic4         
,appendix1 in verb4 ,person4            
,footnote #afh3      ,see ,note ,a4     
,footnote #afi3      ,see ,mr4 ,jones's 
,lecture on the ,proper ,humanity of our
 ,lord ,jesus    ,christ1 pp4 #bda1     
#bdb4    ,footnote #agj3      ,genesis1 
xviii4 #a1 #b1 #bb2 xix4 #a1 #aj1 #ae4  
,footnote #aga3      ,deut4 xxix4 #b1   
#e1 #f4    ,footnote #agb3      ,it is  

hardly necessary to observe1 that ,i use
 the word 8,athanasian0 to    denote the
 doctrine of the ,creed so called2 not  
of ,st4 ,athanasius    himself1 who is  
known to have had no hand in the        
composition of that    formula4         
,footnote #agc3      ,jesus ,christ1 the
 great ,god our ,saviour1 pp4 #ha1 #cfi4
    ,footnote #agd3      ,it is         
orthodox1 at the present day1 to affirm 
that the mysteries of    the ,godhead   
and ,incarnation of our ,lord were      
explicitly taught by    himself         
throughout his ministry1 as well as by  
his apostles    afterwards2 and ,mr4    
,jones 7,lecture1 p4 #bcg7 assures us   
that he    8received divine homage1     
whilst on earth1 from inspired men and  
angelic spirits40 ,this shows how much  
more clear-sighted is modern            
orthodoxy than was ancient3 for the     
,fathers thought that a great part    of
 the 8mystery0 of these doctrines       
consisted in the secrecy in    which    
they were long wrapped4 8,in the silence

 of ,god10 ,ignatius    assures us1 were
 the ,incarnation and the ,lord's death 
accomplished2    and the ecclesiastical 
writers of the first six centuries seem 
not    only to have admitted that our   
,lord concealed his divinity from his   
disciples1 and enjoined on his apostles 
great caution in this matter1    but to 
have discerned in this suppression a    
profound wisdom1 of which    they       
frequently express their admiration4    
,they urge that the ,jews    could never
 have been brought round to the faith1  
if these doctrines    had not been kept 
back for a while1--a strange thing1 by  
the way1 if    the whole ritual and     
,scriptures of this people were created 
to    prefigure these mysteries4 ,but   
,ignatius threw out a suggestion1 which1
    from the eagerness wherewith it was 
caught up by succeeding writers1    was 
evidently thought a happy discovery3 it 
was necessary to conceal    these       
mysteries from the ,devil1 or he would  
have been on his guard1    and defeated 

everything4 ,the hint of the venerable  
saint is brief3    8,the ,virginity of  
,mary1 and the ,birth and ,death of the 
,lord were    hidden from the ,prince of
 this world40 ,but the idea is variously
    enlarged upon by the later ,fathers2
 for1 as ,cotelier observes1 8,res      
ipsa quam ,ignatius exprimit1 passim    
apud sanctos ,patres invenitur40        
,jerome adds1 that the vigilance of the 
,devil1 who expected the ,messiah    to 
be born in some ,jewish family1 was thus
 eluded2 and the ,author of    an       
anonymous fragment of the same age1     
cited by ,isaac ,vos1 suggests    that1 
if ,satan had known1 he would never have
 put it into men's hearts    to crucify 
,jesus4 ,and ,jobius1 a monk of the     
sixth century1 quoted by    ,photius in 
his ,bibliotheca1 and complimented by   
the learned ,patriarch    as      1     
says1 8,it was necessary to    keep in  
the shade the mystery of the            
,incarnation of the ,word1 both for     
the sake of conciliating the hearers1   

and in order to escape the    notice of 
the ,prince of ,darkness40--,see ,s4    
,ignat4 ,ep4 ad ,magnes4 ch4    xix42   
,patr4 ,apost4 ,le ,clerc's ,ed4 ,notes2
 and ,priestley's ,early    ,opinions1  
b4 iii1 ch4 #c1 #d4    ,footnote #age3  
,lambertus ,danaus1 cited by ,drusius1  
in his ,diss4 de nom4 ,elohim4 ,crit4   
,sacr4 ,tractatt4 t4 #a4 ,see also      
,drus4 de qusitis per ,epist4 #ff4      
,footnote #agf3      ,comment4 in ,gen4 
i4 #a4 ,calvin adds1 8,imagining that   
they have here a    proof against the   
,arians1 they involve themselves in the 
,sabellian    error3 because ,moses     
afterwards subjoins that ,elohim spake1 
and that    the ,spirit of ,elohim      
brooded over the waters4 ,if we are to  
understand that the three ,persons are  
indicated1 there will be no             
distinction among them3 for it will     
follow that the ,son was                
self-generated1 and that the ,spirit is 
not of the ,father1 but of    himself40 
,for further notice of this point see   

,note ,b4    ,footnote #agg3            
,grammar of the ,hebrew ,language1 art4 
#bbh1 #f4 ,note4    ,footnote #agh3     
,see ,scripture ,proofs and ,scriptural 
,illustrations of ,unitarianism1 by     
,john ,wilson1 second edition1 #ahcg1 p4
 #cc1 where will be found a    curious  
table1 exhibiting the usage of the word 
,god1 in every book    of the ,new      
,testament4 ,mr4 ,wilson has collected  
his materials with    great industry1   
and arranged them with skill4           
,footnote #agi3      ,matt4 i4 #bc4     
,footnote #ahj3      ,isaiah vii4 #ad4  
,the whole passage is as follows3       
8,behold the virgin conceiveth1 and     
beareth a son2                   ,and   
she shall call his name ,emmanuel4      
,butter and honey shall he eat1         
,when he shall know to refuse what is   
evil1                       and to      
choose what is good3                    
,for before this child shall know       
,to refuse the evil1 and to choose the  
good2                   ,the land shall 

become desolate1                   ,by  
whose two kings thou art distressed40   
,footnote #aha3      ,quoted from       
,wilson's ,illustrations1 p4 #aag4      
,footnote #ahb3      ,letters on the    
,trinity1 by ,moses ,stuart1 ,professor 
of ,sacred    ,literature in the        
,theological ,seminary1 ,andover1 ,u4,s4
 ,belf4 ed4 p4    #afa4    ,footnote    
#ahc3      ,scripture ,testimony to the 
,messiah1 #bnd edit4 vol4 i4 p4 #chb4   
,footnote #ahd3      ,amos v4 #b4       
,footnote #ahe3      ,jeremiah xiv4 #ag4
    ,footnote #ahf3      ,micah iv4 #h1 
#i4 ,see the whole context4    ,footnote
 #ahg3      ,see ,note ,c4    ,footnote 
#ahh3      ,isaiah ix4 #e1 #f4          
,footnote #ahi3      ,isaiah viii4      
#bc-;ix4 #d4 ,compare #b ,kings xv4 #bi2
 #a ,chronicles v4 #bf4    ,footnote    
#aij3      ,martin ,luther's ,version1  
in loc4    ,footnote #aia3      ,see    
,note ,d4    ,footnote #aib3       4    
,footnote #aic3       4    ,footnote    
#aid3      ,phil4 ,jud4 ,op4 ,schrey et 

,h4 ,j4 ,meyer4 ,francof4 #afia4 ,de    
,mundi opific4    p4 #e4 ,c4 p4 #f4 ,c4 
,leg4 ,alleg4 p4 #ic4 ,b1 ,c1 ,d4 ,de   
somniis1 pp4 #egd4 ,e4    #ege4 ,c4 ,e4 
#egf4 ,e4 ,de confus4 ,ling4 p4 #cda4   
,b4 ,c4 ,quis rer4 div4    hres4 p4     
#eji4 ,b4 ,c4 ,euseb4 ,prep4 ,evang4    
,,vii4 #ac4    ,footnote #aie3      ,see
 ,note ,e4    ,footnote #aif3      #a   
,tim4 iii4 #af4    ,footnote #aig3      
1            4--,s4 ,ignatii ,epist4 ad 
,magnes4 c4 viii4    ,footnote #aih3    
' 1 not ' 4    ,footnote #aii3          
,psalm xlv4    ,footnote #bjj3      v4  
#a-i4    ,footnote #bja3      v4 #aj-ag4
    ,footnote #bjb3      ,new           
,translation of the ,psalms1 by ,dr4 ,m4
 ,young1 ,bishop of ,clonfert2    in    
loc4 ,comp4 ,preface4--,when resident in
 ,dublin1 ,i enjoyed the    advantage of
 consulting this posthumous work1       
suppressed before its    publication1   
for reasons sufficiently obvious to     
those who know the    work1 and have    
noticed the reception which orthodoxy   

gives to honest    and impartial        
biblical criticism and exegesis4 ,see   
,mr4 ,wellbeloved's    ,bible in loc4   
where ,bishop ,young's translation is   
cited4 ,may ,i    venture to refer our  
learned opponents to the last-mentioned 
work1    whenever they think proper to  
examine what kind of ,old ,testament    
theology a ,unitarian may hold8 ,it     
would be curious to know1 probably      
perplexing even to 8ordained clergymen0 
to determine1 on which horn of    the   
dilemma the ,rev4 ,hebraists in ,christ 
,church must fix ,mr4                   
,wellbeloved2--8defective               
scholarship80--or 8uncandid and         
dishonest    criticism80    ,footnote   
#bjc3      ,see ,acts iii4 #ai-ba2 xiii4
 #cc-cg2 xxvi4 #f-h4 ,hebrews ii4 #e4   
,titus ii4    #ab1 #ac4 #a ,tim4 iv4 #a4
 ,james v4 #c1 #g1 #h4 #a ,cor4 x4 #aa4 
,phil4 iv4 #e4 #b    ,thess4 ii4 #b4    
,footnote #bjd3      #b ,pet4 iii4 #ac4 
,footnote #bje3      #a ,pet4 iii4 #bj4 
,footnote #bjf3      ,acts xvii4 #ca4   

,footnote #bjg3      ,rom4 i4 #d4       
,footnote #bjh3      ,acts xiii4 #cj-cd4
 comp4 ,heb4 i4 #e4    ,footnote #bji3  
,heb4 i4 #c4    ,footnote #baj3      #b 
,pet4 iii4 #i4    ,footnote #baa3       
,heb4 i4 #c4    ,footnote #bab3         
,paraphrase on the ,epistles2 ,rom4     
xiii4 #aa1 #ab4 ,note4    ,footnote     
#bac3      ,from the word ,,god1        
supposed to be addressed to ,christ1 in 
the clause    8,thy throne1 ,o ,god1    
c410 the ,deity of our ,lord1 as a      
second person    in the ,trinity1 is    
inferred4 ,yet this word1 in the        
original1 is    ,,elohim1 whose plural  
form1 we are told1 is intended to       
prevent our    thinking of only ,one    
,person1 and which cannot mean less than
 the    whole ,trinity4    ,footnote    
#bad3      #a ,john v4 #bj4    ,footnote
 #bae3      ,notes in loc4    ,footnote 
#baf3      ,newcome4    ,footnote #bag3 
#b ,john #g4    ,footnote #bah3         
,phil4 ii4 #e-h4    ,footnote #bai3     
#b ,cor4 viii4 #i4    ,footnote #bbj3   

,see ,note ,f4    ,footnote #bba3       
,these texts naturally arrange          
themselves thus3                        
,condescension4            ,philippians 
ii4 #e-h4            #b ,corinthians    
viii4 #i4                ,exaltation4   
,phil4 ii4 #i-aa4            ,eph4 i4   
#bj-bc4            ,col4 i4 #ae-ai4     
,heb4 i4    ,footnote #bbb3      ,col4  
i4 #ae-ai4 ,comp4 ,eph4 iii4 #ai2 where 
the apostle desires that the            
,ephesians may 8be filled with all the  
fulness of ,god40    ,footnote #bbc3    
,note in loc4    ,footnote #bbd3        
,acts xiv4 #ae4    ,footnote #bbe3      
,eph4 ii4 #aj4    ,footnote #bbf3       
#b ,cor4 v4 #ag4    ,footnote #bbg3     
#a ,cor4 xv4 #bd4    ,footnote #bbh3    
#a ,thess4 iv4 #ad4    ,footnote #bbi3  
#a ,cor4 xv4 #ea4 #a ,thess4 iv4 #ag2 v4
 #aj4    ,footnote #bcj3      ,eph4 i4  
#aj4    ,footnote #bca3      #b ,thess4 
i4 #i4    ,footnote #bcb3      ,heb4 i4 
#f2 ,phil4 ii4 #aj4    ,footnote #bcc3  
,heb4 xii4 #bh4    ,footnote #bcd3      

#b ,tim4 ii4 #ab4    ,footnote #bce3    
#a ,thess4 iv4 #ad4    ,footnote #bcf3  
,rom4 viii4 #ai1 #bc1 #f4    ,footnote  
#bcg3      #a ,pet4 i4 #e4    ,footnote 
#bch3      ,eph4 ii4 #ba1 #bb4          
,footnote #bci3      ,eph4 ii4 #bc4     
,footnote #bdj3      #a ,cor4 viii4 #f4 
,footnote #bda3      ,john xvii4 #c4    
,footnote #bdb3      ,john iv4 #bc1 #bd4
    ,footnote #bdc3      ,eph4 iv4 #f4  
,footnote #bdd3      ,this is the source
 to which our opponents in the present  
controversy    have explicitly referred 
the divine wisdom of ,christ4 ,mr4      
,jones says1    8,unaided by the fulness
 of the ,godhead which dwelt within him 
bodily10 7did the ,father1 according to 
the ,creeds1 dwell in him    bodily87   
8his human soul was1 necessarily1 finite
 in its operations40    ,and again1     
8,nor could he1 as we have already      
intimated1 know anything    beyond the  
ken of a finite intelligence1 except it 
were revealed to    him by the ,,eternal
 ,,word1 with which he was mysteriously 

united40    ,christ says1 8as ,,my      
,,father hath taught me1 ,i speak these 
things40    ,was his 8,father0 8the     
eternal ,word80--,see ,lect4 on the     
,proper    ,humanity1 c4 pp4 #bba1 #bdc4
    ,footnote #bde3      ,john v4 #ai1  
#cj4    ,footnote #bdf3      ,ib4 xiv4  
#aj4    ,footnote #bdg3      ,ib4 vi4   
#eg4    ,footnote #bdh3      ,ib4 v4    
#cf4    ,footnote #bdi3      ,ib4 x4    
#bi4    ,footnote #bej3      ,mark xiii4
 #cb4    ,footnote #bea3      ,with     
respect to the meaning of the name1     
8,,the ,,son10 our opponents    appear  
to vary their statements in a way which 
serves the ends of    controversy more  
than those of truth4 ,mr4 ,jones says   
that in the    passages which ,i have   
adduced1 the ,trinitarian hypothesis    
8finds no    hindrance whatever10       
because the word ,,son denotes in them  
our ,lord's    human and ,mediatorial   
character4 ,mr4 ,bates denies that the  
word can    have any such meaning4 ,in  
defending the supreme ,divinity of      

,christ1 as    well as of the ,holy     
,spirit1 from what is incorrectly called
 the    ,baptismal ,form1 78baptizing in
 the name of the ,father1 and of the    
,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost107 he begs
 us to observe that it is not    into   
the name of ,christ the ,mediator that  
converts are to be    baptized4 8,our   
,saviour's words10 he affirms1 8not only
 fail to    sanction1 but expressly     
exclude1 such a construction2 for he    
does    not say1 #8the name of the      
,father and of myself1' but #8of ,,the  
,,son1'    that is1 of ,,the ,,eternal  
,,word40 ,mr4 ,bates's ,lecture is not  
published2    but he is aware that this 
statement is correct4 ,since this name  
8the    ,son0 8expressly excludes0 the  
,mediatorial character1 and must mean   
the ,eternal ,word1 may we ask ,mr4     
,bates1 how it is the ,eternal ,word did
    not know the day and the hour1 and  
could do nothing of himself8--,mr4      
,jones's ,lect4 p4 #bdb4    ,footnote   
#beb3      ,john vi4 #fb4    ,footnote  

#bec3      ,ib4 iii4 #ac4    ,footnote  
#bed3      ,john xvii4 #e4    ,footnote 
#bee3      ,acts ii4 #cb4    ,footnote  
#bef3      ,gal4 i4 #a4    ,footnote    
#beg3      ,john x4 #ah4    ,footnote   
#beh3      ,wardlaw's ,discourses1 iv4  
p4 #aag4    ,footnote #bei3      ,acts  
xvii4 #ca4    ,footnote #bfj3      ,john
 v4 #cj4    ,footnote #bfa3      ,john  
v4 #bi4 ,it is very difficult to        
determine whether this class of         
passages is rightly interpreted as      
referring to a final and collective     
judgment of mankind4 ,the discussion of 
this point does not properly    belong  
to our present subject2 and the         
assumption1 for the sake of    brevity  
of argument1 of the usual               
interpretation1 does not imply    assent
 to it4    ,footnote #bfb3              
,tillotson's ,sermons1 xlvi4 ,lond4     
#agjd4 pp4 #edi1 #eej4      ,i am aware 
that the name of this admirable writer  
is not likely to    have much weight    
with our opponents2 for in speaking of  

,socinian    writers he has indulged in 
a spirit of justice1 which the modern   
,orthodoxy of his ,church appears to    
consider altogether old-fashioned4      
,the ,archbishop gives the following    
character of the school which took      
its name from the ,socini2 8,and yet to 
do right to the writers on that    side1
 ,i must own1 that generally they are a 
pattern of the fair way of    disputing1
 and of debating matters of religion    
without heat and    unseemly reflections
 upon their adversaries1 in the number  
of whom ,i    did not expect that the   
,primitive ,fathers of the ,christian   
,church    would have been reckoned by  
them4 ,they generally argue matters with
    that temper and gravity1 and with   
that freedom from passion and           
transport1 which becomes a serious and  
weighty argument2 and for the    most   
part they reason closely and clearly1   
with extraordinary guard    and caution1
 with great dexterity and decency1 and  
yet with smartness    and subtilty      

enough2 with a very gentle heat1 and few
 hard    words2--virtues to be praised  
wherever they are found1 yea even in an 
enemy1 and very worthy our imitation40  
,yet the ,archbishop1 as if aware       
that his candour might1 by a very       
natural process1 excite suspicion of    
his ,orthodoxy1 raises himself above    
imputation by adding1 8,in a word1      
they are the strongest managers of a    
weak cause1 and which is    ill-founded 
at the bottom1 that perhaps ever yet    
meddled with    controversy2 insomuch   
that some of the ,protestants and the   
generality    of the ,popish writers1   
and even of the ,jesuits themselves1 who
 pretend    to all the reason and       
subtilty in the world1 are in comparison
 of them    but mere scolds and         
bunglers2 upon the whole matter1 they   
have but    this one great defect1 that 
they want a good cause and truth on     
their    side2 which if they had1 they  
have reason and wit and temper enough to
    defend it40--,sermon xliv4 p4 #eba4 

,footnote #bfc3      ,mr4 ,stewart      
recommends to our imitation the conduct 
of a ,jewish child    who became anxious
 to pray1 like his companions1 to ,jesus
 ,christ1 not1    apparently1 from any  
impulse of the affections1 or any       
convictions of    duty2 but from a      
prudent desire to run no risk of        
offending any    possible power4 8,when 
,i go to heaven and see ,jesus ,christ1 
if he is    ,god10 calculates the boy1  
8,i shall be ashamed to look him in the 
face40 ,is it possible that this        
principle of making sure of one's       
self-interest without regard to         
sincerity and truth1 can be published   
without a blush1 from a ,christian      
pulpit8 ,and is ,christ so little       
known as yet1 that such hollow worship  
is thought to be a passport to    his   
favour1 instead of winning from him a   
rebuke that1 in truth1 must    make     
ashamed8 ,is the ,infinite hearer of    
prayer1--whatever be his name    or     
names1--one who will turn away from a   

contrite and trustful    supplication of
 the soul1 unless his titles are all set
 right upon the    lips8 ,what then     
would become of the millions of         
entreaties and of    cries that daily   
rise from the grieving earth to the     
blessed ,god8    ,impossible6 'twould   
make ,heaven a vast ,dead-letter        
,office1 for    returning petitions on  
account of a wrong address4    ,footnote
 #bfd3      ,jer4 xxxi4 #d4    ,footnote
 #bfe3      ,jer4 xxxi4 #ac4            
,footnote #bff3      ,lam4 i4 #ae4      
,footnote #bfg3      ,is4 xxiii4 #ab4   
,footnote #bfh3      #b ,kings xix4 #ba4
    ,footnote #bfi3      ,is4 viii4 #h4 
,footnote #bgj3      ,is4 viii4 #ah4    
,footnote #bga3      ,matt4 ii4 #bc4    
,footnote #bgb3      ,elements of       
,rhetoric1 part iii4 ch4 ii4  #c4       
,footnote #bgc3      ,il4 xiii4 #bih4   
,footnote #bgd3      ,ode to ,fear4     
,footnote #bge3      ,sonnet xii4       
,footnote #bgf3      ,olymp4 viii4 #gc4 
,footnote #bgg3      ,juvenile ,poems1  

p4 #ei4    ,footnote #bgh3      ,de     
vict4 p4 #hch4 ,d4    ,footnote #bgi3   
,quod ,deus sit immut4 p4 #cji4 ,a4 ,de 
charit4 p4 #fji4 ,a4 ,de ,temul4 p4     
#bdd4 ,d4 ,leg4 ,alleg4 p4 #ic4 ,b4     
,footnote #bhj3      ,ecclesiasticus    
xxiv4 #e1 #ab4    ,footnote #bha3       
,prov4 viii4 #bb1 #cj4    ,footnote     
#bhb3               1          1      1 
4444            1               1   4   
,de    conf4 ling4 p4 #cda4 ,b4 ,c4     
,footnote #bhc3      ,i have an         
impression of having seen advertised an 
,english translation    of this work2   
but ,i have no means of ascertaining the
 fact4    ,footnote #bhd3      ,for the 
sake of brevity ,i have given rather an 
abstract than a    translation4         
,commentar4 b4 das ,evang4 des ,johan4  
von ,dr4 ,friedrich    ,lcke4 ,band4 i4 
p4 #bcb-p4 #bch4 ,bonn4 #ahcc4 ,it is   
possible that    ,professor ,lcke's     
,orthodoxy1 which1 in conformity with   
the prevailing    estimate of his       
countrymen1 ,i have ventured to assume1 

may be called    in question4 ,it is    
always difficult to take the 8regula    
fidei10    recognized in one ,country1  
and apply it1 with any exactitude1 to   
the    sentiments of another1 especially
 when the one is remarkable for the     
hard and literal character of its       
theological conceptions2 and the        
other1 for the excessive refinements by 
which it has discriminated the    shades
 of religious belief4 ,if tried by the  
only ,german standard which    has any  
near correspondence with ,english       
,evangelicism1 ,i mean the    severe    
school of ,guerike1 ,tholuck1 ,hahn1    
,olshausen1 ,lcke would1 no    doubt1 be
 pronounced deficient in the faith4 ,but
 he belongs to the    class which       
approaches most nearly to them1 both in 
the interpretation    of ,scripture1 and
 in the estimate of its authority4 ,he  
does not1 with    them1 refuse to       
compare the doctrines of ,scripture with
 the    conclusions of ,reason1 and     
insist that the authority of the former 

supersedes all recourse to the latter2  
but having ascertained first    the fact
 and the meaning of ,revelation1 he then
 permits the    comparison with         
philosophy1 and declares their entire   
consistency4 ,he    thus belongs to the 
,scriptural section of what is called   
the    ,philosophical ,school of ,german
 ,theology4 ,he is decidedly            
,trinitarian    and ,anti-rationalist2  
and his orthodoxy has never been        
suspected1 as    has that of            
,schleiermacher1 the father of his      
school4 ,he was ,professor    of        
,theology in ,gttingen before the recent
 political divisions in    ,hanover4    
,footnote #bhe3      ,pp4 #bfc1 #bff1   
#bfg4    ,footnote #bhf3      ,p4 #bfe4 
,footnote #bhg3      #a ,john iii4 #d4  
,footnote #bhh3      #a ,john v4 #f4    
,footnote #bhi3      #b ,cor4 iii4 #ag4 
,footnote #bij3      #a ,cor4 xi4 #c4   
,footnote #bia3      #a ,kings xviii4   
#ba4 ,there would be no difficulty in   
increasing the    number of instances   

exemplifying this solecism4    ,footnote
 #bib3      ,p4 #aeg4    ,footnote #bic3
      ,historia ,antitrinitariorum1     
maxim ,socinianismi et ,socinianorum2   
,fred4    ,sam4 ,bock1 ,tom4 ,i4 ,p4 i4 
pp4 #afg1 #afh4                         
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,the                         ,,scheme  
,,of ,,vicarious ,,redemption           
,,inconsistent ,,with ,,itself1         
,,and ,,with                            
,,the ,,christian ,,idea ,,of           
,,salvation4                            
---------------------                   
,,preface4    ,it will be apparent1 from
 the unusual length of the following    
discourse1  that its limits have been   
much extended since its delivery4 ,the  
additional portions furnish1 in detail1 
the interpretation which appears  to me 
to reach the true meaning of the ,new   
,testament language1  respecting the    
death of ,christ4 ,few passages1 ,i     
believe1 relating to  this subject1 will

 be found unnoticed3 and it is probable 
that1 in the  desire to avoid omission1 
,i have been guilty of some prolixity   
and  repetition4    ,the friendly       
diversity of opinion1 which prevails    
among ,unitarian  ,christians1 is       
perhaps more considerable in reference  
to the subject of  this ,lecture1 than  
to any other of the leading topics of   
theological  belief4 ,the reader will do
 justice to all parties1 by bearing this
 in  mind1 while attending to the       
following pages2 and by regarding every 
statement which he disapproves1 as the  
mere expression of individual  opinion4 
,it is impossible for me to leave       
unnoticed the charge of uncharitable    
violence and 8vulgar personality10 which
 ,mr4 ,m#8,neile has preferred  against 
me1 on the ground of certain strong     
expressions1 contained in my  first     
,lecture1 respecting the late           
,archbishop ,magee4 ,i readily          
acknowledge that the instances are rare1
 which can justify the language  which  

,i employed2 and ,i would never employ  
such1 did ,i not feel that it  was not  
simply justified1 but demanded4 ,he must
 be an unworthy  controversialist1 who  
has no generous delight in admiring and 
respecting  a doctrinal adversary2 no   
concern and shame at the moral          
obliquities  which prove an opponent    
wrong1 without proving himself to be    
right4 ,if  ,mr4 ,m#8,neile could enable
 me to look with his eyes of confidence 
and  regard on 8the illustrious         
,prelate10 ,i should esteem it a        
privilege to  recal every word which ,i 
have put on record respecting him4 ,but 
a  careful study of his ,treatise on the
 ,atonement1 with the habit of  testing 
his citations1 has revealed to me a     
system of controversy  which1 before1 ,i
 should have esteemed incredible2 and   
which no terms of  censure can too      
severely describe4 ,polemical           
discipline1 it has been  observed with  
too much truth1 is1 of all influences1  
the most dangerous  to the moral sense4 

,it seems to have been thought wrong in 
me1 by my respected opponents1 to  state
 my general impression of ,archbishop   
,magee's controversial  character1      
without justifying it by specific       
arguments4 ,and so it would  have been1 
if this work had really been            
8unanswered30 but every quality  which  
,i ascribed to it1 has been shown to    
belong to it1 by ,dr4  ,carpenter2 his  
work has received no reply2 and surely a
 bystander may  express a judgment on   
the merits of a controversy1 and the    
polemical  characters of its conductors1
 without the slightest obligation to lay
  open the contents of the discussion in
 self-justification4 ,this appears  to  
be ,mr4 ,buddicom's opinion1 if we may  
judge from the pungent sentence  in     
which he has characterized1 without     
proof1 one of ,mr4 ,harris's            
,discourses4#bid ,in the present        
publication1 however1 ,i have supplied  
the deficiency which is the subject of  
complaint2 and have shown1 not  only    

that the late ,archbishop of ,dublin    
dealt in terms of insult1 which1  if    
spoken instead of written1 no cultivated
 and ,christian society would  endure2  
but that1 with a shocking eagerness to  
blast the character of  his opponents1  
he corrupted the text of their writings1
 and drew his  arguments from garbled   
quotations4 ,if any one can convince me 
of mistake  in what ,i have advanced1 ,i
 shall most unfeignedly rejoice and     
retract4  ,but till then ,i cannot      
qualify any expressions1 however strong1
 which ,i  have employed2 for they are  
not the utterance of passion1 but the   
measured language of conviction4 ,most  
unwillingly would ,i ever incur the     
risk of wounding 8the feelings of the   
living10 by animadversions on the       
character of the dead4 ,but1 surely1    
personal attachments to the man must    
not be allowed to silence all public    
estimate of the author2 and against  the
 attempt1 on this ground1 to hold me up 
as the assailant of private  affections1

 and the insincere professor of charity1
 ,i protest1 as cruel  and unjust4 ,it  
is not true that ,i attacked 8the name  
and memory0 rather  than 8the book10 of 
the late ,archbishop3 the words which ,i
 used  described nothing but his work3  
and that they were words of moral       
reprehension1 arose necessarily from the
 nature of the complaint which  we have 
to prefer against its contents4 ,i do   
not understand the  diplomatic arts by  
which a man may be analyzed into a      
plurality of  characters1 and permitted 
to do wrong in one capacity1 while his  
reputation takes a quiet shelter among  
the rest3 nor have ,i the  ingenuity to 
rebuke falsehood in a book1 yet save the
 veracity of the  author4 ,if the       
8outrage0 consisted in publishing an    
impression1  unsustained by evidence1 ,i
 only fear1 that the addition of the    
proof  will be found to bring no        
mitigation of the pain4    ,let me add1 
that ,i entirely acquit our ,rev4       
opponents of any approbation  of the    

controversial arts employed by the      
,prelate whom they defend4  ,their      
admiration of his book arises1 ,i am    
aware1 from ignorance of its  real      
character2 to understand which requires 
a much greater acquaintance  with       
,unitarian literature than they appear1 
in any instance1 to possess4    ,lest it
 should be thought disrespectful in me  
to pass without notice the  strictures  
on my last published ,discourse1        
contained in the ,ninth  ,lecture of the
 ,trinitarian series1 ,i will ask the   
indulgence of my  readers for a few     
moments more4    ,mr4 ,bates accuses me 
of making a mutilated quotation from    
,deut4 xxix4  #a-f4 ,the whole passage  
stands thus2 the part which ,i did not  
cite being  included in brackets3 8#a4  
,these are the words of the covenant1   
which  the ,lord commanded ,moses to    
make with the children of ,israel in the
 land  of ,moab1 beside the covenant1   
which he made with them in ,horeb4 #b4  
,and  ,moses called unto all ,israel1   

and said unto them1 ye have seen all    
that  the ,lord did before your eyes in 
the land of ,egypt unto ,pharaoh1 and   
unto all his servants1 and unto all his 
land2 #c4 ,the great temptations  which 
thine eyes have seen1 the signs1 and    
those great miracles3 #d4 ,yet  the     
,lord hath not given you an heart to    
perceive1 and eyes to see1 and  ears to 
hear1 unto this day4 #e4 ,and ,i have   
led you forty years in the  wilderness3 
your clothes are not waxen old upon you1
 and thy shoe is not  waxen old upon thy
 foot4 #f4 ,ye have not eaten bread1    
neither have ye  drunk wine1 or strong  
drink2 that ye might know that ,i am the
 ,lord your  ,god40    ,my object was to
 show1 that1 if no latitude is to be    
allowed in the  application of mere     
grammatical principles of               
interpretation1 we must  admit 8that    
,moses is called ,god with a            
distinctness which cannot be  equalled  
in the case of ,christ40 ,for this      
purpose1 ,i had no occasion to  quote   

more than the #eth and #fth verses1     
containing the phrase1 8,i am the  ,lord
 your ,god20 the only question being1   
who is the speaker1  grammatically      
denoted by the first personal pronoun   
8,i40 ,to make this  evident1 ,i went   
back to the opening of the sentence1    
which determined  this point3 8,,moses  
called together all ,israel1 ,,and      
,,said to them40 ,the  omitted clauses  
of his speech have no relation whatever 
to the matter in  debate1 and have no   
effect1 but to separate the parts1      
without  altering the nature1 of the    
grammatical construction4 ,so far from  
proving that ,moses speaks1 as if       
personally identified with the ,lord1   
because teaching in his name1 they prove
 just the reverse2 for ,jehovah  is     
introduced in them in the third person1 
not the first2 8ye have  seen all that  
,,the ,,lord 7not #8,i'7 did before your
 eyes10 c4 ,the first  verse ,i did not 
quote1 because it seems to belong to the
 preceding  chapter1 and to have no     

reference to the words cited4 ,the only 
delinquency in this matter which ,i have
 to confess is1 that ,i wrote by        
mistake1 8,moses called ,,together10    
instead of 8,,unto1 all ,israel40 ,mr4  
,bates draws attention to this by ,roman
 capitals1 as if to hint at  something  
very remarkable in the error4 ,i can    
only say1 that after  repeated          
examination of the word 8,,unto10 ,i can
 discover no mysterious  significance in
 it2 if it be an orthodox               
tetragrammaton1 my disregard of  its    
claims was wholly inadvertent4 ,as to   
the argument itself which this  passage 
was adduced to enforce1 ,i cannot       
perceive that it is in any way  affected
 by the ,lecturer's remarks3 nor can any
 one reasonably doubt  that if the ,new 
,testament had contained such a passage 
as this1 8,the  ,lord ,jesus called unto
 the multitudes and said1 444 ,i have   
led you into  a desert place1 and fed   
you with the five loaves2 that ye might 
know  that ,i am the ,lord your ,god20  

,trinitarians would have appealed to it 
as  a triumphant proof of the ,deity of 
,christ1 whatever number of clauses     
might have severed the beginning from   
the end of the sentence1 and  however   
often the name of the ,lord1 in the     
third person1 might have  occurred in   
the interval4    ,nor have ,i been      
successful in discovering in what way ,i
 have  misapprehended ,mr4 ,bates's     
meaning respecting the word 8,,son10 in 
the  following verse2 8,go ye therefore 
and teach all nations1 baptizing them   
in the name of the ,father1 and of the  
,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost40 ,i may  
doubtless have misstated his words2 and 
if in his eyes the misstatement  has any
 8serious inaccuracy10 ,i sincerely     
regret its occurrence4 ,nothing  but the
 constant habit of short-hand writing1  
enabling me to take  verbatim reports of
 public addresses1 would have given me  
confidence  enough in my correctness to 
found an argument on an unpublished     
verbal  criticism4 ,even short-hand1    

however1 being fallible1 ,i relinquish  
the  words3 and the more willingly1     
because ,mr4 ,bates's own report appears
 to  me absolutely identical in meaning 
with my own4 ,he says1 that the  baptism
 enjoined in the verse just cited       
cannot1 so far as our ,lord is          
concerned1 be 8baptism in the name of a 
,mediator20 8our ,lord's words  prevent 
such misapprehension3 he says not #8,in 
the name of the ,father and  in my name'
 7my mediatorial name72 but #8,in the   
name of the ,father and of  ,,the       
,,son1'--the only begotten1             
co-essential1 co-eternal1 and co-equal1 
with the ,father and the ,holy ,ghost40 
,i represented him as saying1 that  our 
,saviour's words 8expressly exclude such
 a construction2 for he  does not say1  
the name of the ,father1 and of myself1 
but of ,,the ,,son1  that is the        
,,eternal ,,word40 ,the difference      
between 8preventing such                
misapprehension0 and 8excluding such    
construction0 is not very obvious4  ,i  

understand the argument to be1 that     
there is something in the form of       
expression in the second clause1        
forbidding us to think of anything  less
 exalted than our ,lord's ,divine       
,nature2 the only expression  contained 
in the clause is 8,,the ,,son20 this    
term then1 ,i imagined1 was  limited by 
the ,lecturer to ,christ's ,divine      
,nature2 and must have been  replaced by
 some other phrase1 if his mediatorial  
character had been the  subject of      
discourse4 ,in drawing a general        
conclusion from this  particular        
statement1 ,i only gave the ,lecturer   
credit for  understanding the bearing of
 his own argument2 for of course1 all   
reasoning from the intrinsic force of an
 expression must be  co-extensive with  
the occurrence of that expression4 ,if  
,i have not  correctly explained ,mr4   
,bates's argument1 it evades my         
apprehension  altogether4               
---------------------                   
,,lecture ,,vi4          ,,the ,,scheme 

,,of ,,vicarious ,,redemption           
,,inconsistent ,,with ,,itself1         
,,and ,,with ,,the ,,christian ,,idea   
,,of ,,salvation4                       
,,by ,,rev4 ,,james ,,martineau4        
8,,neither ,,is ,,there ,,salvation ,,in
 ,,any ,,other2 ,,for ,,there ,,is      
,,none ,,other ,,name     ,,under       
,,heaven ,,given ,,among ,,men1         
,,whereby ,,we ,,must ,,be              
,,saved40--,acts iv4     #ab4      ,the 
scene which we have this evening to     
visit and explore1 is separated  from us
 by the space of eighteen centuries2 yet
 of nothing on this earth  has          
,providence left1 within the shadows of 
the past1 so vivid and divine  an image4
 ,gently rising above the mighty 8field 
of the world10 ,calvary's  mournful hill
 appears1 covered with silence now1 but 
distinctly showing  the heavenly light  
that struggled there through the        
stormiest elements  of guilt4 ,nor need 
we only gaze1 as on a motionless picture
 that closes  the vista of ,christian   

ages4 ,permitting history to take us by 
the hand1  we may pace back in          
pilgrimage to the hour1 till its groups 
stand around  us1 and pass by us1 and   
its voices of passion and of grief mock 
and wail  upon our ear4 ,as we mingle   
with the crowd which1 amid noise and    
dust1  follows the condemned prisoners  
to the place of execution1 and fix our  
eye on the faint and panting figure of  
one that bears his cross1 could  we but 
whisper to the sleek priests close by1  
how might we startle them1  by telling  
them the future fate of this brief      
tragedy1--brief in act1 in  blessing    
everlasting2 that this ,galilean convict
 shall be the world's  confessed        
deliverer1 while they that have brought 
him to this1 shall be  the scorn and    
by-word of the nations2 that that vile  
instrument of  torture1 now so abject   
that it makes the dying slave more      
servile1 shall  be made1 by this victim 
and this hour1 the symbol of whatever is
 holy  and sublime2 the emblem of hope  

and love2 pressed to the lips of ages2  
consecrated by a veneration which makes 
the sceptre seem trivial as an  infant's
 toy4 ,meanwhile the sacerdotal         
hypocrites1 unconscious of the  part    
they play1 watch to the end the public  
murder which they have  privately       
suborned2 stealing a phrase from        
,scripture1 that they may mock  with    
holy lips2 and leaving to the plebeian  
soldiers the mutual jest and  brutal    
laugh1 that serve to beguile the hired  
but hated work of agony1  and that draw 
forth from the sufferer that burst of   
forgiving prayer1  which sunk at least  
into their centurion's heart4 ,one there
 is1 who  should have been spared the   
hearing of these scoffs2 and perhaps she
  heard them not2 for before his nature 
was exhausted more1 his eye  detects and
 his voice addresses her1 and twines    
round her the filial arm  of that       
disciple who had been ever the most     
loving as well as most  beloved4 ,she at
 least lost the religion of that hour in

 its humanity1  and beheld not the      
prophet but the son3--had not her own   
hands wrought  that seamless robe for   
which the soldiers' lot is cast2 and her
 own lips  taught him that strain of    
sacred poetry1 8,my ,god1 my ,god1 why  
hast thou  forsaken me80 but never had  
she thought to hear it thus4 ,as the    
cries  became fainter and fainter1      
scarcely do they reach ,peter standing  
afar  off4 ,the last notice of him had  
been the rebuking look that sent him to 
weep bitterly2 and now the voice that   
can alone tell him his  forgiveness1    
will soon be gone6 ,broken hardly less1 
though without  remorse1 is the youthful
 ,john1 to see that head1 lately resting
 on his  bosom1 drooping passively in   
death2 and to hear the involuntary      
shriek  of ,mary1 as the spear struck   
upon the lifeless body1 moving now only 
as  it is moved2--whence he alone1 on   
whom she leaned1 records the fact4 ,well
  might the ,galilean friends stand at a
 distance gazing2 unable to depart1  yet

 not daring to approach2 well might the 
multitudes that had cried  8crucify him0
 in the morning1 shudder at the thought 
of that clamour ere  night2 8beholding  
the things that had come to pass1 they  
smote their  breasts and returned40     
,this is the scene of which we have to  
seek the interpretation4 ,our first     
natural impression is1 that it requires 
no interpretation1 but speaks  for      
itself2 that it has no mystery1 except  
that which belongs to the  triumphs of  
deep guilt1 and the sanctities of       
disinterested love4 ,to  raise our eye  
to that serene countenance1 to listen to
 that submissive  voice1 to note the    
subjects of its utterance1 would give us
 no idea of  any mystic horror concealed
 behind the human features of the scene2
 of  any invisible contortions1 as from 
the lash of demons1 in the soul of  that
 holy victim2 of any sympathetic        
connection of that cross with the       
bottomless pit on the one hand1 and the 
highest ,heaven on the other2 of  any   

moral revolution throughout our portion 
of the universe1 of which  this public  
execution is but the outward signal4    
,the historians drop no  hint that its  
sufferings1 its affections1 its         
relations1 were more than               
human1--raised indeed to distinction by 
miraculous accompaniments2 but          
intrinsically1 however signally1 human4 
,they mention1 as if bearing some       
appreciable proportion to the whole     
series of incidents1 particulars so     
slight1 as to vanish before any other   
than the obvious historical view  of the
 transaction2 the thirst1 the sponge1   
the rent clothes1 the  mingled drink4   
,they ascribe no sentiment to the       
crucified1 except such  as might be     
expressed by one of like nature with    
ourselves1 in the  consciousness of a   
finished work of duty1 and a fidelity   
never broken  under the strain of       
heaviest trial4 ,the narrative is       
clearly the  production of minds filled1
 not with theological anticipations1 but

 with  historical recollections4        
,with this view of ,christ's death1     
which is such as might be entertained   
by any of the primitive ,churches1      
having one of the gospels only1  without
 any of the epistles1 we are content4 ,i
 conceive of it1 then1 as  manifesting  
the last degree of moral perfection in  
the ,holy ,one of ,god2  and believe    
that in thus being an expression of     
character1 it has its  primary and      
everlasting value4 ,i conceive of it as 
the needful  preliminary to his         
resurrection and ascension1 by which the
 severest  difficulties in the theory of
 ,providence1 life1 and duty1 are       
alleviated  or solved4 ,i conceive of it
 as immediately procuring the           
universality  and spirituality of the   
,gospel2 by dissolving those corporeal  
ties which  give nationality to ,jesus1 
and making him1 in his heavenly and     
immortal  form1 the ,messiah of         
humanity2 blessing1 sanctifying1        
regenerating1 not  a people from the    

centre of ,jerusalem1 but a world from  
his station in  the ,heavens4 ,and these
 views1 under unimportant modifications1
 ,i submit1  are the only ones of which 
,scripture contains a trace4    ,all    
this1 however1 we are assured1 is the   
mere outside aspect of the  crucifixion2
 and wholly insignificant compared with 
the invisible  character and relations  
of the scene2 which1 localized only on  
earth1  has its chief effect in ,hell2  
and though presenting itself among the  
occurrences of time1 is a repeal of the 
decretals of ,eternity4 ,the being  who 
hangs upon that cross is not man alone2 
but also the everlasting  ,god1 who     
created and upholds all things1 even the
 sun that now darkens  its face upon    
him1 and the murderers who are waiting  
for his expiring  cry4 ,the anguish he  
endures is not chiefly that which falls 
so  poignantly on the eye and ear of the
 spectator2 the injured human           
affections1 the dreadful momentary      
doubt2 the pulses of physical  torture1 

doubling on him with full and broken    
wave1 till driven back by  the          
overwhelming power of love disinterested
 and divine4 ,but he is  judicially     
abandoned by the ,infinite ,father2 who 
expends on him the  immeasurable wrath  
due to an apostate race1 gathers up into
 an hour the  lightnings of ,eternity1  
and lets them loose upon that bended    
head4 ,it is  the moment of retributive 
justice2 the expiation of all human     
guilt2  that open brow hides beneath it 
the despair of millions of men2 and to  
the intensity of agony there1 no human  
wail could give expression4  ,meanwhile1
 the future brightens on the ,elect2 the
 tempests that hung  over their horizon 
are spent4 ,the vengeance of the        
lawgiver having had  its way1 the       
sunshine of a ,father's grace breaks    
forth1 and lights up1  with hope and    
beauty1 the earth1 which had been a     
desert of despair and  sin4 ,according  
to this theory1 ,christ1 in his death1  
was a proper  expiatory sacrifice2 he   

turned aside1 by enduring it for them1  
the  infinite punishment of sin from all
 past or future believers in this       
efficacy of the cross2 and transferred  
to them the natural rewards of  his own 
righteousness4 ,an acceptance of this   
doctrine is declared to be  the prime   
condition of the divine forgiveness2 for
 no one who does not  see the pardon1   
can have it4 ,and this pardon again1    
this clear score  for the past1 is a    
necessary preliminary to all            
sanctification2 to all  practical       
opening of a disinterested heart towards
 our ,creator and man4  ,pardon1 and the
 perception of it1 are the needful      
preludes to that  conforming love to    
,god and men1 which is the true         
,christian salvation4    ,the evidence  
in support of this theory is derived    
partly from natural  appearances1 partly
 from scriptural announcements4         
,involving1 as it  does1 statements     
respecting the actual condition of human
 nature1 and  the world in which we     

live1 some appeal to experience1 and to 
the  rational interpretation of life and
 ,providence1 is inevitable2 and hence  
certain propositions1 affecting to be of
 a philosophical character1 are  laid   
down as fundamental by the advocates of 
this system4 ,yet it is  admitted1 that 
direct revelation only could have       
acquainted us1 either  with our lost    
condition1 or our vicarious recovery2   
and that all we can  expect to          
accomplish with nature1 is to harmonize 
what we observe there1  with what we    
read in the written records of ,god's   
will2 so that the main  stress of the   
argument rests on the interpretation of 
,scripture4 ,the  principles deduced    
from the nature of things1 and laid down
 as a basis  for this doctrine1 may be  
thus represented3    ,that man needs a  
,redeemer2 having obviously fallen1 by  
some disaster1  into a state of misery  
and guilt1 from which the worst penal   
consequences must be apprehended2 and   
were it not for the probability of  such

 lapse from the condition in which it   
was fashioned1 it would be  impossible  
to reconcile the phenomena of the world 
with the justice and  benevolence of its
 ,creator4    ,that ,deity only can     
redeem2 since1 to preserve veracity1 the
 penalty of  sin must be inflicted2 and 
the diversion only1 not the             
annihilation1 of  it1 is possible4 ,to  
let it fall on angels1 would fail of the
 desired  end2 because human sin1 having
 been directed against an infinite      
,being1  has incurred an infinitude of  
punishment2 which1 on no created beings1
  could be exhausted in any period short
 of eternity4 ,only a nature  strictly  
infinite can compress within itself1 in 
the compass of an hour1  the woes       
distributed over the immortality of     
mankind4 ,hence1 were ,god  personally  
,one1 like man1 no redemption could be  
effected2 for there  would be no ,deity 
to suffer1 except the very ,one who must
 punish4 ,but  the triplicity of the    
,godhead relieves all difficulty2 for1  

while one  ,infinite inflicts1 another  
,infinite endures2 and resources are    
furnished  for the atonement4    ,amid a
 great variety of forms in which the    
theory of atonement exists1 ,i  have    
selected the foregoing2 which1 if ,i    
understand aright1 is that  which is    
vindicated in the present controversy4  
,i am not aware that ,i  have added     
anything to the language in which it is 
stated by its  powerful advocate1 unless
 it be a few phrases1 leaving its       
essential  meaning the same1 but needful
 to render it compact and clear4    ,the
 scriptural evidence is found           
principally in certain of the           
apostolical epistles2 and this          
circumstance will render it necessary to
  conduct a separate search into the    
historical writings of the ,new         
,testament1 that we may ascertain how   
they express the corresponding set  of  
ideas4 ,taking up successively these two
 branches of the subject1 the  natural  
and the biblical1 ,i propose to show1   

first1 that this doctrine  is           
inconsistent with itself2 secondly1 that
 it is inconsistent with the  ,christian
 idea of ,salvation4    ,i4 ,it is      
inconsistent with itself4    7#a47 ,in  
its manner of treating the principles of
 natural religion4    ,our faith in the 
infinite benevolence of ,god is         
represented as destitute  of adequate   
support from the testimony of           
nature4#bie ,it requires1 we  are       
assured1 the suppression of a mass of   
appearances1 that would scare  it away  
in an instant1 were it to venture into  
their presence2 and is a  dream of      
sickly and effeminate minds1 whose      
belief is the inward growth  of amiable 
sentimentality1 rather than a genuine   
production from ,god's  own facts4 ,the 
appeal to the order and magnificence of 
creation1 to the  structures and        
relations of the inorganic1 the         
vegetable1 the animal1  the spiritual   
forms1 that fill the ascending ranks of 
this visible and  conscious             

universe2--to the arrangements which    
make it a blessing to be  born1 far more
 than a suffering to die1--which enable 
us to extract the  relish of life from  
its toils1 the affections of our nature 
from its  sufferings1 the triumphs of   
goodness from its temptations2--to the  
seeming plan of general progress1 which 
elicits truth by the  self-destruction  
of error1 and by the extinction of      
generations gives  perpetual            
rejuveniscence to the world2 this       
appeal1 which is another  name for the  
scheme of natural religion1 is dismissed
 with scorn2 and  sin and sorrow and    
death are flung in defiance across our  
path2--barriers  which we must remove1  
ere we can reach the presence of a      
benignant ,god4  ,come with us1 it is   
said1 and listen to the wail of the sick
 infant2  look into the dingy haunts    
where poverty moans its life away2 bend 
down  your ear to the accursed hum that 
strays from the busy hives of guilt2    
spy into the hold of the slave-ship2    

from the factory follow the wasted      
child to the gin-shop first1 and then to
 the cellar called its home2 or  look   
even at your own tempted and sin-bound  
souls1 and your own  perishing race1    
snatched off into the dark by handfuls  
through the  activity of a destroying   
,god2 and tell us1 did our benevolent   
,creator  make a creature and a world   
like this8 ,a ,calvinist who puts this  
question is playing with fire4 ,but ,i  
answer the question explicitly3 all     
these things we have met steadily and   
face to face2 in full view of  them1 we 
have taken up our faith in the goodness 
of ,god2 and in full  view of them we   
will hold fast that faith4 ,nor is it   
just or true to  affirm1 that our system
 hides these evils1 or that our practice
 refuses  to grapple with them4 ,and if 
you confess1 that these ills of life    
would  be too much for your natural     
piety2 if you declare1 that these rugged
  foundations and tempestuous elements  
of ,providence would starve and  crush  

your confidence in ,god1 while ours     
strikes its roots in the rock1  and     
throws out its branches to brave the    
storm1 are you entitled to  taunt us    
with a faith of puny growth8 ,meanwhile1
 we willingly assent to  the principle  
which this appeal to evil is designed to
 establish2 that1  with much apparent   
order1 there is some apparent disorder  
in the  phenomena of the world2 that    
from the latter1 by itself1 we should be
  unable to infer any goodness and      
benevolence in ,god2 and that were not  
the former clearly the predominant      
result of natural laws1 the character   
of the ,great ,cause of all things would
 be involved in agonizing gloom4  ,the  
mass of physical and moral evil we do   
not profess fully to explain2  we think 
that in no system whatever is there any 
approach to an  explanation2 and we are 
accustomed to touch on that dread       
subject with  the humility of filial    
trust1 not with the confidence of       
dogmatic  elucidation4    ,surely the   

fall of our first parents1 ,i shall be  
reminded1 gives the  requisite solution4
 ,the disaster which then befell the    
human race1 has  changed the primeval   
constitution of things2 introduced      
mortality1 and  all the infirmities of  
which it is the result2 introduced sin1 
and all  the seeds of vile affections   
which it compels us to inherit2         
introduced  also the penalties of sin1  
visible in part on this scene of life1  
and  developing themselves in another in
 anguish everlasting4 ,fresh from the   
hand of his ,creator1 man was innocent1 
happy and holy2 and he it is1 not  ,god1
 who has deformed the world with guilt  
and grief4    ,now1 as a statement of   
fact1 all this may or may not be true4  
,of this  ,i say nothing4 ,but who does 
not see that1 as an explanation1 it is  
inconsistent with itself1 partial in its
 application1 and leaves matters        
incomparably worse than it found them8  
,it is inconsistent with itself2  for   
,adam1 perfectly pure and holy as he is 

reputed to have been1 gave  the only    
proof that could exist of his being     
neither1 by succumbing to  the first    
temptation that came in his way2 and    
though finding no  enjoyment but in the 
contemplation of ,god1 gave himself up  
to the first  advances of the devil4    
,never surely was a reputation for      
sanctity so  cheaply won4 ,the          
canonizations of the ,romish ,calendar  
have been  curiously bestowed1 on beings
 sufficiently remote from just ideas of 
excellence2 but1 usually1 there is      
something to be affirmed of them1       
legendary or otherwise1 which1 if true1 
might justify a momentary  admiration4  
,but our first parent was not laid even 
under this necessity1  to obtain a glory
 greater than canonization2 he had      
simply to do  nothing1 except to fall1  
in order to be esteemed the most        
perfectly holy  of created minds4 ,most 
partial1 too1 is this theory in its     
application2  for disease and hardship1 
and death unmerited as the infant's1    

afflict  the lower animal creation4 ,is 
this1 too1 the result of the fall8 ,if  
so1  it is an unredeemed effect2 if not1
 it presses on the benevolence of  the  
,maker2 and by the physical analogies   
which connect man with the  inferior    
creatures1 force on us the impression1  
that his corporeal  sufferings have an  
original source not dissimilar from     
theirs4 ,and  again1 this explanation   
only serves to make matters worse than  
before4  ,for how puerile is it to      
suppose1 that men will rest satisfied   
with  tracing back their ills to ,adam1 
and refrain from asking1 who was ,adam's
  cause6 ,and then comes upon us at once
 the ancient dilemma about evil2  was it
 mistake1 or was it malignity1 that     
created so poor a creature as  our      
progenitor1 and staked on so precarious 
a will the blessedness of a  race and   
the well-being of a world8 ,so far1 this
 theory1 falsely and  injuriously       
ascribed to ,christianity1 would leave  
us where we were3 but  it carries us    

into deeper and gratuitous difficulties1
 of which natural  religion knows       
nothing1 by appending eternal           
consequences to ,adam's  transgression2 
a large portion of which1 after the most
 sanguine  extension of the efficacy of 
the atonement1 must remain unredeemed4  
,so  that if1 under the eye of          
naturalism1 the world1 with its         
generations  dropping into the grave1   
must appear 7as we heard it recently    
described7#bif like the populous        
precincts of some castle1 whose         
governor called his servants1 after a   
brief indulgence of liberty and  peace1 
into a dark and inscrutable dungeon1    
never to return or be seen  again3 the  
only new feature which this theory      
introduces into the  prospect is this2  
that the interior of that cavernous     
prison-house is  disclosed2 and while a 
few of the departed are seen to have    
emerged into  a fairer light1 and to be 
traversing greener fields1 and sharing a
 more  blessed liberty than they knew   

before1 the vast multitude are discerned
  in the gripe of everlasting chains1   
and the twist of unimaginable  torture4 
,and all this infliction is a penal     
consequence of a first  ancestor's      
transgression6 ,singular spectacle to be
 offered in  vindication of the         
character of ,god6    ,we are warned1   
however1 not to start back from this    
representation1 or  to indulge in any   
rash expression at the view which it    
gives of the  justice of the ,most      
,high2 for that1 beyond all doubt1      
parallel instances  occur in the        
operations of nature2 and that if the   
system deduced from  ,scripture accords 
with that which is in action in the     
creation1 there  arises a strong        
presumption that both are from the same 
,author4 ,the  arrangement which is the 
prime subject of objection in the       
foregoing  theory1 viz41 the vicarious  
transmission of consequences from acts  
of  vice and virtue1 is said to be      
familiar to our observation as a fact2  

and ought1 therefore1 to present no     
difficulties in the way of the          
admission of a doctrine4 ,is it not     
obvious1 for example1 that the  guilt of
 a parent may entail disease and        
premature death on his child1  or even  
remoter descendants8 ,and if it be      
consistent with the divine  perfections1
 that the innocent should suffer for    
others' sins at the  distance of one    
generation1 why not at the distance of a
 thousand8 ,the  guiltless victim is not
 more completely severed from identity  
with ,adam1  than he is from identity   
with his own father4 ,my reply is brief3
 ,i admit  both the fact and the        
analogy2 but the fact is of the         
exceptional kind1  from which1 by       
itself1 ,i could not infer the justice  
or the benevolence  of the ,creator2 and
 which1 were it of large and prevalent  
amount1 ,i  could not even reconcile    
with these perfections4 ,if then you    
take it out  of the list of exceptions  
and difficulties1 and erect it into a   

cardinal  rule1 if you interpret by it  
the whole invisible portion of ,god's   
government1 you turn the scale at once  
against the character of the  ,supreme1 
and plant creation under a tyrant's     
sway4 ,and this is the fatal  principle 
pervading all analogical arguments in   
defence of ,trinitarian  ,christianity4 
,no resemblances to the system can be   
found in the  universe1 except in those 
anomalies and seeming deformities which 
perplex the student of ,providence1 and 
which would undermine his faith1  were  
they not lost in the vast spectacle of  
beauty and of good4 ,these  disorders   
are selected and spread out to view1 as 
specimens of the  divine government of  
nature2 the mysteries and horrors which 
offend us  in the popular theology are  
extended by their side2 the comparison  
is  made1 point by point1 till the      
similitude is undeniably made out2 and  
when the argument is closed1 it amounts 
to this3 do you doubt whether  ,god     
could break mens' limbs8 ,you mistake   

his strength of character2 only  see how
 he puts out their eyes6 ,what kind of  
impression this reasoning  may have1    
seems to me doubtful even to agony4     
,both ,trinitarian theology  and nature1
 it is triumphantly urged1 must proceed 
from the same ,author2  aye1 but what   
sort of ,author is that8 ,you have led  
me in your quest  after analogies1      
through the great infirmary of ,god's   
creation6 and so  haunted am ,i by the  
sights and sounds of the lazar-house1   
that scarce  can ,i believe in anything 
but pestilence2 so sick of soul have ,i 
become1  that the mountain breeze has   
lost its scent of health2 and you say1  
it  is all the same in the other world1 
and wherever the same rule extends3     
then ,i know my fate1 that in this      
,universe ,justice has no throne4 ,and  
thus1 my friends1 it comes to pass1 that
 these reasoners often gain  indeed     
their victory2 but it is known only to  
the ,searcher of ,hearts1  whether it is
 a victory against natural religion1 or 

in favour of  revealed4 ,for this       
reason1 ,i consider the 8,analogy0 of   
,bishop ,butler  7one of the profoundest
 of thinkers1 and on purely moral       
subjects one of  the justest too17 as   
containing1 with a design directly      
contrary1 the  most terrible persuasives
 to ,atheism that have ever been        
produced4 ,the  essential error consists
 in selecting the difficulties1--which  
are the  rare1 exceptional phenomena of 
nature1--as the basis of analogy and    
argument4 ,in the comprehensive and     
generous study of ,providence1 the  mind
 may1 indeed1 already have overcome the 
difficulties1 and with the  lights      
recently gained from the harmony1       
design1 and order of creation1  have    
made those shadows pass imperceptibly   
away2 but when forced again  into their 
very centre1 compelled to adopt them as 
a fixed station and  point of mental    
vision1 they deepen round the heart     
again1 and1 instead  of illustrating    
anything1 become solid darkness         

themselves4    ,i cannot quit this topic
 without observing1 however1 that there 
appears  to be nothing in nature and    
life1 at all analogous to the vicarious 
principle attributed to ,god in the     
,trinitarian scheme of redemption4      
,there is nowhere to be found any proper
 transfer or exchange1 either of  the   
qualities1 or of the consequences1 of   
vice and virtue4 ,the good and  evil    
acts of men do indeed affect others as  
well as themselves2 the  innocent suffer
 with the guilty1 as in the case before 
adduced1 of a  child suffering in health
 by the excesses of a parent4 ,but there
 is here  no endurance for another1     
similar to ,christ's alleged endurance  
in the  place of men2 the infliction on 
the child is not deducted from the      
parent2 it does nothing to lighten his  
load1 or make it less than it  would    
have been1 had he been without          
descendants2 nor does any one  suppose  
his guilt alleviated by the existence of
 this innocent  fellow-sufferer4 ,there 

is a nearer approach to analogy in those
 cases of  crime where the perpetrator  
seems to escape1 and to leave the       
consequences of his act to descend on   
others2 as when the successful  cheat   
eludes pursuit1 and from the stolen     
gains of neighbours constructs  a life  
of luxury for himself2 or when a        
spendthrift government1  forgetful of   
its high trust1 turning the professions 
of patriotism into  a lie1 is permitted 
to run a prosperous career for one      
generation1 and  is personally gone     
before the popular retribution falls1 in
 the next1 on  innocent successors4     
,here no doubt the harmless suffer by   
the guilty1  in a certain sense in the  
place of the guilty2 but not in the     
sense  which the analogy requires4 ,for 
there is still no substitution2 the     
distress of the unoffending party is not
 struck out of the offender's           
punishment2 does not lessen1 but rather 
aggravates his guilt2 and  instead of   
fitting him for pardon1 tempts the      

natural sentiments of  justice to follow
 him with severer condemnation4 ,nor    
does the scheme  receive any better     
illustration from the fact1 that whoever
 attempts the  cure of misery must      
himself suffer2 must have the shadows of
 ill cast  upon his spirit from every   
sadness he alleviates2 and interpose    
himself  to stay the plague which1 in a 
world diseased1 threatens to pass to the
  living from the dead4 ,the parallel   
fails1 because there is still no        
transference3 the appropriate sufferings
 of sin are not given to the            
philanthropist2 and the noble pains of  
goodness in him1 the glorious  strife of
 his self-sacrifice1 are no part of the 
penal consequences of  others' guilt2   
they do not cancel one iota of those    
consequences1 or  make the crimes which 
have demanded them1 in any way1 more    
ready for  forgiveness4 ,indeed1 it is  
not in the good man's sufferings1       
considered as such1 that any efficacy   
resides2 but in his efforts1  which may 

be made with great sacrifice or without 
it1 as the case may  be4 ,nor1 at best1 
is there any proper annihilation of     
consequences at  all1 accruing from his 
toils2 the past acts of wrong which call
 up his  resisting energies1 are        
irrevocable1 the guilt incurred1 the    
penalty  indestructible2 the series of  
effects1 foreign to the mind of the     
perpetrator1 may be abbreviated2        
prevention may be applied to new ills   
which threaten to arise2 but1 by all    
this1 the personal fitness of the       
delinquent for forgiveness is wholly    
unaffected2 the volition of sin has     
gone forth2 and on it1 flies1 as surely 
as sound on a vibration of the  air1 the
 verdict of judgment4    ,those who are 
affected by slight and failing analogies
 like these1 would  do well to consider 
one1 sufficiently obvious1 which seems  
to throw  doubt upon their scheme4 ,the 
atonement is thought to be1 in respect  
to  all believers1 a reversal of the    
fall3 the effects of the fall are       

partly visible and temporal1 partly     
invisible and eternal2 linked1  however1
 together as inseparable portions of the
 same penal system4 ,now  it is evident1
 that the supposed redemption on the    
cross has left  precisely where they    
were1 all the visible effects of the    
first  transgression3 sorrow and toil   
are the lot of all1 as they have been   
from of old2 the baptized infant utters 
a cry as sad as the unbaptized2  and    
between the holiness of the true        
believer and the worth of the  devout   
heretic1 there is not discernible such a
 difference as there must  have been    
between ,adam pure and perfect1 and     
,adam lapsed and lost4 ,and  is it      
presumptuous to reason from the seen to 
the unseen1 from the part  which we     
experience to that which we can only    
conceive8 ,if the known  effects are    
unredeemed1 the suspicion is not        
unnatural1 that so are the  unknown4    
,i sum up1 then1 this part of my subject
 by observing1 that besides many        

inconclusive appeals to nature1 the     
advocates of the vicarious scheme  are  
chargeable with this fundamental        
inconsistency4 ,they appear to deny     
that the justice and benevolence of ,god
 can be reconciled with the  phenomena  
of nature2 and say that the evidence    
must be helped out by  resort to their  
interpretation of scripture4 ,when1     
having heard this  auxiliary system1 we 
protest that it renders the case sadder 
than  before1 they assure us that it is 
all benevolent and just1 because it  has
 its parallel in creation4 ,they        
renounce and adopt1 in the same  breath1
 the religious appeal to the universe of
 ,god4    7#b47 ,another inconsistency  
appears1 in the view which this theory  
gives  of the character of ,god4    ,it 
is assumed that1 at the ra of creation1 
the ,maker of mankind had  announced the
 infinite penalties which must follow   
the violation of his  law2 and that     
their amount did not exceed the measure 
which his  abhorrence of wrong required4

 8,and that which he saith1 he would not
 be  ,god if he did not perform3 that   
which he perceived right1 he would be   
unworthy of our trust1 did he not       
fulfil4 ,his veracity and justice1      
therefore1 were pledged to adhere to the
 word that had gone forth3 and  excluded
 the possibility of any free and        
unconditional forgiveness40 ,now  ,i    
would note in passing1 that this        
announcement to ,adam of an eternal     
punishment impending over his first sin1
 is simply a fiction2 for the  warning  
to him is stated thus2 8,in the day that
 thou eatest thereof thou  shalt surely 
die20#big from which our progenitor must
 have been as  ingenious as a           
theologian1 to extract the idea of      
endless life in ,hell4  ,but to say no  
more of this1 what notions of veracity  
have we here8 ,when  a sentence is      
proclaimed against crime1 is it         
indifferent to judicial  truth1 upon    
whom it falls8 ,personally addressed to 
the guilty1 may it  descend without a   

lie upon the guiltless8 ,provided there 
is the  suffering1 is it no matter      
where8 ,is this the sense in which ,god 
is no  respecter of persons8 ,oh6 what  
deplorable reflection of human artifice 
is this1 that ,heaven is too veracious  
to abandon its proclamation of  menace  
against transgressors2 yet is content to
 vent it on goodness the  most perfect4 
,no darker deed can be imagined1 than is
 thus ascribed to  the ,source of all   
perfection1 under the insulted names of 
truth and  holiness4 ,what reliance     
could we have on the faithfulness of    
such a  ,being8 ,if it be consistent    
with his nature to punish by            
substitution1  what security is there   
that he will not reward vicariously8    
,all must  be loose and unsettled1 the  
sentiments of reverence confused1 the   
perceptions of conscience indistinct1   
where the terms expressive of  those    
great moral qualities which render ,god 
himself most venerable1 are  thus       
sported with and profaned4    ,the same 

extraordinary departure from all        
intelligible meaning of words  is       
apparent1 when our charge of            
vindictiveness against the doctrine of  
sacrifice is repelled as a slander4 ,if 
the rigorous refusal of pardon1  till   
the whole penalty has been inflicted    
7when1 indeed1 it is no pardon  at all7 
be not vindictive1 we may ask to be     
furnished with some better  definition4 
,and though it is said1 that ,god's love
 was manifested to us  by the gift of   
his ,son1 this does but change the      
object on which this  quality is        
exercised1 without removing the quality 
itself2 putting us  indeed into the     
sunshine of his grace1 but the ,saviour 
into the  tempest of his wrath4 ,did we 
desire to sketch the most dreadful form 
of  character1 what more emphatic       
combination could we invent than this2  
rigour in the exaction of penal         
suffering2 and indifference as to the   
person on whom it falls8    ,but in     
truth this system1 in its delineations  

of the ,great ,ruler of  creation1 bids 
defiance to all the analogies by which  
,christ and the  ,christian heart have  
delighted to illustrate his nature4 ,a  
,god who could  accept the spontaneously
 returning sinner1 and restore him by   
corrective  discipline1 is pronounced   
not worth serving1 and an object of     
contempt4#bih ,if so1 ,jesus sketched an
 object of contempt when he drew  the   
father of the prodigal son1 opening his 
arms to the poor penitent1  and needing 
only the sight of his misery to fall on 
his neck with the  kiss of welcome home4
 ,let the assertions be true1 that      
sacrifice and  satisfaction are needful 
preliminaries to pardon1 that to pay any
  attention to repentance without these 
is mere weakness1 and that it is a      
perilous deception to teach the doctrine
 of mercy apart from the  atonement2 and
 this parable of our ,saviour's becomes 
the most pernicious  instrument of      
delusion2 a statement1 absolute and     
unqualified1 of a  feeble and           

sentimental heresy4 ,who does not see   
what follows from this  scornful        
exclusion of corrective punishment8     
,suppose the infliction not  to be      
corrective1 that is1 not to be designed 
for any good1 what then  remains as the 
cause of the ,divine retribution8 ,the  
sense of insult  offered to a law4 ,and 
thus we are virtually told1 that ,god   
must be  regarded with a mixture of     
contempt1 unless he be susceptible of   
personal affront4#bii    7#c47 ,the last
 inconsistency with itself which ,i     
shall point out in this  doctrine1 will 
be found in the view which it gives of  
the work of  ,christ4 ,sin1 we are      
assured1 is necessarily infinite4 ,its  
infinitude  arises from its reference to
 an ,infinite ,being2 and involves as a 
consequence the necessity of redemption 
by ,deity himself4    ,the position1    
that guilt be estimated not by its      
amount or its motive1  but by the       
dignity of the being against whom it is 
directed1 is  illustrated by the case of

 an insubordinate soldier1 whose        
punishment is  increased1 according as  
his rebellion assails an equal1 or any  
of the  many grades amongst his         
superiors4 ,it is evident1 however1 that
 it is  not the dignity of the person1  
but the magnitude of the effect1 which  
determines the severity of the sanction 
by which1 in such an instance1  law     
enforces order4 ,insult to a monarch is 
more sternly treated than  injury to a  
subject1 because it incurs the risk of  
wider and more  disastrous consequences1
 and superadds to the personal injury a 
peril to  an official power which1 not  
resting on individual superiority1 but  
on  conventional arrangement1 is always 
precarious4 ,it is not indeed easy to   
form a distinct notion of an infinite   
act in a finite agent2 and still  less  
is it easy to evade the inference1 that 
if an immoral deed against  ,god be an  
infinite demerit1 a moral deed towards  
him must be an infinite  merit4         
,passing by an assertion so unmeaning1  

and conceding it for the sake of        
progress in our argument1 ,i would      
inquire what is intended by that other  
statement1 that only ,deity can redeem1 
and that by ,deity the sacrifice  was   
made8 ,the union of the divine and human
 natures in ,christ is said to  have    
made his sufferings meritorious in an   
infinite degree4 ,yet we are  repeatedly
 assured1 that it was in his manhood    
only that he endured and  died4 ,if the 
divine nature in our ,lord had a joint  
consciousness with  the human1 then did 
,god suffer and perish2 if not1 then did
 the man only  die1 ,deity being no more
 affected by his anguish1 than by that  
of the  malefactors on either side4 ,in 
the one case the perfections of ,god1 in
  the other the reality of the          
atonement1 must be relinquished4 ,no    
doubt1  the popular belief is1 that the 
,creator literally expired2 the hymns in
  common use declare it2 the language of
 pulpits sanctions it2 the  consistency 
of creeds requires it2 but professed    

theologians repudiate  the idea with    
indignation4 ,yet by silence or         
ambiguous speech1 they  encourage1 in   
those whom they are bound to enlighten1 
this degrading  humanization of ,deity2 
which renders it impossible for common  
minds to  avoid ascribing to him        
emotions and infirmities1 totally       
irreconcileable  with the serene        
perfections of the ,universal ,mind4 ,in
 his influence on  the worshipper1 ,he  
is no ,spirit1 who can be invoked by his
 agony and  bloody sweat1 his cross and 
passion4 ,and the piety that is thus    
taught  to bring its incense1 however   
sincere1 before the mental image of a   
being with convulsed features and       
expiring cry1 has little left of that   
which makes ,christian devotion         
characteristically venerable4    ,,ii4  
,i proceed to notice the inconsistency  
of the doctrine under review  with the  
,christian idea of salvation4    ,there 
is one significant scriptural fact1     
which suggests to us the  best mode of  

treating this part of our subject4 ,it  
is this2 that the  language supposed to 
teach the atoning efficacy of the cross1
 does not  appear in the ,new ,testament
 till the ,gentile controversy          
commences1 nor  ever occurs apart from  
the treatment of that subject1 under    
some of its  relations4 ,the cause of   
this phenomenon will presently appear2  
meanwhile  ,i state it1 in the place of 
an assertion sometimes incorrectly made1
  viz41 that the phraseology in question
 is confined to the epistles4 ,even     
this mechanical limitation of           
sacrificial passages is indeed nearly   
true1 as not above three or four have   
strayed beyond the epistolary  boundary1
 into the ,gospels and the book of      
,acts3 but the restriction in  respect  
of subject1 which ,i have stated1 will  
be found1 ,i believe1 to be  absolutely 
exact1 and to furnish the real          
interpretation to the whole  system of  
language4    7#a47 ,let us then first   
test the vicarious scheme by reference  

to the  sentiments of ,scripture        
generally1 and of our ,lord and his     
apostles  especially1 where this        
controversy is out of the way4 ,are     
their ideas  respecting human character1
 the forgiveness of sins1 the terms of  
everlasting life1 accordant with the    
cardinal notions of a believer in  the  
atonement8 ,do they1 or do they not1    
insist on the necessity of a  sacrifice 
for human sin1 as a preliminary to      
pardon1 to sanctification1  to the love 
of ,god8 ,do they1 or do they not1      
direct a marked and almost  exclusive   
attention to the cross1 as the object to
 which1 far more than  to the life and  
resurrection of our ,lord1 all faithful 
eyes should be  directed8    7a47 ,now  
to the fundamental assertion of the     
vicarious system1 that the  ,deity      
cannot1 without inconsistency and       
imperfection1 pardon on simple          
repentance1 the whole tenor of the      
,bible is one protracted and            
unequivocal contradiction4 ,so copious  

is its testimony on this head1  that if 
the passages containing it were removed1
 scarcely a shred of  ,scripture        
relating to the subject would remain4   
8,pardon1 ,i beseech  thee10 said       
,moses1 pleading for the ,israelites1   
8the iniquity of this  people1 according
 to the greatness of thy mercy1 and as  
thou hast  forgiven this people1 from   
,egypt even until now2 and the ,lord    
said1 ,i  have pardoned according to thy
 word40#cjj ,will it be affirmed1 that  
this chosen people had their eyes       
perpetually fixed in faith on the  great
 propitiation1 which was to close their 
dispensation1 and of which  their own   
ceremonial was a type8--that whenever   
penitence and pardon are  named amongst 
them1 this reference is implied1 and    
that as this faith  was called to mind  
and expressed in the shedding of blood  
at the altar1  such sacrificial         
offerings take the place1 in ,judaism1  
of the atoning  trust in ,christianity8 
,well then1 let us quit the chosen      

nation  altogether1 and go to a heathen 
people1 who were aliens to their laws1  
their blood1 their hopes1 and their     
religion2 to whom no sacrifice was      
appointed1 and no ,messiah promised4 ,if
 we can discover the dealings of  ,god  
with such a people1 the case1 ,i        
presume1 must be deemed conclusive4     
,hear then1 what happened on the banks  
of the ,tigris4 8,jonah began to  enter 
into the city10 7,nineveh17 8and he     
cried and said1 yet forty days  and     
,nineveh shall be overthrown4 ,so the   
people of ,nineveh believed ,god1  and  
proclaimed a fast1 and put on sackcloth1
 from the greatest of them  even unto   
the least of them40 8,who can tell10    
7said the decree of the  king ordaining 
the fast71 8if ,god will turn and       
repent1 and turn away  from his fierce  
anger1 that we perish not8 ,and ,god saw
 their works1 that  they turned from    
their evil way2 and ,god repented of the
 evil that he  had said he would do unto
 them2 and he did it not40#cja ,and when

 the  prophet was offended1 first at    
this clemency to ,nineveh1 and          
afterwards  that the canker was sent to 
destroy his own favourite plant1 beneath
  whose shadow he sat1 what did ,jehovah
 say8 8,thou hast had pity on the       
gourd1 for which thou hast not laboured1
 neither madest it grow2 which  came up 
in a night and perished in a night2 and 
should not ,i spare  ,nineveh1 that     
great city1 wherein are more than       
six-score thousand  persons that cannot 
discern between their right hand and    
their left  hand80#cjb --and who are not
 likely1 one would think1 to have       
discerned  the future merits of the     
,redeemer4    ,in truth1 if even the    
,israelites had any such prospective    
views to  ,calvary1 if their sacrifices 
conveyed the idea of the cross erected  
there1 and were established for this    
purpose1 the fact must have been        
privately revealed to modern            
theologians2 for not a trace of it can  
be  found in the ,hebrew writings4 ,it  

must be thought strange1 that a         
prophetic reference so habitual1 should 
be always a secret reference2  that a   
faith so fundamental should be so       
mysteriously suppressed2 that  the      
uppermost idea of a nation's mind should
 never have found its way to  lips or   
pen4 8,but if it were not so10 we are   
reminded1 8if the ,jewish  ritual       
prefigured nothing ulterior1 it was     
revolting1 trifling1 savage2  its       
worship a butchery1 and the temple      
courts no better than a slaughter       
house40 ,and were they not equally so1  
though the theory of types be  true8 ,if
 neither priest nor people could see at 
the time the very  thing which the      
ceremonial was constructed to reveal1   
what advantage is  it that divines can  
see it now8 ,and even if the notion was 
conveyed to  the ,jewish mind1 7which   
the whole history shows not to have been
 the  fact17 was it necessary that      
hecatombs should be slain1 age after    
age1  to intimate obscurely an idea1    

which one brief sentence might have     
lucidly expressed8 ,the idea1 however1  
it is evident1 slipped through  after   
all2 for when ,messiah actually came1   
the one great thing which the  ,jews did
 not know and believe about him was1    
that he could die at all4  ,so much for 
the preparatory discipline of fifteen   
centuries6    ,there is no reason then  
why anything should be supplied in our  
thoughts1  to alter the plain meaning of
 the announcements of prophets and holy 
men1 of ,god's unconditional forgiveness
 on repentance4 8,thou desirest  not    
sacrifice1 else would ,i give it2 thou  
delightest not in burnt  offering2 the  
sacrifices of ,god are a broken spirit2 
a broken and a  contrite heart1 ,o ,god1
 thou wilt not despise40#cjc 8,wash you1
 make you  clean10 says the prophet     
,isaiah in the name of the ,lord2 8put  
away the  evil of your doings from      
before mine eyes1 cease to do evil1     
learn to do  well2 seek judgment1       
relieve the oppressed1 judge the        

fatherless1 plead  for the widow4 ,come 
now1 and let us reason together1 saith  
the ,lord2  though your sins be as      
scarlet1 they shall be white as snow2   
though they  be red like crimson1 they  
shall be as wool40#cjd ,once more1      
8,when ,i say  unto the wicked1 thou    
shalt surely die2 if he turn from his   
sin1 and do  that which is lawful and   
right2 if the wicked restore the pledge1
 give  again that he had robbed1 walk in
 the statutes of life without           
committing iniquity2 he shall surely    
live1 he shall not die40#cje ,nor  are  
the teachings of the ,gospel at all less
 explicit4 ,our ,lord treats  largely   
and expressly on the doctrine of        
forgiveness in several  parables1 and   
especially that of the prodigal son2 and
 omits all  allusion to the propitiation
 for the past4 ,he furnishes an express 
definition of the terms of eternal life2
 8,good master1 what good thing  shall  
,i do1 that ,i may have eternal life8   
,and he said unto him1 why  callest thou

 me good2 there is none good save one1  
that is ,god2 but if  thou wilt enter   
into life1 keep the commandments40 ,and 
,jesus adds1 8if  thou wilt be perfect1 
go and sell that thou hast1 and give to 
the poor1  and thou shalt have treasure 
in heaven2 and come1 follow me40#cjf    
,this  silence on the prime condition of
 pardon cannot be explained by the      
fact1 that the crucifixion had not yet  
taken place1 and could not safely  be   
alluded to1 before the course of events 
had brought it into prominent  notice4  
,for we have the preaching of the       
,apostles1 after the ascension1         
recorded at great length1 and under very
 various circumstances1 in the  book of 
,acts4 ,we have the very 8words         
whereby10 according to the  testimony of
 an angel1 8,cornelius and all his house
 shall be saved20  these1 one would     
think1 would be worth hearing in this   
cause3 8,god  anointed ,jesus of        
,nazareth with the ,holy ,ghost1 and    
with power2 who went  about doing good1 

and healing all that were oppressed of  
the devil1 for  ,god was with him4 ,and 
we are witnesses of all things which he 
did1 both  in the land of the ,jews and 
in ,jerusalem2 whom they slew and hanged
 on a  tree2 him ,god raised up the     
third day1 and showed openly2 not to all
 the  people1 but unto witnesses chosen 
before of ,god1 even to us1 who did eat 
and drink with him after he rose from   
the dead4 ,and he commanded us to       
preach unto the people1 and to testify1 
that it is he who was ordained  of ,god 
to be the judge of quick and dead4 ,to  
him give all the prophets  witness1     
that1 through his name1 whosoever       
believeth in him shall  receive         
remission of sins40#cjg ,did an         
,evangelical missionary dare to  preach 
in this style now1 he would be          
immediately disowned by his  employers1 
and dismissed as a disguised ,socinian1 
who kept back all the  8peculiar        
doctrines of the ,gospel40    7b47 ,the 
emphatic mention of the resurrection by 

the apostle ,peter in  this address1 is 
only a particular instance of a system  
which pervades  the whole preaching of  
the first missionaries of ,christ4      
,this1 and not  the cross1 with its     
supposed effects1 is the grand object to
 which they  call the attention and the 
faith of their hearers4 ,i cannot quote 
to you  the whole book of ,acts2 but    
every reader knows1 that 8,jesus and the
  resurrection0 constitutes the leading 
theme1 the central combination of  ideas
 in all its discourses4 ,this truth was 
shed1 from ,peter's tongue of  fire1 on 
the multitudes that heard amazed the    
inspiration of the day of               
,pentecost4#cjh ,again1 it was his text1
 when passing beneath the  beautiful    
gate1 he made the cripple leap for joy2 
and then1 with the  flush of this deed  
still fresh upon him1 leaned against a  
pillar in  ,solomon's porch1 and spake  
in explanation to the awe-struck people1
  thronging in at the hour of           
prayer4#cji ,before priests and rulers1 

before ,sanhedrim and populace1 the same
 tale is told again1 to the utter       
exclusion1 be it observed1 of the       
essential doctrine of the cross4#caj    
,the authorities of the temple1 we are  
told1 were galled and terrified at  the 
apostle's preaching2 8naturally enough10
 it will be said1 8since1  the real     
sacrifice having been offered1 their    
vocation1 which was to  make the        
prefatory and typical oblation1 was     
threatened with  destruction40 ,but no1 
this is not the reason given3 8,they    
were grieved  because they preached1    
through ,jesus1 the resurrection from   
the  dead40#caa ,paul1 too1 while his   
preaching was spontaneous and free1 and 
until he had to argue certain           
controversies which have long ago become
  obselete1 manifested a no less        
remarkable predilection for this topic4 
,before ,felix1 he declares what was the
 grand indictment of his  countrymen    
against him2 8touching the resurrection 
of the dead1 ,i am  called in question  

of you this day40#cab ,follow him far   
away from his  own land2 and1 with      
foreigners1 he harps upon the same      
subject1 as if he  were a man of one    
idea2 which1 indeed1 according to our   
opponents'  scheme1 he ought to have    
been1 only it should have been another  
idea4  ,seldom1 however1 can we meet    
with a more exuberant mind than ,paul's2
 yet  the resurrection obviously haunts 
him wherever he goes3 in the synagogue  
of ,antioch1 you hear him dwelling on it
 with all the energy of his             
inspiration2#cac and1 at ,athens1 it was
 this on which the scepticism of        
,epicureans and ,stoics fastened for a  
scoff4#cad ,in his epistles1 too1  where
 he enlarges so much on justification by
 faith1 when we inquire  what precisely 
is this faith1 and what the object it is
 to contemplate  and embrace1 this      
remarkable fact presents itself3 that   
the one only  important thing respecting
 ,christ1 which is never once mentioned 
as  the object of justifying faith is   

his death1 and blood1 and cross4        
8,faith0 by itself1 the 8faith of ,jesus
 ,christ10 8faith of the ,gospel10      
8faith of the ,son of ,god10 are        
expressions of constant occurrence2 and 
wherever this general description is    
replaced by a more specific account  of 
this justifying state of mind1 it is    
faith in the resurrection on  which     
attention is fastened4 8,it is ,christ  
that died1 yea rather1 that  is risen   
again40#cae 8,he was delivered for our  
offences1 and raised  again for our     
justification40#caf 8,faith shall be    
imputed to us for  righteousness1 if we 
believe on him that raised up ,jesus our
 ,lord from  the dead40#cag ,hear too1  
the ,apostle's definition of saving     
faith3 8,if  thou shalt confess with thy
 mouth the ,lord ,jesus1 and shalt      
believe in  thy heart that ,god hath    
raised him from the dead1 thou shalt be 
saved40#cah ,the only instance1 in which
 the writings of ,st4 ,paul appear  to  
associate the word faith with the death 

of ,christ1 is the following  text3     
8whom ,god hath set forth to be a       
propitiation through faith in his       
blood20#cai and in this case the        
,apostle's meaning would1 ,i conceive1  
be more faithfully given by destroying  
this conjunction1 and disposing  the    
words thus3 8whom ,god hath set forth to
 be a propitiation by his  blood1       
through faith40 ,the idea of his blood1 
or death1 belongs to  the word          
#8propitiation1' not to the word        
#8faith4' ,to this translation no       
,trinitarian scholar1 ,i am persuaded1  
can object2#cbj and when the true       
meaning of the writer's sacrificial     
language is explained1 the  distinction 
will appear to be not unimportant4 ,at  
present ,i am concerned  only with the  
defence of my position1 that the death  
of ,christ is never  mentioned as the   
object of saving faith2 but that his    
resurrection  unquestionably is4 ,this  
phenomenon in ,scripture phraseology is 
so  extraordinary1 so utterly repugnant 

to everything which a hearer of         
orthodox preaching would expect1 that ,i
 hardly expect my affirmation of  it to 
be believed4 ,the two ideas of faith1   
and of our ,lord's death1  are so       
naturally and perpetually united in the 
mind of every believer in  the          
atonement1 that it must appear to him   
incredible1 that they should  never fall
 together in the writings of the        
,apostles4 ,however1 ,i have  stated my 
fact2 and it is for you to bring it to  
the test of ,scripture4    7c47         
,independently of all written testimony1
 moral reasons1 we are  assured1 exist1 
which render an absolute remission for  
the past  essential to a regenerated    
life for the future4 ,our human nature  
is said  to be so constituted1 that the 
burden of sin1 on the conscience once   
awakened1 is intolerable3 our spirit    
cries aloud for mercy2 yet is so        
straitened by the bands of sin1 so      
conscious of the sad alliance  lingering
 still1 so full of hesitancy and shame  

when seeking the relief  of prayer1 so  
blinded by its tears when scanning the  
heavens for an  opening of light and    
hope1 that there is no freedom1 no      
unrestrained and  happy love to ,god2   
but a pinched and anxious mind1 bereft  
of power1  striving to work with        
bandaged or paralytic will1 instead of  
trusting  itself to loosened and        
self-oblivious affections4 ,hence it is 
thought1  that the sin of the past must 
be cancelled1 before the holiness of the
  future can be commenced2 that it is a 
false order to represent  repentance as 
leading to pardon2 because to be        
forgiven is the  pre-requisite to love4 
,we cannot forget1 however1 how         
distinctly and  emphatically he who1    
after ,god1 best knew what is in man1   
has  contradicted this sentiment2 for   
when that sinful woman1 whose presence  
in the house shocked the sanctimonious  
,pharisee1 stood at his feet as he      
reclined1 washing them with her tears1  
and kissing them with reverential  lips2

 ,jesus turned to her and said1 8her    
sins1 which are many1 are  forgiven2 for
 she loved much40#cba ,from him1 then1  
we learn what our  own hearts would     
almost teach1 that love may be the      
prelude to  forgiveness1 as well as     
forgiveness the preparative for love4   
,at the same time let me acknowledge1   
that this statement respecting the      
moral effects of conscious pardon1 to   
which ,i have invoked ,jesus to  reply1 
is by no means an unmixed error4 ,it    
touches upon a very profound  and       
important truth2 and ,i can never bring 
myself to regard that  assurance of     
divine forgiveness1 which the doctrine  
of atonement  imparts1 as a demoralizing
 state of mind1 encouraging laxity of   
conscience and a continuance in sin4    
,the sense of pardon doubtless  reaches 
the secret springs of gratitude1        
presents the soul with an  object1      
strange before1 of new and divine       
affection2 and binds the child  of      
redemption1 by all generous and filial  

obligations1 to serve with  free and    
willing heart the ,god who hath gone    
forth to meet him4 ,that the  motives of
 self-interest are diminished in such a 
case1 is a trifle that  need occasion   
small anxiety4 ,for the human heart is  
no labourer for  hire2 and1 where there 
is opportunity afforded for true and    
noble love1  will thrust away the       
proffered wages1 and toil rather in a   
free and  thankful spirit4 ,if we are to
 compare1 as a source of duty1 the      
grateful  with the merely prudential    
temper1 rather may we trust the first1  
as not  the worthier only1 but the      
stronger too2 and till we obtain        
emancipation  from the latter1--forget  
the computations of hope and fear1 and  
precipitate ourselves for better for    
worse on some object of divine love  and
 trust1--our nature will be puny and    
weak1 our wills will turn in  sickness  
from their duty1 and our affections     
shrink in aversion from  their heaven4  
,but though personal gratitude is better

 than prudence1  there is a higher      
service still4 ,a more disinterested    
love may spring  from the contemplation 
of what ,god is in himself1 than from   
the  recollection of what he has done   
for us2 and when this mingles most      
largely as an element among our springs 
of action2 when1 humbled indeed  by a   
knowledge of dangers that await us1 and 
thankful1 too1 for the  blessings spread
 around us1 we yet desire chiefly to be 
fitting children  of the everlasting    
,father and the holy ,god2 when we      
venerate him for the  graciousness and  
purity and majesty of his spirit1       
impersonated in  ,jesus2 and resolve to 
serve him truly1 before he has granted  
the  desire of our heart1 and because he
 is of a nature so sublime and  merciful
 and good2 then are we in the condition 
of her who bent over the  feet of       
,christ2 and we are forgiven1 because we
 have loved much4    7#b47 ,let us now1 
in conclusion1 turn our attention to    
those portions of  the ,new ,testament1 

which speak of the death of ,christ as  
the means of  redemption4    ,i have    
said1 that these are to be found        
exclusively in passages of the  sacred  
writings which treat of the ,gentile    
controversy1 or of topics  immediately  
connected with it4 ,this controversy    
arose naturally out of  the design of   
,providence to make the narrow1         
exclusive1 ceremonial  system of        
,judaism1 give birth to the universal   
and spiritual religion of  the ,gospel2 
from ,god's method of expanding the     
,hebrew ,messiah into the  ,saviour of  
humanity4 ,for this the nation was not  
prepared2 to this even  the ,hebrew     
,christians could not easily conform    
their faith2 and in the  achievement of 
this1 or in persuading the world that it
 was achieved1  did ,paul spend his     
noble life1 and write his astonishing   
epistles4 ,the  ,jews knew that the     
,deliverer was to be of their peculiar  
stock1 and  their royal lineage2 they   
believed that he would gather upon      

himself all  the singularities of their 
race1 and be a ,hebrew to intensity2    
that he  would literally restore the    
kingdom to ,israel2 aye1 and extend it  
too1  immeasurably beyond the bounds of 
its former greatness2 till1 in fact1  it
 swallowed up all existing              
principalities and powers1 and thrones1 
and  dominions1 and became co-extensive 
with the earth4 ,then in ,jerusalem1 as 
the centre of the vanquished            
nations1--before the temple1 as the     
altar of  a humbled world1 did they     
expect the ,messiah to erect his throne2
 and  when he had taken the seat of     
judgment1 to summon all the tribes      
before  his tribunal1 and pass on the   
,gentiles1 excepting the few who might  
submit to the law1 a sentence of        
perpetual exclusion from his realm2     
while his own people would be invited to
 the seats of honour1 occupy the  place 
of authority and sit down with him 7the 
greatest at his right hand  and his     
left7 at his table in his kingdom4 ,the 

holy men of old were to  come on earth  
again to see this day4 ,and many thought
 that every part of  the realm thus     
constituted1 and all its inhabitants1   
would never die3  but like the ,messiah 
himself1 and the patriarchs whom he was 
to call to  life1 would be invested with
 immortality4 ,none were to be admitted 
to  these golden days except themselves2
 all else to be left in outer  darkness 
from this region of light1 and there to 
perish and be seen no  more4 ,the grand 
title to admission was conformity with  
the ,mosaic law2  the most ritually     
scrupulous were the most secure2 and the
 careless  ,israelite1 who forgot or    
omitted an offering1 a tithe1 a ,sabbath
 duty1  might incur the penalty of      
exclusion and death3 the law prescribed 
such  mortal punishment for the smallest
 offence2 and no one1 therefore1 could  
feel himself ready with his claim1 if he
 had not yielded a perfect  obedience4  
,if ,god were to admit him on any other 
plea1 it would be of  pure grace and    

goodness1 and not in fulfilment of any  
promise4    ,the ,jews1 being scattered 
over the civilized world1 and having    
synagogues in every city1 came into     
perpetual contact with other people4    
,nor was it possible that the ,gentiles1
 among whom they lived1 should  notice  
the singular purity and simplicity of   
the ,israelitish ,theism1  without some 
of them being struck with its spirit1   
attracted by its  sublime principles1   
and disposed to place themselves in     
religious  relations with that singular 
people4 ,having been led into admiration
 and  even profession of the nation's   
theology1 they could not but desire to  
share their hopes2 which indeed were an 
integral part of their religion1  and1  
at the ,christian era1 the one element  
in it to which they were most           
passionately attached4 ,but this was a  
stretch of charity too great for  any   
,hebrew2 or1 at all events1 if such     
admission were ever to be thought  of1  
it must only be on condition of absolute

 submission to the  requirements of the 
law4 ,the ,gentile would naturally      
plead1 that as ,god  had not made him of
 the chosen nation1 he had given him no 
law1 except  that of conscience2 that1  
being without the law1 he must be a law 
unto  himself2 and that if he had lived 
according to his light1 he could not  be
 justly excluded on the ground of       
accidental disqualification4  ,possibly1
 in the provocation of dispute1 the     
,gentile might sometimes  become froward
 and insolent in his assertion of claim2
 and1 in the pride  of his heart1 demand
 as a right that which1 at most1 could  
only be  humbly hoped for as a privilege
 and a free gift4    ,thus were the     
parties mutually placed to whom the     
,deliverer came4 ,thus  dense and       
complicated was the web of prejudice    
which clung round the  early steps of   
the ,gospel2 and which must be burst or 
disentangled ere  the glad tidings could
 have free course and be glorified4 ,how
 did  ,providence develop from such     

elements the divine and everlasting     
truth8  ,not by neglecting them1 and    
speaking to mankind as if they had no   
such  ideas2 not by forbidding his      
messengers and teachers to have any     
patience with them2 but1 on the         
contrary1 by using these very notions as
  temporary means to his everlasting    
ends2 by touching this and that with    
light before the eyes of apostles1 as if
 to say1 there are good  capabilities in
 these2 the truth may be educed from    
them so gently and  so wisely1 that the 
world will find itself in light1 without
 perceiving  how it has been quitting   
the darkness4    ,so long as ,christ    
remained on earth1 he necessarily       
confined his  ministry to his nation4   
,he would not have been the ,messiah had
 he done  otherwise4 ,by birth1 by      
lineage1 by locality1 by habit1 he was  
altogether theirs4 ,whoever then1 of his
 own people1 during his mortal  life1   
believed in him and followed him1 became
 a subject of the ,messiah2  ready1 it  

was supposed even by the apostles       
themselves1 to enter the  glory of his  
kingdom1 whenever it should please him  
to assume it2  qualified at once1 by the
 combination of pedigree and of belief1 
to  enter into life1 to become a member 
of the kingdom of ,god1 to take a  place
 among the elect2 for1 by all these     
phrases1 was described the  admission to
 the expected realm4 ,if1 then1 ,jesus  
had never suffered and  died1 if he had 
never retired from this world1 but      
stayed to fulfil the  anticipations of  
his first followers1 his ,messianic     
kingdom might have  included all the    
converts of the ,israelitish stock4     
,from the exclusion  which fell on      
others1 they would have obtained        
salvation4 ,hence1 it is  never in      
connection with the first ,jewish       
,christians that the death of  ,christ  
is mentioned4    ,it was otherwise1     
however1 with the ,gentiles4 ,they could
 not become his  followers in his mortal
 lifetime2 and had a ,messianic reign   

then been  set up1 they must have been  
excluded2 no missionary would have been 
justified in addressing them with       
invitation2 they could not1 as it was   
said1 have entered into life4 ,the      
,messiah must cease to be ,jewish1      
before he could become universal2 and   
this implied his death by which  alone  
the personal relations1 which made him  
the property of a nation1  could be     
annihilated4 ,to this he submitted2 he  
disrobed himself of his  corporeality1  
he became an immortal spirit2 thereby   
instantly burst his  religion open to   
the dimensions of the world2 and1 as he 
ascended to the  skies1 sent it forth to
 scatter the seeds of blessing over the 
field of  the world1 long ploughed with 
cares1 and moist with griefs1 and       
softened  now to nourish in its bosom   
the tree of ,life4    ,now1 how would   
the effect of this great revolution be  
described to the  proselyte ,gentiles1  
so long vainly praying for admission to 
the  ,israelitish hope4 ,at once it     

destroyed their exclusion2 put away as  
valueless the ,jewish claims of         
circumcision and law2 nailed the        
hand-writing of ordinances to the cross2
 reconciled them that had been  afar    
off2 redeemed them to ,god by his blood1
 out of every tongue1 and  kindred1 and 
people1 and nation2 washed them in his  
blood2 justified  them by his           
resurrection and ascension2 an          
expression1 ,i would remark1  unmeaning 
on any other explanation4    ,even      
during our ,lord's personal ministry1   
his approaching death is  mentioned1 as 
the means of introducing the ,gentiles  
into his ,messianic  kingdom4 ,he       
adverts repeatedly to his cross1 as     
designed to widen1 by  their admission1 
the extent of his sway3 and according to
 ,scripture  phrase1 to yield to him    
8much fruit40 ,he was already on his    
last fatal  visit to ,jerusalem1 when1  
taking the hint from the visit of some  
,greeks  to him1 he exclaimed3 8,the    
hour is come1 that the ,son of man      

should be  glorified4 ,verily1 verily1  
,i say unto you1 except a grain of wheat
 fall  into the ground and die1 it      
abideth alone2 but if it die1 it        
bringeth  forth much fruit40 ,he adds1  
in allusion to the death he should die2 
8and ,i1 if ,i be lifted up from the    
earth1 will draw all men unto  me40#cbb 
,it is for this end that he resigns for 
awhile his life1--that  he may bring in 
the wanderers who are not of the        
commonwealth of ,israel3  8,other sheep 
,i have1 which are not of this fold3    
them also ,i must bring1  and they shall
 hear my voice2 and there shall be one  
fold and one  shepherd3 therefore doth  
my ,father love me1 because ,i lay down 
my  life1 that ,i may take it           
again40#cbc ,many a parable did ,jesus  
utter1  proclaiming his ,father's       
intended mercy to the uncovenanted      
nations3 but  for himself personally he 
declared1 8,i am not sent1 but to the   
lost  sheep of the house of             
,israel40#cbd ,his advent was a promise 

of their  economy2 his office1 the      
traditionary hope of their fathers2 his 
birth1  his life1 his person1 were under
 the ,law1 and excluded him from        
relations to those who were beyond its  
obligations4 ,on the cross1 all  the    
connate peculiarities of the ,nazarene  
ceased to exist3 when1 the  seal of the 
sepulchre gave way1 the seal of the law 
was broken too2 the  nationality of his 
person passed away2 for how can an      
immortal be a ,jew8  ,this then was the 
time to open wide the scope of his      
mission1 and to  invite to ,god's       
acceptance those that fear him in every 
nation4 ,though1  before1 the disciple  
might 8have known ,christ after the     
flesh10 and  followed his steps as the  
,hebrew ,messiah1 8yet now henceforth   
was he to  know him so no more20 these  
8old things had passed away10 since he  
had  8died for all10--died to become    
universal1--to drop all exclusive       
relations1 and 8reconcile the world10   
the ,gentile world1 to ,god4#cbe        

,observe to whom this 8ministry of      
reconciliation0 is especially  confided4
 ,as if to show that it is exclusively  
the risen ,christ who  belongs to all   
men1 and that his death was the         
instrument of the  ,gentiles' admission1
 their great ,apostle was one ,paul1 who
 had not known  the ,saviour in his     
mortal life2 who never listened to his  
voice1 till it  spake from heaven2 who  
himself was the convert of his          
ascension2 and  bore to him the         
relation1 not of subject to the person  
of a ,hebrew king1  but of spirit to    
spirit1 unembarrassed by anything       
earthly1 legal1 or  historical4 ,well   
did ,paul understand the freedom and the
 sanctity of  this relation2 and around 
the idea of the ,heavenly ,messiah      
gathered all  his conceptions of the    
spirituality of the gospel1 of its power
 over the  unconscious affections1      
rather than a reluctant will4 ,his      
believing  countrymen were afraid to    
disregard the observances of the law1   

lest it  should be a disloyalty to ,god1
 and disqualify them for the ,messiah's 
welcome1 when he came to take his power 
and reign4 ,paul tells them1 that  while
 their ,lord remained in this mortal    
state1 they were right2 as              
representative of the law1 and filling  
an office created by the religion  of   
,judaism1 he could not but have held    
them then to its obligations2  nor could
 they1 without infidelity1 have         
neglected its claims1 any more  than a  
wife can innocently separate herself    
from a living husband4 ,but  as the     
death of the man sets the woman free1   
and makes null the law of  their union1 
so the decease of ,christ's body        
emancipates his followers  from all     
legal relations to him2 and they are at 
liberty to wed  themselves anew to the  
risen ,christ1 who dwells where no      
ordinance is  needful1 no tie permitted 
but of the spirit1 and all are as the   
angels  of ,god4#cbf ,surely1 then1 this
 mode of conception explains1 why the   

death of ,jesus constitutes a great date
 in the ,christian economy1  especially 
as expounded by the friend and apostle  
of those who were not  8,jews by nature1
 but sinners of the ,gentiles40#cbg ,had
 he never died1  they must have remained
 aliens from his sway2 the enemies      
against whom  his power must be         
directed2 without hope in the day of his
 might2  strangers to ,god and his      
vicegerent4    ,but1 while thus they    
8were yet without strength1 ,christ died
 for0 these  8ungodly20#cbh died to put 
himself into connection with them1 else 
impossible2 and rising from death drew  
them after him into spiritual  existence
 on earth1 analogous to that which he   
passed in heaven4 8,you10  says their   
,apostle1 8being dead in your sins and  
the uncircumcision of  your flesh1 hath 
he quickened together with him20 giving 
you1 as 8risen  with him10 a life above 
the world and its law of exclusion1--a  
life not  8subject to ordinances10 but  
of secret love and heavenly faith1 8hid 

with ,christ in ,god20 8blotting out the
 hand-writing of ordinances that  was   
against us1 which was contrary to us1   
and taking it out of the way1  nailing  
it to his cross40#cbi ,god had never    
intended to perpetuate the  division    
between ,israel and the world1 receiving
 the one as the sons1  and shutting out 
the other as the slaves of his          
household4 ,if there had  been an       
appearance of such partiality1 he had   
always designed to set  these bondmen   
free1 and to make them 8heirs of ,god   
through ,christ20#ccj  8in whom they had
 redemption through his blood0 from     
their servile  state1 the forgiveness of
 disqualifying sins1 according to the   
riches of  his grace4#cca ,though the   
,hebrews boasted that 8theirs was the   
adoption10#ccb and till ,messiah's death
 had boasted truly2 yet in that  event1 
,god 8before the foundation of the      
world10 had 8blessed us0  7,gentiles7   
8with all spiritual blessings1 in       
heavenly places20 8having  predestinated

 us unto the adoption of children1 by   
,jesus ,christ1  according0 7not indeed 
to any right or promise1 but7 8to the   
good  pleasure of his will10#ccc 8and   
when we were enemies1 having reconciled 
us1 by the death of his son20#ccd 8that 
in the fulness of times he  might gather
 together in one all things in          
,christ20#cce 8by whom we0  7,gentiles7 
8have now received this atonement0      
7reconciliation72#ccf  that he might    
have no partial empire1 but that 8in him
 might all fulness  dwell40#ccg         
8,wherefore10 says their ,apostle1      
8remember that ye1  ,gentiles in the    
flesh1 were in time past without        
,messiah1 being aliens  from the        
commonwealth of ,israel1 and strangers  
from the covenant of  promise1 having no
 hope1 and without ,god in the world2   
but now in ,christ  ,jesus1 ye1 who     
sometime were afar off1 are made nigh by
 the blood of  ,christ4 ,for he is our  
peace1 who hath made both one1 and hath 
broken  down the middle wall of         

partition between us0 7not between ,god 
and man1  but between ,jew and          
,gentile72 8having abolished in his     
flesh the enmity1  even the law of      
commandments1 contained in ordinances2  
for to make in  himself1 of twain1 one  
new man1 so making peace2 and that he   
might  reconcile both unto ,god1 in one 
body1 by the cross1 having slain the    
enmity thereby2 and came and preached   
peace to you who were afar off1 as  well
 as to them that were nigh4 ,for through
 him we both have access by  one spirit 
unto the ,father40#cch    ,the way1     
then1 is clear and intelligible1 in     
which the death and  ascension of the   
,messiah rendered him universal1 by     
giving spirituality  to his rule2 and1  
on the simple condition of faith1 added 
the  uncovenanted nations to his        
dominion1 so far as they were willing to
  receive him4 ,this idea1 and this     
only1 will be found in almost every     
passage of the ,new ,testament          
7excepting the ,epistle to the ,hebrews7

  usually adduced to prove the doctrine 
of the ,atonement4 ,some of the         
strongest of these ,i have already      
quoted2 and my readers must judge       
whether they have received a            
satisfactory meaning4 ,there are others1
 in  which the ,gentiles are not so     
distinctly stated to be the sole objects
  of the redemption of the cross3 but   
with scarcely an exception1 so far  as  
,i can discover1 this limitation is     
implied2 and either creeps out  through 
some adjacent expression in the context2
 or betrays itself1 when  we recur to   
the general course of the ,apostle's    
argument1 or to the  character and      
circumstances of his correspondents4    
,thus ,paul says1 that  ,christ 8gave   
himself a ransom for all1 to be         
testified in due time20 the  next verse 
shows what is in his mind1 when he adds1
 8whereunto ,i am  ordained a preacher1 
and an apostle1 a teacher of ,,the      
,,gentiles in faith  and verity30 and   
the whole sentiment of the context is   

the ,universality  of the ,gospel1 and  
the duty of praying for ,gentile kings  
and people1 as  not abandoned to a      
foreign ,god and another ,mediator2 for 
since ,messiah's  death1 to us all      
8there is but ,one ,god1 and ,one       
,mediator between ,god  and men1 the man
 ,christ ,jesus30 wherefore the ,apostle
 wills1 that for  all1 8men pray        
everywhere1 lifting up holy hands1      
without wrath1 and  doubting10--without 
wrath at their admission1 or doubt of   
their  adoption4#cci ,and wherever      
emphasis is laid on the vast number     
benefited by the cross1 a contrast is   
implied with the few 7only the  ,jews7  
who could have been his subjects1 had he
 not died3 and when it is  said1 8he    
gave his life a ransom for many20#cdj   
his blood was 8shed  for many1 for the  
remission of sins20#cda 8thou wast      
slain1 and hast  redeemed us by thy     
blood1 out of every kindred1 and tongue1
 and people1  and nation2 and hast made 
us unto our ,god kings and priests2 and 

we  shall reign on the earth20#cdb      
8behold the ,lamb of ,god that taketh   
away  the sin of the world20#cdc --by   
all these expressions is still denoted  
the efficacy of ,christ's death in      
removing the ,gentile disqualification1 
and making his dispensation spiritual as
 his celestial existence1 and  universal
 as the ,fatherhood of ,god4 ,does ,paul
 exhort certain of his  disciples1 8to  
feed the church of the ,lord1 which he  
hath purchased with  his own blood80#cdd
 ,we find that he is speaking of the    
,gentile church  of ,ephesus1 whose     
elders he is instructing in the         
management of their  charge1 and to     
which he afterwards wrote the well-known
 epistle1 on  their ,gentile freedom and
 adoption obtained by the ,messiah's    
death4 ,when  ,peter says1 8ye know that
 ye were not redeemed with corruptible  
things1  as silver and gold1 from your  
vain conversation1 received by tradition
  from your fathers2 but with the       
precious blood of ,christ1 as of a lamb 

without blemish and without spot10#cde  
we must inquire to whom he is           
addressing these words4 ,if it be to the
 ,jews1 the interpretation which ,i     
have hitherto given of such language    
will not apply1 and we must seek an     
explanation altogether different4 ,but  
the whole manner of this epistle1  the  
complexion of its phraseology           
throughout1 convinces me that it was    
addressed especially to the ,gentile    
converts of ,asia ,minor2 and that  the 
redemption of which it speaks is no     
other than that which is the  frequent  
theme of their own apostle4    ,in the  
passage just quoted1 the form of        
expression itself suggests the  idea1   
that ,peter is addressing a class which 
did not include himself2  8,,ye were not
 redeemed1 c430 further on in the same  
epistle the same  sentiment occurs1     
however1 without any such visible       
restriction4  ,exhorting to patient     
suffering for conscience sake1 he       
appeals to the  example of ,christ2     

8who1 when he suffered1 threatened not1 
but committed  himself to ,him that     
judgeth righteously3 who1 his own self1 
bare our  sins in his own body on the   
tree2 that we1 being dead to sin1 should
  live unto righteousness30 yet1 with   
instant change in the expression1       
revealing his correspondents to us1 the 
,apostle adds1 8by whose stripes  ,,ye  
were healed4 ,for ye were as sheep going
 astray2 but are now returned  unto the 
shepherd and bishop of your souls40#cdf 
,with the instinct of a  gentle and     
generous heart1 the writer1 treating in 
plain terms of the  former sins of those
 whom he addresses1 puts himself in with
 them2 and  avoids every appearance of  
that spiritual pride1 by which the ,jew 
constantly rendered himself offensive to
 the ,gentile4    ,again1 in this       
letter1 he recommends the duty of       
patient endurance1 by  appeal to the    
same consideration of ,christ's         
disinterested  self-sacrifice4 8,it is  
better1 if the will of ,god be so1 that 

ye suffer  for well doing than for evil 
doing3 for ,christ also hath once       
suffered  for sins1 the just for the    
unjust1 that he might bring us to ,god40
 ,and  who are these 8unjust0 that are  
thus brought to ,god8 ,the ,apostle     
instantly explains1 by describing how   
the 8,jews by nature0 lost  possession  
of ,messiah by the death of his person1 
and 8sinners of the  ,gentiles0 gained  
him by the resurrection of his immortal 
nature2 8being  put to death in flesh1  
but quickened in spirit2 and thereby he 
went and  preached unto the spirits in  
prison1 who formerly were without       
faith40  ,this is clearly a description 
of the ,heathen world1 ere it was       
brought  into relation to the ,messianic
 promises4 ,still further confirmation1 
however1 follows4 ,the ,apostle adds3   
8forasmuch1 then1 as ,christ hath       
suffered for us in the flesh1 arm       
yourselves likewise with the same  mind2
 for the time past of our life may      
suffice us to have wrought the  will of 

the ,gentiles2 when we walked in        
lasciviousness1 lusts1  excess of wine1 
revellings1 banquettings1 and abominable
  idolatries40#cdg ,if we cannot admit  
this to be a just description of  the   
holy ,apostle's former life1 we must    
perceive that1 writing to ,pagans  of   
whom it was all true1 he beautifully    
withholds from his language  every trace
 of invidious distinction1 puts himself 
for the moment into  the same class1 and
 seems to take his share of the         
distressing  recollection4    ,the      
habitual delicacy with which ,paul1     
likewise1 classed himself with  every   
order of persons in turn1 to whom he had
 any thing painful to say1  is known to 
every intelligent reader of his         
epistles4 ,hence1 in his  writings too1 
we have often to consider with whom it  
is that he is  holding his dialogue1 and
 to make our interpretation dependent on
 the  answer4 ,when1 for example1 he    
says1 that ,jesus 8was delivered for our
  offences1 and was raised again for our

 justification20 ,i ask1 8for           
whose8--was it for every body's8--or for
 the ,jews'1 since ,paul was a          
,hebrew80 ,on looking closely into the  
argument1 ,i find it beyond doubt  that 
neither of these answers is correct2 and
 that the ,apostle1 in  conformity with 
his frequent practice1 is certainly     
identifying himself1  ,israelite though 
he was1 with the ,gentiles1 to whom1 at 
that moment1  his reasoning applies     
itself4 ,the neighbouring verses have   
expressions  which clearly enough       
declare this2 8when we were yet without 
strength10 and 8while we were yet       
sinners10 ,christ died for us4 ,it is   
to the ,gentile ,church at ,corinth1 and
 while expatiating on their  privileges 
and relations as such1 that ,paul speaks
 of the  disqualifications and legal    
unholiness of the ,heathen1 as vanishing
 in  the death of the ,messiah2 as the  
recovered leper's uncleanness was       
removed1 and his banishment reversed1   
and his exclusion from the temple       

ended1 when the lamb without blemish1   
which the law prescribed as his         
sin-offering1 bled beneath the knife1 so
 did ,god provide1 in ,jesus1 a  lamb   
without blemish for the exiled and      
unsanctified ,gentiles1 to bring  them  
from their far dwelling in the leprous  
haunts of this world's  wilderness1 and 
admit them to the sanctuary of spiritual
 health and  worship3 8,he hath made him
 to be a sin-offering for us            
7,gentiles71 who  knew no sin2 that we  
might be made the justified of ,god in  
him20#cdh  entering1 under the ,messiah1
 the community of saints4 ,that1 in this
  sacrificial allusion1 the ,gentile    
adoption is still the ,apostle's only   
theme1 is evident hence2 that twice in  
this very passage1 he declares  that he 
is speaking of that peculiar            
8reconciliation10 the word and  ministry
 of which have been committed to        
himself2 he is dwelling on the  topic   
most natural to one who 8magnified his  
office10 as 8,apostle of the            

,gentiles40    ,to the same parties was 
,paul writing1 when he said1 8,christ1  
our  passover1 is sacrificed for        
us40#cdi ,frequently as this sentence is
  cited in evidence of the doctrine of  
,atonement1 there is hardly a verse  in 
,scripture more utterly inapplicable2   
nor1 if the doctrine were true1  could  
anything be more inept than an allusion 
to it in this place4 ,i do  not dwell on
 the fact that the paschal lamb was     
neither sin-offering nor  proper        
sacrifice at all3 for the elucidation of
 the death of ,jesus by  sacrificial    
analogies is as easy and welcome1 as any
 other mode of  representing it4 ,but ,i
 turn to the whole context1 and seek for
 the  leading idea before multiplying   
inferences from a subordinate           
illustration4 ,i find the author        
treating1 not of the deliverance of     
believers from curse or exclusion1 but  
of their duty to keep the  churches     
cleansed1 by the expulsion of           
notoriously profligate members4  ,such  

persons they are to cast from them1 as  
the ,jews1 at the passover1  swept from 
their houses all the leaven they        
contained2 and as1 for eight  days at   
that season1 only pure unleavened bread 
was allowed for use1 so  the church must
 keep the ,gospel-festival1 free from   
the ferment of  malice and wickedness1  
and tasting nothing but sincerity and   
truth4 ,this  comparison is the primary 
sentiment of the whole passage2 under   
cover of  which1 the ,apostle is urging 
the ,corinthians to expel a certain     
licentious offender3 and only because   
the feast of unleavened bread1 on  which
 his fancy has alighted1 set in with the
 day of passover1 does he  allude to    
this in completion of the figure4 ,as   
his correspondents were  ,gentiles1     
their ,christianity first became        
possible with the death of  ,christ2    
with him1 as an immortal1 their         
spiritual relations commenced2  when he 
rose1 they rose with him1 as by a divine
 attraction1 from an  earthly to a      

heavenly state2 their old and corrupt   
man had been buried  together with him1 
and1 with the human infirmities of his  
person left  behind for ever in his     
sepulchre2 and it became them1 8to seek 
those  things which are above10 and to  
8yield themselves to ,god1 as those that
  are alive from the dead40 ,this period
 of the ,lord's sequestration in the    
heavens1 ,paul represents as a festival 
of purity to the disciples on  earth1   
ushered in by the self-sacrifice of     
,christ4 ,the time is come1 he  says2   
cast away the leaven1 for the passover  
is slain1 blessed bread of  heaven to   
them that taste it6 let nothing now be  
seen in all the  household of the       
church1 but the unleavened cake of      
simplicity and love4    ,paul again     
appears as the advocate of the          
,gentiles1 when he protests  that now   
between them and the ,jews 8there is no 
difference2 since all  have sinned and  
come short of the glory of ,god30 that  
the ,hebrew has  lost all claim to the  

,messianic adoption1 and can have no    
hope but in  that free grace of ,god1   
which has a sovereign right to embrace  
the  ,heathen too2 and which1 in fact1  
has compassed the ,gentiles within its  
redemption1 by causing ,jesus the       
,messiah to die2 8by whose blood ,god   
hath set forth a propitiation1 through  
faith2 to evince his justice1  while    
overlooking1 with the forbearance of    
,god1 transgressions past2--to  evince  
his justice in the arrangements of the  
present crisis2 which  preserve his     
justice 7to the ,israelite71 yet justify
 on mere  discipleship to ,jesus40#cej  
,the great question which the ,apostle  
discusses throughout this epistle1 is   
this3 8on what terms is a man now       
admitted as a subject to the ,messiah1  
so as to be acknowledged by him1  when  
he comes to erect his kingdom80 8,he    
must be one of the circumcised1  to whom
 alone the holy law and promises are    
given10 says the ,jew4 8,that  is well10
 replies ,paul3 8only the promises1 you 

remember1 are  conditional on obedience2
 and he who claims by the law must stand
 the  judgment of the law4 ,can your    
nation abide this test1 and will you    
stake  your hopes upon the issue8 ,or is
 there on record against you a violation
  of every condition of your boasted    
covenant2 wholesale and national        
transgression1 which your favourite code
 itself menaces with #8cutting  off8'   
,have you even rejected and crucified   
the very ,messiah1 who was  tendered to 
you in due fulfilment of the promises8  
,take your trial by  the principles of  
your law1 and you must be cast off1 and 
perish1 as  certainly as the ,heathen   
whom you despise2 and whose rebellion   
against  the natural law1 gross as it   
is1 does not surpass your own offences  
against the tables of ,moses4 ,you must 
abandon the claim of right1 the  high   
talk of ,god's ,justice and plighted    
faith2--which are alike  ill-suited to  
you both4 ,the rules of law are out of  
the question1 and  would admit nobody2  

and we must ascend again to the         
sovereign will and  free mercy of him1  
who is the source of law2 and who1 to   
bestow a  blessing which its resources  
cannot confer1 may devise new methods of
  beneficence4 ,god has violated no     
pledge4 ,messiah came to ,israel1 and   
never went beyond its bounds2 the       
uncircumcised had no part in him2 and   
every ,hebrew who desired it1 was       
received as his subject4 ,but when the  
people would not have him1 and threw    
away their ancient title1 was ,god      
either to abandon his vicegerent1 or to 
force him on the unwilling8 ,no3  rather
 did it befit him to say2 #8if they will
 reject and crucify my  servant1--why1  
let him die1 and then he is ,israelite  
no more2 ,i will  raise him1 and take   
him apart in his immortality2 where his 
blood of  ,david is lost2 and the       
holiness of his humanity is glorified2  
and all  shall be his1 who will believe1
 and love him1 as he there exists1      
spiritually and truly4'0 ,thus1         

according to ,paul1 does ,god provide a 
new  method of adoption or              
justification1 without violating any    
promises of  the old4 ,thus he makes    
,faith in ,jesus1--a moral act instead  
of a  genealogical accident1--the single
 condition of reception into the ,divine
  kingdom upon earth4 ,thus1 after the  
passage of ,christ from this world to   
another1 ,jew and ,gentile are on an    
equality in relation to the ,messiah2   
the one gaining nothing by his past     
privileges2 the other1 not visited  with
 exclusion for past idolatry and sins2  
but assured1 in ,messiah's  death1 that 
these are to be overlooked1 and treated 
as if cleansed away4  ,he finds himself 
invited into the very penetralia of that
 sanctuary of  pure faith and hope1 from
 which before he had been repelled as an
  unclean thing2 as if its ark of mercy 
had been purified for ever from  his    
unworthy touch1 or he himself had been  
sprinkled by some sudden  consecration4 
,and all this was the inevitable and    

instant effect of that  death on        
,calvary2 which took ,messiah from the  
,jews1 and gave him to the  world4      
,with emphasis1 not less earnest than   
that of ,paul1 does the apostle ,john   
repudiate the notion of any claim on the
 ,divine admission by law or            
righteousness2 and insist on humble and 
unqualified acceptance of ,god's  free  
grace and remission for the past1 as the
 sole avenue of entrance to  the        
kingdom4 ,this avenue was open1 however1
 to all 8who confessed that  ,jesus the 
,messiah had come in the flesh20#cea in 
other words1 that1  during his mortal   
life1 ,jesus had been indicated as this 
future ,prince2  and that his ministry  
was the ,messiah's preliminary visit to 
that earth  on which shortly he would   
re-appear to reign4 ,the great object of
 that  visit was to prepare the world   
for his real coming2 for as yet it was  
very unfit for so great a crisis2 and   
especially to open1 by his death1  a way
 of admission for the ,gentiles1 and    

frame1 on their behalf1 an act  of      
oblivion for the past4 8,if10 says the  
apostle to them1 8we walk in  the light1
 as he is in the light0 7of love and    
heaven71 8we have  fellowship one with  
another1 and the blood of ,jesus ,christ
 his ,son  cleanseth us from all        
sin30#ceb the ,israelite will embrace   
the ,gentiles  in fraternal relations1  
knowing that the cross has removed their
 past  unholiness4 ,nor let the ,hebrew 
rely on anything now but the divine     
forbearance2 to appeal to rights will   
serve no longer3 8if we say we  have no 
sin1 we deceive ourselves1 and the truth
 is not in us40#cec ,nor  let any one   
despair of a reception1 or even a       
restoration1 because he  has been an    
idolater and sinner3 8,jesus ,christ the
 righteous0 is 8an  advocate with the   
,father0 for admitting all who are      
willing to be his2  8and he is the      
propitiation for our sins3 and not for  
ours only 7not  merely for our small    
portion of ,gentiles1 already           

converted72 but also  for the whole     
world10#ced if they will but accept him4
 ,he died to  become universal2 to make 
all his own2 to spread an oblivion1 wide
 as  the earth1 over all that had       
embarrassed the relations to the        
,messiah1  and made men aliens1 instead 
of ,sons of ,god4 ,yet did no           
spontaneous  movement of their good     
affections solicit this change4 ,it was 
8not that  we 7,gentiles7 loved ,god2   
but that he loved us1 and sent his ,son1
 the  propitiation for our sins20 8he   
sent his only-begotten ,son into the    
world1 that we might live through       
him40#cee ,that this epistle was        
addressed to ,gentiles1 and is therefore
 occupied with the same leading  idea   
respecting the cross1 which pervades the
 writings of ,paul1 is  rendered        
probable by its concluding words1 which 
could hardly be  appropriate to ,jews3  
8keep yourselves from idols40#cef ,how  
little the  apostle associated any      
vicarious idea even with a form of      

phrase most  constantly employed by     
modern theology to express it1 is       
evident from  the parallel which he     
draws1 in the following words1 between  
the death  of our ,lord and that of the 
,christian martyrs2 8hereby perceive we 
love1  because ,christ laid down his    
life for us2 and we ought to lay down   
our lives for the brethren40#ceg    ,are
 then the ,gentiles alone beneficially  
affected by the death of  ,christ2 and  
is no wider efficacy ever assigned to it
 in ,scripture8 ,the  great number of   
passages to which ,i have already       
applied this single  interpretation1    
will show that ,i consider it as        
comprising the great  leading idea of   
the apostolic theology on this subject2 
nor do ,i think  that there is 7out of  
the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 which ,i  
shall soon  notice7 a single doctrinal  
allusion to the cross1 from which this  
conception is wholly absent4 ,at the    
same time1 ,i am not prepared to        
maintain1 that this is the only view of 

the crucifixion and  resurrection ever  
present to the mind of the apostles4    
,jews themselves1  they naturally       
inquired1 how ,israel1 in particular1   
stood affected by  the unanticipated    
death of its ,messiah2 in what way its  
relations were  changed1 when the       
offered ,prince became the executed     
victim2 and how far  matters would have 
been different1 if1 as had been         
expected1 the  ,anointed had assumed his
 rights and taken his power at once2    
and1  instead of making his first advent
 a mere preliminary and warning visit   
8in the flesh10 had set up the kingdom  
forthwith1 and gathered with him  his   
few followers to 8reign on the earth40  
,had this--instead of  submission to    
death1 removal1 and delay--been his     
adopted course1 what  would have become 
of his own nation1 who had rejected     
him2--who must have  been tried by that 
law which was their boast1 and under    
which he came2  who had long been       
notorious offenders against its         

conditions1 and now  brought down its   
final curse by despising the claims of  
the accredited  ,messiah8 ,they must    
have been utterly 8cut off10 and cast   
out among the  8aliens from the         
commonwealth of ,israel10 8without      
,messiah10 8without  hope10 8without    
,god20 for while 8circumcision          
profiteth1 if thou keep  the law2 yet if
 thou be a breaker of the law1 thy      
circumcision is  made                   
uncircumcision40#ceh ,had he come then  
8to be glorified in his  saints1 and to 
be admired in all them that             
believe20--had he then been  8revealed  
with his mighty angels0 7whom he might  
have summoned by  8legions072--it must  
have been 8in flaming fire1 taking      
vengeance on them  that knew not ,god1  
nor obeyed the glad tidings of the ,lord
 ,jesus  ,christ20 to 8punish with      
everlasting destruction from the        
presence of  the ,lord and the glory of 
his power40#cei ,the sins and prospects 
of  ,israel being thus terrible1 and its

 rejection imminent 7for ,messiah was   
already in the midst of them71--he      
withheld his hand2 refused to           
precipitate their just fate2 and said1  
8,let us give them time and wait2  ,i   
will go apart into the heavens1 and     
peradventure they will repent2  only    
they must receive me then spiritually1  
and by hearty faith1 not by  carnal     
right1 admitting thus the willing       
,gentile with themselves40 ,and  so he  
prepared to die and retire2 he did not  
permit them to be cut off1  but was cut 
off himself instead2 he restrained the  
curse of their own  law from falling on 
them1 and rather perished himself by a  
foul and  accursed lot1 which that same 
law pronounces to be the vilest and most
  polluted of deaths4 ,thus says ,st4   
,paul to the ,jews3 8he hath redeemed us
  from the curse of the law1 being made 
a curse for us2 for it is written       
#8cursed is every one that hangeth on a 
tree4'0#cfj ,in this way1 but for  the  
death of the ,messiah1 ,israel too must 

have been lost2 and by that  event they 
received time for repentance1 and a way 
for remission of  sins2 found a means of
 reconciliation still2 saw their        
providence1 which  had been lowering for
 judgment1 opening over them in         
propitiation once  more2 the just had   
died for the unjust1 to bring them to   
,god4 ,what was  this delay1--this      
suspension of judgment1--this           
opportunity of return and  faith1--but  
an instance of 8the long-suffering of   
,god10 with which 8he  endures the      
vessels of wrath 7,jews7 fitted to      
destruction2 and makes  known the riches
 of his glory on the vessels of mercy2  
which he had  afore prepared unto       
glory80#cfa ,if ,christ had not         
withdrawn awhile1--if  his power had    
been taken up at once1 and wielded in   
stern and legal  justice1 a deluge of   
judgment must have overwhelmed the      
earth1 and swept  away both ,jew and    
,gentile1 leaving but a remnant safe4   
,but in mercy was  the mortal life of   

,jesus turned into a preluding message  
of notice and  warning1 like the tidings
 which ,noah received of the flood2 and 
as the  growing frame of the ark gave   
signal to the world of the coming       
calamity1 afforded an interval for      
repentance1 and made the patriarch1  as 
he built1 a constant 8preacher of       
righteousness20#cfb so the  increasing  
body of the ,church1 since the warning  
retreat of ,christ to  heaven1 proclaims
 the approaching 8day of the ,lord10    
admonishes that  8all should come to    
repentance10#cfc and fly betimes to that
 faith and  baptism which ,messiah's    
death and resurrection have left as an  
ark of  safety4 8,once in the days of   
,noah1 the long-suffering of ,god waited
  while the ark was preparing1 wherein  
few1 that is1 eight souls1 were  saved  
by water3 a representation1 this1 of the
 way in which baptism  7not1 of course1 
carnal washing1 but the engagement of a 
good conscience  with ,god17 saves us   
now1 by the resurrection of ,jesus      

,christ2 who is  gone into heaven1 and  
is on the right hand of ,god2 angels1   
and  authorities1 and powers1 being made
 subject to him40#cfd ,yet1 8the time   
is short10#cfe and must be              
8redeemed20#cff 8it is the last         
hour20#cfg  8the ,lord10 8the coming of 
the ,lord10 8the end of all things10 are
 8at  hand40#cfh    ,i have described   
one aspect1 which the death of the      
,messiah presented  to the ,jews2 and1  
in this1 we have found another primary  
conception1  explanatory of the         
scriptural language respecting the      
cross4 ,of the two  relations in which  
this event appeared 7the ,gentile and   
the ,israelitish7  ,i believe the former
 to be by far the most familiar to the  
,new ,testament  authors1 and to furnish
 the true interpretation of almost all  
their  phraseology on the subject4 ,but1
 as my readers may have noticed1 many   
passages receive illustration by        
reference to either notion2 and some    
may have a meaning compounded of both4  

,i must not pause to make any  minute   
adjustment of these claims1 on the part 
of the two interpreting  ideas3 it is   
enough that1 either separately or in    
union1 they have now  been taken round  
the whole circle of apostolic language  
respecting the  cross1 and detected in  
every difficult passage the presence of 
sense and  truth1 and the absence of all
 hint of vicarious atonement4    ,it was
 on the unbelieving portion of the      
,jewish people1 that the death  of their
 ,messiah conferred the national        
blessings and opportunities to  which ,i
 have adverted4 ,but to the converts who
 had been received by  him during his   
mortal life1 and who would have been    
heirs of his glory1  had he assumed it  
at once1 it was less easy to point out  
any personal  benefits from the cross4  
,that the ,christ had retired from this 
world was  but a disappointing          
postponement of their hopes3 that he had
 perished as  a felon1 was shocking to  
their pride1 and turned their ancient   

boast  into a present scorn3 that he had
 become spiritual and immortal made him 
no longer theirs 8as concerning the     
flesh10 and1 by admitting ,gentiles     
with themselves1 set aside their        
favourite law4 ,so offensive to them was
  this unexpected slight on the         
institutions of ,moses1 immemorially    
reverenced as the ordinances of ,god1   
that it became important to give  some  
turn to the death of ,jesus1 by which   
that event might be harmonized  with the
 national system1 and be shown to effect
 the abrogation of the  ,law1 on        
principles strictly legal4 ,this was the
 object of the writer of  the ,epistle  
to the ,hebrews2 who thus gives us a    
third idea of the  relations of the     
cross1--bearing1 indeed1 an essential   
resemblance to ,st4  ,paul's ,gentile   
view1 but illustrated in a manner       
altogether different4  ,no trace is to  
be observed here of ,paul's noble       
glorying in the ,cross3  so studiously  
is every allusion to the crucifixion    

avoided1 till all the  argumentative    
part of the epistle has been completed1 
that a reader  finds the conclusion     
already in sight1 without having gained 
any notion  of the mode of the ,lord's  
death1 whether even it was natural or   
violent1--a literal human sacrifice1 or 
a voluntary self-immolation4 ,its       
ignominy and its agonies are wholly     
unmentioned2 and his mortal  infirmities
 and sufferings are explained1 not as   
the spontaneous  adoptions of previous  
compassion in him1 but as ,god's fitting
 discipline  for rendering him 8a       
merciful and faithful high priest40#cfi 
,they are  referred to in the tone of   
apology1 not of pride2 as needing rather
 to  be reconciled with his office1 than
 to be boldly expounded as its grand    
essential4 ,the object of the author    
clearly is1 to find a place for the     
death of ,jesus among the ,messianic    
functions2 and he persuades the  ,hebrew
 ,christians that it is 7not a          
satisfaction for moral guilt1 but7 a    

commutation for the ,mosaic ,law4 ,in   
order to understand his argument1 we    
must advert for a moment to the         
prejudices which it was designed to     
conciliate and correct4    ,it is not   
easy for us to realize the feelings with
 which the ,israelite1  in the yet palmy
 days of the ,levitical worship1 would  
hear of an  abrogation of the ,law2--the
 anger and contempt with which the mere 
bigot  would repudiate the              
suggestion2--the terror with which the  
new convert  would make trial of his    
freedom2--the blank and infidel feeling 
with  which he would look round1 and    
find himself drifted away from his      
anchorage of ceremony2 the sinking      
heart1 with which he would hear the     
reproaches of his countrymen against his
 apostacy4 ,every authoritative  ritual 
draws towards itself an attachment too  
strong for reason and the  sense of     
right2 and transfers the feeling of     
obligation from realities  to symbols4  
,among the ,hebrews1 this effect was the

 more marked and the  more pernicious1  
because their ceremonies were1 in many  
instances1 only  remotely connected with
 any important truth or excellent end2  
they were  separated by several removes 
from any spiritual utility4 ,rites were 
enacted to sustain other rites2         
institution lay beneath institution1    
through so many successive steps1 that  
the crowning principle at the  summit   
easily passed out of sight4 ,to keep    
alive the grand truth of the  ,divine   
,unity1 there was a gorgeous temple     
worship3 to perform this  worship there 
was a priesthood3 to support the        
priesthood1 there were  7among other    
sources of income7 dues paid in the form
 of sacrifice3 to  provide against the  
non-payment of dues there were          
penalties3 to prevent  an injurious     
pressure of these penalties1 there were 
exemptions1 as in  cases of sickness3   
and to put a check on trivial claims of 
exemption1 it  must be purchased by     
submission to a fee1 under name of an   

atonement4  ,wherever such a system is  
received as divine1 and based on the    
same  authority with the great law of   
duty1 it will always1 by its            
definiteness and precision1 attract     
attention from graver moral             
obligations4 ,its materiality renders it
 calculable3 its account with the       
conscience can be exactly ascertained3  
as it has little obvious utility  to    
men1 it appears the more directly paid  
to ,god2 it is regarded as the  special 
means of pleasing him1 of placating his 
anger1 and purchasing  his promises4    
,hence it may often happen1 that the    
more the offences  against the spirit of
 duty1 the more are rites multiplied in 
propitiation2 and the harvest of        
ceremonies and that of crimes ripen     
together4    ,at a state not far from   
this1 had the ,jews arrived1 when       
,christianity  was preached4 ,their     
moral sentiments were so far perverted1 
that they  valued nothing in themselves1
 in comparison with their legal         

exactitude1  and hated all beyond       
themselves for the want of this4 ,they  
were eagerly  expecting the ,deliverer's
 kingdom1 nursing up their ambition for 
his  triumphs3 curling the lip1 as the  
lash of oppression fell upon them1 in   
suppressed anticipation of vengeance2   
satiating a temper1 at once fierce  and 
servile1 with dreams of ,messiah's      
coming judgment1 when the blood of  the 
,patriarchs should be the title of the  
world's nobles1 and the  everlasting    
reign should begin in ,jerusalem4 ,why  
was the hour delayed1  they impatiently 
asked themselves8 ,was it that they had 
offended  ,jehovah1 and secretly sinned 
against some requirement of his law8    
,and  then they set themselves to a     
renewed precision1 a more slavish       
punctiliousness than before4 ,ascribing 
their continued depression to  their    
imperfect legal obedience1 they strained
 their ceremonialism  tighter than ever3
 and hoped to be soon justified from    
their past sins1  and ready for the     

mighty prince and the latter days4      
,what then must have been the feeling of
 the ,hebrew1 when told that all  his   
punctualities had been thrown away2 that
 at the advent1 faith in  ,jesus1 not   
obedience to the law1 was to be the     
title to admission2 and  that the       
redeemed at that day would be1 not the  
scrupulous  ,pharisee1--whose dead works
 would be of no avail2 but all who1 with
 the  heart1 have worthily confessed the
 name of the ,lord ,jesus8 ,what        
doctrine  could be more unwelcome to the
 haughty ,israelite8 it dashed his pride
 of  ancestry to the ground4 ,it brought
 to the same level with himself the     
polluted ,gentile1 whose presence would 
alone render all unclean in the         
,messiah's kingdom4 ,it proved his past 
ritual anxieties to have been all       
wasted4 ,it cast aside for the future   
the venerated law2 left it in  neglect  
to die2 and made all the apparatus of   
,providence for its  maintenance end in 
absolutely nothing4 ,was then the       

,messiah to  supersede1 and not to      
vindicate the law8 ,how different this  
from the  picture which prophets had    
drawn of his golden age1 when ,jerusalem
 was  to be the pride of the earth1 and 
her temple the praise of nations1       
sought by the feet of countless         
pilgrims1 and decked with the splendour 
of their gifts6 ,how could a true       
,hebrew be justified in a life without  
law8 ,how think himself safe in a       
profession1 which was without temple1   
without priest1 without altar1 without  
victim8    ,not unnaturally1 then1 did  
the ,hebrews regard with reluctance two 
of the  leading features of             
,christianity2 the death of the         
,messiah1 and the  freedom from the law4
 ,the epistle addressed to them was     
designed to  soothe their uneasiness1   
and to show1 that if the ,mosaic        
institutions  were superseded1 it was in
 conformity with principles and         
analogies  contained within themselves4 
,with great address1 the writer links   

the  two difficulties together1 and     
makes the one explain the other4 ,he    
finds  a ready means of effecting this1 
in the sacrificial ideas familiar to    
every ,hebrew2 for by representing the  
death of ,jesus as commutation for      
legal observances1 he is only ascribing 
to it an operation1 acknowledged  to    
have place in the death of every lamb   
slain as a sin-offering at the  altar4  
,these offerings were a distinct        
recognition on the part of the          
,levitical code1 of a principle of      
equivalents for its ordinances2 a  proof
 that1 under certain conditions1 they   
might yield3 nothing more1  therefore1  
was necessary1 than to show that the    
death of ,christ  established those     
conditions4 ,and such a method of       
argument was attended  by this          
advantage1 that while the practical end 
would be obtained of  terminating all   
ceremonial observance1 the ,law was yet 
treated as in  theory perpetual2 not as 
ignominiously abrogated1 but as         

legitimately  commuted4 ,just as the    
,israelite1 in paying his offering at   
the altar to  compensate for ritual     
omissions1 recognized thereby the claims
 of the  law1 while he obtained impunity
 for its neglect2 so1 if ,providence    
could  be shown to have provided a legal
 substitute for the system1 its         
authority was acknowledged1 at the      
moment that its abolition was  secured4 
,let us advert then to the functions of 
the ,mosaic sin-offerings1 to  which the
 writer has recourse to illustrate his  
main position4 ,they were  of the nature
 of a mulct or acknowledgment rendered1 
for unconscious or  inevitable disregard
 of ceremonial liabilities1 and         
contraction of  ceremonial uncleanness4 
,such uncleanness might be incurred from
 various  causes2 and while unremoved by
 the appointed methods of purification1 
disqualified from attendance at the     
sanctuary1 and 8cut off0 8the  guilty0  
8from among the congregation40 ,to touch
 a dead body1 to enter a  tent where a  

corpse lay1 rendered a person 8unclean  
for seven days20 to  come in contact    
with a forbidden animal1 a bone1 a      
grave2 to be next to  any one struck    
with sudden death2 to be afflicted with 
certain kinds of  bodily disease and    
infirmity2 unwittingly to lay a finger  
on a person  unclean1 occasioned        
defilement1 and necessitated a          
purification or an  atonement4#cgj      
,independently of these offences1       
enforced upon the  ,israelite by the    
accidents of life1 it was not easy for  
even the most  cautious worshipper to   
keep pace with the complicated series of
 petty  debts which the law of          
ordinances was always running up against
 him4 ,if  his offering had an invisible
 blemish2 if he omitted a tithe1 because
  8he wist it not20 or inadvertently    
fell into arrear1 by a single day1  with
 respect to a known liability2 if absent
 from disease1 he was  compelled to let 
his ritual account accumulate2 8though  
it be hidden  from him10 he must 8be    

guilty1 and bear his iniquity10 and     
bring his  victim4#cga ,on the birth of 
a child1 the mother1 after the lapse of 
a  prescribed period1 made her          
pilgrimage to the temple1 presented her 
sin-offering1 and 8the priest made      
atonement for her40#cgb ,the poor       
leper1 long banished from the face of   
men1 and unclean by the nature of  his  
disease1 became a debtor to the         
sanctuary1 and on return from his       
tedious quarantine1 brought his lamb of 
atonement1 and departed thence1  clear  
from neglected obligations to his       
law4#cgc ,it was impossible1  however1  
to provide by specific enactment for    
every case of ritual  transgression and 
impurity1 arising from inadvertency or  
necessity4  ,scarcely could it be       
expected that the courts of worship     
themselves  would escape defilement1    
from imperfections in the offerings1 or 
unconscious disqualification in people  
or in priest4 ,to clear off the  whole  
invisible residue of such sins1 an      

annual 8day of atonement0 was           
appointed2 the people thronged the      
avenues and approaches of the           
tabernacle2 in their presence a kid was 
slain for their own  transgressions1 and
 for the high-priest the more dignified 
expiation of  a heifer3 charged with the
 blood of each successively1 he         
sprinkled not  only the exterior altar  
open to the sky1 but1 passing through   
the first  and ,holy chamber into the   
,holy of ,holies1 7never entered else71 
he  touched1 with finger dipped in      
blood1 the sacred lid 7the ,mercy-seat7 
and foreground of the ,ark4#cgd ,at that
 moment1 while he yet lingers  behind   
the veil1 the purification is complete2 
on no worshipper of  ,israel does any   
legal unholiness rest2 and were it      
possible for the  high-priest to remain 
in that interior retreat of ,jehovah1   
still  protracting the expiatory act1 so
 long would this national purity        
continue1 and the debt of ordinances be 
effaced as it arose4 ,but he must       

return2 the sanctifying rite must end2  
the people be dismissed2 the  priests   
resume the daily ministrations2 the law 
open its stern account  afresh2 and in  
the mixture of national exactitude and  
neglects1  defilements multiply again   
till the recurring anniversary lifts off
 the  burden once more4 ,every year1    
then1 the necessity comes round of      
8making  atonement for the ,holy        
sanctuary10 8for the tabernacle10 8for  
the  altar10 8for the priests1 and for  
all the people of the congregation40    
,yet1 though requiring periodical       
renewal1 the rite1 so far as it went1   
had an efficacy which no ,hebrew could  
deny2 for ceremonial sins1  unconscious 
or inevitable 7to which all atonement   
was limited#cge71 it  was accepted as an
 indemnity2 and put it beyond doubt that
 ,mosaic  obedience was commutable4     
,such was the system of ideas1 by       
availing himself of which the author of 
the ,epistle to the ,hebrews would      
persuade his correspondents to forsake  

their legal observances4 8,you can look 
without uneasiness10 he suggests1  8on  
your ritual omissions1 when the blood of
 some victim has been  presented        
instead1 and the penetralia of your     
sanctuary have been  sprinkled with the 
offering3 well1 on no other terms would 
,i soothe your  anxiety2 precisely such 
equivalent sacrifice does ,christianity 
exhibit1  only of so peculiar a nature1 
that for all ceremonial neglects1       
intentional no less than inadvertent1   
you may rely upon indemnity40 ,the      
,jews entertained a belief respecting   
their temple1 which enabled the  writer 
to give a singular force and precision  
to his analogy4 ,they  conceived1 that  
the tabernacle of their worship was but 
the copy of a  divine structure1 devised
 by ,god himself1 made by no created    
hand1 and  preserved eternally in       
heaven3 this was 8the true tabernacle1  
which the  ,lord pitched1 and not man20 
which no mortal had beheld1 except      
,moses in  the mount that he might 8make

 all things according to that           
pattern20#cgf within whose ,holy of     
,holies dwelt no emblem or emanation  of
 ,god's presence1 but his own immediate 
,spirit2 and the celestial  furniture of
 which required1 in proportion to its   
dignity1 the  purification of a nobler  
sacrifice1 and the ministrations of a   
diviner  priest1 than befitted the      
8worldly sanctuary0#cgg below4 ,and who 
then  can mistake the meaning of        
,christ's departure from this world1 or 
doubt  what office he conducts above8   
,he is called by his ascension to the   
,pontificate of heaven2 consecrated1    
8not after the law of any carnal        
commandment1 but after the power of an  
endless life20#cgh he drew aside  the   
veil of his mortality1 and passed into  
the inmost court of ,god3 and  as he    
must needs 8have somewhat to offer10#cgi
 he takes the only blood  he had ever   
shed1--which was his own1--and like the 
high-priest before the  ,mercy-seat1    
sanctifies therewith the people that    

stand without1  8redeeming the          
transgressions0 which 8the first        
covenant0 of rites  entailed4#chj ,and  
he has not returned2 still is he hid    
within that  holiest place2 and still   
the multitude he serves turn thither a  
silent  and expectant gaze2 he prolongs 
the purification still2 and while he    
appears not1 no other rites can be      
resumed1 nor any legal defilement be    
contracted4 ,thus1 meanwhile1 ordinances
 cease their obligation1 and the  sin   
against them has lost its power4 ,how   
different this from the  offerings of   
,jerusalem1 whose temple was but the    
8symbol and shadow0 of  that sanctuary  
above4#cha ,in the ,hebrew 8sacrifices  
there was a  remembrance again made of  
sins every year20#chb 8the high-priest  
annually entered the holy place20#chc   
being but a mortal1 he could not  go in 
with his own blood and remain but must  
take that of other  creatures and       
return2 and hence it became 8not        
possible that the blood  of bulls and of

 goats should take away sins10#chd for  
instantly they  began to accumulate     
again4 ,but to the very nature of       
,christ's offering1  a perpetuity of    
efficacy belongs2 bearing no other than 
his own  blood10 he was immortal when   
his ministration began1 and 8ever liveth
 to  make his intercession2#che he could
 8not offer himself often1 for then     
must he often have suffered since the   
foundation of the world10--and 8it  is  
appointed unto men only once to die30 so
 that 8once for all he  entered into the
 holy place1 and obtained a redemption  
that is  perpetual20 8once in the end of
 the world hath he appeared1 and by     
sacrificing himself hath absolutely put 
away sin20 8this man1 after he  had     
offered one sacrifice for sins1 for ever
 sat down on the right hand  of ,god10  
8for by one offering he hath perfected  
for ever them that are  sanctified10#chf
 ,the ceremonial then1 with its         
periodical  transgressions1 and         
atonements1 is suspended2 the services  

of the outer  tabernacle cease1 for the 
holiest of all is made manifest2#chg one
 who  is 8priest for ever0 dwells       
therein3 one 8consecrated for evermore10
  8holy1 harmless1 undefiled1 in his    
celestial dwelling quite separate  from 
sinners2#chh who needeth not daily1 as  
those high priests1 to  offer up        
sacrifice1 first for his own sins1 and  
then for the people's2  for this he did 
once for all when he offered up         
himself40#chi    ,nor is it in its      
perpetuity alone1 that the efficacy of  
the ,christian  sacrifice transcends the
 atonements of the law2 it removes a    
higher  order of ritual transgressions4 
,it cannot be supposed1 indeed1 that    
,messiah's life is no nobler offering   
than that of a creature from the  herd  
or flock1 and will confer no more       
immunity4 ,accordingly1 it goes  beyond 
those 8sins of ignorance10 those        
ceremonial inadvertences1 for  which    
alone there was remission in ,israel2   
and reaches to voluntary  neglects of   

the sacerdotal ordinances2 ensuring     
indemnity for legal  omissions1 when    
incurred not simply by the accidents of 
the flesh1 but  even by intention of the
 conscience4 ,this is no greater boon   
than the  dignity of the sacrifice      
requires2 and does but give to his      
people below  that living relation of   
soul to ,god1 which he himself sustains 
above4  8,if the blood of bulls and of  
goats 444 sanctifieth to the purifying  
of  the flesh3 how much more shall the  
blood of ,christ1 who through the       
eternal ,spirit offered himself without 
spot to ,god1 purify 7even7 your        
conscience from dead works 7ritual      
observances7 to serve the living        
,god60#cij ,let then the ordinances go1 
and the ,lord 8put his laws into  the   
mind and write them in the heart20 and  
let all have 8boldness to  enter into   
the holiest by the blood of ,jesus1 by  
this new and living way  which he hath  
consecrated for us20 8provoking each    
other to love and to  good works40#cia  

,see1 then1 in brief1 the objection of  
the ,hebrews to the gospel2 and the     
reply of their instructor4 ,they said2  
8,what a blank is this2 you have no     
temple1 no priest1 no ritual6 ,how is it
 that1 in his ancient covenant1  ,god is
 so strict about ceremonial service1 and
 permits no neglect1  however           
incidental1 without atonement2 yet in   
this new economy1 throws  the whole     
system away2 letting us run up an       
everlasting debt to a law  confessedly  
unrepealed1 without redemption of it1 or
 atonement for it80    8,not without    
redemption and atonement10 replies their
 evangelical  teacher2 8temple1         
sacrifice1 priest1 remain to us also1   
only glorified  into proportions worthy 
of a heavenly dispensation2 our temple1 
in the  skies2 our sacrifice1 ,messiah's
 mortal person2 our priest1 his         
ever-living spirit4 ,how poor the       
efficacy of your former offerings6 year 
after year1 your ritual debt began      
again3 for the blood dried and  vanished

 from the tabernacle which it purified2 
the priest returned from  the inner     
shrine2 and when there1 he stood1 with  
the interceding blood1  before the      
emblem1 not the reality of ,god4 ,but   
,christ1 not at the end of  a year1 but 
at the end of the great world-era of the
 ,lord1 has come to  offer up           
himself1--no lamb so unblemished as he2 
his voluntary and  immortal spirit1 than
 which was nothing ever more divinely   
consecrate1  becomes officiating priest1
 and strikes his own person with        
immolating  blow2 it falls and bleeds on
 earth1 as on the outer altar1 standing 
on  the threshold of the sanctuary of   
heaven3 thither he ascends with the     
memorials of his death1 vanishes into   
the ,holy of ,holies of the skies1      
presents himself before the very living 
,god1 and sanctifies the temple  there  
and worshippers here3 saying to us1     
#8drop now for ever the legal  burdens  
that weigh you down2 doubt not that you 
are free1 as my  glorified spirit here1 

from the defilements you are wont to    
dread2 ,i  stay behind this veil of     
visible things to clear you of all such 
taint1  and put away such sin eternally4
 ,trust then in me1 and take up the     
freedom of your souls3 burst the dead   
works1 that cling round your  conscience
 like cerements of the grave2 and rise  
to me1 by the living  power of duty1 and
 loving allegiance to ,god4'0    ,so far
 then1 as the death of ,christ is       
treated in scripture  dogmatically1     
rather than historically1 its effects   
are viewed in  contrast with the        
different order of things which must    
have been  expected1 had he1 as         
,messiah1 not died4 ,and thus regarded1 
it  presented itself to the minds of the
 ,apostles in three relations2          
,first1 to the ,gentiles1 whom it drew  
in to be subjects of the ,messiah1  by  
breaking down the barriers of his       
,hebrew personality1 and rendering  him 
spiritual as well as immortal4          
,secondly1 to the unbelieving ,jews2    

whom his retirement from this world     
delivered from the judgment due to them1
 on the principles of their own  law1   
both for their general violation of the 
conditions of their  covenant1 and for  
their positive rejection of him4 ,his   
absence re-opened  their opportunities2 
and to tender them this act of          
long-suffering1 he  took on himself the 
death which had been incurred by them4  
,thirdly1 to the believing ,jews2 the   
terms of whose discipleship the         
,messiah's death had changed1 destroying
 all the benefits of their  lineage1 and
 substituting an act of the mind1 the   
simpler claim of  faith4 ,it was        
therefore a commutation for the ,ritual 
,law1 and gave them  impunity and       
atonement for all its violations4       
,with the last two of these relations1  
beyond their remarkable historical      
interest1 we have no personal concern4  
,the first remains1 and ever will       
remain1 worthy of the glorious joy1 with
 which ,paul regarded and  expounded it4

 ,god has committed the rule of this    
world to no exclusive  ,prince1 and no  
sacerdotal power1 and no earthly        
majesty2 but to one  whose spirit1 too  
divine to be limited to place and time1 
broke through  clouds of sorrow into the
 clearest heaven2 and thither has since 
been  drawing our human love1 though for
 ages now he has been unseen and        
immortal4 ,an impartial ,god1 a holy and
 spiritual ,law1 an infinite hope  for  
all men1--are given to us by that       
generous cross4    ,it is evident that  
all three of the relations which ,i have
 described1  belonged to the death of   
,jesus1 in his capacity of ,messiah2 and
 could  have had no existence1 if he had
 not borne this character1 but had been 
simply a private martyr to his          
convictions4 ,the foregoing exposition  
gives a direct answer to the inquiry1   
pressed without the slightest           
pertinence upon the ,unitarian1 why the 
phraseology of the cross is never  found
 applied to ,paul or ,peter1 or any     

other noble confessor1 who died  in     
attestation of the truth2 why 8no record
 is given that we are  justified by the 
blood of ,stephen2 or that he bare our  
sins in his own  body1 and made         
reconciliation for us40#cib ,i know not 
why such a  question should be submitted
 to us2 we have assuredly no concern    
with  it2 having never dreamt that the  
,apostles could have written as they did
  respecting the death on ,calvary1 if  
they had thought of it only as a  scene 
of martyrdom4 ,we have passed under     
review the whole language of  the ,new  
,testament on this subject2 and in the  
interpretation of it have  not even once
 had recourse to this1 which is said to 
be our only view  of the cross4 ,we have
 seen the apostles justly announcing    
their ,lord's  death1 as a proper       
propitiation2 because it placed whole   
classes of  men1 without any meritorious
 change in their character1 in saving   
relations3 declaring it a strict        
substitute for others' punishment2 on   

the ground that there were those who    
must have perished1 if he had not2  and 
that he died and retired1 that they     
might remain and live3  describing it as
 a sacrifice which put away sin2 because
 it did that  for ever1 which the       
,levitical atonements achieved for a    
day3 but we have  not found them ever   
appealing to it either as a satisfaction
 to the  justice of ,god1 or an example 
of martyrdom to men4 ,the ,trinitarians 
have  one idea of this event themselves2
 and their fancy provides their         
opponents with one idea of it2 of the   
former not a trace exists1 on any  page 
of ,scripture2 and of the latter1 the   
,unitarian need not avail  himself at   
all1 in explaining the language1 whereof
 it is said to be his  solitary key4    
,nowhere1 then1 in ,scripture do we meet
 with anything corresponding with  the  
prevailing notions of vicarious         
redemption2 everywhere1 and most        
emphatically in the personal            
instructions of our ,lord1 do we find a 

doctrine of forgiveness1 and an idea of 
salvation1 utterly inconsistent  with   
it4 ,he spake often of the unqualified  
clemency of ,god to his  returning      
children2 never once of the satisfaction
 demanded by his  justice4 ,he spake of 
the joy in heaven over one sinner that  
repenteth2  but was silent on the       
sacrificial faith1 without which        
penitence is said  to be unavailing4    
,nor did he1 like his modern disciples1 
teach that  there are two separate      
salvations1 which must follow each other
 in a  fixed order2 first1 redemption   
from the penalty1 secondly from the     
spirit1 of sin2 pardon for the past1    
before sanctification in the  present2 a
 removal of the 8hindrance in ,god10    
previous to its  annihilation in        
ourselves4 ,if indeed there were in     
,christianity two  deliverances1        
discriminating and successive1 it would 
be more in  accordance with its spirit  
to invert this order2--to recal from    
alienation first1 and announce          

forgiveness afterwards2 to restore from 
guilt1 before cancelling the penalty2   
and permit the healing to  anticipate   
the pardoning love4 ,at least1 there    
would seem1 in such  arrangement1 to be 
a greater jealousy for the holiness of  
the divine  law1 a severer reservation  
of ,god's complacency for those who have
  broken from the service of sin1 than  
in the system1 which proclaims  impunity
 to the rebel will1 ere yet its         
estrangement is renounced4 ,if  the     
outward remission precedes the inward   
sanctification1 then does ,god  admit to
 favour the yet unsanctified2 guilt     
keeps us in no exile from  him3 and     
though the holy ,spirit is to follow    
afterwards1 it becomes the  peculiar    
office of the cross to lift us as we    
are1 with every stain upon  the soul and
 every vile habit unretraced1 from the  
brink of perdition to  the assurance of 
glory3 the divine lot is given to us1   
before the divine  love is awakened in  
us2 and the heirs of heaven have yet to 

become the  children of holiness4 ,with 
what consistency can the advocates of   
such an  economy accuse its opponents of
 dealing lightly with sin1 of deluding  
men into a false trust1 and             
administering seductive flatteries to   
human  nature8#cic ,what6 shall we1 who 
plant in every soul of sin a ,hell1     
whence no foreign force1 no external    
,god1 can pluck us1 any more than  they 
can tear us from our identity2--we1 who 
hide the fires of torment in  no        
viewless gulf1 but make them ubiquitous 
as guilt2--we1 who suffer no  outward   
agent from ,eden1 or the ,abyss1 or     
,calvary1 to encroach upon the  solitude
 of man's responsibility1 and confuse   
the simplicity of  conscience2--we1 who 
teach that ,god will not1 and even      
cannot1 spare the  froward1 till they be
 froward no more1 but must permit the   
burning lash  to fall1 till they cry    
aloud for mercy1 and throw themselves   
freely into  his embrace2--shall we be  
rebuked for a lax administration of     

peace1 by  those who think that a moment
 may turn the alien into the elect8 ,it 
is  no flattery of our nature1 to       
reverence deeply its moral capacities3  
we  only discern in them the more solemn
 trust2 and see in their abuse the      
fouler shame4 ,and it is not of what men
 are1 but of what they might  be1 that  
we encourage noble and cheerful         
thoughts4 ,doubtless1 we think          
exaggeration possible 7which our        
opponents apparently do not7 even in    
the portraiture of their actual         
character3 and perhaps we are not the   
less likely to awaken true convictions  
of sin1 that we strive to speak  of it  
with the voice of discriminative        
justice1 instead of the  monotonous     
thunders of vengeance2 and to draw its  
image in the natural  tints provided by 
the conscience1 rather than in the      
prternatural  flame-colour mingled in   
the crucibles of ,hell4    ,in making   
penal redemption and moral redemption   
separate and  successive1 the vicarious 

scheme1 we submit1 is inconsistent with 
the  ,christian idea of salvation4 ,not 
that we take the second1 and reject the 
first1 as our ,trinitarian friends      
imagine2 nor that we invert their       
order4 ,we accept them both2 putting    
them however1 not in succession1 but  in
 super-position1 so that they coalesce4 
,the power and the punishment  of sin   
perish together2 and together begin the 
holiness and the bliss of  heaven4      
,whatever extracts the poison1 cools the
 sting3 nor can the  divine vigour of   
spiritual health enter1 without its     
freedom and its  joy4 ,that there can be
 any separate dealings with our past    
guilt and  with our present character1  
is not a truth of ,god1 but a fiction of
 the  schools4 ,the sanctification of   
the one is the redemption of the other4 
,the mind given up to passion1 or       
chained to self1 or any how alienated   
from the love and life divine1 dwells1  
whatever be its faith1 in the  dark and 
terrible abyss3 while he1 and he only1  

that in the freedom and  tranquillity of
 great affections1 communes with ,god   
and toils for men1  understands the     
meaning1 and wins the promises1 of      
heaven4 ,am ,i asked1  #8,what then is  
to persuade the sinful heart1 thus to   
draw near to  ,god2--what1 but a        
proclamation of absolute pardon1 can    
break down the  secret distrust1 which  
keeps our nature back1 wrapped in the   
reserve of  conscious guilt8' ,i reply2 
however much these fears and hesitations
  might cling round us1 and restrain us 
from the mystic ,deity of ,nature1  they
 can have no place in our intercourse   
with the ,father whom ,jesus            
represents4 ,it needs only that ,christ 
be truly his image1 to know 8that  the  
hindrance is not with him1 but entirely 
in ourselves30#cid to see  that there is
 no anger in his look2 to feel that he  
invites us to  unreserved confession1   
and accepts our self-abandonment to him2
 that he  lifts the repentant1 prostrate
 at his feet1 and speaks the words of   

severe1 but truest hope4 ,am ,i told1   
#8that only the gratitude excited by    
personal rescue from tremendous danger1 
by an unconditional and entire          
deliverance1 is capable of winning our  
reluctant nature1 of opening the  soul  
to the access of the ,divine ,spirit1   
and bringing it to the service  of the  
,everlasting ,will8' ,i rejoice to      
acknowledge1 that some such             
disinterested power must be awakened1   
some mighty forces of the heart be      
called out1 ere the regeneration can    
take place that renders us children  of 
the ,highest2 ere we can break1 with    
true new-birth1 from the shell of  self1
 and try and train our wings in the     
atmosphere of ,god4 ,the  permanent work
 of duty must be wrought by the         
affections2 not by the  constraint1     
however solemn1 of hope and fear2 no    
self-perfectionating  process1          
elaborated by an anxious will1 has      
warmth enough to ripen the  soul's      
diviner fruits2 the walks of outward    

morality1 and the slopes of  deliberate 
meditation1 it may keep smooth and trim2
 but cannot make the  true life-blossoms
 set1 as in a garden of the ,lord1 and  
the foliage wave  as with the voice of  
,god among the trees4 ,i gladly admit   
that to a  believer in the vicarious    
sacrifice1 the sense of pardon1 the love
 of  the great deliverer1 may well      
fulfil this blessed office1 of carrying 
him out of himself in genuine allegiance
 to a being most benign and  holy4 ,and 
perceiving that1 if this doctrine were  
removed1 there is not1  in the system of
 which it forms a part1 and which else  
would be all  terror1 anything that     
could perform the same generous part1 ,i
 can  understand why it seems to its    
advocates1 an essential power in the    
renovation of the character4 ,but great 
as it may be1 within the limits  of its 
own narrow scheme1 ideas possessed of   
higher moral efficacy are  not wanting1 
when we pass into a region of nobler and
 more ,christian  thought4 ,shall we say

 that the view of the infinite ,ruler1  
given in the  spoken wisdom or the      
living spirit of ,christ1 has no        
sanctifying power8  ,yet where is there 
any trace in it of the satisfactionist's
 redemption8  ,when we sit at ,messiah's
 feet1 that transforming gratitude for  
an  extinguished penalty on which the   
prevailing theology insists1 as its     
central emotion1 becomes replaced by a  
similar and profounder sentiment        
towards the eternal ,father4 ,if to     
rescue men from a dreadful fate in the  
future be a just title to our reverence1
 never to have designed that  fate      
claims an affection yet more devoted2 if
 there be a divine mercy in             
annihilating an awful curse1 in shedding
 only blessing there is surely a        
diviner still4 ,shall the love restored 
to us after long delay1 and in          
consideration of an equivalent1 work    
mightily on the heart2 and shall  that  
which asked no purchase1 which has been 
veiled by no cloud1 which  has enfolded 

us always in its tranquillity1 nor can  
ever quit the soul  opened to receive   
it1 fail to penetrate the conscience1   
and dissolve the  frosts of our         
self-love by some holier flame8 ,never  
shall it be found  true1 that ,god must 
threaten us with vengeance1 ere we can  
feel the  shelter of his grace6    ,in  
truth1 the ,christian idea of salvation 
cannot be better illustrated1  than by  
the doubt which has been entertained    
respecting the proper  translation of my
 text4 ,some1 referring it to spiritual 
redemption1  adhere to the common       
version2 others1 seeing that the apostle
 ,peter is  explaining 8by what power1  
or by what name0 he had cured the lame  
man at  the temple gate1 refer the words
 to this miracle of deliverance1 and    
render them thus2 8neither is there     
healing in any other2 for there is  none
 other name under heaven given among    
men1 whereby we can be  healed40 ,it    
matters little which it is2 for whether 
we speak of body  or of mind1 ,jesus    

8saves0 us by 8making us whole20 by     
putting forth  upon us a divine and     
healing power1 through which past       
suffering and  present decrepitude      
disappear together2 which supplies the  
defective  elements of our nature2 cools
 the burning of inward fever2 or calls  
into  being new senses and perceptions1 
opening a diviner universe to our       
experience4 ,the deformed and crooked   
will1 bowed by ,satan1 lo6 these  many  
years1 and nowise able to lift up       
itself1 he loosens and makes  straight  
in uprightness4 ,the moral paralytic1   
collapsed and prostrate  amid the stir  
of life1 and incapably gazing on the    
moving waters in  which others find     
their health1 has often started up at   
the summons of  that voice1 though      
perchance 8he wist not who it was20 and 
going his  way1 has found it to be 8the 
sabbath10 and owned the 8work0 of one   
who  is in the spirit of 8the ,father40 
,from the eye long dark and blind to    
duty and to ,god1 he has caused the film

 to pass away1 and shown the  solemn    
look of life beneath a heaven so        
tranquil and sublime4 ,even the  dead of
 soul1 close wrapped in bandages of     
selfishness1--that greediest  of        
graves1--have been quickened by his     
piercing call1 and have come  forth2 to 
learn1 8when risen10 that only in the   
meekness that can obey  is there the    
power to command1 only in the love that 
serves is there the  life of heart-felt 
liberty4 ,to call1 then1 on the name and
 trust in the  spirit of ,christ1 is to 
invoke the restoring power of ,god2 to  
give  symmetry and speed to our lame    
affections1 and the vigour of an athlete
  to our limping wills4 ,there is not   
any ,christian salvation that is not    
thus identical with ,christian          
perfection3 8nor any other name under   
heaven given among men1 whereby we may  
be 7thus7 made whole40 ,let all  that   
would 8be perfect be thus minded20#cie  
seek 8the measure of the  stature of the
 fulness of ,christ20#cif and they shall

 find in him a  8power to become the    
,sons of ,god40#cig                     
,,notes4                                
---------------------                   
,a4              ,relation between      
,natural ,religion and ,revelation4     
,it is not easy to determine1 with any  
precision1 what is ,mr4 ,m#8,neile's    
estimate of the capabilities and defects
 of natural religion4 ,it is  subjected 
to a vague and indistinct disparagement 
throughout his  lecture2 the impression 
is left1 that the character of ,god     
cannot be  vindicated by appeal to his  
works2 but ,i do not perceive that the  
lecturer commits himself to any logical 
proposition on the subject4 ,one  of his
 coadjutors1#cih however1 has supplied  
this deficiency2 and  taking1 as an     
antagonist1 a sentence from the second  
,lecture of the  present series1 has    
argued at length1 that 8,the moral      
,character and  ,unity of ,god are not  
discoverable from the works of          
,creation40 ,he  affirms that 8to talk  

of #8discerning the moral attributes of 
,god on the  material structures of the 
universe1' is not only idle1 but        
unreasonable30 and the justification    
which he offers of this bold  statement 
seems to comprise the two following     
arguments3--    ,that the universe is   
analogous to a cathedral or other human 
edifice2  which discloses something of  
the ,architect's genius and power1 but  
nothing of his moral qualities3 and     
,that the mixture of good and evil in   
the world perplexes the mind with       
opposite reports of the ,creator's      
character4    ,if scepticism were a just
 object of moral rebuke1 in what terms  
might we  not speak of this 8infidel0   
rejection of ,god's ancient and         
everlasting  oracles of nature8 ,for the
 serious doubts and perplexities of the 
devout  student of creation1 an         
unqualified respect may be entertained4 
,but it  is to be regretted that the    
necessities of a system should tempt the
  expounder of revelation to assail1    

with reckless indifference1 the         
primitive sentiments of all religion4   
,the aversion of orthodoxy to the       
theology of the unsophisticated reason  
and heart is1 however1 to be  classed   
among the natural antipathies4 ,among   
all the extravagances of  modern        
,english divinity1 unknown to the sound 
and healthy era of our  national church1
 it is perhaps the most significant2    
indicating that  final obscuration of   
,christianity1 in which it cannot be    
made to shine  without putting out every
 other light4 ,this destructive mode of 
argumentation1 which discredits         
everything foreign to the favourite     
system1 is the evident result of fear1  
not of faith3 it is a theological       
adoption of the ,chinese policy2 and    
keeps the ,celestial ,empire safe1 by   
regarding every stranger as a possible  
spy2 and excluding all alien  ideas as  
forerunners of revolution4 ,the citadel 
of faith is defended1 by  making the    
most dreadful havoc of every power which

 ought to be its  strength and ornament4
 ,put out reason1 but save the ,trinity2
 suborn  experience1 but prove          
depravity2 disparage conscience1 but    
secure the  ,atonement2 bewilder the    
sentiments of justice and benevolence1  
only  guard the everlasting ,hell2--have
 long been the instructions of orthodoxy
  to its defenders3 and now we are asked
 to silence the anthem of nature  to the
 ,god of love1 that priests without     
disturbance may prove him the  ,god of  
vengeance2 and to withdraw our eye from 
the telescope of  science1 which reveals
 the ,,oneness of the ,creator's work1  
that we may  examine1 through a church  
microscope1 the plurality of a ,hebrew  
noun4  ,can those who taunt the         
,unitarians with the negative character 
of  their system1 give a satisfactory   
account of the positive merits of a     
religion which disbelieves reason1      
distrusts the moral sense1  dislikes    
science1 discredits nature1 and for all 
who are without the  ,bible and a fit   

interpreter1 disowns the moral character
 of ,god8    ,in commenting upon ,mr4   
,james's position on this last point1 ,i
 will  confine myself to three          
observations3--the first1 relating to   
the  consequences of his doctrine1 if   
true2 the others explaining1 by         
separate reference to his two arguments1
 why ,i conceive it to be false4        
7#a47 ,if there is no trace in nature of
 the moral attributes of ,god1  there   
can be no disclosure of them in         
,scripture4 ,the character of the       
,revealer is our only guarantee for the 
truth and excellence of the             
,revelation3 and if his character is    
antecedently unknown1 if there is       
nothing to preclude the idea of his     
being deceitful and malignant1 how  can 
we be assured that his communication is 
not a seduction and a lie8  ,it is not  
the prternatural rank1 but the just and 
holy mind1 of a  celestial ,being1 that 
entitles his messages to reception3 and 
surely it  is this alone which1 in our  

opponents' own system1 makes the whole  
difference between the suggestions of   
,satan and the inspiration of ,god4     
,but let us hear1 in this matter1 the   
judgment of one who adorned the         
,english church in times when solidity  
of thought and truth of sentiment  were 
still in esteem among her clergy4       
,archbishop ,tillotson observes2        
8,unless the knowledge of ,god and his  
essential perfections be natural1 ,i  do
 not see what sufficient and certain    
foundation there can be of  revealed    
religion4 ,for unless we naturally know 
,god to be a ,being of all  perfection1 
and consequently that whatever he says  
is true1 ,i cannot see  what divine     
revelation can signify4 ,for ,god's     
revealing or declaring  such a thing to 
us1 is no necessary argument that it is 
so1 unless  antecedently to this        
revelation1 we be possessed firmly with 
this  principle1 that whatever ,god says
 is true4 ,and whatever is known        
antecedently to revelation1 must be     

known by natural light1 and by          
reasonings and deductions from natural  
principles4 ,i might further add  to    
this argument1 that the only standard   
and measure to judge of divine          
revelations1 and to distinguish between 
what are true1 and what are             
counterfeit1 are the natural notions    
which men have of ,god1 and of his      
essential perfections40#cii ,and        
elsewhere1 still more explicitly2 8,the 
strongest and surest reasonings in      
religion are grounded upon the          
essential perfections of ,god2 so that  
even divine revelation itself doth      
suppose these for its foundation1 and   
can signify nothing to us1 unless  these
 be first known and believed4 ,unless we
 be first persuaded of the  providence  
of ,god1 and his particular care of     
mankind1 why should we  believe that he 
would make any revelation of himself to 
men8 ,unless it  be naturally known to  
us1 that ,god is true1 what foundation  
is there for  the belief of his word8   

,and what signifies the laws and        
promises of ,god1  unless natural light 
do first assure us of his sovereign     
authority and  faithfulness8 ,so that   
the principles of natural religion1 are 
the  foundation of that which is        
revealed2 and therefore in reason       
nothing  can be admitted to be a        
revelation from ,god1 which plainly     
contradicts  his essential perfection2  
and consequently if any pretends divine 
revelation for this doctrine1 that ,god 
hath from all eternity absolutely       
decreed the eternal ruin of the greatest
 part of mankind1 without any  respect  
to the sins and demerits of men1 ,i am  
as certain that this  doctrine cannot be
 of ,god1 as ,i am sure that ,god is    
good and just2  because this grates upon
 the notion that mankind have of        
goodness and  justice4 ,this is that    
which no good man would do1 and         
therefore  cannot be believed of        
infinite goodness2 and therefore if an  
,apostle  or ,angel from heaven teach   

any doctrine which plainly overthrows   
the  goodness and justice of ,god1 let  
him be accursed4 ,for every man hath    
greater assurance that ,god is good and 
just1 than he can have of any  subtle   
speculations about predestination and   
the decrees of ,god40#djj    ,it is     
somewhat curious1 that in the position  
which they have assumed  with respect to
 natural religion1 our reverend         
opponents are allying  themselves with  
,socinus3 and that1 in answering them1  
,i should find  myself citing the words 
of an ,archbishop of their own church in
 direct  reply to this great heresiarch4
 ,on the adjoining page to the first    
from  which ,i have quoted1 ,tillotson  
says1 8,god is naturally known to men3  
the  contrary whereof ,socinus          
positively maintains1 though therein he 
be  forsaken by most of his             
followers1--an opinion1 in my judgment1 
very  unworthy of one who1 not without  
reason1 was esteemed so great a master  
of reason2 and 7though ,i believe he did

 not see it7 undermining the  strongest 
and surest foundation of all religion1  
which1 when the natural  notions of ,god
 are once taken away1 will certainly    
want its best  support4 ,besides that1  
by denying any natural knowledge of ,god
 and his  essential perfections1 he     
freely gives away one of the most       
plausible  grounds of opposing the      
doctrine of the ,trinity40 ,that which  
,socinus  could afford 8freely to give  
away10 our reverend opponents1 it seems1
  find it necessary violently to take   
away4#dja    7#b47 ,the arguments by    
which ,mr4 ,james endeavours to justify 
his  repudiation of the primary         
sentiments of unrevealed religion1 might
 be  sufficiently answered by a         
reference to any work treating of       
natural  theology1 from the ,memorabilia
 of ,socrates to the last ,bridgewater  
,treatise4 ,but as a phrase occurring in
 my first lecture appears to have  been 
concerned in their production1 it is    
incumbent on me to show where  their    

fallacy lies4    ,the lecturer's        
reasoning stands thus3 ,the universe is 
a material  structure2 and so is a      
cathedral2 but a cathedral gives no     
report of the  moral character of its   
architect3 neither1 therefore1 does the 
universe3--an excellent example1 when   
reduced to form1 of the violation  of   
the first general rule of the syllogism1
 forbidding an undistributed  middle    
term4    ,did it never occur to our     
reverend opponent that 8the material    
structures of the universe0 are of      
various kinds1 not all of them          
resembling a cathedral2 nay1 that he    
himself 7not being able 8to sit in  a   
thimble10 or even 8in the smallest      
compass imaginable10 8without           
inconvenience from want of room107#djb  
is a 8material structure10 in  one part 
of his human constitution8--a           
circumstance which might have  suggested
 the distinction between organized and  
unorganized nature4  ,admitting even    
7what is by no means true7 that the     

arrangements of the  latter terminate1  
like the design of a minster1 in the    
mere production  of beauty1 and indicate
 only genius and skill1 the contrivances
 of the  former fulfil their end in the 
creation of happiness in the animal     
world1 and the maintenance of a         
retributive discipline in human life3   
results which are the appropriate fruit 
and expression of benevolence  and      
equity4 ,even the beauty of creation1   
however1 cannot be attributed  to       
sentiments as little moral in their     
character1 as those which may  actuate  
the human artist2 for ,he who has called
 into being whatever is  lovely and     
glorious1 has created also percipient   
minds to behold it1 and  transmute it   
from a material adjustment into a mental
 possession4    ,it is not even true    
that a work of art1 like a cathedral1   
expresses no  moral quality4 ,the       
individual builder's character1 indeed1 
it may not  reveal4 ,but no architect   
ever produced a cathedral2 he is but the

 tool  wielded by the spirit of his age2
 and ,phidias could no more have        
designed ,york ,minster1 than the       
associated masons could have adorned the
  ,parthenon4 ,ages must contribute to  
the origination of such works3 and  when
 they appear1 they embody1 not          
indistinctly1 some of the great         
sentiments which possess the period of  
their birth4    7#c47 ,the mixture of   
good and evil in the world is said to   
confuse our  reasonings respecting the  
,divine ,being1 by presenting us with   
opposite  reports of his character4     
,this argument is evidently inconsistent
 with the former4 ,while that  declared 
the silence of creation on the moral    
attributes of its  ,author1 this affirms
 its double 7and therefore doubtful7    
speech4  ,after all1 then1 there are    
phenomena which depose to the character 
of  the ,creator1 if we can only        
interpret their attestation aright4     
,the rules for the treatment of         
conflicting evidence are plain and      

intelligible2 nor is there any reason   
why they should not be applied to  the  
great problems of natural religion4 ,the
 preponderant testimony  being permitted
 to determine our convictions1 the evils
 and inequalities  of the world cannot  
disturb our faith in the benevolence and
 holiness of  ,god2 but must stand over1
 as a residue of unreduced phenomena1 to
 be  hereafter brought under the        
dominion of that law of love1 which the 
visible systematic arrangements of      
,providence show to be general4         
,happily1 no sceptical reasonings1 like 
those on which ,i am  animadverting1 can
 permanently prevent the natural        
sentiments of men  from asserting their 
supremacy4 ,to use the words of ,bishop 
,butler1 8,our  whole nature leads us to
 ascribe all moral perfection to ,god1  
and to  deny all imperfection of him4   
,and this will for ever be a practical  
proof of his moral character1 to such as
 will consider what a practical  proof  
is2 because it is the voice of ,god     

speaking in us40#djc    ,from the       
opposite appearances of good and evil in
 the world1 ,mr4 ,james  derives an     
argument against the ,unity of ,god1 and
 affirms that 8reason  thinks it more   
reasonable to admit the existence of two
 almighty and  independent ,beings1 the 
one eternally good1 the other eternally 
evil40#djd ,if the lecturer's 8reason0  
really recommends to him such           
extraordinary conclusions1 and insists  
on patronizing the ,manichean  heresy1  
the intellectual faculty may well be in 
bad theological repute  with him4 ,the  
constant origin of pain and enjoyment1  
good and evil1 from  the very same      
arrangements and structures1 renders the
 partition of  the creative work between
 two antagonistic principles not very   
easy of  conception2 and it yet remains 
to be explained1 how the laws which     
produce the breeze can proceed from one 
,being1 and those which speed the       
hurricane from another2 how hunger can  
have one author1 and the  refreshment of

 food another2 how the power of right   
moral choice can  be the gift of ,god1  
and that of wrong moral choice of a     
,demon4    ,the reverend lecturer       
attempts to weaken the argument from the
 unity of  the creation to that of the  
,creator4 ,his eccentric remarks on     
comets ,i  must leave to the            
consideration of astronomers4 ,the rest 
of the argument  is entitled to such    
reply as the following words of ,robert 
,hall may give  to it4 8,to prove the   
unity of this great ,being1 in          
opposition to a  plurality of ,gods1 it 
is not necessary to have recourse to    
metaphysical  abstractions4 ,it is      
sufficient to observe1 that the notion  
of more than  one author of nature is   
inconsistent with that harmony of design
 which  pervades her works2 that it     
solves no appearances1 is supported by  
no  evidence1 and serves no purpose but 
to embarrass and perplex our            
conceptions40#dje                       
,b4                 ,trinitarian and    

,unitarian ,ideas of ,justice4    ,it is
 only natural that the parable of the   
,prodigal ,son should be no  favourite  
with those1 who deny the unconditional  
mercy of ,god4 ,the place  which this   
divine tale occupies in the ,unitarian  
theology appears to be  filled1 in the  
orthodox scheme1 by the story of        
,zaleucus1 king of the  ,locrians2 which
 has been appealed to in the present    
controversy by both  the ,lecturers on  
the ,atonement1 and seems to be the only
 endurable  illustration presented1 even
 by ,pagan history1 of the execution of 
vicarious punishment4 ,this monarch had 
passed a law1 condemning  adulterers to 
the loss of both eyes4 ,his own son was 
convicted of the  crime3 and to satisfy 
at once the claims of law and of        
clemency1 the  royal parent 8commanded  
one of his own eyes to be pulled out1   
and one of  his son's40 ,is it too bold 
a heresy to confess1 that there seems to
 me  something heathenish in this       
example1 and that1 as an exponent of the

  ,divine character1 ,i more willingly  
revere the ,father of the prodigal1     
than the father of the adulterer8       
,without entering1 however1 into any    
comparison between the ,locrian and  the
 ,galilean parable1 ,i would observe1   
that the vicarious theory  receives no  
illustration from this fragment of      
ancient history4 ,there is  no analogy  
between the cases1 except in the        
violation of truth and  wisdom which    
both exhibit2 and whatever we are       
instructed to admire in  ,zaleucus1 will
 be found1 on close inspection1 to be   
absent from the  orthodox representation
 of ,god4 ,we pity the ,grecian king1   
who had made a  law without foresight of
 its application1 and so sympathize with
 his  desire to evade it1 that any      
quibble which legal ingenuity can devise
  for this purpose1 passes with slight  
condemnation3 casuistry refuses to  be  
severe with a man implicated in such a  
difficulty4 ,but the ,creator  and      
,legislator of the human race1 having   

perfect knowledge of the  future1 can   
never be surprised into a similar       
perplexity2 or ever pass a  law at one  
time1 which at another he desires to    
evade4 ,even were it so1  there would   
seem to be less that is unworthy of his 
moral perfection1 in  saying plainly1   
with the ancient ,hebrews1 that he      
8repented of the evil  he thought to    
do10 and said1 8it shall not be20 than  
in ascribing to him  a device for       
preserving consistency1 in which no one 
capable of  appreciating veracity can   
pretend to discern any sincere          
fulfilment of  the law4 ,however        
barbarous the idea of ,divine           
8repentance10 it is at  least ingenuous4
 ,nor does this incident of ,zaleucus   
and his son present  any parallel to the
 alleged relation between the ,divine   
,father who  receives1 and the ,divine  
,son who gives1 the satisfaction for    
human  guilt4 ,the ,locrian king took a 
part of the penalty himself1 and left   
the  remainder where it was due2 but the

 ,sovereign ,law-giver of ,calvinism    
puts the whole upon another4 ,to sustain
 the analogy1 ,zaleucus should  have    
permitted an innocent son to have both  
his eyes put out1 and the  convicted    
adulterer to escape4    ,the doctrine of
 ,atonement has introduced among        
,trinitarians a mode of  speaking       
respecting ,god1 which grates most      
painfully against the  reverential      
affections due to him4 ,his nature is   
dismembered into a  number of           
attributes1 foreign to each other1 and  
preferring rival  claims2 the ,divine   
tranquillity appears as the equilibrium 
of opposing  pressures1--the ,divine    
administration as a resultant from the  
collision  of hostile forces4 ,goodness 
pleads for that which holiness forbids2 
and  the ,paternal ,god would do many a 
mercy1 did the ,sovereign ,god allow4   
,the  idea of a conflict or             
embarrassment in the ,supreme ,mind     
being thus  introduced1 and the believer
 being haunted by the feeling of some   

tremendous difficulty affecting the     
,infinite government1 the vicarious     
economy is brought forward as the       
relief1 the solution of the whole       
perplexity2 the union1 by a blessed     
compromise1 of attributes that could    
never combine in any scheme before4 ,the
 main business of theology is  made to  
consist1 in stating the conditions1 and 
expounding the solution1  of this       
imaginary problem4 ,the cardinal        
difficulty is thought to be1 the        
reconciliation of ,justice and ,mercy2  
and1 as the one is represented  under   
the image of a ,sovereign1 the other    
under that of a ,father1 the  question  
assumes this form3 how can the same     
being at every moment  possess both     
these characters1 without abandoning any
 function or  feeling appropriate to    
either8 how1 especially1 can the ,judge 
remit1--it  is beyond his power2 yet1   
how can the ,parent punish to the       
uttermost8--it  is contrary to his      
nature4    ,all this difficulty is      

merely fictitious2 arising out of the   
determination to make out that ,god is  
both wholly ,judge1 and wholly  ,father2
 from an anxiety1 that is1 to adhere to 
two metaphors1 as  applicable1 in every 
particular1 to the ,divine ,being4 ,it  
is evident that  both must be1 to a     
great extent1 inappropriate2 and in     
nothing surely is  the impropriety more 
manifest1 than in the assertion that1 as
 ,sovereign1  ,god is naturally bound to
 execute laws which1 nevertheless1 it   
would be  desirable to remit1 or change 
in their operation4 ,whatever painful   
necessities the imperfection of human   
legislation and judicial procedure  may 
impose1 the ,omniscient ,ruler can make 
no law which he will not to  all        
eternity1 and with entire consent of his
 whole nature1 deem it well  to execute4
 ,this is the ,unitarian answer to the  
constant question1 8,how  can ,god      
forgive in defiance of his own law80 ,it
 is not in defiance of  his laws3 every 
one of which will be fulfilled to the   

uttermost1 in  conformity with his first
 intent2 but nowhere has he declared    
that he  will not forgive4 ,all justice 
consists in treating moral agents       
according to their character2 the       
inexorability of human law arises       
solely from the imperfection with which 
it can attain this end1 and is  not the 
essence1 but the alloy1 of equity3 but  
,god1 who searches and  controls the    
heart1 exercises that perfect justice1  
which permits the  penal suffering to   
depart only with the moral guilt2 and   
pardons1 not by  cancelling any         
sentence1 but by obeying his eternal    
purpose to meet the  wanderer returning 
homeward1 and give his blessing to the  
restored4 ,only  by such restoration can
 any past guilt be effaced4 ,the        
thoughts1  emotions1 and sufferings of  
sin1 once committed1 are woven into the 
fabric of the soul2 and are as incapable
 of being absolutely obliterated  thence
 and put back into non-existence1 as    
moments of being struck from  the past1 

or the parts of space from infinitude4  
,herein we behold alike  8the goodness  
and the severity of ,god20 and adore in 
him not the balance  of contrary        
tendencies1 but the harmony of          
consentaneous perfections4  ,how plainly
 does experience show that1 if his      
personal unity be given  up1 his moral  
unity cannot be preserved6    ,the      
representation of ,god as a ,creditor1  
to whom his responsible  creatures are  
in debt to the amount of their moral    
obligations1 is no  less unfit to serve 
as the foundation of serious reasonings1
 than the  idea of him as a ,sovereign4 
,as a loose analogy1 likely to produce a
  vivid impression on minds filled with 
ideas borrowed from the  institution of 
property1 it unavoidably and innocently 
occurs to us2 but  to force any         
doctrinal sentiments from it1 is to     
strain it beyond its  capabilities4 ,mr4
 ,buddicom describes it as a favourite  
with the  ,unitarians3 8our opponents   
assert1 that sins are to be regarded as 

debts and as debts only40#djf ,i will   
venture to affirm that no  ,unitarian   
who heard this believed his own ears1   
till he saw it in print2  so incredibly 
great must be the ignorance of          
,unitarian theology which  could dictate
 the statement4 ,the sentiment          
attributed to us is one1  against which 
our whole body of moral doctrine is one 
systematic  protest1 and which has place
 in our arguments against the vicarious 
scheme1 only because it is the          
fundamental idea1 on which that scheme  
is usually declared to rest4 ,in one of 
the most recent and deservedly  popular 
,unitarian publications on this subject1
 ,i find a long note  devoted to the    
destruction of this pecuniary analogy1  
which1 the ,author  observes1 8seems    
very incomplete and unsatisfactory4     
,punishment is  compared to a debt1     
supposed to be incurred by the          
commission of the  offence4 ,to a       
certain degree there is a resemblance   
between the two  things1 which may be   

the foundation of a metaphor2 but when  
we proceed  to argue upon this metaphor1
 we fall into a variety of errors40#djg 
,that orthodoxy does incessantly 8argue 
upon this metaphor10 is  notorious2 and 
the present controversy is not deficient
 in specimens4  8,all that the creature 
can accomplish is a debt due to the     
,creator10#djh says ,mr4 ,james1 who    
reasons out the mercantile view of      
redemption with an unshrinking          
precision1 unequalled since the days of 
,shylock2 who insists on 8eye for eye1  
tooth for tooth1 life for life10  and   
condemns any alteration 7of course1 our 
,lord's7 of this rule1 as  8false       
charity1 or mistaken compassion20#dji   
who inquires whether1 in  the payment of
 redemption1 an angel might not go for a
 number of men1  and decides in the     
negative1 because 8the highest created  
angel in  existence0 7having as much as 
he can do for himself7 8could not       
produce  the smallest amount of         
supererogatory obedience or merit to    

transfer to  a fellow angel1 or to      
man20#daj and who1 in reply to the      
question1  8,what price will ,god accept
 for the lives that are justly sentenced
 to  eternal death80 says1 8the answer  
to this is very simple3 he will accept  
nothing but what will be a real         
equivalent--a full compensation--an     
adequate price40#daa ,in what bible of  
,moloch or of ,mammon all this is       
found1 ,i know not2 sure ,i am1 it was  
never learned at the feet of  ,christ4  
,unitarians object to the cruelty and   
injustice attributed to the ,eternal    
,father1 in laying upon the innocent    
,jesus the punishment of guilty men4    
,mr4 ,buddicom's reply1 though not new1 
is remarkable4 8,do we1 however1  assert
 anything as to the fact of our ,lord's 
sufferings1 which they  who deny his    
atonement do not also assert8 ,if1 then1
 it be a truth  historical1 that he did 
suffer through life1 agonize in the     
garden1 and  die on the cross1 does it  
not appear much greater cruelty in ,god1

 to  impose those sufferings1 which     
,jesus is admitted to have undergone1   
without any benefit to the transgressor1
 or any vindication of his own          
glory80#dab    ,i had always thought1   
and still think1 that our ,trinitarian  
friends do  assert a great deal 8as to  
the fact0 7i4e41 the amount and         
intrinsic character1 apart from the     
effects7 8of our ,lord's  sufferings1   
which we cannot admit4 ,a human being1  
says the ,unitarian1  died on the cross1
 with such suffering as a perfect human 
being may  endure40 ,will ,mr4 ,buddicom
 be content with this description of    
8the  fact80 and does he merely wish to 
subjoin1 that on the death of 8this     
man10 ,god took occasion to forgive all 
men who are to be saved at  all8 ,if so1
 ,i admit that the imputation of cruelty
 is groundless2 and  have only to       
observe1 that there is no perceptible   
relation of cause and  effect between   
the occasion and the boon2 and that the 
cross becomes  simply the date1 the     

chronological sign1 of a ,divine        
volition1  arbitrarily attached to that 
point of human history4 ,but then1 how  
can  ,mr4 ,buddicom defend 7as he does7 
the phrase 8blood of ,god08#dac         
,theology can perform strange feats1 and
 to its sleight of words nothing  is    
impossible4 ,the doctrine of the        
communication of properties between  the
 two natures of our ,lord1 comes in to  
relieve the difficulty2 and  having     
established that whatever is true of    
either nature may be  affirmed of       
,christ1 and by inference1 even of the  
other1 it proves  the propriety of      
saying1 both that the ,divine nature    
cannot suffer1 and  yet that ,god       
bled4#dad ,heterodoxy1 however1 in its  
perverseness1 still  thinks with ,le    
,clerc of this  1 that it is 8as        
intelligible1 as if we were to say1     
there is a circle so united with a      
triangle1 that the circle has the       
properties of the triangle1 and the     
triangle those of the circle40#dae      

,c4                         ,the reading
 in ,acts xx4 #bh4    ,no competent     
critic1 ,i apprehend1 can read without  
surprise ,mr4  ,buddicom's note 7,h47 on
 the reading of this verse4 ,the slight 
manner in  which ,griesbach is set      
aside1 to make way for the authority of 
critical  editions of the ,n4 ,t4 since 
his time2 the vague commendation of the 
edition of ,dr4 ,scholtz1 8which1 it may
 well be hoped1 leaves us little  more  
to expect or desire10--as if there were 
nothing peculiar or  controverted in the
 critical principles of that work2 the  
citation of a  passage from this ,roman 
,catholic editor1 in which the critic   
becomes the  theologian1 and makes use  
of his own reading of  to prove 8that   
,christ is ,god20 together with the     
statement that the reading is of no     
doctrinal importance2 combine to render 
this a remarkable piece of  criticism4  
,if the learned ,lecturer had defended  
his dissent from  ,griesbach1 or        
attempted to invalidate the reasoning of

 that ,editor's  elaborate note on the  
passage1 some materials for             
consideration and  argument would have  
been afforded4 ,but no reason is        
assigned for the  preference of  over 1 
except that ,dr4 ,scholtz adopts it1 and
  says nothing about it2 though         
,griesbach rejects it1 and says a great 
deal about it2 and very conclusively    
too1 in the opinion of most  scholars1  
not excepting ,mr4 ,byrth4 ,surely the  
paradoxical preference  which ,scholtz  
gives to the ,byzantine recension is not
 a reason for  hoping that he has left  
us nothing more to expect1 in the       
determination  of the text of the ,n4   
,t42 still less is it a reason why his  
readings1  simply because they are his1 
should supersede ,griesbach's2--from    
whom1 ,i  submit1 no sober critic should
 venture to depart1 without at least    
intimating the grounds of his judgment4 
,i have not seen the critical  edition  
of the learned ,roman ,catholic2 but    
unless its ,prolegomena  contain some   

much better reasons than are adduced in 
his  8,biblisch-kritische ,reise10 for  
his attachment to the                   
,constantinopolitan  family of          
manuscripts1 it may be safely affirmed1 
that ,griesbach will no  more be        
superseded by ,scholtz1 than he was     
anticipated by ,matthi4    ,the text in 
question is not one1 on the reading of  
which ,griesbach  expresses his opinion 
with any hesitation4 8,ex his omnibus   
luculenter  apparet1 pro lectione  ne   
unicum quidem militare codicem1 qui sive
  vetustate1 sive intern bonitate su    
testis idonei et incorrupti laude       
ornari queat4 ,non reperitur1 nisi in   
libris recentioribus1 iisdemque vel     
penitus contemnendis1 vel misere1 multis
 saltem in locis1                       
interpolatis40--8,quomodo igitur1 salvis
 critic artis legibus1 lectio  1 utpote 
omni auctoritate justa destituta1       
defendi queat1 equidem  haud intelligo40
 ,in the face of this decision1 ,mr4    
,buddicom reads 3  and does any one then

 believe1 that in ,unitarians alone     
theological bias  influences the choice 
of a reading8    ,the attempt to elicit 
from the word  the same argument for the
  ,deity of ,christ1 which might be     
derived from the reading 1 ,i confess   
myself unable to comprehend4 ,does ,mr4 
,buddicom intend to assert1 that  when  
any person is called  7,lord7 in the ,n4
 ,t41 it means that he  is ,jehovah8    
,or1 when this is denoted1 is there some
 peculiarity of  grammatical usage1     
indicating the fact8 ,if so1 it is of   
moment that this  should be pointed out1
 and illustrated by examples3 the idiom 
not being  adequately described by      
saying that 8the word0 is 8put in the   
form of  an unqualified and unequalled  
preference40                            
,d4                 ,archbishop ,magee's
 controversial ,character4    ,in the   
year #ahae a discussion arose out of the
 general controversy on  the doctrine of
 the ,trinity1 respecting the proper use
 of the word  ,,unitarian4 ,those who   

were anxious to be designated by this   
name were  divided in opinion as to the 
latitude with which it should be        
employed4  ,one class proposed to limit 
it to believers in the simple humanity  
of  our ,lord1 and to exclude from it   
all who held his pre-existence1 from    
the lowest ,arian to the highest        
,athanasian4 ,another class protested   
against this restriction2 suggested     
that1 both by its construction and  its 
usage1 the word primarily referred1 not 
to the nature of ,christ1  but to the   
personality of the ,godhead2 that as    
,trinitarians denoted1  by the prefix   
7,tri7 to their name1 the three persons 
of their ,deity1  so by the prefix 7,un7
 should ,unitarians express the one     
person of  theirs2 that in no other way 
could the numerical antithesis1 promised
  to the ear1 be afforded to the mind2  
and accordingly that under the  title   
,unitarian should be included all       
,christians who directed their  worship 
to one personal ,god1 whatever they     

might think of the nature of  ,christ4  
,it is evident that1 in this latter     
sense1 the name must  comprehend a much 
larger class than in the former4 ,the   
discussion  between the two parties was 
conducted in the pages of the ,monthly  
,repository1 at that time the organ of  
the ,english ,unitarian theology4       
,meanwhile the defenders of orthodoxy   
were not indifferent to the subject  of 
debate2 nor at all more agreed about it 
than their theological  opponents4 ,the 
majority regarded the word ,unitarian as
 a creditable  name1 which was by no    
means to be abandoned to a set of       
heretics1  hitherto held up to          
opprobrium by the title of ,socinian4   
,they  accordingly proposed to consider 
it as expressing the belief in ,one     
,god 7without reference to the number of
 persons71 in contradistinction  to the 
belief in many ,gods2 so that its       
opposite should be1 not as the  analogy 
of language seemed to require1          
,trinitarian1 but ,polytheist4  ,thus   

defined1 the appellation belonged to    
,trinitarians as well as to  others2 and
 the assumption of it1 by those who     
dissented from the  doctrine of the     
,trinity1 was construed into a charge of
 ,tritheism  against the orthodox4      
,another party1 however1 comprising     
especially  ,archbishop ,magee in the   
church1 and the ,high ,arians out of it1
 treated  the name as one1 not of       
honour1 but of disgrace2--were anxious  
to fix  it exclusively on ,mr4          
,belsham's school of humanitarians1 and 
to rescue  the believers in the         
pre-existence of ,christ1 of every      
shade1 from its  pollution2--and        
affected to regard every extension of it
 to these1 as a  disingenuous trick1    
designed to swell the appearance of     
numbers1 and to  act as 8a decoy0 for   
drawing 8to ,mr4 ,belsham0 all who were 
8against  ,athanasius40#daf ,and so the 
poor ,unitarians could please nobody1   
and  were in imminent danger of being   
altogether anonymous4 ,if they did not  

extend their name so as take in every   
church1 ,athanasian and all1 they  were 
guilty of false imputation on           
,trinitarians1 and of monopolizing an   
honour which was no property of theirs4 
,if they did not narrow it to  8,mr4    
,belsham's class10 they were accused of 
8equivocation10 and of  cunningly       
dragging the harmless ,arians into      
participation of their  disgrace4 ,if   
they denied that the whole ,church of   
,england was  ,unitarian1 they committed
 an act of impudent exclusion2 if they  
affirmed that ,mr4 ,locke and ,sir      
,isaac ,newton were ,unitarian1 they    
were  chargeable with a no less impudent
 assumption1 and rebuked for            
8posthumous proselytism40    ,of the    
three possible meanings of the word1 the
 ,humanitarian1 the  ,uni-personal1 and 
the ,monotheistic1--,mr4 ,aspland ably  
and successfully  vindicated the second2
 in opposition to ,mr4 ,norris1 a       
,trinitarian  controversialist1 who     
insisted on the third1 and declared he  

would call  his opponents ,socinians2   
and amid the reproaches of ,archbishop  
,magee1  who clung to the first1 and    
denounced the wider application as a    
8dishonest0 8management of the term40   
,with these things in mind1 let the     
reader attend to the following passage  
from that prelate's celebrated  work3   
8,how great are the advantages of a     
well-chosen name6 ,mr4 ,aspland1 in  his
 warm recommendation of the continuance 
of the use of the word  ,unitarian1 in  
that ambiguous sense in which it had    
already done so  much good to the cause1
 very justly observes1 from ,dr4 ,south1
 that #8the  generality of mankind is   
wholly and absolutely governed by words 
and names2' and that #8he who will set  
up for a skilful manager of the  rabble1
 so long as they have but ears to hear1 
needs never enquire  whether they have  
any understanding whereby to judge3 but 
with two or  three popular empty words1 
well tuned and humoured1 may whistle    
them  backwards and forwards1 upwards   

and downwards1 till he is weary2 and get
  upon their backs when he is so4'      
,month4 ,rep4 vol4 x4 p4 #dha4--;,and   
what  does ,mr4 ,aspland deduce from all
 this8 ,why1 neither more nor less than 
this1--that the name ,unitarian must    
never be given up2 but all possible     
changes rung upon it1 let the opinions  
of those who bear that name be  ever so 
various and contradictory40#dag    ,now 
what does the reader think of ,mr4      
,aspland8 ,he despises him1 as the      
deliberate proposer of an imposture2 as 
one who sets up for 8a skilful  manager 
of the rabble10 and who argues for the  
name 8,unitarian10  because it may      
enable his party to 8get upon the backs0
 of the  multitude4 ,the ,archbishop1 ,i
 presume1 means to leave this           
impression4  ,let us look then to the   
facts4    ,the quotation is from ,mr4   
,aspland's 8,plea for ,unitarian        
,dissenters40 ,the  author is           
expostulating with ,mr4 ,norris1 who had
 vowed still to fasten  the term        

,socinian on dissentients from the      
doctrine of the ,trinity2  and is urging
 the impropriety of irritating a        
religious body by giving  them a        
disowned and confessedly unsuitable     
designation4 ,mr4 ,aspland  introduces  
his reference to ,dr4 ,south by the     
following passage3    8,it is not       
without design that you cling to a known
 error4 ,the name of  ,socinian is      
refused by us2 this is one reason why an
 ungenerous  adversary may choose to    
give it3 and again1 the term having been
 used  7with some degree of propriety7  
at the first appearance of this class of
  ,unitarians1 which was at a period    
when penal laws were not a dead  letter1
 and when theological controversies were
 personal quarrels1 it is  associated in
 books with a set of useful phrases such
 as pestilent  heretics1 wretched       
blasphemers1 and the like1 which suit   
the  convenience of writers who have an 
abundance of enmity but a lack of       
argument1 and who1 whilst they are      

reduced to the necessity of  borrowing1 
are not secured by their good taste or  
sense of decorum from  taking1 in loan1 
the excrescences of defunct authors2    
this is a second  reason why the name   
#8,socinian' is made to linger in books1
 long after  ,socinians have departed   
from the stage40    ,then follows the   
note from which ,archbishop ,magee has  
quoted3 but from  which he has omitted  
the parts inclosed in brackets4         
8,once more1 ,i must beg leave to refer 
you to ,dr4 ,south1 for an  appropriate 
observation or two1 on the fatal        
imposture and force of  words4          
8#8,the generality of mankind is wholly 
and absolutely governed by words  and   
names2 without1 nay1 for the most part1 
even against the  knowledge men have of 
things4 ,the multitude or common route1 
like a  drove of sheep1 or an herd of   
oxen1 may be managed by any noise1 or   
cry1  which their drivers shall accustom
 them to4    8#8,and he who will set up 
for a skilful manager of the rabble1 so 

long  as they have but ears to hear1    
needs never enquire whether they have   
any understanding whereby to judge3 but 
with two or three popular1 empty        
words1' #8well-tuned and humoured1 may  
whistle them backwards and  forwards1   
upwards and downwards1 till he is weary2
 and get upon their  backs when he is   
so4'0#dah    ,and now1 may ,i not ask1  
what does the reader think of           
,archbishop ,magee8  ,mr4 ,aspland      
indignantly ,,condemns the 8imposture0  
practised by false  names2 and1 by a    
garbled quotation he is held up as      
,,resorting to it4 ,he  really says to  
his opponents1 8,call us ,socinians no  
more1 for you  must know it is unjust20 
he is represented as saying to his      
friends1  8,we will never cease to call 
ourselves ,unitarians1 for it is a      
capital  trick40 ,and thus1 by scoring  
out and interlining1 his own            
expostulation  against a base policy is 
metamorphosed into an indictment1       
charging him  with the very same4 ,mr4  

,byrth and ,mr4 ,m#8,neile are men1 as  
,i believe1 of  honourable minds3 and   
the latter has rebuked1 as they deserve1
 8garbled  quotations40 ,i ask them to  
acquit me of 8outraging the memory of   
departed greatness40    8,my respected  
opponents know as well as ,i do10 8that 
dishonest  criticism1 as well as        
dishonesty of every kind1 consists not  
in the  number of the acts which are    
perpetrated1 but in the unprincipled    
disposition which led to the            
perpetration40#dai ,i might therefore be
  content with the example of           
8misrepresentation the most black0 which
 ,i  have given4 ,but from the list     
which lies before me1 ,i think it right 
to  take one or two instances more1     
admitting of brief exposure4    ,in the 
,authorized ,version1 #a ,cor4 xv4 #dg1 
stands thus2 8,the first man  is of the 
earth1 earthy3 the second man is the    
,lord from heaven20  the substantive    
verb in both parts of the verse having  
nothing1 as the  ,italics indicate1 to  

correspond with it in the original2 but 
being  inserted at the discretion of the
 translators to complete the sense4     
,from the second clause ,trinitarians   
usually derive an argument for the      
pre-existence of ,christ1 conceiving    
that it teaches the origin of our  ,lord
 from heaven4 ,some of their best       
commentators1 however1 understand  the  
clause as referring not to ,christ's    
past entrance into this world1  but to  
his future coming to judgment4 ,thus    
,archbishop ,newcome renders1  8,the    
second man will be the ,lord from       
heaven40 ,and ,dr4 ,whitby  paraphrases1
 0,the second man is the ,lord          
descending from heaven to  raise our    
bodies1 and advance them to that place20
 and he defends this  interpretation in 
a note4#dbj ,mr4 ,belsham adopts this   
rendering1 both  in the 8,improved      
,version0 and in his 8,calm ,enquiry10  
giving1 with the  sanction of the       
authorities ,i have cited1 a past verb  
to the first  clause1 a future verb to  

the second4 ,the admirable ,newcome and 
,whitby1  then1 must share the          
,archbishop's rebuke1 for 8the total    
inadmissibility  of this arbitrary      
rendering of the ,unitarians1 and the   
grossness of  their endeavour to pervert
 the sense of ,scripture40 8,here10 he  
observes1 8we have a change of tense1   
which not only has no foundation  in    
either the ,greek or ,latin text1 but is
 in direct opposition to  both2 since in
 both the perfect sameness of the       
corresponding clauses  obviously        
determines the sameness of the          
tense40#dba ,of the  8unscholarlike     
exaggeration0 of this criticism ,i say  
nothing1 merely  wishing it to be       
observed in passing1 that ,mr4          
,belsham's version is not  of ,unitarian
 origin1 and proves no doctrinal bias1  
much less any  8dishonesty40    ,but a  
question arises respecting the text1 as 
well as the translation1  of this verse2
 the phrase 8the ,lord10 in the second  
clause1 being marked  by ,griesbach as  

probably to be omitted2 and the word    
8heavenly0 to be  appended at the close4
 ,the original of the common translation
 stands  thus3   1      1     4 ,with   
the probable emendations the latter     
clause would read  thus3       3 and    
,archbishop  ,newcome's translation1    
conformed to this text1 becomes that of 
,mr4  ,belsham2 8,the first man was from
 the ground1 earthy3 the second man     
will be from heaven1 heavenly40         
,there are then two points to be        
determined respecting this passage--the 
reading1 and the rendering1 which1 in   
this case1 is equivalent to  the        
interpretation also4 ,mr4 ,belsham1 in  
his ,calm ,inquiry1 treats of  both2 and
 is accused by the ,archbishop1 in the  
following passage1 of  discussing the   
8unimportant matter0 of the text with   
great pomp2 while  adducing1 in favour  
of his translation and the future tense1
 no  authority except the ,vulgate3     
8primus homo de terra1 terrenus3        
secundus homo de clo1 clestis40 ,the    

indictment and argument run             
thus3--8,the grand point to be          
established for the ,unitarians is1 as  
we  have seen1 the use of the future in 
the second clause of the  text3--#8the  
second man ,,will ,,be from             
heaven3'--for1 if we read #8,,was from  
heaven1' actum est6 it is all over with 
the ,unitarians2 inasmuch as1  in this  
passage1 the origin of the ,,being1     
without any possible pretence  as to the
 doctrines1 is unequivocally the        
subject4 ,how does ,mr4  ,belsham       
proceed8 ,having made a good deal of    
flourish1 as the ,improved  ,version had
 also done before him1 about the words  
and 2  having also lumped together some 
irrelevant matter about the ,polish     
,socinians and ,dr4 ,price2 and having  
observed somewhat upon the              
interpretation of ,newcome1 ,whitby1 and
 ,alexander2 having1 in  short1 appeared
 to say a good deal1 whilst he took care
 to preserve a  profound silence        
throughout 7as the ,improved ,version   

also has done17  respecting any         
arguments in favour of the future tense 
in the second  clause--the single point 
on which the entire question rests1--he 
all of a  sudden1 very calmly and       
composedly asserts1 #8,the ,vulgate     
renders the  text1 8,the first man was  
of the earth1 earthy4 ,the second man   
will be  from heaven1 heavenly40' 7,calm
 ,inq4 p4 #aba4dbb7 ,he then            
triumphantly  concludes1 and all is     
settled4 ,in this manner1 one text after
 another1  of those that proclaim our   
,lord's pre-existence1 is extinguished  
by the  ,calm ,inquirer and his         
coadjutors4 ,and so the cause of        
,socinian  expurgation goes forward4    
8,perhaps1 in the annals of dishonest   
controversy1 another instance like  this
 is not to be found4 ,a discussion of   
unimportant matter is busily  kept up3  
the main point of difference1 and in    
truth the only one  deserving of        
attention1 the change of tense1 is      
passed over1 as if it  were a thing not 

at all in dispute3 the ,vulgate is then 
quoted1 in  direct opposition to the    
truth1 as reading the words #8,,was' and
 #8,,will  ,,be' in the two             
corresponding clauses3 and thus1        
indirectly1 the false  rendering of the 
text by the ,unitarians is sustained by 
a false  quotation from the ,vulgate2   
and by a quotation which the author1 if 
his  memory had lasted from one page to 
the other1 must have known to be  false2
 since1 in the preceding page1 he had   
himself cited the very words  of the    
,vulgate3--#8,primus homo de terra1     
terrenus2 secundus homo de clo1         
clestis3'--in which1 words there is not 
only no justification of the  change    
from ,,was to ,,will ,,be2 but there is1
 on the contrary1 as in the  original   
,greek1 a declaration1 as strong as the 
analogies of language  will admit1 that 
the tense employed in the first clause  
must pass  unchanged into the second4   
,in a word1 there is given by the       
,vulgate  itself a direct contradiction 

to the report which is made of it by the
  ,calm ,inquirer4 ,the man of #8sound  
understanding1' however1 whom he        
addressed in ,english on the one page1  
being possibly not exactly  acquainted  
with what was contained in the ,latin on
 the other1 and  being consequently     
unaware that his author was imposing on 
him a false  translation1 would of      
course be fully satisfied on the        
authority of the  ,vulgate 7more        
especially as so much had been said to  
leave the general  impression of        
uncertainty as to the true reading of   
the ,greek text1  and the consequent    
opinion1 that the ,vulgate was the only 
ancient  authority to be relied on17    
that in this passage could be found no  
proof  of our ,lord's pre-existence6    
,what are we to think of the cause that 
needs such support2 and what of the     
interests that can attract such         
supporters80#dbc    ,we are to          
understand1 then1 that ,mr4 ,belsham's  
only authority for the  tenses of his   

version is a wilful mistranslation of   
the ,vulgate2 and  that he cunningly    
conceals from the mere ,english reader  
the circumstance  that the ,vulgate1    
having no verb1 has no tenses4 ,now1 as 
to the last  point1 he distinctly       
informs his reader that there is no verb
 in the  ,latin2 and as to the former1  
he never appeals to the ,,rendering of  
the  ,vulgate at all but to the         
,,reading only4 8,how can this be80 ,i  
shall be  asked2 8for the ,archbishop   
cites his words1 #8,the ,vulgate        
,,renders the  text1' c40 ,true1 but the
 ,archbishop quotes him falsely2 and the
 real  words are1 8,the ,vulgate ,,reads
 the text10 c4 ,let the original and the
  citation appear side by side4     ,mr4
 ,belsham's words4                      
,archbishop ,magee's quotation4         
8,the ,vulgate ,,reads the text1 #8,the 
8,the ,vulgate ,,renders the text1      
#8,the   first man was of the earth1    
first man was of the earth1 earthy4     
earthly4 ,the second man will be   ,the 

second man will be from heaven1   from  
heaven1 heavenly4'                      
heavenly1'0#dbd     8,this is not       
improbably the ,,true   ,,reading40     
,the verbs1 in both clauses1 ,mr4       
,belsham has printed in italics1 to     
indicate 7in conformity with the usual  
practice in his work1 and the  ,improved
 ,version1 as well as in our common     
translation7 the absence of  any        
corresponding words in the ,latin text4 
,this circumstance1 which  destroys the 
whole accusation1 his accuser has       
suppressed4    ,and as to the           
8preserving a profound silence          
throughout respecting any  arguments in 
favour of the future tense in the second
 clause10 it so  happens that the       
8somewhat0 which is observed 8upon the  
interpretation  of ,newcome1 ,whitby1   
and ,alexander10 is simply an appeal to 
these  authorities on this very matter  
of the future tense1--8the single point 
on which the entire question rests40    
,on the whole1 can our upright and      

learned opponents tell1 whether 8in  the
 annals of dishonest controversy1       
another instance like0 the  foregoing   
8is to be found80 ,i can assure them1   
that from the same work1  ,i could      
produce many more4    ,in our present   
controversy1 our ,rev4 opponents have   
been misled by their  reliance on this  
unscrupulous adversary of the           
,unitarians3 and by not  referring to   
his pages1 have taken his heavy         
responsibilities on  themselves4 ,in the
 first ,lecture of the series1 ,mr4     
,ould has represented  ,dr4 ,priestley  
as saying1 that the sacred writers      
produced 8lame  accounts1 improper      
quotations1 and inconclusive            
reasonings40#dbe ,dr4  ,magee has       
exhibited this sentence as a citation   
from ,priestley's #abth  ,letter to ,mr4
 ,burn2#dbf the fact being1 that he     
wrote only six letters  to ,mr4 ,burn2  
and that neither in these1 nor anywhere 
else1 is such a  sentence to be found4  
,the first phrase1 indeed 78lame        

account07 was  once applied by ,dr4     
,priestley to the early chapters in     
,genesis2 but  deliberately retracted   
with an expression of regret that it had
 been  used4 ,let the learned prelate   
pass sentence on himself3 he says1 8,it 
is  surely a gross falsification of his 
author1 to give1 as one continued       
quotation from him 7as the established  
meaning of the form here  employed1     
unequivocally implies71 that which is an
 arbitrary selection  of words drawn    
violently together from a lengthened    
context40#dbg ,i can  assure our        
respected opponents1 that their         
,lectures contain other  citations1     
drawn from the same source1 which1 after
 the most careful  search1 ,i believe to
 be no less false4 ,and is not an       
ungenerous use made  of obnoxious       
writings1 when we find enumerated and   
quoted among  ,unitarian authors1       
,evanson1 whose scepticism received its 
most  effectual replies from ,priestley 
and his friends2 and ,gagneius1 who  was

 an orthodox professor of the ,sorbonne1
 and preacher to ,francis the  ,first8  
,for other instances of ,archbishop     
,magee's flagrant injustice and         
misrepresentation1 ,i must refer to the 
8,examination of his charges  against   
,unitarians and ,unitarianism10 by my   
learned and venerated friend  ,dr4      
,carpenter1 who has found it only too   
easy to fill a volume with the  exposure
 of a mere portion of them4 ,i have     
purposely taken fresh  examples1 not    
hitherto noticed1 so far as ,i know1 and
 it may be supposed  that the earlier   
gleaning by ,dr4 ,carpenter would       
naturally yield the  most remarkable    
results2 so that the cases now adduced  
cannot be thought  to be peculiarly     
unfavourable specimens4    ,if our      
reverend opponents1 having read this    
,prelate's work1 really  think my charge
 against him1 of 8abuse the most        
coarse10 an  8unwarrantable attack on   
the reputation of the dead10 ,i cannot  
hope to  justify myself in their        

estimation3 there must be an            
irremediable  variance between their    
notion of 8coarse abuse0 and mine4 ,i   
regret that  we cannot agree in a matter
 of taste which1 to say the least1      
borders so  closely on morals as to be  
scarcely distinguishable from them1 and 
to be  connected with the same strong   
feelings of approbation or disgust4     
,with  what levity must a writer sport  
with moral terms1 what indistinct       
impressions must he have of moral       
qualities1 who having pronounced an     
opponent 7,i quote the language of the  
,archbishop of ,mr4 ,belsham7           
8incapable of duplicity10#dbh can yet   
proceed to charge him with  8artifice   
and dishonesty10#dbi with 8huddling up a
 matter10#dcj with  8filching away a    
portion of evidence10#dca with 8direct  
violations  of known truth10#dcb and    
with 8bad faith1 unchecked by learning  
and  unabashed by shame60#dcc ,i cannot 
wonder at the spirit pervading ,mr4     
,byrth's letter to my friend and        

colleague ,mr4 ,thom1 when ,i find that 
he  sees nothing coarse or abusive1 but 
only the expression of 8departed        
greatness10 in accusing an opponent of  
8miserable stupidity10#dcd of           
8downright and irremediable             
nonsense10#dce of 8proposing0 a         
suggestion  87as he ,,avers7 with great 
diffidence10#dcf of furnishing          
8twenty-eight pages of the most         
extraordinary quagmire20#dcg in begging 
him to 8rest assured1 that to know the  
,greek language it must be              
learned20#dch in proclaiming that he    
8stands in a pillory0#dci erected  for  
him by a ,bishop2 that he belongs to    
8the family of ,botherims in  ,morals   
and ,metaphysics10 and is 8connected    
with that of ,malaprops in              
,mathematics20#ddj in ridiculing the    
idea of publishing his  portrait2#dda in
 asking him whether he has 8lost his    
senses20#ddb and  hinting that1 whereas 
he knows not 8how to choose between two 
bundles0  of evidence1 he is ,,an       

,,ass4#ddc ,are we to consider it a     
condescension in  this distinguished    
,prelate1 that he bends from his        
,episcopal dignity to  console the      
,dissenting ministers in their          
8contemplation of the  advantages of the
 national clergy10 and assures them that
 they have 8not  only more of positive  
profit10 but1 8in addition to this10    
8the  indulgence of vanity1 and the     
gratification of spleen1--qualities     
which1  time out of mind1 have belonged 
to the family of ,dissent20 nay1        
further1 that in preparation for their  
ministry1 they have a much  lighter     
8outfit0 8in point of expenditure10     
since among ,nonconformists1  in some   
cases at least1 8the individual is his  
own ,university2 confers  his own       
degrees and orders2 and has little more 
difficulty in the way of  his vocation1 
than to find a new hat1 a stout pony1   
and a pair of  saddle-bags40#ddd ,this  
is very smart1 no doubt2 but does the   
,church  exclude us from the            

,universities1 that her ,bishops may    
enjoy the  entertainment of making us   
their laughing-stock1 and inditing      
lampoons  against us8 ,does she injure  
us first1 that we may be insulted       
afterwards8    ,mr4 ,m#8,neile speaks of
 the late ,archbishop's work as 8a      
barrier in the  way of                  
,unitarianism40#dde ,it is so2 and if   
its influence were only that  of fair   
argument1 we should wish the barrier to 
stand in all its  strength4 ,but the    
book has become a standard authority for
 every kind of  false and malignant     
impression respecting ,unitarians1 and  
prevents1  instead of advancing1 the    
knowledge of what we are4 ,to be held up
 as  entertaining 8the cool and         
deliberate purpose of falsifying the    
word  of ,god20#ddf as guilty of        
8machinations0 to 8subvert through fraud
  what had been found impregnable by    
force20#ddg as 8staking0 our 8very      
salvation on the adoption of a reading  
which is against evidence20#ddh  as     

distinguished for 8steady and immovable 
effrontery10#ddi and  8shameful         
disingenuousness20#dej as discerning in 
our ,lord 8that one  ,,hated form on    
which we are terrified to look20#dea as 
so 8determined  to resist and subvert   
one great truth10 that we 8set but      
little value  on every other10 and make 
a 8prevailing practice0 of 8,,direct    
,,and  ,,deliberate ,,falsehood30#deb to
 be thus slandered by one1 for whom his 
station and accomplishments have        
procured1 from the party spirit of the  
age1 a credit denied to any possible    
learning or excellence of ours2  this1  
being a grievous wrong to the character 
of ,christianity as much as  to our own1
 we confess to be a trial hard to bear3 
and we may well feel  like the good man 
under successful calumny1 which wounds  
himself a  little1 but truth and virtue 
more4 ,meanwhile1 injury may have its   
compensations2 and since1 to prove his  
accusations1 even this  distinguished   
,prelate had occasion to tamper with the

 evidence1 we have  a fresh presumption 
that our cause is one1 against which    
learning and  acuteness1 under the      
restraints of justice1 find themselves  
of no avail4                            
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,,vi4           
,footnote #bid3      ,lecture1 p4 #dej4 
,note4    ,footnote #bie3      ,see     
,note ,a    ,footnote #bif3      ,see   
,rev4 ,h4 ,m#8,neile's ,lecture2 ,the   
,proper ,deity of our ,lord the only    
,ground of ,consistency in the ,work of 
,redemption1 pp4 #cci1 #cdj4            
,footnote #big3      ,gen4 ii4 #ag4     
,footnote #bih3      8,either he0 78the 
,deity of the ,unitarians07 8must show  
no mercy1 in    order to continue true2 
or he must show no truth1 in order to   
exercise    mercy4 ,if he overlook man's
 guilt1 admit him to the enjoyment of   
his    favour1 and proceed by corrective
 discipline to restore his    character1
 he unsettles the foundations of all    
equitable government1    obliterates the

 everlasting distinctions between right 
and wrong1    spreads consternation in  
,heaven1 and proclaims impunity in      
,hell4 ,such    a ,god would not be     
worth serving4 ,such tenderness1 instead
 of    inspiring filial affection1 would
 lead only to reckless                  
contempt40--,mr4 ,m#8,neile's ,lecture1 
p4 #cac4      ,surely this is a         
description1 not of the ,unitarian1 but 
of the    ,lecturer's own creed4 ,it    
certainly is no part of his opponents'  
belief1 that ,god first admits the      
guilty to his favour1 and then          
8proceeds0 8to restore his character40  
,this arrangement1 by which    pardon   
precedes moral restoration1 is that     
feature in the orthodox    theory of the
 ,divine dealings against which         
,unitarians protest1 and    which ,mr4  
,m#8,neile himself insists upon as      
essential throughout his    ,lecture4   
8,we think10 he says1 8that before man  
can be introduced to    the only true   
process of improvement1 he must first   

have forgiveness    of his guilt40 ,what
 is this 8first0 step of pardon1 but an 
8overlooking of man's guilt20 and what  
is the second1 of    8sanctification10  
but a 8restoring of character20 whether 
we say by    8corrective discipline10 or
 the 8influence of the ,holy ,spirit10  
matters not4 ,is it said that the guilt 
is not overlooked1 if ,christ    endured
 its penalty8 ,i ask again1 whether     
justice regards only the    infliction  
of suffering1 or its quantity1 without  
caring about its    direction8 ,was it  
impossible for the stern righteousness  
of ,god    freely to forgive the        
penitent8 ,and how was the injustice of 
liberating the guilty mended by the     
torments of the innocent8 ,here is      
the verdict against sin1--8,the soul    
that sinneth1 it shall die40 ,and    how
 is this verdict executed8 ,the soul    
that had sinned does not die2    and one
 8that knew no sin0 dies instead4 ,and  
this is called a divine    union of     
truth and mercy2 being the most precise 

negation of both1    of which any       
conception can be formed4 ,first1 to    
hang the destinies of    all mankind    
upon a solitary volition of their first 
parents1 and then    let loose a        
diabolic power on that volition to break
 it down2 to    vitiate the human       
constitution in punishment for the fall1
 and yet    continue to demand obedience
 to the original and perfect moral law2 
to    assert the absolute inflexibility 
of that holy law1 yet all the while     
have in view for the offenders a method 
of escape1 which violates    every one  
of its provisions1 and makes it all a   
solemn pretence2 to    forgive that     
which is in itself unpardonable1 on     
condition of the    suicide of a ,god1  
is to shock and confound all notions of 
rectitude1    without affording even the
 sublimity of a savage grandeur4 ,this  
will    be called 8blasphemy20 and it is
 so2 but the blasphemy is not in the    
words1 but in the thing4                
,unitarians are falsely accused of      

representing ,god as 8overlooking       
man's guilt40 ,they hold1 that no guilt 
is overlooked till it is    eradicated  
from the soul2 and that pardon proceeds1
 pari passu1    with sanctification4    
,footnote #bii3      ,see ,note ,b4     
,footnote #cjj3      ,numb4 xiv4 #ai1   
#bj4    ,footnote #cja3      ,jon4 iii4 
#e-aj4    ,footnote #cjb3      ,jon4 iv4
 #aj1 #aa4    ,footnote #cjc3      ,ps4 
li4 #af1 #ag4    ,footnote #cjd3        
,is4 i4 #af-ah4    ,footnote #cje3      
,ezek4 xxxiii4 #ad-af4    ,footnote     
#cjf3      ,matt4 xix4 #af-ba4          
,footnote #cjg3      ,acts x4 #cd-dd4   
,footnote #cjh3      ,acts ii4 #bd4     
,footnote #cji3      iii4 #ae4          
,footnote #caj3      iv4 #aj2 v4 #cj4   
,footnote #caa3      iv4 #b4            
,footnote #cab3      xxiv4 #ba4         
,footnote #cac3      ,acts xiii4 #cj4   
,footnote #cad3      xvii4 #ah1 #ca4    
,footnote #cae3      ,rom4 viii4 #cd4   
,footnote #caf3      iv4 #be4           
,footnote #cag3      iv4 #bd4           

,footnote #cah3      x4 #i4    ,footnote
 #cai3      iii4 #be4    ,footnote #cbj3
      ,mr4 ,buddicom has the following  
note1 intimating his approbation of     
this rendering3 8,some of the best      
commentators have connected       1 not 
with   1 but with  and1    accordingly1 
,bishop ,bull renders the passage1      
#8,quem proposuit ,deus    placamentum  
in sanguine suo per fidem4'0--,lecture  
on ,atonement1 p4    #dif4    ,footnote 
#cba3      ,luke vii4 #dg4    ,footnote 
#cbb3      ,john xii4 #bc1 #bd1 #cb4    
,footnote #cbc3      ,john x4 #af1 #ag4 
,footnote #cbd3      ,matt4 xv4 #bd4    
,footnote #cbe3      #b ,cor4 v4 #ae-ah4
    ,footnote #cbf3      ,see ,rom4 vii4
 #a-d4    ,footnote #cbg3      ,gal4 ii4
 #ae4    ,footnote #cbh3      ,rom4 v4  
#f4    ,footnote #cbi3      ,col4 ii4   
#ac2 iii4 #c4    ,footnote #ccj3        
,gal4 iv4 #d-g4    ,footnote #cca3      
,eph4 i4 #g4    ,footnote #ccb3         
,rom4 ix4 #d4    ,footnote #ccc3        
,eph4 i4 #c-e4    ,footnote #ccd3       

,rom4 v4 #aj4    ,footnote #cce3        
,eph4 i4 #aj4    ,footnote #ccf3        
,rom4 v4 #aa4    ,footnote #ccg3        
,col4 i4 #ai4    ,footnote #cch3        
,eph4 ii4 #aa-ah4    ,footnote #cci3    
#a ,tim4 ii4 #a-h4    ,footnote #cdj3   
,matt4 xx4 #bh2 ,mark x4 #de4           
,footnote #cda3      ,matt4 xxvi4 #bh4  
,footnote #cdb3      ,rev4 v4 #i1 #aj4  
,footnote #cdc3      ,john i4 #bi4 ,for 
an example of the use of the word       
8world0 to denote    the ,gentiles1 see 
,rom4 xi4 #ab-ae2 where ,st4 ,paul1     
speaking of the    rejection of the     
,messiah by the ,jews1 declares that it 
is only    temporary2 and as it has     
given occasion for the adoption of the  
,gentiles1 so will this lead1 by        
ultimate reaction1 to the re-admission  
of ,israel2 a consummation in which the 
,gentiles should rejoice without        
boasting or highmindedness4 8,if10 he   
says1 8the fall of them 7the            
,israelites7 be the riches of the world 
7the ,gentiles71 and the    diminishing 

of them1 the riches of the ,gentiles2   
how much more their    fulness6 ,for ,i 
speak to you1 ,gentiles1 inasmuch as ,i 
am the apostle of    the ,gentiles1 ,i  
magnify my office2 if1 by any means1 ,i 
may provoke to    emulation them which  
are my flesh 7the ,jews17 and save some 
of them2    for if the casting away of  
them be the reconciling of the world1   
what shall the receiving of them be but 
life from the dead80    ,footnote #cdd3 
,acts xx4 #bh4 ,it is hardly necessary  
to say1 that the reading of our         
common version 8church of ,god0 wants   
the support of the best    authorities2 
and that with the general consent of the
 most competent    critics1 ,griesbach  
reads 8church of the ,lord40 ,see ,note 
,c4    ,footnote #cde3      #a ,pet4 i4 
#ah1 #ai4    ,footnote #cdf3      #a    
,pet4 ii4 #bc-be4    ,footnote #cdg3    
#a ,pet4 iii4 #ag2 iv4 #c4    ,footnote 
#cdh3      #b ,cor4 v4 #ba4    ,footnote
 #cdi3      #a ,cor4 v4 #g4    ,footnote
 #cej3      ,rom4 iii4 #bb-bf4          

,footnote #cea3      #a ,john iv4 #b4   
,footnote #ceb3      #a ,john i4 #g4    
,footnote #cec3      #a ,john i4 #h4    
,footnote #ced3      #a ,john ii4 #a1   
#b4    ,footnote #cee3      #a ,john iv4
 #i1 #aj4    ,footnote #cef3      #a    
,john v4 #ba4    ,footnote #ceg3      #a
 ,john iii4 #af4    ,footnote #ceh3     
,rom4 ii4 #be4    ,footnote #cei3       
#b ,thess4 i4 #g-aj4    ,footnote #cfj3 
,gal4 iii4 #ac3 even here the apostle   
cannot refrain from adverting to    his 
,gentile interpretation of the cross2   
for he adds1--8that the    blessing of  
,abraham might come on the ,gentiles1   
through ,jesus ,christ40    ,footnote   
#cfa3      ,rom4 ix4 #bb1 #bc4          
,footnote #cfb3      #b ,pet4 ii4 #e4   
,footnote #cfc3      #b ,pet4 iii4 #i4  
,footnote #cfd3      #a ,pet4 iii4      
#bj-bb4    ,footnote #cfe3      #a ,cor4
 vii4 #bi4    ,footnote #cff3      ,eph4
 v4 #af2 ,col4 iv4 #e4    ,footnote     
#cfg3      #a ,john ii4 #ah4            
,footnote #cfh3      ,phil4 iv4 #e2     

,james v4 #h2 #a ,pet4 iv4 #g4          
,footnote #cfi3      ,heb4 ii4 #ag4     
,footnote #cgj3      ,num4 xix4 #aa-bj2 
,lev4 xx4 #be1 #bf2 ,num4 vi4 #i-ab4    
,footnote #cga3      ,lev4 v4 #ad-ai4   
,footnote #cgb3      ,lev4 xii4 #a-h4   
,footnote #cgc3      ,lev4 xiv4         
,footnote #cgd3      ,lev4 xvi42 xxiii4 
#bf-cb2 ,ex4 xxx4 #aj2 ,num4 xxix4      
#g-aa4    ,footnote #cge3      ,in three
 or four instances1 it is true1 a       
sin-offering is demanded    from the    
perpetrator of some act of moral wrong4 
,but in all these    cases a suitable   
punishment was ordained also2 a         
circumstance    inconsistent with the   
idea1 that the expiation procurred      
remission of    guilt4 ,the sacrifice   
appended to the penal infliction1       
indicates    the two-fold character of  
the act2--at once a ceremonial          
defilement    and a crime2 and          
requiring1 to remedy the one1 an atoning
 rite1--to    chastise the other1 a     
judicial penalty4 ,see an excellent     

tract by ,rev4    ,edward ,higginson1 of
 ,hull1 entitled1 8,the ,sacrifice of   
,christ    scripturally and rationally  
interpreted30 particularly pp4 #cj-cd4  
,footnote #cgf3      ,heb4 viii4 #b4 #e4
    ,footnote #cgg3      ix4 #a1 #bc1   
#bd4    ,footnote #cgh3      vii4 #af2  
viii4 #a4    ,footnote #cgi3      viii4 
#c4    ,footnote #chj3      ,heb4 ix4   
#ae4    ,footnote #cha3      viii4 #e4  
,footnote #chb3      x4 #c4    ,footnote
 #chc3      ix4 #g1 #be4    ,footnote   
#chd3      ,heb4 x4 #d4    ,footnote    
#che3      vii4 #be4    ,footnote #chf3 
ix4 #be-bg1 #ab2 x4 #ab1 #ad4           
,footnote #chg3      ix4 #h4            
,footnote #chh3      vii4 #ag1 #bd-bh4  
,footnote #chi3      vii4 #bg4 ,let the 
reader look carefully again into the    
verbal and    logical structure of this 
verse2 and then ask himself1 whether it 
is    not as plain as words can make it1
 that ,christ 8once for all0 offered    
up 8a sacrifice first for ,,his ,,own   
,,sins1 and then for the    peoples40   

,the argument surely is this2 8he need  
not do the daily    thing1 for he has   
done it once for all2 the never-finished
 work of    other pontiffs1 a single act
 of his achieved40 ,the sentiment loses 
its    meaning1 unless that which he did
 once is the self-same thing which      
they did always2 and what was that8--the
 offering by the ,high-priest of    a   
sacrifice first for his own sins1 and   
then for the people's4 ,with    what    
propriety1 then1 can ,mr4 ,buddicom ask 
us this question3 8,why is    he said to
 have excelled the ,jewish ,high-priest 
in not offering a    sacrifice for      
himself80 ,i submit1 that no such thing 
is said3 but    that1 on the contrary1  
it is positively affirmed that ,christ  
did    offer sacrifice for his own sins4
 ,so plain indeed is this1 that         
,trinitarian commentators are forced to 
slip in a restraining word and    an    
additional sentiment1 into the last     
clause of the verse4 ,thus    ,peirce2  
8,who has no need1 like the priests     

under the law1 from time to    time to  
offer up sacrifice first for his own    
sins1 and after that for    the         
people's4 ,for this latter he did once  
for all when he offered up    himself2  
and as to the former1 he had no occasion
 to do it at all40    ,and no doubt the 
writer of the epistle ought to have said
 just this1    if he intended to draw   
the kind of contrast1 which orthodox    
theology    requires1 between ,jesus and
 the ,hebrew priests4 ,he limits the    
opposition between them to one          
particular2--the ,son of ,aaron made    
offering daily1--the ,son of ,god once  
for all4 ,divines must add    another   
particular2 that the ,jewish priest     
atoned for two classes    of sins1 his  
own and the people's1--,christ for the  
people's only4    ,suppose for a moment 
that this was the author's design2 that 
the word    8this10 instead of having   
its proper grammatical antecedent1 may  
be    restrained1 as in the commentary  
cited above1 to the sacrifice for    the

 people's sins2 then the word 8daily0   
may be left out1 without    disturbance 
to the other substantive particular of  
the contrast3 the    verse will then    
stand thus2 8who needeth not1 as those  
,high-priests1    to offer up sacrifice 
for his own sins2 for he offered up     
sacrifice    for the people's sins1 when
 he offered up himself40 ,here1 all the 
reasoning is obviously gone1 and the    
sentence becomes a mere inanity3    to  
make sense1 we want1 instead of the     
latter clause1 the sentiment of         
,peirce1--for 8he had no occasion to do 
this at all40 ,this1 however1    is an  
invention of the expositor1 more jealous
 for his author's    orthodoxy1 than for
 his composition4 ,i think it necessary 
to add that1    by leaving out the most 
emphatic word in this verse 7the word   
once7    ,mr4 ,buddicom has suppressed  
the author's antithesis1 and favoured   
the    suggestion of his own4 ,i have no
 doubt that this was unconsciously      
done2 but it shows how system rubs off  

the angles of ,scriptural               
difficulties4--,i subjoin a part of the 
note of ,john ,crell on the    passage3 
8de pontifice ,christo loquitur4 ,quid  
vero fecit semel    ,christus8 quid     
aliud1 quam quod ,pontifex antiquus     
stata die    quotannisa faciebat8       
,principaliter autem hic non de         
oblatione pro    peccatis populi2 sed de
 oblatione pro ipsius ,pontificis       
peccatis agi1    ex superioribus1       
ipsoque rationum contextu manifestum    
est40      ,the sins which his sacrifice
 cancelled must have been of the same   
order in the people1 and in himself2    
certainly therefore not moral in        
their character1 but ceremonial4 ,his   
death was1 for himself no less    than  
for his ,hebrew disciples1 commutation  
for the ,mosaic ordinances4    ,had he  
not died1 he must have continued under  
their power2 8were he on    earth1 he   
would not be a priest10 or have         
8obtained that more    excellent        
ministry10 by which he clears away1 in  

the courts above1 all    possibilities  
of ritual sin below1 and himself emerges
 from legal to    spiritual relations4  
,footnote a3      ,this is obviously the
 meaning of '  in this passage2 from    
time to time1 and in the case alluded   
to1 yearly2 not1 as in the    common    
version1 daily4    ,footnote #cij3      
,heb4 ix4 #ac1 #ad4    ,footnote #cia3  
x4 #af1 #ai1 #bj1 #bd4    ,footnote     
#cib3      ,mr4 ,buddicom's ,lecture on 
the ,atonement1 p4 #dga4    ,footnote   
#cic3      ,see ,mr4 ,m#8,neile's       
,lecture1 pp4 #cjb1 #caa1 #cbh1 #cdj1   
#cda4    ,footnote #cid3      ,mr4      
,m#8,neile's ,lecture1 p4 #cch4         
,footnote #cie3      ,phil4 iii4 #ae4   
,footnote #cif3      ,eph4 iv4 #ac4     
,footnote #cig3      ,john i4 #ab4      
,footnote #cih3      ,rev4 ,d4 ,james1  
in his ,lecture entitled 8,the doctrine 
of the ,trinity1    proved as a         
consequence from the ,deity of our ,lord
 ,jesus ,christ10 pp4    #cff-cge4      
,footnote #cii3      ,tillotson's       

,works1 ,london1 #agag1 vol4 i4 p4 #dje4
    ,footnote #djj3      ,tillotson's   
,works1 ,london1 #agag1 vol4 i4 p4 #egi4
    ,footnote #dja3      ,socinus thus  
states the opinion which he attempts to 
confute3    8,receptior hodie sententia 
est1 homini naturaliter ejusque animo   
insitam esse divinitatis alicujus       
opinionem1 cujus vi cuncta regantur     
ac gubernentur1 quque humanarum rerum   
imprimis curam gerat1 hominibus         
consulat atque prospiciat4 ,hc          
sententia1 quam nos falsam esse         
arbitramur10 c4--,prlectiones ,theol4   
,fausti ,socini ,senensis1 c4 ii4       
,footnote #djb3      ,mr4 ,james's      
illustration of the nature of a spirit4 
,footnote #djc3      ,introduction to   
the ,analogy4    ,footnote #djd3        
,lecture1 p4 #cga4    ,footnote #dje3   
,modern ,infidelity considered1 p4 #ah4 
,footnote #djf3      ,lecture1 p4 #dea4 
,footnote #djg3      ,remarks on the    
commonly-received ,doctrine of          
,atonement and ,sacrifice1    by ,rev4  

,w4 ,turner1 jun41 ,a4,m4 ,note ,a4     
second edition4    ,footnote #djh3      
,lecture1 p4 #dad4    ,footnote #dji3   
,ibid4 p4 #daj4    ,footnote #daj3      
,ibid4 pp4 #dab1 #dac4    ,footnote     
#daa3      ,ibid4 p4 #daa4    ,footnote 
#dab3      ,lecture1 p4 #dib4           
,footnote #dac3      ,ibid4 p4 #ejg4    
,footnote #dad3      ,ibid4 pp4 #eaa1   
#eab4    ,footnote #dae3      ,ars      
,critica1 ,p4 ,i4 sect4 i4 cap4 ix4     
#aa4    ,footnote #daf3      ,magee on  
the ,atonement1 vol4 iii4 p4 #cce4      
,note4 #eth ,edition4 ,this note    is a
 broad caricature of the discussion in  
the ,monthly ,repository3 and    shows  
that the ,author might have been the    
,cruikshanks of theology1 had    his    
humour always been good-humour4         
,footnote #dag3      ,magee on the      
,atonement1 vol4 iii4 pp4 #cdc1 #cdd4   
,note4    ,footnote #dah3      ,monthly 
,repository of ,theology and ,general   
,literature1 vol4 x4 p4 #dha4    #ahae4 
,i quote from this work1 rather than    

from ,mr4 ,aspland's 8,plea for         
,unitarian ,dissenters10 in obedience to
 the ,archbishop's own reference4       
,footnote #dai3      ,preface to ,mr4   
,byrth's ,lecture1 part i4 p4 vii4      
,footnote #dbj3      ,newcome and       
,whitby in loc4    ,footnote #dba3      
,magee on the ,atonement1 vol4 iii4 p4  
#bbb4    ,footnote #dbb3      ,in the   
#bnd ,edition it is p4 #gh4 ,all my     
citations are made from this    edition 
of ,mr4 ,b's work1 published in #ahaf2  
and from the #eth ,edition    of        
,archbishop ,magee's1 published in      
#ahcb4    ,footnote #dbc3      ,magee on
 the ,atonement1 vol4 iii4 pp4 #bbc1    
#bbd4    ,footnote #dbd3      ,there is 
a possibility1 which ,i think it right  
to suggest1 of a    difference between  
the two ,editions of ,mr4 ,b's work2 as1
 however1 the    accusation is still    
found in the newest ,edition of the     
,archbishop's    book1 ,i conclude that 
this is not the case4 ,indeed1 even if  
the    ,prelate's quotation had been    

verbally true1 it would in spirit       
have been no less false3 for1 at all    
events1 ,mr4 ,b4 cites the ,vulgate1    
to give evidence as to the text1 not the
 translation2 and had he    used the    
word renders1 it would only have been   
because the term    naturally occurs    
when a ,,version is adduced to determine
 a ,,reading4    ,footnote #dbe3        
,page #ch4    ,footnote #dbf3           
,magee on the ,atonement1 vol4 i4 p4    
#agj4    ,footnote #dbg3      ,vol4 iii4
 p4 #eg4    ,footnote #dbh3      ,vol4  
ii4 p4 #chg4    ,footnote #dbi3         
,vol4 iii4 p4 #bdh4    ,footnote #dcj3  
p4 #bjc4    ,footnote #dca3      p4     
#baj4    ,footnote #dcb3      p4 #bif4  
,footnote #dcc3      p4 #bdi4           
,footnote #dcd3      p4 #bgd4           
,footnote #dce3      p4 #bci4           
,footnote #dcf3      p4 #hb4            
,footnote #dcg3      p4 #ia4            
,footnote #dch3      p4 #acb4           
,footnote #dci3      p4 #fd4            
,footnote #ddj3      p4 #bdb4           

,footnote #dda3      p4 #bge4           
,footnote #ddb3      p4 #ff4            
,footnote #ddc3      p4 #ade4           
,footnote #ddd3      pp4 #bge1 #bgf4    
,footnote #dde3      ,magee on the      
,atonement1 ,preface1 p4 vi4            
,footnote #ddf3      ,vol4 iii4 p4 #ajh4
    ,footnote #ddg3      ,vol4 i4 xii4  
,footnote #ddh3      iii4 #bjd4         
,footnote #ddi3      p4 #dg4            
,footnote #dej3      p4 #ajj4           
,footnote #dea3      p4 #fg4            
,footnote #deb3      pp4 #eg1 #eh4      
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,preface4      ,the ,rev4 ,d4 ,james   
commences the ,preface to his ,lecture  
with these words3  8,modern             
,unitarianism is a compound of          
,infidelity and ,heresy40 ,it would  be 
very easy for me to say what modern     
,trinitarianism is1 and to  attach to it
 two epithets which ,mr4 ,james would   
relish no more than ,i do  ,infidelity  
and ,heresy4 ,it is evident1 however1   

that this calling of  names proves      
nothing but the unfitness of the mind   
which so indulges its  temper and       
feeling to be engaged in intellectual   
and  argumentative controversy4 ,does   
,mr4 ,james expect to convince or       
persuade any ,unitarians1 by calling    
them ,infidels and ,heretics8 ,the      
,christ ,church method of ,conversion is
 very well for ,infallibles1 who  have  
only to denounce1 and for 8ordained     
,clergymen10 who1 with a  simplicity of 
extravagance approaching the sublime1   
shrink from no  consequences of their   
first principles1 and boldly assert that
 the ,holy  ,spirit is their            
,interpreter of ,scripture1--but it     
displays a strange  ignorance or        
contempt of the only avenues by which   
the minds of their  fellow ,christians  
can be approached1 and of the moral and 
argumentative  means by which alone     
conviction can be produced4    ,in what 
sense does ,mr4 ,james use the word     
#8,heresy1' in the sentence  quoted8 ,if

 in the sense of error1 then is he of   
the infallible ,church  that he decides 
authoritatively on such points8 ,if in  
the sense of  schism and division1 who  
does not know that the ,creed-making    
,church  is the ,mother of the ,sects1  
the fomentor of our religious strifes8  
,with  what grace or justice does that  
man call another an infidel1 who is     
himself an infidel in respect to the    
primal and universal ,revelation1  and  
applies himself to blot out the divine  
signatures from the soul of  man1 and   
the material works of ,god8 ,there is no
 infidelity so bad as  this4 ,the       
,apostle speaks of the law written on   
the heart1 and of the  ,gentiles who had
 not the ,jewish ,law1 being yet a ,law 
unto themselves1  and the ,psalmist     
speaks of the moral fidelity and        
constancy of ,god being  shadowed forth 
by the unfailingness of ,his material   
,laws1--but ,mr4 ,james1  who makes     
strange work with scripture1 maintains  
in opposition to both  ,scripture and   

,philosophy1 8the moral character and   
unity of ,god not  discoverable from the
 works of ,creation40 ,i have been long 
prepared for  this4 ,those who must     
maintain ,trinitarianism have no other  
resource than  to blot out the lights of
 the ,,original ,,revelation4#dec       
,,nature and the  ,,soul must be        
discredited if the ,trinitarian         
,theology is to hold its  place4 ,this  
has been long evident to all who have   
watched the progress  of knowledge1 and 
the signs of the times4 ,the works of   
,god1 and the  oracles of the ,soul1    
must be insulted1 that the ,,church1 the
 ,,creed1 and  the ,,priest may remain4 
,i have referred but slightly to ,mr4   
,james's ,lecture in the following      
pages1 because ,i wished to build up an 
independent argument of great           
importance1 and would not be led out of 
my way to answer reasonings and         
statements which1 being answered1 would 
leave the real controversy  unaffected1 
and without a step of advancement4 ,nor 

could it be of much  moment to discuss  
the ,,criticism that finds the ,trinity 
in a ,hebrew  plural--the ,,reasoning   
that1 7in violation of one of the maxims
 of  ,philosophy1 to attribute no more  
,causes than are adequate to the        
effects17 in the ,works of an           
,omnipotent ,creator finds in unity of  
,design no proof of ,unity of           
,being--the ,,scriptural ,,argumentation
 that lays  down the ,mosaic ,law of    
,vengeance1 8an eye for an eye1 and a   
tooth for a  tooth10 expressly condemned
 by ,christ1 as unworthy even of men1 as
  the morality of ,god himself1 8the    
principle of eternal right1 and the  law
 of his own government0#ded--the        
transcendental ,,metaphysics that sees  
no difficulty in the infinite and       
omnipresent ,deity becoming incarnate   
in a human frame1 on the ground that    
8spirits occupy no space1 and that      
thousands of them might be within a     
thimble1 and the thimble on the  finger 
of the seamstress1 and her finger touch 

none of them40#dee    ,there are1       
however1 some statements in the ,preface
 to ,mr4 ,james's  ,lecture1 professing 
to be testimonies from ,antiquity to the
 ,trinitarian  ,doctrine1 which demand  
some notice4 ,to establish his          
inaccuracy ,i shall  simply oppose to   
his statements the statements of        
,professor ,burton4    #a4 8,the word   
,trinity is found in the writings of    
,justin ,martyr1 who  was converted to  
the ,christian faith about the year of  
our ,lord #adj40--p4  v4 ,mr4 ,james    
mentions in a note that some divines    
dispute the  authenticity of the work in
 which the word is found3 but ,mr4      
,james is  not one of those divines1 for
 he proceeds to assert1 that the passage
 in  ,justin ,martyr 8brings the use of 
the word within half a century of the   
apostolic age40    ,now let us hear ,dr4
 ,burton4--8#8,theophili ad ,autolycum1 
lib4 ii4 c4 #ae4'  ,i quote this        
passage1 not on account of the sentiment
 which it contains1  7for the allusion  

is sufficiently puerile17 but because it
 is the  earliest passage 7,a4 ,d4 #ahj7
 in the works of any of the fathers1    
where  we find the ,greek word 1        
,trinity3 and we can thus prove that the
  term was applied to the three persons 
of the ,trinity as early as toward  the 
end of the second century4              
8,theophilus had been giving an account 
of the creation1 as described by  ,moses
 in the book of ,genesis2 and following 
that allegorical method of              
interpretation1 which the fathers       
borrowed too freely from the schools  of
 ,alexandria1 he extracts a hidden      
meaning from the fact of the  heavenly  
bodies being created on the fourth day4 
#8,in like manner also  the three days1 
which preceded the luminaries1 are types
 of the ,trinity1  of ,god1 and his     
,word1 and his ,wisdom4'0 ,burton adds  
in a note--8,this  passage is overlooked
 by ,suicer in his ,thesaurus1 v4 1 who 
very  properly observes1 that the       
,expositio rect confessionis1 in which  

the  word occurs1 and which has been    
ascribed to ,justin ,martyr1 is later   
than that writer by some                
centuries40--,theol4 ,works1 vol4 ii4   
#bnd part1  p4 #cd4    #b4 8,the next   
who makes use of the word in his        
writings is ,theophilus1 a  ,gentile    
convert40--p4 vi4 ,let us hear what     
,burton says of this  ,theophilus1 and  
of his use of the word ,trinity1 the    
first who used it  in such connection4  
8,some doubts have been raised          
concerning the identity and date of     
,theophilus3 but it seems to be         
generally agreed1 that the person whose 
works have come down to us was the sixth
 bishop of ,antioch1 and was  appointed 
to that see about the year #afh4 ,he    
tells us himself that he  had been bred 
up in heathenism1 and it is plain that  
his language and  thoughts retained a   
lasting impression from the ,platonic   
philosophy40--p4 #cc4    8,we perhaps   
ought not to infer from the words of    
,theophilus that the  term  had come in 

his day to bear the signification of a  
trinity in  unity4 ,he may have used it 
merely to express three things2 and the 
three days1 which he compares with the  
,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1  might 
have been spoken of by him as   1 a     
triad1 or  trinity of days4 ,in this    
sense ,clement of ,alexandria speaks of 
#8the  holy triad1 or trinity1 faith1   
hope1 and charity2' and ,origen uses the
  terms  and  for periods of three and  
four years respectively4  ,tertullian   
also1 at the end of the second century1 
used the term  trinitas in the same     
ordinary sense1 for any three things4   
8,i would not therefore argue from the  
mere occurrence of the word in the      
writings of ,theophilus1 that  contained
 a signification of unity1  as well as  
of trinity3 but this much is at least   
evident1 that  ,theophilus must have    
considered some resemblance1 if not     
equality1 to  have existed between the  
,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 or he  
would not  have included them in the    

same type0--p4 #ch4    #c4 8,polycarp1 a
 disciple of ,st4 ,john1 when at the    
stake1 addressed a  prayer to ,god1     
which he concluded in this              
manner3--#8,for all things ,i  praise   
thee1 ,i bless thee1 ,i glorify thee1   
together with the eternal and  heavenly 
,jesus ,christ3 with whom1 unto thee1   
and the ,holy ,spirit1 be  glory1 both  
now and for ever1 world without end4    
,amen4'0--p4 vii4    ,professor         
,burton3--8,such are the concluding     
words of the prayer in the  edition of  
,archbishop ,usher3 but ,eusebius has   
quoted them differently1  #8,i glorify  
thee1 through the eternal ,high ,priest1
 ,jesus ,christ1 thy  beloved ,son1     
through whom be glory to thee1 with him 
in the ,holy ,ghost1  both now and for  
evermore4 ,amen4'0    8,the early       
orthodox writers10 as ,bishop ,bull goes
 on to remark1 8while  they glorified   
the ,father through the ,son1 intended  
to express the  subordination of the    
,son1 in his relation of ,son1 and the  

pre-eminence  of the ,father1 in his    
relation of ,father3 but by adoring the 
,son  together with the ,father1 they   
intended to express his being of one    
substance1 and his existing in the same 
divine essence and nature with  the     
,father40--8,theodoret informs us1 that 
in the middle of the fourth  century the
 clergy and people of ,antioch were     
divided1 some using the  conjunction    
and1 when they glorified the ,son1 7i4  
e41 saying and to  the ,son17 and others
 applying the preposition through to the
 ,son1 and  in to the ,holy ,ghost4     
,this was the period when the dispute   
concerning  the form of doxology became 
general3 and ,philistorgius1 the ,arian 
historian1 is speaking of the same time 
and place1 when he says1  #8,flavianus  
was the first person who used the words 
,glory to the ,father  and to the ,son  
and to the ,holy ,ghost1 for before his 
time some had  said1 ,glory to the      
,father through the ,son in the ,holy   
,ghost1 which was  the expression in    

most general use3 and others ,glory to  
the ,father in  the ,son and ,holy      
,ghost4'0--pp4 #g1 #h1 #i4    8,it is   
true that ,eusebius appears to have     
found a different reading in  his copy  
of ,polycarp's prayer3 and a critical   
question like this can  never be        
demonstrably settled40--p4 #ac4    #d4  
8,justin ,martyr says--#8,,him 7the     
,father7 and that ,,son who hath        
proceeded from him1 and the             
,,prophetical ,,spirit1 we worship and  
adore4'0--p4 vii4    ,where did ,mr4    
,james find this quotation8 ,i shall    
supply some words which  he has omitted1
 coming in between two clauses1 which he
 has printed as  continuous parts of the
 sentence4 ,the omitted words supply a  
good test  for a fundamental principle  
of ,trinitarian interpretation1 that of 
equalizing all persons joined together  
by the conjunctive conjunction4  ,i     
shall give the omitted words in italics4
    8,justin is answering the charge of 
atheism1 which was brought against  the 

,christians1 and observes1 that they    
were punished for not  worshipping evil 
demons1 which were not really gods4     
#8,hence it is that  we are called      
atheists3 and we confess that we are    
atheists with respect  to such reputed  
,gods as these3 but not with respect to 
the true ,god1 the  ,father of justice1 
temperance1 and every other virtue1 with
 whom is no  mixture of evil4 ,but ,him1
 and the ,son who came from him1 and    
gave us  this instruction1 and the host 
of the other good angels which attend   
upon and resemble them1 and the         
prophetic spirit1 we worship and adore1 
paying them a reasonable and true       
honour1 and not refusing to deliver to  
any one else1 who wishes to be taught1  
what we ourselves have learnt4'0        
,after such careless quotations1 to say 
the best of them1 ,i am not  surprised  
to find ,mr4 ,james1 with singular      
self-devotion1 placing  himself beside  
,mr4 ,byrth1 to share the condemnation  
that falls upon  injurious              

representations1 not only unproved1 but 
disproved4 ,mr4 ,james  speaks of the   
,unitarian crime of distorted           
representations1 as proved  by ,mr4     
,byrth4 ,mr4 ,james may make common     
cause with ,mr4 ,byrth1 if he is  unwise
 enough to do so2 but ,i can assure him 
that his own burden is  heavy enough to 
bear1 without encumbering himself with  
any portion of  another's4    ,to the   
greatest part of his quotations ,mr4    
,james has given no reference1  so that 
it is impossible to verify them4 ,if he 
is correct1 he has been  more fortunate 
in some cases than ,professor ,burton4  
,i should be glad to  have the means of 
testing his extracts from ,origen4 ,he  
ought to have  stated1 that both ,bishop
 ,bull and ,dr4 ,priestley1 when        
speaking of the  ,ante-,nicene ,fathers1
 never confounded the ,trinity of these 
,fathers with  the ,post-,nicene        
,trinity1 or with modern ,orthodoxy4    
,nothing can be more unphilosophical    
than the manner in which testimonies  to

 modern opinions have been found in the 
,fathers4 ,any words that will  bear the
 sense have been pushed forward as      
authorities4 ,no distinction  has been  
made between the ideas suggested by the 
words to modern  readers1 and the ideas 
of the writers originally suggesting the
 words4  ,the suggested and the         
suggesting ideas would be found         
strangely  different4 ,whoever wishes to
 have clear ideas on this question1 the 
opinions of the ,ante-,nicene ,fathers1 
and the origin of the ,trinity1  should 
read the portions of ,cudworth's        
,intellectual ,system that bear  upon   
the subject4                            
---------------------                   
,,lecture ,,vii4               ,,the    
,,unscriptural ,,origin ,,and           
,,ecclesiastical ,,history              
,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,the        
,,trinity4                              
,,by ,,rev4 ,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4   
8,,the ,,father ,,that ,,dwelleth ,,in  
,,me1 ,,he ,,doeth ,,the                

,,works40--,john xiv4 #aj4      ,it is a
 profound observation of ,professor     
,dugald ,stewart1 that you never        
destroy an error until you have traced  
it to its sources1 until you have       
accounted for its origin4 ,a popular    
doctrine1 full of life in the strong    
faith of those who hold it1 cannot be   
encountered at the height of its  power1
 and struck down at once by an argument2
 the world is apt to take  for granted  
that whatever is widely believed must   
have some roots in  truth1 and you must 
go up the stream of opinion1 if you     
would gradually  remove this idea so    
supporting to error1 of its strength and
 fulness1  stripping away the           
impressions of magnitude as you ascend1 
until at last  you have left all the    
strength behind you1 and have come to   
where you  can contemplate1 undeceived1 
the weak and miserable beginnings of the
  turbid flood4 ,were some ,grecian     
idolater to have followed the gliding   
steps of his river ,god1 until his      

majestic movements were shortened into  
the tricklings of the mountain spring1  
if the deity did not entirely           
disappear1 it would at least have       
changed its form1 and melted into the   
minor nymph of the ,fountain4           
,whenever we encounter the doctrine of  
the ,trinity1 as it is received at  the 
present day1 and attempt to arrest it by
 the strength of ,reason and  the       
strength of ,scripture1 the flood is too
 strong for us1 the faith of  the world 
flows upon the current1 and we are swept
 aside as things that  had vainly       
interposed to intercept the rushings of 
some mighty tide4 ,we  must travel up to
 the first droppings if we would        
demonstrate the  derived nature of this 
now full stream of faith4 ,if the ascent
  terminates before it reaches ,christ  
and the ,apostles1 then its origin is   
not ,scriptural but ,ecclesiastical2 its
 fountain is not in the depths of  the  
nature of ,god1 but in the airy         
speculations of the vain philosophy  of 

man4    ,my subject is entitled 8,the   
unscriptural ,origin and ,ecclesiastical
  ,history of the ,doctrine of the      
,trinity40 ,i shall invert the order of 
these topics4 ,i shall show first where 
it has its origin1 that we may  be saved
 the unnecessary toil of straining and  
distorting our vision1 in  searching for
 it where it is not to be found4 ,if ,i 
can exhibit its birth  in               
,ecclesiastical history1 this will so   
far be a proof that it had no  previous 
birth in ,evangelical ,history4 ,if ,i  
can cut it off from the  living fountain
 of ,revelation1 and show it proceeding 
from other  springs1 this will so far be
 a proof that it is human and not       
divine4  ,the positive assertion        
contained in my title1 if established1  
will  establish also the negative       
portion of it3--for the ,ecclesiastical 
rise  and progress of the ,trinity are  
the negation of its ,scriptural origin4 
,christianity was originally delivered  
to ,jews2 and the question  naturally   

arises1 how could their pure theism ever
 assume the  ,trinitarian modification  
of ,unity2 how1 to use the early        
language of  this ,controversy1 could   
the ,,monarchy ever be diluted into the 
,,economy1  if it had not been          
constrained to adopt this form by the   
overpowering  distinctness of a         
,revelation8 ,now we are able to prove  
that the ,jewish  ,christians never did 
accept the doctrine of the deity of     
,christ2 that on  this account they are 
classed with ,heretics by the ,greek and
 ,latin  ,fathers1 under the names of   
,nazarenes and ,ebionites2 and that not 
until  after the ,gospel passed out of  
the keeping of the ,apostles1 and1 cut  
off  from its ,jewish spring1 was cast  
into the midst of the ,gentile world1 to
  modify and to be modified1 did it come
 into contact with ,heathen             
,philosophy1 and slowly take the impress
 of its spirit4    ,there were two very 
marked divisions of the ,jewish people1 
under widely  different influences of   

,religion and ,philosophy1 and not      
acquainted1  perhaps1 with the same     
language1--the ,jews of ,palestine1 and 
the ,jews of  ,egypt4 ,the ,jews of     
,palestine1 sheltered from commerce with
 the world1  more by their unsocial     
,faith1 than by the deep and quiet      
vallies of  their sequestered land1     
partook little of the spirit of the     
,times1 and  imparted to it nothing2 and
 though after the ,babylonish           
,captivity1  ,gentile ,philosophy had   
tinctured and in some sense expanded    
their  religious views1 yet when they   
returned again to their homes that      
influence was cut off1 the living       
connection was no longer maintained1    
and its effects were rather traditionary
 mixtures1 than seeds of  progress4     
,in contrast with the insulated life of 
the ,jews of ,palestine1 the ,jews  of  
,alexandria lived in the very centre of 
the world's freshest  ideas--their      
dwelling was the mart of nations--and   
,grecian and ,oriental  ,philosophy met 

together in their far-famed ,schools1   
and mingled their  ,wisdom4 8,the arms  
of the ,macedonians10 says ,gibbon1     
8diffused over ,asia  and ,egypt the    
language and learning of ,greece2 and   
the theological  system of ,plato       
7before ,christ1 #cfj7 was taught1 with 
less reserve1 and  perhaps with some    
improvements1 in the celebrated ,school 
of ,alexandria4  ,a numerous colony of  
,jews had been invited1 by the favour of
 the  ,ptolemies1 to settle in their new
 capital4 ,while the bulk of the nation 
practised their legal ceremonies1 and   
pursued the lucrative operations  of    
,commerce1 a few ,hebrews1 of a more    
liberal spirit1 devoted their  lives to 
religious and philosophical             
contemplation4 ,they cultivated with    
diligence1 and embraced with ardour1 the
 theological system of the  ,athenian   
,sage4 ,but their national pride would  
have been mortified by a  fair          
confession of their former poverty3 and 
they boldly marked1 as the  sacred      

inheritance of their ancestors1 the gold
 and jewels which they  had so lately   
stolen from their ,egyptian masters4    
,one hundred years  before the birth of 
,christ1 a philosophical treatise1 which
 manifestly  betrays the style and      
sentiments of the ,school of ,plato1 was
 produced by  the ,alexandrian ,jews1   
and unanimously received as a genuine   
and valuable  relic of the inspired     
,wisdom of ,solomon4 ,a similar union of
 the ,mosaic  faith and the ,grecian    
philosophy1 distinguishes the works of  
,philo1  which were composed for the    
most part under the reign of ,augustus4 
,the  material soul of the ,universe    
might offend the piety of the ,hebrews3 
but  they applied the character of the  
,,logos to the ,jehovah of ,moses and   
the  patriarchs2 and the ,son of ,god   
was introduced upon earth under a       
visible1 and even human appearance1 to  
perform those familiar offices  which   
seem incompatible with the nature and   
attributes of the ,universal            

cause40#def    ,it is not necessary that
 ,i should inquire here with great      
accuracy into  the nature of the        
,trinity as taught by ,plato4 ,i think  
it is most  probable that ,plato's      
,trinity was a ,trinity of ,attributes  
rather than a  ,trinity of ,persons2    
that it corresponded rather with        
,sabellianism than  with the ,orthodox  
form of the ,doctrine4 ,this is a       
question1 however1 on  which it is      
impossible to speak with certainty1     
owing1 partly1 to the  nature of the    
ideas which constitute this compound    
conception of ,deity1  and partly to the
 gorgeous style of the imaginative      
metaphysician1 whose  figures we hardly 
know whether we are to harden into      
,realities1 or to  fuse into ,ideas4    
,authorities are divided upon this      
point--and we have the  name of         
,cudworth upon the one side1 and the    
scarcely less illustrious  one of       
,guizot upon the other4 ,whatever may   
have been the view of ,plato            

himself1#deg it is certain that before  
,christ1 his followers1 some of  the    
purer of the later ,platonists1 as they 
are called1 taught a doctrine  of the   
,trinity exactly corresponding to the   
form in which it was  established nearly
 three hundred years after the death of 
our ,saviour1  by the first ,general    
,council of the ,christian ,church4 ,the
 ,platonists  contemplated one original 
fountain of being1 a simple unity1      
8which  virtually containeth all        
things10 from whence all other things1  
whether  temporal or eternal1 whether   
created or uncreated1 were altogether   
derived4 ,this ,monad or ,unity the     
,platonists considered as the only      
absolute or perfect existence1 superior 
to intellect or wisdom1 7,logos7  for   
these two reasons--first1 because       
,intellect being concerned with  ideas1 
implies numbers and multiplicity2       
whereas the ,supreme is ,,unity2  and   
secondly1 that because 8,knowledge is   
not the highest good1 there  must be    

some substantial thing in order of      
,nature superior to  ,intellect40 ,in   
the same way that ,,goodness and        
,,unity1 the properties of  the         
self-existent ,god1 were supposed to be 
superior to ,mind or ,wisdom1  the      
second principle1 so in its turn        
,intellect was supposed to be  superior 
to the moving spirit or energy which    
carried ideas 7the ideas  of the ,logos7
 into ,action4 ,the ,monad1 or ,supreme 
,unity1 generated  ,intellect1 and      
,intellect as containing the            
intelligible ideas or  archetypes of all
 sensible things1 generated ,soul or the
 spirit of  ,action4 ,hence the         
,platonic ,trinity3 ,,the ,,one ,,good2 
,intellect 7,,logos ,,or  ,,nous72      
,,psyche1 or operating energy4#deh ,in  
,platonic language1 the ,,first  in this
 ,trinity is said to be ,all things     
,unitively2 the ,,second1 ,all  things  
intellectually2 and the ,,third1 ,all   
things actively or  productively4 ,i    
shall give one example of the style of  

the ,platonists  in expressing these    
,trinitarian conceptions4 ,it is exactly
 that which  the earlier ,fathers would 
have used when speaking of the          
,christian  ,trinity4 8,that which is   
always perfect generates what is        
,eternal1 and  that which it generates  
is always less than itself4 ,what shall 
we say  therefore of the most absolutely
 perfect ,being of all8 ,does that      
produce  nothing from itself8 ,or       
rather1 does it not produce the greatest
 of all  things after it8 ,now the      
greatest of all things after the most   
absolutely perfect ,being is ,mind or   
,intellect2 and this is ,second to it4  
,for ,mind beholdeth this as its        
,father1 and standeth in need of nothing
  else besides it2 whereas that ,first  
,principle standeth in need of no       
7,logos7 ,mind or ,intellect4 ,what is  
generated from that which is better     
than ,mind1 must needs be ,mind or      
,intellect1 because ,mind is better than
  all other things1 they being all in   

order of nature after it1 and junior  to
 it2 as ,,psyche itself1 or the ,first  
,soul2 for this is also the ,word or    
,energy of ,mind 7,logos71 as that is   
the ,word or ,energy of the ,first      
,good4#dei ,perfect ,intellect10        
7,logos1 the second in the ,trinity17   
8generates ,soul0 7,psyche1 or ,moving  
,spirit1 the third in the ,platonic     
,trinity71 8and it being perfect must   
needs generate1 for so great a  ,power  
could not remain steril4 ,but that which
 is here begotten also1  cannot be      
greater than its ,begetter2 but must    
needs be ,inferior to it1  as being the 
,image thereof40--7,plotinus4 ,cudworth1
 p4 #ehj47    ,now to connect such      
speculations as these with ,gentile     
,christianity we  have the intermediate 
link of the ,platonizing or ,alexandrian
 ,jews4 ,about  two hundred years before
 ,christ the ,hebrew ,scriptures were   
made  accessible to ,grecian curiosity  
through the medium of the ,septuagint   
,translation3 and when comparison came  

to be instituted between the  wisdom of 
their ,sacred ,books1 and the wisdom of 
the ,schools1 a strong  temptation came 
into force upon the ,jewish ,platonists1
 by a system of  allegory and fanciful  
interpretation to make their ,scriptures
 divulge  recondite doctrines1 and by   
such imaginative means to metamorphose  
its  simplest statements into the       
likeness of the deep and mysterious     
teachings of ,philosophy4 ,hence arose  
the whole system of allegorizing  which 
prevailed so extensively among the ,jews
 of ,alexandria4 ,they were  under two  
sets of influences1 an affection for the
 ,platonic or ,eclectic  ,philosophy of 
their ,schools1 and a jealousy for their
 ,religion that made  them shrink from  
the idea that any ,philosophy should    
contain secrets not  there divulged4#dfj
 ,they combined these two affections1   
and made their  ,scriptures speak the   
language of the ,schools by means of the
  transforming process of allegorical   
interpretation4 ,examples without end   

might be given of the most extravagant  
transfigurations of the events of       
,hebrew ,history4    ,as a preparation  
for the manner of speaking on these     
subjects afterwards  adopted by the     
earlier ,christian ,trinitarians1 ,i    
will extract one  passage1 which perhaps
 most faithfully represents the purer   
views of  ,philo of ,alexandria1 the    
most eminent of the ,jewish             
,platonizers1 and  whose influence      
operating upon ,christianity through the
 minds of the  ,gentile philosophical   
believers1 is to this day felt upon the 
popular  forms of our faith4 ,i have    
only to premise that he is speaking of  
the  ,attributes of ,god abstractly from
 ,god himself2 and though it is more    
than probable that ,philo as well as    
,plato never separated these            
,attributes from the ,supreme ,deity1   
still it was the necessary tendency  of 
such personifications to harden into    
distinct persons1 and with  common minds
 personified ,attributes very soon came 

to be considered as  ,real ,beings4     
,this then was the original source of   
the ,christian ,trinity4  ,to keep the  
lofty and retired ,essence of ,god apart
 from all contact with  matter which was
 looked upon as evil1 and from number   
which was looked  upon as imperfect1 the
 ,powers of ,god were first considered  
as ,emanations  from ,him by successive 
generation--,,intellect proceeding from 
the ,,one  ,,good1 and operating        
,,energy or ,,spirit proceeding from    
,intellect 7,logos7  to consummate its  
,ideas1 and then gradually came to be   
separated from  ,him1 by a very natural 
process of philosophic deteriorations1  
and to be  fixed down into independent  
personalities4 ,with these explanations 
,i now  quote from ,philo4 ,he belonged 
to the age of ,christ1 but was born some
  time anterior to the ,christian era3  
,brucker says twenty years4 ,philo is   
allegorizing the appearance of the three
 angels to ,abraham1 into a  threefold  
manifestation of the ,one ,god3 8,the   

,,father is in the middle of  all1 who  
in ,holy ,scripture is by a peculiar    
name styled ,,the ,,being ,,he  ,,who   
,,is3 and on each side are two most     
ancient ,powers next to ,,the  ,,being1 
whereof one is called the ,effective    
7creative ,power7 and the  other ,royal2
 and the ,effective1 ,,god1 for by this 
the ,father made and  adorned the       
,universe2 and the ,royal1 ,,lord1 for  
it is fit he should rule  and govern    
what he has made4 ,being therefore      
attended on both sides with  his        
,powers1 to a discerning understanding  
he appears one while to be  ,,one1 and  
another while to be ,,three4 ,,one when 
the mind being in the  highest degree   
purified1 and passing over not only a   
multitude of  numbers1 but also that    
which is next to an ,unit10 7the ,monad7
 8the  number of two10 7the other two1  
,logos and ,psyche7 8endeavours after a 
simple and uncompounded ,idea1 perfect  
of itself3 and ,,three1 when not as  yet
 sufficiently exercised in great        

mysteries1 it busies itself about       
lesser1 and is not able to conceive     
,,the ,,being1 ,,he ,,who ,,is1 without 
any  other1 of itself1 but by his       
,works1 and either as creating or       
governing40#dfa    ,such1 then1 were the
 prevalent modes of ,conception at the  
time when the  ,gospel passed out of the
 hands of strictly ,jewish interpreters1
 and came  to be inspected by the eyes  
of ,gentile ,philosophers4 ,with more or
 less  purity of conception1 all the    
,platonists personified the divine      
,attributes2 and some of them           
represented these personified           
,attributes as  distinct ,existences1   
not hesitating to speak of a second     
,god1 though  holding him to be derived 
and dependent4 ,there is no trace among 
the  purer ,platonists of any belief of 
three co-equal ,gods1 each possessing   
within himself the fullness of ,deity1  
yet mysteriously united4 ,the  second   
and third persons in the ,platonic      
,trinity were carefully  represented as 

derived1 dependent1 and subordinate1    
under the  similitudes of the stream and
 the fountain1 the branch and the vine1 
the  sun and its outshining effulgence2 
the relation between them being like    
that of three apparent ,suns1--8two of  
them being but the parhelii of  the     
other1 and essentially dependent on it3 
for as much as the second  would be but 
the reflected ,image of the first1 and  
the third but the  second               
refracted40#dfb    ,now it so happened  
that the ,apostle ,john1 living at      
,ephesus1 8the centre  of the mingling  
opinions of the ,east and ,west10 made  
use of this term  8,logos0 as already   
familiar to those for whom he wrote1 and
 with the  purpose of impressing upon   
the word the higher and purer meaning   
attached to it by the ,jews of          
,palestine2 wresting it from the        
philosophical to the strictly ,jewish or
 ,christian sense4 ,nothing could  be   
more natural than that the ,apostle     
should adopt the style of the           

philosophic schools in the midst of     
which he wrote1 especially since it  was
 not peculiar to them1 but already in   
use among the ,jews2 and that           
endeavouring to connect truth with      
familiar modes of speaking1 he should   
attempt to infuse into the word the more
 spiritual ideas with which it  was     
already associated in his own language4 
8,st4 ,john10 says ,guizot1 8was a ,jew1
 born and educated in ,palestine2 he    
would naturally1 then1 attach to the    
word ,logos the sense attached to  it by
 the ,jews of ,palestine4 ,closely      
examined1 the ideas which he gives  of  
the ,logos cannot agree with those of   
,philo and the school of  ,alexandria2  
they correspond1 on the contrary1 with  
those of the ,jews of  ,palestine4      
,perhaps ,st4 ,john1 employing a well   
known term to explain a  doctrine which 
was yet unknown1 has slightly altered   
the sense3 it is  this alteration which 
we appear to discover on comparing      
different  passages of his writings4 ,it

 is worthy of remark1 that the ,jews of 
,palestine1 who did not perceive this   
alteration1 could find nothing          
extraordinary in what ,st4 ,john said of
 the ,logos2 at least they  comprehended
 it without difficulty2 while the       
,greeks and ,grecising ,jews1  on their 
parts1 brought to it prejudices and     
preconceptions easily  reconciled with  
those of the ,evangelist1 who did not   
expressly  contradict them4 ,this       
circumstance must have much favoured the
 progress  of ,christianity4 ,thus the  
fathers of the ,church1 in the two first
  centuries and later1 formed almost all
 in the school of ,alexandria1 gave  to 
the ,logos of ,st4 ,john a sense nearly 
similar to that which it  received from 
,philo4#dfc ,their doctrine approached  
very near to that  which1 in the fourth 
century1 the ,council of ,nice condemned
 in the  person of ,arius40#dfd    ,it  
would not be possible1 within my present
 limits1 to trace1 with a  minute       
accuracy1 how the ,logos of the schools 

became connected with the  ,logos of the
 ,gospel2 and afterwards1 under the     
necessity of adjusting  these           
conceptions with the nominal ,unity of  
,god1 changed its form into  the present
 theory of the ,trinity4 ,it will       
readily be imagined that the  ,gentile  
,christians1 accustomed to associate    
ideas of external power with  their     
,deities1 and at the same time to       
contemplate them in connection  with    
humanity1 would shrink from the bare and
 unclothed conception of  the crucified 
,jesus2 would endeavour to throw around 
their new faith a  mystic splendour that
 might protect it from the ridicule of  
,heathen  scoffers1 and naturally seize 
upon means so obvious1 the language     
offered by ,st4 ,john1 and the ideas    
offered by their own philosophy1 to     
connect the pre-existent soul of ,jesus 
not with ,humanity1 but with ,god4  ,in 
this way they could remove the shame and
 odium of the cross1 that  stumbling    
block to the ,jews1 and to the ,greeks  

foolishness4 ,we little  realize with   
what distaste and abhorrence a ,hebrew  
looking for the  ,messiah1 and a        
,philosopher speculating on the nature  
of the divine  ,emanations that were the
 ,mediators between ,god and men1 would 
contemplate the despised ,galilean      
executed as a malefactor4 ,neither do   
we realize1 as we ought to do in this   
connection1 the magnanimity of  ,paul3  
8,i determined not to know anything     
among you1 save ,jesus ,christ  and him 
crucified20 so much has the technical   
jargon of theology  overcast the moral  
sublimity of the ,apostle's spiritual   
meaning4    ,i shall now1 with as much  
distinctness as a subject purely        
literary will  admit1 attempt to exhibit
 to you the gradual transformations1 by 
which  these ,conceptions slowly assumed
 the present orthodox form of the       
doctrine of the ,trinity4 ,if this had  
been a doctrine of ,revelation1 it      
would1 of course1 have been perfect at  
once2 but arising out of  accidental    

circumstances and accidental ideas1 it  
naturally required  many fresh          
adjustments to make it consistent with  
itself1 and to protect  it1 by skilfully
 chosen words1 against all the          
troublesome attacks of  theological     
ingenuity4 ,this was not the work of a  
moment nor of a  century1--hundreds of  
years passed over before the doctrine   
assumed any  fixed form2 nor was it     
until the thirteenth century that the   
present  form of the doctrine of three  
,gods1 numerically one1 was             
authoritatively  decreed4#dfe ,those who
 tell us of an 8unimproved and          
unimprovable  ,revelation10 must surely 
be strangely ignorant of the history of 
,trinitarian ,theology4    ,there are   
three ,creeds of the ,church of         
,england1 each of them to be  referred  
to distinct ,periods of ,ecclesiastical 
,history1 and becoming  more ,unitarian 
in proportion as we approach the        
,apostolical times1 more  ,trinitarian  
in proportion as we recede from those   

times4 ,these three  ,creeds ,i shall   
make serve as heads under which to      
introduce my proofs of  the rise and    
progress of the ,trinitarian ,doctrine4 
,the first ,creed is ,,unitarian4 ,it   
was the only ,creed known to the        
,church for three hundred and           
twenty-five years4    ,the second ,creed
 is partly ,,trinitarian1 fixing the    
,deity of ,christ1  but saying nothing  
of the ,deity of the ,holy ,spirit4     
,the third ,creed contains              
,trinitarianism1 though not in its final
 and  perfected1 yet in its boldest and 
most extravagant1 forms4    ,the first  
,creed is known by the name of the      
,apostles' ,creed4 ,it is not  known by 
whom it was written1 nor when it was    
written2#dff but though  we have no     
verbatim copy of it until after the     
,nicene ,council1 but only  more or less
 of the substance1 and some of its      
clauses are evidently of  a later date1 
it may substantially be regarded as     
descriptive of the  faith of the ,church

 at an early age4#dfg 8,the ,christian  
system10 says  ,mosheim1 8as it was     
hitherto taught1 preserved its native   
and beautiful  simplicity1 and was      
comprehended in a small number of       
articles4 ,the  public teachers         
inculcated no other doctrines than those
 that are  contained in what is commonly
 called the ,apostles' ,creed2 and in   
the  method of illustrating them1 all   
vain subtleties1 all mysterious         
researches1 everything that was beyond  
the reach of common capacities1  was    
carefully avoided4 ,this will by no     
means appear surprising to those  who   
consider that1 at this time1 there was  
not the least controversy  about those  
capital doctrines of ,christianity which
 were afterwards so  keenly debated in  
the ,church2 and who reflect that the   
bishops of those  primitive times were1 
for the most part1 plain and illiterate 
men1  remarkable rather for their piety 
and zeal than for their learning and    
eloquence40--7,eccles4 ,hist4 cent4 ii4 

p4 #aa4 ch4 #c47    ,here1 then1 is the 
,,first ,,creed of the ,church1 long    
reverenced as a  formula drawn up by the
 ,apostles themselves1 and perhaps still
 by some  unwittingly honoured as such4 
,it contains some departures from the   
simplicity of ,gospel language1 as in   
creed-making must necessarily  happen2  
for creeds are required only by those   
for whom the ,scriptures  are not       
sufficiently definite or sufficiently   
safe4 ,so far as it is a  ,confession of
 faith1 it demonstrates that the belief 
of the primitive  ,church was strictly  
,,unitarian4                            
,the ,apostles' ,creed4    ,i believe in
 ,,god 7or1 as the earlier notices of   
this ,creed have it1 8in  one ,god10    
also1 8one only ,god the ,father        
,almighty07 the ,,father  ,,almighty1   
,maker of heaven and earth2 and in      
,jesus ,christ1 his only ,son  our      
,lord1 who was conceived by the ,holy   
,ghost1 born of the ,virgin ,mary1      
suffered under ,pontius ,pilate1 was    

crucified1 dead and buried3 he          
descended into hell2 the third day he   
rose again from the dead2 he  ascended  
into heaven1 and sitteth on the right   
hand of ,,god1 the ,,father  ,,almighty3
 from thence he shall come to judge the 
quick and the dead3 ,i  believe in the  
,holy ,ghost2 the holy ,catholic        
,church2 the communion of  saints2 the  
forgiveness of sins2 the resurrection of
 the body2 and the  life everlasting4   
,amen4                      99       99 
99       99       99    ,from the       
various transformations of this ,creed  
in the pages of  ,ecclesiastical        
writers1 it is evident that it was not a
 fixed but a  growing formula1 and that 
additions were freely made to it        
according as  the heresies of the time  
might seem to require the introduction  
of a new  clause4 ,one thing1 however1  
is plain1 that the ,ages which had their
  faith stated in this creed had not yet
 confounded ,jesus with ,god2 that  he  
who is simply and solely described as   

the ,son of ,god1 crucified and  dying1 
rising from the grave1 and sitting now  
on the right hand of the  ,father       
,almighty1 was not yet exalted into the 
,second ,person of the  ,trinity1 equal 
to ,god in all things4    ,now it is not
 a little remarkable1 that many orthodox
 writers perceived  and deplored the    
lamentable deficiency of this faith of  
the primitive  ,church2 and some of them
 boldly declare1 that the ,christian    
,fathers were  not yet initiated in     
these high mysteries4 8,m4 ,jurieu10    
quoted by  ,jortin1 8whose zeal against 
heresy is well known1 assures us that   
the  fundamental articles of            
,christianity were not understood by the
 ,fathers  of the three first centuries2
 that the true system began to be       
modelled  into some shape by the ,nicene
 bishops1 and was afterwards immensely  
improved and beautified by the following
 synods and councils40#dfh    ,bishop   
,bull declares1 8that almost all the    
,catholic writers before  ,arius' time  

seem not to have known any thing of the 
invisibility and  immensity of the ,son 
of ,god2 and that they often speak of   
him in such a  manner as if1 even in    
respect of his divine nature1 he was    
finite1  visible1 and circumscribed in  
place40 ,such sentiments are only to be 
paralleled by some passages from these  
,fathers themselves1 who declare  that  
such notions as they had of the divinity
 of ,christ they had derived  solely    
from the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john1 and that
 the other ,evangelists had  but an     
obscure knowledge of this subject4      
8,none of them10 says ,origen1          
8disclosed his divinity so purely as    
,john40#dfi 8,john10 says ,eusebius1    
8commenced with the doctrine of the     
divinity1 that having been reserved  by 
the divine ,spirit for him as the most  
worthy40#dgj ,and1 later1  ,chrysostom  
declares that the other ,evangelists    
were like 8little  children1 who hear1  
but do not understand what they hear1   
being occupied  with cakes and childish 

playthings20 but ,john taught1 8what the
 angels  themselves did not know before 
he declared it40 8,this doctrine was not
  published at first1 for the world was 
not advanced to it4 ,matthew1 ,mark1    
and ,luke did not state what was        
suitable to his dignity1 but what was   
fitting for their hearers4 ,john1 the   
,son of ,thunder1 advanced at last to   
the doctrine of the divinity40#dga    ,i
 shall now cite some proofs from the    
,christian writers of the three  first  
centuries1 to show that though1 in      
correspondence with ,platonic           
doctrines1 a derived and subordinate    
divinity was ascribed to ,jesus1        
nothing like the present orthodox faith 
was dreamed of1 and that the  highest   
authorities on these subjects1 ,cudworth
 for instance1 are fully  aware that1   
for nearly four hundred years1 the      
,creeds of the ,church  embraced nothing
 more than the ,platonic ,trinity4      
,and1 first1 ,i shall give one distinct 
testimony from ,origen1 to which  others

 might be added from ,irenus and        
,tertullian1 of the ,unitarianism  of   
the ,jewish ,christians3    8,and when  
you consider the faith concerning our   
,saviour of those of the  ,jews who     
believe in ,jesus1 some thinking him to 
be the son of ,joseph and  ,mary1 and   
others of ,mary only1 and the divine    
,spirit1 but still without  any belief  
in his divinity40#dgb 8,and they of the 
,jews who have  received ,jesus as the  
,christ1 go by the name of              
,ebionites40#dgc                      99
       99       99       99       99    
,i am next to cite evidence that1 for   
the first three hundred years1 the      
,christian writers acknowledged the     
inferiority of ,jesus to his ,,father1  
though ascribing to him a derived       
divinity4 ,it is not until ,a4 ,d4 #adj 
that we find any very distinct mention  
even of this description of  divinity as
 belonging to ,jesus4#dgd               
,justin ,martyr1 ,a4,d4 #adj4    8,i    
will endeavour to show that he who      

appeared to ,abraham1 ,jacob1 and       
,moses1 and who is called ,god1 is      
different from the ,god that made all   
things1--numerically different1 though  
not in will2 for ,i say that he  never  
did any thing but what that ,,god ,,who 
,,made ,,all ,,things1 and above  whom  
there is no god1 willed that he should  
do and say40#dge                        
,irenus1 ,a4,d4 #agh4    8,we hold the  
,rule of ,truth1 that there is ,,one    
,,god ,,almighty1 who created  all      
things by his ,logos40 444 8,this is the
 ,father of our ,lord ,jesus  ,christ2  
and of ,him it is that ,paul declared1  
,there is ,,one ,,god1 even the         
,,father1 who is above all1 and through 
all1 and in us all40#dgf                
,clemens ,alexandrinus1 ,a4,d4 #aid4    
8,there is one unbegotten almighty      
,,father1 and one first begotten1 by    
whom all things were1 and without whom  
nothing was made4 ,for one is  truly    
,god1 who made the beginning of all     
things1 meaning his  first-begotten     

son40#dgg                               
,tertullian1 ,a4,d4 #bjj4    8,i do not 
speak of ,gods and ,lords2 but ,i follow
 the ,apostle2 so that if  the ,father  
and the ,son are to be named together1  
,i call the ,father ,god1  and ,jesus   
,christ ,lord3 though ,i can call       
,christ ,god when speaking of  himself  
alone40 ,and he goes on to explain this 
by declaring1 that a ray  of the sun    
may1 with sufficient propriety1 be      
called the sun4#dgh                     
,origen1 ,a4,d4 #bcj4    8,we may by    
this means solve the doubts which       
terrify many men1 who  pretend to great 
piety1 and who are afraid of making two 
,gods1 and1  through this1 fall into    
vain and impious opinions2 denying that 
the  nature of the ,son is different    
from that of the ,father1 and who       
acknowledge that he is ,god in name     
only2 or denying the divinity of the    
,son1 and then maintaining that his     
nature and essence is different from    
that of the ,father4 ,for we must tell  

them that he who is ,god of  himself1 is
 ,,the ,god1 as the ,saviour states in  
his prayer to the ,father1  #8that they 
may know thee1 ,,the only true ,god2'   
but that whosoever becomes  divine by   
partaking of his divinity1 cannot be    
styled ,,the ,god1 but a  ,god1 among   
whom especially is the first born of all
 creatures40#dgi                        
,novatian1 ,a4,d4 #bea4    8,he1        
although he was in the form of ,god1 did
 not think of the robbery of  being     
equal with ,god4 ,for though he knew    
that he was ,god1 from ,god the         
,father1 he never likened or compared   
himself with ,god the ,father1          
remembering that he was from the        
,father1 and that he had what he had    
because the ,father had given it to     
him40#dhj                               
,lactantius1 ,a4,d4 #caj4    8,he showed
 his fidelity to ,god1 in that he taught
 that there is ,,one ,,god1  and that he
 alone ought to be worshipped4 ,nor did 
he ever say that he  himself was ,god4  

,for he would not have preserved his    
fidelity if1 being  sent to take away a 
number of gods1 and to assert ,,one     
,,god1 he had  introduced another       
besides that one4 ,wherefore1 because he
 was so  faithful1 because he arrogated 
nothing to himself1 that he might fulfil
  the commands of ,him who sent him1 he 
received the dignity of perpetual       
priest1 and the honour of ,supreme      
,king1 the power of a judge1 and the    
title of ,god40#dha    ,and not         
inconveniently to multiply evidence1 let
 us come at once to the  very orthodox  
,athanasius himself1 and we shall find  
how little this  ,father knew of the    
nice adjustments of that ,creed which   
now passes under  his name4             
,athanasius1 ,a4,d4 #cbe4    8,for there
 is one ,god1 and there is not another  
besides ,him4 ,when it is  said that the
 ,father is the only ,god1 that he is   
one ,god1 #8,i am the  ,,first1' and    
#8,i am the ,,last1' it is well said4   
,this is not said1 however1  to take    

away from the ,son2 for he also is in   
,,the ,,one1 ,,first1 and ,,only  ,,one1
 as being the only ,logos1 ,wisdom1 and 
,effulgence of him who is ,,the  ,,one1 
and ,,the ,,alone1 and ,,the            
,,supreme40#dhb    8,and ,athanasius    
himself1 who is commonly accounted the  
very ,rule of  ,orthodoxality in this   
point1 when he doth so often resemble   
the ,father  to the ,sun1 or the        
original ,light2 and the ,son to the    
splendour or  brightness of it1 7as     
likewise doth the ,nicene ,council and  
the  ,scripture itself17 he seems hereby
 to imply some dependence of the        
,second upon the ,first1 and            
subordination to it4 ,especially when he
  declareth1 that the ,three ,persons of
 the ,trinity are not to be  looked upon
 as ,three ,principles1 nor to be       
resembled to ,three ,suns1  but to the  
,sun1 and its splendour1 and its        
derivative light40#dhc    ,now ,i may   
sum up the impression of these passages 
in the words of the  very learned       

,cudworth3--8,but particularly as to    
their gradual  subordination of the     
,second ,hypostasis to the ,first1 and  
of the  ,third to the ,first and        
,second1 our ,platonick ,christian      
doubtless  would therefore plead them   
the more excusable1 because the         
generality of  ,christian ,doctors1 for 
the first three hundred years after the 
,apostles' times1 plainly asserted the  
same2 as ,justin ,martyr1  ,athenagoras1
 ,tatianus1 ,irenus1 the ,author of the 
,recognitions1  ,tertullian1 ,clemens   
,alexandrinus1 ,origen1 ,gregorius      
,thaumaturgus1  ,dionysius of           
,alexandria1 ,lactantius1 and many      
others4 ,all whose  testimonies1 because
 it would be too tedious to set down    
here1 we shall  content ourselves with  
one of the last mentioned2--#8,both the 
,father and  ,son is ,god3 but he as it 
were an exuberant fountain1 this as a   
stream  derived from him3 ,he like to   
the sun1 this like to a ray extended    
from  the sun4' ,and though it be true1 

that ,athanasius1 writing against the   
,arians1 does appeal to the tradition of
 the antient ,church1 and amongst       
others cites ,origen's testimony too2   
yet this was only for the ,eternity  and
 ,divinity of the ,son of ,god1 but not 
at all for such an absolute  co-equality
 of him with the ,father as would       
exclude all dependence1  subordination1 
and inferiority2#dhd those antients so  
unanimously  agreeing therein1 that they
 are by ,petavius therefore taxed for   
,platonism1 and having by that means    
corrupted the purity of the  ,christian 
,faith1 in this article of the ,trinity4
 ,which how it can be  reconciled with  
those other opinions1 of ,ecclesiastic  
,tradition being a  ,rule of ,faith1 and
 impossibility of the visible ,churches 
erring in any  fundamental point1 cannot
 easily be understood4 ,however1 this   
general  ,tradition1 or ,consent of the 
,christian ,church1 for three hundred   
years  together after the ,apostles'    
times1 though it cannot justify the     

,platonists in anything discrepant from 
the ,scripture1 yet may it in some      
measure doubtless plead their excuse1   
who had no ,scripture ,revelation at    
all to guide them herein2 and so at     
least make their error more  tolerable  
or pardonable40#dhe    ,we come now to a
 time when these floating and indefinite
 conceptions  were to assume more fixed 
forms4 ,it is apparent that so far the  
,christian ,fathers fluctuated between  
their desire to exalt ,jesus into  the  
,logos of ,god1 and the restraining fear
 of adopting ideas or  expressions not  
reconcilable with the strict unity of   
the ,deity4 8,the  suspense and         
fluctuation10 says ,gibbon1 8produced in
 the minds of the  ,christians by these 
opposite tendencies1 may be observed in 
the writings  of the theologians who    
flourished after the end of the         
apostolic age1  and before the origin of
 the ,arian controversy4 ,their suffrage
 is  claimed with equal confidence by   
the orthodox and by the heretical       

parties2 and the most inquisitive       
critics have fairly allowed that if     
they had the good fortune of possessing 
the ,catholic ,verity1 they have        
delivered their conceptions in loose1   
inaccurate1 and sometimes  contradictory
 language40 ,ideas so naturally         
irreconcilable1 as ,jesus  when         
contemplated as the ,son of ,god1 and   
,jesus when contemplated as the  ,wisdom
 of ,god 7,logos71 with personality     
attached to it1 were certain  sooner or 
later to betray their inconsistency1 and
 to stand out from one  another in      
opposing attitudes4 ,they could be held 
in combination only so  long as two very
 strong but opposite influences1 7a     
desire to meet the  conceptions of the  
prevalent ,philosophy1 and a desire at  
the same time  to preserve unviolated   
the ,jewish and ,christian doctrine of  
the ,unity of  ,god17 operated together 
to prevent theologians looking too      
closely into  their ,faith1 or          
attempting too strictly to harmonize its

 elements4    ,the elements of a        
necessary separation existed in that    
confused system  by which the earlier   
,fathers brought together ,jesus the    
,christ1 and the  ,logos of the purer   
,platonists1 into the same conception2  
some of them  inclining to the idea of  
the ,son of ,god being an eternal       
emanation from  the ,father1 like light 
from the sun1 veiling the difficulty of 
a ,son  being co-eternal with his       
,father under the unmeaning phrase1     
#8everlasting generation'--and some     
adopting the lower view that he was     
only the highest emanation from the     
origin of all ,spirits1 the first of    
created ,beings1 and the instrument of  
,god in all the other works of          
,creation4 8,these speculations10 says  
,gibbon1 8became the most serious       
business of the present1 and most useful
 preparation for a future life4  ,a     
theology which it was incumbent to      
believe1 which it was impious to  doubt1
 and which it might be dangerous and    

even fatal to mistake1 became  the      
familiar topic of private meditation and
 popular discourse4#dhf ,the  cold      
indifference of philosophy was inflamed 
by the fervent spirit of  devotion2 and 
even the metaphors of common language   
suggested the  fallacious prejudices of 
sense and experience4 ,the ,christians1 
who  abhorred the gross and impure      
generation of the ,greek mythology1 were
  tempted to argue from the familiar    
analogy of the filial and paternal      
relations4 ,the character of ,son seemed
 to imply a perpetual  subordination to 
the voluntary author of his existence2  
but as the act  of generation in the    
most spiritual and abstracted sense1    
must be  supposed to transmit the       
properties of a common nature1 they     
durst not  presume to circumscribe the  
powers or the duration of the ,son of an
  eternal and omnipotent                
,father4--,their tender reverence for   
the memory of  ,christ1 and their horror
 for the profane worship of any created 

being1  would have engaged them to      
assert the equal and absolute divinity  
of the  ,logos1 if their rapid ascent   
toward the throne of heaven had not been
  imperceptibly checked by the          
apprehension of violating the unity and 
sole supremacy of the great ,father of  
,christ and of the ,universe40          
,christ1 when viewed as the ,wisdom or  
,logos of ,god1 was by a natural        
transition of thought placed within the 
effulgence of the divine glory2  but    
when viewed not as an ,attribute but as 
a ,person1 the ,son and ,messiah  of the
 ,father1 this dim idea would pass away1
 and the distinction  between ,god and  
,christ become too visible to be        
confused4 ,in this state  of opinion two
 parties naturally appeared1 separating 
the two ideas that  entered into the    
prevalent conception of ,christ1 each   
taking up one of  them as representing  
the whole truth respecting his nature   
and person4  ,the ,arians1 alarmed at   
the idea of two ,gods1 inclined to that 

part of  the conception which           
represented ,jesus as the ,son and      
,messenger of the  ,father1 but at the  
same time elevating him above all other 
created  beings1 and giving him an      
existence before the worlds were4 ,the  
,athanasians1 on the other hand1        
inclined to that part of the conception 
which represented him as the ,logos of  
the ,deity1 and under the reaction1  and
 the necessity for more strictly        
defining the hidden sense of  doctrines1
 produced by the ,arian ,creed1         
attempted to conquer the  difficulty of 
his ,sonship by representing him as an  
eternal emanation  from the very        
substance of the ,deity1 and exalted him
 into an equality  with ,god1 though at 
the same time they described it as a    
derived and  subordinate equality4 ,it  
is unavoidable in describing these views
 to  make use of contradictory words4   
,the ideas are irreconcilable1 and were 
only saved from plainly appearing so by 
being involved in a cloud of  mystical  

or rather no meaning words2 for words   
must either be  significant of ideas1 or
 no-sense4 ,this then was the subject of
 the  great ,arian and ,trinitarian     
,controversy1 which in the fourth       
,century  shook the peace of the world4 
,it turned upon this point1 whether     
,christ  was of the same essence as the 
,father1 and therefore not created but  
begotten or emanating2 or whether he was
 as the ,arians thought1 made out  of   
nothing1 and therefore a created ,being4
 ,neither of them contemplated  him as  
independent of the ,supreme ,deity1 but 
the ,athanasians regarded  him as a     
con-substantial and co-eternal          
emanation2 the ,arians1 though          
assigning him the highest rank1 regarded
 him as created like other  beings4     
,such are the great questions of a      
metaphysical and dogmatical  religion4  
,such are the mysteries on which ,synods
 and ,councils have  legislated4 ,such  
are the subjects in which ,ecclesiastics
 have shown more  interest than in the  

spirit of the life of ,christ1 and the  
moral hopes  and preparations of        
,immortality4 ,such are the subject     
matter of ,creeds1  the dry husks of    
doctrine1 the spiritless formulas on    
which souls are  starved1 the bread of  
,christ converted into a stone1 and yet 
in the eyes  of many1 superior to       
practical discipleship1 to ,charity and 
the ,love of  ,god1 to the spirit of    
,brotherhood and the trustful faith of  
,duty4    ,it was to settle this dispute
 that the first general ,council of the 
,church was assembled at ,nice ,a4 ,d4  
#cbe4 ,the ,emperor ,constantine        
attended  in person4 ,he had previously 
remonstrated with the contending        
parties1  and entreated them not to     
disturb the peace of the ,empire and of 
the  ,church1 for matters the most      
insignificant and small4#dhg ,but he did
  not know the temper of                
,controversialists2 nor what things     
become  important in their eyes4#dhh    
,the ,athanasians prevailed1 and 8the   

con-substantiality of the ,father and   
the ,son was established by the         
,council of ,nice40 ,under this word    
however lurked future ,controversies1   
and by con-substantiality the ,council  
of ,nice meant1 not the present         
doctrine of three persons in one ,god1  
but merely sameness of nature or  kind1 
such a sameness as three men may possess
 who are generically the  same but      
numerically different2 and this is      
openly admitted by the  highest         
authorities1 ,petavius1 ,cudworth1 ,le  
,clerc1 ,jortin4 8,the  majority10 says 
,gibbon1 8was divided into two parties1 
distinguished by  a contrary tendency to
 the sentiments of the ,tritheists1 and 
of the  ,sabellians4 ,but as those      
opposite extremes seemed to overthrow   
the  foundations either of natural or   
revealed religion1 they mutually agreed 
to qualify the rigour of their          
principles2 and to disavow the just1 but
  invidious1 consequences which might be
 urged by their antagonists4 ,the       

interest of the common cause inclined   
them to join their numbers1 and to      
conceal their differences2 their        
animosities were softened by the        
healing counsels of toleration1 and     
their disputes were suspended by the    
use of the mysterious ,homoousion       
7,consubstantial71 which either party   
was free to interpret according to their
 peculiar tenets4 ,the ,sabellian       
sense1 which about fifty years before   
had obliged the ,council of ,antioch  to
 prohibit this celebrated term1 had     
endeared it to those theologians  who   
entertained a secret but partial        
affection for a nominal ,trinity4  ,but 
the more fashionable saints of the      
,arian times1 the intrepid  ,athanasius1
 the learned ,gregory ,nazianzen1 and   
the other pillars of the  ,church1 who  
supported with ability and success the  
,nicene doctrine1  appeared to consider 
the expression of substance as if it had
 been  synonymous with that of nature2  
and they ventured to illustrate their   

meaning1 by affirming that three men1 as
 they belong to the same common         
species1 are con-substantial or         
homoousian to each other4 ,this pure and
  distinct equality was tempered on the 
one hand by the internal  connection1   
and spiritual penetration1 which        
indissolubly unites the  divine persons1
 and on the other by the pre-eminence of
 the ,father1  which was acknowledged as
 far as it is compatible with the       
independence  of the son4 ,within these 
limits the almost invisible and         
tremulous ball  of ,orthodoxy was       
allowed securely to vibrate4 ,on either 
side beyond this  consecrated ground the
 heretics and the dmons lurked in ambush
 to  surprise and devour the unhappy    
wanderer4 ,but as the degrees of        
theological hatred depend on the ,spirit
 of the war1 rather than on the         
importance of the ,controversy1 the     
heretics who degraded1 were treated     
with more severity than those who       
annihilated the person of the           

,son40#dhi    ,we are now arrived at    
that great period in the faith of the   
,church1 when  the dignity of the ,son  
was authoritatively settled by the      
,nicene  ,council4 ,here is a brief     
account of its proceedings4 8,the       
,bishops began  by much personal        
dissension1 and presented to the        
,emperor a variety of  written          
accusations against each other2 the     
,emperor burnt all their  libels and    
exhorted them to peace and unity4 ,they 
then proceeded to  examine the momentous
 question proposed to them4 ,it was soon
 discovered  that the differences which 
it was intended to reconcile might in   
their  principle be reduced to one      
point1 and that point might be expressed
 by  one word1 and thus the question    
appears to have been speedily           
simplified 7as indeed was necessary that
 so many persons might come to  one     
conclusion on so mysterious a subject7  
and reduced to this--whether  the ,son  
was or was not consubstantial with the  

,father4 ,then arose  subtile           
disceptations respecting the meaning of 
the word1 #8about which  some conflicted
 with each other1 dwelling on the term  
and minutely  dissecting it2 it was like
 a battle fought in the dark2 for       
neither  party seemed at all to         
understand on what ground they vilified 
each  other4' ,however the result was   
perfectly conclusive2 they finally      
decided against the ,arian opinions1 and
 established respecting the two  first  
persons in the ,trinity1 the doctrine   
which the ,church still  professes in   
the ,nicene ,creed40#dij    ,this       
doctrine is as follows3--you will       
perceive that it is partly              
,trinitarian1 and only partly1 a derived
 deity being attributed to  the ,son1   
and no deity whatsoever attributed to   
the ,holy ,spirit4  ,changes were       
afterwards introduced into this ,creed  
to adapt it to the  growing orthodoxy of
 the times4 ,i shall mention these in   
their proper  places2 meanwhile ,i give 

the ,nicene ,creed of the ,nicene       
,council3--                        ,the 
,nicene ,creed1 ,a4,d4 #cbe4    8,we    
believe in one ,god1 the ,father        
,almighty1 maker of all things visible  
and invisible2 and in one ,lord ,jesus  
,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 begotten  and
 only begotten of the ,father2 that is  
of the substance of the ,father1  ,god  
of 7out of7 ,god1 ,light of 7from7      
,light1 very ,god of very ,god1         
begotten1 not made1 consubstantial with 
the ,father1 by whom all things  were   
made both in heaven and in earth3 who   
for us men1 and for our  salvation1     
descended and was incarnate1 and was    
made man1 suffered1 and  rose again the 
third day1 ascended into the heavens1   
and will come to  judge the living and  
the dead4 7,we believe7 also in the     
,holy ,ghost4    8,the holy ,catholic   
and ,apostolic ,church anathematizes    
those who say that  there was a time    
when the ,son of ,god was not1 and that 
before he was  begotten he was not1 and 

that he was made out of nothing1 or out 
of  another substance or essence1 and is
 created1 changeable1 or alterable40    
8,such10 says ,jortin1 8was the ,nicene 
,creed1 as it stood originally and      
before it was interpolated by subsequent
 ,councils4 ,our church hath  dropped   
the anathematizing clauses at the end1  
and one cannot help  wishing that the   
,nicene ,fathers had done the same4 ,the
 ,christians in  times following were   
perpetually making anathematisms1 even  
upon the  slightest and poorest         
occasions2 and it is really a wonder    
that they did  not at last insert in    
their ,litanies1 #8,we beseech ,thee to 
curse and  confound the ,pelagians1     
,semi-pelagians1 ,nestorians1           
,eutychians1  ,monothelites1 ,jacobites1
 ,iconoclasts1 and all heretics and     
schismatics4'0#dia    ,the history of   
the fourth century is almost entirely   
taken up with the  persecutions of      
,consubstantialists against ,arians1    
,arians against  ,consubstantialists1   

and the minor strifes of the            
subdivisions of these  sects4 ,after the
 death of ,constantine1 the ,emperor    
,constantius sided  with the ,arians1   
and then the persecuted became the      
persecutors1 for  wherever a dogmatical 
,religion is held1 wherever ,creeds are 
the  ,essentials of ,salvation1 of      
course no ,charity can be learned in the
  ,school of ,suffering4 ,there is an   
admirable passage contained in          
,archdeacon ,jortin's most instructive  
remarks on ,ecclesiastical ,history4    
,it extorts a smile to observe with what
 unconsciousness dogmatic  ,theologians 
of all ages insult their                
fellow-disciples1 in the name and  for  
the love of ,god1 and close their acts  
of persecution with the words  of       
affection and blessing3--    8,in the   
fourth century were held thirteen       
,councils against ,arius1  fifteen for  
him1 and seventeen for the ,semiarians2 
in all  forty-five4#dib    8,how could  
the ,arians1 in the time of ,constantius

 and ,valens1 bring  themselves to such 
an un-christian persecuting temper8 ,how
 could they  oppress their              
fellow-,christians1 the                 
,consubstantialists1 who1 supposing     
them to have been in error1 fell into it
 through a religious fear of  ascribing 
too little to their ,redeemer1 and of   
not paying him sufficient  honour8 ,can 
a man love his saviour1 and hate his    
brother for a mistake  of this kind8    
8,and how could the ,consubstantialists 
persuade themselves that an ,arian1  who
 perhaps had suffered for professing    
,christianity in times of  distress1 who
 believed ,christ to be his ,maker1 his 
,saviour1 his ,king1  and his ,judge1   
would choose to detract from his        
dignity1 and to offend  him in whom he  
placed all his hopes of salvation8      
,human nature is not  capable of this   
folly2 and if the man were in an error1 
yet in such a  person the error must    
have been involuntary1 a mere defect of 
the  understanding1 and not a fault of  

the will4    8,a ,christian and a lover 
of peace1 who lived in obscurity1 and   
whose  name ,i cannot tell1 stood up and
 said3--#8,my brethren1 the things to be
  believed are few1 the things to be    
done are many3 but you behave           
yourselves as if the reverse of this    
were true4 ,st4 ,paul tells you1 8,the  
grace of ,god that bringeth ,salvation  
hath appeared to all men2 teaching  us  
that denying ungodliness and worldly    
lusts1 we should live soberly1          
righteously1 and godly1 in this present 
world1 looking for that blessed  hope1  
and the glorious appearance of the great
 ,god1 and 7of7 our  ,saviour1 ,jesus   
,christ40 ,concerning the nature of     
,jesus you can dispute  incessantly1 and
 concerning the word ,grace1 you will   
probably dispute  no less2 but the rest 
of the sentence you disregard as of     
small  consequence or importance4 ,what1
 ,i beseech you1 must the ,jews and the 
,pagans conceive of you and of your     
religion8 ,and what do the holy angels  

think1 who look down upon your          
contentions8 ,those blessed and         
compassionate spirits pity you1 and     
think you mere children4 ,but when  from
 contending you proceed to beating your 
fellow-servants1 to  persecuting and    
destroying1 they consider you as most   
malicious and  wicked children2 their   
pity is changed into indignation1 and   
they would  strike you dead1 if the     
,supreme ,governor did not stay their   
hand1 and  remind them that such        
disorders must needs arise1 and shall   
one day be  rectified4'    8,so said    
this ,unknown2 but behold the           
consequence6 ,the  ,consubstantialists  
called him an ,arian1 and the ,arians   
called him a  ,consubstantialist4       
8,the ,nicene ,fathers having           
anathematized the ,arians1 the ,emperor 
seconded them1 and banished ,arius and  
the bishops who sided with him1  and    
ordered the books of ,arius to be burnt2
 and added1 #8,if any man be  found to  
have concealed a copy of those books1   

and not to have instantly  produced it  
and thrown it into the fire1 he shall be
 put to death4 ,the  ,lord be with you  
all6'0#dic--7;,eccles4 ,hist4 vol4 ii4  
p4 #bje47    ,i shall now summon two    
authorities1 the one ,cudworth1 the     
other ,jortin1  to prove that the       
,nicene ,fathers had no knowledge of the
 present  doctrine of the ,trinity1 and 
that they believed ,christ to be the    
same  with ,god1 not numerically1 but as
 partaking of the same nature1          
belonging to the same class of          
beings3--8,wherefore it seemeth to be   
unquestionably evident1 that when the   
ancient orthodox ,fathers of the        
,christian ,church maintained against   
,arius1 the ,son to be ,co-essential or 
,consubstantial with the ,father1 though
 the word be thus interpreted1 of  the  
same essence or substance1 yet they     
universally understood thereby1  not a  
sameness of singular and numerical1 but 
of common or universal  essence only2   
that is the generical or specifical     

,essence of the  ,godhead2 that the ,son
 was no ,creature1 but truly and        
properly  ,god40 99 99 99    8,we have  
now given a full account of the true and
 genuine ,platonic  ,trinity2 from which
 it may clearly appear1 how far it      
either agreeth or  disagreeth with the  
,christian4 ,first1 therefore1 though   
some of the  later ,platonists have     
partly misunderstood1 and partly        
adulterated that  ancient ,cabala of the
 ,trinity1 as was before declared1      
confounding  therein the differences    
between ,god and the ,creature1 and     
thereby  laying a foundation for        
infinite ,polytheism2 yet did ,plato    
himself and  some of his genuine        
followers1 7though living before        
,christianity17  approach so near to the
 doctrine thereof1 as in some manner to 
correspond therewith40 444 8,from whence
 it may be concluded1 that as  ,arianism
 is commonly supposed to approach nearer
 to the truth of  ,christianity than    
,photinianism1 so is ,platonism         

undoubtedly more  agreeable thereunto   
than ,arianism1 it being a certain      
middle thing1  betwixt that and         
,sabellianism1 which in general was that
 mark that the  ,nicene ,council also   
aimed at40    ,this is more fully       
explained in the next extract3--        
8,athanasius in sundry places still     
further supposes those three divine     
hypostases to make up one entire        
divinity1 after the same manner as the  
,fountain and the ,stream make up one   
entire river2 or the root1  and the     
stock1 and the branches1 one entire     
tree4 ,and in this sense  also is the   
whole ,trinity said by him to be one    
,divinity1 and one  ,nature1 and one    
,essence1 and one ,god4 ,and            
accordingly1 the word  ,homoousios      
7,consubstantial7 seems here to be taken
 by ,athanasius in a  further sense     
besides that before mentioned2 not only 
for things  agreeing in one common and  
general essence1 as ,three individual   
men  are co-essential with one another2 

but also for such as concurrently       
together1 make up one entire thing1 and 
are therefore jointly essential         
thereunto4--,in all which doctrine of   
his there is nothing but what a true    
and genuine ,platonist would readily    
subscribe to4 ,from whence it may be    
concluded1 that the right ,platonic     
,trinity differs not so much from the   
doctrine of the ,ancient ,church1 as    
some late writers have                  
supposed40--7,intellec4 ,sys4 p4 #eia1  
#fjh1 #fai-bj47did    8,but here it will
 be asked1 perhaps1 what was the        
doctrine of the ,nicene  ,fathers1 and  
what did they mean by                   
,consubstantiality4 ,it is impossible   
to answer this question without using   
logical and metaphysical terms4    8,by 
the word ,consubstantial1 they meant not
 of the same numerical1 or  individual  
substance1 but of the same generical    
substance or  subsistence4 ,as1 amongst 
men1 a son is consubstantial with his   
father2  so1 in their opinion1 the ,son 

of ,god is consubstantial with the      
,father1  that is1 of the same divine   
nature4    8,by this word therefore they
 intended to express the same kind of   
nature1 and so far1 a natural equality4 
,but according to them1 this  natural   
equality excluded not a relative        
inequality2 a majority and  minority1   
founded upon the everlasting difference 
between giving and  receiving1 causing1 
and being caused4    8,they had no      
notion of distinguishing between person 
and being1  between an intelligent      
agent1 and an intelligent active        
substance1  subsistence1 or entity4     
8,when they said that the ,father was   
,god1 they meant that he was ,god of    
himself1 originally1 and underived4     
8,when they said that the ,son was ,god1
 they meant that he was ,god by         
generation or derivation4    8,the      
,unity of ,god they maintained1 and they
 defended it1 first1 by  considering the
 ,father as the ,first ,cause1 the only 
underived and  self-existing2 secondly1 

by supposing an intimate1 inseparable1  
and  incomprehensible union1 connection1
 indwelling1 and co-existence1 by  which
 the ,father was in the ,son1 and the   
,son in the ,father2 and thirdly1  by   
saying that in the ,father and the ,son 
there was an unity of will1  design1 and
 consent1 and one divine power and      
dominion1 originally in  the ,father1   
and derivatively in the ,son4    8,in   
process of time1 ,christians went into a
 notion that the ,son was #8of  the same
 individual substance with the ,father1 
and with the ,holy  ,spirit1' and they  
seem to have done this with a view to   
secure the  doctrine of the ,unity4     
8,the schoolmen took up the subject1 and
 treated it in their way1 which  they   
call explaining1 and which men of sense 
call impenetrable  jargon40--7,jortin1  
,eccles4 ,hist4 vol4 ii4 p4 #bjb47      
,you will observe1 that so far no       
mention had been made of the separate   
deity of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the        
original ,nicene ,creed is silent upon  

the  subject4 ,it was a question that   
grew out of the deity of ,christ4 ,the  
philosophy of the times1 no less than   
the reluctance to be deemed the         
followers of a crucified man1 led to the
 deification of ,jesus1 and  afterwards1
 from the personifications of the ,holy 
,spirit1 in such  expressions as 8,i    
will send unto you the ,comforter1 even 
the ,spirit of  ,truth10 and from its   
frequent connection with the name and   
mission of  ,christ1 arose the idea of a
 separate divinity1 a third person in   
the  ,trinity4 ,the ,platonic ,trinity  
would indeed have naturally led the     
early  ,fathers to the conception of a  
third principle1 and in some of the     
,anti-,nicene ,writers this conception  
appears2 but the ,controversy was       
carried on with almost exclusive        
reference to the deity of ,christ1 which
  independent of the general burden of  
their writings1 clearly appears  from   
the fact1 that when defending themselves
 against the charge of  violating the   

,unity of ,god1 they always state the   
objection1 so as to  show that the      
accusation against them was that they   
were 8introducing a  second ,god40      
,accordingly it was after the ,council  
at ,nice1 when the deity of the ,son    
was established1 that orthodoxy took a  
second and consequent step1 and         
proceeded to establish the deity of the 
third person in the  ,trinity4#die      
,this was effected towards the close of 
the fourth century1 ,a4,d4 #cha1 by  the
 ,second ,general ,council1 that of     
,constantinople1 when the following     
addition was made to the previously     
deficient orthodoxy of the ,nicene      
,creed4 ,the ,nicene ,creed had simply  
stated1 8,we believe in the ,holy       
,ghost40 ,the ,council of               
,constantinople rectified the error     
thus3 8,we  believe in the ,holy ,ghost1
 the ,lord and ,giver of life2 who      
proceedeth  from the ,father2 who with  
the ,father and ,son together is        
worshipped and  glorified2 who spake by 

the prophets40 ,still1 however1 the     
adjustments  were not correct1 nor the  
formula of perfect orthodoxy4 ,it       
occurred to  the ,church1 centuries     
after1 that the ,holy ,spirit was       
described in the  ,scriptures as being  
dependent not upon the ,father alone1   
but as being  8sent0 by the ,son2 and   
that therefore the ,third ,person must  
hold that  relation to the ,second which
 the ,second did to the ,third1 and must
  therefore be derived not from the     
,father alone1 but from the ,father and 
,son together4#dif ,accordingly this new
 idea1 essential to ,salvation1  was    
included in the formula so long in this 
respect defective1 with what  fatal     
consequences we are not told2 and at    
last1 in the ninth century1 a  perfectly
 accurate and saving description of the 
procession of the ,holy  ,spirit from   
the ,father and the ,son was embodied in
 the ,nicene ,creed1  some five hundred 
years after its first construction4 ,so 
slowly did the  8unimproved and         

unimprovable revelation0 of dogmatic    
divines advance to  its perfection4 ,yet
 we are gravely told of the faith of the
 ,church1--a  faith human all over2 and 
of the traditions of ,christian         
antiquity1--traditions whose origin we  
can trace at a great distance from      
apostolic times1 and whose constant     
increase1 in proportion as we recede    
from those times1 would seem to imply   
that the further ,councils of the       
,church were removed from the ,apostles 
the more they knew about them--the      
accuracy of inspired ,tradition         
differing1 as of course it should1 from 
common ,memory and common ,history1 by  
being in an inverse ratio to the        
distance4 ,this is no subject for       
ridicule2 but only the sacred feelings  
and high themes that are necessarily    
associated with such extravagance1  have
 so long saved it from the most         
merciless exposure4 ,those solemn       
themes1 the awe and loveliness of which 
,ecclesiastical ,history has done  its  

best to lower and degrade1 have yet     
repaid the disservice by  dropping      
something of their own solemnity on its 
unworthy pages1 and by  taking every    
thing that is associated with ,god and  
,christ within the  protection of the   
sentiment of reverence1 have shielded   
,ecclesiastical  ,history from that     
unsparing criticism which perhaps would 
have been more  serviceable to ,truth1  
and productive of a reverence higher and
 more  profitable towards both ,christ  
and ,god4    ,in the history of the     
doctrine of the ,trinity1 the settlement
 of one  ,controversy always gave birth 
to another1 in the progressive attempt  
to  make mysteries intelligible4 ,the   
deity of ,christ naturally gave rise to 
some curiosity respecting the humanity  
of ,christ4 ,hitherto all parties1      
,arians1 ,athanasians1 and ,unitarians1 
according to their respective  views1   
had for the most part agreed that the   
,christ consisted of one  body and one  
spirit2 and their controversies related 

simply to the rank  and nature of that  
spirit4 ,the ,arians believed the soul  
of ,jesus to be  the first of created   
intelligences1 the highest ,emanation   
from ,god4 ,the  ,platonic ,christians  
thought that the ,logos used            
instrumentally the body  of ,jesus1 and 
supplied the place of a human soul4     
,when the ,council of  ,nice1 however1  
established that the spirit of ,jesus   
was consubstantial  with that of ,god1  
the idea naturally presented itself     
that1 since ,jesus  expired upon the    
cross1 this was to represent the divine 
nature as  capable of suffering and     
death4 ,now those who were the most     
orthodox1  whose views and language     
receded to the extremest distance from  
those of  the heretical ,arians1 would  
necessarily fall into modes of          
conception  and expression which implied
 this revolting extravagance4           
,accordingly  ,apollinaris1 one of the  
most zealous ,athanasians1 and the      
bitter enemy  of ,arius1 freely1 and    

unconscious of heresy1 followed out his 
principles  with perverse consistency1  
and openly spoke of the ,logos of ,god  
supplying the place of a human soul in  
the body of ,christ2 and1 of  course1   
undergoing all that a spirit1 so        
situated1 could suffer4#dig  ,but so    
narrow is the way of orthodoxy1 that the
 zealous ,father was made  quickly to   
discover that by starting aside from one
 heresy1 only a  little too sharply1 he 
had immediately fallen into another2 for
 the  pitfalls of damnable error lie    
upon each side of the hair-breadth way  
of  ,salvation4 ,by pursuing too        
exclusively the deity of ,christ1       
,apollinaris  overlooked his humanity1  
and taught the heresy of 8one incarnate 
nature10 and the consequent sufferings  
and death of ,god4 ,this impious        
extreme1 being condemned by the ,asiatic
 ,church1 though popular in ,egypt1     
orthodoxy naturally took a rebound2 and 
,apollinaris1 having confused the  two  
natures into one1 ,nestorius separated  

them into two1 to such an  extent1 as   
virtually to destroy the mystical union4
 ,here was another and  an opposite     
heresy equally fatal to the orthodoxy of
 the ,church and the  salvation of      
mankind2 for if such was the loose      
connection of the two  natures1 then1   
,god being incapable of suffering1 only 
the human nature  of ,jesus underwent   
crucifixion and death4 ,but1 on the     
other hand1 if  this was so1 then the   
sufferings of ,christ were only those of
 a man2  and all the mystery of the     
,incarnation was dissipated1 and became 
ineffectual for any theological purpose4
    ,a new controversy consequently     
arose1 respecting the right adjustments 
of these saving connections between the 
humanity and the deity of the  ,christ4 
8,before this time10 says ,mosheim1 8it 
had been settled by the  decrees of     
former ,councils1 that ,christ was truly
 ,god and truly man2 but  there had as  
yet been no controversy1 and no decision
 of any council1  concerning the mode   

and effect of the union of the two      
natures in  ,christ4 ,in consequence1   
there was a want of agreement among the 
,christian ,teachers in their language  
concerning this mystery40 ,this         
controversy1 which1 for some time had   
been carried on without attracting      
towards it definitively the public      
authorities of the ,church1 drew at     
last the eager notice of all            
,christendom2 when ,nestorius1 the      
,prelate of  ,constantinople1 carried   
the distinction between the two natures 
to so  definite a point as to deny that 
the ,virgin ,mary could1 with any       
propriety1 be denominated the 8,mother  
of ,god20 and that her titles  should be
 limited to that of 8,mother of ,christ0
 or 8,mother of ,man40 ,this  was       
regarded1 by the orthodox1 as reducing  
the death of ,christ to that  of a mere 
man1 and the mystery of the ,incarnation
 to little better than  a trick of      
words4 ,it was no easy matter in those  
times to avoid1 on the  one hand1       

confounding the two natures2 and1 on the
 other1 separating  them so distinctly  
as to destroy the whole theological     
value of the  mystical combination3 nor 
have modern ,theologians been more      
successful  in adjusting this puzzle    
than their perplexed and perplexing     
predecessors4    ,the chief alarmist    
upon this occasion of the heresy of     
,nestorius was  ,cyril1 the ,patriarch  
of ,alexandria1 an arrogant and aspiring
 man1 who  gladly seized upon a tempting
 opportunity to humble his rival1 the   
bishop of ,constantinople4 8,some       
jealousy which at that time subsisted   
respecting the relative dignity of the  
two sees1 probably heightened the       
contention1 and is believed by some to  
have caused it4 ,whether that be  or    
not1 the two ,patriarchs anathematized  
each other with mutual  violence2 and   
such troubles were raised that the      
,emperor 7,theodosius the  younger7     
deemed it necessary to convoke a        
,general ,council for the  purpose of   

appeasing them4 ,it was assembled at    
,ephesus ,a4,d4 #dca1 and  stands in the
 annals of the ,church as the ,,third   
,,general ,,council4 ,cyril  was        
appointed to preside1 and consequently  
to judge the cause of his  adversary3   
and he carried into this office such    
little show of  impartiality1 that he   
refused even to wait for the arrival of 
the bishop  of ,antioch and others1 who 
were held friendly to ,nestorius1 and   
proceeded to pronounce sentence1 while  
the meeting was yet incomplete4  ,to    
secure or prosecute his advantages1 he  
had brought with him from  ,egypt a     
number of robust and daring fanatics1   
who acted as his soldiery2  and it had  
been skilfully arranged that ,ephesus   
should be chosen for the  decision of a 
difference respecting the dignity of the
 ,virgin2 since  popular tradition had  
buried her in that city1 and the        
imperfect  ,christianity of its         
inhabitants had readily transferred to  
her the  worship which their ancestors  

had offered to ,diana40#dih    ,such are
 the assemblies from which our ,creeds  
date their birth2 by whose  authority   
the ,rule of ,faith was determined2 and 
whose character is  described in the    
words of the ,emperor ,theodosius when  
dismissing this  very ,council of       
,ephesus--8,god is my witness1 that ,i  
am not the author of  this confusion4   
,his providence will discern and punish 
the guilty4  ,return to your provinces2 
and may your private virtues repair the 
mischief and scandal of your meeting40  
,at this council it was decreed1  by    
bishops who could not write their own   
names1#dii that the ,union of  the human
 and divine nature in ,christ was so    
intimate that ,mary might  properly be  
called the ,mother of ,god4 ,the        
influence of ,cyril prevailed  chiefly  
by intimidating the bishops and bribing 
the imperial household4  8,thanks to the
 purse of ,st4 ,cyril10 says ,le ,clerc1
 8the ,romish ,church  which regards    
,councils as infallible1 is not1 at the 

present day1  ,nestorian40 8,the ,creeds
 of ,protestants are equally indebted to
 ,st4  ,cyril for their purity40#ejj    
,the triumphant opponents of ,nestorius1
 as is invariably found in the  history 
of ,church ,controversies1 pushed their 
triumph to such an excess1  as to fall  
into the opposite error1 and revived the
 formerly condemned  heresy of          
,apollinaris1 of the incarnation of but 
one nature4 ,eutyches  the friend of    
,st4 ,cyril and the bitter enemy of     
,nestorius1 openly  preached 8that in   
,christ there was but one nature1 that  
of the incarnate  ,word40 ,the ,church  
was again in a blaze1 and again the     
,emperor summoned a  ,council at        
,ephesus1 ,a4,d4 #ddi1 over which       
presided ,dioscorus1 the  successor of  
,st4 ,cyril as ,patriarch of            
,alexandria4 ,here the sentence of  the 
last ,council was reversed1 and         
,orthodoxy was pronounced to be the     
doctrine of one divine nature in        
,christ1 and only one4 ,this ,council1  

however1 owing principally to the       
opposition made to it by the ,bishop of 
,rome1 was never authoritatively        
recognized by the ,church1 and such was 
its character for tumult and brutality  
that it is marked in  ,ecclesiastical   
,history by the expressive name of the  
,assembly of  ,banditti4    ,speedily   
then was this heresy1 inconveniently    
sanctioned by a ,council of  the        
,church1 of only one nature in ,christ1 
which in effect represented  ,god as    
subject to suffering and death1 replaced
 by the orthodoxy of two  natures in one
 person1 which was attended1 however1   
with the opposite  difficulty of so     
separating the ,god from the ,man as to 
nullify the  mystical efficacy of his   
sufferings4#eja ,but who will devise a  
form of  words in which irreconcilable  
ideas shall be reconciled1 and no weak  
point be exposed in the skilful         
statement of a fiction8 ,,the ,,fourth  
,,general ,,council of the ,church was  
held at ,chalcedon1 ,a4,d4 #dea4 ,there 

are  two things most remarkable         
respecting this ,council2 first--that it
  declared ,jesus to be of the same     
essence with ,god as to his divine      
nature1 only in the sense in which he   
was of the same essence with other  men 
as to his human nature1 thus denying his
 numerical oneness with  ,god1 and      
merely referring him to the same class  
of ,beings1 making him  generically one1
 as two men are2#ejb and secondly--that 
though the  majority of the ,bishops    
favoured the doctrine of one nature1    
they were  obliged by the obstinacy of  
the ,emperor ,marcian1 in conjunction   
with the  ,bishop of ,rome1 to reverse  
at one of their sittings their decision 
at a  former1 and finally to decree that
 orthodoxy consisted in believing       
8,jesus ,christ to be one person in two 
distinct natures1 without any  confusion
 or mixture40 8,it was in vain10 says   
,gibbon1 8that a multitude  of episcopal
 voices 7the advocates for only one     
nature7 repeated in  chorus #8,the      

definition of the ,fathers is orthodox  
and immutable6 ,the  heretics are now   
discovered6 ,anathema to the            
,nestorians6 ,let them depart  from the 
synod6 ,let them repair to ,rome6' ,the 
,legates threatened1 the  ,emperor was  
absolute1 and a committee of eighteen   
bishops prepared a new  decree1 which   
was imposed on the reluctant assembly4  
,in the name of the  fourth general     
,council1 the ,christ in one person1 but
 in two natures1  was announced to the  
,catholic world3 an invisible line was  
drawn between  the heresy of            
,apollinaris and the faith of ,st4      
,cyril2 and the road to  paradise1 a    
bridge as sharp as a razor1 was         
suspended over the abyss by  the master 
hand of the theological artist4 ,during 
ten centuries of  blindness and         
servitude1 ,europe received her         
religious opinions from the  ,oracle of 
the ,vatican2 and the same doctrine1    
already varnished with the  rust of     
antiquity1 was admitted without dispute 

into the creed of the  ,reformers1 who  
disclaimed the supremacy of the ,roman  
pontiff4 ,the synod  of ,chalcedon still
 triumphs in the ,protestant churches2  
but the ferment  of controversy has     
subsided1 and the most pious ,christians
 of the  present day are ignorant1 or   
careless1 of their own belief concerning
  the mystery of the incarnation40#ejc  
,still the great difficulty pressed upon
 this decision1 that the ,god was  so   
separable from the man as to destroy the
 mystical value of the  incarnation with
 respect to the sufferings of ,jesus4 ,a
 resource was  found1 7for when are     
,theologians without resources87 in what
 has been  called the doctrine of the   
,communication of ,properties1 which    
meant that  though ,god was incapable of
 sufferings or death1 yet that through  
the  mystical union of the human and    
divine1 there might be a transmission of
  qualities from the one to the other1  
so as to attach an infinite  efficacy to
 the sufferings and death of the human  

part of the compound  ,christ4 8,the    
doctrine of the ,communication of       
,properties10 says ,le  ,clerc1 8is as  
intelligible as if one were to say1 that
 there is a circle  which is so united  
with a triangle1 that the circle has the
 properties  of the triangle1 and the   
triangle those of the circle40 8,what   
sense  those who have asserted the      
sufferings of ,god have fancied that the
  words might have1 is a question which1
 after all that has been written  upon  
the subject1 is left very much to       
conjecture4 ,i imagine that it is  at   
the present day1 the gross conception of
 some who think themselves  orthodox on 
this point1 that the divine and human   
natures being united  in ,christ as the 
,mediator1 a compound nature different  
from either1  capable of suffering1 was 
thus formed40#ejd    ,i have now        
detailed the progress of the doctrine of
 the ,trinity1 as it  gained accessions 
from the various controversies that     
arose out of the  ,nicene ,creed4 ,we   

come now to the ,,third ,,creed of the  
,english ,church1 that  of ,athanasius4 
,orthodoxy in this creed approaches to  
its perfection of  precise1 if not      
intelligible1 statements2 though1       
strange to say1 we  shall find that even
 here something of completeness is      
wanting1 and that  the later schemes of 
the ,trinity have corrected the         
,athanasian formula1  as dwelling too   
much upon the derived nature of the     
,son1 and not  asserting with sufficient
 force his independent identity4    ,no 
general ,council of the ,church         
established the ,athanasian creed2 nor  
does any one know who wrote it1 nor when
 it was first introduced4 ,from  one of 
its clauses1 the procession of the ,holy
 ,spirit from the ,father  and ,son1    
which secret was not made known to the  
,church until the eighth  century1 it   
becomes evident that this theological   
paradox proceeded from  the ingenuity of
 some monk of the dark ages4 ,the whole 
force of this  ,creed depends upon two  

distinctions1 which ,i presume no one   
can  perceive1 between 8created0 and    
8begotten10 and between 8begotten0 and  
8proceeding40 ,the ,son is not created  
but begotten--and the ,holy ,ghost  is  
not begotten but proceeding4 ,and this  
is saving truth6 food for  the ,soul6   
the heavenly light sent from ,god to    
refresh man's inner  spirit1 and to fill
 him with the aspirations after         
perfection1 which in  this world of     
temptation are to keep him true to his  
immortal destinies1  to connect him with
 his ,example and ,fore-runner1 once    
tried upon the  ,earth1 now peaceful    
amid the skies6 ,to one asking1 8,what  
shall ,i do to  inherit eternal life80  
the answer of ,jesus addressed itself to
 the  spiritual life of the disciple1   
but the answer of the ,church of        
,england  addresses itself to a         
perception of certain metaphysical      
distinctions1  and is contained in that 
creed which 8unless a man keep whole and
  undefiled1 without doubt he shall     

perish everlastingly40                  
,the ,athanasian ,creed4 7,a4,d4        
#ejj-hjj47    ,whosoever will be saved3 
before all things it is necessary that  
he hold  the ,catholick ,faith4         
,which ,faith1 except every one do keep 
whole and undefiled3 without doubt  he  
shall perish everlastingly4    ,and the 
,catholick ,faith is this3 that we      
worship one ,god in ,trinity1 and       
,trinity in ,unity2    ,neither         
confounding the ,persons3 nor dividing  
the ,substance4    ,for there is one    
,person of the ,father1 another of the  
,son3 and another  of the ,holy ,ghost4 
,but the ,godhead of the ,father1 of the
 ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost1 is all  
one3 the ,glory equal1 the ,majesty     
co-eternal4    ,such as the ,father is1 
such is the ,son3 and such is the ,holy 
,ghost4    ,the ,father uncreate1 the   
,son uncreate3 and the ,holy ,ghost     
uncreate4    ,the ,father               
incomprehensible1 the ,son              
incomprehensible3 and the ,holy  ,ghost 

incomprehensible4    ,the ,father       
eternal1 the ,son eternal3 and the ,holy
 ,ghost eternal4    ,and yet they are   
not three eternals3 but one eternal4    
,as also there are not three            
incomprehensibles1 nor three uncreated3 
but  one uncreated1 and one             
incomprehensible4    ,so likewise the   
,father is ,almighty1 the ,son          
,almighty3 and the ,holy ,ghost         
,almighty4    ,and yet they are not     
three ,almighties3 but one ,almighty4   
,so the ,father is ,god1 the ,son is    
,god3 and the ,holy ,ghost is ,god4     
,and yet they are not three ,gods3 but  
one ,god4    ,so likewise the ,father is
 ,lord1 the ,son ,lord3 and the ,holy   
,ghost ,lord4    ,and yet not three     
,lords3 but one ,lord4    ,for like as  
we are compelled by the ,christian      
verity3 to acknowledge  every ,person by
 himself to be ,god and ,lord2    ,so   
are we forbidden by the ,catholick      
,religion3 to say1 ,there be three      
,gods1 or three ,lords4    ,the ,father 

is made of none3 neither created1 nor   
begotten4    ,the ,son is of the ,father
 alone3 not made1 nor created1 but      
begotten4    ,the ,holy ,ghost is of the
 ,father and of the ,son3 neither made1 
nor  created1 nor begotten1 but         
proceeding4    ,so there is one ,father1
 not three ,fathers2 one ,son1 not three
 ,sons3 one  ,holy ,ghost1 not three    
,holy ,ghosts4    ,and in this ,trinity 
none is afore1 or after other3 none is  
greater1 or  less than another2    ,but 
the whole three ,persons are co-eternal 
together3 and co-equal4    ,so that in  
all things1 as is aforesaid3 the ,unity 
in ,trinity1 and the  ,trinity in       
,unity1 is to be worshipped4    ,he     
therefore that will be saved3 must thus 
think of the ,trinity4    ,furthermore1 
it is necessary to everlasting          
salvation3 that he also  believe rightly
 the ,incarnation of our ,lord ,jesus   
,christ4    ,for the right ,faith is1   
that we believe and confess3 that our   
,lord ,jesus  ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1

 is ,god and ,man2    ,god1 of the      
,substance of the ,father1 begotten     
before the worlds3 and  ,man1 of the    
,substance of his ,mother1 born in the  
world2    ,perfect ,god1 and perfect    
,man3 of a reasonable soul and human    
flesh  subsisting2    ,equal to the     
,father1 as touching his ,godhead3 and  
inferior to the  ,father1 as touching   
his ,manhood4    ,who although he be    
,god and ,man3 yet he is not two1 but   
one ,christ2    ,one2 not by conversion 
of the ,godhead into flesh3 but by      
taking of the  ,manhood into ,god2      
,one altogether2 not by confusion of    
,substance3 but by unity of ,person4    
,for as the reasonable soul and flesh is
 one man3 so ,god and ,man is one       
,christ2    ,who suffered for our       
salvation3 descended into hell1 rose    
again the  third day from the dead4     
,he ascended into heaven1 he sitteth on 
the right hand of the ,father1 ,god     
,almighty3 from whence he shall come to 
judge the quick and the dead4    ,at    

whose coming all men shall rise again   
with their bodies3 and shall  give      
account for their own works4    ,and    
they that have done good shall go into  
life everlasting3 and they  that have   
done evil into everlasting fire4        
,this is the ,catholick ,faith3 which1  
except a man believe faithfully1 he     
cannot be saved4    ,i shall now give   
you the history and character of this   
,athanasian ,creed  in the words of     
,waddington1 one of the ablest          
,ecclesiastical ,historians1  ,i might  
say the ablest1 for ,jortin did not     
pretend to write a ,history1  that the  
,church of ,england has produced4 ,you  
will recollect that one of  the         
,lectures1 to be delivered at ,christ   
,church1 announces 8the  ,athanasian    
,creed to be explained and defended40   
,without wishing to  anticipate that    
,lecture1 hear now1 and recollect then1 
the opposing  voices of the ,church4    
8,before we take leave of this period1  
7from ,a4,d4 #fjj1 to ,a4,d4 #hjj17 it  

is proper to mention1 that the first    
appearance of the ,creed1 commonly      
called ,athanasian1 is ascribed to it   
with great probability4 ,there can  be  
no doubt that this exposition of faith  
was composed in the ,west1 and  in      
,latin2 but the exact date of its       
composition has been the subject of     
much difference4 ,the very definite     
terms1 in which it expresses the        
,church doctrine of the ,incarnation1   
are sufficient to prove it posterior  to
 the ,councils of ,ephesus and          
,chalcedon1 or later than the middle of 
the fifth century4#eje ,again1 if we are
 to consider the doctrine of the  double
 procession of the ,holy ,spirit1 as    
being expressly declared in  it1 since  
that mystery was scarcely made matter of
 public controversy  until the eighth   
century1 it might seem difficult to     
refer a creed1  positively asserting the
 more recent doctrine1 to an earlier    
age4 ,but  the historical monuments of  
the ,church do not quite support this   

supposition2 the ,creed1 such probably  
as it now exists1 is mentioned by  the  
,council of ,autun1 in the year #fgj1   
and its faithful repetition by  the     
,clergy enjoined2 and we find the same  
injunction repeated in the  beginning of
 the ninth age4 ,thus it gradually      
gained ground2  nevertheless there seems
 to be great reason for the opinion1    
that it was  not universally received   
even in the western church until nearly 
two  centuries afterwards4              
8,considered as an exposition of        
doctrine1 the ,athanasian ,creed        
contains  a faithful summary of the high
 mysteries of ,christianity as          
interpreted  by the ,church of ,rome4   
,considered as a rule of necessary faith
 enforced  by the penalty of ,eternal   
,condemnation1 the same ,creed again    
expresses  one of the most rigid        
principles of the same ,church4 ,the    
,unity of the  ,church comprehended     
,unity of belief3 there could be no     
salvation out of  it2 nor any hope for  

those who deviated even from the most   
mysterious  among its tenets4 ,and thus1
 by constant familiarity with the       
declarations of an exclusive faith1 the 
heart of many a ,romish priest  may have
 been closed against the sufferings of  
the heretic1 rescued 7as  he might      
think7 by the merciful chastisement of  
the ,church from the  flames which are  
never quenched6    8,it would be        
irrelevant in this work1 and wholly     
unprofitable1 to  inquire how far any   
temporary circumstances may have        
justified the  introduction of the      
,athanasian ,creed into the ,liturgy of 
our own  ,church--constructed as that   
,church is on the very opposite         
principle of  ,universal ,charity4 ,but 
we cannot forbear to offer one remark   
naturally  suggested by the character   
and history of this ,creed1 that if at  
any  future time1 it should be judged   
expedient to expunge it1 there is no    
reason1 there is scarcely any prejudice 
which could be offended by such         

erasure4#ejf ,the sublime truths which  
it contains are not expressed in  the   
language of ,holy ,scripture2 nor could 
they possibly have been so  expressed1  
since the inspired writers were not     
studious minutely to  expound           
inscrutable mysteries1 neither can it   
plead any sanction from  high antiquity1
 or even traditional authority2 since it
 was composed  many centuries after the 
times of the ,apostles1 in a very       
corrupt age of  a corrupt ,church1 and  
composed in so much obscurity1 that the 
very pen  from which it proceeded is not
 certainly known to us4 ,the inventions 
of  men1 when they have been associated 
for ages with the exercises of          
religion1 should indeed be touched with 
respect and discretion2 but it  is a    
dangerous error to treat them as        
inviolable2 and it is something  worse  
than error to confound them in holiness 
and reverence with the  words and things
 of ,god40#ejg    ,in reading these     
words the wish involuntarily arises that

 the temper1 as  well as the sound      
learning and philosophical spirit1 of   
the able writer  was shared by all his  
brethren4 ,yet it does sound strange to 
hear a  dignitary of the ,church of     
,england describe a ,creed of his own   
,church1  as having its only use1 during
 the days of ,romish intolerance1 in    
shutting up1 through familiarity with   
its persecuting spirit1 the  avenues of 
relenting mercy in the hard hearts of   
priests2 and now in the  milder ,church 
of ,england1 constructed1 we are told1  
though we had not  discovered it1 on the
 8principle of ,universal ,charity10 of 
absolutely no  use whatever1 so that    
there hardly exists even a prejudice    
which its  erasure would offend4 ,yet   
this is the very ,creed which1 in the   
course of  this controversy is to be    
explained and defended4 ,if the ,church 
of  ,england is1 indeed1 founded in the 
principle of ,universal ,charity1 some  
of its ,ministers are very heretical    
interpreters of its spirit1 and yet  we 

must do them the justice of confessing  
that the ,creeds and ,articles  of the  
,church are equally unfortunate         
expounders of the spirit of  ,universal 
,charity4 ,men of ,christian and gentle 
temper interpret ,articles  of ,faith   
through their own gentle spirit2 but    
fanatics read hard  formulas with       
different eyes4 ,we can only wish that  
the religion of this  excellent         
historian was the religion of his       
,church1 and that his ,creed  was as    
,christian as his heart4    ,i have now 
only to mention the more modern and     
final form of the  doctrine of the      
,trinity4 ,it arose out of the still    
unsettled meaning of  the long used word
 ,consubstantial1 which1 as ,i have     
before stated1 was  used by many of the 
later ,fathers1 and those considered    
pre-eminently  orthodox1 as ,cyril1 to  
signify not a numerical sameness1 but   
merely a  sameness of species or nature1
 and so the ,trinity virtually taught   
the  doctrine of three ,gods4 ,and this 

conception was prevalent not only after 
the ,council of ,nice1 ,a4,d4 #cbe1 but 
after the later ,councils of            
,constantinople1 ,a4,d4 #cha1 and of    
,ephesus1 ,a4,d4 #dca4 ,i give the      
history  of the last transformation of  
the ,trinity in the words1 and with the 
authority of ,cudworth3--    8,it is    
certain that not a few of those ,ancient
 ,fathers1 who were  therefore reputed  
orthodox1 because they zealously opposed
 ,arianism1 did  entertain this opinion1
 that the three hypostases or ,persons  
of the  ,trinity had not only one       
,general and ,universal ,essence of the 
,godhead1  belonging to them all1 they  
being all ,god2 but were also ,three    
,individuals1 under one and the same    
ultimate species1 or specific  essence  
and substance of the ,godhead2 just as  
three individual men1  7,thomas1 ,peter1
 and ,john17 under that ultimate species
 of ,man1 or that  specific essence of  
,humanity1 which have only a numerical  
difference  from one another40 444 8,and

 because it seems plainly to follow from
  hence1 that therefore they must needs 
be as much three ,gods as there  are    
,three ,men1 these learned ,fathers     
endeavoured with their logic to  prove1 
that ,three ,men are but abusively and  
improperly so called  ,three2 they being
 really and truly but ,one1 because     
there is but one  and the same ,specific
 ,essence or ,substance of human nature 
in them all2  and seriously persuaded   
men to lay aside all that kind of       
language4 ,by  which same logic of      
theirs1 they might as well prove also1  
that all the  men in the world are but  
,one ,man1 and that all ,epicurus's     
,gods were  but one ,god neither4 ,but  
not to urge here that1 according to this
  hypothesis1 there cannot possibly be  
any reason given why there should  be as
 many as ,three such individuals in the 
species of ,god which  differ only      
numerically from one another1 they being
 but the very same  thing thrice        
repeated2 and yet that there should be  

no more than ,three  such neither1 and  
not ,three ,hundred1 or ,three          
,thousand1 or as many as  there are     
individuals in the species of ,man2 we  
say not to urge this1 it  seems plain   
that this ,trinity1 is no other than a  
kind of ,tritheism1  and that of ,gods  
independent and co-ordinate too4 ,and1  
therefore1  some would think that the   
ancient and genuine ,platonic ,trinity1 
taken  with all its faults1 is to be    
preferred before this ,trinity of ,st4  
,cyril1 and ,st4 ,gregory ,nyssen1 and  
several other reputed orthodox          
,fathers2 and more agreeable to the     
principles both of ,christianity and  of
 ,reason4 ,however1 it is evident from  
hence1 that these reputed  orthodox     
,fathers1 who were not a few1 were far  
from thinking the three  hypostases of  
the ,trinity to have the same singular  
existent essence2  they supposing them  
to have no otherwise1 one and the same  
essence of  the ,godhead in them1 nor to
 be one ,god1 than three individual     

,men1 have  one common specifical       
essence of ,manhood in them1 and are all
 ,one ,man4  ,but as this ,trinity came 
afterwards to be decried for            
,tritheistic1  so1 in the room thereof1 
started up that other ,trinity of       
,persons  numerically the same1 or      
having all one and the same singular    
existent  essence2 a doctrine which     
seemeth not to have been owned by any   
public  authority in the ,christian     
,church1 save that of the ,lateran      
,council  only40#ejh    ,such is the    
close of the ,ecclesiastical ,history of
 the doctrine of the  ,trinity4 ,the    
fourth general ,lateran ,council1 ,a4,d4
 #abae1 which  established the doctrine 
of ,transubstantiation1 the growth of   
the dark  ages1 passed also out of the  
hands of theological artists1 in its    
perfected and orthodox form1 this       
singular evidence of the fixed and      
primitive faith of those who taunt      
,unitarianism with its want of          
fixedness1 and describe their own creeds

 as the 8unimproved and  unimprovable   
revelation40 ,it is this workmanship of 
,councils which is so  confidently      
referred to the inspiration of          
,apostles4 ,no wonder that they  who    
preach orthodoxy as saving ,faith1      
revealed from the first by ,god in  a   
perfect form1 say so little to their    
hearers of the history of their  creeds4
 ,there is good reason why              
,ecclesiastical ,history should be      
little  encouraged by the divines of the
 ,english1 or of any other dogmatical   
,church4 ,it is with good reason that   
the ,universities show about the same   
degree of favour to ,ecclesiastical     
,history and to ,moral ,philosophy4     
,they  have an instinct that tells them 
of their enemies4    ,let me now        
summarily restate the obligations of the
 doctrine of the  ,trinity to the human 
and erring sources of ,,opinion4    ,i4 
,oriental philosophy led the ,jews of   
,alexandria1 before the time of         
,christ1 to allegorize the ,old         

,testament ,scriptures4    ,,ii4 ,the   
,jews of ,alexandria formed the         
connecting link between  ,christianity  
and ,grecian ,philosophy4    ,,iii4     
,platonic ,theology put its own         
mythological meanings on the            
expressions ,logos1 and ,son of         
,god4#eji    ,,iv4 ,at the beginning of 
the fourth century this mythological    
conception  had gained such ground that1
 with a severe struggle1 and a          
controversy  that shook the world1 a    
general ,council decreed that ,christ in
 his  divine nature belonged to the same
 class of ,beings with ,god4    ,v4 ,in 
a second general ,council1 the third    
,person in the ,platonic  ,trinity      
found1 by public authority1 a parallel  
in the ,christian ,trinity1  and became1
 for the first time1 the faith of the   
,church4    ,,vi4 ,a third general      
,council1 ,a4,d4 #dca1 distinguished1   
for theological  purposes1 the deity    
from the humanity of ,christ4    ,,vii4 
,a fourth general ,council1 ,a4,d4 #dea1

 found it necessary1 for  theological   
purposes1 to unite the deity and        
humanity in one person4    ,,viii4 ,the 
fourth general ,lateran ,council1 ,a4,d4
 #abae1 consummated the  ,trinity and   
prepared the way for the ,inquisition4  
,having established  such a faith1 it   
became necessary to take means to       
enforce it4  ,persecution is the        
first-born of ,dogmatism4 ,in the phrase
 of ,robert  ,hall1 quoted with         
approbation in ,christ ,church as a     
felicitous  expression1 orthodoxy is    
8necessitated0 to be a ,persecutor1 to  
treat  as a ,dmon and ,enemy of ,souls  
every form of ,christianity but her own4
 ,it  is a necessity of her nature1 she 
pleads1--a simple consistency with her  
own principles4 ,true1--the reasoning is
 without a flaw2--but then a  question  
arises1 does a ,nature of which these   
are the 8necessities0  breathe the      
spirit of ,jesus8 ,who can think of     
,jesus as being  necessitated to condemn
 any thing but sin8    ,having shown how

 much the doctrine of the ,trinity has  
to do with  ,ecclesiastical ,history1 ,i
 have now to show how little it has to  
do with  ,scripture4    ,,ii4 ,it is    
admitted by all1 ,trinitarian and       
,unitarian alike1 that a  belief in     
,,one ,,god is the first principle of a 
pure religion4 ,the  slightest departure
 from this truth involves polytheism and
 idolatry4  ,one ,creator1 one ,father1 
one object for our worship and our love1
 is the  plain and broad distinction    
between an idolatrous religion1 and the 
,supreme ,veneration of that spiritual  
,god who claims an undivided empire     
throughout the vastness of creation4 ,a 
perception of this truth does not       
require an advanced state of ,society or
 ,mind3 nor can it be proved that  even 
in the thickness of pagan darkness it   
was ever doubted4 ,heathen  ,philosophy1
 though it might associate with the ,one
 ,spirit1 too pure and  immoveably      
serene to come in contact with matter1  
subordinate agents of  creation 7which  

does not differ much from the           
,trinitarian  conception#eaj71 yet could
 read the glory of one ,mind upon the   
outward  universe1 and see one          
,intelligence1 one ,power1 one ,will of 
love diffused  through ,nature3 ,judaism
 had this idea for its soul3 and the    
,gospel has  republished it in such     
distinct and resplendent light1 that it 
is the  universal faith of ,christendom4
 ,so overpowering is the evidence1 so   
clear is ,nature's testimony to the     
existence of one ,god1 so  conspicuously
 has ,revelation set it forth in the    
centre of her  splendours1 that         
,trinitarianism1 with what consistency  
we shall  presently inquire1 claims to  
be received as a believer in the ,unity 
of  ,deity4 ,it is a most triumphant    
acknowledgment of the brightness with   
which the great truth1 that ,god is     
,one1 shines out from his ,works#eaa    
and from his ,word1 that even the       
,trinitarian perceives the necessity of 
reconciling his views with this         

fundamental principle2 and rather than  
depart from it1 he prefers to maintain  
that three may be one1 and one  may be  
three2--though the ,father1 and the     
,son1 and the ,holy ,spirit1 have  each 
separately all that constitute an       
infinite and all-perfect ,god1 and  have
 distinct offices1 and appear in        
distinct1 if not directly opposed       
characters1 yet that there may be a     
mysterious unity in the essence of a    
tri-personal ,deity4    ,i am relieved  
then from the necessity of proving that 
,god is ,one4 ,it is  a truth which no  
one explicitly denies2 which the        
,trinitarian professes  to hold as      
firmly as the ,unitarian2 and therefore 
as the undisputed  doctrine of the      
,bible we take it as the admitted       
groundwork of our  argument4 ,we might  
call upon ,nature to multiply proofs of 
the ,unity of  the designing ,mind1     
which the universe reveals2 we might    
appeal to the  regularity of her silent 
movements and to the sublime order that 

reigns  throughout her gliding worlds1  
to attest the ,oneness of that          
,intelligence whose volitions she obeys3
 we might ask ,philosophy whether  ,,one
 ,,infinite ,,cause was not sufficient  
for the finite or infinite  wonders of  
creation2 whether in all her discoveries
 she has ever  perceived a single       
evidence of a divided government2 and   
whether eternal  ,laws holding immutable
 dominion throughout all worlds that    
,science has  explored1 are not         
sublimest proofs of the fidelity of the 
one presiding  ,,spirit who trifles not 
with the feeble intellect of man1 but   
reveals  himself consistently to the    
seeking minds of ,his children3 we might
 go  to our own hearts1 and feel the    
pressure of one divine hand upon its    
tumultuous affections1 and ask whether  
in our sorrows or our joys1 our  wants  
or our aspirations1 we resorted to more 
than one ,god1 or needed  other shelter 
than that of one all-sufficing ,father  
and ,friend2 and1  finally1 we might    

open the volume of ,revelation1 and read
 to you the  testimony of ,prophets from
 ,moses to ,christ1 that the ,lord our  
,god is one  ,lord1 and there is none   
other but ,he3--but it appears it would 
be a  needless task to prove a doctrine 
which no one doubts1 or to treat as a   
question of controversy the universal   
faith of the ,christian world4    ,we   
stand at once then upon the undisputed  
truth of the ,oneness of  ,deity1 and   
taking this as our uncontested vantage  
ground1 we proceed to  inquire how much 
is involved in the admission4 ,what are 
we to understand  by this sublime and   
unquestioned1 and apparently simple     
truth1 that ,god  is ,one8 ,there are   
two answers to this question1 and the   
statement of  each of them will         
introduce us to the ,controversy4 ,the  
,unitarian  answers1 that the words are 
human words1 and of course used in a    
human  sense2 that the revelation was to
 man1 and that no caution was given to  
him that he was not to attach human     

ideas to the language in which it is    
conveyed2 that ,god is too tender and   
too faithful to sport with the          
understandings of ,his children1 to     
involve their frail intelligence in     
inextricable perplexities2 and that1    
therefore1 when ,he publishes to the    
,world1 without explanation1 the ,unity 
of his own nature1 he intends  men to   
affix to the words the ideas always     
associated with them2 he does  not use  
language to mislead1 but asserts the    
simplest and most  intelligible of      
truths1 that ,god is one ,mind1 one     
,person1 one undivided  and indivisible 
,spirit1 to whom alone belong underived 
existence1 and  infinite perfections1   
and unshared dominion4 ,these are the   
only ideas  our minds ordinarily attach 
to such language1--this is the only     
experience we have of ,unity2 and if the
 words1 when applied to ,god1 bear  a   
different meaning1 and so have a        
tendency to deceive us1 some caution1   
we think1 would have been given by a    

,god who was delivering a  ,revelation  
to his ,children4 ,the ,unitarian       
believes that a revelation  from ,god is
 a revelation of light2 and without any 
temptation to  pervert the meaning of   
words1 he receives1 in the simple and   
ordinary  import of the language1 the   
plain and reiterated announcement that  
8,god  is one40 ,if ,god used human     
words1 he surely used them for the      
purpose of  conveying ideas to human    
minds2 for language is not necessary to 
,him1  much less would human language be
 the vehicle of ,his infinite thought4  
,if1 then1 ,he used the words in a sense
 not human1 and therefore unknown  to   
us1 instead of instructing1 it would    
betray and mislead4    ,the ,trinitarian
 answers1 that though he believes in the
 ,unity of ,god1  yet that ,unity is    
totally different from the unity of all 
other beings4  ,he believes that in the 
,one ,god there are three distinct and  
infinite  persons1 presenting themselves
 to human contemplation in different    

characters1 and as the objects of       
different affections2 the first         
reigning in ,heaven1 the second in      
intimate and inseparable connection     
with a dying man upon the ,earth2 the   
first immutable in his immensity1  the  
other coming down from his eternal      
throne to wrap his infinite  essence in 
a covering of human flesh2 the ,father  
sending the ,son1 and  the ,son         
satisfying the demands of the ,father2  
the ,father the cause and  origin of all
 things1 but holding himself loftily    
apart1 whilst the ,holy  ,spirit takes  
the office of communion with men1 and   
becomes the  ,comforter1 ,teacher1 and  
spiritual ,friend of the human souls1   
whom the  ,father's creative energies1  
acting through the ,son1 have called    
into  existence4 ,this1 then1 is the    
doctrine of the ,trinity3 three equal   
,persons1 each ,supreme1 each a perfect 
and infinite ,deity1 and yet so  united 
as to constitute but one undivided ,god4
    ,we are tauntingly told of the vague

 statements of ,unitarian ,doctrine4    
,now nothing can be more unjust than    
this1 or farther from the facts4        
8,controversially described10           
,unitarianism is the most definite thing
  imaginable4 ,it simply says1 ,no1 to  
every one of the allegations of         
,trinitarianism4 ,there are1 at the very
 least1 five different forms in  which  
the doctrine of the ,trinity has been   
explained and defended2 and  to every   
one of these five shifting              
modifications1 we repeat our  definite  
negative4 ,there is the widest          
difference among ,trinitarian           
,theologians as to their method of      
stating and explaining the influence  of
 ,atonement and of ,original ,sin2 and  
to every one of these varieties we      
equally repeat our simple negative4     
,where1 then1 is the superior           
definiteness of ,trinitarian statements8
 ,we affirm1 of all its  characteristic 
doctrines1 that they are untenable in   
any form  whatever4 ,this1 surely1 is   

definite enough4    ,i am not aware that
 ,i have stated the doctrine of the     
,trinity in a way  which any            
,trinitarian could disown2 and the first
 observation ,i make  upon it is this1  
that in this view of the oneness of     
,god1 in connecting  the deity of the   
,father1 and the deity of the ,son1 and 
the deity of the  ,holy ,spirit1 with a 
strict unity in the godhead1 the        
,trinitarian has  at least departed from
 the ordinary acceptation of language4  
,we will not  assert the absolute       
impossibility of his retaining a belief 
in the ,unity  of ,god1 because we have 
no right to question his own solemn     
assertion of  the fact1 or to set limits
 to the powers of another's faith2 but  
he will  not deny that he believes ,god 
to be one1 in a sense totally different 
from that in which he believes himself  
to be one2 that it is a unity of  three 
minds1 each a perfect ,god1 and capable 
of acting separately1--in so  much that 
it is a warning of the ,creeds1--not to 

confound the ,persons4 ,it  is not a    
unity of ,mind1 nor a unity of ,will1   
nor a unity of ,agency1 nor  a unity of 
,person1 which the ,trinitarian regards 
as constituting the  ,unity of ,god1 but
 three ,minds1 three ,wills1 three      
,agents1 three  ,persons1 mysteriously  
making one ,deity4 ,i ask1 were it not  
for the  overpowering brightness with   
which the ,bible reveals the doctrine of
 one  ,god1 would the ,trinitarian      
encumber himself with the difficulty of 
combining it with his other views2 would
 he not rather simply confess  that     
three persons made three beings1 and not
 one being2 and represent  the world as 
under the threefold1 but harmonious1    
government of a  ,creator1 a ,saviour1  
and a sanctifying ,spirit8    ,we have  
thus1 then1 two admissions on the part  
of the ,trinitarian1 which  ,i ask you  
distinctly to bear in mind4 ,he admits  
the ,unity of ,god2 and he  admits that 
when he attempts to combine that ,unity 
with a ,trinity1 he  uses the word in an

 unintelligible sense1 and understands1 
or rather  marks1 by it something       
entirely different from the oneness of  
any  other being1--a oneness in short of
 which he himself is capable of  forming
 no conception4 ,that is1 he retains the
 form of words that ,god  is one2 but   
these words convey to him no distinct   
idea1--and yet words  are the signs of  
human ideas2--he confesses that ,god is 
not one in any  sense of that word that 
he can comprehend2 and that1 therefore1 
when he  professes his faith in the     
,unity of ,god1 he is using language    
which is  unintelligible even to        
himself4 ,this he must acknowledge1 for 
he calls  the ,trinity a mystery2 but   
the mystery he will admit is in the     
,unity1  not in the ,trinity3 the       
mystery 7that is1 the no-meaningness to 
man1 for  this is the only meaning the  
word will here bear1 the difficulty     
being  not in the vastness or           
spirituality of the ,conceptions1 but in
 their  irreconcilableness17 is not that

 there are three ,persons1 but that the 
three are one4 ,now this is the         
confession of every ,trinitarian3 he can
  form very distinct notions of the     
,trinity1 but he admits that he cannot  
reconcile these notions with any human  
idea of unity2 it is  unintelligible1 it
 is inconceivable1 it is an apparent    
contradiction to  all other men1 to him 
only a paradox2 it is an unfathomable   
mystery 7a  sad desecration of that     
solemn word72 but still he professes to 
believe  it1--he maintains that he can  
hold 8the form of sound words20 and as  
to  thoughts1 it is his duty to have    
none upon the subject4 ,he knows  that  
it is revealed that ,god is ,one2 and he
 thinks it is revealed that  ,god is in 
,three2 and without any attempt to      
harmonize these two  statements1 he     
professes to believe them both4    ,now 
taking our stand on the conceded truth  
that ,god is revealed to be  one1 we ask
 for equal evidence that ,he is revealed
 to be ,three ,persons4  ,we ask        

throughout the ,bible for one plain     
assertion of this doctrine4 ,we  shall  
be satisfied with even one1 and we think
 it is not asking much4 ,we  ask but for
 a single text in which it is declared  
that there are three  infinite ,minds in
 the ,unity of but one infinite ,god4   
,it is admitted that there is no        
distinct statement of this doctrine in  
any part of the ,scriptures2 and here   
again we rest upon another  confession  
of all instructed ,trinitarians1#eab    
that this mystery is  nowhere found in  
express terms2 that if taught at all it 
is taught by  implication2 that it is no
 part of the direct revelation1 but     
merely an  inference which may be       
collected from certain appearances1     
certain  verbal phenomena4 ,now ,i ask  
if this doctrine was intended to be     
revealed1 could it have been so left8   
,if the ,trinity is as strictly  true as
 the ,unity1 could the one have had the 
witness of ,prophets and  ,apostles1 and
 shine forth as the clearest light on   

the revealed page1  whilst the other was
 left to be gathered from some obscure  
and  incidental intimations which the   
most gifted minds have not been able to 
perceive8 ,is it credible that if the   
,father1 and the ,son1 and the ,holy    
,spirit1 were three ,persons in one     
,god1 there should be nowhere in the    
,bible a single statement of that       
truth2#eac and ought not this           
extraordinary fact make us very cautious
 to try the soundness of the            
inferences1 human and erring modes of   
reasoning1 upon which1 as upon  its     
foundation1 this stupendous doctrine is 
laid8    ,there are two passages in the 
,bible1 and only two1 in which ,god1 and
  ,jesus ,christ1 and the ,holy ,spirit 
are mentioned together4 ,it is recorded 
in ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel as the last  
words of the risen ,jesus1 that he      
ascended to his ,father1 leaving to the 
world the legacy of his truth--8,go  ye 
therefore and teach all nations1        
baptizing them in the name 7properly    

into the name7 of the ,father1 and of   
the ,son1 and of the ,holy              
,ghost0--baptizing them into a belief of
 ,god1 and of ,christ1 and of the  power
 and comfort of the ,holy ,spirit       
accompanying the truth1 and  witnessing 
to it in the hearts of all who receive  
it purely4#ead ,the  ,apostle declares  
of the ,jews that they were baptized    
into ,moses1 and the  ,evangelist       
declares of ,christians that they were  
baptized into ,christ1  7see also ,rom4 
vi4 #c2 ,gal4 iii4 #bg17 and the plain  
meaning of such  language is that they  
were baptized into the ,truth which ,god
 had  revealed through ,moses and       
through ,christ4 ,what support then is  
there  here for the doctrine of a       
,trinity8 ,is this indeed the strongest 
scriptural evidence that ,trinitarianism
 can boast of--that because three       
distinctions follow one another--,god1  
and his ,prophet1 and his ,spirit       
witnessing to his truth in the hearts   
and before the eyes of ,his             

children--therefore the ,holy ,spirit1  
the ,spirit of ,god in communication    
with man1 must be a person1 distinct    
from ,god1 because the other two  words 
express persons--and therefore these    
three are co-equal and are  one4 ,such  
is the ,interpretation that produces    
,trinitarianism4 ,is there a  single    
hint in this passage of three persons in
 one ,god8 ,what can be  made out of it 
more than the ,saviour's last injunction
 to his followers1  to carry through the
 world that glorious and sanctifying    
truth1 which  the one ,god manifested   
through his well-beloved ,son1 and      
accompanied  with the energy of his     
spirit4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is a         
,scripture expression  for ,god in      
communication with man1 naturally or    
supernaturally4    ,the only other      
passage in which ,jesus ,christ1 and    
,god1 and the ,holy  ,spirit1 are       
mentioned in the same sentence1 must    
receive a precisely  similar            
explanation4 ,st4 ,paul concludes the   

,second ,epistle to the  ,corinthians in
 these words--8,the grace of our ,lord  
,jesus ,christ1 and the  love of ,god1  
and the communion of the ,holy ,ghost1  
be with you all40 ,now  what is this but
 a beautiful and affectionate prayer    
that the  ,corinthians might be         
partakers of the grace of ,god that was 
in ,jesus  ,christ1 of the love of their
 ,heavenly ,father1 and of the gifts and
  influences of his holy spirit8 ,indeed
 this passage1 like all others  brought 
to prove the ,trinity1 is of itself     
quite sufficient to overthrow  that     
doctrine4 ,the name ,god in it1 is not  
applied to ,jesus ,christ nor to  the   
holy spirit3 and to prove that holy     
spirit does not mean a person1  but the 
spiritual energies of ,god in           
communication with man1 the word        
communion is used3--a participation or  
communion of a person is  without       
meaning--a communion in holy and        
heavenly influences is beautiful  and   
everlasting truth4 ,such are the only   

pretences that ,trinitarianism  puts    
forth1 that it is openly taught in      
,scripture6 ,we ask for no other        
passages scripturally to disprove the   
doctrine4    ,let us now attend to that 
inferential reasoning by which it is    
attempted to be proved that ,jesus      
,christ and the ,holy ,spirit are united
  with the ,father1 to form three       
persons in one ,god4 ,there are some    
texts  in which divine attributes are   
supposed to be ascribed to ,jesus1 and  
the  same mode of reasoning being       
applied to the ,holy ,spirit1 it is     
inferred that ,christ is ,god1 and that 
the ,holy ,spirit is ,god--and that  to 
preserve the consistency of ,scripture1 
it is necessary to maintain  both that  
,god is ,one1 and that ,god is ,three4  
,now ,i ask1 does not this  look like a 
seeking of evidence for the doctrine    
after ,ecclesiastical  ,history had     
introduced it1 under the influences and 
motives already  described1 rather than 
like the natural way in which such a    

doctrine  would break from ,revelation  
itself upon the notice of the world8    
,had not  the doctrine its true origin  
in human and worldly influences1 and    
then  was not an origin sought for it in
 the ,orientalisms of ,scripture        
language8 ,this then is the method of   
reasoning by which this doctrine1  so   
vast1 so awful1 if it be true1 is       
attempted to be proved2 and upon  the   
soundness of this inferential process   
does ,trinitarianism depend4  ,so that  
,orthodoxy after all its sneers against 
the pride of ,human  ,reason1 depends   
for its own life upon the correctness of
 human  reasonings1--and then erects the
 results of this process of fallible    
reasoning into the ,essentials of       
,salvation4    ,there are several       
passages in which ,christ is supposed to
 be called ,god1  though there is not1  
,i think1 one clear instance of such an 
application  of the word2 and even if   
there was1 we have ,christ's own        
interpretation  of the only sense in    

which such language could be applied to 
him4 8,jesus  answered them1 ,is it not 
written in your law1 ,i said ye are     
gods8 if he  called them gods1 unto whom
 the word of ,god came1 and the         
,scripture  cannot be broken2 say ye of 
him whom the ,father hath sanctified and
 sent  into the world1 #8,thou          
blasphemest2' because ,i said ,i am the 
,son of  ,god80#eae    ,there are only  
two passages in the whole gospels1 in   
which the title has  ever been supposed 
to be given to ,christ1 and these both  
occurring in  the same gospel1 so that  
three of the gospels never were even    
supposed  to have a trace of such       
language4 ,one of these passages in the 
,proem of  ,st4 ,john's ,gospel has     
already been explained in the course of 
the  present ,controversy1 and the other
 is the expression of ,thomas1 who1 the 
moment before he made the exclamation1  
knew so little of ,christ and of        
,christianity that he would not believe 
that ,jesus was risen from the  dead4   

,it is from the lips of the unbeliever  
of one moment1 and the  inspired of the 
next1 that we are to receive the high   
mystery of the  ,trinity4 ,but in truth 
the exclamation of ,thomas will not bear
 to be  sobered down into a revelation  
of doctrines--8,my ,lord1 and my ,god60 
,the  first of these clauses was an     
exclamation of surprise1 a sudden and   
passionate recognition of ,jesus2 the   
second was the natural and  immediate   
transference 7common in cases of        
supernatural impression1 with  all      
minds1 pious or profane17 of the        
thoughts of ,thomas to that awful  and  
wonder-working ,god1 whose power and    
presence were so visibly  manifested in 
the resurrection of his ,christ4 ,there 
is no evidence1 in  the remainder of the
 gospel1 or in the book of the ,acts1 or
 throughout  the ,new ,testament1 that  
,thomas1 or the rest of the ,apostles1  
for a  moment believed that ,jesus was  
,god4 ,now1 since this was a doctrine   
that  they certainly had no conception  

of1 previous to the death of ,christ1   
there must have been an occasion1 when1 
if true1 it broke for the first  time on
 the astonished minds of the disciples4 
,now is it possible to  believe that    
such an occasion could have passed      
unmarked--that no  amazement1 no awe    
would be expressed--and that as we      
follow them in  their course1 we should 
be unable to distinguish between the    
moments  when they did not1 and the     
moments when they did understand1 that  
the  being with whom they had been      
living in familiar intercourse was the  
everlasting ,god8 ,could such a         
discovery burst upon any human mind1 and
  that mind manifest no emotion--not a  
ripple on the current of sentiment  and 
feeling to show when it was that these  
disciples first began to know  that they
 had been the familiar friends of the   
living ,god8 ,i confidently  state that 
the thing is not credible nor possible4 
,the disciples would  not have been     
human1 if such things could be4 ,we know

 that after the  ascension1 as before1  
they always speak of him as 8the man    
approved by  ,god1 by signs and miracles
 which ,god did by him1 and whom ,god   
raised  from the dead80 ,do such things 
admit of explanation from the known     
course of human sentiments and emotions1
 if ,trinitarianism is true8 ,we  think 
not4    ,there is another passage in the
 ,gospels supposed to teach the deity of
  ,christ--and hence so far used as an  
inferential proof of the doctrine of    
the ,trinity3--8,i and my ,father are   
one40 ,beautiful expression of the soul 
of ,christ1 excelled in beauty only by  
that life which yet more  spiritually   
declared that ,he and his ,father were  
one1 for 8what the ,son  seeth the      
,father do1 these also doeth the ,son   
likewise60 ,why are we  compelled to    
examine coldly1 or turn an instant from 
the deep religious  meaning of this     
perfect filial utterance of the ,son of 
,god8 ,it expresses  that harmony of    
purpose with ,god which is the result   

and peace of the  spirit of true        
religion1 and which was perfect in the  
mind of ,jesus1  because in him was     
perfect the spirit of faith in          
,providence1 of  trustful submission to 
his ,father's will4 8,the cup that my   
,father hath  given me1 shall ,i not    
drink of it80 ,well might he say1 and   
yet how  wondrous it is that any being  
could say1 and yet retain his intense   
humanity1 8,i and my ,father are one60  
,clear proof of the inspiration of  the 
,christ6 ,but how the beauty fades away 
if this very being was ,god  himself1   
and all his submission of will is but an
 artifice of words6 ,how  hard1         
artificial1 and unlovely1 does the ever 
fresh gospel become when  submitted to  
the tortures of systems1 and            
system-makers6 ,what a  difference in   
genuine spiritual power on the heart of 
man between ,jesus  living and dying in 
the peace of faith1 in the trust that a 
holy ,god  will keep the destinies of a 
holy mind1 that his ,providence will    

recompense the ,right--and ,jesus not   
living and dying in the strength of  the
 moral elements of faith1 but actually  
associated with the  omniscient mind of 
,god1 so as to be an inseparable person6
 ,such should  be the difference between
 the genuine spiritual energy of        
,unitarian and  ,trinitarian            
representations of ,christianity4       
,jesus1 in the context1 explains in what
 sense he uses this beautiful           
expression1 8,i and my ,father are one10
 and he there positively denies  that   
the employment of it implies any claim  
of equality with ,god4 ,let  our ,lord  
be his own interpreter1 and let the     
solemn and affecting words  ,i am about 
to quote1 silence for ever the vain     
plea1 that this exquisite  expression of
 the moral sentiment and spirit of      
,jesus1 was intended to  be doctrinal   
and ,trinitarian4 ,if so1 there is equal
 proof for all  ,christians being       
portions of the ,godhead4 8,neither pray
 ,i for these  alone1 but for them also 

which shall believe on me through their 
word2  that they all may be one2 as thou
 ,father art in me1 and ,i in thee1 that
  they also may be one in us3--and the  
glory which thou gavest me ,i have      
given them2 that they may be one1 even  
as we are one2 ,i in them1 and  thou in 
me1 that they may be made perfect in    
one2 and that the world may  know that  
thou hast sent me1 and hast loved them  
as thou hast loved  me40#eaf    ,the    
only other passage of any force in which
 deity is supposed to be  accorded to   
,jesus1#eag ,i do not notice here1      
because it has already  been abundantly 
examined in the present ,controversy4   
,i would now call your attention to the 
precise state of the argument so  far as
 we have advanced in it4 ,we have taken 
for granted the ,unity of  ,god1 which  
no ,christian denies4 ,we have found    
that the belief of three  persons in one
 ,god is not reconcilable with any human
 conception of  that admitted unity3 we 
have found that there was no direct     

evidence  in the ,bible for the doctrine
 of the ,trinity3 and lastly1 we have   
examined some of the very strongest     
passages of ,scripture1 on which that   
doctrine is attempted to be established1
 through an inferential mode of         
reasoning4    ,i might stop here then1  
and without looking at the ,scripture   
evidence  against the doctrine1 but only
 the evidence in its favour1 declare    
that  such a doctrine could not possibly
 have such an insufficient  publication4
 ,the very passages brought forward to  
sustain it1 disprove  it4 ,they all     
speak of derived powers1 and of glory   
communicated4 ,they  are all in the     
strain1--8,therefore ,god1 even his     
,god1 hath highly  exalted him1 and     
given him a name that is above every    
name40 ,nay1 take  that passage1 than   
which there is none in which dominion is
 more  emphatically ascribed to ,christ1
 and see how it closes3--8and when all  
things shall be subdued unto him1 then  
shall the ,son also himself be  subject 

unto him that did put all things under  
him1 that ,god may be all  in all40--#a 
,cor4 xv4 #bh4 ,we shall not1 however1  
treat ,trinitarianism so  lightly as to 
dismiss it1 unproved upon its own       
showing2 we shall not  rest satisfied   
with pointing out the insufficiency of  
its ,scriptural  authority1 but bring   
against it the overpowering force of    
opposing  ,scripture2 and as we have    
given specimens of the biblical evidence
 for1  advance something of the biblical
 evidence against1 the ,trinity4    ,in 
the first place1 then1 this doctrine    
cannot be true1 because there  are some 
passages in which it is expressly and   
plainly declared that  the ,father alone
 is the one ,god1 not the ,father1 and  
the ,son1 and  the ,spirit1 but the     
,,father4 8,father6--this is life       
eternal1 that they  might know thee the 
only true ,god1 and ,jesus ,christ whom 
,thou hast  sent40 8,but to us there is 
but ,,one ,,god1 the ,,father1 of whom  
are all  things1 and we in ,him1 and one

 ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 by whom are all  
things1 and we by him40    8,there is   
one ,lord1 one faith1 one baptism1 ,one 
,god and ,father of all1  who is above  
all1 and through all1 and in you all40  
8,of that day and that hour knoweth no  
man1 no not the angels which are  in    
,heaven2 neither the ,son1 but the      
,father40    ,these declarations are    
surely sufficient to protect            
,unitarianism from  having no warrant in
 ,scripture4 ,they contain direct1      
positive1 definite  assertions2 they    
assert that there is one ,god1 and that 
,jesus ,christ is  not that ,god4 ,it is
 not possible for human language to     
express more  clearly or more guardedly 
the simple faith of ,unitarian          
,christianity4  ,yet we are told that   
only the ingenuity of heretics has      
obliged  ,trinitarians to have recourse 
to unscriptural language4 ,strange1     
certainly1 that ,holy ,writ should have 
itself expressed the creeds of  heresy  
and damnable error1 and rendered it     

impossible to express in its  sacred    
words the ,creeds of ,truth6    ,i      
quote1 in the second place1 some        
passages out of a multitude1 in which   
ideas are connected with ,christ which  
are utterly inconsistent with the       
supposition of his deity4 8,i came not  
to do mine own will40 8,i can of  myself
 do nothing40 8,if ,i honour myself1 my 
honour is nothing2 it is my  ,father    
that honoureth me40--,john viii4 #ed4   
8,for as the ,father hath life  in      
himself1 so hath he given to the ,son to
 have life in himself40--,john  v4 #bf4 
8,as the living ,father hath sent me1   
and ,i live by the  ,father40--,john vi4
 #eg4 8,i have not spoken of myself1 but
 the ,father who  sent me1 ,he gave me a
 commandment what ,i should say1 and    
what ,i should  speak40--,john xii4 #di1
 #ej4    8,the word which ye hear is not
 mine1 but the ,father's which sent     
me40--,john xiv4 #bd4    8,i ascend to  
my ,father and your ,father1 and to my  
,god and your  ,god40--,john xx4 #ag4   

8,when ye have lifted up the ,son of man
 on high1 then shall ye know that  ,i am
 he1 and that ,i do nothing of myself2  
but as my ,father hath taught  me ,i    
speak these things0--,john viii4 #bh4   
,ecclesiastical ,history has already    
acquainted us with the device that  sets
 aside the plain meaning of these       
passages4 ,it is said that ,jesus       
,christ had two natures1 was composed of
 two minds1 that he was both  man and   
,god2 and thus does ,trinitarianism     
openly assert mysteries of an  opposite 
character4 ,three ,persons in one       
,essence is unintelligible  enough2 but 
no sooner is this propounded to us1 than
 we are called off  to a directly       
opposite mystery of two ,essences in one
 ,person4 ,and here  we cannot be put   
off with the metaphysical sophistry that
 we do not know  the nature of ,god1 for
 we do know something of the nature of  
man2 and  we do say that never was there
 a greater abuse of the moral meanings  
of  the word ,faith1 than to set forth1 

that ,god's nature and man's nature so  
united together as to form one          
inseparable person1 may be embraced as  
an  object of ,faith4 ,the true nature  
and office of ,faith is to carry us from
  the seen to the unseen1--to give us   
moral confidence in that world which  we
 do not see1 from our moral experience  
in this world which we do  see1--and in 
that portion of ,god's ways which the   
future conceals1 from  what we know of  
that portion of them which the present  
unfolds4 ,faith is  moral1 not          
metaphysical2 and1 above all1 finds no  
merit and no efficacy  in assenting to  
unmeaning words4    ,as before1 of the  
doctrine of the ,trinity1 so now of this
 doctrine of  the ,hypostatic ,union1 as
 it is called1 ,i ask for a single hint 
throughout the ,new ,testament of the   
inconceivable fact that1 in the body  of
 ,jesus1 resided the mind of ,god and   
the mind of man1--two natures1 the  one 
finite1 the other infinite1 yet making  
but one person1--a difficulty  you will 

perceive the very opposite of that of   
the ,trinity2 for whereas  it teaches   
three persons in one nature1 this       
teaches two natures in one  person4 ,but
 we have already traced1 in             
,ecclesiastical ,history1 the  origin of
 this view1 and the necessity of its    
appearance1 in  subservience to the     
doctrine of the ,trinity4    ,i will    
only apply one scriptural test to this  
theory of the two natures  in ,christ4  
,and it is one from which ,trinitarians 
cannot escape by their  ordinary refuge 
of avoiding one set of statements by    
referring them to  the humanity of      
,jesus1 and another set of statements by
 referring them  to his deity4 ,it is   
,god the ,son1 whom ,trinitarians       
represent as becoming  incarnate in the 
body of ,jesus2 it was ,god the ,son who
 took humanity  into union with deity2  
therefore whenever ,jesus1 in his human 
nature1  speaks of the divinity that    
dwelt within him1 inspired him1 and     
wrought  through him1 it must be ,god   

the ,son to whom he refers4 ,but this is
 never  the case3 ,scripture does not   
know this doctrine1 nor support its     
requisitions4 ,it is always1 8the       
,father who dwelleth in me1 ,he doeth   
the works40    ,it was asserted in      
,christ ,church1 that if there is not a 
plurality of  persons in the godhead1   
the oriental style1 8let us make man in 
our own  image10 and the use of the     
plural where we use the singular1 made  
the  word of ,god an agent of deception1
 and affected the morality of the       
divine mind4 ,this is bold language2    
and1 considering the evidence1 as       
unscholarlike as bold4 ,we refrain from 
a retort in the same spirit4 ,we  look  
with unaffected wonder upon the mind    
that is reckless enough1 and  ignorant  
enough of the sources of error within   
itself1 to dare to say1  8if ,i am not  
right in my interpretation of           
,scripture1 ,god is a  deceiver40 ,yet  
such men can charge others with making  
themselves judges  of revelation1 and   

saying what ,god must mean4    ,i have  
not taken up that other thread of       
supposed scriptural  intimations1 which 
is thought to connect the ,holy ,spirit 
as a third  ,person in the unity of the 
godhead4 ,this portion of the argument1 
strangely neglected by ,trinitarians1   
who generally take for granted the      
deity and personality of the ,holy      
,ghost as following without debate from 
the deity of ,christ1 since three not   
two is the favourite mythological  and  
theological number1 is however to form  
the subject of a separate  ,lecture in  
,christ ,church1 not yet delivered4 ,why
 there should be any  necessity1 on     
,trinitarian principles of theology1 for
 a third person in  the ,godhead to     
perform 8the work10 as it is called1 of 
the spirit of  ,god in communication    
with man1 after the sacrifice of ,christ
 had left  the ,father's love free to   
operate1 we cannot perceive1 except upon
 the  ,platonic principle1 that the     
,supreme ,one in the ,trinity is an     

,essence  perfectly abstracted1         
immoveable1 and without action4 ,not    
wishing1  however1 to anticipate the    
argument1 ,i shall only adduce one      
remarkable  passage1 in proof that the  
,holy ,spirit could not1 in the first   
age of  the ,gospel1 have a deity and   
personality ascribed to it distinct from
  the deity and personality of ,god the 
,father4 ,when ,paul came to ,ephesus1  
he found there some disciples1 of whom  
he inquired1--8,have you received  the  
,holy ,ghost since you believed80 ,the  
answer is remarkable3 8,we have  not so 
much as heard whether there be any ,holy
 ,ghost40 ,now is it  possible that the 
,holy ,ghost should be the third person 
of the ,trinity1  a constituent person  
in the ,christian ,god1 and that these  
8believers10  though only disciples of  
,john1 should have been uninstructed in 
the  doctrine8 ,the ,holy ,spirit is the
 ,spirit of ,god1 ,god himself in       
communication with man1 naturally or    
supernaturally1 the enlightening        

influence of the ,spiritual ,father     
revealing ,himself to the spiritual     
nature of ,his children4    ,i do not   
know what may appear convincing to other
 minds1 but to me the  ,ecclesiastical  
,history of the doctrine of the         
,trinity1 with its rise in  human       
sources of ,philosophy and ,motive1 and 
not in ,revelation1 seems a  fact       
capable of being most clearly traced4   
,rarely indeed does the origin  of an   
error so conspicuously disclose itself3 
rarely is its course so  open to        
observation4 ,on the other hand1 if     
there is not decisive proof  in         
,scripture of the strict and personal   
,unity of ,god1 ,i must think that  it  
is vain to prove any doctrine from the  
words of the ,bible--for sure ,i  am    
that there is no doctrine more          
distinctly1 more guardedly1 more        
simply1 more repeatedly stated1 than the
 great doctrine1 that there is  ,one    
,god1 and that the ,,father is that     
,god4    ,we are told that the          

8invisible things of ,god are clearly   
seen1 being  understood by the things   
that are made1 even his eternal power   
and  godhead40 ,yet the ,universe       
reveals no ,trinity4 ,reason knows and  
requires  no ,trinity4 ,natural         
,religion is not ,trinitarian4          
,scripture speaks of ,one  ,god the     
,father1 and of ,one ,lord ,jesus       
,christ4 ,gentile ,philosophy and       
,ecclesiastical ,history are            
,trinitarian4 ,in their pages we find   
this  subject4 ,ecclesiastical ,history 
has narrated the rise and progress of   
these doctrines--and to ,ecclesiastical 
,history shall they finally be          
referred1--when another chapter is      
added1 a chapter that unhappily yet     
remains to be written1 the history of   
their decline and fall4                 
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,,vii4          
,footnote #dec3      ,locke4            
,footnote #ded3      ,mr4 ,james's      
,lecture1 p4 #daj4    ,footnote #dee3   

,spoken1 not printed4    ,footnote #def3
      ,milman's ,edition1 vol4 iii4 p4  
#caa4    ,footnote #deg3      8,that    
this ,trinity 7,monad or ,good1 ,wisdom1
 ,spirit or ,energy7 was not    first of
 all a mere invention of ,plato's1 but  
much ancienter than him1    is plainly  
affirmed by ,plotinus in these          
words1--#8,that these doctrines    are  
not new nor of yesterday1 but have been 
very anciently delivered1    though     
obscurely 7the discourses now extant    
being but ,explications of    them7     
appears from ,,plato',s own writings2   
,,parmenides before having    insisted  
on them4'0 ,cudworth4 ,intel4 ,syst4 p4 
#edf4--,see also ,bishop    ,berkeley's 
,siris1 sections #cda-cfe4    ,footnote 
#deh3      8,the principle of every     
thing is more simple than the thing     
itself4    ,wherefore the sensible world
 was made from ,intellect1 or the       
intelligible2 and before this must there
 needs be something more    simple      
still4 ,for many did not proceed from   

many1 but this multiform    thing       
,intellect proceeded from that which is 
not multiform but simple2    as ,number 
from ,unity4 ,if that which understands 
be many1 or contain    multitude in it1 
then that which contains no multitude1  
does not    properly understand2 and    
this is the first thing2--to understand 
is not    the ,first2 neither in        
,essence nor in ,dignity2 but the       
,second2 a thing    in order of nature1 
after the ,first ,good1 and springing up
 from    thence1 as that which is moved 
with desire towards it40--,plotinus4    
,cudworth1 p4 #ehd4    ,footnote #dei3  
8,the ,,first is above all manner of    
action3 neither is it fit to            
attribute the architecture of the world 
to the ,first ,god1 but rather    to    
account him the ,father of that ,god1   
who is the ,artificer4 ,the    ,,second1
 to whom the energy of ,intellection is 
attributed1 is therefore    properly    
called the ,demiurgus1 as the contriving
 ,architect1 in whom    the ,archetypal 

,world is contained1 and the ,first     
,pattern1 or ,paradigm    of the ,whole 
,universe4 ,the ,,third is that which   
moveth about ,mind or    ,intellect1 the
 ,light or ,effulgency thereof1 and its 
,print or    ,signature1 which always   
dependeth upon it1 and acteth according 
to it4    ,this is that which reduces   
both the ,fecundity of the ,first       
,simple    ,good1 and the               
,architectonick ,contrivance of the     
,second into ,act and    ,energy4 ,this 
is the ,immediate and as it were        
,manuary ,opificer of the    whole      
world1 that which actually ,governs1    
,rules1 and ,presideth over             
all40--,plotinus4 ap4 ,cudw4 p4 #ehc4   
,footnote #dfj3      8,since the        
introduction of the ,greek or ,chaldean 
,philosophy1 the ,jews    were persuaded
 of the pre-existence1 transmigration1  
and immortality    of souls2 and        
,providence was justified by a          
supposition1 that they    were confined 
in their earthly prisons to expiate the 

stains which    they had contracted in a
 former state4 ,but the degrees of      
purity and    corruption are almost     
immeasurable4 ,it might be fairly       
presumed that    the most sublime and   
virtuous of human spirits was infused   
into the    offspring of ,mary and the  
,holy ,ghost2 that his abasement was the
    result of his voluntary choice2 and 
that the object of his mission was    to
 purify1 not his own1 but the sins of   
the world4 ,on his return to    his     
native skies he received the immense    
reward of his obedience2 the            
everlasting kingdom of the ,messiah1    
which had been darkly foretold by    the
 prophets1 under the carnal images of   
peace1 of conquest1 and of    dominion4 
,omnipotence could enlarge the human    
faculties of ,christ to    the extent of
 his celestial office4 ,in the language 
of antiquity1 the    title of ,god has  
not been severely confined to the first 
parent2 and    his incomparable         
minister1 his only begotten son1 might  

claim1 without    presumption1 the      
religious1 though secondary worship of a
 subject    world4      8,the seeds of  
the faith1 which had slowly arisen in   
the rocky and    ungrateful soil of     
,judea1 were transplanted1 in full      
maturity1 to the    happier climes of   
the ,gentiles2 and the strangers of     
,rome or ,asia1 who    never beheld the 
manhood1 were the more readily disposed 
to embrace    the divinity of ,christ4  
,the polytheist and the philosopher1 the
 ,greek    and the ,barbarian1 were     
alike accustomed to conceive a long     
succession1 an infinite chain of angels 
or dmons1 or deities1 or    ons1 or     
emanations1 issuing from the throne of  
light4 ,nor could it    seem strange or 
incredible1 that the first of these ons1
 the ,logos1    or word of ,god1 of the 
same substance with the ,father1 should 
descend    upon earth1 to deliver the   
human race from vice and error1 and to  
conduct them in the path of life and    
immortality40--,gibbon1 vol4    viii4 p4

 #bga4    ,footnote #dfa3      ,philo de
 ,abrahamo4 ,le ,clerc's ,supplement to 
,hammond1 p4 #afh4    ,footnote #dfb3   
,cudworth1 p4 #eij4    ,footnote #dfc3  
8,it was in this mode of apprehending   
the ,divine ,being that the    doctrine 
of the ,trinity had its origin4 ,the    
,logos of the first four    centuries   
was in the view of the ,fathers both an 
attribute or    attributes of ,god1 and 
a proper person4 ,their philosophy was1 
in    general1 that of the later        
,platonists1 and they transferred from  
it    into ,christianity this mode of   
,conception4 ,in treating of this fact1 
so strange1 and one which will be so new
 to many of my readers1 ,i will    first
 quote a passage from ,origen1 the      
coincidence of which with the           
conceptions of ,philo and the later     
,platonists is apparent4 #8,nor must    
we omit1 that ,christ is properly the   
,wisdom of ,god2 and is therefore    so 
denominated4 ,for the wisdom of the ,god
 and ,father of ,all has not    its     

being in bare conceptions1 analogous to 
the conceptions in human    minds4 ,but 
if any one be capable of forming an idea
 of an incorporeal    being of diverse  
forms of thought1 which comprehend the  
,,logoi the    archetypal forms of all  
things1 a being indued with life1 and   
having    as it were a soul1 he will    
know that the ,wisdom of ,god1 who is   
above    every creature1 pronounced     
rightly concerning herself2 ,the ,lord  
created me1 the beginning1 his way to   
his works4'0--,origen1 ,opp4 iv4    #ci1
 #dj1--quoted by ,norton on the         
,trinity1 p4 #bga-b4    ,footnote #dfd3 
,milman's ,gibbon1 vol4 iii4 p4 #cac4   
,footnote #dfe3      ,see ,cudworth1 p4 
#fjc1 #d4    ,footnote #dff3      8,the 
creed which was first adopted1 and that 
perhaps in the very    earliest age1 by 
the ,church of ,rome1 was that which is 
now called the    ,apostles' ,creed1 and
 it was the general opinion1 from the   
fourth    century downwards1 that it was
 actually the production of those       

blessed persons assembled for that      
purpose4 ,our evidence is not           
sufficient to establish that fact1 and  
some writers very confidently    reject 
it4 ,but there is reasonable ground for 
our assurance that the    form of faith 
which we still repeat and inculcate was 
in use and    honour in the very early  
propagation of our                      
religion40--,waddington's    ,history of
 the ,church1 p4 #bg4    ,footnote #dfg3
      8,ignatius1 ,justin1 and ,irenus  
make no mention of it1 but they         
occasionally repeat some words contained
 in it1 which is held as    proof that  
they knew it by heart40--,waddington4   
,footnote #dfh3      ,jortin1 ,eccles4  
,hist4 vol4 ii4 p4 #ahj4    ,footnote   
#dfi3      ,comment4 in ,johan4 vol4 ii4
 p4 #e4    ,footnote #dgj3      ,hist4  
lib4 iii4 c4 #bd4    ,footnote #dga3    
,chrys4 ,op4 vol4 vi4 p4 #aga2 viii4 p4 
#b4    ,footnote #dgb3      ,comm4 in   
,matt4 sec4 #afa4    ,footnote #dgc3    
,in ,celsum4 lib4 ii4 p4 #ef4           

,footnote #dgd3      ,professor ,burton 
gives some instances of the use of the  
word ,god by    ,ignatius1 ,a4 ,d4 #ajg1
 in connection with ,christ4 ,nothing   
can be more    slender and insufficient 
than his other evidences of the         
recognition    of these doctrines by the
 ,apostolical ,fathers4    ,footnote    
#dge3      ,dial4 cum ,tryph4 p4 #beb4  
,footnote #dgf3      ,lib4 i4 cap4 #ai2 
ii4 cap4 #c4    ,footnote #dgg3         
,strom4 lib4 vi4 p4 #fdd4 ,priestley's  
,hist4 ,early ,opinions4    ,footnote   
#dgh3      ,advers4 ,prax4 c4 #ac4      
,footnote #dgi3      ,comment4 vol4 ii4 
p4 #dg4    ,footnote #dhj3      ,cap4   
ii4 p4 #hd4    ,footnote #dha3          
,lib4 iv4 sec4 #ad4    ,footnote #dhb3  
,orat4 iii4 con4 ,arian4    ,footnote   
#dhc3      ,cudworth4 ,intel4 ,sys4 p4  
#eii4    ,footnote #dhd3                
,inattention to this distinction        
vitiates the whole reasonings of ,dr4   
,burton's learned work on the           
,anti-,nicene ,fathers4 ,there is no    

doubt    that the deity of the ,son and 
even of the ,holy ,ghost is spoken of   
before the ,council of ,nice1 but always
 in the ,platonic or derived    sense1  
never in the present orthodox sense of  
co-equal and    independent4 ,the word  
con-substantial proves nothing to the   
contrary1 for a ,platonist would not    
have objected to the application    of  
the word to the second and third persons
 in his ,trinity1 as    partaking of1 or
 derived from the ,essence of the one   
,supreme4 ,see    ,cudworth's argument  
to this effect 7,intel4 ,sys4 p4 #eig71 
who contends    that by co-essential and
 consubstantial1 the ,nicene ,council   
meant    nothing more than that the ,son
 was generically ,god1 of the same      
nature1 but numerically different1      
having his own distinct ,essence4       
,see also ,dr4 ,burton on a passage     
similar to one from ,tertullian         
already quoted1 where he is misled by   
not attending to this                   
distinction4--,theol4 ,works1 vol4 ii4  

p4 #hi4    ,footnote #dhe3              
,cudworth4 ,intell4 ,sys4 p4 #eie4      
,footnote #dhf3      8,it had been the  
vice of the ,christians of the third    
century1 to    involve themselves1 #8in 
certain metaphysical questions which if 
considered in one light1 are too sublime
 to become the subject of    human wit2 
if in another too trifling to gain the  
attention of    reasonable men4'        
7,warburton47 ,the rage for such        
disputations had been    communicated to
 religion by the contagion of           
philosophy2 but the    manner in which  
it operated on the one and on the other 
was    essentially different4 ,with the 
philosopher such questions were         
objects of the understanding only1      
subjects of comparatively               
dispassionate speculation1 whereon the  
versatile ingenuity of a minute    mind 
might employ or waste itself4 ,but with 
the ,christian they were    matters of  
truth or falsehood1 of belief or        
disbelief4 ,hence arose an    intense   

anxiety respecting the result1 and thus 
the passions were    awakened1 and      
presently broke loose and proceeded to  
every excess4    ,from the moment that  
the solution of these questions was     
attempted by    any other method than   
the fair interpretation of the words of 
,scripture2 as soon as the copious      
language of ,greece was eagerly         
applied to the definition of spiritual  
things1 and the explanation of          
heavenly mysteries1 the field of        
contention seemed to be removed from    
earth to air--where the foot found      
nothing stable to rest upon2 where      
arguments were easily eluded1 and where 
the space to fly and to rally    was    
infinite2 so that the contest grew more 
noisy as it was less    decisive1 and   
more angry as it became more prolonged  
and complicated4    ,add to this the    
nature and genius of the disputants3 for
 the origin of    these disputes may be 
traced without any exception to the     
restless    imaginations of the ,east40 

99 99 99      8,we must also mention the
 loose and unsettled principles of that 
age1    which had prevailed before the  
appearance of ,christianity1 and had    
been to a certain extent adopted by its 
professors--those1 for    instance1     
which justified the means by the end1   
and admitted fraud and    forgery into  
the service of religion40--,waddington1 
,church ,hist4 p4    #hi4    ,footnote  
#dhg3          4    ,footnote #dhh3     
8,let us imagine1 then1 a council called
 by a ,christian ,emperor1 by a         
,constantine1 a ,constantius1 a         
,theodosius1 a ,justinian1 and three1 or
    four1 or five hundred prelates1     
assembled from all quarters1 to decide  
a theological debate40      8,let us    
consider a little by what various       
motives these various men    may be     
influenced1 as by reverence to the      
emperor1 or to his    councillors and   
favourites1 his slaves and eunuchs2 by  
fear of    offending some great prelate1
 as a ,bishop of ,rome or of            

,alexandria1    who had it in his power 
to insult1 vex1 and plague all the      
bishops    within and without his       
jurisdiction2 by the dread of passing   
for    heretics1 and of being           
calumniated1 reviled1 hated1            
anathematized1    excommunicated1       
imprisoned1 banished1 fined1 beggared1  
starved1 if    they refused to submit2  
by compliance with some active1 leading1
 and    imperious spirits1 by a         
deference to a majority1 by a love      
dictating    and domineering1 of        
applause and respect1 by vanity and     
ambition1 by a    total ignorance of the
 question in debate1 or a total         
indifference    about it1 by private    
friendships1 by enmity and resentment1  
by old    prejudices1 by hopes of gain1 
by an indolent disposition1 by good     
nature1 by the fatigue of attending1 and
 a desire to be at home1 by    the love 
of peace and quiet1 and a hatred of     
contention1 c4      8,whosoever takes   
these things into due consideration1    

will not be    disposed to pay a blind  
deference to the authority of general   
,councils1 and will rather be inclined  
to judge that #8the ,council held    by 
the ,apostles was the first and the last
 in which the ,holy ,spirit    may be   
affirmed to have presided4'      8,thus 
far we may safely go1 and submit to an  
,apostolical ,synod2 but if    once we  
proceed one step beyond this1 we go we  
know not whither4 ,if we    admit the   
infallibility of one ,general ,council1 
why not of another8    ,and where shall 
we stop8 ,at the first ,nicene ,council1
 ,a4 ,d4 #cbe1 or at    the second      
,nicene ,council1 ,a4 ,d4 #ghg8 ,they   
who disclaim private    judgment1 and   
believe the infallibility of the        
,church1 act    consistently in holding 
the infallibility of ,councils2 but they
 who    take their faith from the       
,scriptures1 and not from the ,church1  
should    be careful not to require nor 
to yield too much regard to such        
assemblies1 how numerous soever4        

,numbers1 in this case1 go for little1  
and to them the old ,proverb may be     
applied2--              #8,est turba    
semper argumentum pessimi4'      8,if   
such ,councils make righteous decrees1  
it must have been by strange    good    
luck40--,jortin1 ,eccles4 ,hist4 vol4   
ii4 p4 #ahc-d4    ,footnote #dhi3       
,milman's ,ed4 vol4 iii4 p4 #cca4       
,footnote #dij3      ,waddington1       
,church ,hist4 p4 #ic4    ,footnote     
#dia3      ,eccles4 ,hist4 vol4 ii4 p4  
#baj4    ,footnote #dib3      8,the     
,christian ,religion1 which in itself is
 plain and simple1 he    7,constantius7 
confounded by the dotage of             
superstition4 ,instead of    reconciling
 the parties by the weight of his       
authority1 he cherished    and          
propagated1 by verbal disputes1 the     
differences which his vain    curiosity 
had excited4 ,the highways were covered 
with troops of    bishops1 galloping    
from every side to the ,assemblies1     
which they call    synods2 and while    

they laboured to reduce the whole sect  
to their own    particular opinions1 the
 public establishment of the posts was  
almost    ruined by their hasty and     
repeated journeys40--,ammianus1 as      
quoted by    ,gibbon1 vol4 iii4 p4 #cdg4
    ,footnote #dic3      8,constantine's
 conduct was variable afterwards1 for he
 certainly    understood not this       
perplexed and obscure controversy1 and  
he    acted as he was influenced at     
different times by the ecclesiastics    
of each party1 who accused one another1 
not only of heterodoxy1    but of being 
enemies to the ,emperor1 and of other   
faults and    misdemeanors40--,jortin4  
,footnote #did3      8,notwithstanding  
all which it must be granted1 that      
though this    co-essentiality of the   
three persons in the ,trinity does imply
 them to    be all ,god1 yet does it not
 follow from thence of necessity that   
they    are therefore ,one              
,god40--,cudworth1 p4 #eif4    ,footnote
 #die3      8,that little is said       

concerning the separate divinity of the 
,spirit of    ,god in the ,scripture is 
evident to every body2 but the reason   
that    ,epiphanius gives for it1 will  
not be easily imagined4 ,in order to    
account for the ,apostles saying so     
little concerning the divinity of    the
 ,holy ,spirit1 and omitting the mention
 of him after that of the    ,father and
 the ,son1 7as when ,paul says1 #8there 
is one ,god and ,father    of all1 of   
whom are all things1 and one ,lord      
,jesus ,christ1 by whom are    all      
things1'7 he says that #8the ,apostles  
writing by the inspiration of    the    
,spirit1 ,he did not choose to introduce
 much commendation of    ,himself1 lest 
it should give us an example of         
commending    ourselves4'0--,priestley's
 ,history of the ,corruptions of        
,christianity1    p4 #fj4    ,footnote  
#dif3      8,the ,holy ,spirit1 if he be
 ,god1 as the objection is stated by    
,basil1    must either be begotten or   
unbegotten4 ,if he be unbegotten1 he is 

the    ,father2 if begotten1 the ,son2  
and if he is neither begotten nor       
unbegotten1 he is a                     
creature40--,priestley's ,hist4 ,early  
,opinions1    vol4 ii4 #cca4      ,this 
is the least offensive specimen ,i could
 find of the common    objections made  
to the separate deity of the ,holy      
,ghost at the time    the doctrine was  
first proposed4 ,the plainer and coarser
 forms of the    objection1             
unhesitatingly handled by the ,fathers1 
,i withhold from    reverence4 ,but let 
the reader consult the ,ecclesiastical  
,history of    the ,period4 ,the        
difficulty stated by ,athanasius1       
,basil1 and others1    was overcome by  
establishing a certain mysterious or    
rather no-meaning    difference between 
begotten and proceeding4 ,such is always
 the    easy refuge of mystics4 ,the    
line is a faint one between             
unintelligible    ideas and no ideas at 
all4 8,the nativity of the ,son10 says  
,austin1    8differs from the procession

 of the ,spirit1 otherwise they would be
    brothers40 ,i doubt whether it is   
right to disclose to all eyes the       
morbid anatomy of ,theology2 but ,i     
assure my readers that ,i am            
reverentially forbearing4    ,footnote  
#dig3      8,in the age of religious    
freedom1 which was determined by the    
,council    of ,nice1 the dignity of    
,christ was measured by private         
judgment1    according to the indefinite
 rule of ,scripture1 or reason1 or      
tradition4 ,but when his pure and proper
 divinity had been established    on the
 ruins of ,arianism1 the faith of the   
,catholics trembled on the    edge of a 
precipice1 where it was impossible to   
recede1 dangerous to    stand1 dreadful 
to fall2 and the manifold inconveniences
 of this creed    were aggravated by the
 sublime character of their theology4   
,they    hesitated to pronounce2 that   
,god himself1 the second person of an   
equal and consubstantial ,trinity1 was  
manifested in the flesh2 that    a being

 who pervades the universe1 had been    
confined in the womb of    ,mary2 that  
his eternal duration had been marked by 
the days1 and    months1 and years of   
human existence2 that the ,almighty had 
been    scourged and crucified2 that his
 impassible essence had felt pain    and
 anguish2 that his omniscience was not  
exempt from ignorance2 and    that the  
source of life and immortality expired  
on ,mount ,calvary4    ,these alarming  
consequences were affirmed with         
unblushing simplicity    by             
,apollinaris1 bishop of ,laodicea1 and  
one of the luminaries of the    church4 
,the son of a learned grammarian1 he was
 skilled in all the    sciences of      
,greece2 eloquence1 erudition1 and      
philosophy1 conspicuous    in the       
volumes of ,apollinaris1 were humbly    
devoted to the service of    religion4  
,the worthy friend of ,athanasius1 the  
worthy antagonist of    ,julian1 he     
bravely wrestled with the ,arians and   
,polytheists1 and    though he affected 

the rigour of geometrical demonstration1
 his    ,commentaries revealed the      
literal and allegorical sense of the    
,scriptures4 ,a mystery which had long  
floated in the looseness of    popular  
belief1 was defined by his perverse     
diligence in a technical    form2 and he
 first proclaimed the memorable words1  
8,one incarnate    nature of ,christ10  
which are still re-echoed with hostile  
clamours in    the churches of ,asia1   
,egypt1 and thiopia4 ,he taught that the
 ,godhead    was united or mingled with 
the body of a man2 and that the ,logos1 
the eternal wisdom1 supplied in the     
flesh the place and office of a    human
 soul40--,gibbon1 vol4 viii4 p4 #bgi4   
,footnote #dih3      ,waddington1 ,hist4
 of the ,church1 p4 #ahb4    ,footnote  
#dii3      ,jortin1 vol4 iii4 p4 #aaf4  
,footnote #ejj3      ,norton on the     
,trinity4    ,footnote #eja3            
8,hence many questions arose1 which gave
 rise to as many controversies4    ,for 
example1 it was debated1 ,whether the   

two natures in ,christ were so    united
 as to become one2 or whether they      
remained distinct8 ,whether1    since   
,christ was born1 and died1 and rose    
again1 it could be said that    ,god was
 born and died1 and rose again8         
8,whether the ,virgin ,mary1 who was the
 ,mother of ,christ1 could be    called 
the ,mother of ,god8      8,whether     
,christ were two persons1 or only one8  
8,whether ,christ was everywhere        
present1 in his human1 as in his divine 
nature8      8,whether one person of the
 ,trinity could be said to suffer for   
us8      8,whether the whole ,trinity   
could be said to suffer for us8         
8,whether in ,christ there were three   
substances1 or only two8      8,these   
questions produced altercation and      
strife1 and then    anathematisms1 and  
then fightings and murders40--,jortin1  
vol4 iii4 p4    #aag4      ,to these    
might be added the question proposed by 
the ,emperor    ,heraclius1 ,a4,d4 #fbi1
 to his ,bishops--8,whether ,christ1 of 

one person but    two natures1 was      
actuated by a single or a double will80 
,this gave    rise to what was called   
the ,monothelite 7one will7             
,controversy1 as    that respecting the 
single nature was called the            
,monophysite 7one    nature7            
,controversy4    ,footnote #ejb3        
,jortin1 vol4 iii4 p4 #abd4    ,footnote
 #ejc3      ,milman's ,edit4 vol4 viii4 
p4 #cab4    ,footnote #ejd3      ,norton
 on the ,trinity1 p4 #gh4    ,footnote  
#eje3      8,vigilius ,tapsensis hath   
been supposed1 by many1 to have been the
    ,maker of the ,athanasian ,creed    
about this time 7the close of the fifth 
century74 ,others are of a different    
opinion4 ,but it matters little by      
whom1 or where1 or when it was          
composed40--,jortin1 ,eccles4 ,hist4    
vol4    iii4 p4 #aca4    ,footnote #ejf3
      8,the opinions of some of our own 
,churchmen on this subject are          
collected by ,clarke in his book on the 
,trinity4 ,the expression of    ,bishop 

,tomline cannot be too generally known4 
#8,we know1' he says1    #8that         
different persons have deduced          
different1 and even opposite            
doctrines from the words of ,scripture1 
and consequently there must be    many  
errors among ,christians2 but since the 
,gospel no where informs us    what     
degree of error will exclude from       
eternal happiness1 ,i am ready    to    
acknowledge that in my judgment1        
notwithstanding the authority of        
former times1 our church would have     
acted more wisely and more              
consistently with its general principles
 of mildness and toleration1    if it   
had not adopted the damnatory clauses of
 the ,athanasian ,creed4    ,though ,i  
firmly believe that the doctrines       
themselves of this creed    are all     
founded in ,scripture1 ,i cannot but    
conceive it both    unnecessary and     
presumptuous to say1 that except every  
one do keep    them whole and undefiled1
 without doubt he shall perish          

everlastingly4'0--,exposition1 part iii4
 art4 viii4    ,footnote #ejg3          
,church ,history1 p4 #bbj4    ,footnote 
#ejh3      ,intel4 ,sys4 p4 #fjb1 #d4   
,footnote #eji3      8,it must be       
acknowledged that the first converts    
from the ,platonic    school took       
advantage of the resemblance between    
,evangelic and    ,platonic doctrine on 
the subject of the ,godhead1 to apply   
the    principles of their old          
philosophy to the explication and       
confirmation    of the articles of their
 faith4 ,they defended it by arguments  
drawn    from ,platonic principles1 and 
even propounded it in ,platonic         
language40--,bishop ,horsley4           
,footnote #eaj3      ,see the ,rev4 ,d4 
,james's acknowledgment of the          
,subordination of the ,son    and the   
,holy ,spirit to the ,father--of their  
official inferiority3 and    the        
illustrations of the ,king and the ,duke
 of ,wellington1 which    ,trinitarian  
,theology thinks apposite4    ,footnote 

#eaa3      ,we were told1 indeed1 in    
,christ ,church1 by the ,rev4 ,d4       
,james1 that    there might exist any   
number of persons in the divine         
,essence1 three    thousand as well as  
three1 and that only because ,scripture 
had    revealed no more had ,christians 
fixed upon that number as making up     
the divine ,unity4 ,and this is so clear
 a consequence of the principles    of  
,trinitarian ,theology1 that the view   
must be ascribed to all                 
,trinitarians4 ,scripture1 however1     
though it has only revealed    three1   
has not declared that there are no more 
persons in the    ,godhead--so that it  
is being wise above what is written to  
limit the    divine ,,monarchy to the   
,,economy of three ,persons4      ,but  
farther than this it was declared by the
 ,rev4 ,d4 ,james that nature           
contained no evidence of ,one ,god1 not 
even in the ,trinitarian sense    of    
,oneness1 for that many ,gods might     
unite to build the world1 as many    men

 had united to build the ,liverpool     
,custom ,house4 ,what would the         
,architect of that building say to this 
invasion of the unity of his            
designing mind8 ,mr4 ,james repeatedly  
informed his audience that he    always 
appealed to reason6 ,such is            
,trinitarianism when it reasons4 ,but   
,i suppose this view must be considered 
as a peculiarity of the    individual   
preacher4    ,footnote #eab3      ,who  
are the competent ,critics1 of whom ,mr4
 ,byrth speaks as retaining    the text 
of the three ,heavenly ,witnesses8 ,the 
,bishop of ,salisbury1 ,i    suppose4   
,if this had been ,unitarian ,criticism1
 ,mr4 ,byrth would have    called it    
defective ,scholarship or dishonesty4   
,he can discriminate    in favour of    
those who err upon his own side4 ,see a 
curious statement    of the external    
evidence affecting this text1 #a ,john  
v4 #g1 in the    second volume of       
,burton's ,theological ,works1 p4 #aad1 
#bnd part4    ,footnote #eac3      8,it 

is reasonable to expect1 that those     
doctrines1 which form the    leading    
articles of any system1 should be       
plainly stated in the book    which     
professes to make that system           
known40--,wardlaw4    ,footnote #ead3   
8#8,go ye therefore and teach all       
nations1 baptizing them in the name of  
the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the
 ,holy ,ghost4' ,that is1 #8,go ye      
therefore into all the world1 and teach 
or disciple all nations1    baptizing   
them into the profession of faith in1   
and an obligation to    obey the        
doctrine taught by ,christ1 with        
authority from ,god the    ,father1 and 
confirmed by the ,holy                  
,ghost4'0--,lardner4    ,footnote #eae3 
,john x4 #cd4    ,footnote #eaf3        
,john xvii4 #bj1 #bc4    ,footnote #eag3
      ,rom4 ix4 #e4                     
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,lecture ,,viii4                       
,,man1 ,,the ,,image ,,of ,,god4        

,,by ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,giles4      8,,for
 ,a ,,man ,,indeed ,,ought ,,not ,,to   
,,cover ,,his ,,head1 ,,forasmuch ,,as  
,,he ,,is ,,the     ,,image ,,and       
,,glory ,,of ,,god40--#a ,cor4 xi4 #g4  
8,,and ,,when ,,he ,,came ,,to          
,,himself1 ,,he ,,said--,,how ,,many    
,,hired ,,servants ,,of ,,my            
,,father',s ,,have ,,bread ,,enough     
,,and ,,to ,,spare1 ,,and ,i ,,perish   
,,with ,,hunger4 ,i     ,,will ,,arise1 
,,and ,,go ,,to ,,my ,,father1 ,,and    
,,will ,,say ,,unto ,,him1--,,father1 ,i
     ,,have ,,sinned ,,against ,,heaven 
,,and ,,before ,,thee1 ,,and ,,am ,,no  
,,more ,,worthy ,,to     ,,be ,,called  
,,thy ,,son2 ,,make ,,me ,,as ,,one ,,of
 ,,thy ,,hired ,,servants40--,luke xv4  
#ag-ai4      ,we are often told that man
 was originally created in the image of 
his  ,maker2 and1 in the same           
connection1 we are told that1 in his    
fall1 he  lost it4 ,if this be true1 we 
might expect that ,scripture writers1 in
  alluding to fallen man1 would never   

ascribe to him so holy a  resemblance4  
,paul1 however1 does it in one of the   
texts ,i have quoted2  and ,paul is not 
alone in this ascription4 ,in an        
ordinance to ,noah1  immediately after  
the deluge1 we find the same truth made 
the foundation  of a most solemn        
injunction4 8,whoso sheddeth man's      
blood1 by man shall  his blood be shed3 
for in the image of ,god made he        
man40#eah ,had the  resemblance of ,god 
been effaced from the soul of man in the
 fall of  ,adam1 there had been in this 
ordinance neither meaning nor solemnity4
  ,since1 therefore1 the sacred writer  
uses the fact of man's likeness to  ,god
 to stamp deeper guilt on the crime of  
murder2 since1 moreover1 that  fact is  
alleged after the narration of the      
fall1--we are justified by  ,scripture  
in claiming this high and glorious      
distinction for our  universal nature4  
,i have quoted the second text1 because 
the principle implied in it is          
identical with that which ,i stand here 

to maintain1 namely1 that sin is  not of
 our nature1 but against it2 that it is 
not consistent with it1  but            
contradictory to it2 that to be sinful1 
is not to be natural1 but  unnatural4   
,sin1 properly speaking1 is moral       
delirium2 and the progress  towards that
 last paroxysm which1 by revulsion1     
arouses the soul from  its madness1 is  
eloquently symbolised in the parable    
from which my  second text is taken4    
,having tried all that sin could offer  
him2 having  sunk to the very husks of  
carnal appetites1 and vainly sought thus
 to  satisfy the hunger of an immortal  
soul1 wearied1 disappointed1 and        
disgusted2 satiated1 but not satisfied1 
the prodigal arises from his  torpor2 he
 awakens from his wildering dream2 the  
delirium that so long  beset him is     
dispersed2 with a calm and clear brain  
he finds himself in  open day-light1 and
 discerns the empty and unsubstantial   
vanities for  which1 in a false hope1 he
 spent his labour and his strength1 to  

reap at  last1 in the bitterness of a   
repentant heart1 nothing but grief1     
tribulation1 and anguish4    ,sin is not
 a following of nature1 but a violence  
on it2 not conformity1  but             
contradiction to it4 ,and so1 as when   
returning life beats in the  palsied    
heart1 or the dawn of reason bursts     
again on the madman's brain1  the       
prodigal is said 8to come to himself20  
when the spirit of moral  renovation    
opens on him with compunctuous visitings
 of nature1 and  reveals to him a full  
sense of his condition4 ,in his guilt he
 was at  variance with all the moral    
instincts of humanity2 and1 in the      
sorrow of  repentance1 he needed as much
 to be at peace with himself as with his
  father4 ,it is universally thus4 ,god 
has established a certain order and     
harmony in our nature1 appointed to each
 faculty a place and a purpose2  and1 in
 disturbing this arrangement1 we become 
transgressors4 ,we cannot  sin against  
,god without also sinning against our   

own souls1 for in them  is the primitive
 revelation of ,god2 and in thus sinning
 against our own  souls1 we may         
practically resist all the divine       
attributes of which our  weak faculties 
are the dim reflection2 ,god's wisdom in
 the abuse of our  intellect2 his       
greatness in the loss of our moral      
dignity2 his goodness  in the           
destruction of our charities2 his purity
 in the corruption of our  hearts4      
,unitarians are accused of making sin a 
light matter4 ,we protest  against the  
justice of the accusation4 ,we hold sin 
to be the greatest of  evils1 and the   
most dire of miseries4 ,we hold it not  
as a mere social  impropriety1 but we   
regard it as a dark disloyalty against  
conscience  and against ,god4 ,much     
suffering1 we know1 it inflicts on      
society2 but  slight1 indeed1 is it     
compared with the ruin and devastation  
it works in  our own souls4 ,here1 at   
first1 ,god impressed his image2 here1  
at last1  he fixes his tribunal3 it is  

here his voice was heard in kindness1 it
 is  here it shall be also heard in     
judgment4 ,god's government is1 like    
himself1 spiritual4 ,man rules by       
outward power1 ,god by inward           
inspiration2 and it is the peculiarity  
of the divine legislation that1  in the 
same individual1 it attaches the        
condemnation to the crime2  forces      
transgression1 to pronounce its own     
sentence1 and to inflict its  own       
punishment4 ,human society has set up   
various bulwarks to guard its  security2
 human law-givers have accompanied their
 enactments with  fiercest penalties2   
and before ,draco1 and since1 millions  
upon millions  of ,god's erring         
creatures have been offered1 a          
sanguinary sacrifice to  justice3       
superstition has personified all hideous
 evil in ,satan1--the  mighty sinner of 
creation1--the minister of eternal      
vengeance1--the great  executioner of   
the universe2 superstition has spread   
the limitless  prisons of hell1 and     

filled them with tortures1 and lit those
 flames  which it asserts are kept      
burning by the breath of an angry ,god1 
and are  never to be quenched during his
 everlasting existence2 but we assert1  
there is no scorn of society1 there is  
no torture of most cruel laws1  there is
 no hell of superstition1 deep1 burning1
 and eternal as it may  be1 that can    
equal the agonies which man's own sense 
of wrong and  degradation heap upon his 
overwhelmed and sunken spirit4 ,the     
glory of an  immortal soul is beyond all
 outward glories2 the majesty of empires
 and  crowns1 the splendour of the sun1 
the beauty of the firmament1 the  riches
 of the universe1 are nothing in        
comparison4 ,we say to those to  whom it
 is our privilege to minister1 though   
you were stripped of all  that          
constitute your frail and present       
happiness2 though saddest  reverses     
became your lot2 though ,god laid his   
hand heavily upon you and  your family1 
tore you from that rank and station that

 now make your  glory2 though your      
children and friends were one by one    
snatched from  you1 until you stood in  
the world-wilderness like a branchless  
and a  blasted tree2 though all illness 
of body and grief of mind were          
yours1--having an upright soul1 it is   
but a light affliction compared  with a 
guilty conscience1 which could wield    
over earth a universal  sceptre4 ,the   
wages of sin is death1--death in the    
most tremendous meaning  of that        
tremendous word1--death of purity1 death
 of holy confidence1  death of          
self-respect1 death of inward and       
outward peace4 ,sin is misery1  and the 
worst of miseries1--one that carries    
with it its own vengeance1  is          
self-punished and self-cursed4 ,true1 we
 recognize no omnipresent and  invisible
 tempter2 true1 we hold no gross and    
eternal punishment2 we  preach no       
original malediction1 and no inherent   
depravity2 we proclaim  no sin which    
blots out all light and hope around the 

mercy-seat of ,god1  and scathes the    
heart of man with everlasting despair4  
,true1 we show you  no maniac penitents1
 bewildered in the madness of remorse1  
shrieking on  the death-bed which       
conscience peoples with furies4 ,we     
announce no deity  coming from heaven1  
putting on the frail existence of       
humanity1 and  expiating on the cross   
the sin which had closed all access to  
peace4 ,we  cannot1 and if we could we  
would not1 freeze your hearts with ideas
 of  torture1 nor appal you with        
threatenings1 nor echo on your ears the 
groans that never cease1 the weepings1  
the wailings1 the knashing of  teeth1   
the sighs and hopeless complainings that
 swell for ever and ever  a thickening  
smoke of torment4 ,independently of     
these things1 there are  other          
considerations more solemn1--more       
solemn1 because more true1--there  is   
our conscience2 there is our peace2     
there is the dignity of our whole       
spiritual nature2 there is reverence for

 duty2 there is the power to  enjoy what
 is pure and beautiful2 there is fitness
 for communion with  ,god1 with all the 
righteous and the excellent1--these may 
be lost1 or  clouded by sin2 and they   
may be so lost as never fully to be     
recovered4  ,we count sin no slight     
evil1 either as to its inward spirit or 
outward  influence3 as ,i have stated1  
so we preach4 ,and here1 once for all1  
,i  enter my protest against the        
impeachment which charges us with       
stripping  guilt of its danger and its  
awfulness4    ,i4 ,human nature1        
according to the point from which we    
regard it1 has a  good or an evil       
aspect1 each perfectly distinct1 and    
each perfectly  true4 ,the whole truth  
is then in neither separately1 but in   
both  conjointly4 ,fixing too intently  
on either1 and carrying our ideas to    
extremes1 we may1 on the one side1      
flatter human nature above its  merits2 
or1 on the other1 be guilty towards it  
of injustice3 on the one  side see in it

 all possible good1 and on the other    
nothing but  incorrigible evil3 on the  
one side soar into ,utopianism1 and on  
the  other descend into ,calvinism4 ,the
 ,calvinistic view we hold to be false1 
the ,utopian impossible4 ,we have no    
idea of any perfect goodness or  perfect
 happiness in this world1 either        
possessed or to be attained4  ,whilst we
 pace our way in this earthly           
pilgrimage1 sin and suffering  must more
 or less track our steps2 the prodigal's
 confession1 and the  publican's prayer1
 must still be ours2 the most favoured  
of ,god's  children have to meet1 and   
bear their allotted griefs1--to see     
their  glory grow dim1 the desire of    
their eyes vanish1 and to look onward   
and  backward through the mist of tears4
 ,sufficient of stern realities press   
upon us to crush at once the vision of a
 painless and sinless beatitude4        
,physical wants and sufferings1 the     
inevitable condition of our mortal      
nature1 were there no other1 are of     

themselves equal to the purpose4  ,while
 an hospital exists among men1 breathing
 with groans and sickly in  its very    
look2 while a death-bed is found1       
steeped in the weepings of  affliction2 
whilst a stone marks and commemorates a 
spot where the dust  is sacred to       
affection and to sorrow2 the wildest    
dreamer has enough to  rebuke his       
enthusiasm1 and to cool it into         
soberness4 ,and extreme or  exaggerated 
expectations of our nature1 are in still
 stronger  contradiction to our moral   
constitution than our physical4 ,in     
every  individual1 however humble his   
grade1 and however sluggish his         
faculties1 there is abundance to make   
him aware that perfection here is       
neither his condition nor his           
destiny1--numberless desires1 passions1 
hopes1 fears1 expectancies2 and no one  
imagines that all his desires are  to be
 gratified1 all his passions fulfilled1 
all his hopes accomplished1  all his    
fears removed1 all his expectancies     

realized4 ,want and wish  pursue their  
strife to the end4 ,as it is with the   
individual1 so is it  with society3 for 
as society is an aggregate of individual
 persons1  social character is an       
aggregate of individual characters4     
,evils1 sins1  and sorrows1 must always1
 we fear1 exist1 both in the depths and 
on the  surface of the great community3 
we look for no period in future time1   
when those antagonist passions and      
rivalries shall be extinct--which  place
 man into resisting contact to man1 when
 riches1 and fame1 and  power1 shall not
 be sought for with avidity and strife1 
and create the  throng of passions which
 spring from their desire and their     
abuse3 we  look for no period when the  
strong universally will use their       
strength  in righteousness and mercy1   
when the poor and the weak shall cease  
to be  victims1 and have full justice   
done to them3 we dare scarcely hope for 
a  period when the massive throne of    
tyranny1 whether political or           

sacerdotal1 should be swept away upon   
the flood of emancipated  progression2  
and1 with equal fear1 we think of the   
tyrannies of caste  and creed1 not less 
dark or obstinate2 and although not     
entirely in  despair1 we look forward   
with timid anticipation to a time when  
the war  of opinion shall be changed for
 ,christian peace1 and the fierce cry of
  bigotry give place to the hymn with   
which the angels sung our ,saviour's    
birth4 ,we see no prospect that men     
shall lay aside their selfishness1  and 
act in the spirit of universal charity1 
or that they shall so curb  it as to    
harmonize it with the good of others6   
that they shall become  universally     
disinterested1 forbearing1 candid1 and  
generous2 that the  proud man will put  
off his scorn1 and the oppressor break  
or throw away  his sceptre4 ,moral and  
social evils will unquestionably be     
mitigated1  but the sources of them lie 
too deep for extinction1--were          
extinction  desirable1 which it is not3 

for these elements of our nature are    
wrong  only accidentally2 while1        
essentially1 they are right4 ,knowing   
that an  argument gains nothing by      
concealing the objections to it1 ,i have
 thus  far been liberal in admissions3  
,i will make one admission more4 ,i     
acknowledge that an over-estimate of the
 actual condition and prospects  of     
human nature1 as well as their undue    
depreciation1 is likely to have         
injurious consequences4 ,one of the     
worst is this3 that1 creating vivid  and
 unreal hopes1 they rebound with harsh  
and cruel disappointments2 the  fervour 
of expectation turns into despair2 the  
glow of generous1 but  blasted          
enthusiasm1 cools down into apathy1 if  
it does not wither into  cynicism2      
exstacy that was too intense to last1   
and too extravagant to  be well founded1
 either renounces altogether its early  
faith1 or1  casting away its hope1      
complains through life in grief and     
despondency4  ,desires1 bright and      

beautiful1 are broken1 and their light  
scattered in  the dust4 ,aspirations1   
once too big for utterance1 turn back to
 the  bosom that nourished              
them1--hitherto their palace1 now their 
prison1--and  there waste away in       
hopeless thinking1 or die in the echoes 
of  unavailing murmurs4 ,such mistakes  
are to be lamented1 but not to be       
scorned2 for that suffering is not to be
 despised which has its  foundation in  
profound and extensive sympathy4 ,and it
 is not in the  power of minds more     
obtuse and slow to measure or conceive  
the pain of  those who1 with a moral    
imagination that goes out to the very   
limits of  humanity1 and a piercing     
sensibility that enters into the hidden 
places  where suffering weeps unnoted1  
and sin lies down unredeemed1 that in   
the  spirit of unselfish love feels the 
woe and guilt of a race1 as though  they
 were personal afflictions1 it is not   
easy1 ,i say1 to estimate the  pain such
 men undergo3 when some conjuncture of  

events1 which seemed the  dawn of       
virtue1 of liberty1 of peace1 of        
brotherhood1 turns out a  mockery and a 
contradiction2 when they live to see    
that their noblest  aspirings were but  
as the babblings of vanity2 that the    
circumstances of  which they augured    
most hopefully1 proved as empty as      
shapes of vapour  painted by the rising 
sun2 that changes1 of which they        
prophesied in  most exulting strains1   
reversed all their calculations4 ,this  
is no vague  speculation2 there have    
been many instances in fact1 and we can 
imagine  many more4 ,had ,luther been   
defeated in his attempt for religious   
reformation2 had ,howard departed to his
 rest with the sorrowful  conviction    
that he left cells as dark1 and         
prisoners as hopeless1 as he  found     
them2 had ,wilberforce closed his life  
in despair of all redemption  for the   
slave2 had ,washington fought in vain   
the fight for independence1  seeing no  
prospect for his country1 but           

submissively to bear the yoke  for ever2
 we have no doubt that each would have  
experienced a more  oppressive anguish  
than from the keenest of personal       
afflictions4 ,in  such cases there were1
 of course1 the soundness of conception 
and wisdom  of execution which ensure   
success2 but in others1 it often happens
 that  the disappointment is not the    
less bitter because the expectations    
were  baseless4    ,opposed to this     
scheme is that of rigid ,calvinism4 ,by 
the latter system  the whole nature is  
described as hopelessly corrupt1 and    
language  affords no colouring which can
 give shades deep enough for the        
theological picture4 ,minutest analysis 
is used to prove man such a  being1 that
 when considered you find him to be a   
compound of fiend and  brute--such a    
being that you wonder ,god would allow  
him to disgrace  existence1 to pollute  
creation1 and not annihilate1 and blot  
him out  from the universe1 such a being
 that if correctly described the very   

continuance of society becomes a miracle
 and a marvel4 ,his intellect1 we  are  
told1 is utterly and spiritually        
darkened1 his will the slave of  sin1   
set to work iniquity greedily1 his      
imagination corrupt1 his  passions      
rebellious1 his affections perverted1   
incapable of good in  thought1 word1 or 
deed1 and completely devoted to evil4   
,taking this view  as correct1 we might 
suppose the prime use of man's          
understanding was to  devise wickedness1
 of his memory to prolong the thoughts  
of it1 of his  will to form only guilty 
resolves1 and of his passions to riot in
 all  that is vile and ungodly4 ,we have
 thus the whole spiritual and moral man 
steeped in black and hateful infamy4 ,to
 sustain these assertions1 appeal  is   
made to experience2 and proof is found  
of entire and universal  depravity in   
history1 laws1 and literature4 ,any     
conclusion drawn from  these goes but to
 testify what we are ready to concede1  
that man is an  imperfect being1 and    

that the evidence of his imperfection is
 stamped  upon most of his actions and  
productions4 ,but the testimony is      
partially  and unjustly quoted4 ,another
 estimate of the same evidence would    
argue  as strongly1 and even more so1   
for the inherent goodness of man4 ,if we
  take the instance of human laws it    
will at once illustrate and confirm  my 
assertion4 ,if laws prove the existence 
and universality of crime1  they prove  
also the existence and universality of  
the sense of justice1  for laws1 so far 
as they embody general principles1 are  
the expression  of common and collective
 sentiments4 ,indirectly1 they prove yet
 more3  for1 after all1 the great mass  
of truth and rectitude exists           
independently of laws1 is such as no law
 could reach1 is in fact such  that     
without it no laws could have a moment's
 force4 ,in the effort to  make good an 
indictment against human nature1 an     
industry and labour are  expended1 as   
perverse as they are pertinacious2 the  

lowest purlieus of  depravity are raked1
 the deepest mines of wickedness are    
worked with a  zeal as ardent as the    
veriest miser would seek for hidden     
treasure1 the  blackest evils of the    
worst times are adduced1 the pages of   
history that  are the most darkly       
stained1 are torn out and severed from  
the context2  and for what purpose is   
all this8 ,why1 to make the noblest work
 of ,god  odious2 to vilify that nature 
which was glorified in the person of our
  ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,if human nature
 is so thoroughly depraved and vile1  as
 so frequently asserted1 the scheme of  
orthodoxy is most improbable1  and a    
fallen humanity1 as it paints humanity1 
instead of giving  ,christianity        
consistency1 renders it the most        
perplexing of paradoxes4  ,for if man be
 thus naturally vile and                
depraved--corrupted in every  faculty1  
whence these high counsels in heaven    
concerning him2 whence the  union of    
three infinite and co-eternal persons to

 save a wretch1 the  extinction of whom 
would have been mercy to the universe2  
whence the  counsels of the ,father1 the
 incarnation of the ,son1 and that death
 of a  ,god-man on ,calvary1 at which we
 are told the angels trembled and       
creation stood aghast2 along with all1  
the constant and supernatural  agency of
 the ,holy ,spirit8 ,if man be really as
 worthless and as wicked  as we are     
often told he is1 all this1 7with       
reverence ,i speak it17 seems  a want of
 wisdom and a waste of strength4 ,though
 it may be considered  over bold ,i will
 go a step further4 ,if the one sin of  
,adam was to work  such complete ruin in
 all his countless posterity2 if it was 
to be the  source of such an            
irremediable wickedness1 and unrelieved 
misery1 if  notwithstanding the united  
work of three infinite agents1 there was
  still to be a bottomless pit and an   
everlasting smoke of torment1 a  black  
and boundless ocean of guilt and pain1  
swelled by gloomy streams  ever and ever

 flowing in from earth1 for which       
infants were sealed in  their birth1 to 
which the lost are consigned in their   
death--if this be  the lot to which the 
great mass of our species is            
destined--of which the  first tear is a 
symbol1 and the last sigh a             
passport1--if hell still is  more       
peopled than heaven1 then the infinite  
agencies of redemption might  have been 
spared1 this hopeless and illimitable   
anguish might have been  extinguished1  
and the annihilation of our first       
parents would have been  the greater    
mercy and the greater salvation4        
,appeal is made to scripture with still 
greater confidence than to  experience4 
,there is one to whom reference is never
 made for testimony  to this doctrine1  
and that is our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2   
and if such  doctrine were true1 it is  
strange that he who needeth not that any
  should testify of man1 because he knew
 what was in man1 did not reveal  it1   
and stamp it with all the solemnity of  

his authority4 ,it may with  confidence 
be asserted that such a dogma as the    
inherent and universal  corruption of   
human nature is neither asserted nor    
justified by any  ,scripture from       
,genesis to ,revelations4 ,the ,bible1  
,i admit to be a moral1  and also a     
providential history2 and in this       
relation1 ,i admit also1  that it       
contains many strong statements of human
 wickedness2 but they  all refer to     
periods of peculiar degeneracy1 and a   
fair study of the  context will plainly 
show they have defined limitations4 ,in 
the appendix  to this lecture ,i will   
subjoin a list of texts usually pleaded 
for this  doctrine1 the mere exhibition 
of which is sufficient to expose its    
utter  want of a ,scriptural            
foundation4#eai ,on the present occasion
 ,i shall  confine my remarks to the    
proofs alleged from ,paul to the        
,romans4  ,stripping the subject of all 
the mysticism with which it has been    
encumbered1 and identifying ourselves   

with the mind and times of the  apostle1
 let us clearly see what was his object1
 and then we shall truly  apprehend the 
nature of his argument4 ,paul's object  
was twofold3 first1  to show that the   
,gospel was universal4 ,this was opposed
 to the  circumscribed nationality of   
,judaism4 ,secondly1 that it was inward 
and  spiritual4 ,this was again opposed 
to the ritual and legal exactitude of   
,judaism4 ,the ,general course1         
therefore1 of the argument is directed  
against ,jewish thoughts and ,jewish    
prejudices1 and to maintain the         
admissibility of the ,gentiles to the   
,christian church4 ,he has then to  make
 good two propositions3--namely1 8that  
,god is impartially and equally  the    
,god of all men2 and that fidelity of   
heart is the essence of all  true       
religion40 ,we might sum up the whole   
system of the ,apostle in two  simple   
sentences of his letter3 8,is he the    
,god of the ,jews only8 is he  not also 
the ,god of the ,gentiles8 ,yes1 of the 

,gentiles also40 ,the other  assertion  
is1 that 8with the heart man believeth  
unto righteousness40  ,proving these two
 principles1 he utterly demolishes all  
,jewish claims4  ,the ,apostle proceeds 
to open the new aspect which ,jesus     
presented of the  character of          
,god--that of grace or mercy4 ,moses    
proclaimed ,jehovah as a  ,god of law1  
,jesus revealed him as a ,god of grace4 
,paul cautiously1 but  with power1      
argues most convincingly that in this   
relation only can men  confidently      
approach him1 but in this relation there
 is free access for  all4 ,none have a  
claim from merit1 for all are guilty4   
,with remarkable  prudence1 he takes1   
first1 the case of the ,gentile1 and the
 state of the  world in his own time    
supplied him examples in melancholy     
abundance4  ,there was1 therefore1 no   
ground for ,gentile exultation or       
,jewish  jealousy1 for the gospel was   
offered to the ,heathens1 not as a thing
 of  merit but of favour1 not as reward 

for their holiness1 but as a remedy  for
 their sin4 ,to the ,jews1 who looked   
with bitter contempt on all men  but    
themselves1 who imagined every spiritual
 advantage was for them  alone1 this    
would be most offensive4 ,the next      
question which thence  arose was        
this3--,as the ,gentiles obviously were 
accepted before ,god1 only  on the      
ground of his mercy1 whether the ,jews  
could claim acceptance on  any other    
ground8 ,the ,apostle had most          
convincingly shown that the  ,gentiles  
had violated the sense of duty inscribed
 upon their hearts1  with equal force of
 reasoning he proves that the ,jews had 
violated the  precepts written in their 
law2 one1 therefore1 had no right to    
accuse  the other--both were guilty in  
the sight of ,god1 and both had equal   
need  of his mercy4--,but1 the ,jews    
were not only wrong in their ideas on   
the  extent of the ,creator's goodness1 
but also on the true nature of human    
virtue4 ,as they considered his special 

providence confined to  themselves1 so  
they imagined the only acceptable       
obedience was in the  rigid observance  
of their own minute precepts and        
ceremonies4 ,in  opposition to this     
,paul contends that justification is by 
faith1 and not  by the works of the     
law--not a faith which implies a mere   
assent to a  series of scholastic       
propositions1 but a faith which consists
 in a  trusting and confiding spirit4   
,the ,apostle places saving holiness1   
not  in outward and measured precepts1  
but in living and inward principles--in 
allegiance to ,god and ,christ1 in the  
loyalty of a true and pure heart--in    
the spirit that makes obedience more a  
life than a law4 ,to say then that  ,god
 holds man sternly to a code of         
inevitable condemnation1 to say that    
any one transgression1 however slight1  
sets at naught the whole tendency  of   
the character and life1 not only leaves 
,paul's reasoning without  force1 but   
subverts the gospel to its very         

foundations4 ,our ,lord in the  parable 
represents a master as thus addressing  
his unforgiving servant1  8,o thou      
wicked servant1 ,i forgave thee all that
 debt because thou  desiredst           
me--shouldest not thou also have had    
compassion on thy  fellow-servant1 even 
as ,i had pity on thee80 ,the character 
of ,god as  described by orthodoxy is   
the contradictory of this4 ,but we are  
informed  that ,god is a ,judge1 and1   
analogous to human judges1 on the       
tribunal of  the universe1 lays aside   
all private considerations4 ,the        
assimilation is  at once low and false4 
,god has no evidence to examine1 no     
probabilities  to balance1 no decision  
to arrive at1 no formal sentence to     
pronounce--there is no distinction in   
the case between ,god and man1          
analogous to that between an earthly    
judge1 and his accused  fellow-mortal2  
there is no such distinction with ,god  
as a personal  relation and a public    
one1 for ,god is the same in all        

relations4 ,his  dominion is in the     
spirit2 there he rewards1 and there he  
punishes2  there is no reward separate  
from the direct results of righteousness
  itself issuing in blessedness1 and no 
penalty separate from the results  of   
sin itself issuing suffering1 and each  
in the proportion in which the          
character is sanctified or depraved4    
,forgiveness of sin then1 is peace  of  
conscience1 springing from a regenerated
 heart1 and when man with a  thoughtful 
and enlightened spirit can forgive      
himself1 ,god forgives him4  ,we1 at    
least those of us personally engaged in 
this controversy1  maintain no such     
doctrine as the pardon of sin on        
condition of  repentance--as if         
repentance were something offered and   
remission an  equivalent received       
instead4 ,on the contrary1 we see in    
repentance but  the painful revulsion of
 a soul from a moral state found by sad 
experience to be unworthy of it3 a      
struggle upward in many sighs and  fears

 to the high estate from which it has   
fallen1 in repentance itself  we see but
 an additional instance of the anguish  
which sin never fails  to entail4 ,we   
regard it not as a merit1 but a penalty4
 ,we grant the  universality of sin1 as 
fully as any can assert it4 ,we know it 
is  written1 8all men have sinned and   
come short of the glory of ,god0--and we
  admit the truth of the assertion4     
,wherever man is1 there will be sin1    
for we expect in no place--no1 not in   
heaven itself--to find in man the       
perfection of a deity4 ,it has been     
asserted1 that every man has an ideal   
in his soul above his actual conduct4   
,this has been used for  condemnation of
 our nature1 we take it as the glory of 
it--as an evidence  that the spirit of  
,god is extinguished in no man4 ,we are 
ready to  concede1 not that the open    
transgressor comes short of the glory of
 ,god1  but the best men come far short 
of the glory of their own ideal1 and the
  sense of that short coming is acute1  

in the degree that their  apprehensions 
of moral loveliness are clear and       
purified4 ,every man with  his          
conscience in a right state laments with
 more heart-felt sorrow the  sins which 
are inward than those which are outward1
 not those which have  been exposed to  
the world1 but those which only ,god has
 seen4 ,we desire  in no sense to       
mitigate the deep injury of sinfulness2 
but when we are  told1 that ,god1 in    
vindication of his holy law1 must       
subject man to an  unsparing standard of
 judgment1 orthodoxy to be consistent   
should have  the unmitigated penalty    
inflicted on every personal             
transgressor4 ,we are  unable to        
conceive how the righteousness of any   
law can be vindicated by  contriving an 
escape for the guilty by the suffering  
of the innocent4 ,we  do not make void  
the law--nay1 we establish it1 for we   
hold1 and we  preach it also1 that      
transgression vindicates in the person  
of the  sinner the claims of holiness1  

righteously and completely1 in anguish  
and tribulation4 ,i here close the      
polemical division of this lecture1  and
 now for the remaining time ,i shall    
dwell on views more positive4    ,,ii4  
,having elucidated two extreme and false
 systems of human nature1 ,i  shall now 
adduce some of these essentials which   
properly entitle it to  be considered in
 the likeness of ,god4 ,i shall pass    
over the faculties of  mere intellect   
and taste1 for these are not denied4 ,i 
do this for the  sake of brevity1 for it
 would be easy to prove that without    
sense of  moral beauty in the soul1 even
 these could have no high developement1 
philosophy would lose its wisdom1       
science its uses1 painting its glow1    
architecture its majesty1 sculpture its 
grace1 poetry and eloquence  their      
inspiration4 ,it would be easy1 ,i      
maintain1 to show1 that without         
conceptions of the divine1 the true1 the
 right1 and the beautiful1 there  would 
be neither power nor materials in human 

nature from which to  create a single   
great work of mind1 nothing to evince   
the might of  genius or the immortality 
of thought4 ,i shall1 however1 in all my
  subsequent remarks1 confine myself to 
what without dispute is strictly  moral4
 ,we contend not for an infallibility in
 man's reason1 neither do  we assert    
impeccability in his will2 as we admit  
error in the one1 we  can admit sin in  
the other4 ,but when we speak of the    
moral nature of  man1 we regard it not  
partially1 but as a whole1 not in its   
accidental  exceptions1 but in its      
essential constitution4 ,of this        
constitution we  assert that virtue and 
goodness are the true and native        
attributes4 ,for  the position that sin 
is not natural but unnatural1 not in    
accordance  with humanity but contrary  
to it1 we have the testimony of the     
great  bishop ,butler4#ebj--8;,every    
work10 he says1 8of nature and art is a 
system2 and as every particular thing1  
both natural and artificial1 is  for    

some use or purpose1 out of or beyond   
itself1 one may add to what  has already
 been brought into the true idea of a   
system1 its  conduciveness to this or   
more ends4 ,let us instance in a watch3 
,suppose  the several parts taken to    
pieces and placed apart from each other2
 let  a man have ever so exact a notion 
of these several parts1 unless he       
considers the respect and relations     
which they have to each other1 he  will 
not have any thing like the idea of a   
watch4 ,suppose these several  parts    
brought together1 and any how united1   
neither will he yet1 be the  union ever 
so close1 have an idea which will bear  
any resemblance to  that of a watch4    
,but let him view these several parts   
put together1 or  consider them as to be
 put together in the manner of a        
watch--let him  form a notion of the    
relation which these several parts have 
to each  other1 all conducive in their  
several ways to this purpose1 showing   
the  hour of the day1--and then he has  

the idea of a watch4 ,thus it is with   
the inward nature of man4 ,appetites1   
passions1 affections1 and the  principle
 of reflection1 conscience1 considered  
severally as the inward  parts of our   
inward nature1 do not at all give us an 
idea of the system  of this nature4 ,and
 this our nature is adapted to virtue1  
as from the  idea of a watch it appears1
 that its nature1 that is1 constitution 
or  system1 is adapted to measure time4 
,what in fact commonly happens is       
nothing to the question4 ,every work of 
art is apt to be out of order3  but this
 is so far from being according to its  
system1 that let the  disorder increase1
 and it will destroy it40 ,the author   
then goes on to  say1 that--8,nothing   
can possibly be more contrary to our    
nature than  vice1 meaning by nature not
 only the several parts of our internal 
frame1 but also the constitution of it4 
,poverty and disgrace1 tortures  and    
death1 are not so contrary to it4       
,misery and injustice are indeed        

equally contrary to some different parts
 of our nature taken singly1 but        
injustice is moreover contrary to the   
whole constitution of the nature40  ,and
 here ,i will repeat a fine remark from 
the same noble thinker1 used  already1  
in a note by one of my fellow-labourers 
in this discussion4--8,we  should       
learn10 says the philosophical prelate1 
8to be cautious lest we  charge ,god    
foolishly1 by ascribing that to him1 or 
the nature he has  given us1 which is   
wholly owing to its abuse4 ,men may     
speak of the  degeneracy and corruption 
of the world1 according to the          
experience they  have had of it1 but    
human nature considered as the divine   
workmanship  should1 methinks1 be       
treated as sacred3 for in the image of  
,god made he  man40#eba    ,in human    
nature1 under all its forms1 we         
recognize two eternal moral  elements2  
which1 though frequently perverted1 can 
never be destroyed4 ,i  mean sympathy   
and conscience1 the feeling of a common 

nature1 and the  sense of right and     
wrong4 ,if we consider the truth1 the   
power1 and  extent of sympathy1 though  
nothing else remained in man1 this alone
  would prove his assimilation to ,god2 
would prove1 to use the language of  the
 ,apostle1 that he was still a partaker 
of the divine nature4 ,in what          
numberless forms is it                  
manifested6--rising from instinct to    
godliness4 ,we  see it in family        
affections4 ,wherever we meet a home1   
however rude the  beings that it        
shelters1 whether it be scooped in the  
snow1 or be a tent  on the desert1      
wherever the loves of parents and       
children1 of brothers  and sisters1 are 
interchanged within the sphere of its   
operation1 we  have the spirit of a     
common heart4 ,we see it also in love of
 country4  ,from those who surround him 
in his dwelling1 man enlarges the       
compass of  his affections1 until they  
embrace those who1 with himself1 tread  
the  same soil1 and speak the same      

tongue4 ,the general glory1 honour1 and 
prosperity of his country1 become dear  
to him2 and from habits of loving       
association1 there1 more than any where 
else1 the heavens have a  brighter      
smile1 and nature wears a kinder face4  
,every nation has had its  patriots2    
and1 whether successful or not1 whether 
victorious in the  field or bleeding on 
the scaffold1 they evince the power with
 which the  sentiment of common good can
 overcome the force of selfish          
interests4 ,we  see the strength of     
sympathy in the love of man generally1  
and  especially in that species of it   
which assumes the form of compassion4   
,whence else the mass of goodness which 
proves that humanity1 with all  its     
evils and its errors1 is a most merciful
 nature4 ,misery1 in any  form1 is an   
appeal that is rarely disregarded4 ,the 
stranger1 whose face  we never saw      
before1 if it be seamed and marred by   
suffering1 in his  misfortune becomes a 
brother2 and what is yet harder1 our    

foe1 in his  sorrow1 seems once more a  
friend4 ,men find it hard to pardon a   
prosperous enemy2 but there are few so  
callous whom a fallen one would  not    
disarm of hatred4 ,hunger1 thirst1 cold1
 nakedness1 desertion1  orphanage1      
imprisonment1 sickness--every want that 
afflict the  wretched--have their       
provision in human mercy1 not only from 
individual  hands1 but from collective  
hearts4 ,when man is maligned as utterly
  corrupt--as at enmity with ,god and   
his kind1 we may point to thousands     
occupied in works of beneficence1 and to
 refugees for misery in every  land1 and
 claim as witnesses against the         
accusers4 ,and we stop not with  the    
woes that fall directly under the       
senses2--sufferers who wasted their     
sighs and their tears in darkness1 have 
been thought of with grief by  those    
whom they knew not1 and visited with    
glad tidings when they least  expected4 
,the piercing supplication of           
wretchedness has been sometimes  wafted 

across continents and oceans without    
failing1 or being weakened  by the      
distance2 and the cry of anguish1       
uttered at one extreme of  earth1 has   
fallen with power on human hearts at the
 other4 ,we speak not  of bodily wants  
alone1 but equally of the soul's wants4 
,the ignorant  have those who feel and  
work for them1 and there are some who do
 not  scorn the most guilty2 there are  
many pure souls who never themselves    
knew contamination1 who can turn with   
mercy to the despised1 and bleed  with  
sorrow that the work of ,god should lie 
so deep in ruin4 ,and1  whether with    
right or wrong principles1 whether by   
right or wrong  agencies1 whether in    
right or wrong methods1 this sentiment  
can have no  illustration so sublime as 
the various exertions here1 and         
throughout  the globe1 for the religious
 regeneration of mankind4 ,is there1    
then1  nothing godlike in the spirit    
which gives unity and love to home2     
nothing godlike in the spirit which1    

with unselfish devotion1 causes a  man  
to sacrifice his own interests in his   
nation's good2 nothing godlike  in the  
spirit which makes the sufferer a       
brother1 whether stranger or  enemy2    
which can pierce the haunts of loathsome
 want2 which can feel for  the body and 
the soul1 and draw near1 in generous    
pity1 both to distress  and crime2 which
 dreams1 with tortured imagination1 of  
the unseen  tribulation of the dungeon1 
and rests not until the fresh breeze is 
on  the prisoner's brow1 and the bright 
and cheerful sunshine on his eye2  which
 stretches forth its ample charity to   
the utmost regions of earth2  and1      
wherever there is a complaint of        
physical or spiritual need1 admits  it  
is a brother's cry1 and hears it not in 
vain8    ,the very passions1 which might
 seemingly be urged against this        
reasoning1 are but so many confirmations
 of it4 ,men have sometimes tried  to be
 independent of others2 they failed4    
,men have tried to live apart  from     

others1 and to dispense with the general
 affections of life2 they  failed4 ,men 
have tried to set opinion at defiance1  
and to disregard  esteem2 they also     
failed4 ,and1 in the few rare and       
extreme cases in  which men have been   
more than usually sordid1 selfish1 and  
anti-social1  the isolation to which    
they have been abandoned evinced their  
conduct to  be averse to nature2 and1   
whilst it proved their folly1 inflicted 
their  chastisement4 ,emulation1 envy1  
jealousy1 vanity1 ambition1 and various 
other passions1 afford evidence to the  
same purpose3 for1 what is  emulation1  
but the struggle for the greatest share 
of appreciation2 and  envy1 but the     
malignity of disappointment2 and        
jealousy1 but the  suspicion of not     
possessing it1--perchance1 of not       
deserving it2 and  vanity1 but the puny 
desire to attain1 or the timid hope that
 it already  has it2 and ambition1 but  
the strong effort of a strong nature to 
have a  lasting life in the admiration  

and memory of men3 all1 in their several
  ways1 converging in evidence of one   
truth1 namely1 that community of        
feeling is amongst the greatest         
distinctions of our nature4 ,in truth1  
it  is only by this that man understands
 man4 ,it is this that opens to man  the
 heart of man2 that1 from the first     
human being to the last1 forms a  chain 
of common emotion1 which indissolubly   
links mankind of all  generations into  
one brotherhood4 ,without this1 history 
would be a dead  letter2 laws and       
customs1 but puzzles2 arts1 confused and
 shapeless2  past languages and         
literature1 but empty babble2 and       
by-gone religions  and philosophy1 but  
unintelligible names4 ,this common      
sympathy is that  by which we know the  
meaning of history2 by which we know the
 force of  laws and customs2 by which we
 know the beauty and immortality of art2
 by  which we are enabled to interpret  
language1 literature1 philosophy1 and   
religion2 by which we are made one with 

our race1 and identified in  kindred    
with all that have ever ennobled or     
adorned it4    ,a second characteristic 
,i have mentioned1 in man1 is the sense 
of duty1  the sense of right and wrong4 
,in this more than in any other quality 
he  bears the impress of his divine     
original4 ,the sense of duty is an      
essential part of human nature4 ,a man  
might as well endeavour to lay  aside   
the consciousness of his rational       
existence as to get rid of the  idea of 
an immoveable distinction between good  
and evil1 between virtue  and vice4 ,i  
know that1 in the operations of the     
moral sense1 there have  been apparent  
contradictions2 but if we were to deny  
it on this ground1  we should deny the  
existence even of reason itself1 for    
many of its  conclusions are apparently 
contradictory4 ,we assert the reality of
 the  rational faculty1 but not its     
infallibility2 in like manner1 we assert
  the reality of the moral faculty1 but 
not its infallibility4 ,i know that  it 

seems various in its operation1 not only
 from national and religious            
differences1 but also from individual   
sophistries4 ,men pronounce just        
judgment on the sins of others2 but when
 they come to pass sentence on  their   
own1 they invent a thousand excuses for 
justification or leniency3  but these   
excuses do not satisfy themselves4 ,and 
when they are alone  with their own     
hearts1 in silent and sober thought1 the
 deception will  not bear to be         
scrutinized1 and truth is justified by  
conscience4 ,the  sense of duty is      
universal4 ,wherever we meet man1 we    
meet one who1 in  some way or other1 is 
the creature of moral feeling2 and      
although the  moral sentiment may be    
superstitiously or fanatically directed1
 there  are essential ideas in which it 
never changes4 ,wild actions and awful  
evils may1 ,i know1 be perpetrated under
 a mistaken sense of duty1 and  done    
with the fiercer zeal because they are  
considered to be duty4 ,under  its      

influence1 men can not only sacrifice   
others but themselves3 in one  age or   
country1 a man can lacerate himself     
before an image or an idol1  or look    
calmly on the rack on which a tortured  
fellow creature shivers1  or he can come
 from his retreat of self-infliction to 
the place where he  persecutes2 and1 if 
the case compelled1 he could go himself 
from that to  the stake of martyrdom4   
,the sentiment is true to itself1 and   
the  misdirection of it lies in other   
sources3 yet with all its diversities1  
justice1 mercy1 and truth1 have ever the
 instinctive approval of  conscience1   
whilst wrong1 cruelty1 and falsehood1   
under whatever forms  disguised1 are    
abhorrent to it4 ,the sense of duty     
presents man to us in  the most glorious
 aspects of his nature2 and that        
sentiment is not  always misdirected4   
,by its power in the soul1 we observe   
appetites  governed1 passions subjected1
 and temptation overcome2 by its        
inspiration1 when necessity calls1 we   

observe men devoting themselves in  the 
spirit of martyrdom to truth and right1 
casting pleasure aside1  forsaking      
whatever was dear to them1 and despising
 life itself4 ,whatever  change for good
 has occurred in the history of man1 is 
a witness for the  force of duty1 for it
 has been worked out in much travail and
  self-denial2 whatever we have most    
precious in our spiritual or social     
blessings1 whether our liberties or our 
religion1 we owe to the spirit  of duty2
 it is enshrined in the memory of all   
our benefactors2 it is  consecrated in  
the blood of martyrs4 ,signal instances 
of this kind may  strike more forcibly  
from their distinctness and saliency2   
but the  mightiest energy of duty is in 
the economy of general life4 ,go into   
the  open mart of the world1 and1 in all
 the astonishing complexities that  are 
spread over that wide scene1 consider to
 what an extent man trusts  man1 and is 
trusted in return1 mutual confidence    
forming the immutable  foundation of the

 vast social structure4 ,it is base     
injustice to human  nature to assert    
that all this is the effect of interest 
or fear2  without pervading conscience1 
mere interest or fear would be as       
powerless to sustain society as the arm 
of man to move the orbs of  heaven2     
without conscience1 human laws could    
either have no existence or  no         
power1--mere ropes of sand1 that a touch
 could sever2 passion would  have no    
scruple1 desire no limit1 but power2 and
 selfishness no control1  but a superior
 opposing force3 the strong would       
prostrate the weak by  violence1 and the
 weak would in turn overreach the strong
 by guile1  deceit1 and fraud4    ,i am 
willing to admit1 as ,i have before     
admitted1 that social man is            
encompassed with many injurious         
influences1 and ,i know that he does not
  always escape guiltless3 ,i know that 
many vices are generated in  society1   
and nourished by its corruptions2 that  
pride1 both worldly and  religious1     

walks through life with anti-social     
heart and clouded brow1  wrapped up in  
its own miserable importance1 exulting  
in vanities1  self-worshipping and      
self-enslaved2 that covetousness1       
surfeited with  acquisition1 still works
 on1 and still cries 8more20 that       
licentiousness  goes its way in         
darkness1 and leaves destruction in its 
path2 that envy  broods over its own    
solitary and unacknowledged malice1     
sickens at the  pleasure or the fame it 
cannot reach2 that gospel charity is    
often slain  in the collision of creeds 
and passions1 and ,christian zeal heated
 into  bigotry2 but these1 ,i repeat    
again1 are not our nature1 and judgment 
against it on such grounds is quite as  
unjust1 as if we should seek out  the   
hospitals to test the health of a       
community1 visit but prisons to  decide 
on its morals1 and pass only through    
asylums for lunatics to form  an opinion
 of its intelligence4 ,but even in its  
sins1 humanity loses not  the evidence  

of its divine relationship4 ,the image  
of ,god may be  darkened1 but the       
impress is deep as ever4 ,the capacity  
of sin equally  implies the capacity of 
holiness2 transgression implies the     
knowledge of  a law1 inspired or        
revealed2 the violation1 therefore1 of  
moral  injunctions includes the high    
capability of moral perception4 ,whence 
but  from the greatness of our nature is
 the deep misery of sin--whence1 ,i     
might say1 but from its                 
holiness8--whence but from its          
adaptation to  goodness1 are the ruin   
and the dislocation which guilt can work
 in our  whole inward frame and         
constitution8 ,thence it is1 that it is 
that the  conscience1 dethroned and     
humiliated1 is torn by remorse1 worse   
incomparably than bodily torture3 thence
 it is1 that the affections  either     
become a total and disorganized wreck1  
or1 wounded by a sense of  shame and    
lost dignity1 bow down with sorrow or   
wither in despair4  ,thence it is1 that 

the good and pure are shunned1 and the  
evil sought1  for the one cause a       
feeling of contrast too painful to be   
borne1 the  other afford a refuge by    
their moral assimilation1 and the spirit
 needs  support wherever it can be      
found4 ,thence it is1 that when the     
guilty  have utterly lost their own     
respect1 and the approbation of the     
virtuous1 that crime becomes desperation
 and remorse madness1--that  conscience 
is silenced in delirious self-defence1  
and that plunge after  plunge sinks them
 lower and lower in the gulf of         
spiritual perdition4  ,and yet human    
character is rarely ever such a wreck as
 not to have some  remnant to justify   
its origin and parentage2 some embers of
 the sacred  fire smouldering in the    
sanctuary1--some gleams of              
affection1--some  dawnings of memory1   
that open to the weary spirit the quiet 
and  happiness of better days1--some    
touches of mercy that has yet a sigh for
  wretchedness1--some visitings of      

compunction1--some unconscious desires  
to  be good once more1--some timid hopes
 of pardon1--some secret prayers to be  
made better4 ,the human soul is a great 
mystery1 and so indeed is human  life2  
we observe a few palpable and external  
manifestations1 but how  little know we 
of the secret and unseen workings6 ,that
 the good in every  human being1 even   
such as strikes us as the worst1        
preponderates over  the evil1 is1 ,i am 
persuaded1 not the imagination of a     
fanciful charity1  but a fact and a     
reality4    ,but though more crime      
existed in actual life than has ever    
been alleged1  our doctrine would yet be
 true4 ,we enter on no defence of man in
 the  whole of his conduct4 ,we contend 
for his inherent capacities1 and in     
arguing for these1 we are entitled to   
select our illustrations from the       
highest specimens of nature1 and not    
from the lowest4 ,we contend for its    
capacity to subjugate passion to        
principle--to sacrifice present desires 

to progressive good--to resign selfish  
interests to human ones--to give  the   
spiritual and eternal a predominance    
over the sensual and the  temporal3 and 
we contend for this1 not as a thing     
possible1 but a thing  proved3 we       
contend for what has its evidence in    
abundance of examples4  ,if we could    
point to one patriot1 to one            
philanthropist1 to one martyr1  to one  
holy man1 in each of these the fact     
would have sufficient  attestation3 but 
humanity has its armies of patriots1 and
  philanthropists1 and martyrs1 and     
saints4 ,with these the lowest of us    
are united in a kindred nature1 and     
dignified by a common brotherhood4  ,but
 passing from characters of this        
magnitude1 come we to the ordinary      
existence that is common to us all4     
,every life1 from the palace to the     
cottage1 is one more or less of         
self-denial and labour--one in which we 
must continually defer to others and    
work for them4 ,cast your  imagination  

over the vast throng of this busy world3
 consider the  countless modes in which 
they are all toiling with head and hand1
 from  the man of genius to the labourer
 of field or factory1--from the proudest
  merchant to his meanest               
servant1--scarcely a movement in it all 
that has  not a reference to others     
beyond the agent1--scarcely a movement  
that has  not some connection with a    
human love or a human duty4 ,retire from
 the  crowd to their dwellings1 and1    
except in cases of last degradation1    
they  are1 on the whole1 retreats of    
mutual kindness4 ,if there be grief1    
there  is compassion1--if there be      
illness1 there is unwearied             
tenderness1--if  there be death1 there  
is sorrow4 ,it will perhaps be said1    
that all this  may very well consist    
with a reprobate state4 ,if so1 it only 
proves that  no state is so reprobate1  
as not to be consistent with a great    
mass of  excellence4 ,if to confer      
happiness and show mercy be not         

goodness1 we  are at a loss to explain  
the goodness of ,god or of ,christ4 ,and
 as we  descend in the scale of society1
 we discover human nature with peculiar 
trials1 and also with peculiar virtues4 
,amongst the poor and laborious  classes
 we may find some grossness1 but we find
 much goodness2 and to a  considerate   
mind the wonder will be1 that their     
grossness is not more1  and their       
goodness less4 ,we behold them often    
patient under manifold  oppressions1    
forbearing against many wrongs2         
uncomplaining in the midst  of          
afflictions1 toiling on from youth to   
age in the same routine of  laborious   
monotony2 resigned in illness1 though it
 takes that strength  from them which is
 their only refuge1 merciful to each    
other1 giving aid  to want out of want2 
all divine evidence that there is in    
humanity a  godlike spirit1 which       
nothing can suppress1 not sin1          
ignorance1 poverty1  nor any ill of     
life4    ,i have spoken of our divine   

affinity chiefly in the goodness that   
unites  us to our species1 but there is 
a tendency towards ,god himself in which
  that affinity is still more clearly   
seen4 ,it is made manifest in our       
capacity to know ,god4 ,god is a spirit1
 and must be spiritually  apprehended4  
,we must therefore have some attributes 
in common4 ,if there  be not some       
qualities in our souls corresponding to 
the nature of ,god1  he would be to us a
 nonentity1 and we could neither know   
him nor love  him4 ,the knowledge of    
,god is a spiritual revelation1 and by  
that which  is within us we interpret   
the revelation and give to it a         
meaning--his  power in the movement of  
our will--his intelligence in the       
rectitude of  our reason--his goodness  
in the sympathies of our affections--his
 holiness  in the law of our conscience4
 ,it is made manifest in our capacity to
  imitate ,god4 ,the apostle says1 8,be 
ye followers of ,god as dear  children20
 and our ,saviour himself exhorts us to 

8be merciful even as he  is merciful10  
and to be 8perfect even as he is        
perfect40 ,to imitate any  being with   
whom we had no assimilation of nature1  
it requires no  argument to prove an    
utter impossibility4 ,but this principle
 has a moral  value far beyond its      
theological import--in breaking down the
 distance  which we usually place       
between our hearts and ,god2 in drawing 
him within  the circle of our nearest   
affections2 in uniting us to him in a   
more  filial trust1 in taking fear from 
our love and inspiring life in our      
obedience--proving to us that ,god is   
verily and indeed our ,father1 as       
,christ is our brother2 that ,god our   
,father is imitable by his children2    
that ,christ our brother by a perfect   
conformity to his will has revealed  and
 proved its truth4 ,that we have        
affinity with ,god is further made      
manifest by our need of him4            
,consciously or unconsciously every man 
is  seeking after ,god1 or after what   

,god alone can give him4 ,whether       
blindly  or otherwise1 we all feel the  
want of him in our souls1 for in        
whatever  direction we turn our desires1
 we are yearning after the perfect and  
the  infinite3 we have the proof of it  
in our disgust1 our dissatisfactions1   
and discontents4 ,who does not hear of  
the insufficiency of the world8  ,and   
what does that mean8 ,the vanity of     
pleasure4 ,but why is pleasure  vain8   
why does he who tries it in all its     
enchantments1 weary at last  even to    
repugnance8 ,the vexations of wealth8   
,but why are riches  vexatious8 ,why do 
they disappoint the hope that longed so 
deeply for  them1 and leave complaints  
still in all the fullness of success8   
,the  fatigues of power8 ,but1 why again
 is power fatiguing1 when no sacrifices 
were too painful1 and no toils too      
harrassing in the career for its        
attainment8 ,it is simply because       
pleasure1 wealth1 or power1 can never   
fully occupy the human soul1 unlimited  

in capacity and desire1  perishable     
things bring it only chagrin1 when in   
lavish expectation it  looks for        
complete fruition4 ,nor is it alone that
 we call the world1  which proves       
insufficient1 but still higher1 the     
pursuits of knowledge1  and the         
creations of genius2 the greatest sage  
feels himself at last a  child1 and the 
most inspired poet wishes for things    
more beautiful than  he has ever        
conceived1 and scenes brighter than he  
has ever imagined4  ,even in truest     
religion this sentiment may be discerned
 in operation1 in  alternations between 
fear and faith1 between despondency and 
hope4 ,a  longing for the invisible and 
the boundless may be traced in all the  
higher forms of superstition--in every  
effort to overcome the thraldom of  the 
body and to achieve the spiritual       
emancipation1 from the ascetics  that in
 the first centuries peopled the deserts
 of ,asia to the  flagellants that in   
the middle centuries overran the        

continent of  ,europe2 from the penitent
 that scorches himself on an ,indian    
plain1 to  the monk that lashes himself 
in a ,spanish cloister4 ,now to what do 
all  these1 some true and some mistaken1
 refer1 to what do they point8          
,evidently to something which the soul  
cannot find on earth1 to ,god1  perfect 
and infinite1 in whom at last it will   
attain repose and  fullness4 ,and thus  
we have two great truths intimated at   
the same time2  for the conscious want  
that tells us of our need of ,god       
reveals also our  immortality1 and the  
one is the glory of the other4    ,now1 
in conclusion1 let me ask to what       
purpose is all this blackening of  human
 nature8 ,it cannot promote humility2   
for to be humble is not to be  degraded4
 ,if a sense of degradation corresponded
 with humility1 we  should be more      
humble as we descended to the level of  
the brutes4 ,it  cannot inspire a       
poignant sense of guilt1 nor a true     
feeling of  confession1 for as it takes 

away natural dignity it leaves nothing  
from  which a man can fall2 and as it   
denies personal capacity1 it must in the
  same degree weaken the feeling of     
personal accountability4 ,he whose      
moral sorrow will ever lie most         
profoundly is one that has the          
consciousness of having abused high and 
great capacities2 of having1 by  his own
 sins1 become unworthy of his nature2 of
 having done despite to  the spirit of  
,god within him1 the light that         
lighteneth every man that  cometh into  
the world2 of having apostatised from   
his godlike destiny4  ,but to tell a    
man1 as orthodoxy does1 first that he is
 morally imbecile1  and then that he is 
personally guilty1 is an absolute       
derangement and  confusion of all our   
moral ideas4 ,it is well that           
essentially the  sources of our conduct 
in general1 are beyond the reach of     
theology2 or  doctrines like these1     
would stop all motives to exertion1     
would destroy  the hopes of the good1   

and strike dead the efforts of the      
penitent4 ,as  it is they are not       
without great and serious evils4 ,they  
take from  virtue that which is its most
 noble distinction4 when rightly        
understood1 a sense of individual and   
independent action3--they attach a      
slavish spirit to religion1 which1 to a 
great extent1 stifles the free  and     
voluntary service of the heart4 ,yet    
worse still1 to maintain an  extreme    
theory1 men are driven to malign their  
nature1 and to seek for  all manner of  
blame against it--to deny the excellence
 and reality of  virtues--of which an   
unsophisticated observer could not      
entertain a  doubt1 to invent all       
motives for goodness but the true ones4 
,it is a sad  necessity in which men    
place themselves when they are compelled
 to  violence to their own hearts1 and  
injustice to those of others1 when      
their system forces them to repress     
their rising pleasure in the beauty  of 
virtue1 and to change their unbidden    

admiration into qualified  condemnation4
 ,if the man called heretical1 or one   
called unregenerate1  visit the sick1   
clothe the naked1 do in fact every work 
of mercy1 have a  heart of love and a   
hand of bounty--revere his ,god in all  
sincerity1 and  worship him in truth1   
the evangelical moralist must assert1   
that it is  all worthless1 and is1 in   
fact1 of the nature of sin4 ,though one 
who is  called regenerate should do no  
more1 and to all evidence1 not in a     
better spirit1 he is esteemed a most    
godly and pious ,christian4 ,the man    
who cannot believe as the creeds or a   
party require1 may do every work  which 
,christ will judge him by1 and be       
refused his name2 but if he has  the    
blessing of his master in heaven1 he may
 care little for the  anathema of men   
upon earth4 ,if ,unitarianism delivered 
us from nothing  else than this         
spiritual injustice1 it is a great      
redemption4    ,if ,i am asked1 in turn1
 why ,i maintain the doctrine of human  

dignity1 ,i  answer1 first1 because it  
raises my homage to ,god4 ,i understand 
him no  otherwise than as he is emblemed
 in the human soul1 exalted and         
purified3 without this creation is a    
blank to me1 and the scripture a  dead  
letter4 ,regarding it also as his work1 
,i revere him through his  work1 the    
more profoundly1 the more ,i believe it 
worthy of him4 ,i cannot  conceive it an
 honour to ,god1 that the only being    
here who has capacity  to know him1 the 
only being who reflects his attributes1 
the only being  who admires his universe
 and discerns him in it1 should be      
wholly  corrupt3 ,i cannot think that   
such a doctrine gives him glory4 ,i     
answer  secondly--because it teaches me 
to hope for man2 teaches me to hope for 
him in this world and the next3 while ,i
 have faith in the capacity1 ,i  can    
never lose hope in the developement1 but
 if man be powerless as well  as        
depressed1 ,i have no proper ground for 
expectation1 and the  difficulties of   

the present are softened by no light    
from the future4  ,but as it is1        
believing that man has great inherent   
capabilities1 for  knowledge1 for       
liberty1 for virtue1 and for            
happiness--,i lose not my  confidence1  
,i observe him as in the struggle of    
discipline1 and in  preparation for the 
period of redemption2 and wherever ,i   
see ignorance1  or slavery1 or vice1 or 
misery1 ,i do not despair of a time1    
when these  heavenly faculties shall    
have achieved their emancipation4 ,i    
answer1  lastly1 ,i maintain the        
doctrine because it teaches me to honour
 man4 ,i  feel how necessary it is for  
us in this world of outward show1 and   
where  outward show has so much power1  
that we should have some strong         
sentiment by which to give our          
appreciation to those who have no       
external dazzle with which to attach us3
 in this world of grades and            
inequalities1 where rank and wealth1 and
 genius1 so continually throw  their    

enchantments about us1 we need a        
sentiment before which rank and  wealth 
and genius are nothing1 in regarding    
those who have them not1 and  also those
 who have3 and no sentiment can be more 
powerful1 more holy1  or more sublime   
than this1 that they are the immortal   
children of ,god1  destined for his     
presence1 and made after his likeness4  
,having this  faith1 then1 ignorance1   
sin1 poverty1 may come safely before us1
 without  any fear of that infidel      
contempt with which they are too often  
treated4  ,show me then a man1 and no   
matter what his condition1 if ,i be true
 to  this faith1 you point me to an     
object of most solemn interest4 ,show me
  the red man of the ,american forests1 
or the black man of tropical  deserts1  
and untame and ferocious though he be1  
he has within him an  indelible title to
 my reverence4 ,his rude and unclothed  
form enshrines a  soul in the image of  
,god1 as well as the most polished of   
his civilized  brethren4 ,show me the   

veriest serf or slave who seems chained 
to the  soil--the gospel which is equal 
to bond and free1 tells me to behold in 
him the heir of a glorious inheritance2 
his title is his nature2 it  burns in   
his blood1 and it is stamped upon his   
brow1 its appeal is in  the fire or     
moisture of his eye--no power can efface
 it1 for the hand of  ,god has impressed
 it3--show me even the criminal who     
seems all but lost  to every sense of   
duty1 ,i am not justified in despairing1
 much less have  ,i any title to scorn4 
,we dare not despise in the lowest state
 the child  whom ,god regards--we dare  
not cast off whom ,christ has not       
rejected1 nor  disown the brother for   
whom he died4 ,if we be right-minded1   
and have any  sympathy with the spirit  
of ,jesus1 his moral wretchedness should
 be his  most eloquent appeal4 ,we never
 know the whole power of ,christianity  
until we have interest in man as the    
child of ,god1 and revere him as  ,god's
 image1 until we behold the throng      

around us in relation to their  mighty  
and improvable capacities--until we see 
in the lowest and the  worst1 objects of
 hope and moral influence1 with undying 
souls which no  vice or passion should  
conceal4 ,in this faith the messenger of
 ,god may  go with confidence to guilt  
and suffering1 and bring with him no    
mocking  offers of blessedness and      
peace3 then may he call on souls to     
rejoice  which were ready to perish in  
despair1 pour the dews of heaven on many
 a  closing hour1 and silence the doubts
 of many a fearing spirit4 ,thus1       
believing we should have trust unshaken1
 look forward to the  consummation1 when
 that humanity which here has only its  
trials1 shall  be hallowed with the     
infinity and eternity of its maker4     
,,notes4                                
,note #a4 ,see page #ac4    ,having in  
the ,appendix of my former lecture      
stated from sources of  authority the   
doctrines of ,calvinism on the nature of
 man1 ,i here  enumerate some of the    

principal texts on which those doctrines
 are said  to be founded4 ,the question1
 it is to be kept in mind1 is not       
whether  man is or is not capable of    
great depravity1 whether sin of various 
degrees and extent has not existed in   
all ages1 and does not exist at  present
 in all places4 ,that sin has entered   
into the world is a fact  undisputed1 no
 matter when or how2 that sin is        
universal is a point  also1 upon which  
we are on both sides agreed4 ,the true  
subject of  dispute between us is1      
simply1 this4 ,is human nature a nature 
of radical  and inherent depravity8 or  
is not goodness more properly its       
characteristic than evil8 ,now we       
maintain that all its essential         
tendencies establish the latter question
 in the affirmative1 and no  ,scriptures
 prove the former4 ,i shall take those  
quoted in the most  approved            
,calvinistic formularies4    ,gen4 iii4 
is alleged as giving an account of the  
origin of sin3 8,and the  ,lord said to 

the woman1 what is this thou hast done8 
,and the woman said1  the serpent       
beguiled me and ,i did eat40 ,there we  
have the account of  ,adam's temptation 
and transgression1 with the penalties   
pronounced upon  the beguiler and his   
dupes4 ,now in whatever light we regard 
this  passage1 whether as a mythos1 an  
allegory1 or a literal narrative1 it    
implies nothing of the doctrine         
asserted1 or the consequences attributed
  to it2 namely1 the loss of all        
original righteousness1 and entire      
defilement in all the faculties and     
parts of the soul and body3 the         
imputation of their sin to mankind1     
burdened with the penalty of eternal    
death4 ,when we find these ideas        
extracted out of one obscure passage1 we
  may well ask is it ,unitarianism or   
orthodoxy which adds to the             
,scriptures8 ,these ideas are not in the
 passage itself1 nor in any other       
supposed to be co-relative1 nor in any  
number of passages fairly  conjoined and

 fairly interpreted4    ,gen4 vi4 #e4   
8,god saw that the wickedness of man was
 great in the earth40  ,this states     
merely a general fact1 that of an evil  
condition of society1  for which        
judgment of ,god is represented as      
poured out from heaven4 ,but  it is     
alleged1 that in the same connection we 
read 8that every  imagination of the    
thoughts of his heart is only evil      
continually40 ,this  clause only        
expresses the original idea with more   
impressive force4 ,no  one in the worst 
state of an individual or a nation will 
attempt to  maintain that such words can
 have a rigid and literal application4  
,besides1 in that very time1 ,noah is   
made an express exception2 for we  read 
that 8the ,lord said unto ,noah1 come   
thou and all thy house into the  ark1   
for thee have ,i seen righteous before  
me in this generation40#ebb  ,but though
 the literal meaning were insisted on1  
it could but literally  extend to men of
 that time2 and the rule of             

interpretation by which our  opponents  
define the character of man1 we are     
entitled in the next verse  to apply to 
the character of ,god4 8,it repented    
him10 we are told1  8that he had made   
man on the earth1 and it grieved him at 
his  heart40#ebc ,if on the literal     
principle we are to conclude man wicked 
in every thought and imagination1 on the
 same principle we are to  conclude that
 ,god can repent1 and that he can be    
grieved at the heart4    ,jer4 xvii4 #i4
 8,the heart is deceitful above all     
things and desperately  wicked10 is an  
exaggeration of the same kind with that 
we are  considering4 ,it was uttered    
when the ,jewish nation was in a state  
of sad  corruption1 and the prophet's   
feelings were passionate against his    
countrymen in grief and indignation4 ,if
 we are to take all the prophet's  words
 as coolly and deliberately uttered1    
then what shall we say to the           
tremendous language in which he curses  
his existence and his birth4    ,eccl4  

vii4 #bi4 8,god hath made man upright1  
but they have sought many  inventions40 
,this expression contains no matter of  
controversy2 the  first part states our 
view1 and the latter clause of the      
verse1 by no  torture of criticism can  
be made to imply inherent and entire    
depravity4    ,psalm li4 #e4 8,behold ,i
 was shapen in iniquity1 and in sin did 
my mother  conceive me40 ,the import of 
this expression is to be judged of from 
the  general tone of the ,psalm1 which  
is most passionate and penetential1     
inspired by the deepest spirit of       
remorse4 ,david uttered these           
complainings in profoundest             
self-accusation2 but there would be     
little  for repentance to deplore1 if he
 could remove the blame from himself to 
his nature1 and bury individual guilt in
 a corruption to which he was  subjected
 in common with all men4 ,the force and 
meaning--the piercing and  eloquent     
deprecation of the whole composition1   
combine to show it is one  of individual

 experience1 the idea of original sin   
leaves it vapid and  pointless1 makes   
it1 not the anguish of a convicted      
sinner1 but the  sophistry of a deluded 
hypocrite2 not a lamentation for vice1  
but an  excuse for it4 ,these passages  
are the few which can be found in the   
,old  ,testament that have any direct   
reference to a tenet said to be         
inculcated throughout the whole of      
,scripture4 ,if we turn to the ,new     
,testament we find the evidence quite as
 scanty1 and quite as  inconclusive4    
,the texts advanced are commonly taken  
from the epistles1  principally from    
those of ,paul1 and of ,paul's1 mostly  
from the ,romans4  ,few or none can be  
advanced from the gospel histories1 and 
the  discourses of ,christ have no      
reference to such a doctrine4    ,rom4  
iii4 #aj4 8,there is none righteous1 no 
not one3 there is none that             
understandeth10 c41 c4 ,correspondent to
 this passage is the #adth  ,psalm4     
,both ,david and ,paul refer to the     

peculiar depravity of their  times4     
,but1 in the sense of absolute and      
guiltless perfection1  unquestionably1  
the general assertion may be made of all
 men4    ,rom4 v4 #ab-ai1 and #a ,cor4  
xv4 #ba1 #bb1 #de1 #di4 ,the apostle1 ,i
 apprehend1  institutes a comparison    
between the imperfect man1 symbolized in
 ,adam1  and the perfect man revealed in
 ,christ2 between the earthly and the   
heavenly1 the mortal and the immortal2  
death shown forth in the one--life      
manifested in the other4    ,rom4 vii4  
#ah4 8,for ,i know that in me1 7that is1
 in my flesh7 dwelleth no  good thing2  
for to will is present with me1 but how 
to perform that  which is good1 ,i find 
not40 ,ver4 #be4 8,so then with my mind1
 ,i serve the  law of ,god1 but with my 
flesh the law of sin40 ,and the apostle 
had said  in the preceding verses1 8,i  
delight in the law of ,god after the    
inward  man2 but ,i find a law in my    
members warring against the law of my   
mind1  and bringing me into captivity to

 the law of sin which is in my          
members40 ,this is an eloquent and      
fervent out-pouring of individual       
experience1 no more intended as a       
universal description than any passage  
in the journal of ,john ,wesley or      
,thomas ,scott4 ,involving as human     
nature  does1 a twofold constitution1 a 
struggle between desire and conscience  
is a necessary condition of its moral   
existence4 ,this is inevitable1  unless 
a being is above or beneath temptation2 
but the very struggle  implies the power
 of the moral sense2 the possession of  
the moral sense  is an element of human 
dignity even in defeat1 how much more in
 triumph4  ,without the power of        
transgression or the danger of falling1 
there is of  course no trial1 and in the
 human sense no virtue4 ,but there are  
some  expressions of ,paul's more       
general and comprehensive1 and to these 
,i  shall devote one or two remarks4    
,rom4 viii4 #g4 8,the carnal mind 7     
--the mind of the  flesh7 is enmity     

against ,god1 for it is not subject to  
the law of ,god1  neither indeed can    
be40    ,gal4 v4 #ag4 8,for the flesh   
lusteth against the spirit1 7       7   
and the spirit against the flesh2 and   
these  are contrary the one to the      
other40 ,the scriptural use of the word 
8flesh0 77 implies two meanings2 first1 
the excess of the inferior  desires1    
which is in reality contrary to ,god1   
and therefore sin2 for  ,god1 though he 
has implanted these subordinate desires1
 has subjected  them to certain laws1   
beyond which they are at variance with  
his will  and with his providence4 ,in  
this view the carnal mind is properly at
  enmity with ,god1 and is not subject  
to the law of ,god4 ,secondly1 the      
inferior desires1 parenthetically not   
actually sin1 but in general the  causes
 of sin4 ,when ,st4 ,paul says money is 
the root of all evil1 we do  not surely 
understand him to mean that the pursuit 
of gain is in all  cases a root of      
wickedness2 for we may conceive         

innumerable instances in  which the     
struggle for money is connected with the
 sublimest of virtues4  ,we merely      
conclude that it is a very dangerous    
desire1 and liable to  very dangerous   
abuses4 ,under the designation1         
therefore1 of earthly or  fleshly1 may  
be classed three orders of desire--that 
of gain1 that of  pleasure1 and that of 
power4 ,these are essentially evil in   
themselves or  they are not4 ,if we     
conclude they are1 we must then charge  
the fault on  ,god who has given them1  
or we must become ,manachees1 and       
suppose the  existence of two           
principles1 one good1 and the other     
evil2 if they are  not1 the sin is in   
their abuse1 and not in their existence1
 and though  the criminal be condemned  
the nature is absolved4 ,i shall mention
 but a  very few more texts advanced in 
favour of this doctrine4    ,eph4 ii4   
#a-c4 8,and you hath he quickened10 c4  
,a mere description this1  of the age1  
answerable both to ,jews and ,gentiles3 

and to the same  purpose is the passage 
from the same epistle1 7c4 ix4 v4 #ah47 
8having  the understanding              
darkened--being alienated from the life 
of ,god through  the ignorance that is  
in them1 because of the blindness of    
their  hearts40 ,such is the scriptural 
evidence for one of the most appalling  
and destructive doctrines that ever     
clouded humanity2 a doctrine which      
impugns the best and truest affections1 
and destroys at one fell stroke  the    
idea of spontaneous virtue1--which is   
compelled to classify the most          
beautiful and most base1 if devoid of   
certain doctrinal distinctions1  under  
one appellative1--which debases human   
nature--gives man the vileness  of a    
slave1 but does not honour ,god with the
 glory of a sovereign4 ,to  exhort man  
to have the perfection of an angel1 and 
to tell him he has  the nature of a     
fiend1 to tell him that he is 8utterly  
indisposed1  disabled1 and made opposite
 to all good1 and wholly inclined to all

  evil10 amidst absurd pranks of        
theology1 is surely the most absurd4    
,and  between believing this1 or        
rejecting it1 the only alternative left 
us1  is to be at one side or the other  
of the gulf which separated ,lazarus    
from ,abraham4    ,see ,drummond's      
excellent ,essay on ,original ,sin1 and 
a very admirable  tract on the same     
subject1 by the late ,dr4 ,cogan1       
entitled 8,a ,layman's  ,letters to ,mr4
 ,wilberforce40                         
,note #b4 ,see page #ai4    ,there is no
 writer in modern times to whom we owe  
so much for a true and  elevated        
,philosophy on ,human nature as to      
,bishop ,butler1 the most  profound and 
accurate analyst of the moral faculties 
of man that has  ever illustrated the   
principles of ,christian ethics4 ,he was
 not a man to  take wholesale           
assertions2 he subjected our moral      
nature to the exact  and rigid test of  
philosophical anatomy1 and one          
deliberate sentence of  his1 is worth   

ten thousand disquisitions from         
traditional theologians1  who1          
parrot-like1 repeat and repeat again the
 jargon1 that has grown as  stale from  
mouth to mouth1 as the starling's 8let  
me out1 let me  out0--many of whom have 
no other reason than that they have     
heard it so  cried out before them4     
,bishop ,butler has examined human      
nature1 and he  has given testimony in  
its favour--he has vindicated its       
dignity1 and he  has by a deep          
philosophy1 which seemed to be little   
comprehended by  those who would debase 
humanity demonstrated its essential     
excellence4  ,he has proved by          
irrefutable arguments1 its natural      
disinterestedness1  its goodness1 its   
necessary conformity with truth and     
virtue4 ,these are  to be sure but its  
general tendencies1 with many           
exceptions--yet1 why  such a line of    
argument should be deemed insufficient  
in moral  philosophy1 and be admitted as
 cogent in natural theology1 it is      

difficult to conceive4--,take for       
instance--in the body the case of the   
eye  or the ear3 no one questions1 that 
the eye is admirably adapted for        
seeing1 and the ear for hearing2 and    
though the one may grow dim or the      
other become deaf1 it is never asserted 
that the constitution or nature  of     
each--on the whole--is contradictory to 
that for which it was intended4  ,there 
are1 it is true1 various evil           
manifestations in human nature2 but     
there are others good--at least1 in     
seeming4 ,cynical ,philosophers and     
,calvinistic ,theologians concur in     
making the evil substantial1 and the    
good factitious4 ,the answer which this 
profound reasoner gives to the          
philosophical opponents of human nature 
will be a sufficient reply to  both4    
8,suppose10 he says1 8a man of learning 
to be writing a grave book  upon human  
nature--and to show in several parts of 
it1 that he had an  insight into the    
subject he was considering4 ,amongst    

other things the  following one would   
require to be accounted for2 the        
appearance of  benevolence or good-will 
in men towards each other in the        
instances of  natural relation and in   
others4 ,cautious of being deceived with
 outward  show1 he retires within       
himself1 to see exactly what that is in 
the mind  of man from whence this       
appearance proceeds2 and upon deep      
reflection  asserts the principle in the
 mind to be only the love of power and  
delight in the exercise of it4 ,would   
not everybody think here was a  mistake 
of one word for another8 ,that the      
philosopher was contemplating  and      
accounting for some other human actions1
 some other behaviour of man  to man8   
,and could any one be thoroughly        
satisfied1 that what is commonly  called
 benevolence or good-will was really the
 affection meant1 but only  by being    
made to understand that this learned    
person had a general  hypothesis1 to    
which the appearance of good-will could 

no otherwise be  reconciled8 ,that what 
has this appearance is often nothing but
 ambition2  that delight in             
superiority--often 7suppose always7     
mixes itself with  benevolence1 only    
makes it more specious to call it       
ambition than hunger  of the two2 but in
 reality that passion does no more      
account for the  whole appearances of   
good-will1 than this appetite does4 ,is 
there not  often the appearance of one  
man's wishing that good to another1     
which he  knows himself unable to       
procure him2 and rejoicing in it1 though
  procured by a third person8 ,and1 can 
love of power any way possibly come     
into account for this desire or delight8
 ,is there not often the  appearance of 
men's distinguishing between two or more
 persons1  preferring one before        
another1 to do good to1 in cases where  
the love of  power cannot in the least  
account for the distinction or          
preference8 ,for  this principle can no 
otherwise distinguish between objects1  

than as it  is a greater instance and   
exertion of power to do good to one     
rather  than to another4 ,again1 suppose
 good-will in the mind of man be nothing
  but delight in the exercise of power2 
men might indeed be restrained by       
distant and accidental considerations1  
but these restraints being  removed1    
they would have a disposition to1 and a 
delight in mischief as  an exercise and 
proof of power2 and this disposition and
 delight would  arise from the same     
principle in the mind1 as a disposition 
to1 and a  delight in charity4 ,thus    
cruelty as distinct from resentment1    
would be  exactly the same in the mind  
of man as good-will2 that one tends to  
the  happiness1 the other to the misery 
of our fellow-creatures1 is1 it  seems1 
merely an accidental circumstance1 which
 the mind has not the  least regard to4 
,these are absurdities which even men of
 capacity run  into1 when they have     
occasion to belie their nature2 and will
 perversely  disclaim that image of ,god

 which was originally stamped upon it3  
the  traces of which1 however faint1 are
 plainly discernible upon the mind of   
man40 ,many passages might be quoted    
from this great writer in  vindication  
of humanity1 but ,i shall adduce but one
 other3 it is from  the same discourse1 
7,the first sermon on ,human ,nature17  
as that ,i have  already extracted--and 
much to the same purpose4 8,mankind10 he
 says1  8have ungoverned passions1 which
 they will gratify at any rate1 as well 
to the injury of others as in           
contradiction to known private          
interests1  but as there is no such     
thing as self-hatred1 so neither is     
there any  such thing as ill-will in one
 man towards another1 emulation or      
resentment being away3 whereas there is 
plainly benevolence or  good-will3 there
 is no such thing as love of injustice1 
oppression1  treachery1 ingratitude2 but
 only eager desire after such and such  
external goods1 which1 according to a   
very ancient observation1 the most      

abandoned would choose to obtain by     
innocent means1 if they were as easy    
and effectual to their end3 even        
emulation and resentment by any who     
will consider what these passions really
 are in nature1 will be found  nothing  
to the purpose of this objection1 and   
the principles and  passions in the mind
 of man which are distinct both from    
self-love and  benevolence1 primarily   
and most directly lead to right         
behaviour with  regard to others as well
 as to himself1 and only secondarily and
  accidentally to what is evil4 ,thus   
though men to avoid the shame of one    
villany are often guilty of a greater1  
yet it is easy to see that the  original
 tendency of shame is to prevent the    
doing of shameful actions2  and its     
leading men to conceal such actions when
 done1 is only the  consequence of their
 being done1 that is1 of the passions   
not having  answered its first          
end40--7,see also the acute and original
 ,essay of ,mr4  ,hazlitt's1 on ,the    

,principles of ,human ,actions1 in which
 the leading idea  of ,butler's         
,philosophy is rigidly examined and     
illustrated47                      99   
99       99       99       99    ,pascal
 vindicates the dignity of ,human nature
 in some of his most  beautiful         
thoughts4 ,those who are acquainted with
 the theology of ,pascal  7and who are  
not87 will scarcely suspect him of      
leaning too partially to  the brighter  
side of our nature4 ,i quote a few      
passages from his  writings1 as much for
 the pleasure of copying them1 as for   
the support  they afford to my general  
argument4    8,l'homme est si grand10 he
 observes1 8que1 sa grandeur parait mme 
en ce  qu'il se connat misrable4 ,un    
arbre ne se connat pas misrable3 il est 
vrai que c'est tre misrable que de se   
connatre1 qu'on misrable2 mais  aussi   
c'est grand que de connatre qu'on est   
misrable4 ,ainsi toutes  misres prouvent
 sa grandeur3--ce sont miseres de grand 
seigneur1 miseres  d'un roi dpossd4     

8,nous avons si grande ide de l'ame de  
l'homme que nous ne pouvons  souffrir   
d'en tre mpris1 et d' n'tre pas dans    
l'esteme d'une me3 et  toute la flicit  
des hommes consiste dans cette estime4  
8,si d'un ct cette fausse gloire que les
 hommes cherchent est une  grande marque
 de leur misre et de leur bassesse1 c'en
 une aussi de leur  excellence2 car     
quelque possessions qu'il ait sur la    
terre1 de quelque  sant et commodit     
essentielle qu'il jouisse il n'est pas  
satisfait1  s'il n'est pas dans l'estime
 des hommes4 ,il estime si grande la    
raison  de l'homme que quelque avantage1
 qu'il ait dans le monde1 il se croit   
malheureux s'il n'est plac aussi        
avantegeusement dans la raison de       
l'homme c'est la plus belle place du    
monde3 rien ne peut le dtourner de  ce  
dsir1 et c'est la qualit la plus        
ineffacable du cur de l'homme3  jusque-l
 que ceux que mprisent le plus les      
hommes1 et qui les galent  aux btes     
veulent encore en tre admirs1 et        

contradisent  eux-mmes  par leur propre 
sentiment3 la nature1 qui est plus      
puisante que toute  leur raison1 les    
convainquant plus fortement de la       
grandeur de l'homme  que la raison ne   
les convainc de sa                      
baissesse40--8,l'homme n'est qu'un      
roseau le plus fable de la nature2 mais 
c'est un roseau pensant4 ,il ne  faut   
pas que l'univers entier s'arme pour    
l'craser4 ,une vapeur1 une  goutte d'eau
 suffit pour le tuer4 ,mais quand       
l'univers l'craserait1  l'homme serait  
encore plus noble que ce qui le tue1    
parce qu'il sait  qu'il meurt1 et       
l'avantage que l'univers a sur lui1     
l'univers n'en sait  rien4 ,ainsi toute 
notre dignit consiste dans la pense     
c'est de la  qu'il faut nous relever1   
non de l'espace et de la dure40 8,il est
  dangereux de trop voir l'homme combien
 il est gal aux btes sans lui  montrer  
sa grandeur4 ,il est encore dangereux de
 lui fair trop voir sa  grandeur sans sa
 bassesse4 ,il est plus dangereux de lui

 laisser ignorer  l'un et l'autre3 mais 
est tres avantegeux de lui representer  
l'un et  l'autre40 7,penses de ,pascal47
    ,i have adduced the testimony of    
,bishop ,butler as to the soundness of  
our  views on human nature3 ,i shall    
here transcribe a few passages from a   
writer1 in whose language a kindred     
philosophy becomes most eloquent and    
inspiring--,i mean ,doctor              
,channing4--8,i repeat it10 he says1    
8showing the  moral power of faith in   
the divine capacities of man1 to        
resemble our  ,maker we need not quarrel
 with our nature or our lot4 ,our       
present state1  made up as it is1 of    
aids and trials1 is worthy of ,god1 and 
may be used  throughout to assimilate us
 to him4 ,for example3 our domestic     
ties1 the  relations of neighbourhood   
and country1 the daily interchanges of  
thoughts and feelings1 the daily        
occasions of kindness1 the daily claims 
of want and suffering1 these and other  
circumstances of our social  state1 form

 the best sphere and school for that    
benevolence which is  ,god's brightest  
attribute2 and we should make a sad     
exchange by  substituting for these     
natural aids any self-invented          
artificial means  of sanctity4          
,christianity1 our great guide to ,god1 
never leads us away  from the path of   
nature1 and never wars with the         
unsophisticated  dictates of conscience4
 ,we approach our ,creator by every     
right exercise  of the powers he gives  
us4 ,whenever we invigorate the         
understanding by  honestly and          
resolutely seeking truth1 and by        
withstanding whatever  might warp the   
judgment2 whenever we invigorate the    
conscience by  following it in          
opposition to the passions2 whenever we 
receive a  blessing gratefully1 bear a  
trial patiently1 or encounter peril or  
scorn  with moral courage2 whenever we  
perform a disinterested deed2 whenever  
we lift up the heart in true adoration  
to ,god2 whenever we war against a      

habit or desire which is strengthening  
itself against our higher  principles2  
whenever we think1 speak or act with    
moral energy1 and  devotion to duty1 be 
the occasion ever so humble or familiar2
 then the  divinity is growing within   
us1 and we are ascending towards our    
,author4  ,the religion thus blends with
 common life4 ,we thus draw nigh to ,god
  without forsaking men4 ,we are thus   
without parting with our human  nature1 
to clothe ourselves with the divine40   
7,discourse at the  ordination of the   
,rev4 ,f4 ,a4 ,farley47 ,honour is due  
to all men on the  ground of the worth  
and dignity of their nature1 and of this
 the  eloquent writer shows             
,christianity a proof and an            
illustration4 8,the  whole of this      
religion is a testimony to the worth of 
man in the sight  of ,god--to the       
importance of human nature--to the      
infinite purposes for  which we were    
framed4 ,god is there set forth as      
sending1 to the succour  of his human   

family1 his beloved ,son1 the bright    
image and  representative of his own    
perfections2 and sending him1 not simply
 to  roll away a burden of pain and     
punishment1 7for this1 however magnified
  in systems of theology is not his     
highest work7 but to create man after   
that divine image which he himself      
bears1 to purify the soul from every    
stain1 to communicate to it new power   
over evil1 and to open before it        
immortality as its aim and              
destination--immortality by which we are
 to  understand1 not merely a perpetual1
 but an ever-improving and celestial    
being4 ,such are the views of           
,christianity4 ,and these blessings it  
proffers1 not to a few1 not to the      
educated1 not to the eminent1 but to    
all human beings1 to the poorest and the
 most fallen2 and we know that  through 
the power of its promises1 it has1 in   
not a few instances1  raised the fallen 
to true greatness1 and given them in    
their present  virtue and peace1 an     

earnest of the heaven which it unfolds4 
,such is  ,christianity4 ,men viewed in 
the light of this religion1 are beings  
cared  for by ,god1 to whom he has given
 his ,son1 on whom he pours forth his   
spirit2 and whom he has created for the 
highest good in the universe1  the      
participation of his own perfections and
 happiness4 ,such is  ,christianity4    
,our scepticism in our own nature cannot
 quench the bright  light which religion
 sheds on the soul and on the prospects 
of mankind2  and just so far as we      
receive its truth we shall honour all   
men40  7,discourse on 8,honour due to   
,all ,men407    8,theologians10 remarks 
a powerful writer1 8say1 that the very  
infant  comes into the world under the  
wrath and curse of the ,deity4 ,they    
never  learned that by observing the    
glory of ,god in the face of ,christ4   
,no  such withering frown ever sat on   
his benignant countenance4 ,think of    
,christ's wrath with a child6 ,think of 
,christ cursing a child6 ,i must  read  

in the ,gospel that he did so1 before ,i
 believe that ,god does so1  and that   
the ,calvinistic doctrine of original   
sin is true4 ,in the strong  horror of  
the human heart at the monstrous        
combination of such a person  with such 
an action1 ,i read the condemnation of  
that gloomiest article  of a gloomy     
creed2 and if it be a foul calumny on   
,christ1 it must1  exalted as he was1 be
 a yet fouler calumny on ,god4 ,i would 
sooner  believe the one than the other4 
,i would sooner imagine some ,jesus of  
,nazareth encountering some fond father 
and fonder mother1 in the first         
freshness of their parental feelings1 as
 they pass beneath #8the gate of  the   
temple which was called the ,beautiful2'
 less beautiful in the  sculptured forms
 of marble on which its gorgeous        
architecture rested  than in the living 
human group which were there bearing the
 babe to the  altar to dedicate it to   
the ,god of its fathers2 and            
encountering them  with that solemn     

malediction which would sink into their 
souls and  corrode their lives2 than ,i 
would imagine ,omniscience1 which       
witnesses  each man's birth1 life1 and  
death1 to be in all earth's scenes of   
parental anxiousness and fondness over  
helpless infancy1 the  all-pervading    
presence of an ,almighty curse4 ,yet    
this is the doctrine  into which        
thousands upon thousands of children are
 catechised4 ,why will  not parents and 
teachers lead them1 not to ,calvin1 but 
to ,christ8 ,so  should they receive a  
blessing1 even as did those children1   
notwithstanding that there were not     
wanting1 even then1 erring disciples  to
 intercept their approach and forbid    
their coming4 ,as his blessing was  on  
them1 so is that of his and our ,god4   
,his doctrine1 his conduct4  #8,their   
angels1' he says1 #8do always behold the
 face of my ,father which  is in        
heaven2' they are the peculiar objects  
of the providential care  which1 by the 
number1 and swiftness1 and power of     

those supposed winged  messengers1 was  
pictorial typified2 and again1 #8,suffer
 little children1  and forbid them not1 
to come to me1 for of such is the       
kingdom of  heaven6'0--,christ and      
,christianity1 a series of ,sermons1 by 
the ,rev4 ,w4  ,j4 ,fox3 which for      
energy of thought1 richness and beauty  
of imagery1  truth of moral analysis and
 description1 force and eloquence of    
language1 may be placed in the very     
highest class of pulpit oratory1 and    
even in that class be ranged with its   
rarest specimens4 ,the taint of  heresy 
has robbed them of their due fame1 for  
in those days1 without the  proper      
admixture of orthodoxy1 logic only beats
 the air1 and eloquence  speaks to the  
deaf adder that will not hear the voice 
of the charmer1  charm he never so      
sweetly4    ,i quote with great pleasure
 one or two passages from ,mr4 ,dewey1  
as  illustrative of our common doctrine 
on human nature3    8,the theologian    
says that human nature is bad and       

corrupt4 ,now taking  this language in  
the practical and popular sense1 ,i find
 no difficulty  in agreeing with the    
theologian4 ,and indeed1 if he would    
confine  himself--leaving vague and     
general declamation and technical       
phraseology--if he would confine himself
 to facts2 if he would confine  himself 
to a description of actual bad qualities
 and dispositions in  men1 ,i think he  
could not well go too far4 ,nay more1 ,i
 am not certain  that any theologian's  
description1 so far as it is of this    
nature1 has  gone deep enough into the  
frightful mass of human depravity4 ,for 
it  requires an acute perception that is
 rarely possessed1 and a higher and     
holier conscience1 perhaps than belongs 
to any1 to discover and declare  how    
bad1 and degraded1 and unworthy a being 
a bad man is4 ,i confess  that nothing  
would beget in me a higher respect for  
man1 a real--not a  theological and     
factitious--but a real and deep sense of
 human sinfulness  and unworthiness--of 

the mighty wrong which man does to      
himself1 to his  religion1 and his ,god1
 when he yields to the evil and accursed
  inclinations that find place in him4  
,this moral indignation is not half     
strong enough in those who profess to   
talk the most about human  depravity4   
,and the objection to them is1 not that 
they feel too much or  speak too        
strongly1 the actual wickedness1 the    
actual and distinct sins  of the wicked2
 but they speak too vaguely and         
generally of human  wickedness2 that    
they speak with too little              
discrimination to every man  as if he   
were a murderer or a monster2 that they 
speak1 in fine1 too  argumentatively1   
and too much 7if ,i may say so7 with a  
sort of  argumentative satisfaction1 as 
if they were glad that they could make  
this point so strong40    ,the next     
extract is in advocacy of human nature1 
eloquently pleading for  it in a low and
 guilty condition4    8,the very pirate 
that dyes the ocean wave with the blood 

of his  fellow-beings2 that meets his   
defenceless victims in some lonely sea  
where no cry for help can be heard1 and 
plunges his dagger to the heart  that is
 pleading for life1 which is calling    
upon him by all means of  kindred1 of   
children1 and of home1 to spare--yes1   
the very pirate is such  a man as you or
 ,i might have been4 ,orphanage and     
childhood2 an  unfriended youth2 an evil
 companion2 a resort to sinful pleasure2
  familiarity with vice2 a scorned and  
blighted name2 seared and crushed       
affections2 desperate fortunes--these   
are the steps that might have led  any  
one amongst us to unfurl on the high    
seas the bloody flag of  universal      
defiance2 to have waged war with our    
kind2 to have put on the  terrific      
attributes2 to have done the dreadful   
deeds2 and to have died  the awful death
 of the ocean robber4 ,how many         
affecting relationships of  humanity    
plead with us to pity him6 ,that head   
that is doomed to pay the  price of     

blood once rested upon a mother's bosom4
 ,the hand that did that  accursed work1
 and shall soon be stretched cold and   
nerveless in the  felon's grave1 was    
once taken and cherished by a father's  
hand1 and led  in the ways of sportive  
childhood and innocent pleasure4 ,the   
dreaded  monster of crime has once been 
the object of sisterly love and all     
domestic endearment4 ,pity him1 then4   
,pity his blighted hope and his  crushed
 heart4 ,it is a wholesome sensibility1 
it is meet for frail and  sinning       
creatures like us to cherish4 ,it       
forgoes no moral  discrimination4 ,it   
feels the crime1 but feels it as a weak1
 tempted1 and  rescued creature should4 
,it imitates the great ,master2 and     
looks with  indignation upon the        
offender1 and yet is grieved for        
him40--,dewey4                          
,additional ,remarks1 c4    8,our ,lord 
,jesus ,christ10 says ,mr4 ,buddicom1   
8hath solemnly and  emphatically said1  
#8,he that believeth and is baptized    

shall be saved1  but that believeth not 
shall be damned4'0 7,yes1 but is this to
 believe  what our opponents tell us1   
and to be baptized into the faith of    
,athanasius87 8,unitarians10 he         
continues1 8assert that they fulfil the 
requirement1 and therefore are safe from
 the penalty4 ,we1 on the other  hand1  
are assured1 that as it would be treason
 against the sovereign of  these realms1
 to acknowledge her claim only to a part
 of her dominions1  while her royalty   
over the remainder was utterly denied2  
so the  ,unitarian scheme which would   
give unto the ,saviour the honours of a 
prophet and a witness1 while it would   
unsphere him from that full-orbed  glory
 wherein ,he shines through the         
revelation of his grace1 is treason     
against him and against the ,majesty of 
,god1 who willeth #8that all men  should
 honour the son1 even as they honour the
 father4' ,thus convinced1  we deem the 
professors of that system to be under   
sentence of spiritual  outlawry1 which  

if it be not reversed1 will end in the  
terrors of the  second death40--,lect4  
#h4 pp4 #dch1 #dci4    ,the tone in     
which we have often been spoken of in   
this controversy  appears to assume that
 we in some degree doubt the sincerity  
or charity  of our opponents4 ,we deny  
them neither4 ,we know the history of   
religion  well enough to be aware that  
as severe things have been done in      
sincerity as to pronounce that men      
dishonour ,christ and ,god1 that they   
are under sentence of spiritual         
outlawry1 and if they repent not 7i4e4  
do not turn to the opinion of their     
antagonists7 shall surely endure the    
second death2 we can easily believe that
 men say these things sincerely2  for   
except from the necessity of conviction1
 we do not imagine they  would reiterate
 perdition and denunciation as often as 
they do4 ,we deny  not the sincerity in 
which an opponent may hold an opinion or
 resist  one3 but though the motive may 
not be impeachable1 the quality of the  

opinion itself may be in the last degree
 anti-social and pernicious4 ,the  men  
who built the ,inquisition did it in    
perfect sincerity3 the men who  sat on  
its judgment-seats were for the most    
part sincere1 so were those  who dragged
 the heretic from his home to the       
dungeon1 and from the  dungeon to the   
stake4 ,and so are those who tell us    
that our faith is  damnable4 ,men may on
 account of belief consign antagonists  
to hell-fire  for eternity2 but unless  
the evidence be most clear1 to pronounce
 the  judgment requires a goodly        
quantity of courage4 ,as little willing 
are we  to refuse our opponents the     
charity they claim1 if by that be meant 
a  desire to promote good in their idea 
of it3 but we may very fairly doubt  the
 justness of that idea4 ,believing that 
heretics1 such as we1 are in  the way to
 eternal destruction1 it is neither     
inconsistent with candour  or charity to
 tell us so1 in the hope of reclaiming  
us2 and if  theologians imagined that   

inflicting bodily suffering might have a
  similar effect1 we are compelled to   
admit them to the same merit4 ,the      
worst effect of harsh and austere       
doctrines is that they produce harsh    
and austere feelings2 and the professors
 of them1 under their indurating        
process1 can do deeds from principle    
which even bad men would rarely do  from
 passion4 ,one perverted motive is worse
 than a thousand evil  actions4 ,charity
 in her own native sweetness is meek and
 gentle as the  dove1 and yet theology  
has often made her ravenous as the      
vulture2  charity as she came from      
heaven marked her way in tears of mercy1
 but  theology could so pervert her as  
to cause her wade to the lips in blood4 
,the charity of the heart is very       
different from the charity of creeds2   
and when we hear ,english clergymen     
condemn the ,romish ,church as          
uncharitable1 we naturally ask on what  
ground8 ,is it because she  condemned   
heretics8 ,so do you4 ,is it because she

 has a wrong test of  heresy8 ,her test 
is substantially the same as your own4  
,you assume that  we do not believe in  
,christ1 because we do not believe in   
your creed3  she assumes that you do not
 believe in ,christ because you do not  
believe  in her councils3 you denounce  
eternal torments on us for want of your 
faith2 and she delivers you to the same 
destiny for want of her faith3  the     
tabooed ground of heresy and orthodoxy  
may be circumscribed or  extensive--the 
points may be few or many1 the principle
 is the same1 or  if there be any       
difference1 it is but breaking the big  
end or the little  end of the egg4 ,we  
are accused as traitors against ,god and
 ,christ1 and  to make the indictment   
clear against us1 it is illustrated by  
the  instance of rebellion against a    
sovereign4 ,this is a heavy charge1 but 
one both unjust and false4 ,it is evil  
intention that constitutes crime3  a    
traitor opposes his sovereign and       
intends his dethronement2 but  though we

 should even mistake the nature of      
,christ1 can any one who  thinks for a  
moment venture to say our intention is  
for his  dethronement8 ,let us suppose  
the case1 no uncommon one1 of an        
,eastern  monarch who should disguise   
himself1 and that some of his subjects  
failed1 in their ignorance of his rank1 
to pay him the customary  honours2 what 
should we think of his justice1 if he   
should call this  treason1 and impale   
the wretches who were unconscious of    
having offended  him4 ,it is too        
monstrous even for ,eastern despotism4  
,or take the case in  our own history2  
what should we think of ,alfred's       
rectitude and  clemency1 if when he     
ascended the throne from his poverty1 he
 should  have thrown the shepherd's wife
 into a dungeon and chains1 because1 in 
his disguise1 she uttered against him a 
surly rebuke4 ,the instance is  not     
entirely parallel1 but the analogy goes 
far enough for my purpose4  ,now1 though
 ,christ were in reality the ,deity     

which orthodoxy proclaims  him1 the     
circumstances of his earthly life1 and  
the concealment of his  infinite nature1
 were certainly sufficient to excuse    
some in ignorance  for taking him to be 
that which he appeared2 and to punish   
them for so  natural an error1 would not
 be a vindication of majesty1 but a     
capricious exhibition of cruelty4       
,the legal and political mode of        
illustration is a favourite with the    
reverend lecturer4 ,p4 #dej1 we have a  
quotation from ,blackstone1 and the     
distinction very admirably elucidated of
 private wrongs and public  wrongs1     
civil injuries1 crimes and              
misdemeanours1 c4 ,sir ,william         
,blackstone never1 ,i imagine1          
anticipated the honour that his         
,commentaries would be used to          
illustrate the principles of the divine 
government2 and one of the last ideas1  
,i apprehend1 that entered his  brain in
 delivering his lectures1 was1 that he  
was giving expositions on  the ways of  

,providence4 ,the ,preacher in the order
 of illustration1 gave  a passing blow  
8at those wretched and guilty disturbers
 of the public  peace in one of our own 
colonies who lately crossed the borders 
of a  friendly state to slay and ruin   
and destroy1 under the name of          
sympathizers40 ,an allusion1 doubtless1 
extremely loyal2 but in the  present    
case not very logical4 7,lect4 p4 #deb47
 ,in this part of the  discourse we have
 other distinctions1 showing that man is
 a public  offender1 that ,god is not a 
person but a sovereign1 in relation to  
guilty man1 and that a sovereign is     
different from a person2 that ,god is   
not a creditor but a judge1 and that a  
judge is different from a  creditor4    
,all this may be very acute1 very legal1
 but1 theologically1 it  has one        
imperfection1 that of mistaking entirely
 the relation between  ,god and man1 of 
turning false analogies into false      
premises1 and1 of  course1 deducing from
 them false conclusions3 of properly    

having nothing  to do with the true     
matter in hand1 and leaving the question
 precisely  where it was before4 8,our  
opponents10 says the ,preacher1 8assert 
that  sins are to be regarded as debts1 
and as debts only40 ,we assert no  such 
thing1 have never asserted it1 but all  
the contrary1 and to such an  idea the  
whole tone of our argument and of our   
system is in most perfect               
contradiction4 ,we have no such low view
 of ,god as to think that man  could owe
 him anything1 nor any such presumptuous
 view of man as to  imagine he could    
make payment to his ,god4 ,yet upon this
 poor assumption  whole pages of        
declamation are wasted1 for if it serves
 any purpose it  is but to beat down the
 man of straw which the lecturer himself
 had  fashioned4 ,we hold no such view1 
and therefore we have never defended    
any such4 ,we do our best to maintain   
what we assert2 if others assert        
doctrines for us1 we leave them the     
pleasure of the refutation2 although  it

 is only when men invent opinions for   
opponents that they have the  double    
enjoyment of first building up and then 
pulling down4 ,we do not  regard sins as
 debts for which payment can be made to 
,god2 but we may  fairly assert that on 
this principle rests the whole scheme of
  orthodoxy4 ,what are the atonement and
 righteousness of ,christ but a  payment
 or equivalent to ,god for the salvation
 of the elect8--the very  nature of the 
system implies this idea1 and in truth  
it is the only idea  that gives it even 
the appearance of consistency2 for crime
 as such  cannot be punished in the     
person of another1 but a debt can be    
fairly  paid by the money of another4   
,if ,i commit high treason against the  
sovereign--to borrow an analogy from the
 ,preacher--it would be sad work to  lay
 the head of some one else on the block 
for it--but if ,i owe a severe  creditor
 a thousand pounds1 a rich and generous 
friend may pay it in my  stead1 and no  
social principle is violated by the     

substitute4    ,mr4 ,buddicom makes the 
following modest apology for the        
presumed  infallibility of himself and  
brethren1 and their right to attack all 
heretical deniers of it4 8,while1       
however10 he observes1 8we are prepared 
to contend for the lawfulness and duty  
of an affectionate inroad upon  the     
regions of spiritual error1 we remember 
that our movement is not  purely and    
primarily aggressive4 ,a volume of      
,lectures1 preached  expressly on the   
controverted doctrines of ,christianity 
7as the lecturer  denominated his       
subjects71 in a chapel now occupied by  
one of our  respected opponents1 has    
been before the world4 ,in these and    
other  similar measures1 the fortress of
 true ,christianity1 the only safe      
munition of rocks for the souls of men1 
hath been attacked by mine1 and  sap1   
and open assault4 ,and shall there be no
 attempt to countermine1 no  sally made1
 no arm raised1 in a forward movement   
for the truth as it is  in ,jesus8 ,our 

regret is rather due to the culpable    
silence of the past1  than to the       
proceeding of the present time40 7,lect4
 p4 #ddj47 ,the  reverend and respected 
,preacher refers to a volume of         
,lectures1 by the  ,rev4 ,george        
,harris1 delivered in this town some    
years ago3 those  ,lectures1            
unfortunately1 ,i do not possess2 but ,i
 have read them with  much pleasure1 and
 many passages of them ,i should wish to
 quote in  support of my own general    
arguments4 ,but the ,lecturer greatly   
mistakes  if he imagines that we        
complain of orthodox aggression4        
,controversy1  political and religious1 
is the fair expression of civilised and 
progressive opinion4 ,we do not blame   
those who oppose us1--we have never     
done it1--we have not complained that   
war was made on us1 but we did most     
righteously complain that the fair laws 
of warfare were denied us4 ,our  people 
were invited to go to ,christ ,church to
 listen to wise and learned  men1 to be 

converted1 by hearing their religion    
spoken of as blasphemy  and outlawry--to
 hear themselves designated as enemies  
to their ,god1  and dethroners of their 
,saviour1 and the spiritual slayers of  
their  kind4 ,they were denied any      
religious equality4 ,they were abused1  
and  vituperated1 and denounced2 but    
they were not listened to--their        
condemnation was sternly uttered--but   
their defence had not even the poor     
tribute of a hearing4 ,nay1 grave       
clergymen pleaded that they could not   
have their religious sensibilities      
disturbed or hurt by ,unitarian         
roughness1 as if manly controversialists
 were to shrink from opposition  with   
the fastidious delicacy of timid        
devotees4 ,we neither complained of     
controversy1 nor avoided it2 on the     
contrary1 we met it promptly1           
sincerely1 and willingly--with ability1 
it is possible1 inferior to our         
opponents--but not with less zeal1 less 
alacrity1 or less honesty4 ,when  our   

respected opponents challenged our      
attendance1 it was not as  antagonists  
on the opposite sides of a subject open 
to discussion1 but  as accused to give  
in their confession of repentance1 or as
 criminals to  hear their last sentence 
of punishment4 ,we1 however1 blame not  
the  ,lecturer1 nor his party--we rather
 agree with him and them4 ,we have      
received a lesson which we needed2      
,unitarians have stood too long on the  
defensive1 when they should have been on
 the aggressive3 had they been  faithful
 to their trust1 it may be that the     
degrading dogma of original  sin1 and   
the atrocious doctrines of election and 
reprobation could not  now1 in this     
country1 be matters of dispute4 8,our   
regret 7to use the  words of the        
,lecturer7 is rather due to the culpable
 silence of the past  than to the       
proceedings of the present time40 ,it is
 a remarkable fact in  the history of   
religion1 that all the doctrines which  
have been most  generally condemned as  

heresy1 have been pure or benignant     
ones2 and all  persecutions and         
religious hatreds1 bodily or social1    
have been directed  against their       
professors4 ,not to mention the         
,christians1 who burned  ,jerome and    
,huss2 we might refer even to the       
heathens who poisoned  ,socrates--to    
uphold the personality of ,satan--the   
reality of his  existence1 and the      
malignity of his nature1--to declaim    
upon hell's  torments and to announce   
eternal perdition on the great mass of  
,god's  family--to create excitement by 
the grossest pictures of vice and misery
  is the certain way to popularity4 ,the
 popular taste1 as it has yet been      
developed or nurtured1 has been coarse  
and ferocious1 and if any thing  could  
prove to me the doctrine of universal   
depravity1 it would be the  toleration  
of the horrors of ,calvinistic          
orthodoxy4                              
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,,viii4         

,footnote #eah3      ,gen4 ix4 #f4      
,footnote #eai3      ,see ,appendix1    
,note #a4    ,footnote #ebj3      ,pref4
 to ,sermons4    ,footnote #eba3        
,see ,note #b4    ,footnote #ebb3       
,gen4 vii4 #a4    ,footnote #ebc3       
,gen4 vi4 #f4                           
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,preface4      ,in preparing this      
,lecture for the press1 after an        
examination in its  printed form of that
 to which it is a ,reply1 ,i do not find
 that the  ,trinitarian argument has    
been strengthened by additional         
evidence1 or by  a more logical         
statement1 so as to require any         
modification of my  impressions of its  
weight and character4    ,mr4 ,bates has
 in his ,appendix drawn out some of his 
scriptural  evidence1 and ,i can only   
require any one to examine it1 in order 
not  only to estimate its cogency in    
reference to this particular question1  
but also to obtain a very accurate idea 

of the peculiar genius of  ,trinitarian 
interpretation4 ,i shall select two     
passages as perfectly  descriptive of   
the manner in which the believer in a   
verbal and logical  revelation draws    
doctrinal conclusions from the mere     
words of scripture4    ,here is one of  
the ,trinitarian ,scriptural proofs of  
,three ,persons in  the ,unity of the   
,godhead4    8#b ,thess4 iii4 #e4 #8,the
 ,,lord direct your hearts into the love
 of ,,god1 and  into the patient waiting
 for ,,christ4'    8,in these passages  
the ,three ,persons are distinguished4  
,the ,,lord to whom  the prayer is in   
both instances directed2 ,,god1 even our
 ,father2 and  our ,lord ,jesus         
,,christ4 ,that the ,,lord thus         
distinguished from ,god the  ,father1   
and our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and       
addressed in prayer1 is the  ,,holy     
,,ghost1 is evident from the analogy of 
,scripture1 which teaches that          
sanctification1 for which the ,apostle  
prays1 is the peculiar work of  the     

,holy ,ghost40--,mr4 ,bates' ,appendix1 
p4 #eij4    ,now1 using the same        
description of logic1 we have only to   
quote a  passage in which sanctification
 is ascribed not to the ,holy ,ghost1   
but to ,,god our ,,father1 in order to  
overthrow the whole of this verbal  and 
mournful trifling with the sublime and  
vast purport of revelation4    8,holy   
,,father1 keep through thine own name   
those whom thou hast given me1  that    
they may be one1 as we are4444 ,sanctify
 them through thy  truth3 thy word is   
truth40--,john xvii4 #aa1 #ag4    ,the  
second descriptive specimen ,i select1  
of the genius of ,trinitarian           
interpretation1 is the following alleged
 scriptural proof of the  separate      
,deity and ,personality of the ,holy    
,spirit4    8,rev4 i4 #d4 #8,,john to   
the seven ,churches which are in ,asia3 
,grace be unto  you1 and peace1 from him
 which is1 and which was1 and which is  
to come2  and from the seven ,spirits   
which are before his throne4'0    ,the  

seven ,spirits1 we are told1 is a       
symbolical designation of the ,one      
,spirit4 ,nothing however can be more   
clear1 even on the verbal  principle1   
than that the seven ,spirits are the    
seven ,messengers1 ,angels1  or         
,ministers1 which1 partaking themselves 
of ,god's ,spirit1 were ,his            
instruments of communication with the   
seven ,churches of ,asia enumerated  by 
the ,author of the ,apocalypse1 and     
which are represented as being  before  
his throne1 deriving their own          
inspiration from ,him4--8,the mystery   
of the seven stars which thou sawest in 
my right hand1 and the seven  golden    
candlesticks4 ,the seven stars are the  
angels of the seven  ,churches2 and the 
seven candlesticks which thou sawest are
 the seven  ,churches40--,rev4 i4 #bj4  
,on this1 the last opportunity1 perhaps1
 which ,i may have1 of saying any  thing
 in connexion with these ,lectures1 ,i  
cannot but express my own  regret1 and  
point it out to public notice1 that we  

have been  necessitated by              
circumstances1 not to prepare merely and
 deliver as  pulpit addresses1 but to   
print and fix in a permanent form1      
dissertations upon most important and   
agitated questions1 within a  period of 
time altogether insufficient to do any  
justice1 ,i will not say  to the        
subjects1 but even to our own ideas of  
the subjects4 ,the  accidental          
advantage1 in this respect1 obtained by 
the ,lecturers on the  ,trinitarian     
,theology1 with ample time and undivided
 strength to bring  out a single        
,lecture on a single topic1 ought to be 
included as an  element of judgment1 if 
the real value of the contrasted views  
is to be  estimated by any1 by the      
results of the present controversy4 ,for
 myself1  it is with great pain that ,i 
think of so much written1 in the most   
sacred cause1 almost extempore4 ,that   
this necessity has occasioned any       
defects except such as have been an     
injury to our own views of ,truth1  by  

failing to bring out its full strength1 
,i am not aware4 ,i am not  aware that1 
in any respect1 we have1 through haste1 
overstated our  case4 ,i am aware1 for  
my own part1 that it might have been    
much  strengthened by additional force  
of evidence1 and clearness of           
statement4 ,i may be allowed to state1  
that in the course of three months  ,i  
have been obliged to write and print to 
the extent of an octavo volume  of      
nearly four hundred pages4 ,it is       
impossible that such an exposition  of  
our views should not be crowded with    
imperfections1 and indefinitely  feebler
 than it might be4 ,may we ask that this
 consideration will be  taken into the  
account by all those who are now forming
 an opinion of  the merits of the       
,trinitarian and ,unitarian ,theology1  
from this  discussion of it4 ,may we ask
 those who1 in the love of the ,truth1  
and in  confidence in the ,god of ,truth
 that no ,truth can injure them1 wish   
the  real evidence to be presented to   

their minds1 to read the original       
sources1 the ,new and the ,old          
,scriptures1 afresh1 without fear1      
without  an unfair and biassing horror  
of what they have been cradled to dread 
as  heresy1 without the intellectual    
infidelity of studying a revelation     
from ,god with the previous             
interpretations of men1 colouring all   
their  associations with the very words 
of the document1 and preventing their   
ever receiving a pure impression from   
the original evidence unmixed with  the 
whispers and suggestions of some        
self-authorized ,interpreter who  is in 
terror lest they should miss the        
essentials of the revealed  religion1   
and derive from it some ideas that would
 destroy4        ,liverpool1 ,april     
#ahci4                                  
---------------------                   
,,lecture ,,ix4                    ,,the
 ,,comforter1 ,,even ,,the ,,spirit ,,of
 ,,truth1                ,,who          
,,dwelleth ,,in ,,us1 ,,and ,,teacheth  

,,all ,,things4                         
,by ,,rev4 ,,john ,,hamilton ,,thom4    
8,,if ,,ye ,,love ,,me1 ,,keep ,,my     
,,commandments3 ,,and ,i ,,will ,,pray  
,,the ,,father1 ,,and     ,,he ,,shall  
,,give ,,you ,,another ,,comforter1     
,,that ,,he ,,may ,,abide ,,with ,,you  
,,for     ,,ever2 ,,even ,,the ,,spirit 
,,of ,,truth2 ,,whom ,,the ,,world      
,,cannot ,,receive1     ,,because ,,it  
,,seeth ,,him ,,not1 ,,neither ,,knoweth
 ,,him3 ,,but ,,ye ,,know ,,him1 ,,for  
,,he ,,dwelleth ,,with ,,you1 ,,and     
,,shall ,,be ,,in ,,you4 ,i ,,will ,,not
 ,,leave ,,you     ,,comfortless2 ,i    
,,will ,,come ,,to ,,you40--,john xiv4  
#ae-ah      ,it is very remarkable that 
whenever the doctrine of the ,trinity is
  discussed1 the debate is almost always
 exclusively occupied by the  single    
question of the deity of the ,christ1   
and if that can be  established1 the    
controversy is considered at an end4    
,controversialists  glide from the      
doctrine of the deity of the ,son to the

 separate deity of  the ,holy ,spirit1  
in a way which plainly shows that one   
inroad being  effected on the personal  
unity of ,god1 and the principle once   
loosened1  another division of it is    
conceded upon much easier terms1 without
 fear1  without caution1 without        
reverence4 ,why indeed should men       
scruple to  admit three persons into the
 unity of the ,godhead after having got 
over  the first great difficulty of     
admitting two8 ,a third person adds     
nothing  to the difficulty of a second  
person1 and if we cannot maintain       
unbroken  the principle of one ,god1 in 
our own sense of oneness1 then the      
extent  to which the principle is       
violated1 whether by three persons1 or  
any  other number1 is really a matter of
 a very minor importance4 ,having       
admitted that there may be two persons  
in the godhead1 it would be very  absurd
 to take an objection against there     
being three2 for the analogy  of unity1 
in the only sense we are acquainted with

 it1 the unity of a  human being1 having
 once failed us1 we must never plead it 
again4 ,the  principle that admits two  
minds in the being of one ,god will     
equally  admit any number whatever1     
provided ,scripture accords to them the 
dignity1 and our struggle and reluctance
 will be felt most strongly on  the     
first of these invasions of our own idea
 of unity1 and will yield  more and more
 readily at each successive one4        
,this is the only explanation ,i can    
conceive1 and a very natural one it  is1
 of the weak and unguarded state in     
which ,trinitarians have left the       
separate personality and deity of the   
,holy ,ghost4 ,i do not wonder at  their
 preference for that word1 ,ghost1 in   
this connection4 ,it  materializes the  
word ,spirit1 puts the true idea out of 
immediate sight1  and is so far a       
preparation for introducing the         
conception of a third  person1 which    
never would naturally have arisen from  
the use of the  more intelligible       

expression 8the ,holy ,spirit10 8the    
,spirit of ,god40 ,i  apprehend that all
 minds1 though long familiarized with   
the idea of a  plurality of persons in  
the godhead1 would be greatly shocked1  
if that  plurality was conceived to be  
either more or less than the mystic     
number  three4 ,a multitude of deities1 
discharging different offices1 but      
partaking of the one ,essence of the    
godhead1 would be thought a  completely 
,heathen conception--and a reduction of 
the present orthodox  idea1 so as to    
represent only two persons in the one   
,god1 would strike a  ,christian mind as
 scarcely less pagan4 ,yet upon         
,trinitarian principles  this is        
evidently a mere prejudice of ,custom4  
,there is no more reason1  so far as our
 understanding is concerned1 for there  
being three persons  in the godhead than
 for there being only two1 and whether  
there be one1  two1 three1 or a         
countless number1 is a question to which
 our ,reason  ought to be entirely      

indifferent1 having no a priori opinion 
or  principle of its own upon the       
subject3 and submitting to the letter of
  the ,revelation with equal readiness1 
whether it distributes the ,essence  of 
the ,deity among a ,trinity1 or among   
any other plurality of minds4 ,now  ,i  
would ask ,trinitarians whether they    
have schooled themselves into           
submission to this principle--whether   
they would receive four persons in  the 
,godhead as readily as they receive     
three1 provided the same mode of        
inferential interpretation which now    
establishes the ,trinity1 succeeded  in 
showing that a further distribution of  
the essence of the godhead was          
required1 in order to make our ,theology
 consistent with the exact  wording of  
the ,scriptures4 ,i apprehend that most 
minds amongst us would  revolt at the   
idea of four persons in one ,god1       
contemplated as a mere  possibility4    
,yet surely in a ,trinitarian this would
 be very  unreasonable4 ,as a ,scripture

 doctrine he might reasonably discard it
  as unfounded--but as a possibility1 as
 a subject on which1 previous to        
,revelation1 he ought to have no        
prejudice whatever1 he must on his own  
principles have no objection to the     
plurality of divine persons  extending  
to any number1 and be as prompt1 to     
submit his faith to five  as to three1  
provided five can be shown to be the    
proper inference from  the words of     
,scripture4 ,a consistent ,trinitarian  
must feel no a priori  objection to any 
number of divine persons united         
together4 ,having  conceded that on this
 subject his ,reason is no guide1 and   
his ,nature no  analogy1 there is but   
one question he has a right to          
ask1--8,is it so  written80    ,and even
 if it should be granted that ,scripture
 reveals three divine  persons and      
reveals no more1 yet upon his own       
principles1 a consistent  ,trinitarian  
should be cautious in asserting that    
there are no more4  ,scripture nowhere  

asserts that there are only three       
persons in the  godhead--and surely it  
is being wise above what is written1 for
 a  ,trinitarian to confine ,god's      
essence within the limits in which ,he  
has  been pleased to reveal ,himself1   
and to make the communications ,he has  
opened upon us the measures of the      
infinite possibilities of ,his being4   
,a ,trinitarian reverently and with     
becoming modesty stating his own        
doctrine1 and not presuming to know more
 of ,god than is revealed1 ought  to    
content himself with saying--that       
,scripture discloses three divine  minds
 in one ,deity1 but that whether there  
are any more than three1  ,scripture    
does not declare1 and he would hold it  
arrogant to assert4 ,if  the ,unitarian 
is wise contrary to what is written in  
confining the  unity of ,god to one     
person2 the ,trinitarian is wise above  
what is  written in confining it to     
three persons1 and with less excuse1 for
 that  one is neither more nor less than

 one is at least a natural              
supposition--but after having admitted  
that one may be three1 there is  nothing
 but precipitancy and dogmatism in      
determining that it can be  only three4 
,a consistent and scripturally modest   
,trinitarian should  simply state1 that 
,god his ,father1 ,god his ,redeemer1   
and ,god his  ,sanctifier1 contained all
 the revelation that was required for   
the  salvation of his soul--but as to   
whether there might not be other divine 
persons in the plurality of the godhead1
 he held it to be a high  mystery1 which
 he did not presume to speak upon--that 
only these were  revealed1 and therefore
 he knew no more1 but yet he did not    
dare to  assert that his necessities1   
the requirements of a being so feeble1  
comprised and exhausted the whole       
capabilities and personalities of the   
godhead4 ,but ,trinitarians are not so  
modest4 ,they charge the ,unitarian     
with presumption for limiting the divine
 essence to one ,person--and then  they 

proceed themselves1 with no warrant from
 ,scripture1 and none they  assert from 
,reason1 to limit it to ,three4    ,if  
two not three had been the favourite    
mythological number1 if a  ,duality and 
not a ,trinity had been the ,platonic   
conception1 then1 ,i am  satisfied1 that
 the ,christian world1 though it might  
have witnessed the  deification of the  
,christ1 would never have heard of the  
separate deity  of the ,holy ,spirit4   
,and this assertion is amply borne out  
by the  historical fact1 that the       
deification of the ,spirit followed     
afterwards  as a consequence from the   
deification of the ,son1 and that the   
earliest  form of the charge made       
against the ,platonizing ,christians by 
stricter  believers in the unity of the 
,deity1 states the whole extent of their
  heresy to be that of introducing a    
second ,god1--nothing as yet being  said
 about third4    ,it is well known to   
all in whom duty has so far prevailed   
over distaste1  as to make them turn in 

sorrow the heavy pages of               
,ecclesiastical  ,history1 that there   
was no discussion respecting the        
divinity of the  third person in the    
,trinity until nearly the end of the    
fourth century4  ,nothing can surpass   
the cool and easy confidence which sets 
aside this  undeniable fact by boldly   
asserting that up to this time the      
doctrine  was never disputed--and that  
the absence of evidence in support of   
this  doctrine only arises from the     
absence of doubt1 that nobody stated    
what  nobody denied4 ,what1 the separate
 deity and personality of the ,holy     
,ghost never doubted1 and yet not one   
prayer addressed to ,him in  ,scripture1
 not one ascription of praise1 not one  
doxology in which his  name is          
introduced1 so that when the ,church    
desired to associate the  third person  
in the honours of ,christian worship it 
could find no  ,scripture formula1 and  
had to make one for the occasion2--not  
one debate  for nearly four hundred     

years upon the deity of the ,holy       
,ghost1 although  the deity of the      
,second ,person1 to whom the ,third     
,person even after his  deification was 
held to be subordinate1 was constantly  
debated1 and yet  the doctrine never    
doubted nor denied6 ,now if the doctrine
 was never  doubted or denied1 since the
 doctrine of the deity of the ,son was  
most  certainly both doubted and denied1
 why is it that the ,holy ,spirit does  
not appear as the ,second person in the 
,trinity instead of the ,third--why  is 
it that the ,council of ,nice previous  
to this time1 when the doctrine  began  
to be doubted and denied1 asserts the   
deity of the ,father1 and  the deity of 
the ,son1 but does not assert the deity 
of the ,holy  ,ghost--and why is it that
 the earliest charge against the        
philosophizing  ,christians was that of 
introducing a second ,god1 if there was 
already  a second divine person         
acknowledged1 and therefore the true    
charge  should have been that of        

introducing a third8 ,it is remarkable  
that  the same very learned writer1 the 
late ,professor ,burton1 who is the     
great ,trinitarian authority upon these 
subjects1 after having resolved  the    
absence of controversy into the possible
 absence of doubt as to the  deity of   
the holy ,ghost1 records the very first 
instance in which the  ,holy ,spirit is 
introduced into a doxology of the       
,church as taking place  in the fourth  
century4 ,he quotes ,philostorgius the  
,arian historian1 who  declares1 8that  
,flavianus of ,antioch1 having assembled
 a number of  monks1 was the first to   
shout out1 ,glory to the ,father1 and to
 the  ,son1 and to the holy ,spirit2 for
 before his time some had said1 ,glory  
to the ,father1 through the ,son in the 
holy ,spirit1 which was the  expression 
in most general use2 and others1 ,glory 
to the ,father1 in the  ,son and holy   
,spirit40#ebd ,gibbon relates this      
matter thus4 ,he is  speaking of a      
temporary triumph of the ,arians over   

the ,athanasians1 and  of the means     
employed by the ,athanasian laity to    
manifest their  unwilling acceptance of 
the ,arian ,bishops4 8,the ,catholics10 
says the  historian1 8might prove to the
 world1 that they were not involved in  
the  guilt and heresy of their          
ecclesiastical governor1 by publicly    
testifying their dissent1 or by totally 
separating themselves from his          
communion4 ,the first of these methods  
was invented at ,antioch1 and  practised
 with such success1 that it was soon    
diffused over the  ,christian world4    
,the doxology1 or sacred hymn1 which    
celebrates the  glory of the ,trinity1  
is susceptible of very nice1 but        
material  inflections2 and the substance
 of an orthodox or heretical creed1 may 
be  expressed by the difference of a    
disjunctive or a copulative particle4   
,alternate responses1 and a more regular
 psalmody were introduced into  the     
public ,service by ,flavianus and       
,diodorus1 two devout and active        

laymen1 who were attached to the ,nicene
 faith4 ,under their conduct1 a  swarm  
of monks issued from the adjacent       
desert1 bands of  well-disciplined      
singers were stationed in the cathedral 
of ,antioch1 the  ,glory to the ,father1
 ,,and the ,son1 ,,and the ,holy ,ghost1
 was triumphantly  chaunted by a full   
chorus of voices3 and the ,catholics    
insulted1 by the  purity of their       
doctrine1 the ,arian prelate1 who had   
usurped the throne  of the venerable    
,eustathius40 ,out of such disorders in 
the ,church1 from  the rebellious device
 of laymen to insult an heretical       
,bishop1 sprung  the doxology of our    
present creeds4    ,it is very          
instructive to look a little closely    
into some of the  passages from the     
early ,fathers which are brought by     
,trinitarians as  evidence of the       
recognition of their doctrines by the   
primitive ,church4  ,there is           
unquestionably much vague language that 
will readily coalesce  with the         

conceptions of a modern orthodox        
believer2 but as soon as you  examine   
with any strictness1 you find that      
though they use language very  loosely1 
nothing could be further from their     
modes of thinking than  modern          
orthodoxy4 ,for instance1 we find the   
,son and the ,holy ,spirit  mentioned as
 objects of a ,christian's              
reverence--but it is very  remarkable   
how many of these cases occur when the  
writers are defending  themselves       
against a charge of ,atheism1 as if they
 were desirous when  repelling such     
charge to show how many sources of      
veneration their  religion disclosed4   
,the early ,christians who believed in  
only one ,god  were called ,atheists by 
the ,heathens4 ,to believe in only one  
,god was in  their estimation the next  
thing to believing in none at all4      
,those who  believed in many gods were  
likely enough to call the ,christians   
,atheists1 just as in the present day   
lecturers in ,christ ,church call       

,unitarianism a ,god denying            
,heresy4#ebe ,in vindicating themselves 
against this dangerous calumny the early
 ,christians were naturally led  to     
extend rather than to diminish their    
objects of worship1 and  accordingly in 
a passage quoted by ,professor ,burton1 
from the earliest  ,father on whom      
dependence can be placed1 we find not   
only the ,son and  the ,spirit1 but     
interposed between the ,son and the     
,spirit1 the angels of  ,heaven1        
associated together in their reverence4 
,hence the passage is  quoted by ,roman 
,catholics in support of the worship of 
,angels4 ,and if it  is good for the one
 purpose1 it is equally good for the    
other2 nay1 if  it is any proof of the  
separate deity of the ,holy ,spirit1 it 
is equally  proof of the deity of the   
angels who are mentioned before him4    
,the  passage is from ,justin ,martyr   
whom ,professor ,burton places ,a4 ,d4  
#aej4  8,hence it is that we are called 
,atheists3 and we confess that we are   

,atheists with respect to such reputed  
gods as these3 but not with  respect to 
the true ,god1 the ,father of justice1  
temperance1 and every  other virtue1    
with whom is no mixture of evil4 ,but   
,him1 and the ,son who  came from ,him  
and gave us this instruction1 and the   
host of the other  good angels which    
attend upon and resemble them1 and the  
prophetic  ,spirit we worship and adore1
 paying them a reasonable and true      
honour1  and not refusing to deliver to 
any one else1 who wishes to be taught1  
what we ourselves have learnt40#ebf     
,there is another passage from  ,justin 
,martyr1 also given by ,burton as       
evidence of the early recognition  of   
the ,trinity1 but which is manifestly   
nothing more than the natural  anxiety  
of the writer when meeting a charge that
 perilled his life1 the  charge of      
,atheism1 to show the full extent of his
 sentiments of  reverence4 8,that we are
 not ,atheists10 says ,justin ,martyr1  
8who would  not acknowledge1 when we    

worship the ,creator of this ,universe1 
and ,jesus  ,christ who was our         
instructor in these things1 knowing him 
to be the ,son  of this true ,god1 and  
assigning to him the ,second place4 ,and
 ,i shall  prove presently1 that we     
honour the prophetic ,spirit in the     
third  rank1 and that we are reasonable 
in so doing40#ebg ,now let it be        
recollected that these two passages1    
extending as far as possible the        
objects of a ,christian's reverence1    
occur in ,justin ,martyr's ,apology for 
,christianity against its ,gentile      
oppressors1 in which he complains that  
the ,christians were treated as         
,atheists1 and unjustly punished for not
  worshipping the gods4 ,i shall only   
quote one other passage exhibiting  the 
modes of thinking respecting the ,holy  
,spirit among the early  ,fathers4 ,it  
is from ,origen1 ,a4 ,d4 #bdj1 perhaps  
the most eminent of them  all1 and shows
 clearly1 notwithstanding the frequent  
vagueness and  obscurity of their       

writings1 how far they were removed from
 modern  ,trinitarianism1 and that their
 forms of thought were derived from     
,platonism much more than from          
,christianity1 or more strictly from    
,platonism engrafted on ,christianity4  
,he is speaking of the ,son1 and        
commenting on those words at the        
beginning of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel--8all 
things were made by him40    8,if it is 
true10 says ,origen1 8that all things   
were made by him1 we  must inquire      
whether the ,holy ,ghost was made by    
him3 for as it seems to  me1 if a person
 says that the ,holy ,ghost was made1   
and if he grants that  all things were  
made by the ,logos1 he must necessarily 
admit that the  ,holy ,ghost was also   
made by the ,logos1 the latter preceding
 him in order  of time4 ,but if a person
 does not choose to say that the ,holy  
,ghost was  made by ,christ1 it follows 
that he must call him unproduced1 if he 
thinks that this passage in the gospel  
is true4 ,but there may be a third      

opinion1 beside that of admitting that  
the ,holy ,ghost was made by the        
,logos1 and that of supposing him to be 
uncreated1 namely1 the notion of  there 
being no substantial individual         
existence of the ,holy ,ghost  distinct 
from the ,father and the ,son4 ,we1     
however1 being persuaded that  there are
 three hypostases 7persons71 the        
,father1 the ,son1 and the ,holy        
,ghost1 and believing that nothing is   
unproduced beside the ,father1 adopt    
this as the more pious and the true     
opinion1 that all things being made  by 
the ,logos1 the ,holy ,ghost is more    
honourable than all of them1 and  more  
so in rank than all the things which    
were made by the ,father  through       
,christ4 ,and perhaps this is the reason
 why he is not called the  very ,son of 
,god1 there being only one who by nature
 and origin is ,son1  viz4 the only     
begotten1 who seems to have been        
necessary to the ,holy  ,ghost1 and to  
have assisted in forming his hypostasis1

 not only that he  might exist1 but also
 that he might have wisdom1 and reason1 
and  righteousness1 and whatever else we
 suppose him to have1 according to  his 
participation in those qualities which  
we have before mentioned as  attributed 
to ,christ40 8,such10 says ,burton1 8is 
this extraordinary1 and  ,i must add    
unfortunate passage of ,origen1 which ,i
 have quoted at length1  and have       
endeavoured to translate with the utmost
 fairness4 ,if the  reader should decide
 from it that ,origen did not believe in
 the eternity  of the ,holy ,ghost1 he  
will think that the enemies of ,origen  
were not  without grounds when they     
questioned his orthodoxy4 ,it is not my 
intention entirely to exculpate him4 ,he
 is at least guilty of  indiscretion in 
entering upon such perilous grounds and 
in speculating  so deeply upon points   
which after all must elude the grasp of 
human  ideas and phraseology40          
,professor ,burton calls this passage   
8unfortunate10 for no reason that we can

 see1 except that it discloses  too     
plainly ,origen's ignorance of ,modern  
,trinitarianism1 and shows too  clearly 
in what sense we are to understand the  
,platonic language of the  ,fathers4    
,there are two modes of proof by which  
,trinitarians undertake to  establish   
the separate existence of the ,holy     
,spirit as a third person in  the       
godhead4 ,the first mode is by          
inferences from such passages of        
scripture as seem to attribute the      
titles and offices of deity to the      
,holy ,spirit4 ,the second method of    
proof is by independent considerations  
of ,theology which profess to           
demonstrate the necessity of a third    
person  in the godhead in order to      
compleat the work of man's salvation4   
,trinitarians say1 that ,scripture both 
calls the ,holy ,spirit ,god1 and       
assigns to ,him a work which none but   
,god could accomplish4 ,now in both     
these respects we have not a shadow of  
difference with the ,trinitarians4  ,we 

believe as firmly and we hope as        
fervently as they do1 that the ,holy    
,spirit is ,god1 and that the ,holy     
,spirit has connections with our souls  
which none but our ,god could hold4 ,we 
have no controversy with the            
,trinitarians1 when they assert the     
,deity1 and ,personality1 and           
,operations of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,it is
 a mere piece of controversial          
dexterity to put these points           
prominently forward as the true grounds 
of  our difference--and1 whether        
designedly or not1 an unfair impression 
is  produced against us1 by such a mode 
of statement1 as if we were deniers  of 
the deity and agency of the spirit of   
,god--if indeed any meaning could  be   
found in such a denial1 supposing we    
were extravagant enough to make  it4 ,to
 deny the deity of the ,spirit of ,god1 
would be a proposition as  absolutely   
without meaning as to deny the humanity 
of the spirit of man4  ,we were told by 
the ,lecturer in ,christ ,church to whom

 this subject was  committed1 that it   
was of no avail for ,unitarians to      
advance passages in  which the ,holy    
,spirit signified not ,god himself1 but 
his power and  influence exerted upon   
man1 for that these occasional meanings 
of the  expression were fully conceded2 
and that what we have to do1 is to      
disprove the ,trinitarian interpretation
 of other passages which  attribute to  
the ,holy ,spirit1 deity1 personality1  
and operation4 ,now the  ,trinitarians  
must allow us the privilege of taking   
our faith from  ourselves1 not from     
them1 and in carving out for us this    
employment1 the  ,lecturer at ,christ   
,church would set us to the task of     
disproving our own  convictions1 of     
overthrowing our own interpretations1 of
 answering and  opposing ourselves4     
,there is only one point of difference  
between the  ,trinitarians and ourselves
 upon this subject1 and that is the only
 point  to which their arguments never  
have a reference4 ,they maintain and we 

maintain that the ,holy ,spirit is ,god4
 ,they concede and we concede that  the 
expression 8,holy ,spirit0 in scripture 
frequently signifies that  portion of   
,god's spirit which is given to man     
naturally or  supernaturally4 ,they     
maintain however that the ,holy ,spirit 
is1 not the  one ,god1 but a third      
person in the godhead--and here we      
separate from  them1 maintaining that   
the ,scripture evidence for such a      
distribution  of the ,godhead among     
several persons is totally imaginary1   
and that the  theological reasons for   
such a distribution betray the most     
arbitrary  and unworthy limitations     
assigned by man to the infinite and     
spiritual  nature of ,god4 ,now will it 
be believed that when ,trinitarian      
controversialists treat this subject    
they uniformly put forward those  views 
of it which we do not deny1 as if we    
denied them1 and they as  uniformly pass
 over the only point of difference      
between us1 and avoid  all close        

grappling with it1 laboriously proving  
that the holy ,spirit is  ,god1 which of
 course we believe1 and then taking for 
granted that he is  a third person in a 
,trinity1 leaving the argument at the   
very point  where argument ought to have
 commenced8 ,will it be believed that   
the  ,lecturer at ,christ ,church       
exhausted his strength and time in      
assiduously  proving that the spirit of 
,god was ,god1 and that it had          
understanding1  will1 and power8 ,will  
it be believed that of nearly a three   
hours'  lecture1 certainly not more than
 five minutes was devoted to the only   
point of difference between us--that the
 common parts of our faith were         
laboriously proved--if indeed such an   
identical proposition1 as that the      
spirit of ,god is ,god1 can be called   
faith--and the single controverted  part
 left intact8 ,i in my turn take the    
liberty of declaring that it is  of no  
avail that ,trinitarians adduce passages
 of scripture attesting the  ,deity1    

,personality1 and ,operations of the    
,holy ,spirit1 for that this is         
conceded1 if an identical proposition   
can be conceded1--and that what  they   
have to do is to prove that the spirit  
of ,god is not the one ,god1  but a     
third person in the godhead--and if the 
,lecturer had devoted his  three hours  
to this1 the only point in controversy1 
he might have  greatly aided1 or greatly
 injured his cause1 and have afforded an
  opportunity for testing the mutual    
strength of our views in a way which  is
 now not possible4 ,disappointed of     
finding the controversy conducted  with 
any closeness by the ,lecturer in       
,christ ,church on the only point by  us
 denied1 namely a deity of the ,holy    
,spirit1 personally separate from  the  
deity of our one ,god1 ,i turn to a     
published sermon of ,dr4                
,tattershall's1 in the hope of finding  
some discussion of our true  difference 
from an associated authority4 ,but here 
unfortunately again  precisely the same 

principle is pursued of proving what is 
not denied1  and of passing most        
slightly over the only point of         
difference4 ,in a  sermon consisting of 
thirty-four pages just three are devoted
 to the  matter in controversy1#ebh and 
these ,i grieve to say occupied with    
reasonings so verbal and unsatisfactory1
 that one is amazed that a manly  and   
reverential mind could offer or could   
accept them as the solid and            
substantial proofs of a doctrine that   
affects to such an extent the  being and
 nature of ,god4 ,i think it not        
unbecoming here to declare1 that  with  
respect to the two modes of proof       
adopted by ,trinitarians to  establish  
the separate deity of the ,holy ,spirit1
 the ,scriptural proof1  and the        
,theological proof1 ,i have long and    
laboriously sought in their  own        
writers1 for some distinct controversial
 statement of the scriptural  and       
theological adjustments of this subject2
 ,i have examined their  scholars and   

critics for the verbal part of the      
argument1 and their  divines for the    
theological part of it1 and nowhere can 
,i find anything  definite or tangible  
to grapple with or oppose4 ,it is at    
least my  conviction that never was so  
serious a doctrine as that of a third   
person in the godhead admitted upon     
evidence so small1 and ,i cannot        
conceal my strengthened impression1 that
 it has glided into most minds  as an   
easy consequence from the deity of      
,christ4 ,again we avow our  belief that
 the ,holy ,spirit is ,god1 but we      
declare that we cannot find  any        
scriptural evidence that he is a        
separate ,god 7personally7 from ,god    
our ,father1 or any theological evidence
 that ,he performs a work within  our   
souls1 which work may not be performed  
by ,god our ,father4 ,if  ,trinitarians 
wish to establish their own doctrine1 it
 is to these two  points that they ought
 to confine themselves4    ,abandoned   
then to our own methods of discussing   

this subject by  opponents who assert a 
doctrine that we deny1 and prove only   
those  portions of it that we admit1 ,i 
shall endeavour to ascertain1 first1 the
  ,scriptural meaning of the expression1
 8the ,holy ,spirit0 or 8,spirit of     
,god40    ,i shall examine the more     
difficult passages which are usually    
appealed  to in this controversy4    ,i 
shall examine what ,trinitarians call   
8the work of the ,spirit10 in  order to 
ascertain whether it requires a third   
person in the godhead1 or  whether ,god 
our ,father is not sufficient for it4   
,and ,i shall close with some statement 
of our own views of the  connections of 
the spirit of ,god with the spirit of   
man4    ,the expression 8,holy ,spirit0 
when used in scripture will ,i think    
always  be found to designate not ,god  
as he is in ,himself1 whom no man       
knoweth1  but ,god in communication with
 the spirit of man4 ,whether the ,deity 
holds  intercourse with his creatures   
naturally or supernaturally1 the name   

applied to ,him in scripture1 with      
respect to those felt or manifested     
connections1 is that of the ,holy       
,spirit4 ,and there is most holy and    
beautiful reason for this peculiar      
usage4 ,god is a spirit2 and he is      
therefore only spiritually discerned4   
,through our spirits ,he speaks to  us4 
,in our spirits ,he abides with us4 ,eye
 hath not seen him2 ear hath  not heard 
him--but through that portion of his    
spirit which ,he has given  us1 we know 
,him1 and are ,his4 ,it is not ,god     
without us1 but ,god within  us that we 
know and feel4 ,externally we know ,him 
not2 personally we  conceive him not2 as
 ,he is1 in his own essence and         
perfections we cannot  think of         
,him--but ,he has put ,his own spirit   
within us1 and that1 in  proportion as  
we have it and cherish it1 reveals ,him 
unto us--,he has  lighted up from       
,himself a candle of the ,lord in our   
spiritual being1 and  if by communion   
with ,him we keep oil in our lamps1 and 

our lamps trimmed  and burning1 ,his    
spirit which bloweth where it listeth1  
listeth to blow  upon us and to feed our
 flame4 ,and how shall the spirit of man
 prepare  itself for fresh              
communications from the spirit of ,god8 
,only by removing  from his own spirit  
whatever is at variance with the spirit 
of ,god--by  cleansing the temple1 that 
the holy one may be able to come to us  
and  manifest himself to a nature that  
has reverently sought to put away all   
deadening impurity1 and to brighten the 
spiritual image in which it was         
made--by courting the voices of the     
soul--by listening amid the tumults of  
the world to hear ,god speaking in our  
conscience--by cherishing through       
obedience1 and inviting through prayer  
the intimations1 that by ,his  spirit1  
from which ours are derived1 ,he gives  
us of ,his will4 ,the spirit  of ,god   
originally made the spirit of ,man3 the 
spirit of ,god retains its  connections 
with the spirit of ,man so long as man  

does not by unholiness  and alien       
sympathies drive out that holy ,spirit3 
and in measures more  abundantly as we  
prepare ourselves to receive of ,his1   
does ,he hold  communion with us through
 affections and affinities fitted to    
apprehend  ,him2 and ,he transforms the 
will that obeys ,him from glory to glory
 as by  the spirit of the ,lord4 ,i     
apprehend that the preparation which was
 made  by ,god for the reception of the 
gospel and spirit of ,jesus ,christ1    
shows  the preparation which all men    
must make who would qualify themselves  
for  fresh communications from the ,holy
 ,spirit of our ,father4 ,the baptism of
  repentance prepared the way for the   
baptism of the holy spirit and of  fire4
 ,the heart had to be cleansed before   
the spirit of ,god could  descend upon  
it1 and hold communication with it4 ,and
 ever must there be  a ,baptist         
,ministry breaking the dread repose of  
sin1 awakening the dead  heart1 and     
creating the consciousness of want1     

before the ,christ of ,god  can breathe 
in his gentle breath upon our souls1    
saying unto us1  8receive ye the holy   
spirit40 ,the holy spirit of ,god       
reveals itself to  the spirit of man in 
proportion as we remove unholiness from 
us4 ,what  use of language then can be  
more affectingly elevating and solemn   
than  that which designates ,god1 when  
in communication with man1 as the ,holy 
,spirit8 ,a spirit1 he is spiritually   
discerned3 and holy1 only those that    
are holy have affinities with ,him4     
,such then is the primary signification 
of the expression ,holy ,spirit  when   
used in the ,scriptures--the ,holy      
,spirit of ,god naturally or            
supernaturally in communication with the
 spirit of man1 and in fuller           
communication in proportion as man by   
holiness seeks it and prepares  himself 
for it4 ,from this however there is     
derived a secondary  signification1 and 
so natural and easy is the derivative   
meaning1 that  it is a strong           

confirmation of its primary4 ,that      
portion of his spirit  which ,god       
communicates to man1 may be regarded as 
separated from ,him4 ,it  has entered   
into man and become his4 ,it is a gift1 
an inspiration from  our ,god4 ,man has 
become the possessor of it1 but still   
,god is the origin  of it1 and therefore
 though imparted to us it may still be  
spoken of as  ,god's holy spirit4 ,there
 are therefore in ,scripture two        
significations  of the ,holy            
,spirit--the primary one--,god in       
communication with man--and the         
secondary one--that portion of his      
spirit which ,god has communicated1     
naturally or supernaturally1 and which  
has become ours4 ,we have received  the 
,holy ,spirit1 when we have spiritually 
received what only ,god can             
communicate4 ,these two comprise1 ,i    
believe1 all the meanings of the        
expression1 ,holy ,spirit1 first1 ,god  
communicating to man1 and  secondly that
 portion of ,his spirit1 which1 by      

communication1 man's  spirit has        
received4    ,i shall give some         
instances of each of these applications 
of the phrase4    ,there can be no      
difficulty in all those cases in which  
the holy ,spirit  signifies ,god himself
 in spiritual communication with        
man4--8,and when  they bring you into   
the synagogues1 and unto magistrates1   
and powers2  take ye no thought how or  
what thing ye shall answer1 or what ye  
shall  say4 ,for the ,holy ,ghost shall 
teach you1 in that same hour1 what ye   
ought to say40--,luke xii4 #aa1 #ab4    
,now in the parallel passage in ,st4    
,matthew's ,gospel we have the          
expression1 the ,holy ,ghost1 explained 
to  mean the spirit of ,god our ,father4
 8,but when they deliver you up1 take   
no thought how or what ye shall speak4  
,for it shall be given you in that  same
 hour what ye shall speak4 ,for it is   
not ye that speak1 but the  spirit of   
your ,father which speaketh in          
you40--,matt4 x4 #ai1 #bj4 8,knowing    

this first1 that no prophecy of the     
,scripture is of any private            
interpretation4 ,for the prophecy came  
not in old time by the will of  man3 but
 holy men spake1 as they were moved by  
the ,holy ,spirit40 8,as  they          
ministered to the ,lord and fasted1 the 
,holy ,spirit said1 ,separate  me       
,barnabas and ,saul for the work        
whereunto ,i have called them--so they  
being sent forth by the ,holy ,spirit   
departed unto ,seleucia40--,acts xiii4  
#b1 #d4    ,the expression the 8,spirit 
of ,god0 is sometimes used with the same
  signification1 only with this         
difference1 that 8the ,spirit of ,god0  
frequently signifies the essence and    
being of ,god as ,he is in ,himself1    
whilst the expression 8the ,holy        
,spirit0 is ,i believe never employed   
except to designate our heavenly ,father
 when in living communication  with the 
spirits of his children4 8,what man     
knoweth the things of a man1  save the  
spirit of a man that is in him8 ,even so

 the things of ,god  knoweth no man or  
no one but the spirit of ,god40--#a     
,cor4 ii4 #aa4 ,here  if the spirit of  
man means man1 the spirit of ,god must  
mean ,god1 and how  in opposition to    
language so precise and definite1 a     
separate  personality could be          
introduced into the godhead1 called the 
spirit of  ,god1 it is difficult to     
imagine4 8,whither shall ,i go from thy 
spirit8 or  whither shall ,i flee from  
thy presence80--,ps4 cxxxix4 8,by his   
spirit he  has garnished the heavens3   
his hand has formed the crooked serpent 
7the  galaxy740--,job1 xxvi4 #ac4    ,i 
shall now adduce some of the more       
remarkable cases in which the  various  
expressions1 8spirit10 8holy spirit10   
and 8spirit of ,god10 are  used to      
designate that portion of ,god's spirit 
which naturally or  supernaturally has  
entered into man1 and become ours1 but  
which in  reference to ,him from whom it
 was derived1 and with whom it retains  
blessed connections1 is called the      

spirit of ,god4 ,god being a ,spirit1   
and man being a spirit1 whatever man    
knows or feels of ,god1 may1 not        
figuratively1 but with the strictest    
truth1 be called the ,holy ,spirit      
within him4 8,if ye then being evil1    
know how to give good gifts unto  your  
children1 how much more shall your      
heavenly ,father give the ,holy  ,spirit
 to them that ask him40--,luke1 xi4 #ac4
 ,now that the ,holy ,spirit  signifies 
here not a third person in the godhead1 
but our heavenly  ,father's gifts and   
inspirations to the soul1 is clearly    
shown by the  parallel passage in ,st4  
,matthew's gospel--8,if ye then1 being  
evil1 know  how to give good gifts unto 
your children1 how much more shall your 
,father which is in ,heaven give good   
things to them that ask  ,him40--,matt4 
vii4 #aa4 8,but as it is written1 eye   
hath not seen1 nor ear  heard1 neither  
have entered into the heart of man1 the 
things which ,god  hath prepared for    
them that love him4 ,but ,god hath      

revealed them unto us  by his spirit3   
for the spirit searcheth all things1    
yea1 the deep things  of ,god40--#a     
,cor4 ii4 #i1 #aj4 ,now here the spirit 
is used first in its  primary sense of  
,god in communication with man1 and     
immediately after in  its secondary     
sense of that portion of ,his spirit    
communicated to man1  for it is just in 
proportion as it partakes of ,his spirit
 that the  spirit of man searcheth all  
things1 yea1 the deep things of ,god4   
,god  enlightens and man receives--but  
the light which has entered into man1   
since it came from ,god1 may well       
continue to be called the ,spirit of    
,god4 8,now we have received1 not the   
spirit of the world1 but the spirit     
which is of ,god2--but the natural man  
receiveth not the things of the  spirit 
of ,god3 neither can he know them1      
because they are spiritually  discerned4
 ,but we have the mind of ,christ40--#a 
,cor4 ii4 #ab-af4 ,here the  ,apostle   
distinctly declares that our portion of 

the spirit of ,god is  8the mind of     
,christ40 ,in proportion as we have that
 we know ,him1 the  only true ,god1 whom
 to know is life eternal4 8,likewise the
 spirit also  helpeth our infirmities3  
for we know not what we should pray for 
as we  ought3 but the spirit itself     
maketh intercession for us with         
groanings  that cannot be               
uttered40--,rom4 viii4 #bf4 ,now nothing
 can be more  marvellous in all the     
marvels of scripture interpretation1    
than that  this spirit within us which  
vents itself in groanings that cannot be
  uttered should ever have been referred
 to a third personality in the  godhead4
 ,how beautiful is this passage when    
truly and spiritually  considered6 ,we  
know not what to pray for as we ought2  
our spiritual  apprehension is feeble   
and dim2 and our vague yearnings after  
the  heavenly and the perfect are not   
distinct enough to present              
clearly-defined objects to our pursuit  
and love2 yet we have a holy  impulse   

within us1 a divine tendency leading us 
towards ,god2 ,god has  given us this   
,spirit1 and partaking of ,his nature it
 sighs after the  perfection to which it
 is akin2 it knows not fully its        
heavenly origin  and end1 but still true
 to the divine instinct it yearns after 
,him and  tends towards ,him2 it sighs  
for a glory and a happiness which it    
cannot  distinctly conceive or express1 
but ,god who gave it understands the    
prayer1 and hears this intercession of  
,his own spirit--that divine  impulse   
planted by ,himself which now           
supplicates ,him to make bright its  dim
 longings and to help it forwards unto  
that glory towards which the  divinity  
within it tends--and ,he who searcheth  
the heart knoweth what is  the mind of  
that spirit which ,he himself put there1
 and that it maketh  intercession with  
,him1 for all holy ones1#ebi that ,he   
would fulfil the  promise of the        
heavenly impulse that sighs for         
good4#ecj ,how has  ,trinitarianism     

destroyed the spiritual power of the    
,scriptures1 by  taking all this        
beautiful and holy meaning out of the   
individual heart1  and for the sighings 
which cannot be uttered after the       
immortal and the  good1 which ,god1 who 
inspired them1 comprehends and blesses1 
substituting a third ,person in the     
godhead who intercedes for us to        
another ,person1 with groanings that    
cannot be uttered6    ,i believe that   
these two significations of the         
expression1 8,holy  ,spirit10 so closely
 connected as scarcely to be two1 will  
explain all  the cases of its scriptural
 occurrence2 first1 ,god ,himself in    
communication with the ,soul1 and       
secondly1 that portion of ,his spirit   
which ,he has communicated to man1 and  
which as being ,his1 derived from  ,him1
 and a portion of the true knowledge of 
,his ,mind1 is called ,his ,holy        
,spirit4    ,i shall now examine the    
,scriptural evidence which is chiefly   
relied upon  in this controversy1 as    

proving1 not the personality and deity  
of the  ,holy ,spirit1 for here we      
agree1 but a personality and deity      
distinct  from those of ,god our        
,father4    8,go ye therefore1 and teach
 all nations1 baptizing them in the name
 of  the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and  
of the ,holy ,ghost40--,matt4 xxviii4   
#ai2  or1 into the ,father1 and the     
,son1 and the ,holy ,spirit1 the word1  
8name10  by an idiom of the ,hebrew     
language1 being redundant4    ,to       
baptize into a person was a form of     
expression signifying the  reception of 
the religious ideas associated with that
 person4 ,thus the  ,jews were said to  
be baptized into ,moses1 because they   
received the  religious ideas associated
 with the institutions of that ,prophet3
 and on  the other hand1 the ,samaritans
 were said to be baptized into ,mount   
,gerizim1 because they received the     
religious ideas associated with the     
belief that there1 and not at           
,jerusalem1 was the appointed place of  

the  ,temple4 ,the formula then of      
baptizing in the name of the ,father1   
and of  the ,christ1 and of the ,holy   
,spirit1 signified nothing more than the
  acceptance of the religious ideas     
associated with ,god in this new        
manifestation of ,himself1 revealed     
through the ,christ1 and accompanied  by
 the operations of ,his ,spirit1        
witnessing1 both internally and         
externally1 to the new light that had   
come into the world1 the promised  reign
 of the spirit of ,god4 ,these were the 
words which most readily were           
associated with1 and suggested those    
religious ideas which were looked  upon 
as constituting the characteristic faith
 of one who was willing to  enter into  
the gospel kingdom of ,heaven1 that is1 
to adopt the  ,christian idea of ,god   
and of ,religion4 ,the ,father1 the     
,christ1 the  ,spirit of ,god in us     
giving us some communion with that      
,father1 by  uniting us through         
spiritual sympathies with that          

,christ--is not this of  the very soul  
of ,christianity8 ,god manifested in    
,jesus1 and our souls  accepting the    
revelation1 because the spirit of our   
,father within us  draws us towards him 
who had the same spirit without         
measure--is not this  to express in a   
few words all the characteristic and    
peculiar ideas of  ,christianity1 and   
therefore most fit to be used as        
suggesting summarily  to matured        
converts the new faith into which they  
were baptized8 ,the  same set of ideas  
might have been as fully expressed by   
the shorter form  of being baptized     
8into ,christ10 for this would imply the
 possession and  acceptance of all the  
religious ideas associated with his     
person and  ministry--and accordingly we
 find that in every recorded case of    
baptism  or allusion to baptism in the  
,acts of the ,apostles1 and in the      
,epistles1  the expression simply and   
briefly is to 8baptize into ,christ10   
and never  once is there an allusion to 

the form of baptism into the ,father1   
and  the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost4    
,now this demonstrates two things3 first
  that the ,apostles did not look upon  
these words as a form prescribed by     
,christ3 and secondly1 that they did not
 regard them as a confession of  faith  
in a tri-personal ,god1 else would they 
never have neglected all  mention of the
 first and third persons1 and simply    
baptized into  ,christ1 that is1 into   
the religion of the ,christ4 ,there is a
 remarkable  confirmation of this view1 
if indeed it can be supposed to want    
confirmation1 in the language of ,paul  
to some disciples at ,ephesus1 who  had 
not received the witnessing power and   
presence of the ,holy ,spirit4  ,they   
declare that they had not so much as    
heard whether there was any  ,holy      
,spirit4 ,to what1 then1 says the       
,apostle were you baptized2 not  into   
whom1 observe1 but into what were you   
baptized1--that is1 was  not the        
manifestation and participation of      

,god's ,spirit one of the  religious    
ideas and expectations of your faith as 
converts4 ,and they  answer that they   
had only been baptized into the baptism 
of ,john1 who  had promised the ,holy   
,spirit1 but had no power to confer it4 
,and  then ,paul baptized them into     
,jesus1 and they received the ,holy     
,spirit4  ,now can any one read this    
passage and believe that the ,holy      
,ghost  implies the third person in a   
,trinity3 was it not simply a portion of
  ,god's spirit received by the first   
believers as an attestation to the      
religion of the ,christ8    ,nothing can
 be more arbitrary than to assert that  
baptism implies the  personality and    
deity of that into which a person is    
baptized4 ,the  ,apostle ,paul says that
 ,christians were baptized into the     
death of  ,christ4 ,rom4 vi4 #c4 ,is the
 death of ,christ therefore a person and
 a ,god8  ,is it not simply one of the  
religious ideas which their faith       
embraced8    ,the personality and deity 

of the ,holy ,spirit we indeed do not   
deny2 but  the methods by which         
,trinitarians attempt the proof of this 
self-evident  proposition1 are1 like all
 proofs of identical propositions1      
unsatisfactory to an extreme4 ,the      
,lecturer in ,christ ,church1 when      
meeting the objection1 that baptism into
 ,christ was no proof of his  deity1    
because we have also the expression1    
8baptism into ,moses10  dropped out of  
sight the true bearing of the objection 
against the  deity of ,jesus1 and argued
 that the expression1 baptism into      
,moses1  was so far a proof of the      
personality of the ,holy ,spirit1       
because ,moses  was a person4 ,was the  
death of ,christ1 a person8 ,was ,mount 
,gerizim1 a  person8 ,we do not deny the
 personality of the ,holy               
,spirit--though this is  no way of      
proving it4 ,we do deny that the deity  
of ,christ is implied in  baptism into  
his name1 and the force of the          
expression1 baptism into  ,moses1 in    

this bearing of it1 was either not seen 
or was put aside4    ,the argument1 that
 because three words follow one another1
 without any  expressed distinction1    
they must all refer to subjects of the  
same  nature1 co-equal and co-extensive1
 and this1 too1 as the strongest1       
indeed the only direct evidence of a    
,trinity in the ,godhead1 is really  one
 of those arguments for a doctrine of   
revelation1 which a mind with  any      
reverence knows not how properly to     
discuss4 ,i am glad to be able to  say1 
that ,dr4 ,tattershall pronounces this  
to be only a presumptive  proof of the  
separate personality of the ,holy       
,spirit1 that is1 in fact1  no proof at 
all1 but merely such a hint as might    
lead to the presumption  that there may 
be additional evidence1 and which1      
therefore1 in the  absence of such      
additional evidence1 amounts to nothing4
 ,if any one1  however1 advances such an
 argument1 we have only to ask first1 is
 any  one really content to rest such a 

doctrine on such a proof1 and call  this
 ,revelation8 and secondly1 to advance  
in our turn1 other passages of          
,scripture1 where this principle of     
interpretation cannot be maintained4    
,if the concurrence of the words1       
,father1 and ,son1 and ,holy ,spirit1   
necessarily implies that each of these  
refers to a person who is ,god1  and    
that when taken together they make up   
the entire nature of ,god--then1  ,i    
ask1 what is the necessary inference    
from such expressions as  these1--8,i   
charge thee before ,god1 and the ,lord  
,jesus ,christ1 and the  elect angels1  
that thou observe these things80--#a    
,tim4 v4 #ba4 ,now if the  argument is  
conclusive that infers in the one case  
the deity of ,jesus1  it must be equally
 conclusive1 when it infers1 in the     
other1 the deity  of the elect angels4  
,the ,trinitarian answer will be1--8,we 
know that the  angels are not ,god1 and 
in accordance with this knowledge1 we   
interpret  the passage30 and equally do 

we answer1 that when such a passage is  
given us as proof of the deity of the   
,lord ,jesus1 we know that he was  a    
man1 and in accordance with this        
knowledge do we interpret the  passage4 
,other instances might be given of      
similar modes of  expression3--8,and all
 the people greatly feared the ,lord and
 ,samuel10 #a  ,sam4 xii4 #ah2 and more 
strikingly still1 ,rev4 iii4 #ab1 where 
the name  of a place is associated as a 
religious idea1 with the names of ,god  
and  ,christ4 8,him that overcometh will
 ,i make a pillar in the temple of my   
,god1 and he shall go no more out2 and  
,i will write upon him the name of  my  
,god1 and the name of the city of my    
,god1 which is ,new ,jerusalem1  which  
cometh down out of ,heaven from my ,god1
 and ,i will write upon  him my new     
name40    ,there is only one other      
passage in which these three expressions
 occur  together2 and it must have a    
precisely similar explanation3 8,the    
grace  of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and 

the love of ,god1 and the communion of  
the  ,holy ,spirit1 be with you all40   
,now here the expression 8communion of  
the ,holy ,spirit10 fixes the meaning of
 the passage4 ,the word communion       
signifies 8participation10 8a having in 
common40 ,thus ,st4 ,paul speaks of     
8the communion of the sufferings of     
,christ10 ,philipp4 iii4 #aj4 ,in this  
sense1 then1 it can have no reference to
 a person1 and must signify  simply a   
participation of that spiritual         
presence1 comfort1 and power of  ,god1  
which was the promise and the witness of
 the religion of the  ,christ4 ,in      
explaining such passages1 we have again 
and again to recal  ourselves to the    
belief1 that we are actually considering
 the strongest  ,scriptural assertions  
of the doctrine of a ,trinity of persons
 in the  unity of the ,godhead4 ,the    
first ,epistle of ,st4 ,paul to the     
,corinthians  closes thus3 8,the grace  
of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ be with you4
 ,my love be  with you all in ,christ   

,jesus40 ,who thinks of inferring the   
equality of  ,paul with ,jesus8 ,and    
yet1 if such a mode of reasoning is     
allowable1 from  the close of the       
,second ,epistle to the ,corinthians1 it
 is impossible to  give any reason for  
its not being equally conclusive when   
applied to the  close of the first      
,epistle of the ,corinthians4 ,but such 
verbal  reasonings are in every way     
unworthy of the solemn character of     
revelation1 nor can the mind long dwell 
upon them without feeling how  painfully
 they interfere with the sentiment of   
,reverence1 and what a  lowering it is  
of ,christ and ,christianity to place   
them in such lights4    ,the portion of 
,scripture1 however1 which is mainly    
relied upon to prove  the distinct deity
 and personality of the ,holy ,spirit1  
is that most  solemn and faithful       
promise of ,christ to his disciples1 in 
which the  ,spirit of ,truth is         
described as a ,comforter which the     
,father would send  in his name1 and    

who1 when he came1 would testify of     
,jesus1 and bring to  their remembrance 
all things that he had said unto them1  
but which they  had not understood4 ,now
 let us connect this promise of a       
,comforter  previous to his death1 with 
a similar promise after the             
resurrection1  and then endeavour to    
ascertain the meaning4 ,in the first    
chapter of the  ,book of ,acts1 at the  
eighth verse1 it is written1 8,ye shall 
receive  power1 after that the ,holy    
,ghost is come upon you3 and ye shall be
  witnesses unto me1 both in ,jerusalem1
 and in all ,judea1 and in ,samaria1    
and unto the uttermost parts of the     
earth40 ,now we shall find that the     
,holy ,spirit which came upon them was  
the ,spirit of ,truth1 a truer          
knowledge of ,christ1 a portion of the  
,spirit of ,god1 a sympathy with and  an
 understanding of the ,mind of the      
,father of ,jesus1 which they did not   
possess before2--in the one case        
comforting them for the loss of their   

friend and their master1 by giving them 
a participation of his and of  his      
,father's ,spirit1--in the other case1  
qualifying them spiritually to  be      
witnesses unto him1 to be his ,apostles 
and ,preachers1 an office for  which    
their previous misconceptions of the    
true character of the ,christ1  their   
alienation from the true ,spirit of     
,god1 as manifested in ,jesus1  had     
totally disqualified them4 ,why it was  
that ,jesus must 8go away10 in  order   
that the ,spirit of ,truth might come   
unto them1 in order that the  ,spirit of
 the world should be separated from     
their ideas of the ,christ1  and the    
,spirit of ,god take its place1 we shall
 fully see4 ,previous to  the death of  
,jesus1 the views of the ,apostles      
respecting their ,messiah  were ,jewish 
and worldly--after the ,resurrection and
 ,ascension they became  ,christian and 
,spiritual4 ,how was it that ,jesus must
 personally leave  them1 in order that  
the ,spirit of ,truth might come unto   

them8 8,it is  expedient for you that ,i
 go away2 for if ,i go not away1 the    
,comforter  will not come unto you2 but 
if ,i depart1 ,i will send him unto     
you40    ,the ,death1 the ,resurrection1
 and the ,ascension of the ,christ1     
introduced  a necessary change into the 
conceptions of the ,apostles2 these     
drove out  of their ,messianic idea the 
spirit of the ,world1 and introduced    
into it  the spirit of ,god4 ,they could
 not retain their ,jewish ideas of the  
reign  of the ,messiah1 in connexion    
with the crucified ,jesus4 ,if they held
 by  their ,jewish faith on this matter1
 they must abandon ,jesus4 ,if they held
  by ,jesus1 they must abandon their    
,jewish ideas1 and remodel their faith4 
,but ,god takes care that they shall    
hold by ,jesus3 and this is ,his mode   
of spiritualizing their conceptions of  
,christ and of ,christianity4 ,god      
lifts him from the dead and places him  
in ,heaven4 ,the ,christ returns to     
earth to show that ,god was with him2   

and he ascends into ,heaven1 to  repel  
the imagination which otherwise might   
possibly arise1 nay1 which  actually had
 arisen1 that even yet he might raise   
his standard on the  earth1 and realize 
the gigantic illusion of the ,jew4 ,by  
this means1 the  ,apostles were placed  
in this position3--they must retain     
their faith in  ,jesus1 for how could   
they battle against ,god1 or hold out   
against such  evidence as the ,christ   
rising from the tomb1 and the ,christ   
passing into  the skies2--and yet if    
they are to regard ,jesus as their      
,messiah1 they  must modify all their   
,jewish views1 and conceive of the      
,christ anew4 ,and  accordingly this was
 the plan and process of their          
conversion1 of their  introduction to   
the true ,christianity1 of their baptism
 into the ,spirit  of ,god4 ,since      
,jesus was thus evidently the ,christ1  
and yet could not be  adapted to their  
,jewish views1 of course all their      
,jewish views must  yield1 and adapt    

themselves to him4 ,his life and        
destinies were the  fixed facts1 with   
which their conceptions of the ,christ  
must now be  harmonized4 ,you now see   
how when the ,spirit of ,truth came upon
 them1 it  testified of ,jesus1 it took 
of his and showed it unto them1 it threw
  illumination upon words and deeds of  
his1 which1 when contemplated from  the 
,jewish point of view1 caught not the   
sympathies of their souls1 and  like    
invisible writing1 waited for the heat  
and light of ,truth to fall  upon them1 
and bring out the meaning4 ,his ,death  
struck down a principal  part of their  
errors3 and his ,exaltation forced upon 
them a new idea of  his kingdom4 ,never 
again could they confound the ,messiah  
with a temporal  prince4 ,whatever      
,christianity might be1 henceforth it   
must be connected  with the immortality 
of ,heaven4 ,christianity could not be  
separated from  the ,christ1 and the    
,christ was with ,god2 and they         
remembered his prayer  and promise1 that

 they were to be with him where he was4 
,all this would necessarily be suggested
 to them from their identifying  the    
,christ with the risen ,jesus4 ,nothing 
more would be necessary to  unfold this 
train of spiritual thought4 ,it was the 
first fulfilment of  that profound      
prophecy1 8,when the ,comforter is come1
 even the ,spirit of  ,truth which      
proceedeth from the ,father1 he shall   
testify of me1 and  shall teach you all 
things1 and bring all things to your    
remembrance1  whatsoever ,i have said   
unto you40 ,and this ,spirit of ,truth  
did lead them  into all truth--it gave  
them no new revelation1 but it called to
 their  remembrance1 and taught them to 
understand a revelation which ,jesus had
  before offered to them in vain--and   
so1 in the words of his own promise1  it
 glorified him1 for it 8took of his1 and
 showed it unto them40 ,the  ,apostles  
were now in a position to look upon the 
,christ from a right  point of view1 and
 to receive the ,spirit of ,truth and   

,god4 ,the scales of  illusion dropped  
from their eyes1 and they began to see  
,jesus as he was4  ,from the hour that  
circumstances constrained them to draw  
their  ,christianity from the life and  
destinies of the ,christ1 their minds   
began to open1 and the ,spirit of ,truth
 to teach them all things1 and to  call 
to their remembrance whatsoever ,jesus  
had said unto them1 no longer  dimly    
understood1 but irradiated with moral   
light1 because seen in right            
connexions1 and explained by the        
interpretation of events4 ,who can      
retain his fancies in opposition to     
direct experience8 and experience  was  
now enlightening the ,apostles4 ,how    
could they go on dreaming of an         
,earthly ,prince1 when their ,christ was
 in the skies8 ,from that hour their    
souls began to be transfigured1 and they
 walked in the light of the  other      
world1 and the ,christ to whom they     
looked became their leader to           
,immortality4 ,how could they go on in  

their unspiritual imaginations1  when   
the ,captain of their ,salvation stood  
constantly before their eyes1  a        
crucified man1 and a risen immortal8    
,from that hour they became  soldiers of
 the ,cross1 and their only victories   
were over themselves1  and the powers of
 evil2 and the only battle-cry of the   
,son of ,man1 when  idol after idol fell
 prostrate before the ,truth1 and their 
,master in the  skies1 in the successes 
of his faith1 led on the movements of   
humanity1  and1 wherever his spirit     
struck root1 banded a new force against 
the  enemies of man1 and mustered fresh 
hosts for conquest4 ,how could they go  
on in their national arrogance1 and in  
their sectarian intolerance1 when  they 
were obliged to draw their moral notions
 of ,christianity from the  life of     
,christ1 and that spoke such different  
lessons8 ,from that hour  their         
anti-social temper began to soften1     
their exclusiveness to bend  and give   
way1 their deep-cut lines of national   

distinctness to disappear  in the fully 
developed features of our common        
humanity4 ,in the light of  his ,spirit1
 what could they be but children of     
,god1 and brethren of  mankind8 ,they   
had to harmonize his ,kingdom with his  
,character1 and that  led them into all 
truth4 ,they had to read the glory of   
,god in the face  of ,christ2 and the   
light that beamed there was grace and   
truth4 ,they had  to take their         
,christianity from the ,master's life1  
and that kept them  right4 ,its lesson  
was of the one fold1 and the one        
shepherd--of the one  ,god and ,father  
of all1 and of one type of the          
connexions between  humanity and        
,heaven--one ,mediator between man and  
,god1 the man ,christ  ,jesus4 ,and so  
at last1 when fitted for it by the      
teaching of events1 the  ,spirit of     
,truth1 at once their ,comforter and    
their ,teacher1 descended  upon them1   
and then they became 8witnesses unto    
him40 ,they read his life  anew1 and    

reported it to the world1 and the world 
read it too1 and has  ever since been   
studying that exhaustless revelation4   
,they saw in it  more and more of the   
,saviour's spirit and purposes1 and     
after the  illumination had come upon   
them1 the providence of ,god so disposed
 the  external events that affected the 
infant ,church1 that they went forth    
bearing the light that lighted them unto
 all the world4 ,persecution  scattered 
them from land to land1 and they went   
carrying with them their  priceless     
treasure4 ,they were hunted from city to
 city1 but all the  faster flew the     
,gospel4 ,the stake received them1 and  
it became as a new  cross of ,christ1   
and the blood of his martyrs witnessed  
unto him4 ,are we  speaking of the same 
men who in ,gethsemane's garden forsook 
their ,lord  and fled--who in the       
,temple ,court denied him to his        
face--who1 when he was  led to the      
,cross1 abandoned him in terror1 and    
when he died there1 laid  their heads in

 the dust1 because their poor ambition  
was fallen to the  earth8 ,are they the 
same men1 who in the ,gospels are       
narrow-minded1  ambitious1 and          
false--that in the ,acts of the         
,apostles come forth bold1  resolute1   
spiritual witnesses for ,jesus1 and     
dauntless martyrs to his  truth8 ,we can
 scarcely believe that we are reading of
 the same men1 when  we turn from the   
page of the ,evangelists to the record  
of their deeds1  after the ,death and   
the ,ascension of the ,christ           
annihilated their  errors1 and the      
,spirit of ,truth and of ,god had fallen
 upon them4  ,contrast the              
prayer1--8,lord grant us to sit on thy  
right hand and on thy  left in thy      
kingdom10 or1 8,lord wilt thou at this  
time restore the  kingdom to            
,israel80--with this1 8,lord1 thou art  
,god1 which hast made  ,heaven and      
,earth1 and the ,sea1 and all that in   
them is2 who by the mouth  of thy       
servant ,david hast said1 why did the   

heathen rage1 and the people  imagine   
vain things8 ,the kings of the ,earth   
stood up1 and the rulers  were gathered 
together against the ,lord1 and against 
his ,christ4 ,for of  a truth against   
thy holy child ,jesus1 whom thou hast   
anointed1 both  ,herod and ,pontius     
,pilate1 with the ,gentiles1 and the    
people of ,israel1  were gathered       
together1 for to do whatsoever thy hand 
and thy counsel  determined before to be
 done3 ,and now1 ,lord1 behold their    
threatenings1  and grant unto thy       
servants that with all boldness they may
 speak thy  word2 by stretching forth   
thine hand to heal1 and that signs and  
wonders  may be done by the name of thy 
holy child ,jesus60 ,how came this      
difference8 ,what passed over them and  
turned them into new men8 ,the  ,spirit 
of ,truth had come unto them1 that great
 ,comforter1 the ,spirit of             
understanding and of ,god3 they saw it  
all1 and they were worldly and  weak no 
more1 but strong in the ,lord1 and in   

the power of his might8 ,and  this      
,comforter never again left them2 the   
truth broke upon them and  became their 
stay for ever1--it was the ,spirit of   
,god dwelling in them1  and abiding for 
ever1 his imperishable light in the     
soul1 once given  never to be withdrawn4
 ,it was just the difference between    
,spiritual  light and ,spiritual        
darkness1 in their effects upon         
character4 ,it was  just the difference 
between the spirit that is of the world1
 and the  spirit that is of ,god4 ,it   
was just the difference between our     
nature  when it is right and when it is 
wrong with ,god2 when it is stumbling in
  darkness1 the dupe of illusions1 and  
when it is furnished with  everlasting  
principles1 and walking in the light of 
life4 ,in the ,gospels  they are men    
palsied by the feebleness of error--in  
the ,acts of the  ,apostles they are men
 omnipotent in the power of ,truth4 ,is 
this change  in their characters capable
 of being accounted for8 ,yes1 if you   

grant  the facts of ,christ's           
history1--but not otherwise4 ,how       
otherwise you are  to get across the    
chasm between the ,gospels and the ,acts
 of the  ,apostles1 ,i know not4 ,take  
those facts as causes1 and the bridge is
  easy4 ,what a step is it from the     
fishermen of ,galilee to the ,apostles  
of  ,christ--from the ignorance of      
,jewish peasants1 to the ,communicators 
of  the mightiest impulse that ,society 
has ever felt1 the agents of the        
mightiest influence that ever           
,providence has put forth upon the soul 
of  man1--the creators of new           
institutions1 new forms of character1   
new civil  relationships2--before whose 
preaching religions and empires         
fell1--at  whose word ,liberty first    
started into life1 not as a spirit of   
opposition1 but as the gentle child of  
brotherhood and love1--and who are      
still in the monuments they have left   
behind them1 the heralds of human       
progress and the revolutionizers of the 

world6 ,who will deny that the  spirit  
of ,god was here8 ,not we3 we are ready 
to maintain it against the  world4 ,who 
denies that the spirit of ,god still    
accompanies his ,gospel8  ,not we3 we   
believe it in the depths of our hearts4 
,how wonderful the  impulse1 these men  
gave1 and still give to the heart of the
 world6 ,what  difficulties had they to 
conquer6 their own characters1 and      
violent  prepossessions--and they       
conquered these4 ,the curse of the      
,priest1 the  arm of the ,ruler1 the    
scoff of the ,people--and they conquered
 these4 ,the  attractions of            
,heathenism2 the licentiousness of its  
morality2 the  gracefulness of its      
idolatry2 its religion for the senses2  
its  philosophy for the sceptic2 its    
indifference to speculative truth2 its  
equal regard for all gods1 and all forms
 of worship that would only be  content 
to dwell together in peace1--and they   
conquered these4 ,think of  this        
wonderful ,history1 and say whether you 

can explain it except as the  ,new      
,testament explains it4 ,what would     
account for the fortunes of the         
,apostles1 if ,christianity was not from
 ,god8 ,the world of ,causes and        
,effects is but a game of ,chance1 if   
such things can be1 and their origin  an
 accidental imagination1 their          
foundation a falsehood or a dream4 ,who 
will account for such men being         
enlightened against their own wills1 and
  forced into the front ranks of        
humanity contrary to their own          
desires--if  the history is not true8   
,but rob not the ,history of its true   
power--take  not the spirit of life out 
of the gospel--by telling us of a third 
person  in the ,trinity whom ,jesus sent
 to supplant the free minds of the      
,apostles4 ,no1 it was the free spirit  
of ,god acting upon the free spirit  of 
men that opened their eyes to see the   
things that were hidden from  them      
before2 and they walked forth in the    
light of these wondrous  events1 and    

looked now upon their ,christ as those  
from whose spiritual  sight the bandage 
of the world had been taken away4 ,the  
,comforter1 which  is the ,spirit of    
,,truth1 came unto them1 and taught them
 all things1 and  rectifying their      
former misconceptions took of the things
 of ,christ1 and  showed it unto them4  
,he spoke not of himself4 ,he added     
nothing to the  revelation already made 
by ,jesus3--the divine characters were  
already  impressed on the life and      
destinies of the ,christ--and the       
,spirit of  ,truth guided them to it1   
and brought out the full meaning of the 
already  finished revelation4 ,still    
does the world want light to read that  
revelation4 ,still does many an         
interpreter come to the reading of it   
with a ,jewish veil upon his heart4 ,but
 there is new light still to break      
forth out of ,god's word4 ,although it  
would almost seem as if another day  of 
,pentecost would be needed to drive out 
the spirit of the world1 the  spirit of 

system and of man1 by the mightier      
,spirit of ,god--and to guide  our      
exclusive tempers1 our sectarian and    
narrow hearts into the religion  of     
reality--of the merciful and perfect    
,christ1 full of grace and truth4    ,it
 is impossible to display with any      
minuteness the confusion that is        
introduced into the ,scriptures by the  
supposition that the ,holy ,spirit  is a
 third infinite ,mind associated with   
the ,father and the ,son4 ,in one       
passage it is said1 8,if ,i cast out    
devils by the ,spirit of ,god1 then  the
 kingdom of ,god is come unto you20 in  
another passage it is said1 8,if  ,i    
with the finger of ,god cast out devils1
 no doubt the kingdom of ,god  is come  
unto you40 ,are we to understand then   
different things by 8the  ,spirit of    
,god0 and 8the finger of ,god10--or do  
they not both plainly  signify the power
 and presence of the ,one ,god who      
wrought in  ,christ3--8the ,father who  
dwelleth in me1 ,he doeth the works40   

,in one passage it is said1 8,wait for  
the promise of the ,father--ye shall  be
 baptized with the holy spirit not many 
days hence40 ,in another  passage of the
 same writer it is said1 8,tarry ye in  
the city1 until ye  be endued with power
 from on high40 ,are we to understand by
 the ,holy  ,spirit anything different  
from #8power from on high3' or rather   
are we  not to understand by both the   
fulfilment of the promise of the ,father
 by  ,his own power and presence8    ,in
 one passage it is said1 8,we are his   
witnesses of these things1 and so  is   
also the ,holy ,spirit1 which ,god hath 
given to them that obey ,him40  ,in     
another passage it is said1 8,the works 
that ,i do in my ,father's  name1 they  
bear witness of me40 ,is it not evident 
then that the works  which the ,apostles
 did1 were the works of ,god1 ,his      
spirit working by  them1 witnessing to  
the truth of their testimony8    ,if the
 ,holy ,spirit is a distinct ,person    
from ,god the ,father1 then the  third  

,person1 and not the first person in the
 ,trinity1 nor the second  person1 must 
on the ,trinitarian view be regarded as 
the ,father of ,jesus1  for it is       
written1 8the ,holy ,ghost shall come   
upon thee1 and the power  of the        
,highest shall overshadow thee40 ,and   
yet the ,trinitarian  hypothesis is1    
that it was neither the third person1   
nor the first1 but  the second person in
 the godhead1 that took humanity into   
union with his  deity4 ,but there is no 
end of these painful inconsistencies4   
,so again  ,jesus is said to be raised  
from the dead by ,god1 and again to be  
8quickened by the ,spirit30 but surely  
the ,trinitarian hypothesis would       
require that the divine nature of the   
,christ1 the second person in the       
,trinity1 should raise up the human     
,jesus1 with which it had been united4  
,who will harmonize these things for us8
 ,who can without pain1 nay1  without   
asking pardon of ,god for the           
irreverence1 contemplate ,his  spiritual

 nature in such representations8    ,it 
is said of the ,holy ,spirit1 that ,he  
would not speak of himself4 ,can  ,he   
then be a distinct ,god in the unity of 
the godhead1 and not speak of  ,himself8
 ,is this the reason that ,scripture    
contains no proof of his  separate      
existence8 ,is it not evident that the  
,spirit of ,truth1 added  nothing to the
 revelation that was in ,christ1 but    
brought it out1  illuminated1 by an     
after influence on the minds of the     
,apostles1 what  he said and did8    ,it
 is said in ,scripture that no one knows
 the ,son but the ,father--and  that no 
one knows the ,father but the ,son3--but
 if the ,holy ,spirit is a  third person
 in the godhead1 equal in every respect1
 this must be an  erroneous statement4  
,the last scriptural proof ,i shall give
 that the ,holy ,spirit is not a  third 
infinite ,person in the godhead is the  
very decisive one that  ,scripture      
offers not a single ascription of praise
 or glory to ,him1 and  contains not a  

single doxology in which ,he is         
included4 ,could this be so  if he was  
really and distinctively ,god8          
,scripture contains ascriptions  of     
praise to ,christ1 and even to the      
,angels2 it connects together the  names
 of ,god and ,christ1 in innumerable    
cases where it makes no mention  of the 
,holy ,spirit4--,john v4 #ag4 xiv4 #ba4 
8,father6--this is life eternal  to know
 ,thee1 the only true ,god1 and ,jesus  
,christ whom thou hast sent40  ,now if  
,trinitarianism is true1 the ,father1   
and even with the addition of  ,jesus   
,christ whom ,he has sent1 does not     
constitute the only true ,god4    8,our 
fellowship is with the ,father1 and with
 his ,son ,jesus ,christ40--#a  ,john i4
 #c4    8,grace be with you1 mercy1 and 
peace1 from ,god the ,father1 and from  
the  ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of  
the ,father1 in truth and love40--#b    
,john i4  #c4    8,he that abideth in   
the doctrine of the ,christ1 he hath    
both the ,father  and the ,son40--#b    

,john i4 #i4    8,for whoever shall be  
ashamed of me and of my words1 of him   
shall the  ,son of ,man be ashamed1 when
 he shall come in his own glory1 and in 
his  ,father's1 and of the holy         
angels40--,luke ix4 #bf4 #a ,tim4 v4    
#ba4    8,he that overcometh1 the same  
shall be clothed in white raiment2 and  
,i  will not blot out his name out of   
the book of life1 but ,i will confess   
his name before my ,father and before   
his angels40--,rev4 iii4 #e4    8,and   
every creature which is in ,heaven1 and 
on the earth1 and under the  earth1 and 
such as are in the sea1 and all that are
 in them1 heard ,i  saying1 ,blessing1  
and honour1 and glory1 and power1 be    
unto ,him that  sitteth on the throne1  
and unto the ,lamb for ever and         
ever40--,rev4 v1 #ac4    ,now if it be a
 fact that there is not one scriptural  
ascription of glory  to the ,holy       
,ghost1 how is it that the ,church of   
,england can so  confidently say1       
8,glory be to the ,father1 and to the   

,son1 and to the  ,holy ,ghost3 as it   
was so in the beginning1 is now1 and    
ever shall be40  ,the beginning that is 
here spoken of must have begun after all
 the  books of the ,new ,testament were 
written4 ,we have already traced in     
ecclesiastical history the beginning of 
that doxology1 in the latter  part of   
the fourth century--and a beginning in  
its attendant  circumstances not very   
reputable1 nor such as should be        
countenanced by  those who preach       
submission to ,church ,authorities4     
,the learned and profound ,lardner1     
modest as learned1 remarks upon the     
assumption contained in this doxology of
 the prayer book1 8as it was in  the    
beginning40 8,doubtless this is said by 
many very frequently1 and  with great   
devotion4 ,but can it be said truly8    
,does not that deserve  consideration8  
,is there any such doxology in the ,new 
,testament8 ,if not1  how can it be     
said1 to have been in the beginning8    
,are not the books  of the ,new         

,testament the most ancient1 and the    
most authentic ,christian  writings in  
all the world8 ,it matters not much to  
inquire1 when this  doxology was first  
used1 or how long it has been in use1 if
 it is not in  the ,new ,testament4 ,and
 whether it is there or not may be known
 by those  who are pleased to read it   
with care3 as all may1 in ,protestant   
countries1 where the ,bible lies open1  
to be seen and read by all men40        
7,postscript ,i4 to 8,a ,letter on the  
,logos407    ,weak and almost incredibly
 insufficient as is the scriptural      
evidence  for a third ,person in the    
godhead1 the theological evidence is    
still  weaker and more arbitrary2 and   
betrays most fully those inadequate     
conceptions of the divine nature which  
form the supports of all the  popular   
creeds and churches4 ,you are aware of  
the ,trinitarian argument  for the      
necessity of a second person in the     
godhead2 for these  orthodox theologians
 presume to reason upon abstract        

principles about  the nature of ,god to 
an extent that the ,unitarians whom they
 condemn for  this very practice never  
have approached to and which indeed we  
hold to  be arbitrary and presuming to  
the last degree4 ,we are gravely told by
  divines who profess the utmost        
humility and a horror of all            
speculation1  that if ,god was one      
,being in the sense that we are one1 ,he
 would have no  resources in his own    
,nature enabling ,him to forgive ,sin2  
and that if  there were not at least two
 persons in the godhead1 the one to make
  atonement and the other to receive it1
 our ,father in ,heaven would be  placed
 in these circumstances1--either ,he    
must forgive1 and since his ,law  had   
been broken without the infliction of an
 adequate penalty1 exhibit  his         
,character without ,,truth2 or ,he must 
refuse to forgive1 and retaining  his   
,truth1 exhibit his ,character without  
,,mercy4 ,now when a human  reasoner    
lays down these preliminaries as        

necessary parts of the  constitution of 
the divine mind1 ,i am amazed that he   
has ever after the  conscience to charge
 other men with rash speculations on the
 subjects of  ,theology1 or with        
reasoning upon abstract principles about
 the things of  ,god4 ,atonement is made
 for every sin3 in that the ,trinitarian
 is  right4 ,the sinner bears upon a    
burdened soul the weight of the cross1  
and faints in sorrow4 ,through a        
crucifixion and an agony does every     
erring heart return to ,god4 ,the       
penalty is paid in bitter shame and     
tears1 in the consciousness of          
degradation and of eternal loss1 in the 
deep humiliation of a spirit that has   
quenched within it the divine  flame1   
and treated with no respect the image of
 ,god in which it was  made4 ,can such a
 being sin and escape without           
atonement--can a spiritual  creature    
darken the angel and cherish the animal1
 and yet pay no  penalty1 start at last 
with no horror1 and throb with no       

remorseful  agony8 ,no--the sinner must 
die in his sins1 if he is to escape the 
piercings of his better nature1 the open
 eye of his conscience fixed in  awful  
steadiness of gaze upon the terrors of  
his state4 ,who that has  ever felt a   
throb of penitence1 who that has ever   
known the prostration  of a soul        
awakened to a sense of sin1 the deep    
misery of the purer  spirit looking     
sorrowfully on the debasements of our   
being1 as ,christ  looked upon ,peter1  
who that has ever felt these things will
 deny that  sin1 every sin1 has its     
atonement1 and instead of questioning   
the  vicarious sacrifice as too         
dreadful1 will not rather put it away   
from  him only as too easy1 too unreal1 
too remote from the sense of  individual
 agony and burden1 to meet and satisfy  
the inward and  untransferable reality8 
,we blame not the ,trinitarians for     
speaking of  the atonement required by  
sin4 ,we blame them for not treating    
that  subject with sufficient           

strictness1 with sufficient severity1   
with  sufficient energy of application  
to individual consciences4 ,how much    
more awakening it is to tell a man of   
the atonement that he pays within1  of  
the cross that is laid upon his         
humiliated heart1 than to tell him of  a
 metaphysical necessity in ,god's nature
 that required the death of an  infinite
 being1 the blood of ,god1 for this     
awful expression is used and  defended  
at ,christ ,church1#eca to make         
satisfaction for the offence of  a      
finite creature4 ,this is the arbitrary 
assumption of ,trinitarianism  that     
requires most to be exposed1 that the   
sin of a finite being is an  infinite   
quantity1 and that his penitence cannot 
atone for it1 for his  penitence is not 
infinite4 ,now the men who assert this  
strange thing1  should at least be      
cautious how they charge ,unitarians    
with arbitrary  reasonings and          
speculations4 ,can ,reason exhibit1 or  
does ,scripture any  where say1 that the

 sin of finite man is infinite in the   
sight of ,god1  and yet unless this most
 extravagant of all propositions can be 
established the whole ,trinitarian      
,theology falls to the ground1 for then 
the only atonement for sin will be the  
crucifixion of the erring and  repenting
 spirit1 and none more dreadful can be  
given or conceived4 ,i am  perfectly    
aware that cautious and refined         
controversialists would not  assert the 
infinite character of man's sinfulness1 
and that they would  explain away the   
doctrine of the ,atonement2 but the     
,lecturers at ,christ  ,church are not  
cautious controversialists1 they have no
 notion of such  refinements1 and they  
do assert it without abatement4 ,if     
,god's unity1  says one of them1#ecb was
 like man's unity1 ,he could not        
forgive1 yet  preserve ,his holiness4   
,and therefore ,i suppose1 since man has
 no  tri-personal resources in his      
unity1 that he can forgive only because 
his holiness is of an imperfect kind1   

and as his holiness becomes more  strict
 he will less readily forgive1 so that  
when he becomes quite  perfect he will  
be quite implacable4 ,but perhaps the   
,trinitarian  resource in this          
difficulty1 is that man too forgives1   
yet keeps his  truth and holiness1 in   
consideration of the atonement offered  
for all  sin4 ,the immoral plea that man
 is not the ,lawgiver1 cannot be offered
  by those whose difficulty is one      
respecting holiness4 ,a holy mind is as 
much bound by the laws of holiness1 as  
if it was itself the ,lawgiver4    ,i   
have introduced here this arbitrary1    
metaphysical1 and unscriptural          
speculation1 employed by the            
,trinitarians to establish1 a priori1   
the  necessity of a second person in the
 godhead1 only to prepare you for a     
similar mode of reasoning which is      
applied to prove the necessity for a    
third person in the godhead4 ,there are 
works1 they say1 carried on in  the soul
 of man1 that require a ,third ,person1 

another infinite ,mind in  the godhead4 
,solemnly we say that this is making too
 free with the  infinite nature of ,god4
 ,what are those works1 or what works   
can be  conceived1 to which ,god our    
,father is not adequate8 ,is it not very
 like  irreverence for a human being to 
say1--my salvation cannot be carried  on
 by one infinite and perfect ,spirit1   
but requires three infinite and  perfect
 ,spirits8 ,ought not such conclusions  
of ,reason as these to be  very         
distinctly supported by ,revelation     
before they are advanced with  any      
boldness1 and other men called no       
,christians1 and treated  accordingly1  
for no other iniquity than that of      
humbly refusing to speak  so confidently
 of ,god's nature1 and to put these     
limitations upon ,him  without proof8   
,but even supposing that the orthodox   
reasonings about the  nature of sin were
 correct1 and the inability of one      
perfect mind to  forgive his creatures1 
and rescue a sinner from his sins1      

established1  what necessities remain   
that require the existence of a third   
infinite  ,mind--what operations within 
the human soul are to be carried on1 for
  which ,god the ,father and ,god the   
,son are not sufficient8 ,i know nothing
  more wonderful than that the          
,christian world should at this day     
admit  the existence of a third person  
in the godhead1 without ever raising the
  question1 or having the doubt         
suggested to them1 is not ,god our      
,father  sufficient for these things8 ,i
 intreat you to discard from your minds 
the ,trinitarian assertion that we deny 
the operations attributed by them  to   
the ,holy ,spirit--we do not deny       
them--the connexions of the ,spirit of  
,god with the spirit of man we hold as  
the most solemn1 intimate and  blessed  
truth1 the very soul of worship1 of     
hope1 and of spiritual  life--take away 
this1 and religion has neither power nor
 meaning--but we  do deny that the      
,spirit of our ,father is insufficient  

to maintain every  spiritual connexion  
with the souls of his children2 we bring
 the secret  griefs1 penitence1 and     
aspirations of our being to ,him who    
heard the  prayers and strengthened the 
soul of ,christ2--and when light        
descends  upon us1 so that we almost    
hear the encouragements of ,his voice1  
and see  the beckonings of ,his hand1 we
 know that it is the ,spirit of our     
,father  who sends the blessing from    
above1 and gives to them that ask4      
,we entreat ,trinitarians to address    
themselves to this particular point1    
and to explain to us the moral or       
metaphysical necessities that require  a
 third person in the godhead1 and render
 two perfect and infinite ,minds        
inadequate to the work of ,man's        
,salvation4 ,they are very explicit and 
full in their statement of reasons      
exhibiting the incompetency of one      
infinite spirit to save a sinner1 and   
necessitating the introduction of  a    
second--we ask them to be equally       

explicit in explaining to us the        
inadequacy of two ,,beings1 each of them
 possessed of the full  perfections of  
godhead1 to rescue1 teach1 comfort1 and 
bless1 that not  naturally unkindred    
spirit of man1 which ,scripture tells us
 is #8the  candle of the ,lord1' and    
#8the inspiration of the ,almighty4' ,it
 will not  serve the ,trinitarian       
theologians to refuse us this           
explanation on the  grounds that they   
take the doctrine as it is revealed1 and
 inquire no  further--for they do enter 
into very copious explanations of the   
theological necessity for a second      
person in the godhead1 and they  very   
confidently state it as a fact in divine
 metaphysics1 that if the  resources of 
,god could not have supplied two        
infinite minds1 no sin  could ever have 
found a pardon--and if after this       
readiness of  explanation respecting the
 second person they refuse us all       
explanation  respecting the third1 the  
conclusion will certainly be suggested1 

that  they offer no explanations only   
because they have none to offer4        
,conceding for a moment the fundamental 
principles of ,trinitarian  theology1   
that the ,father of our spirits could   
not receive the penitence  of ,his      
children and shed ,his blessing upon    
their returning hearts1 until           
forgiveness was rendered possible by a  
co-equal and co-eternal ,god  meeting   
the demands of a ,righteousness that1 if
 dwelling in only one  perfect ,mind1   
could not pardon2--what is there ,i ask 
after the  sacrifice of ,christ had     
removed the difficulty1 and opened the  
communication between ,god and his      
children1 and left the divine spirit    
free to love1 and operate upon1 the     
justified1--what is there remaining  to 
restrict the workings of the ,omnipotent
 and ,omnipresent ,spirit of ,god  our  
,father--to render him incompetent for  
our sanctification1 in addition  to the 
previous incompetency for our           
redemption1 which ,trinitarians are  so 

far from scrupling to assign to ,him    
that they make it a first  principle of 
their theology1 and attempt to prove it 
by ,reason4    ,our ,one ,god they tell 
us1 in the human sense of oneness1 would
 be a  helpless ,being3 on their very   
first sin1 his children would be plucked
  out of ,his hands1 and find him a ,god
 unable to save4 ,or1 if ,he could      
forgive the repentance of ,his          
creatures1 it would imply a ,morality so
  lax1 that ,he would be a ,god not     
worth serving4#ecc ,to such dizzy       
heights of ,theology do ,trinitarians   
who abjure ,reason in religion carry    
their reasonings upon the nature of     
,god1 and look into the dread  profound1
 and speak confidently1 as if they      
understood it all4 ,again ,i  say1 let  
us grant them all this1 and still the   
question remains that  never has been   
answered1 after the sacrifice of ,christ
 has set at  liberty the ,spirit of our 
,father to come freely into loving1     
regenerating1 and sanctifying contact   

with the spirits of his children1  what 
necessity is there for a third person in
 the godhead to bless and  save our     
souls1 or what works are to be carried  
on within us1 which  ,god the ,father   
and ,god the ,son are not competent to  
perform8 ,has not the  spirit of our    
,father access to ,his children1 who are
 brought nigh to ,him  through ,christ2 
and if so1 what is the office and what  
the need of a  third infinite ,mind8 ,we
 acknowledge with all our soul's        
devotion that  every thing good in man  
comes1 yes1 and comes immediately1 from 
the  ,spirit of our ,god2 but is not our
 ,father with us1 and is ,his ,spirit   
straitened that he cannot save8 ,on this
 matter we abide with the  ,apostles who
 say3--8,every good and every perfect   
gift is from above1 and  cometh down    
from the ,father of lights1 with whom is
 no variableness1  neither shadow of    
turning40 ,we are told that the ,holy   
,spirit uses #8the  word1' as its       
instrument1 in the work of spiritual    

regeneration4 ,if so1  the ,holy ,spirit
 must be ,god our ,father1 for the      
,apostle goes on to  say3--8,of his own 
will begat ,he us with the word of      
truth1 that we should  be a kind of     
first fruits of his creatures40 8,now   
our ,lord ,jesus ,christ  himself1 and  
,god even our ,father1 which hath loved 
us1 and hath given us  everlasting      
consolation and good hope through grace1
 comfort your hearts  and establish you 
in every good word and work40#ecd ,now  
here1 whilst no  mention whatever is    
made of the ,holy ,spirit as a separate 
agent1 the  peculiar offices of the     
,comforter are ascribed to the spirit of
 our  ,father1 and1 what to ,christians 
is equivalent1 the spirit of ,christ1   
for  who hath seen him1 hath seen all   
that man can see of the moral           
perfections and spirit of our ,god4 ,and
 not with ,apostles only1 but with      
,christ himself1 do we abide in the     
blessed faith of our ,father being our  
,comforter4 8,holy ,father1 keep1       

through thine one name1 those whom thou 
hast given me1 that they may be one as  
we are4 ,while ,i was with them in  the 
world ,i kept them through thy name3--,i
 pray not that thou shouldest  take them
 out of the world1 but that thou        
shouldest keep them from the  evil4     
,sanctify them through thy truth3 thy   
word is truth40 ,here ,christ  prays to 
,god the ,,father to sanctify the       
spirits of the disciples1 when  he      
should be no more with them to instruct 
and keep them4 ,now  ,sanctification is 
assigned by ,trinitarians to the ,holy  
,spirit as his  peculiar office4 ,what  
then can be more clear than that the    
,holy ,spirit  is the ,spirit of our    
,father in communication with his       
children1 and that  this was the        
,comforter1 even the ,spirit of ,truth1 
a portion of the true  spirit of ,god1  
which the ,christ prayed his ,father to 
communicate to his  darkened            
disciples1--to take away the ,jewish    
veil from their hearts1 and  to guide   

them into the blessed light of the pure 
gospel6    ,the ,apostles pray to the   
,father to be a ,,guide#ece and         
,,comforter#ecf3  ,jesus ,christ prays  
to the ,father to be a ,sanctifier and  
,enlightener2  these are the works1 and 
the only works1 ascribed by             
,trinitarians to  the ,holy ,spirit4 ,no
 reason has been offered in the present 
,controversy  for the necessity of a    
third person in the ,godhead to be the  
agent of  these operations2 nowhere in  
orthodox theology have ,i been able to  
find  a reason3 ,i respectfully invite  
the attention of our opponents to this  
neglected point4 ,let them not mistake  
our demand4 ,we do not deny that  the   
works of the ,holy ,spirit can be done  
by ,god alone3 but we ask for a  reason 
why ,god our ,father is not sufficient  
for these things4 ,until this  question 
is satisfactorily answered1 it must be  
evident that the  ,trinitarian ,theology
 is entirely arbitrary4    ,it is not a 
little remarkable that ,bishop          

,sherlock1 in attempting to  prove that 
the ,holy ,spirit performs the work of  
the ,gospel within the  mind1 by the    
very texts that he himself adduces      
identifies this ,holy  ,spirit with the 
,spirit of ,god our ,father2 8,no man   
can come unto me1  except the ,father   
which hath sent me1 draw him40 8,no man 
can come unto  me1 except it were given 
unto him of my ,father40 8,he that is of
 ,god1  heareth ,god's word40#ecg       
,there was only one of the operations   
ascribed to the ,holy ,spirit by the    
,lecturer in ,christ ,church1 to which  
,i could not give my assent4 ,we were   
told that the ,holy ,spirit interpreted 
the ,scriptures to all true  believers4 
,i believe that some portion of the     
,spirit of ,god is in every  man who    
loves the ,lord ,jesus ,christ in       
sincerity4 ,i believe that every  one   
who does ,his will1 knows of the        
doctrine whether it is of ,god4         
,morally and spiritually1 ,i do believe 
that the ,spirit of ,god is still a     

witness to the truth of ,christ4 ,the   
,spirit of the ,father was in ,christ1  
and to those who love him and keep his  
commandments the ,father still  cometh1 
and maketh ,his abode with them4 ,and so
 far we know that we are  of the truth1 
because we love and are partakers of the
 ,spirit that dwelt  in ,jesus4 ,but if 
any man presumes to extend this sympathy
 with the  ,spirit of the ,christ from  
moral to controverted truth1 and to     
pretend  that he is not only spiritually
 but intellectually instructed1 so that 
he has not only a living faith1 but a   
true creed1 we abandon him to his       
conviction1 satisfied that however      
sincere1 it is unscriptural and a       
delusion4 ,how can men persuade         
themselves that it is humble1 that it is
  ,christian1 that it is in the spirit  
of a modest self-knowledge1 to  pretend 
to this intellectual infallibility1 that
 ,god not only inspires  the holiness of
 their wills1 but protects their        
judgment from all error8  ,when we ask  

those who tell us that only their creeds
 can save1 what  infallible interpreter 
preserves them from all doctrinal error1
 they  do not scruple to proclaim that  
the ,spirit of ,god is their instructer 
in  the controverted tenets of          
theology4#ech ,now we only ask how this 
can  be made clear either to other men1 
or to themselves8 ,have they alone      
sincere convictions on these subjects8  
,have they alone sought the truth  with 
the toils and prayers of earnest and    
humble minds8 ,have they alone  emptied 
themselves of all prejudice1 and desired
 only the pure light  from ,god8 ,have  
they alone put worldly considerations   
from their hearts1  and left all things 
that they might follow ,christ8 ,what   
evidence is  there in their position1 or
 in their sacrifices1 that only the     
,spirit of  ,god can be their guide1 for
 that they are manifestly self-devoted  
to the  cause of truth8 ,are they the   
meek adherents to persecuted principle1 
so that against the outward storm       

nothing short of the inward witness of  
the ,spirit can be their omnipotent     
supports8 ,do they alone give evidence  
by the scorn and insult which they      
cheerfully bear for ,christ's sake and  
the gospel's1 that they must be taught  
of ,god1 for that no men could  endure  
this social persecution unless ,god was 
with them8 ,ah1 my friends1  does it    
become the followers of popular opinions
 to turn to the  persecuted1 and say1 we
 who float upon the world's favour1 we  
who have  no sacrifices to bear for     
conscience' sake1 we to whom godliness  
is a  present income 77 of all that men 
most love--we give evidence of  being   
supported through all this peace and    
popularity by the ,holy  ,spirit--but   
you1 whom we persecute and scorn1 you   
whom we lecture and  libel1 you who have
 to bear upon your inmost hearts the    
coarse friction  of intolerance and of  
rude fanaticism1 you1 though you have to
 endure  all this1 give no evidence that
 your convictions of ,christ and your   

faith in ,god are dear unto you1--you   
are voluntary sufferers1 and the        
distresses of your position1 which we   
shall aggravate in every way we  can1   
are no proof that you stand the rude    
peltings of the pitiless  storm1 only   
because you dare not abandon conviction1
 or turn away from  what you believe to 
be the light of ,god within you8 ,i ask 
can any thing  surpass the unmitigated  
,popery of all this1 except its         
unmitigated  cruelty and injustice8 ,how
 is it that the ,minister of a state    
religion1  the preacher of popular      
creeds1 whose lightest words raise      
echoes of  assent--who gets the support 
and sympathy of crouds on far easier    
terms  than others get bare toleration  
and existence1 can so remove from him   
all self-knowledge and mercy1 as to have
 the heart to tell the man whom  he     
persecutes1 we who have every thing to  
gain from our religion and  nothing to  
lose1 give evidence of being supported  
through all this ease  and triumph by   

the ,spirit of ,god1 but you1 who in    
this world have every  thing to lose by 
your religion1 and nothing to gain1 give
 no evidence of  having the ,spirit of  
,truth1 and are lovers of your own      
selves more than  of ,conscience and of 
,god8#eci ,we suspect them not1 ,god    
forbid we  should1 of being immorally   
tempted and biassed1 and with a true    
sincerity we declare that we have no    
sympathy whatever with the  ungenerous  
vulgarity of such a charge1--but at the 
same time1 they ought  to be aware1 and 
if they were truly generous in their    
turn they would be  aware1 that all the 
outward marks by which men may judge of 
the  sincerity of convictions1 and the  
strength of inward reliances1 and       
allegiance to ,god1 are upon us1 not    
upon them4    ,the other offices        
assigned to the ,holy ,spirit besides   
that of being an  infallible interpreter
 to the orthodox1 were the              
following3--to bring our  souls into    
sympathy and union with the ,spirit of  

,jesus--to draw us by  spiritual        
affinities unto the ,christ2 to sanctify
 our nature through  communion with the 
holy ,one1 cleansing the temple of the  
spiritual ,god2  to govern our moral    
being1 and supply the diviner impulses  
that lift us  to imperishable things1   
and teach us to love and to pray aright2
 and to  give us through the spiritual  
witness within ourselves1 a pledge and  
earnest of the loving purpose of ,god1  
and of the glory that  remaineth4--,must
 we indeed renounce these connexions of 
our spirits with  the ,spirit of our    
,god1 unless mechanically settling the  
distribution of  offices1 we receive    
these influences through the            
departmental  arrangements of the       
,trinitarian ,theology8 ,will ,god our  
,father not come  to us and make ,his   
abode with us1 if we are unfortunate    
enough to find  no evidence in          
,scripture for a third infinite ,mind   
associated with him1  and carry up to   
,him the unbroken sum of our love1 our  

faith1 our  worship1 and our prayers8   
,will ,he reject us only because we pour
 out our  all before ,him1 and knowing  
,him to be all-sufficient1 feel our     
derived  spirits to be at every moment  
within the shelter of ,his parental     
presence8--,and yet1 if the             
,trinitarians were right1 if only a     
believer in  a tri-personal ,god could  
hold these spiritual connexions with the
 source  of all good1 the fountain head 
of all holiness and hope1 if these were 
the only conditions on which our souls  
could feel life from above--then  should
 we become the most grateful1 the most  
devoted1 the most  submissive of their  
disciples--we would entreat them to show
 us the way  of knowledge1 that we might
 ascend unto the hill of the ,lord1 and 
stand  in ,his holy place1--and to lift 
up for us1 in mercy1 the everlasting    
doors of our darkened hearts1 that the  
,king of ,glory might come in2--and  we 
would flee from our ,unitarianism as we 
should from ,atheism1 for it  would be  

,atheism if it closed our access to the 
,spirit of ,god4    ,but1 though not    
fond of speaking personally of religious
 experiences1 we  do declare1 and we do 
know1 that the spirit of man may hold   
communion  with the ,spirit of our      
,father4 ,every impulse after holiness  
is the  ,spirit of ,god4 ,every 8sighing
 that cannot be uttered0 after the pure1
  the perfect1 and the good1 is the     
,spirit of ,god4 ,every devotion of our 
souls to things unseen and eternal1 when
 solicited by things seen and  temporal1
 is of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,every      
dictate of ,duty is the spirit  of ,god4
 ,every answer to the prayer of a pure  
heart is the spirit of ,god4  ,every    
movement of disinterested love is the   
spirit of ,god4 ,every  self-sacrifice  
for the sake of justice or of mercy is  
made in the  strength of the ,spirit of 
,god4 ,every inward hope in this world's
  darkness1 and undying trust amid this 
world's deaths1 is an inspiration  from 
,him who is a very present help in the  

time of trouble1 a spiritual  intimation
 from the ,father of lights1 with whom  
is no variableness1  neither shadow of  
turning4 ,the spirit that conforms      
itself to the will  of ,god1 that       
removes from it whatever is alien to    
,his nature1 that puts  away the        
defiling breath of the passions1 that   
seeks ,him by prayer1 by  efforts of    
duty1 by struggles of penitence1 by     
resistance to all sin1 by               
self-purification and constant converse 
with ,his image in the ,christ1  that   
spirit mirrors more and more of the     
glory of ,god1 feels more and  more ,his
 power and peace within the soul1 and   
receives of ,his fulness1  and grows in 
,his likeness1 throughout eternity4     
,if there are any to whom all this      
appears visionary1 and who charge the   
religious mind with mysticism1--we are  
ready to bear our share of that  charge2
 for thus far we confess ourselves to be
 ,mystics4 ,yet1 so far are  we from    
holding it to be ,mysticism1 that we are

 confident that nothing  which sense    
perceives1 or thought takes in1 is so   
real1 so enduring1 so  full of life1 as 
this spiritual and imperishable         
connexion of the soul  of man with the  
,spirit of ,god4 ,this connexion1       
whatever may have been  the inspiration 
of peculiar times1 we now regard as part
 of the  established providence and     
operations of our ,father's ,spirit4 ,he
 gives  of ,his ,spirit1 to all who     
observe the conditions on which ,he has 
promised to pour out ,his ,spirit upon  
them4 ,no pure mind ever sought ,him  in
 vain4 ,no erring heart ever turned to  
,him in penitence1 and found no  peace4 
,whenever our holier nature awakes to   
earnest action1 ,god enters  into the   
soul4 ,whenever prayer purifies our     
desires1 and rectifies our  estimates1  
and places great realities in spiritual 
lights1 ,god is  present with us4 ,every
 effort to sink our imperfections1 and  
to feel  purely1 places us within the   
affinities of ,his ,holy ,spirit4 ,there

 is no  miracle in this4 ,god reveals   
himself to the spirit that assimilates  
itself to ,him1 and seeks ,him by       
growing like to ,him4 ,there are no     
limits  to those spiritual              
communications4 ,he that asketh         
receiveth2 he that  seeketh findeth2 and
 to him that knocketh it is opened4     
,this is of ,god's  grace2 not now of   
miracle1 but of nature4 ,we are ,his    
children1 and in  proportion as we love 
,him purely1 and follow after ,him1 ,he 
reveals  ,himself to us4 ,revealing     
himself through our spirit1 ,he abides  
with us  for ever4 ,imaged within us in 
juster proportions1 as we reject        
impurity1  and impose the harmony of    
,his will upon all our desires1 ,he     
guides us  into all truth1 and causes us
 to feel within1 the blessed intimations
 of  ,his sympathizing ,spirit4         
,correcting our false estimates1 and    
fixing our  trusts upon ,his own great  
realities1 ,he comforts us amid the     
shadows of  ,time and ,death1 whilst we 

repose upon a world that cannot be      
moved1 and  rely upon the faithfulness  
of ,god4    ,jesus ,christ is our most  
perfect image of the ,spiritual ,father4
 ,he  developes within us the ideas that
 are akin to ,god4 ,he brings us through
  sympathy with himself within the      
affinities of the ,holy ,spirit1 for    
,god  was with him4 ,by the baptism of  
ever fresh penitence1 and still fresher 
purity1 he prepares us for the higher   
baptism of the ,holy ,spirit1 and of    
fire4 ,we grow in light as we grow in   
purity4 ,if we keep holy the ,temple  of
 the ,spirit it abides with us1 and1    
doing ,his will1 we know of the         
doctrine whether it be of ,god4 ,the    
soul that quenches not the ,spirit1     
that suffers no intimation from ,god to 
pass unheeded1 that looks upon  the face
 of ,christ1 and reads in characters of 
blended grace and truth  the mind of the
 ,father1 is continually born again1 and
 again1 into new  and still newer light1
 for the kingdom of heaven is a reaching

 forth  unto things that are before2 and
 he that is in ,christ ,jesus has within
  him a spring of life1 and is ever a   
,new ,creature4 ,and he is ever nearest 
to ,god who through purity and prayer   
has disposed his own spirit to  receive 
light from the ,holy ,spirit of ,god1   
and waits and watches for  fresh        
communications from ,his unexhausted    
,christ4    ,were another great ,teacher
 to appear amongst us1 were another     
,christ to  come to us1 and apart from  
the narrow technicalities of system1 to 
unfold sublime and quickening views of  
the moral and spiritual world1  where   
might we expect to find the kindred     
minds1 that would most  instantly       
recognize the voice of the ,divinity1   
and upon whose ready  sympathies the    
heavenly words would fall like sparks   
upon the fuel8  ,perhaps those who best 
understood what it is 8to be born again0
 might  not be of the number of the     
learned1 the instructed1 the ,masters in
  ,israel4 ,it is certain that they     

would not be found among the adherents  
of unchanging systems--the ,pharisees of
 the faith1 who think that they  already
 possess the absolute ,truth imprisoned 
in creeds--and expect no  new light to  
break forth upon their souls4 ,the wind 
bloweth where it  listeth--nevertheless 
its course is not uncontrolled--it has  
laws though  we know them not--and where
 would the ,spirit of ,god list to blow1
 if it  was now breathing from the lips 
of some inspired man1--into what hearts 
would it find its way1 and fan the      
latent affinities into the flame of     
spiritual life8 ,might it not again pass
 by the ,college of the learned1  and   
the ,temple of the ,priest1 and descend 
in living fire upon the poor  man's     
soul8 ,all that we can do is to look out
 for light--to expect it--to  keep near 
through prayer and inward communion to  
,him who is its  ,fountain--to have the 
inward sentiments pure1 the place of the
 ,spirit  unsoiled1 that if light should
 come into the world1 it may not reject 

us  as unworthy1 finding no mirror for  
itself in our stained souls--and above  
all1 never to be possessed with that    
infatuation of confidence1 that         
blindness of sufficiency1 that          
self-idolatry of the creature1 which    
looks for no regeneration to descend    
upon it--and ignorant of its  poverty1  
its error1 and its want1 asks with the  
young ,ruler1 8what lack  ,i yet10 or   
with ,nicodemus1 8,how can a man be born
 again80 ,we may be born  again1 and    
again1 if we will only lay ourselves out
 for it4 ,the light  will come if it is 
looked for4 ,it will not open the closed
 eye that  seeks no more illumination1  
but it will fall upon every expecting   
spirit4 ,the only essential condition of
 being born again1 is that the  sincere 
heart1 listening to ,god within1 and    
reading the mind of ,his  ,spirit in    
,christ his image1 remove from itself   
every moral  disqualification1 and lie  
in wait for light and truth4 ,wherever  
they are  found1 and whatever be their  

creed1 the ,spirit of ,god 8listeth0 to 
blow upon such minds4                   
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,,ix4           
,footnote #ebd3      ,see ,forrest on   
the origin and progress of the          
,trinitarian ,theology1 p4    #dj4      
,footnote #ebe3      ,see the ,rev4 ,f4 
,ould's dedication of his ,lecture4     
,footnote #ebf3      ,burton1 ,theol4   
,works1 vol4 ii4 #bnd part1 p4 #af4     
,footnote #ebg3      ,burton1 p4 #ba4   
,footnote #ebh3      8,the deity and    
personality of the ,holy ,spirit10 pp4  
#bj-bc4    ,footnote #ebi3      8,and he
 that searcheth the heart knoweth what  
is the mind of the    ,spirit1 because  
it maketh intercession for the ,saints1 
according to    the will of             
,god40--,rom4 viii4 #bg4    ,footnote   
#ecj3      8,it is said that ,god has   
promised his ,spirit to those who ask   
for it4    ,but the gift of the         
,,spirit1 that unction of which ,st4    
,john speaks    7probably in allusion to

 the anointment of the ,hebrew priests1 
the    interpreters of the ,old ,law71  
was not intended as a check but as a    
,,guide to the rational mind of man4    
#8,he will guide you into all the       
truth1' namely of the simple ,gospel4   
,the ,divine ,spirit of ,,truth has     
been promised to sincere ,christians1 to
 guide them into all that    concerns   
their moral safety4 ,the two            
,,spirits--the ,spirit 7i4 e4 the       
mind1 so we may call it without         
irreverence7 of ,god1 and the spirit of 
man1 though infinitely apart from each  
other in their nature1 are    clearly   
represented by ,st4 ,paul as analogous  
7,i might say akin7 to    each other4   
,nor could it be otherwise1 since the   
one is the    fountain-head of reason1  
the other a derived stream4 #8,likewise 
the    ,spirit also helpeth our         
infirmities3 for we know not what we    
should    pray for as we ought2 but the 
,spirit itself maketh intercession for  
us    7with sighs not expressed in      

words72' i4 e4 the divine impulse after 
holiness which is in us1 makes us sigh  
for what we cannot express3 but    ,god1
 who gives us that ,spirit1 knows what  
it is we wish    for40--,observations on
 ,heresy and ,orthodoxy1 by the ,rev4   
,j4 ,b4 ,white4    ,footnote #eca3      
,see the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,buddicom's         
,lecture4    ,footnote #ecb3      ,the  
,rev4 ,h4 ,m#8,neile4    ,footnote #ecc3
      ,the ,rev4 ,h4 ,m#8,neile's       
,lecture4    ,footnote #ecd3      #b    
,thess4 ii4 #af4    ,footnote #ece3     
#a ,thes4 iii4 #aa4    ,footnote #ecf3  
#b ,thes4 ii4 #af4    ,footnote #ecg3   
,sacred ,classics4 ,sermons on the ,holy
 ,spirit1 p4 #afa4 ,i have lately       
read this volume carefully1 in the hope 
of finding some definite    statement of
 argument for the ,trinitarian ,theology
 on this subject1    but in vain4       
,footnote #ech3      ,see the ,rev4 ,j4 
,e4 ,bates' ,lecture1 and the ,preface  
to the ,rev4    ,fielding ,ould's4      
,footnote #eci3      ,see the ,lecture  

of the ,rev4 ,d4 ,james1 and indeed the 
whole tone and    spirit of the         
,trinitarian ,course4 ,mr4 ,james       
declared that we denied    the          
personality of the ,holy ,spirit1 only  
because we had never felt    his        
operations4                             
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,lecture ,x4        ,,creeds ,,the     
,,foes ,,of ,,heavenly ,,faith2 ,,the   
,,allies ,,of ,,worldly ,,policy4       
,,by ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,giles4            
8,,let ,,every ,,man ,,be ,,fully       
,,persuaded ,,in ,,his ,,own ,,mind40-- 
,rom4 xiv4 #e4      ,the essential      
spirit of the religious revolution which
 in the #afth  century shook ,europe and
 its thrones1 was resistance to         
ecclesiastical  authority4 ,when ,luther
 burned the ,pope's bull1 in            
,wirtemberg1 in one act  pregnant with  
meaning and with consequences1 he broke 
the spell which  had chained the minds  
of men for a thousand years1 and spread 

its  fascination over the whole space of
 ,christendom4 ,that single act was a   
virtual denial that any church1 however 
high in pretension1 however  venerable  
in institutions1 however universal in   
dominion1 however mighty  in power1 had 
a right to enslave his intellect or to  
silence his  conscience4 ,the ,english  
martyr1 when ready to be offered up1    
boasted to  his fellow-sufferer that    
they would that day kindle such a flame 
in  ,england as should never be put out2
 but the blaze of a piece of  parchment 
in the hand of the ,german reformer1 was
 a light far more  significant and      
impressive--a light at which thousands  
started from their  slumbers1 and       
although it has often since flickered   
and been clouded1 it  does yet1 and ever
 will1 point the way to mental and      
religious freedom4  ,luther and the     
other reformers1 objected to the church 
of ,rome1 the  usurpation of unjust     
authority1 and the establishment of a   
false  standard in faith and practice3  

they objected to her that she claimed a 
dominion over the souls of men which    
,god alone can hold2 and they object    
that she set aside the supremacy of     
,christ by encumbering his gospel  with 
her own traditions4 ,not alone for      
alleged errors in doctrine1 but  for    
this error in the very root and         
foundation of her constitution1 they    
separated from her communion1 and       
protested against her jurisdiction4     
,they declared the ,bible to be the only
 ground of a ,christian's faith--the    
only guide of his religious convictions1
 and they claimed for themselves  the   
right of private judgment and of        
individual interpretation4 ,we make  the
 same declaration and assert the same   
claim1 and we neither restrict  nor     
nullify it by creed1 catechism or       
confession1 by tests or articles1  by   
pains or penalties4 ,modern ,protestant 
churches1 like the reformers1  speak    
proudly of religious liberty1 but like  
the reformers also1 it is a  liberty    

they are very unwilling to share--a     
liberty for themselves and  not for     
others3 without claiming infallibility  
in name1 they assume it  in reality2 and
 without giving1 as ,rome does1 the     
promise of unerring  guidance1 they aim 
at an authority as despotic1 and would  
wrest a  submission as slavish4    ,the 
energetic maxim of ,chillingworth1 8,the
 ,bible and the ,bible alone is  the    
religion of ,protestants10 is ever and  
ever repeated even by those  who are    
pledged to find in it the ,athanasian   
creed and the thirty-nine  articles1 and
 by others who are compelled to extract 
out of it the  ,westminster confession  
and the longer catechism4 ,with a zeal  
that never  grows fatigued1 it is       
translated in every tongue and          
circulated in every  nation2 nay1 the   
lisping child must have it to the very  
letter1 and a  fierce war-cry is opened 
should a school1 by selections or       
omissions1  leave the youthful mind     
without an opportunity to study the     

patriarchal  genealogies1 the prophesies
 of ,daniel1 or the apocalypse of ,saint
 ,john4  ,the wide circulation of the   
,bible we regard as a great social      
blessing2  but when it is sometimes     
asked1 whether its indiscriminate       
reading is  suited to all ages and      
classes1 the very question is taken as  
an  evidence of popery or infidelity in 
the proposer4 ,to doubt the  perspicuity
 of ,god's word1 it is said1 is to doubt
 the wisdom of ,god's  providence4 ,the 
first object of man in speaking to man1 
is to be  understood2 how much more in  
,god addressing his creatures1 and on   
the  most momentous concerns6 ,the      
,bible1 it is asserted1 is so plain that
 the  child may understand it1 that he  
who runs may read1 and that way-faring  
men1 though fools1 shall not err        
therein4 ,if this be true1 it is in     
itself the death-blow of creeds1 for    
then they are both unnecessary and      
absurd--unnecessary1 because the        
statements can be as clearly1 can be as 

easily found in the ,bible as in the    
creed2 absurd1 because it is  monstrous 
folly to attempt making that more       
distinct which is manifest  enough      
already4 ,the ,bible being1 on the      
orthodox theory of plenary  inspiration1
 literally the word of ,god1 there is   
even a degree of  impiety in the        
presumption of pretending to give a     
summary of its  meaning in human        
fabrications1 whether from ,trent or    
,augsburgh1 from the  palace of the     
,lateran or the hall of ,westminster4   
,that simplicity is a characteristic of 
the ,bible1 at least in its main        
tendency1 ,i cordially admit2 it is the 
especial quality of the gospel4 ,i      
could desire no better test by which to 
try the value of creeds4 ,if the        
evangelists ,john or ,matthew were again
 to appear on earth1 bringing with  them
 their first simplicity1 ignorant of the
 wrangling disputes1 of the  vain       
scholasticism which have disturbed this 
world and the church since  they were   

taken to their rest--if the ,athanasian 
document were put into  their hands1    
there is nothing in their gospels which 
enables me to think  they could         
understand it2 if moreover they were    
told that the whole of  it could be     
deduced from their writings1 ,i speak in
 all earnest  solemnity when ,i say1    
that at such an assertion ,i can        
conceive of them  as no otherwise than  
utterly bewildered and surprized4 ,take 
our ,lord's  sayings and discourses as  
reported by his evangelists1 and        
contrast them  with the creed we are    
discussing4 ,with what undisguised      
simplicity is  ,god ever spoken of1     
always presented in some intimate       
relation to our  duty or his own        
providence--as an object of worship1 of 
trust1 or of  love6 ,pray to thy ,father
 who is in secret1 and thy ,father who  
seeth in  secret shall reward thee      
openly4 ,if ye being evil know how to   
give good  gifts unto your children1 how
 much more will your heavenly ,father   

give  good things to them that ask him4 
,touch me not for ,i have not yet       
ascended to my ,father and your ,father1
 to my ,god and your ,god4 ,such is  the
 clear and touching phraseology in which
 ,christ always speaks of ,god1  and    
thus gives1 not a scholastic            
dissertation1 but a revelation to human 
affections4 ,and in the same spirit of  
simplicity is his own nature also       
manifested2 he who in all things was    
meek and lowly in heart1 who went  about
 doing good1 and came to seek and save  
the lost4 ,astonishing  mysteries indeed
 has ,athanasian theology made out of   
these plain  statements1 having found in
 them a trinity in unity1 and a unity in
  trinity2 the ,father uncreate1 the    
,son uncreate1 and the ,holy ,ghost     
uncreate2 the ,father incomprehensible1 
the ,son incomprehensible1 and the      
,holy ,ghost incomprehensible2 the      
,father eternal1 the ,son eternal1 and  
the ,holy ,ghost eternal1 and so on2 and
 though each is distinctively  asserted 

to be uncreated1 incomprehensible1 and  
eternal1 we are to  believe on pain of  
eternal damnation1 that they are not    
three eternals1  but one eternal--not   
three uncreated1 but one uncreated--not 
three  incomprehensibles1 but one       
incomprehensible4 ,surely of all        
incomprehensibles this theological      
jumble is the most incomprehensible4    
,if to defy contradiction by the very   
sublime of absurdity be a safeguard     
from refutation1 the ,athanasian creed  
must stand eternally unconfuted4        
,plausible falsehood1 however ingenious1
 may be stripped of its  sophistries1   
but there is a certain degree of wild   
fabrication which may  challenge all the
 efforts of philosophers and logicians1 
yet remain as  firm as before in the    
bulwarks of its impenetrable nonsense4  
,it may be  truly said that these are   
things on which we cannot reason2 most  
certainly they are1 for they subvert at 
once all possible principles of  reason 
and of truth4 ,but the climax of these  

astounding marvels is1 that  we are     
assured that if we do not hold this     
,catholic faith1 8without  doubt we     
shall perish everlastingly40 ,and this  
precious document1 this  compilation of 
monkish mysteries and scholastic jargon1
 is set forth as  the accurate          
definition of the ,christian faith--the 
test of saving belief  or of damnable   
heresy2 this production of crazy or     
crafty churchmen1  this concentration of
 hoary absurdities1 of bewildered       
metaphysics1 and  of savage bigotries1  
presumes to utter the judgment of ,god1 
and to  launch the thunder of the skies4
 ,beginning with the pride of           
infallibility1 it closes consistently   
with a sentence of perdition2 and  for  
this there is pleaded the language of   
the gospel--language evidently          
misinterpreted1 as any language must be 
which would identify the spirit  of     
,christ with the spirit of ,athanasius4 
,so on the ground of two false          
assumptions1 those who pride themselves 

in this ,athanasian orthodoxy are       
privileged to denounce with a safe and  
quiet conscience perdition on  their    
heretical brethren4 ,first1 it is       
assumed that when the gospel  says1 8,he
 that believeth not10 it must mean1 he  
that believeth not the  three creeds2   
and1 secondly1 it is assumed that when  
the gospel says1  8,he that believeth   
not shall be condemned10 the            
condemnation implied is  everlasting    
destruction4 ,this is in the genuine    
spirit of ,church and  ,creed           
,christianity1 fencing in a little and a
 barren paradise with the  brambles and 
the briars of theological definitions1  
making holiness and  virtue dependent on
 ecclesiastical syllogisms1 and shutting
 out all from  heaven who may be        
compelled to disagree with the doctors  
of ,nice1 or the  compilers of our      
,english liturgy1 who hold the faith of 
,milton and  ,locke1 but cannot be      
convinced by ,bull1 ,waterland1 or      
,sherlocke4 ,creeds  pronounce          

perdition1 and ,churches hold up        
,creeds2 and ministers come  forth to   
magnify the glory of these ,churches and
 to maintain the verity  of these       
,creeds2 but men of meek tempers and    
tolerant hearts seem half  ashamed of   
their work1 and in the effort to soften 
dogmatical ferocity1  make a vain effort
 at compromise between their consistency
 and their  charity4 ,it is all         
fruitless3 the dark and damning         
malediction is  written on these ,creeds
 with a pen of adamant2 the preacher's  
feelings  are of no avail1 and he is    
commanded by his system to proclaim them
  aloud and afar--to hold them as       
warrants of eternal death to all who    
gainsay or deny them4 ,at the best1     
orthodox charity1 after all  admissions1
 can only embrace different shades of   
,trinitarians2  ,unitarians must still  
remain outside the pale of hope2 if     
therefore  condemned we must be1 it is  
of but small importance in what form or 
on  what theory4 ,to those who are to   

enter the regions of the lost for ever1 
questions on essences and persons1 with 
many other most grave  disquisitions1   
can signify but little2 nor can much    
consolation be  derived from the        
reflection1 that but a hair's breadth   
from the  ,unitarian heresy1 theology by
 evasions and distinction might have    
given  us a refuge in the doctrine of   
,sabellianism4 ,we are1 however1 most   
gravely told that he who receives not   
the ,athanasian ,creed1 cannot be       
saved--a ,creed at which reason1 as it  
was well said1 stands aghast1 and       
,faith itself is half confounded2 a     
,creed1 of which it was better said1    
that it is alike contrary to common     
sense1 to common arithmetic1 and to     
common charity4    ,were the exposure of
 the ,athanasian formulary the design of
 this  ,lecture1 ,i should feel that ,i 
had undertaken a very needless and a    
very  presumptuous task1 needless1      
because in this age there are few that  
attach any importance to it2            

presumptuous1 because1 if minds are not 
affected by its self-confutation1 ,i    
have not the vanity to pretend to  any  
arguments which could shake their       
convictions4 ,but one can scarcely      
suppress a feeling of sorrow and        
surprise at seeing this document        
dragged out for defence in the          
nineteenth century2 this mixture of     
monkish metaphysics and scholastic      
bigotry1 a production which  multitudes 
of the orthodox themselves conspire to  
repudiate1 and of  which many of the    
best and highest minds in the ,church of
 ,england have  been most heartily      
ashamed--of which they desire to be well
 rid4 ,were the  defence of such a creed
 to be taken as a true sign of the      
times1 there  would be cause indeed for 
pain to think that we had been rolled   
back  again into the dark ages2 but it  
is not so2 such things are rather marks 
that show us how far the advancing tide 
has moved beyond them4 ,in the  course  
of the present ,lecture ,i desire it to 

be distinctly understood1  that ,i      
oppose creeds in their very principle3  
it is not alone such as ,i  think false1
 but though ,i believed them true1 ,i   
would yet oppose their  use4 ,my        
opposition is directed against the      
spirit of creeds1 and if my  own        
opinions were attempted to be forced in 
that form1 my opposition  would be the  
same4 ,i am in this place to maintain a 
principle1 the  principle of            
intellectual1 moral1 and ,christian     
freedom1 and because  creeds1 as ,i     
think1 are at variance with this1 ,i    
denounce them4 ,i intend  nothing       
against individual professors4 ,if ,i   
should give them offence1 ,i  have no   
wrong motive with which to charge       
myself1 and must attribute it  to the   
necessity of plain speaking on a subject
 by no means agreeable2  but whether    
pleasant or not1 ,i have a duty to      
perform1 and ,i must as far  as my power
 goes1 endeavour to do it honestly and  
faithfully4    ,the title of this       

,lecture is1 that creeds are the foes of
 heavenly  faith1 and the allies of     
worldly policy4 ,it is my object to show
 that  this accusation is not lightly or
 unjustly advanced2 and in making good  
this two-fold charge1 the greatest      
perplexity which attends it1 is the     
multifarious and abundant evidence      
whereby it can be established4    ,i4 ,i
 proceed first to prove them the foes of
 heavenly faith4    ,creeds disqualify  
the mind for the pursuit of truth4 ,this
 is my first  assertion1 and ,i shall   
establish its correctness in several    
particulars4  ,creeds generate mental   
apathy and mental dependence1 and this  
is fatal  in the very outset4 ,to a     
spirit of inquiry there is needed an    
impulsive  intellectual activity1 and to
 this activity there is needed a desire 
for  the thing to be attained1 and a    
sense of its importance4 ,there is no   
labour without motive1 and if in        
religious belief1 the creed has defined 
before-hand all that is necessary for my

 salvation1 ,i have no necessity  to    
take any more trouble in the matter4 ,if
 ,i am to rest on authority at  last1 it
 is just as well for me to be satisfied 
with it at first--if  after toilsome    
inquiry1 at the peril of my soul's      
eternal peace1 the  dogmas of the creed 
are those to which my conclusions must  
return1 ,i had  better be at once       
content--if ,i must believe as the      
,church believes1 if ,i  must believe as
 the ,creed says ,i should believe1 if  
,i must believe as  the priest declares 
my hope of heaven requires1 if after    
criticism and  research1 long and       
patient1 ,i must arrive at but one      
exposition of the  ,bible1 it is but    
wisdom to spare myself from such a      
pressure of useless  labour4 ,but       
indolence in this case is not merely    
allowable1 it is1 in  fact1 the safest4 
,if to doubt be danger1 and if to       
disbelieve be sin1  then the curiosity  
which stimulates examination may lead me
 into ruin1  whilst implicit submission1

 that receives all and questions        
nothing1 is  a condition of peaceful    
security4 ,the incitements to mental    
labour are  analogous to those to any   
other sort of labour2 it is that one    
shall be  the richer and the better for 
it1 and that what he acquires he may    
justly possess4 ,but1 if by independent 
inquiry ,i may become morally  poorer   
and spiritually worse1 if ,i shall have 
no right to my own  thoughts1 and must  
be despoiled of my convictions1 or      
punished for them1  when ,i have worked 
them out with the struggle of every     
faculty1 it is  exceeding folly to risk 
the misery and irritation of being torn 
between  my opinion and my creed1       
conscience forcing me to acquiesce1 and 
reason  compelling me to doubt4 ,this   
view is no supposition2 it is fact4     
,submission to ,creeds and ,churches1 is
 the true cause of that wide spread     
moral torpor in every country where     
,creeds and ,churches have dominion4    
,there is nothing so rare as            

intelligent1 independent religious      
conviction2 and how can it be otherwise1
 when each leans upon his  priest1 and  
the priest gives him ready-made         
opinions1 as they were  formed a        
thousand years ago4 ,there is a general 
and profound ignorance  of the sources  
of opinion1 the history of opinion1 of  
the philosophy of  opinion1 and of the  
,bible1 both in its letter and in its   
spirit4 ,speak  to multitudes of        
religion1 in any broad or liberal sense1
 and it seems  to them as if it were an 
unknown tongue4 ,to have any chance of  
attention1 you must use terms which     
,creeds have sanctified1 you must       
address them in traditionary phrases1   
which have the sectarian or  sacerdotal 
currency4 ,this never could have been   
had religion been  recommended as a     
subject of individual and independent   
study1 leaving  the mind free1 both in  
its pursuit and its conclusion4 ,that ,i
 have  stated nothing but what fact     
justifies1 ,i may appeal to any one who 

has  considered the religious condition 
of this country1 or of ,europe          
generally1 and considered it in every   
rank of society4 ,i speak not of  the   
,spaniard1 who has not yet rid himself  
from the palsy of the  ,inquisition1 who
 can go from the prostration of the     
confessional to  scenes of the wildest  
crime2 ,i speak not of the ,italian1    
that compound  of profaneness and       
credulity1 of sin and devotion1 who can 
bow before an  image1 and with the same 
hand cross himself1 by which a minute   
before he  plunged his stiletto in his  
fellow-creature's heart4 ,i speak not of
 our  own peasantry1 who ,sunday after  
,sunday1 walk statedly to church or     
chapel1 and know little more than that  
they went there and came back  again2 ,i
 speak not of the fashionable wealthy1  
who1 on this point1 are  commonly as    
ignorant as the boor1 and choose        
religion as they choose  every thing    
else1 as it happens to be the mode2 ,i  
pass these by1 because  it may be said1 

that pleasure and gaiety leave them no  
time for study2  but ,i will refer to   
multitudes who are esteemed devout and  
serious  ,christians1 whose minds       
passively receive the mould of their    
teachers1  and to whom religion never   
presents itself as a system of various  
thought and of independent examination4 
,now1 this ignorant apathy has  bad     
effects1 which are not merely negative2 
and at the risk of  anticipating1 ,i    
will allude in a few words to one or two
 of them3 it  gives stability to every  
error and corruption1 and holds to them 
with an  obstinacy1 against which wisdom
 has no power2 it is the very soil in   
which priestcraft grows darkest and     
foulest2 and the hierarchy in any  age  
or country has never risen to its full  
stature of lordliness1 until  the people
 have lain lowest in torpid submission4 
,and1 in addition to  this1 there is no 
uncharitableness so inveterate1 there is
 no bigotry so  intolerant1 as that     
which this species of character matures1

 for as it  is unable to comprehend an  
opposite opinion1 it is equally         
inadequate  and unwilling to weigh the  
arguments in its favour1 or to estimate 
the  evidence on which it is maintained4
 ,having no conception of independence  
itself1 independence in another appears 
presumption1 if not something  worse1   
and never having imagined that other    
opinions could possibly be  true except 
its own1 to hold any different could    
only be explained by  supposing a want  
of honesty or a want of grace4    ,i    
might dwell upon the fear by which      
,creeds paralyse the faculties of  weak 
or sensitive natures1 by which they     
deprive them of all power for  calm and 
deliberate examination1 by the fear of  
being excluded from  their ,church1 by  
the fear of being discarded by their    
friends1 by the  fear of being cast into
 hell1 above all these1 by the fear of  
losing the  favour of ,god1 and the     
friendship of ,jesus1 and with right and
 true  minds1 this is the greatest of   

all fears4 ,in the midst of so many     
terrors1 it is too much to expect that  
our weak humanity could be  calm1--that 
it could look with unmoved heart at the 
appalling indications  of so many and   
dire threatenings1 it is like examining 
a man on the  terms of his faith1 while 
the officials of persecution are        
arranging the  faggots or putting screws
 in the rack4 ,from this topic1         
disagreeable in  any shape1 ,i pass on1 
and assert1 that ,creeds are enemies to 
truth1  because1 by preconception and   
prejudice1 they disqualify the mind to  
seek or apprehend it4 ,this is my       
second1 and in this section1 my last    
position4    ,the statement of the      
,church of ,england respecting the three
 ,creeds1 is  this3 that they 8ought    
thoroughly to be received and believed1 
for they  may be proved by most certain 
warrants of ,holy ,scripture40#edj ,the 
,catholic doctrine1 with equal decision1
 asserts that the ,infallibility  of the
 ,romish ,church may also be proved by  

most certain warrants of ,holy          
,scripture4 ,suppose then a ,church of  
,england ,christian with the ,bible     
before him2 he has been previously      
indoctrinated in the three ,creeds1  and
 these ideas pre-occupying his mind will
 so far influence his  interpretation4  
,suppose a ,roman ,catholic in a like   
position2 he has ever  present to his   
mind the ,infallibility of his ,church1 
and her decisions  must be the limits of
 his conclusions4 ,intellectually or    
morally1 no  position can be conceived  
worse than this for the pursuit or      
discovery  of truth4 ,the mind is       
biassed from the first2 its calmness and
 its  candour are subverted1 and it is  
no longer a judge1 but a partizan2 it   
is not to decide on evidence1 but1 7to  
use a legal term7 to act on the         
instruction of its brief4 ,that ,creeds 
have the tendency to distort and  fetter
 the intellectual workings of the mind1 
we know from the fact1 too  palpable to 
need proof1 that ,theologians have      

always been the most  obstinate in      
resisting the discoveries of science1   
and ever the last to  yield4 ,astronomy1
 in its glimmerings of scientific truth1
 was once  ,church heresy4 ,a ,father of
 the ,church1 as it is well known1 had  
denounced that man as infidel and       
profane who should dare to assert that  
the earth moved round the sun1 and not  
the sun round the earth4 ,on the  other 
side of this controversy1 we have been  
told that the arts and  sciences have   
their compendiums as well as religion4  
,it was a most  unfortunate analogy2 for
 how would it have been now with art and
  science1 had ,astronomy been made a   
,creed at the ,council of ,nice1 and a  
confession on ,chemistry been compiled  
by the ,westminster divines4  ,galileo  
was pronounced a heretic2 and the early 
,chemists laboured under  strong        
suspicion of witchcraft4 ,had we been   
bound in ,astronomy as we are  in       
,theology1 ,joshua should be our        
authority1 decisive and irrevocable1    

and the calculations of ,newton and     
,laplace should be placed in the index  
expurgatorius of ,ecclesiastical        
dogmatism4 ,even ,luther himself1 the   
author of the greatest of moral         
revolutions since ,christianity1 smiled 
at the idea that the earth should move  
round the sun1 and said1 8that          
according to ,holy ,scripture1 ,joshua  
commanded the earth to stand still1  and
 not the sun40#eda ,had not the         
progressive energy of human intellect   
been stronger1 in what a position should
 we yet have been as to the true        
principles of the construction and      
motion of the universe8 ,geology as  yet
 is a scientific heresy2 and1 to avoid  
the stigma1 orthodox  ,geologists have  
been driven into all modes of eccentric 
explanation1  some to disjoin the first 
verse of ,genesis from all that follows1
 and  others to the supposition that a  
day may mean a thousand years1 or if    
the speculator needs it1 ten thousand or
 a million4 ,the intellectual           

immorality thus occasioned1 it is not   
possible to estimate2 for it is a       
coarse view of sin to place it          
altogether in the misdirection of the   
passions3 certainly1 the sins which ever
 afflicted mankind most1 were  the moral
 perversions of the intellect4 ,and this
 may be at once  conceived if we have   
read the history of the ,church1 and are
 able to  take a calm and impartial     
review of its cabals and controversies4 
,i will  not mention here the loss of   
kindly affections1 the loss of charity1 
the  loss of peace2 ,i merely allude to 
the immense intellectual waste which    
has been occasioned by men setting out  
on their inquiries with a  foregone     
conclusion4 ,i shall say nothing on the 
tomes1 enough to make a  library as     
great as that the ,turkish soldier      
burned1 which have been  written to     
defend the ,trinity--,i take an example 
to ,protestants more  grateful--,i mean1
 transubstantiation4 ,what was it that  
for centuries  perpetuated a false and  

absurd philosophy in ,europe8 ,what was 
it that  made ,aristotle the supreme    
ruler of the ,christian ,church--not    
,aristotle1  as he was1 the philosoper1 
but as ,churchmen used him1 a verbal    
quibbler--was it not for the purpose of 
constructing syllogisms with  orthodox  
exactness1 and by theories on essences1 
species1 forms1 and so  forth1 to make  
it evident that under the appearance of 
bread and wine1  the very ,god who      
created the heavens and the earth1 and  
the very man  ,christ ,jesus who died on
 ,calvary1 were virtually present8 ,go  
into any  great library1 and on this    
subject alone you may find volumes of   
which  the very names are too many for  
memory4 ,yet1 in these there is         
abundance  of talent1 of subtlety1 and  
of acuteness--all in the travail to     
sustain a  theory4 ,no one can deny1 no 
one will1 who knows how equally the     
,creator  scatters his gifts1 that minds
 of the very highest order were amongst 
the schoolmen2 yet all these magnificent

 powers were expended to sustain  one or
 two absurd positions1 enslaving their  
own intellect1 and by their  authority  
and their influence1 enslaving the      
intellect of ,christendom2  and1 from   
the reformation to this hour1 there have
 been the same waste  and perversion of 
thought4 ,just consider what tortuous   
logic1 what  wire-drawing ingenuity have
 been exercised to defend guilt by      
imputation1 and righteousness by        
imputation--absurdities as great        
morally1 as transubstantiation is       
intellectually4 ,this is the work of    
,creeds4    ,dissenters are sometimes   
taunted with want of scholarship4 ,the  
taunt may  have foundation in fact2     
perhaps it has1 but on what are we to   
place the  blame8 ,dissenters1 we       
presume1 have a measure of intellect on 
the  average of other men1 and are      
gifted with as many mental faculties as 
those who subscribe the articles of our 
,national ,church4 ,god does not        
distribute his blessings on the ground  

of subscription1 however  ,universities 
may4 ,the gifts of mind are equal and   
bountiful like the  beneficence of      
creation4 ,the same full hand that      
showers sunlight over  hill and valley1 
that opens fountains in the rocks1 and  
sows the  wilderness with flowers1      
without reference to ,sect or ,church1  
impregnates all understandings with the 
elements of thought1 and all  fancies   
with the germs of beauty4 ,the          
,dissenter1 as the ,churchman1 hath     
eyes1 hands1 organs1 dimensions1 senses1
 affections4 ,if then this fair  portion
 of our ,maker's mercy be equally given1
 whence are we to trace  the want of its
 proper cultivation8 ,if the orthodox   
close the  ,universities against us by  
,creeds1 draw fast the iron bolt by an  
iron  theology1 take away the key of    
knowledge1 and repulse those that with  
all their hearts would enter1 place     
before us tests which1 if stupid        
enough1 we might subscribe without      
understanding1 and if dishonest  enough 

we might subscribe without believing1   
but1 candidly confessing we  neither    
understand them nor believe them1       
therefore refuse to sign  them1--where  
then is the magnanimity or the          
generosity which throws in  our teeth1  
though it were true1 that we have not   
the science of  ,cambridge1 or the      
classicality of ,oxford4 ,yet1 despite  
of all  restrictions1 ,dissent has had a
 goodly number of noble and cultured    
minds--minds able and honest1 which1 in 
the hour of need1 even the ,church      
herself was not ashamed to acknowledge1 
or ashamed to use4    ,creeds act as    
mighty temptations1--as the very ,satans
 of theology2--and  they are not        
temptations to the covetous and         
ambitious only1 but also to  the weak   
and good4 ,when sects and ,creeds are   
the standards of  preferment1 those with
 whom preferment is the great object1   
are made to  add the sin of             
sanctimonious hypocrisy to that of      
,ecclesiastical  covetousness and       

,ecclesiastical ambition4 ,but there are
 others good in  their own hearts1 yet  
not mighty enough to be martyrs1 whom   
,creeds keep  in a whole life of agony4 
,there are those who entered a religious
  community1 believing its opinions most
 enthusiastically1 who1 by the  further 
progress of intellect or judgment1 may  
be brought to doubt or  deny them4 ,they
 are then driven to a desperate         
alternative1 either to  belie their     
conscience1 or to do violence to their  
hearts4 ,take the case  of many of the  
curates and incumbents of the ,church of
 ,england4 ,suppose1  that on receiving 
orders they assented to all the bishop  
or the ,church  prescribed1 but that    
after years of thinking they were       
compelled to  disbelieve the ,athanasian
 ,creed4 ,they are then periodically    
reading1  with the most serious tones1  
and from the most solemn place1 a       
statement  of doctrine which they       
conceive in their souls to be hideous   
and false1  reading it as the conviction

 of their own judgments1 and as that    
which  ought to be the saving faith of  
all men4 ,if the conscience is not      
utterly hacknied1 if the religious      
sensibilities are not torn out from  the
 heart1 this must be continually as the 
torture of the rack4 ,like all  human   
faculties1 conscience has a limit2      
beyond a certain point it can  endure no
 more1 and so when bigoted exaction has 
stretched it to the  last1 it must      
revolt or expire4 ,the alternative in   
the end is1 moral  apathy or theological
 rebellion--a quiescent hypocrisy1 or an
 open  opposition4 ,but few can brave   
the contest1 and they have no refuge    
except a tacit and unwilling submission4
 ,honest men1 it may be said1  when they
 ceased to believe the doctrines they   
solemnly affirmed1 would  renounce them 
with a denial as public as their        
profession4 ,it is easy to  say this1   
but1 even for honest men1 it is         
sometimes hard to do it4 ,in  the       
clerical order especially there are     

numbers1 whose position has been        
attained by long study and weary        
toil--whose very means of life--not to  
speak of their station and their        
friendships--hang upon adherence to the 
,creed of their ,church4 ,what are these
 men to do8 ,to dig they are not  able1 
and to beg they are ashamed4 ,yet ,i can
 easily conceive that many  could       
abandon rank and friendship1 and count  
them light1 in comparison  with their   
faith1 to conscience1 that they could   
take a cell in the  wilderness for their
 dwelling1 quench their thirst at the   
running  stream1 and seek their food on 
the briar and the bramble1 sooner than  
be  false to their convictions1 and do  
dishonour to the integrity of their     
souls4 ,but it may be1 that others with 
themselves are to suffer1--those  whose 
lives are bound up in their             
lives1--those to whom they are the only 
earthly support and refuge1 the wife1   
the child1 the aged father1 or the      
widowed mother1--whom to cast on the    

friendless world1 were worse than a     
thousand martyrdoms4 ,think1 then1 of   
the poor curate of the ,church of       
,england1 or the humble incumbent1 who  
has grown long into life1 with  claims  
most pressing multiplying around        
him--one who once out of his  pulpit    
knows not where to turn for the bread   
which his children  crave--and we cannot
 judge harshly or uncharitably1 if the  
power of his  affections is too strong  
for the stern demands of duty4 ,i know  
there  have been those who could commit 
father1 and mother1 and wife1 and       
children1 to that good ,provider who    
feedeth the raven and sheltereth the    
nest of the sparrow2 who could speak the
 truth and take the  consequences2--,i  
trust there are those yet in the world  
who could do the  same2 but in this or  
any other age1 martyrs must be few1 and 
the spirit  of martyrdom rare4 ,we blame
 not too severely those who have not the
  highest courage of religious heroism1 
but we may condemn with honest          

indignation those institutions that by  
fencing their position with  ,creeds and
 ,articles1 compel them to be           
hypocrites4 ,i do not apply these       
assertions to members or ministers of   
the ,church of ,england1 or other       
,churches1 individually1 but any one who
 has studied the history of  religion1  
or watched the tendency of institutions1
 knows that in the  ,english            
,establishment1 in the ,romish1 in all  
establishments that have  been narrowly 
restrictive1 the hypocrisy of ambition1 
or the hypocrisy  of fear1 has been     
deeply and abundantly nourished4    ,the
 ,church does not deny a small amount of
 liberty--no ,church can1--it  will     
therefore allow you to read the ,bible1 
if you desire it1 but you  must find    
nothing therein but what the ,church    
proposes4 ,in the study of  the ,sacred 
text1 you must have always before your  
eyes the three ,creeds  and the         
thirty-nine ,articles2 find what these  
prescribe1 and it is all  the better for

 your peace and comfort2 miss them1 and 
you are open to  social and spiritual   
condemnation4 ,churches which dictate   
creeds1 use  words without meaning1 when
 they say1 that you may read the ,bible1
 for  they tell you also1 at the        
commencement1 what you ought to find in 
the  ,bible4 ,i shall give an           
illustration here of my meaning1 by an  
extract  from one of the ,oxford ,tract 
writers3--,i know well that some object 
to  these writers1 but so far as ,i have
 been able to study the subject--and ,i 
have read1 attentively or casually1 the 
whole of what are called the  ,oxford   
,tracts1--,i think their statements and 
their doctrines are entirely  in the    
spirit of their system1 and in most     
exact consistency with their            
asseverations and their ,creed4 ,there  
is no medium2 we require an  infallible 
tribunal1 or we must have a free        
judgment2 but the  authorities of the   
,english ,establishment will give us    
neither2 for with  that we must         

encounter the twofold endurance of an   
erring ,church and an  enslaved         
understanding4 ,i think1 therefore1 the 
,oxford doctors in most  perfect        
consistency with their profession2 and  
thus believing1 ,i quote  the following 
passage1 illustrative of these writers1 
and of the spirit  of ,ecclesiastical   
authority in general4 ,it is a portion  
of a dialogue  between a minister and   
his parishioner4 ,not to spoil the      
dramatic effect  of it1 ,i shall give   
you a little more than absolutely       
belongs to my  subject4 ,thus speaks the
 ,parishioner to the ,pastor3--8,my good
 mother1  said he1 not long before her  
death1 said to me very earnestly1 ,my   
dear  ,richard1 observe my words3 never 
dare to trifle with ,god ,almighty4 ,by 
this ,i understood her to mean1 that in 
all religious actions we ought to  be   
very awful1 and seek nothing but what is
 right and true4 ,and ,i knew  she had  
always disapproved of people's saying1  
as they commonly do1 that  it little    

matters what a man's religion is1 if he 
is but sincere1 and  that one opinion1  
or one place of worship1 is as good as  
another4 ,to  say1 or think1 or act so1 
she used to call #8trifling with ,god's 
truth2'  and do you not think so1       
7addressing himself to me17 that she was
 right8    8,indeed ,i do1 said ,i4     
8,and1 he said1 ,i was very much        
confirmed in these opinions by          
constantly  reading a very wise1 and as 
,i may say to you1 a precious book1     
which a  gentleman gave me some years   
ago1 whom ,i met by chance as ,i was    
going to  see my father1 in the         
infirmary4 ,it is called1 #8,a          
,selection from ,bishop  ,wilson's      
,works1' and there are many places which
 show what his opinions  were on this   
subject1 and ,i suppose1 ,sir1 there can
 be no doubt1 that  ,bishop ,wilson was 
a man of extraordinary wisdom and piety4
 ,then1 after a  slight remark from his 
interlocutor1 he observes1 ,and what    
,bishop ,wilson  says is this1 or to    

this effect1 that to reject the         
government of  bishops is to reject the 
ordinance of ,god4 ,having mentioned    
some  controversy he had with a         
,dissenter1 he observes1 it seemed to me
 7and ,i  told the man so17 like going  
round and round in a wheel1 to say1 that
 if  he is ,god's minister1 he preaches 
what is good1 and if he preaches what   
is good1 he is ,god's minister2 for     
still the question would be1 what is    
right or good8 ,and some would say one  
thing1 and some another2 and some  would
 say1 there is nothing good or right in 
itself1 but only as it  seems most      
expedient to every person for the time  
being4 ,so1 for my own  satisfaction1   
and hoping for ,god's blessing on my    
future endeavours1 ,i  resolved to      
search the matter out for myself1 as    
well as ,i could4 ,my  plan was this3   
,first to see what was said on the      
subject in the ,church  ,prayer ,book1  
and then to compare this with the       
,scriptures4 ,if1 after  all1 ,i could  

not satisfy myself1 ,i should have taken
 the liberty of  consulting you1 ,sir1  
c4 ,yours1 replied this ,rev4 instructor
 to his  prudent catechuman1 was a good 
plan40    ,this passage contains the    
whole spirit of ,creeds and ,churches4  
,take the  ,prayer ,book with you1 keep 
the fear of the bishop before your eyes1
 and  walk reverently in the way of the 
,articles4 ,then read the ,scriptures if
  you will1 but read them to show that  
all this is ,holy ,writ4    ,creeds are1
 further1 at enmity with truth1 because 
they resist its  development1 and       
embarrass its progression4 ,the world   
could never have  advanced beyond a     
fixed point1 had it been governed by    
,churchmen1 in the  true ,church spirit4
 ,for what is it that ,creed-makers so  
insanely  attempt8 ,they attempt what is
 alike inconsistent with the glory of   
truth  and the nature of man4 ,truth is 
infinite1 like its author1 and they     
would confine it within the limits of   
the ,nicene and ,athanasian             

formularies4 ,truth is eternal and      
progressive1 but ,creeds would swear us 
to the worst barbarisms of the worst    
ages4 ,truth is discovered and  carried 
onward by the independent working of    
free and various minds1 but  ,creeds    
would reduce all to an apathetic        
uniformity2 and had not truth  been     
greater than ,creeds1 all that has been 
done for religion and  science1 would   
now be in eternal silence4 ,creeds not  
only thus retard  the progress of       
,truth1 by the sanction of authority1 by
 the influence of  prejudice1 by the    
tenacity of habit2 but give errors all  
but  immortality4 ,creeds are foes to   
whatever is most heavenly in our nature2
  to conscience1 in its rectitude1 and  
to charity in its gentleness2 to        
conscience by an utter perversion of the
 moral sense1 making that to be  guilt  
which is not guilt1 and giving merit to 
that which deserves none1  making it    
righteous to believe one proposition1   
and sinful to doubt  another1 thus      

creating a factitious vice1 and as often
 denying the  evidence of real virtue2  
to charity1 also1 ,creeds1 ,i have said1
 are  foes1 and such they are by bitter 
exclusiveness1 by wrong terms of        
communion and brotherhood1 by           
dissension1 by enmities and contentions1
  and by hatred in all its most odious  
shapes4    ,creeds have failed in all   
the objects for which it is pretended   
they  were made1 and they have          
infinitely multiplied the evils against 
which  it is pretended they are the     
guards4 ,they are needful1 it is said1  
for  the preservation of the ,faith1 and
 instead of preserving the ,faith1 they 
have provoked the wildest unbelief2 they
 are required1 it is argued1 as  bonds  
of unity1 and instead of this they have 
bred divisions and  heresies without    
number2 they are means1 some will go so 
far as to say1  of maintaining          
,christian peace1 and instead of this   
they have rioted in  wars and           
persecutions the most inhuman and the   

most sanguinary4 ,the  history of       
religion shows that unbelief is never so
 prevalent as when  the ,creed is most  
rigid4 ,the countries and the times in  
which  ,theological ingenuity left least
 scope for the free play of intellect1  
have always been the country and times1 
when1 under the outward guise of  a     
uniform faith1 there has been the most  
absolute contempt for the  popular      
religion1 as well as for ,christianity  
in general4 ,for the proof  of this need
 ,i refer to the ,french ,church1 and   
the withering scepticism  which it      
nurtured2 the ,spanish ,church2 the     
,italian ,church2 and to  sustain the   
same principle we might likewise        
accumulate heaps of  evidence from the  
,protestant ,churches4 ,as to heresies1 
the case is still  more clear4 ,one     
heresy may have called forth a ,creed1  
but one ,creed has  produced a thousand 
heresies2 and ,creed-makers1 when they  
imagined their  work complete1 to their 
sorrow have found it was but merely     

commenced4  ,the history of heresies    
would be at once humiliating and        
instructive4 ,in  all varieties we have 
them on every point in religion1 and on 
all that  has connection with it2 on the
 nature of ,god4 ,men not satisfied with
 a  simple trust1 must speculate on the 
,divine ,being--must ascertain whether  
he was essentially one1 or numerically  
divided2 ,churchmen must define1  and   
after much labour we have such a        
document as the ,athanasian ,creed1  and
 such a doctrine as the ,athanasian     
,trinity4 ,on the nature of ,christ1  we
 have the same subtleizing process2 we  
are tossed between ,arius and           
,athanasius1 and having got clear of    
these1 we are again to be bandied       
between ,nestorius and ,eutychus1 and to
 determine whether ,christ's  godhead   
and manhood were so united as to make   
one nature1 or so divided  as to        
constitute two natures2 whether his     
divinity was not instead of a  human    
soul1 or in what relation his human soul

 stood to his divinity2  whether he had 
one will or two wills2 whether his death
 was a  substitution or not2 whether it 
was for the elect only1 or for the whole
  race of man universally4 ,on the      
,church2 what its constitution1 what its
  extent1 what its authority2 is it     
fallible or infallible2 and if          
infallible1 where does that             
infallibility rest2 in the ,pope1 in a  
,council1 in both together2 in a        
congregation1 or in every individual    
,christian8 ,on the ,sacraments2 are    
there two or seven2 what is their       
nature and efficacy2 does baptism       
cleanse from original sin1 or does it   
not2 is it necessary to salvation or    
not8 ,roman ,catholics affirm both1  and
 so do the ,oxford ,tract writers4 ,is  
it to be consequent on personal  belief 
or not2 is it to be administered to     
infants1 or to persons of  mature years1
 and to be by immersion or by           
sprinkling8 ,again1 we have a  whole    
crowd of divisions and heresies on the  

,lord's ,supper2 are the  elements      
actually changed into the substance of  
,christ1 or is ,christ  merely present  
along with them1 or is he spiritually1  
but not  personally1 present2 is it a   
rite mystically effective1 or is it     
merely  commemorative8 ,all these       
questions have been sources of endless  
division  of opinion2 even at the       
present hour1 the ,oxford divines teach 
a  doctrine concerning the ,eucharist1  
which it requires marvellous            
perspicacity to distinguish from        
transubstantiation1 while the           
,calvinistic evangelicals maintain views
 which might content the very  lowest   
sacramentarian4 ,but why speak of       
,creeds and ,articles as means of       
religious unity1 when the ,church of    
,england herself affords us the means   
of giving such assertion a flat denial8 
,within her pale1 she has had men  of   
all and opposite opinions--,arminian and
 ,calvinist1 ,unitarian and             
,tritheist--every possible hue that     

orthodoxy could assume4 ,paley smiles   
at the idea1 as one of most grotesque   
absurdity1 that men should be  thought  
to believe the articles they sign2 they 
are1 according to his  morality1 mere   
articles of peace1 intended to exclude  
no one but ,papists  and ,anabaptists4  
,if this be true1 a man might1 as an    
able writer on  non-conformity says1    
take a benefice with a good conscience  
from the  ,grand ,turk4 ,nay1 not to    
speak of believing the ,articles1 we    
have heard  it asserted1 in connection  
with the ,universities1 that the        
youthful  subscribers are not supposed  
to understand them1 or in some cases    
even  to have read them4 ,the ,church of
 ,england is perhaps wise in not pushing
  matters too far1 for in her former    
efforts to force uniformity1 she lost   
the best of her sons by thousands2 an   
event that she has cause to regret  to  
the latest hour of her existence1 and   
for which ,america should bless  her for
 ever4 ,the distinction between         

essentials and non-essentials1 is  one  
of the most quibbling of ,theological   
vanities4 ,every one knows that  each   
sect has its essentials and             
non-essentials1 according to the        
compass of its ,creed1 some many and    
some few3 with the ,roman ,catholic1    
,transubstantiation is as essential as  
the ,trinity2 he condemns the  orthodox 
,protestant to perdition for not holding
 one as well as the  other1 whilst both 
combine to pass sentence on the         
unfortunate ,unitarian  who can receive 
neither4 ,again1 ,i assert the          
distinction is petty and  quibbling1 for
 who is to fix it1 where is it to stop2 
who is to decide  it1 and what are to be
 grounds of the decision8 ,all things   
are important  to us1 as they bear      
relation to our conscience or our       
convictions2 one  man eateth only herbs1
 another eateth all things2 one man     
esteemeth one  day above another1       
another esteemeth every day alike3 let  
every man be  persuaded in his own mind2

 that is the ,apostle's view of the     
subject1  and that is the true1 the     
safe1 the charitable one4 ,protestantism
 has  not lessened or softened the      
number or the inveteracy of religious   
divisions infinitely more perplexed than
 ,romanism in her views of  religious   
authority1 she has given importance to  
doctrines which the  ,church under that 
system scarcely noticed3 such as grace1 
predestination1 and other similar       
disputed theories3 thus the sting of    
controversy has been added to topics    
that were before sufficiently  repulsive
 in their dry and technical             
abstruseness4 ,but it is pitiful1 it  is
 humiliating1 not merely to our common  
,christianity1 but to our common  human 
nature1 to see the arrogant assumption  
with which puny men decree  what their  
brothers are to believe1 now and in all 
future times1 tying  down the mind that 
should be free as heaven1 as it is as   
progressive as  it is eternal3 putting  
themselves on the throne of ,god1 and   

dealing  judgment where he deals mercy4 
,the minuteness of theological          
definition  has surpassed all other     
efforts of human ingenuity1 but it has  
not alone  deadened the freedom of      
intellect1 but also injured its honesty4
 ,on the  ,trinity1 more especially1    
heresy has ever been treading closely on
  orthodoxy1 8until1 after revolving    
round the theological circle10 as       
,gibbon says1 8we are surprised to find 
that the ,sabellian ends where the      
,ebionite had began40 ,each theological 
speculator has his own ,trinity1  his   
own exposition of the ,athanasian       
mystery1 until amidst the whirl of      
dogmatical contradictions1 the mind     
grows giddy1 and knows not where to     
rest4 ,the ,church of ,england1 as ,i   
have observed before1 has all systems   
between the extremes of ,sherlock's     
,tritheism and ,south's ,sabellianism3  
between the three infinite minds of the 
one1 and the three somewhats  of the    
other4 ,the ancient ,christians afforded

 full occasion for the  caustic         
description which ,gibbon gives of their
 disputes1 and the modern  ,christians  
have not grown wiser1 or learned better4
 8,the ,greek word0 he  says1 8which was
 chosen to represent this mysterious    
resemblance1 bears  so close an affinity
 to the orthodox symbol1 that the       
profane of every  age derided the       
furious contests which the difference of
 a single  diphthong excited between the
 ,homoousians and the ,homoisians4 ,as  
it  frequently happens that sounds and  
characters which approach nearest  each 
other1 accidentally represent the most  
opposite ideas1 the  observation would  
be itself ridiculous1 if it were        
possible to mark any  sensible          
difference between the doctrine of the  
,semiarians1 as they were  improperly   
styled1 and that of the ,catholics      
themselves4 ,the ,bishop of  ,poictiers1
 who in his ,phrygian exile1 very wisely
 aimed at a coalition  of parties1      
endeavours to prove1 that by a pious and

 faithful  interpretation1 the          
,homoousian may be reduced to a         
consubstantial sense4  ,yet he confesses
 that the word has a dark and suspicious
 aspect2 and1 as  if darkness were      
congenial to theological disputes1 8the 
,semiarians who  advanced to the doors  
of the ,church1 assailed them with the  
most  unrelenting fury40 ,if it be said1
 that the ,creeds are not the creators  
of divisions1 but that divisions are the
 creators of ,creeds1 ,i admit  that    
they act and react on each other4 ,if   
they create not the  differences which  
they make1 they give them all their     
bitterness4 ,if it  be said1 that       
independently of ,creeds1 there would   
still be endless  variety of private    
opinions1 ,i grant it2 ,i go further1   
and say1 it were  most desirable there  
should be such divisions4 ,it is ,creeds
 that  infuriate religion1 and turns    
dissent into dissension4 ,a man who felt
 he  could form his opinion in freedom1 
and hold it in peace1 would never       

persecute another2 would never hate     
another2 would never pretend  authority 
over another2 he would give the liberty 
he used4 ,it is the  authority which    
,creeds pretend1 that constitute one of 
their greatest  evils4 ,the ancient     
,church then had ,creeds in plenty1 but 
no unity2 the  ,reformed ,churches are  
in the same position4 ,if it be asserted
 they have  agreement in essentials1 ,i 
refer to what ,i have already said on   
this  point2 but if it be maintained    
that their difference is only in name1  
then1 ,i say1 the matter becomes worse1 
and plainly shows that ,creeds1  out of 
small disputes1 can cause gigantic      
evils4 ,nothing could be more  bitter   
than the ,sacramentarian ,controversy   
amongst the ,reformers2  nothing could  
be more vile than the language with     
which they assailed  each other2 nothing
 more furious than the invectives with  
which they  pelted one another4 ,each   
would fix on his opponent what he did   
not  believe himself2 and yet there     

occasionally peeps out a glimmer1 that  
they had some sense of their            
inconsistency4 8,it is of great         
importance10  says ,calvin1 in writing  
to ,melancthon1 0that the least         
suspicion of the  divisions that are    
among ourselves pass not to future ages2
 for it is  ridiculous beyond all things
 that can be imagined1 that after we    
have  broken off from the whole world1  
we should so little agree among         
ourselves since the beginning of the    
,reformation40 ,the charity of ,calvin  
was not equal to his discretion1 as we  
may see by this extract4    8,honour1   
glory1 and riches10 says he to the      
,marquis de ,pot1 8shall be  the reward 
of your pains2 but1 above all1 do not   
fail to rid the country  of those       
zealous scoundrels who stir up the      
people to revolt against us4  ,such     
monsters should be exterminated1 as ,i  
have exterminated ,michael  ,servetus1  
the ,spaniard40    ,in the same spirit  
is the language of ,austin1 who was     

,calvin's master1  not only in his      
doctrine1 but also in his zeal4 8,o1 you
 ,arian heretic10  he says1 8the thief  
knew him when he hung upon the cross2   
the ,jews  feared him when he rose from 
the dead2 and you treat him with        
contempt1  now he is reigning in heaven4
 ,take care1 beloved1 of the ,arian     
pestilence60 7,quoted from ,robinson's  
,ecclesiastical ,researches1 pp4  #cdh1 
and #aha47    ,division and heresy are1 
in truth1 innumerable1 and the ideas of 
stemming them by ,creeds1 is to imitate 
the peasant standing on the  river's    
bank1 and waiting until it should have  
all flowed by4 8,one  doctor of the     
,lutheran ,church10 says ,robert        
,robinson1 of ,cambridge1  8hath given a
 comment on heresy and schism1 and hath 
inserted no less  than six hundred and  
thirty-two sorts of heretics1           
heresiarchs1 and  schismatics1          
diversified as the birds of heaven1 and 
agreeing only in  one single point1 the 
crime of not staying in what is called  

the  ,church40    ,i have now shown that
 ,creeds did not promote unity in the   
ancient  ,church2 that they did not     
promote it in the ,roman ,church2 that  
they did  not promote it in the         
,reformed ,church2 that in the present  
day they do  not promote it in any of   
the ,protestant ,churches2 not to allude
 again to  our own ,establishment2 to   
many in the ,scotch ,church1 they are a 
dead  letter2 they are entirely so in   
the ,french and ,german ,churches2 and  
in  the ,genevese ,church1 the very     
school where blackest ,calvinism was    
fabricated1 the arena where the stern   
persecutor burned ,servetus1  ,calvin's 
spirit is extinct1 and his creed        
repealed4 ,i have shown1 then1  that    
they never produced unity1 and ,i       
believe the most intrepid  ,ecclesiastic
 will not affirm they have been         
favourable to ,christian  peace4 ,turn  
to the page of history2 look abroad over
 the face of the  world1 and you have   
lamentable evidence of the charge4      

,creeds have  broken the peace of       
,christendom1 and given unwonted fury to
 all its  strifes2 ,controversies have  
arisen without number1 and have been    
maintained with fanatic zeal1 fury1 and 
detestation4 ,what shame should  the    
opposite conduct of ,philosophers flash 
in the face of  theologians1--men1 who  
in quietness pursued their own studies1 
and left  their results for the         
progressive amelioration of their       
species--whilst  the janglings of       
,churchmen1 wringing through every age1 
have been empty  of all things but their
 enmity4 ,why is it1 that we in this    
hour are not  more profitably           
engaged1--why is it1 that we are not    
rather seeking out  the woes that crush 
down humanity1 and joining forces to    
remove  them1--why is it with so much of
 what is positive to be done1 so much of
  wretchedness to relieve1 so much sin  
to remove1 so many solemn claims on  all
 sides of us1 that when we think of it1 
we feel as if this were the  veriest    

trifling2 why are we thus in strife1    
when we might be in union2  why are we  
compelled to say hard things1 and to    
repel them8 ,it is all to  be charged to
 ,creeds1 which with the spirit of      
,cain1 has risen the hand  of brother   
against brother1 and caused contention  
and an evil heart1  where there ought to
 be charity and peace4 ,it is all vain1 
it is not  human nature1 no matter how  
strongly disclaimed1 to think1 that     
polemical contention can be perfectly   
free from the wrong passions1 and  it is
 better not to pretend to meekness1 when
 the opposite is frequently  but too    
evident4 ,the days of physical strife in
 religion1 it is to be  hoped1 are gone2
 but upon the head of ,creeds there is a
 blood-stain1 a  blood guiltiness1 which
 the whole ocean could not wash out4    
,religion was  made the watch-word for  
war2 the cross was raised as the symbol 
of  destruction1 and the gathering of   
nations were around it1 to carry ruin   
as a flood1 ay1 into those very scenes1 

where it once bore the dying  form of   
him1 who said1 8,i came not to destroy  
men's lives1 but to save  them40 ,war1  
in its simplest utterance1 is a word of 
horror2 but  religious war leaves       
nothing darker to be imagined4 ,in      
worldly enmities1  when the contest is  
deadliest1 there are touches of human   
compunction2  in the most sanguinary    
strife1 the voice of mercy is sometimes 
heard1  and the hand of help is given2  
fiercest opponents will occasionally be 
generous--the oppressed1 in the hour of 
triumph1 can be magnanimous to  the     
tyrant in his fall1 but place men       
against each other with different       
religious sentiments1 unsheath the sword
 of the orthodox against the  heretic1  
the heart becomes steel1 the bosom      
becomes ruthless1 and the  man is lost  
in the fiend4 ,demand you evidence of   
this8 ,it is written in  gore over the  
whole face of earth2 call up the shades 
of the thousands  that sunk in the      
valleys and the mountains of ,judea1 of 

those in the  solitudes of the ,alps1   
that fell under the sword of ,romish and
 merciless  extermination2 of those with
 whose life-blood the fierce ,spaniard  
dyed  the soil of ,south ,america2 of   
those who were laid low in the glens of 
,scotland by ,episcopalian fury1--you   
would have army of witnesses which no   
man could number1 the accusers of those 
who for different faith became  the     
slayers of their brethren4 ,creeds are  
naturally allied to the spirit  of      
persecution1 for they establish the     
principle1 and act on it1 that  belief  
may be a sin1 and this is the very life 
of the persecuting  spirit2 it was this 
that built the ,inquisition1 which for  
so many ages  spread its ruthless       
tempest in the ,christianity of ,europe2
 it was this  that called forth the     
rack1 and kindled every fire in which a 
heretic  was ever sacrificed to the     
demon-god of bigotry3 it was this       
created a  ,dominic4 ,protestants are   
fond of calling the ,roman ,catholic    

,church a  persecuting ,church1 but that
 ,church can retort the accusation4     
,every  ,church is in truth a           
persecuting ,church which acts in the   
spirit of a  ,creed4 ,the ,reformers    
maintained the right of the civil       
magistrate to  punish heretics4 ,this1  
if it needed proof1 is triumphantly made
 out by  ,bossuet4 8,there is no need   
here10 he says1 8of explaining on that  
question1 whether or no ,christian      
princes have a right to use the sword   
against their subjects1 enemies to sound
 doctrine and the ,church1 the          
,protestants being agreed with us in    
this point4 ,luther and ,calvin have    
written books to make good the right and
 duty of the magistrate in this  point4 
,calvin reduced it to practice1 but     
against ,severus and ,valentine         
,gentili4 ,melancthon approved of this  
procedure by a letter he wrote him  on  
the subject40 ,john ,knox maintained the
 same doctrine1 and even quoted  the    
extermination of the ,canaanites as a   

case which would justify like  treatment
 of heretics4 ,nay1 in the present day1 
one of the ,oxford  theologians asserts1
 8that we ought to anticipate the evils 
of error in  the person of the          
heresiarch10 because he contends that it
 is better he  should endure pain1 than 
that his error should be propagated1 and
 bring  ruin on his infatuated but less 
guilty followers4 ,this is the true     
inquisitorial religion4 ,a man who holds
 sentiments like these is a  persecutor 
in his heart1 and it is only by accident
 that he is not a  persecutor with his  
hand4 ,a man who could send forth that  
expression1 in  other days might have   
been grand inquisitor or a familiar of  
the ,holy  ,office1 and would have      
dragged his victims to the stake1 or    
gloated over  their tortures on the     
rack4 ,a heresiarch1 he maintains1 is   
unworthy of  compassion2 and in         
correspondence with this are some       
passages of  ,irenus1 quoted with       
approbation in the ,tracts for the      

,times3 8,what  prospect1 then1 of peace
 have we10 says this reverend and       
truculent  ,ecclesiastic1 8who are foes 
to the brethren8 ,what sacrifice do they
  think they celebrate1 when they become
 rivals to the ,priesthood8 ,when       
gathered together beyond the pale of the
 ,church1 do they think that  ,christ is
 still in the midst of them8 ,though men
 like these were killed  in the         
profession of their faith1 not even by  
their blood would these  spots be washed
 out4 ,the offence of discord is a      
weighty offence1 it  includes no        
expiation1 and is absolved by no        
suffering40 8,they cannot  remain with  
,god10 he says1 8who will not remain    
with one heart in ,god's  ,church4      
,though they be cast to the flame1 to   
the fire to be burnt1 or  lay down their
 lives by being a prey to wild beasts1  
they will gain not  the crown of faith1 
but the penalty of perfidy2 their end1  
not the  glorious consummation of       
religious excellence1 but the death-blow

 of  despair4 ,such men may attain unto 
death1 but can never attain unto the    
crown40 ,creeds have sharpened the sword
 of persecution1 though the civil  arm  
was used1 and if it now be idle in the  
sheath1 it is more owing to  the        
tolerance of civil governments1 than to 
any change in the spirit of  ,churchmen4
 ,if ,rome had her ,inquisition1        
,england had her ,star ,chamber2 if     
,rome had her ,dominic1 ,england had her
 ,laud4 ,i wish not1 however1 to pass   
unmitigated censure3 ,i am willing and  
glad to acknowledge that the  ,church of
 ,england has had many men who were the 
lights of their age1 but  they had minds
 which were not cast in the ,athanasian 
mould4 ,it is not  ,churches only that  
persecute1 but also sects2 not great    
,churches1 but  little ones equally2    
thus did the ,genevese1 whilst the      
spirit of ,calvin  ruled in it2 thus did
 the ,dutch ,churches1 while the        
,dort-decrees had  power1 and even      
,socinus himself persecuted ,francis    

,david3 a ,creed1  however simple1 can  
be made an instrument of unjust power1  
as well as  the most complex one4 ,the  
persecuting spirit is not extinct1 but  
changed2 it is now a social and a moral 
persecution4 ,long experience has  shown
 that physical torture is useless1 and  
if the principle remained1  the power is
 gone4 ,but never can we sum up the     
whole amount of evil  which ,creeds     
inflicted on the world1 until we can    
count the sighs that  have died unheard 
in the dungeon2 until we know all the   
bitterness of  heart which waits on     
hopeless captivity2 until we count the  
pangs of  torture which gave slow       
consuming death2 until we can follow the
 course  of merciless wars1 unsoftened  
by a touch of pity2 until we know all   
the  friends that have been made        
enemies1 and the griefs which have in   
many  cases made life a martyrdom2      
until1 in fact1 we have all laid bare   
before us which that day alone will     
reveal1 which reveals all the hidden    

works of darkness4    ,,ii4 ,i have so  
far shown that ,creeds are the enemies  
of truth1 and  disqualifying the mind to
 seek truth aright1 by resisting and    
embarrassing its free development1 by   
ensnaring conscience and  destroying    
charity2 ,i have shown their failure in 
their proposed  objects1 and their      
instrumentality in producing all the    
evils they  pretend to avert1 and ,i    
proceed in the remaining observations1  
to  establish the second charge4 ,it is 
one1 however1 which does not need  much 
elaborate argumentation4 ,it will be    
easy to discover their  tendency1 if we 
consider who are commonly the framers of
 ,creeds1 in what  periods they are     
formed1 and in what temper they are     
usually imposed4  ,they are framed by   
,ecclesiastics1 and for the main purpose
 of supporting  ,ecclesiastical         
supremacy4 ,if we take a few names      
connected with  ,creed-making1 or with  
furnishing the materials out of which   
,creeds are  made1 we can easily see the

 spirit in which they are conceived1 and
 of  which they are the expression4 ,we 
have then an ,athanasius1 an intriguing 
and ambitious ,ecclesiastic1 not only   
the fomenter of spiritual strife in  the
 ,church1 but by political intermedling1
 the fomenter of civil strife  in the   
,empire3 a ,cyril1 the opponent of      
,nestorius1 and the hater of  ,origen2  
the composer of mighty tomes of         
divinity1 which with much the  same kind
 since1 were equally massive1 and       
equally oblivious2 a popular  preacher  
at first1 and afterwards a most orthodox
 patriarch2 at once the  persecutor of  
the philosophic ,pagans1 and the        
heretical ,christians3 a  ,tertullian1  
that exulted in the prospective         
damnation of heretics1 with  a zeal that
 almost rivals some modern ,calvinistic 
writers3 a ,dominic1  that has left the 
memory of a sanguinary monk1 and the    
name of a saint2  who has been often    
commemorated in the flames of many an   
auto-de-fe1 and  has had a durable      

monument to his glory in the dark piles 
of the  inquisition3 a ,calvin1 the     
stern ,theological tyrant of ,geneva1   
and the  slayer of ,servetus3 a ,knox1  
who pleaded for the extermination of the
  heretical after the manner of the     
,canaanites3 a ,cranmer1 who caused so  
many1 both of ,catholics and            
,protestants1 to be led to the stake by 
laws  which changed with the fickleness 
of a tyrant's will1 who at last  himself
 blenched before the fate that had been 
so often prepared for  others3 a ,laud1 
the pillar of a star-chamber1 and the   
downfall of a  throne4 ,such are some of
 the men concerned in the formation of  
,creeds--men of stern natures1 of       
haughty minds1 and of boundless         
spiritual ambition4 ,and as to the      
periods in which ,creeds are commonly   
made1 we know they are in times of      
religious strife1 when different        
parties are labouring for the           
ascendancy1 when no pains are spared to 
gain it1 when no acts however shameful  

or dishonest are thought too bad  to    
use1 if they assist to humble an        
opponent1 or secure a victory2 when     
passion is heated and malignant1 and the
 judgment totally unfit for             
impartiality4 ,the history of ,councils 
and ,theological cabal is the shame  of 
,christianity4 ,yet1 formularies thus   
fabricated are to be made the           
everlasting standards of truth1 and men 
are to be punished here and  hereafter  
because they do not receive as ,divine  
,truth these shapeless  abortions of    
,churchmen's folly4 ,and the temper in  
which they are imposed  is quite in     
conformity with that in which they are  
conceived--oppressive1  exclusive1      
unjust4 ,with what a vindictive and     
grasping spirit have not  the ,clergy of
 the ,english ,church laid hold on all  
they could monopolize  of privilege and 
power2 with what resistance to the last 
they have  endeavoured to shut out      
,dissenters from all the rights of      
,christians and  of citizens4 ,to this  

hour1 had it been in the power of       
,ecclesiastics1  the ,test and          
,corporation ,acts had never been       
repealed1 or the ,catholic  disabilities
 removed4 ,that which is their power    
gives sufficient  evidence how they     
would act if they had exclusive         
possession of more4 ,i  mean the        
,universities1 which they keep closed   
against ,dissenters with  such an       
obstinate and gothic bigotry4 ,nor does 
the injustice end here3  there is a     
silent1 social injustice1 which         
,dissenters suffer2 every one  feels it1
 though it is not easily defined4 ,the  
,churchman1 on the  strength of signing 
a ,creed which he does not always       
believe1 assumes to  be of a higher     
religious caste than the ,dissenter4 ,it
 is not sufficient  that ,dissenters    
contribute from their worldly good to   
support a system  which has no alliance 
with their conscience1 but they must    
still further  undergo the humiliation  
of being regarded as spiritual and      

social  inferiors4 ,creeds are the      
allies of worldly policy1 and ever have 
been  since ,christianity had the       
misfortune to become a state religion1  
for  they are the main ties of that     
unnatural union of ,christ's religion to
  human governments--a union injurious  
to both1 making the government  unjust  
and partial1 and religion selfish and   
secular4 ,they are worldly  in their    
objects1 and they are worldly in their  
instruments and means4  ,they are made  
the stepping stones to wealth1 rank1 and
 power2 for if the  ,establishment did  
not give wealth1 rank1 and power1       
numbers of  expectants would be moderate
 enough as to the ,articles and ,creeds4
 ,it  would seem anomalous if universal 
history did not make it evident1 that  a
 body of men in all ages1 pledged to    
denounce covetousness and earthly       
passions1 pledged to preach humility    
after the example of a crucified        
master1 pledged to curb by heavenly     
motives the abuse of power1 should  be  

of all men themselves the most insatiate
 in their desires after gain1  the most 
haughty in their elevation to station1  
the severest and the  most grinding in  
the exercise of prerogative1 the least  
willing to  mitigate it1 and the most   
determined not to share it4 ,in every   
period of  the ,church1 the worldliness 
of ,ecclesiastics1 their ambition1 and  
their  love of lucre1 have been         
proverbial1 the scandal of ,christians1 
and the  scorn of unbelievers4 ,the     
covetousness of the ,priest1 has1 in all
  periods1 been outstripped by his pride
 alone2 and under every change in       
society1 the ,priesthood have taken care
 to secure themselves so that  their    
lines should fall in the most pleasant  
places4 ,the struggle is a  worldly one 
from beginning to end1 it is all of the 
world and the things  of the world2 if  
the prize were not of earth1 we should  
hear far less  noise amongst the        
combatants4 ,the struggle is a worldly  
one1 the policy  is a worldly one1 the  

means and ends are worldly4 ,for are    
there any  means so evil1 that ,creeds1 
if there is a purpose to be gained1 will
 not  tempt to1 or assist with force1 if
 there be the power to use it2 with     
fraud1 if there is a necessity that     
demands it8 ,creeds and doctrines  have 
been maintained by frauds the most      
barefaced1 by every artifice and  by    
every falsehood4 ,but ,creeds are       
indirectly the cause of dire            
immorality2 of immorality the worst in  
its kind1 and the most evil in  its     
effects3 they corrupt motive in its very
 source1 they weaken that  sense of     
inward sincerity necessary to all that  
is true and noble in  human character1  
they punish honesty1 and they bribe to  
hypocrisy4 ,how  many minds have been   
robbed of their truthfulness1 how many  
consciences  have been despoiled of     
their integrity1 how many hearts        
sacrificed their  purity on the altar of
 interest and expediency1 it would be a 
long and  dark catalogue to enumerate4  

,and it is truly painful to think1 that 
this  result is prepared for in the     
brightest and the best period of life4  
,what must be the effect on a young man 
who1 at the very threshold of his       
,college studies1 must profess to       
believe dogmas that he has scarcely     
read1 that he has never examined2 how   
much worse if he has examined and       
disbelieves them3 if he be honest1 he is
 excluded2 the fear of his  family      
starts before him2 if he spares them1 he
 ruins his soul2 if he  speaks the      
truth1 he wrecks1 perhaps1 all his      
worldly fortunes beyond  redemption4    
,when he sees then the most solemn      
interests made mere  matters of form1   
religious declarations the tests of     
honours and of  office1 the confessions 
of grave ,ecclesiastics but a pompous   
and solemn  hypocrisy1 the zeal for     
worldly gain killing the ardour of      
religion1 the  zeal for religion itself 
only a means to get wealth and power2   
when1 ,i  say1 he beholds all this1 he  

can have no other feeling than that of  
unmitigated contempt for the hollow show
 of orthodoxy2 he must observe  that it 
is only an instrument1 a mere make      
believe1 theatrical acting2  and the    
chances are many1 that1 disgusted with  
the whole affair1 he  transfers his     
disgust to religion in general1 and     
makes shipwreck both  of faith and      
virtue4 ,creeds are the support of      
,priestly intolerance2  these are the   
statutes of the ,priest4 ,he does not1  
it is true1 require  you to believe     
them1 but he requires you to say you    
believe them2 say  but that and your    
peace is made4 ,these are his statutes  
on which he  condemns1 or on which he   
acquits2 by which he tries your         
allegiance to  sacerdotal authority1 and
 by which1 if he can1 he will enforce   
it4  ,creeds are instruments of worldly 
and of spiritual despotism4 ,the        
relation of the ,priesthood to the civil
 power1 is changeful and  capricious2   
one time its slave1 another time its    

tyrant4 ,cunning ,kings  have always had
 the sagacity to see that the safest    
course was to  flatter and enrich the   
,priesthood1 giving them the shield of  
the  temporal power1 and receiving in   
return the support of the whole         
spiritual armoury either from heaven or 
hell2 and both1 thus agreed and  united1
 have been enabled to enslave the people
 with a most hopeless  bondage4 ,let the
 ,prince but heap good things on the    
,church1 hate her  enemies1 curse her   
opponents1 patronise her friends1 the   
,church  gratefully in return submits to
 him with most obsequious obedience4    
,but  reverse the case1 and suppose the 
,prince not only ventures to do without 
the ,priests1 but attempts to curtail   
some of their good things1 then no      
epithet is too strong to mark his       
iniquity2 he is then profane1           
heretical1 infidel3 and if the          
superstition of the people give them the
  power1 they compel him to bend before 
spiritual prowess1 and from being  their

 master1 reduce him to their slave4 ,the
 spirit of a ,creed-enforcing  ,clergy  
is also seen in this fact1 that they    
dislike the civil power more  and more  
as that power becomes liberal and       
enlightened2 they oppose it1  and abuse 
it in exact proportion as it deserves to
 be admired and  praised3 if there be   
but a symptom that their monopoly is    
likely to be  broken1 and that others   
are about to share blessings which they 
had so  long kept to themselves as to   
think only their own1 immediately the   
,monarch must be prepared to meet the   
fierceness of their enmity4 ,it is a    
combat to which many a ,monarch has been
 unequal1 and to which many a one  has  
fallen a victim4 ,tyranny on their side1
 and slavery on that of  others1 is the 
congenial element in which most         
established ,priesthoods  move1 breathe1
 and have their being2 the men          
themselves are the victims  of their    
circumstances1 circumstances which the  
influence of ,creeds have  made2 for    

,creeds are the parents of ,priestcraft1
 and ,priestcraft is  identical with    
religious despotism4    ,creeds are the 
allies of worldly policy2 ,creeds are   
the creatures of the  ,church1 and the  
,church is the creature of the state4 ,a
 national ,church  with ,creeds for its 
tests1 and legal support and legal      
penalties1 can be  nothing else4 ,and   
the ,english ,establishment is          
peculiarly in this  condition2 are not  
her ,bishops appointed by the           
government8 ,are we not  all aware that 
every ,prelate is virtually the selected
 of the minister  for the time being8   
,are we not aware that her canons and   
constitution1  her catechisms and       
articles1 her rubrics and her           
ceremonies1 are  enforced and           
established by acts of parliament8 ,are 
we not especially  aware that her       
wealthy revenues are derived from       
compulsory exaction1  and that payment  
is wrenched from ,dissenters by the     
strong arm of the  law8--,whence1 but   

from this source1 can the ,clergy claim 
their wealth8 ,by  what other power     
could they enforce it8 ,every one1 who  
is not a  simpleton1 knows that the vast
 possessions in which the ,church       
rejoices1  are not free will offerings1 
and that they have stronger security in 
the  ,courts of ,exchequer and          
,chancery1 than in the consciences of   
those who  pay them4 ,they were at first
 endowments to the ,church of ,rome2 it 
is by  act of parliament that they      
enrich those who maintain the           
,thirty-nine  ,articles1 instead of     
praying for souls in ,purgatory4 ,the   
,monarch1 in  this country1 is          
acknowledged the supreme head of the    
,church on earth2  and though that      
,monarch may be a girl of eighteen1 a   
boy of eleven1 an  infant1 or an idiot1 
it is exclusion from the established    
ministry to  deny it1 and was once high 
treason4 ,to be persuaded of this fact1 
we  have only to recollect that the law 
of the land deposed the ,romish         

,priesthood1 and that the ,act of       
,uniformity excluded from the service of
  the altar two thousand non-conforming 
,ministers4 8,the second ,canon         
excommunicates every one who shall      
endeavour to limit or extenuate the     
,king's authority in ,ecclesiastical    
cases1 as it is settled by the laws  of 
the kingdom2 and declares he shall not  
be restored until he has  recanted such 
impious errors40 8,the thirty-seventh   
,canon obliges all  persons1 to their   
utmost1 to keep and observe all and     
every one of the  statutes and laws made
 for restoring to the crown the ancient 
jurisdiction it had over the            
,ecclesiastical state40 8,the twelfth of
 ,king  ,james's ,canons declares1 that 
whoever shall affirm that it is lawful  
for  the order either of ,ministers or  
,laics1 to make canons1 decrees1 or     
constitutions1 in ,ecclesiastical       
matters1 without the ,king's authority1 
and submits himself to be governed by   
them1 is1 ipso facto1  excommunicated1  

and is not to be absolved before he has 
publicly  repented and renounced these  
,anabaptistical errors40 ,queen ,anne1  
in an  angry letter to the ,archbishop1 
made the convocation aware that 8she was
  resolved to maintain her supremacy as 
a fundamental part of the  constitution 
of the ,church of ,england40            
8,archbishop ,bancroft1 when at  the    
head of all the ,clergy of ,england1    
delivered articles to ,king ,james  for 
increasing the ,ecclesiastical courts1  
and for annexing all  ,ecclesiastical as
 well as ,civil power to the ,crown4    
,this may be seen at  large in ,lord    
,coke's third institute40 ,on such      
grounds as these1 men  claim authority  
to impose ,creeds on their              
fellow-citizens1 to proclaim  themselves
 the commissioned messengers of heaven1 
to assert religious  supremacy and to   
arrogate a divine right2 to bind and    
loose1 to condemn  and to forgive4 ,i   
heard a person lately well remark1 that 
if you gave  him the incomes of the     

,clergy1 he would give you the social   
status of  those from whom they were    
taken1 and vice versa4 ,at ordination1  
they  solemnly affirm that they are     
moved by the ,holy ,ghost2 but if the   
extreme stipend were two or three       
hundred a year1 this inspiration would  
seldom be found to fall on the son of a 
,duke1 or the brother of an ,earl4      
,but1 whatever be the abuses which      
,creeds occasion1 or whatever be the    
evils they inflict1 it may still be said
 the ,church has authority to  decree   
them2 and what she has authority to     
decree1 she has authority to  enforce4  
,to one of the strongest arguments on   
this point lately renewed1  and more    
strenuously urged than it had ever been 
before1 ,i shall here  devote a few     
general observations4    ,the claim to  
dictate and enforce ,creeds by the      
,clergy of our  ,establishment1 is      
founded on another claim which1 by a    
party of divines1  is recently asserted 
with a zeal not inferior to that of the 

,romish  ,priesthood2 ,i allude to the  
doctrine of ,apostolic succession4 ,it  
is  pretended that the national ,clergy 
by deriving a mission from the          
immediate disciples of ,christ1 have    
authority1 by a mystical  communication 
of divine energy transmitted to them    
from age to age1 an  authority to decide
 what is1 and what is not1 the true     
faith4 ,on this  ground the high        
,churchmen consistently deny to all     
other ,ministers the  power to teach or 
to preach1 and with one fell stroke1 cut
 off the whole  of the ,dissenters from 
the spiritual body of ,christ4 ,on this 
ground we  may ask several questions    
which must receive very unsatisfactory1 
or  very contradictory answers4         
,first--where1 in the gospel history1 is
 it  proposed1 as an essential          
qualification of a religious teacher1   
that he  shall have an uninterrupted    
succession from the ,apostles8 ,paul1 in
 his  letters to ,timothy and ,titus1   
enumerates many qualities which should  

distinguish the ,christian ,minister2   
but ,apostolical succession is not  once
 mentioned amongst the number4 ,in the  
early age of ,christianity1 we  have    
abundant evidence1 both from            
,evangelical and ,ecclesiastical        
history1 that many preached the gospel  
who had no such authority as  ,churchmen
 call ,ordination or ,holy orders4      
,secondly--is it possible that  the     
,apostles could have any successors8    
,the ,apostles had powers to which  no  
,priest in his highest pride1 will dare 
to lay claim2 the ,apostles  healed the 
sick1 cast out demons1 raised the dead2 
they proved their  mission by miracles1 
and this gave a peculiarity to their    
office which1  it will be admitted1 was 
not transferable4 ,besides1 between the 
office  of an ,apostle and that of a    
,bishop1 there is no identity1 and few  
analogies4 ,an ,apostle was a           
missionary1 a ,bishop is a temporal and 
spiritual peer3 there is no more        
resemblance of one to the other1 than   

of his grace of ,canterbury amidst the  
sumptuous luxury of his palace1 to  a   
,moravian preacher in the snows of      
,lapland2 than of the ,bishop of        
,exeter declaiming politics in the      
senate1 to ,felix ,neff proclaiming     
,christ amidst the ,alps4 ,an ,apostle  
was a poor man1 a ,bishop is a rich     
one2 an ,apostle was a pilgrim and      
wanderer1 a ,bishop is a mitred prince2 
an ,apostle was the object of contumely 
and scorn to a world which was  not     
worthy of him1 a ,bishop is the praised 
and the applauded by a world  of which  
he is worthy2 an ,apostle was the       
servant of the humble and the  lowly1 a 
,bishop is the companion of the exalted 
and the great2 an  ,apostle was the     
object of state persecution1 a ,bishop  
is the favourite  of state patronage3 by
 what paradoxical mistake1 therefore1   
one office  came to be derived from the 
other1 it is a puzzle to conjecture4    
,thirdly--by what sort of evidence is   
the succession to be proved2 what  are  

the conditions which render it true and 
genuine8 ,by what signs am ,i  to know  
that the ,ecclesiastical concatenation  
is one whole unbroken  chain1 without a 
single heretical flaw8 ,by what signs am
 ,i to know that  the sacerdotal mystery
 is rightly given1 that there is no     
spuriousness1  no falsehood1 and no     
forgery8 ,is every peasant1 who hears a 
sermon from  his ,parson1 to be in      
possession of that historic lore1 which 
shall  enable him to determine1 by      
erudite tracing of age to age1 that     
orthodox  hands have been laid on       
orthodox heads1 and that he to whom he  
commits  the salvation of his soul has  
all the conditions of a true priesthood8
  ,fourthly--,whence does the ,church of
 ,england derive her succession8--,that 
she derives it from the ,church of      
,rome1 all authentic ecclesiastical     
history confirms4 ,the establishment of 
the ,english ,church can be clearly     
traced no further than the mission of   
,austin the ,romish ,monk2 and it is    

well known1 indeed1 there is no attempt 
at denial1 that all which have  since   
been called papal errors1 were then     
proclaimed and adopted4 ,the  preacher  
came with the pope's sanction1 the      
,english received the pope's  religion1 
and acknowledged the pope's authority4  
,it is vain beyond all  vanities to     
argue for succession in the ,english    
,establishment1 and  assert its         
independence on the ,church of ,rome4   
,its origin is from a  ,roman           
,missionary2 it admits the validity of  
,roman ordination2 its  liturgies and   
rituals are but garbled or abridged     
translations from  ,roman formularies4  
,whence then is the independence8 ,if   
unbroken  succession be the absolute    
condition of ecclesiastical authority1  
then  the ,english establishment must   
either admit the jurisdiction of the    
,church of ,rome1 or acknowledge itself 
guilty of rebellion1 and confess  that  
it is wanting in one of the prime       
essentials of a ,christian ,church4     

,but our ,establishment accuses the     
,romish system of all manner of errors  
and of evils1 of idolatry1 of tyranny1  
of persecution1 of doing  dishonour to  
the supremacy of ,god1 and of           
undermining the merits of  ,christ1--of 
being an awful and fatal apostacy3      
surely then the purity of  that descent 
may well be doubted1 which comes from so
 corrupt a source4  ,the ,church of     
,rome is called by all our declamatory  
divines the 8mother  of harlots10--if   
that of ,england be one of her          
daughters1 it is a hard  task for a     
controversialist to defend the          
legitimacy of her birth or the  purity  
of her character4 ,moreover1 that is a  
queer kind of unbroken  succession1     
which could in a few years reflect so   
many hues of doctrine1  which turned    
from reign to reign like the weathercock
 before the wind1  as royal caprice     
determined1 from the bigoted half popery
 of the ,eighth  ,henry to the whole    
,protestantism of the ,sixth ,edward2   

from the violent  ,catholic ,mary1 to   
the equally violent reformed ,elizabeth2
 from a ,cranmer  to a ,gardiner1 and   
from a ,gardiner to a ,laud4 ,it is not1
 therefore1  grateful or graceful in our
 ,establishment to heap odium on her    
mother1  her from whom she must date her
 existence1 to whom she traces her      
clergy1 and from whom she has received  
her creed4    ,,iii4 ,in disputing      
against creeds1 and churches which are  
the creatures  of creeds1 ,i do not deny
 that religion most genuine and pure1   
may exist  in many forms--and may be as 
fervent amongst the adherents of        
,establishments as amongst the most     
zealous of dissenting churches4         
,religion1 ,i consider1 a necessity of  
the human heart2 it may grovel in  the  
dust or aspire to the skies--it may     
appeal to our fears or to our  hopes--it
 may create hideous images or rejoice in
 beautiful picturings2  it may decorate 
the altar with flowers1 or bathe it in  
blood2 but still  it belongs to us1 is  

of us1 and that of which we cannot1 if  
we would1  divest ourselves4 ,while man 
has within his soul admiration of       
greatness  and power1 unsatisfied       
desires and perishing pleasures2 while  
he has  many griefs and many tears2     
while there are those living whom he    
loves1  and those departed whom he      
mourns2 while his existence is thus     
bound to  the past and to the future2   
while he has speculations that seek but 
find  no limit1 musings on his own and  
universal destiny1--he must have        
religion to destroy these1 and you      
destroy religion1 but you also  destroy 
humanity4 ,if the strongest excitements 
and the deepest contrasts  could fill   
and satisfy the human soul1 our age and 
country supply them2  whatever would fix
 us to the material and the present we  
have in all  possible varieties1 both in
 their glory and their grossness4 ,if   
the  spirit is to be seen anxious with  
poverty we have but a few steps to  walk
 from rejoicing splendour to pining     

misery4 ,civilization is amongst  us    
with all its luxuries and with all its  
woes4 ,thousands toil for daily  bread1 
and thousands more languish for daily   
pleasures4 ,yet nobler  things have we  
than these4 ,our science1 our           
philosophy1 and our  literature1 are    
rich beyond expression4 ,our mechanism  
is akin to magic1  and our industry is  
like the regularity of nature2 the stir 
of many  interests is abroad1 and the   
struggle of many principles4 ,the power 
of  fresh life is in the social heart1  
and the courage of free speech upon  the
 lips4 ,the tide of thought and liberty 
moves onward with majestic  swell1 and  
no one can say 8,hitherto shalt thou    
come and no further1 and  here shall thy
 proud waves be staid40 ,whatever there 
be in wealth1 in  power1 in glory1 in   
ambition1 that desires triumphant sway  
and secures  all it desires2 whatever   
there be in speculation of boundless    
enterprize  or capacity of gigantic     
achievement1 our times may boast1 yet   

they  remove not the need of religion1  
but the religion which the heart        
demands is not what creeds or churches  
can give either to a nation or an       
individual4    ,creeds are the allies of
 establishments1 and establishments are 
the  friends of the world4 ,their whole 
history and tendency are evidence of    
this4 ,but1 far be it from me to say    
that this has no qualification4 ,all    
old institutions more or less knit      
themselves into popular veneration1  the
 religious as well as others4 ,we cannot
 look back upon the church of  our      
country1 even in its ,romish form1      
without some of the reverence with      
which our nature compels us to gaze on  
fallen greatness2 and now that  the     
mitre is worn by other heads1 and the   
crosier passed into other  hands1 now   
that its good deeds reveal themselves in
 the calm of the  past1 we can regard   
its evil ones more in sorrow than in    
anger4 ,zealots1  who would eternalize  
the darkest creeds that superstition    

ever shaped1  who would build up the    
throne of proudest priesthood1 declaim  
against  ,popery in the most popish     
spirit3 but while national feelings have
 any  power1 while a single venerable   
structure stands upon our soil in which 
we hear the voices of our ancestors1 and
 from which a thousand years  look down 
upon us1 the ,roman church1 with all its
 errors1 is linked by  sacred memories  
to our history4 ,it laid the foundation 
of our civilized  existence2 it grew    
with our growth and it strengthened with
 our  strength4 ,when our country was   
yet divided amongst barbarian kings1 the
  monk of ,rome lifted up the cross of  
,christ1 and the heart of the savage    
was subdued to the ,prince of ,peace4   
,it accompanied our national            
independence1 it trained our fathers'   
spirits when living1 and now they  are  
dead it shelters their bones4 ,through  
all historic changes1 and  through most 
sanguinary struggles1 it preserved alive
 the spirit of our  common              

,christianity4    ,within it arose many 
of our greatest men2 it nurtured many of
 our purest  and holiest characters2 it 
reared the altar at which an ,anselm    
ministered and before which an ,alfred  
prayed4 ,but wealth commonly brings     
worldliness1 and as it is with laymen1  
so is it with ecclesiastics4 ,the       
church was fed and fostered by ,saxon   
piety1 and when the conquest gave  the  
island new masters it suffered nothing  
by the change4 ,the progress  of        
aggrandizement went forward with a      
quicker pace and a more grasping  hand4 
,spiritual authority allied itself more 
firmly to temporal majesty2  celestial  
vocation would have feudal titles2 the  
coil would be  transformed to the       
coronet2 the humble robe to the princely
 purple2 the  voice of humility swelled 
into absolute command1 monks took their 
places  above barons1 and the primate   
sat only below the throne4    ,but under
 that pomp and ostentation1 we say not  
that all was hollow--that  there was not

 much of genuine piety far beyond the   
reach of history4 ,in  the cells of     
these gorgeous abbeys there were many   
who did in reality  leave the world and 
its wickedness behind them4 ,there were 
some who wept  and prayed in no feigned 
prostration1 who worshipped1 it may be  
with  superstition1 but still with      
sensibility and an upright conscience4  
,in  that stream of melody which pealed 
at solemn midnight through many a  dome 
that now lies mouldering1 there were    
some hallelujahs which reached  the     
throne of ,god and mingled with the hymn
 of angels4 ,the pavements  over which  
we tread in many a secluded ruin may    
have been worn by  kneeling martyrs that
 now sleep in peace beneath them3 within
 these  massive buildings so grey and   
time-wrecked1 how often might be found  
at  the evening hour1 when the dim      
religious light melted through the      
painted windows1 and the vesper song    
softened through the lofty vaults1      
scattered worshippers who were feeding  

their immortal life3 how  frequently    
within those temples may the serf in    
faith and prayer have  forgotten his    
bonds1 and only remembered that he was  
the brother of  ,jesus1 and the son of  
,god4 ,and amongst that priesthood so   
often  stigmatized unjustly by          
indiscriminate bigotry1 many were worthy
 of  their office2 they were the poor   
man's friends when poverty was          
hopeless2 they were his brethren when to
 the worldly powers poverty was         
slavery2 they were his supporters and   
consolers when he had many to  oppress  
and few to cheer him2 they were with him
 in joy and sorrow1 in  sickness and    
death1 when his joy and sorrow1 his     
sickness and death1  were to the mass of
 his worldly superiors1 a matter of     
contemptible  indifference4 ,in the     
times to which ,i refer1 the ,church was
 a most  excellent antagonist against   
political assumption1 a barrier against 
despotism1 a shield for the people      
against the crown2 but now it is an     

ally of the crown only when the crown is
 against the people3 in either1  the    
,crown and the ,church struggle may have
 been only for supremacy1 but  whatever 
were their respective motives1 the      
people were the gainers2 the  clergy    
might make them slaves for another      
world1 but they saved them  from being  
slaves in this4 ,the power of the priest
 could curb the  ambition of the ruler2 
and1 in the ruler himself1 the will of  
the  monarch was held in check by the   
conscience of the devotee4              
,ecclesiastical institutions were then  
not wholly ineffective1 but now  the    
religious and social interests of man   
are better secured than by any  struggle
 between the superstitious fears of the 
,prince1 and the  spiritual threatenings
 of the ,priest4 ,from these social     
changes1 ,church  ,establishments       
outliving the slaveries which they      
meliorated1 become  inflictors of       
slavery in return1 and hang as          
millstones and dead weights  on every   

effort for freedom and advancement4 ,but
 if we are to have  authority on        
conscience at all in the form of        
institutions1 ,i would  rather it should
 be absolute and unchangeable1 uniform1 
solemn1 and  imposing2 and if there is  
to be submission1 ,i prefer it should be
 to  that which is believed to be       
stedfast and infallible2 for then1 if we
  had not the freedom of thought1 we    
might at least have the peace of  piety2
 if we had not the independence of men1 
we might hope for the  meekness of      
children4    ,we cannot say that the    
,english ,church in its ,protestant     
state has lost  all claims to           
traditional veneration4 ,we may1        
however1 safely assert1  that in        
becoming protestant1 it has not become  
less earthly1 and that if  transformed  
in anything1 it is not from the ,spirit 
of the world4 ,we see  very clearly1    
that it is not in any way distinguished 
for free or  progressive amendment2 and 
among the ,reformed of ,european        

churches it is  most the creature of the
 world1 most the lover of the world1    
most  dependent on the world1 both in   
its origin and its continuance4    ,on  
the continent it commenced with the     
ecclesiastical powers2 in ours it       
commenced with the civil2 and the church
 in this country adopted the new        
doctrine rather as a matter of command  
than as a matter of conscience4         
,whatever have been the theological     
vibrations of the ,establishment1 or    
whatever its theological                
inconsistencies1 we deny not that it has
 had  within it right noble spirits1 and
 that it has them still1 and while we   
condemn such systems1 we do not so much 
condemn1 as lament the fine  natures    
which they have misdirected4 ,numbers we
 are aware are now in its  ranks1 which 
are the ornaments of life and to whom   
the world is in many  ways indebted2 and
 if it were not so1 there are those gone
 by who would  fully dignify her4       
,amongst her members we recognise many  

of the great  lights both of our nation 
and our nature2 a ,jeremy ,taylor of    
rich  eloquence and rare sweetness of   
spirit2 a ,barrow with a mind as lofty  
as  it was simple and an oratory as     
prodigal in thought as it was massive in
  logic2 a ,chillingworth1 the prince of
 reasoners1 who never allowed his       
polemics to ruffle his meekness1 to warp
 his candour1 or to deaden his  charity2
 a ,berkeley1 whose genius was only     
inferior to his sanctity1 and  whose    
subtle philosophy never disturbed the   
simplicity of his truly  child-like     
nature2 a ,bedel1 who was humble and    
generous when it was the  fashion to    
oppress1 who though the bishop of a     
foreign faith in the  midst of a people 
whom his nation had aggrieved1 made his 
way to their  hearts1 and was the object
 of their blessings2 and in our own day 
there  has been the good and sainted    
,heber1 who combined piety with         
humanity1  and who adorned practical    
virtue with all the beauty of the poet  

and the  ,christian4    ,names like     
these might throw a lustre over any     
system2 it is only to be  regretted that
 any system has not been more fruitful  
in their  production4 ,in any system1 we
 cannot expect that such men should be  
abundant1 but observation compels us to 
confess that the ,church has  taken more
 pride in the reputation of her heroes1 
than in resembling  them4 ,if we are to 
judge results by her possessions and    
opportunities  compared with her moral  
or spiritual achievements1 her works of 
worldliness far surpass her works of    
godliness4 ,her earthly means have  been
 unbounded1 but where are her heavenly  
trophies8 ,she has nothing in           
comparison to her opportunities to      
produce in justification of her moral   
and national stewardship4 ,wealth she   
has had even to fulness4 ,her lines     
have fallen in pleasant places2 hers    
have been the green pastures and  hers  
the still waters2 the tenth of the      
nation's produce has been  reserved for 

her altars4 ,political power has        
likewise been hers4 ,her  mitred        
ministers are amongst the state's chief 
senators4 ,whether it be  seemly or not1
 that preachers of the crucified should 
sit in courts of  proud and worldly     
legislation1 we here forbear to discuss2
 but once  there1 the spirit of the     
crucified1 and of the citizen sanctified
 by  that spirit1 might have been nobly 
manifested2 even there1 ,ministers of   
,christ might have done a glorious work4
 ,men whose lives had been  disciplined 
by severe and various study2 men of     
chastened passions and  solemn          
meditation2 men who had gone through the
 humanizing duties of  pastoral         
gradation from the village pulpit to the
 episcopal throne1  might be thought a  
happy counterpoise to the hoary         
worldliness or  youthful rashness of    
mere temporal ,peers2 they would rebuke1
 we might  suppose1 the assumptions of  
aristocracy1 and be as the voice of ,god
 for  the rights of the poor4 ,men who  

proclaimed that gospel which is full of 
mercy and compassion1 would resist      
oppression to the last1 and denounce    
sanguinary laws with the whole force of 
their authority2 men who were  followers
 of peace would arrest the blood-hand of
 war1 and quell with  all gentle suasion
 the horrid spirit of destruction2 men  
appointed to be  teachers of the        
ignorant1 and lights to the blind1 would
 be the friends  of universal           
instruction2 men who were the ,priests  
of that ,god before  whom all are equal1
 the ,apostles of that ,jesus who lived 
and died for  all1 would be ever the    
friends of liberty and brotherhood4     
,but1 ,i may  ask1 when have the        
,bishops1 as a body1 not been against   
the people1 and  with the wealthy and   
the noble8 ,when have they been the     
first to come  forward to denounce long 
existing1 tolerated1 but oppressive1    
abuses8  ,when have they raised their   
voice1 as ,ministers of ,god1 against   
,ministers of the ,crown1 to avert the  

horrid curse of war8 ,when have they    
given their influence for a free and    
generous education1 which should be     
full and boundless as the heart of      
charity8 ,when1 rather1 have they not   
thrown their most inveterate opposition 
against it8 ,when is it that a  single  
effort of national liberty or religious 
has met their cordial  support8 ,to the 
moment of despair they stood against the
 ,catholic and  the ,dissenter1 to the  
last hour they will also resist the     
,jew4 ,the  defender of the wronged1 the
 pleader for the weak1 the opponent of  
sanctified prejudices1 the enthusiast   
for human reforms1 the advocate  for    
peace1 the apostle of general education1
 have never in their most  hopeless hour
 raised their eyes towards the bench of 
,bishops with any  expectations of      
support4    ,with wealth1 with          
influence1 with law1 and with           
scholarship1 the ,church  has done1 and 
is doing no great spiritual work for her
 country1 or for  mankind1 proportioned 

to her means4 ,she makes a show of      
upholding her  ,creeds1 but to many1    
even of her own members1 they are but   
empty sounds  or convenient mockeries4  
,when we look for any permanent         
impression on  the popular mind1 we have
 yet to ask concerning the ,church1 what
 has she  done8 ,has she ,christianized 
any great tracts of ,heathenism8 ,the   
,english  ,establishment1 as a ,church1 
has exhibited no missionary zeal1 and   
can  show no missionary triumphs4       
,individuals and bodies that belong to  
her  communion1 have undoubtedly been   
active in the great movements that      
distinguish modern times1 but the       
impulse has been from outside the       
,church1 and not from within it--from   
the zeal of the ,sectaries1 and not     
from the ,creeds or ,constitution of the
 ,church4 ,on the contrary1 of those    
who never owned the ,establishment1 you 
might find proofs of ,missionary  zeal  
from ,indus to the ,pole1 and from      
,andes to the ,alps4 ,but has she       

protestantized our own empire8 ,consult 
the writings of ,doctor ,baines1 or     
those of ,doctor ,wiseman2 nay1 let the 
lamentations of ,reformation  ,society  
itself1 ever wailing over the increase  
of ,popery1 give the  answer2 look      
through the villages and the glens of   
,england1 where ,roman  ,catholic       
,chapels are starting up as from the    
earth1 and you will find  the answer    
fully justified4 ,ask it in the cities  
and the mountains of  ,ireland1 the     
shout of millions will proclaim what    
,established  ,protestantism has done   
with all her ,creeds and ,clergy after  
centuries of  existence1 and a countless
 expenditure4 ,three hundred years have 
nearly  expired since the reformed      
standard has been planted on that soil1 
and  after all the spoliation and       
persecution to which the country has    
been  subjected1 after all the blood and
 sorrow that have been expended in the  
work of compulsory proselytism1 ,popery 
has grown stronger1 and  ,protestantism 

is expiring4 ,the people pay with       
repugnance a priesthood  in whom they   
have not faith1 but no power can force  
them to the worship  in which they have 
no heart1 and they prefer to be taxed   
rather than be  taught4 ,they are       
repelled further and further from that  
system which  commenced in a blunder1   
and has been continued by rapacity1     
which  reverses the precepts of ,christ1
 using the sword where he commands it to
  be sheathed--which reverses the course
 of the olden ,israelites finding a     
land of milk and honey1 but leaving it a
 wilderness1 having the pillar  of fire 
always before1 and the pillar of cloud  
ever behind2 the one kept  in flame by  
hatred and strife1 and the other        
continually dark with  maledictions and 
tears4 ,but admitting the difficulties  
of proselytism1  examine the moral state
 of those over whom the ,church has had 
undivided  control--those with whom     
there has been least of foreign         
interference1  and ,i may appeal to her 

most strenuous defenders1 whether she   
has not  allowed thousands of human     
souls to grow up around her for whom she
  provided no shelter1 whose hearts and 
wants she made no effort to reach3  they
 lived without her teaching1 they       
mourned without her solace1 they        
sickened without her prayer1 and until  
she received the fees for their  burial1
 she was ignorant of their existence4   
,yet1 after all1 by many she  has been  
called 8,the poor man's ,church40 ,it is
 true that for some  years past1 and    
especially at present1 there has been a 
species of  excitement and activity in  
the church3 but so far as these have    
moral  life in them1 so far as they     
concern the spiritual interests of the  
people1 whence did they originate8      
,where were they before ,john ,wesley   
and ,whitfield raised their             
soul-piercing cries1 and awoke the sense
 of  immortality that was dormant in the
 minds of besotted multitudes8 ,did  the
 church join with these men1 or rather  

did it not persecute1  calumniate1 expel
 them--say and do all manner of evil    
against them8 ,what  at the present hour
 is the activity of the church8 ,much1  
it may be1 is  sincere and              
conscientious1 but greatly more an      
emulation with dissenters  in which the 
pregnant elements are jealousy and fear4
 ,much1 it may be1  of disinterested    
action for the souls of men1 but more it
 is to be  feared for the order and the 
church4 ,great excitement there is in   
the  ,establishment1 but little of calm 
and healthy action--a mighty stir of    
polemics that make few converts1 and of 
societies that beat the air4 ,the       
church has neither union within1 nor    
peace without4 ,her hand is against     
all1 and the hands of all are against   
her4 ,she holds forth creeds as the     
symbols of unity1 and yet within her own
 courts are all sorts of  divisions1 a  
chaos of voices that make her the very  
,babel of theology2  here is one        
preaching the grace of ,palagius1 and   

there another that of  ,augustine2 one  
arguing for the hell of ,calvin1 and    
another all but  teaching the purgatory 
of the pope3 one a ,boanerges for the   
,bible1 and  another an apostle for     
tradition2 with one1 ,rome is the mother
 of  abominations1 and with another she 
is the mistress of churches4 ,amidst    
the din1 then1 of polemics1 politics1   
and theological contradictions1 of      
inward confusion and outward strifes1   
how are we to catch the voice of  moral 
power and of gospel truth8 ,the truth   
must be told1 there is no  grand or     
concentrative energy of any sort in the 
church2 neither faith  nor freedom1     
neither bold speculation nor a mighty   
spiritual zeal2 there  is no room even  
for a gigantic fanaticism or a          
picturesque superstition2  upon the     
whole the strife is of this world1 and  
for it2 a strife for  wealth or place1  
in which the spiritual is swallowed in  
the earthly4  ,with all her riches and  
honours2 with all her show of dignities 

and  pride of prelacy1 she is yet poor  
in enlightened esteem1 poorer still in  
general affection2 without authority to 
sway the superstitious or  liberality to
 attach the thinking1 she has neither   
the submission of  faith nor the        
approbation of reason4 ,she has1        
considering her position  and means1    
fulfilled no great ,christian or        
,protestant mission2 is she  then in a  
humbler sphere1 the friend of general   
education8 ,passing over  the           
,universities1 which with a heavy hand  
she has bolted against  dissenters1 is  
she favourable to the instruction of the
 youthful poor8  ,no3 except in         
connection with her ecclesiastical      
supremacy4 ,until  recently she had no  
zeal whatever in the matter3 but other  
parties  becoming active1 under the     
broad gaze of public observation1 both  
her  fears and her interest were        
awakened4 ,whilst others were toiling1  
she  for very shame could not sit wholly
 idle1 and she therefore adopted        

education1 so far as it was an          
instrument to counteract her rivals or  
to  preserve her authority4 ,but to the 
last and to the death1 she is the  sworn
 enemy to any system of popular         
instruction which is comprehensive1     
liberal1 and unsectarian4 ,in this great
 country1 where1 thanks to law  and not 
to creeds1 each man may hold and speak  
his own opinion1 she  meets with        
defiance and resistance every movement  
towards a large and  equal distribution 
of knowledge1 for lack of which the     
people are  literally perishing4 ,in a  
country like this where sects are so    
many and  so various1 and where each has
 an equal claim on the blessings of     
civilized institutions1 with a bigotry  
equalled only by its injustice1  she    
would usurp the monopoly of national    
instruction4 ,this is in the  true      
spirit of creeds1 and however repugnant 
to ,christian equity is  fully          
consistent with worldly policy4    ,when
 the church of ,england seceded from    

that of ,rome1 if she cut off  some     
theological errors1 she showed no such  
disposition respecting her  earthly     
riches4 ,it cannot be doubted that in   
the ,reformed ,establishment1  a greed  
of lucre remained as deep as was ever in
 the ,romish1 less ideal  in its form1  
and more selfish in its spirit4 ,in our 
times men absorb the  interests of their
 church in the interests of themselves1 
in olden times  men lost themselves in  
the glory of their church2 in that was  
centered  every thing1 even passion     
itself1 as one great and mighty         
sentiment4  ,from this it was arose the 
solemn structure of universal empire2   
from  this sprung forth the vision of a 
glory that was to fill the universe4    
,it was this called up a power before   
which monarchs bowed1 which armed       
itself with the terrors of hell and     
crowned itself with the stars of        
heaven4 ,it was this which gave genius  
the sublimity of religious  inspiration1
 and which has left for a colder age the

 forms of beauty to  which faith gave   
life2 it was this which could speak to  
the world as to  single audience with an
 eloquence that must live while language
 has  existence4 ,it may be called      
fanaticism and ambition1 but it is a    
fanaticism and an ambition that had     
something unworldly to dignify them4    
,the reformed church had preserved the  
creeds of the ancient one1 but not  its 
creativeness2 it has not given          
conscience freedom1 but it has  stripped
 faith of poetry4 ,even the ceremonies  
and forms which it has  preserved are   
without energy and inspiration--the mere
 mimicries of  superstition unfraught   
with a single breath of its enthusiasm4 
,writings  of no common eloquence have  
eulogized the cathedral service2 it     
deserves  all that can be said of it1   
and so do the temples themselves2 no one
 can  hear the one when it receives     
right expression without solemn emotion1
  and no one can behold the antique     
majesty of the other1 but in silent     

veneration4 ,the poetry of these things 
is beautiful1 but what is the  reality8 
,a sad contrast--in general1 a cold and 
heartless utterance of  the service1    
unoccupied pews1 a few listless hearers1
 feeble choirs1  that seem rather to    
sing the requiem than the triumph of the
 church1  ostentation without grandeur1 
and formality without grace4 ,here1 as  
in  every other department1 we find the 
dominant spirit of worldliness4  ,though
 this service depends for much of its   
impression on ritual beauty1  yet the   
higher clergy continually encroach on   
the revenues and means of  sustaining   
it4 8,when we see10 says ,dr4 ,wiseman1 
8the cathedral service  shrunk into the 
choir originally designed for the       
private daily worship  of ,god's special
 ministers1 or when we find the entire  
congregation  scattered over a small    
portion of the repaired chancel1 while  
the rest  of the edifice is a majestic  
ruin1 as ,i but lately witnessed1       
assuredly  one must be more prone to    

weep than to exult at the change which  
has  taken place1 since these stately   
fabricks were erected40 ,i would not    
have the world hurled back into ,popery2
 but if we are to have ,romish  creeds1 
rather than have them in repulsive      
nakedness1 give them to us  covered and 
adorned with the grace of ,romish       
ceremonies2 if we are to  resign our    
liberty1 give us at least grandeur and  
pageantry to amuse our  slavery4    ,but
 creeds exist otherwise than in formal  
expression4 ,a creed is the  standard of
 a church1 it may be the spirit of a    
sect4 ,and from the  antagonistic aspect
 which each sect bears to another1 and  
the  centralized organization which it  
has within itself1 this spirit may  have
 a fierce and powerful operation4 ,the  
,church-creed is defined2 the           
,sect-creed is vague1 and may depend for
 interpretation on narrow and  bitter   
prejudice3 the ,church-creed may        
possibly lie dormant1 but there  is no  
escape from the wakeful vigilance of a  

religious surveillance4  ,what some     
sects do by enlarged and rigid          
co-operation1 others effect by  compact 
and separate unions4 ,the smallness of  
the assemblies1 or the  gradations of   
dependency1 puts one individual within  
the immediate ken  of another1 and thus1
 if by chance a free thought should be  
born1 there  is little hope that it     
shall live4 ,take methodism as an       
illustration2 so  gigantic and yet so   
minute3 with its band-meetings1 its     
class-meetings1  its district           
assemblies1 and its general             
conference--leaving not a spot  where a 
heretic could hide himself4 ,in such a  
system there is neither  room nor a name
 for liberty1 from the preacher who is  
under the brow of  his conference to the
 member who lives in the eye of his     
class-leader4  ,it is not that such a   
system creates a terror of expression1  
from the  first it initiates a slavish  
intellect--and tends to all the vices of
  rancour1 bigotry1 hypocrisy1 and      

subserviency1 to which such an          
intellect is allied4    ,it may be said 
that my own community in being also a   
sect1 is open to  similar accusations4  
,i do not say that a dictation of belief
 is  essential to a sect1 but it may    
possibly attach to it with all the      
despotism of the most formal creed4 ,if 
a creed in spirit or expression  be     
necessary to the constitution of a sect1
 those then are no sect with  whom ,i   
would desire to hold communion4 ,if all 
in my own belief or any  other1 which is
 great1 good1 pure1 and eternal1        
inspired by the mind of  ,god and       
blessed to the heart of man2 if all     
which disseminates virtue2  which       
justifies ,providence1 which emancipates
 and glorifies society1  goes onward    
with undeviating pace1 if the ,kingdom  
of ,jehovah extends1  and the throne of 
,christ is reared1 and the temple of    
righteousness is  beautified1 then1     
forgetting ourselves and forgetting our 
sect1 we  should rejoice with an honest 

and generous exultation4 ,we trust the  
day  will come1 when the spirit and the 
life of ,christ1 and not the            
formularies of men1 will be the         
standards of true religion2 when we     
shall have unity instead of divisions1  
when we shall have charity  instead of  
creeds1 when heretic and orthodox shall 
be lost in the common  name of          
,christian4                             
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,x4    ,footnote
 #edj3      ,art4 #h4    ,footnote #eda3
      ,michelet1 vol4 ii4 pp4 #abd1     
#abe4                                   
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,lecture ,,xi4                         
,,the ,,christian ,,view ,,of ,,moral   
,,evil4                                 
,,by ,,rev4 ,,james ,,martineau4        
8,,woe ,,unto ,,them ,,that ,,say1 444  
,,let ,,the ,,counsel ,,of ,,the ,,holy 
,,one ,,of ,,israel     ,,draw ,,nigh   
,,and ,,come1 ,,that ,,we ,,may ,,know  

,,it2 ,,woe ,,unto ,,them ,,that ,,call 
,,evil     ,,good1 ,,and ,,good ,,evil2 
,,that ,,put ,,darkness ,,for ,,light1  
,,and ,,light ,,for     ,,darkness2     
,,that ,,put ,,bitter ,,for ,,sweet1    
,,and ,,sweet ,,for ,,bitter40--,isaiah 
v4 #ah-bj4      ,the ,divine sentiments 
towards right and wrong every man       
naturally  believes to be a reflexion of
 whatever is most pure and solemn in his
  own4 ,we cannot be sincerely          
persuaded1 that ,god looks with aversion
 on  dispositions which we revere as    
good and noble2 or that he regards with 
lax indifference the selfish and        
criminal passions which awaken our own  
disgust4 ,we may well suppose1 indeed1  
his scrutiny more searching1 his        
estimate more severely true1 his        
rebuking look more awful1 than our      
self-examination and remorse can fitly  
represent2 but we cannot doubt  that our
 moral emotions1 as far as they go1 are 
in sympathy with his2  that we know1 by 
our own consciousness1 the general      

direction of his  approval and          
displeasure2 and that1 in proportion as 
our perceptions of  ,duty are rendered  
clear1 our judgment more nearly         
approaches the  precision of the        
,omniscient award4 ,our own conscience  
is the window of  heaven through which  
we gaze on ,god3 and1 as its colours    
perpetually  change1 his aspect changes 
too2 if they are bright and fair1 he    
dwells  as in the warm light of a       
rejoicing love2 if they are dark and    
turbid1  he hides himself in robes of   
cloud and storm4 ,when you have lost    
your  self-respect1 you have never      
thought yourself an object of divine    
complacency4 ,in moments fresh from sin1
 flushed with the shame of an  insulted 
mind1 when you have broken another      
resolve1 or turned your back  upon a    
noble toil1 or succumbed to a mean      
passion1 or lapsed into the  sickness of
 self-indulgence1 could you ever turn a 
clear and open face  to ,god1 nor think 
it terrible to meet his eye8 ,could you 

imagine  yourself in congeniality with  
him1 when you gave yourself up to the   
voluble sophistry of self-excuse1 and   
the loose hurry of forgetfulness8  ,or  
did you not discern him rather in your  
own accusing heart1 and meet  him in the
 silent anguish of full confession1 and 
find in the  recognition of your        
alienation the first hope of return8 ,to
 all  unperverted minds1 the verdict of 
conscience sounds with a preternatural  
voice2 it is not the homely talk of     
their own poor judgment1 but an  oracle 
of the sanctuary4 ,there is something of
 anticipation in our  remorse1 as well  
as of retrospect2 and we feel that it is
 not the mere  survey of a gloomy past  
with the slow lamp of our understanding1
 but a  momentary piercing of the future
 with the vivid lightning of the skies4 
,our moral nature1 left to itself1      
intuitively believes that guilt is an   
estrangement from ,god1--an unqualified 
opposition to his will1--a literal      
service of the enemy2 that he abhors it1

 and will give it no rest till  it is   
driven from his presence1 that is1 into 
annihilation3 that no part  of our mind 
belongs to him but the pure1 and just1  
and disinterested  affections which he  
fosters2 the faithful will which he     
strengthens2 the  virtue1 often damped1 
whose smoaking flax he will not quench1 
and the  good resolves1 ever frail1     
whose bruised reed he will not break3   
and  that he has no relation but of     
displeasure1 no contact but of          
resistance1 with our selfishness and    
sin4 ,in the simple faith of the        
conscience it is no figure of speech to 
say1 that ,god 8is angry with the       
wicked every day0 and is 8of purer eyes 
than to behold iniquity40 ,so  long as  
the natural religion of the heart is    
undisturbed1 to sin is1 in  the plainest
 and most positive sense1 to set up     
against ,heaven1 and  frustrate its     
will4    ,soon1 however1 the            
understanding disturbs the tranquillity 
of this  belief1 and constructs a rival 

creed4 ,the primitive conception of ,god
 is  acquired1 ,i believe1 without      
reasoning1 and emerges from the         
affections2  it is a transcript of our  
own emotions1--an investiture of them   
with  external personality and infinite 
magnitude4 ,but a secondary idea of     
,deity arises in the intellect1 from its
 reasonings about causation4  ,curiosity
 is felt respecting the origin of       
things2 and the order1  beauty1 and     
mechanism of external nature1 are too   
conspicuous not to  force upon the      
observation the conviction of a great   
architect of the  universe1 from whose  
designing reason its forces and its laws
  mysteriously sprung4 ,hence the       
intellectual conception of ,god the     
,creator1 which comes into inevitable   
collision with the moral notion  of ,god
 the holy watch of virtue4 ,for if the  
system of creation is the  production of
 his ,omniscience2 if he has constituted
 human nature as it  is1 and placed it  
in the scene whereon it acts2 if the    

arrangements by  which happiness is     
allotted1 and character is formed1 are  
the  contrivance of his thought and the 
work of his hand1 then the sufferings   
and the guilt of every being were       
objects of his original contemplation1  
and the productions of his own design4  
,the deed of crime must1 in this  case1 
be as much an integral part of his      
,providence as the efforts and          
sacrifices of virtue2 and the monsters  
of licentiousness and tyranny1  whose   
images deform the scenery of history1   
are no less truly his  appointed        
instruments than the martyr and the     
sage4 ,and though we remain  convinced  
that he does not make choice of evil in 
his government1 for  its own sake1 but  
only for ultimate ends worthy of his    
perfections1  still we can no longer see
 how he can truly hate that which he    
employs  for the production of good4    
,that which is his chosen instrument    
cannot  be sincerely regarded as his    
everlasting enemy2 and only figuratively

  can he be said to repudiate a power   
which he continually wields4 ,there     
must be some sense in which it appears1 
in the eye of ,omniscience1 to  be      
eligible2 some point of view at which   
its horrors vanish2 and where  the moral
 distinctions1 which we feel ourselves  
impelled to venerate1  disappear from   
the regards of ,god4    ,here1 then1 is 
a fearful contradiction between the     
religion of  conscience and the religion
 of the understanding3 the one          
pronouncing  evil to be the antagonist1 
the other to be the agent1 of the divine
  will4 ,in every age has this          
difficulty laid a heavy weight upon the 
human heart2 in every age has it pointed
 the sarcasm of the blasphemer2  mingled
 an occasional sadness with the hopes of
 benevolence2 and tinged  the devotion  
of the thoughtful with a somewhat       
melancholy trust4 ,the  whole history of
 speculative religion is one prolonged  
effort of the  human mind to destroy    
this contrariety2 system after system   

has been  born in the struggle to cast  
the oppression off2 with what result1 it
  will be my object at present to       
explain4 ,the question which we have to 
consider is this3 8,how should a        
,christian think of the origin and      
existence of evil80 ,i propose to       
advert1 first1 to the speculative2      
secondly1 to the scriptural2 thirdly1 to
 the moral relations of the  subject2 to
 inquire what relief we can obtain from 
philosophical  schemes1 from biblical   
doctrine1 and from practical            
,christianity4    ,i4 ,notwithstanding  
the ingenuity of philosophers in varying
 the form and  language of their        
systems1 there can be but two solutions 
offered to the  great problem respecting
 evil4 ,the benevolence of the ,creator 
may be  vindicated1 by denying that he  
is the author of evil2 or1 by           
pronouncing  it his mere tool1          
unavoidably introduced for the          
production of greater  good4    7#a47   
,in ,greece1 the genius of whose people 

anticipated most of the great  ideas    
which have since occupied the world1 we 
find the first clear trace  of the      
doctrine of two original causes1 one    
good1 the other evil1 of the  order and 
disorder of the universe4#edb ,amid the 
almost universal  pantheism1 which gave 
the sanction of philosophy to a         
corrupting  mythology1 one or two great 
thinkers seized on the true conception  
of an  intelligent1 eternal1 infinite   
,mind2 not mixed up in indissoluble     
oneness with the universe1 like the     
principle of life with an animal or     
vegetable organism1 but wholly external 
to matter1 capable of acting            
objectively upon it1 of moulding it into
 form1 of assigning to it laws1  of     
disposing it into uniform arrangements1 
and subordinating it to the  production 
of beauty1 the reception of life and    
soul1 and the ends of  benevolence4     
,with the absolute perfection1          
intellectual and moral1 of  the creative
 spirit1 there was nothing to interfere2

 he called into  existence only what is 
good1--light1 life1 happiness1 wisdom1  
harmony1  virtue4 ,all else was to be   
ascribed to the imperfect materials from
  which the universe was constructed4   
,of these he was not supposed to be  the
 author2 no conception was entertained  
of creation out of nothing by  the      
volition of the divine and solitary     
,spirit4 ,co-eternally with him1  matter
 was thought to have existed1 inert1 and
 dark and formless1--the  boundless and 
unworked quarry1 whence the great       
,artist of earth and  skies moulded the 
orbs of heaven1 and furnished his       
mansions of space  with magnificence and
 beauty4 ,the materials thus provided to
 his hand1  did not afford unlimited    
facilities for the execution of his good
  designs2 they had the inherent and    
obstinate properties of all matter1  of 
which skill might variously avail       
itself1 but which ,omnipotence could    
not utterly subdue4 ,they for ever      
dragged down every being towards the    

passiveness and chaos of the primeval   
state1 and established a universal      
gravitation towards nonentity4 ,hence a 
ceaseless tendency in all things  to    
descend from the higher to the lower    
states of existence1 and to slip  from  
the divine into the inert3 on the soul  
of man were forces impelling  it into   
the grosser animal life2 in the animal  
life1 a propensity  towards disease and 
death2 and1 in lifeless organisms1 a law
 of  corruption and return to atoms4 ,in
 this unconquerable sluggishness of     
matter1 and not in the intention of the 
,creator1 was to be found the  source of
 all evil1 natural and moral4 ,the      
supreme ,spirit had called  into being  
whatever is fair and blessed and pure2  
and that there is no  more good1 was due
 to the resistance which his materials  
offered to his  will1 and which had made
 his execution finite1 while his desires
 were  infinite4    ,in this system1 all
 faults and imperfections are attributed
 to the  opposition of a passive and    

evil principle1 co-existent with the    
,first  ,cause1 and restraining him     
within certain limits in working out the
  problem of creation4 ,the essential   
idea of the scheme is1 that the  actual 
frame of the universe is the result of a
 struggle between two  conflicting      
energies1 both primitive and eternal1 to
 the one of which is  to be referred all
 that is good1 to the other whatever is 
evil4 ,make  then a slight and          
superficial change in this scheme2 throw
 aside its  abstract and philosophical  
dress2 personify this impracticable     
material principle which stands in the  
way of the ,creator's glorious  designs3
 call it1 instead of inert1 obstinate2  
instead of the residence  of death1 the 
destroyer of life2 instead of a weight  
on the ,divinity1 a  force against him2 
in short1 treat it1 not as negative1 but
 as positive2  not as impervious to     
light1 but as the power of darkness2 not
 as a  physical obstruction1 but as in  
real antipathy to ,god3 and by such     

assumption of personality1 this hostile 
energy becomes an active  principle of  
evil1 a malignant and antagonist ,god1  
busy in frustrating  the purposes of    
,providential goodness1 and spreading   
ruin1 disorder1 and  guilt over the fair
 regions of nature and the soul4        
,this doctrine of a good and evil       
spirit1 engaged in perpetual conflict   
on the theatre of the universe1 is then 
only the popular and mythical  form of  
the philosophical speculations on matter
 and ,deity which ,i have  described4   
,it is commonly known under the name of 
the ,manichean heresy4  ,it was from    
very early times the characteristic idea
 of the ,persian  theology2 and thence1 
as ,i shall show1 by admixture with     
,judaism1 has  given rise to the        
prevailing belief in a devil4    ,to    
this scheme1 considered as a            
metaphysical theory of the divine       
perfections1 and a solution of the      
perplexities respecting natural and     
moral evil1 objections of insurmountable

 force will occur to every one4  ,it    
preserves the infinite benevolence by   
sacrificing the omnipotence of  ,god4   
,it sets up a rival to his government1  
from whose malignity he can  only       
imperfectly protect us2 so that his     
,providence becomes precarious1  and we 
feel ourselves the sport of a conflict  
the most awful1 beset by  pure1         
unmitigated1 indestructible evils1      
which1 however beaten off in  the end1  
must win against us many a dreadful     
success4 ,a believer in this  doctrine  
may indeed presume1 that a ,being1      
omniscient and benign as ,god1  would   
never have called a world into existence
 unless assured1 by his  foreknowledge1 
that he could prevailingly protect it   
from the powers  which obstructed him1  
and render life to every creature on it 
a blessing  on the whole4 ,under any    
other conditions1 his goodness would    
have  restrained him from the act of    
creation4 ,still the blessed ,ruler     
sways  his works under constant check2  

and all limitations on his power must be
  proportionate deductions from our     
peace4 ,this theory1 then1 fails to     
afford us the desired relief4 ,it does  
not reconcile the ,god of our           
conscience with the ,god of our         
understanding3 it simply adheres to the 
former1 and rejects the latter2 assuring
 us that1 as our secret hearts  had     
said1 the great ,father hates evil as   
his enemy2 not1 as our logic  had       
insinuated1 wields it as his instrument4
    7#b47 ,we turn1 then1 to the second 
attempt to extricate our thoughts from  
this perplexity2 which is found1 in a   
consistent form1 only in the  system of 
philosophical necessity4 ,this scheme   
assumes the absolute1  unlimited        
monarchy of ,god2 represents him as     
originally alone1 and  without either   
universe or materials for its           
construction2 teaches that  he willed   
all things into existence2 conceiving   
the plan1 speaking the  word1 beholding 
the birth1 sustaining the order1        

decreeing the means1  ordaining the end4
 ,the compass of his design is          
all-embracing2 all  causes and effects1 
all enjoyment and misery1 all excellence
 and guilt1  lie within its circuit2 nor
 can 8there be evil in a city10 or in a 
world1 8and the ,lord hath not done it40
 ,we are assured1 that in fact it  is   
impossible to distribute to separate    
authors the blessing and the  curse     
which appear to mingle in creation2 for 
the same law which brings  the one      
introduces the other2 the tempest which 
blasts the field and  flock purifies the
 air of pestilence2 the necessities of  
the body are  the incentives of labour  
and the stimulants of the mind2 and     
industry  and art1 commerce and wealth1 
the whole structure even of society and 
civilization1 rest on the ultimate basis
 of hunger4 ,nor is it possible  to     
separate suffering1 even in conception1 
from a scene in which great  virtues are
 to be born1 and the diviner forms of   
character to be  trained4 ,evil is the  

resistance1 by its conquest over which  
moral  force can alone be measured and  
manifested2 without which1 conscience   
and fidelity would have no field of     
victory1 benevolence no place for       
glorious toil1 faith and wisdom no      
consciousness of power4 ,in the sickly  
seductions of pleasure1 are seen the    
health and simplicity of holiness2  amid
 the temptations of selfishness1 we     
discern and venerate the spirit  of     
self-oblivious love2 beneath the arm of 
tyranny1 and amid examples of           
hypocrisy1 we learn how calm the front  
of uprightness1 and how noble the       
magnanimity of truth4 ,pain is never the
 whole of suffering2 which  spreads in  
moral influence beyond itself and its   
hour1 and administers  some of our      
noblest discipline4 ,the anguish of one 
human being is  usually the pity of     
many2 even the guilt of one may be the  
forbearance1  the warning1 the          
affectionate and healing grief1 of many4
 ,scarcely can  any ill be found that is

 not so linked with visible benefits1 so
  entangled with arrangements in which  
we recognize indisputable  blessings1   
that one only author can be assigned to 
all2 if he has had  foresight of any    
thing1 he must have had foresight of    
all2 if he has  devised a part1 he must 
have devised the whole4 ,even such      
free-will as  the human mind possesses  
is a power of his own deliberate        
bestowal2 and  the whole extent of its  
disastrous mistakes1 its deluded        
estimates1 its  degrading preferences1  
its faithless abuse of liberty1 must be 
considered as ordained and introduced by
 him for some ultimate and  transcendent
 good4 ,at present1 and for a long      
future yet1 the sufferings  are great   
which sin must entail upon all who come 
within its range2 but  even its saddest 
victim is yet a child of ,god1 and must 
at last  7benevolence requires no less7 
be enabled to pronounce his existence a 
boon4 ,and hence we must believe the    
penalties of guilt to be remedial2      

subduing the stubborn soul1 and leading 
it back to seek its peace in  ,god2     
working out their own remission1 because
 their victim's  restoration2 till the  
wail of despair shall be softened into  
the sob of  repentance1 and this into   
the sigh of self-distrustful hope1      
falling  into the silence of deep       
resolve2 leading to the energy of a new 
fidelity1 warmed by the refreshment of a
 returning love1 and bursting at  length
 into grateful chorus with the song of  
the redeemed4    ,the essential idea of 
this system evidently is1 that evil is a
 result of  ,god's will1 his temporary  
instrument for everlasting ends4 ,this  
characteristic remaining1 it is wholly  
unimportant whether he is  regarded as  
producing it immediately or mediately2  
distributively or  collectively2 by     
detailed volitions of his own1 or by the
 agency of a  being commissioned to this
 department of his government4 ,as the  
blessings1 scattered by the activity of 
good minds of every order in the        

universe1 are no less his1 than if there
 were no creature but himself to  shed  
them forth1 so the woes1 which any      
dependent spirits of evil may  diffuse1 
belong as truly to his providence1 as if
 they were the personal  inflictions of 
his will4 ,hence the doctrine of wicked 
angels1 and of a  created ,prince of    
darkness1 is the very same with the     
system which ,i  have just described2   
simply1 its popular and mythological    
form1  gathering up the abstract        
conception of evil into a person2 but   
still  representing it1 in this living  
dress1 as a creature intentionally      
formed by the ,omniscient and           
predetermining ,god4 ,i regard the      
belief in  the existence of ,satan1 not 
as opposed to the prevailing ,unitarian 
views  of ,providence1 but1 so far as it
 is consistently held1 as in all        
essential particulars1 identical with   
them4 ,its relation to the  character of
 ,god is the same2 and the sole         
difference between the two is  in the   

question of personality2 a question of  
great consequence1 when  the existence  
of a divine person1 as the ,holy        
,spirit1 is suspended on  the decision2 
but of small moment when1 as in this    
case1 a mere  creature more or less is  
to be given to the invisible world4     
,what does  it matter to us whether     
there be any1 or a myriad1 of           
interposing agents  between the ills    
that touch us and our ,god8 ,surely it  
is with the  effects1--with the evils   
themselves1--that our practice and duty 
are  concerned1 and about their original
 cause that our faith is anxious2  and1 
on both these points1 the ,necessarian  
and the ,satanic schemes seem  to be    
agreed4 ,both refer our thoughts back to
 a time when no evil  existed1 and say  
that none could have come into          
existence1 had the  creative activity of
 ,god never been exercised4 ,both make  
the same  estimate of the actual sins   
and sorrows and temptations which are in
  contact with our life2 and whichever  

view be adopted1 these are neither      
increased nor diminished1 their         
complexion is neither brightened nor    
darkened1 their insidiousness and their 
treatment continue the same4  ,they come
 out of the dark upon us2 and no more   
concern us till they  strike upon our   
experience1 than a line of light affects
 us1 till its  end impinges on our eye4 
,hence ,i cannot feel much interest in  
the mere  question respecting the       
existence of a ,devil2 and must be      
excused for  treating it as only an     
insignificant part of a subject vast and
  terrible4    ,does1 then1 this second 
system resolve our difficulties1 and    
altogether  harmonize the perfections of
 ,god8 ,alas6 the success is no greater 
than  before4 ,why this circuitous      
method of producing a happy universe8   
,evil  is called into being1 as an      
instrument of good1 in this world2 and  
then  is annihilated1 by the addition of
 more evil1 in another4 ,if it be the   
great object of ,providence to get rid  

of suffering and sin1 if his  government
 be an educative discipline for         
purifying the guilt1  illuminating the  
ignorance1 and destroying the misery of 
souls1 must we  not ask1 why then were  
these things created8 ,if ,god's        
providence be thus  against them1 why   
was it ever for them8 ,and how are we to
 think of  those agencies1 as the work  
of his own hands1 on which his whole    
administration is said to be aggressive8
 ,no answer can be given1 except  that  
the temporary operation of natural and  
moral evil was  unavoidable1--the       
essential and only means of             
accomplishing results which  all admit  
to be beneficent1 especially the        
development and progress of  mind1 and  
the probationary discipline of          
character4 ,it may be so2 but1  in this 
explanation1 the benignity of ,god is   
again saved at the expense  of his      
,omnipotence4 ,if no other means were   
open to him than those which  he has    
actually employed1 his range of         

possibilities was mysteriously  limited1
 his choice incomprehensibly narrowed2  
and he solved the problem  of ,creation 
under some restraining conditions4 ,and 
no theory1 which  leaves this shadow of 
necessity lingering behind the throne of
 ,god1  justifies its pretensions as the
 vindicator of his ,power4    ,scarcely 
does this system seem to be             
reconcileable with the ,holiness of     
,god4 ,i confess myself unable to       
understand how a ,being1 who is held to 
be the prime cause of all the moral evil
 which the universe contains1  can be   
regarded as morally perfect2 or to      
imagine1 if this be consistent  with    
infinite purity1 what phenomena would be
 inconsistent4 ,it is not  enough to    
say1 that the evil is produced1 by no   
means for its own sake1  but for        
ultimate good4 ,often1 at least1 does a 
human being do wrong on  no other       
pretext2 and the very plea admits1 that 
,god subordinates moral  distinctions to
 some other good1 and esteems some      

foreign benefit worth  purchasing by the
 deed of sin4 ,is it urged1 that the    
foreknowledge and  infallible certainty 
of the ,divine mind justify this1 and   
that it is  only because man wants the  
requisite discernment1 that he is       
forbidden  in his blindness to do evil1 
that good may come8 ,then it would seem 
that  moral distinctions are intended   
only for the ignorant2 and are1 to an   
immeasurable extent1 delusions of       
intellectual infancy1 designed to       
vanish1 or undergo unimaginable         
transformations1 as our mental vision is
  enlarged4 ,and if this be so1 none of 
our ideas of obligation are  applicable 
to ,god1 and he passes beyond the range 
of our moral  apprehension1 reverence1  
and love4 ,no2 the language of piety    
becomes  unmeaning1 and the sanctity of 
religion is in danger of utter ruin1    
unless the divine sentiments of right   
and wrong are perceived to be akin  to  
our own1 recognising the same immutable 
differences1 and  spontaneously         

observing the same laws4 ,not even can  
we admit that he has  created1 and could
 change1 the relations of right and     
wrong2 that his  will is the source of  
obligation1 and by a command could make 
into a  binding duty that which in      
itself is sin4 ,moral excellence is no  
creature of mere power1 which he has    
created2 for he is1 and ever was1       
excellent himself1 rendered venerable by
 intrinsic and unoriginated             
perfections2 by holy sentiments1 whose  
outward action1 indeed1 must be  dated  
from the beginning of created things1   
but whose consciousness has  been from  
everlasting4 ,i dare not think1 that the
 ,providence of ,god  largely consists  
in doing that1 which would be guilt in  
man4    ,from this scheme then1 not less
 than from the former1 we fail to obtain
  satisfaction4 ,it does not reconcile  
the faith of the conscience with the    
faith of the understanding2 but simply  
prefers the latter1 to the injury  of   
the former1 compromising ,god's         

abhorrence of evil2 and1 for the sake   
of maintaining his sovereignty1 making  
it his instrument4 ,in fine1  philosophy
 must make confession of its ignorance1 
and talk no more so  exceeding proudly4 
,this question of ages is too much for  
all its  subtlety4 ,let us pass on to   
the doctrinal search of ,scripture4     
,does it  either reveal any new view of 
our subject1 or determine our choice to 
either of the schemes we have reviewed8 
,,ii4 ,trinitarian theologians maintain1
 that the ,bible reveals to us the      
existence of a created spirit of evil1  
with a host of subordinate  associates  
in guilt2 who seduced our first parents1
 and so introduced  both the spiritual  
depravity and the mortality of our race2
 who has  since tormented the bodies of 
men with divers diseases1 afflicted     
their  minds with some species of       
insanity1 and corrupted their conscience
 with  every variety of horrible and    
guilty thought2 and who especially      
assailed the person1 and withstood the  

kingdom of ,christ1 knowing that  the   
,messiah's power would finally overthrow
 his own4 ,in opposition to  this       
statement1 ,i submit1 that in neither   
the ,mosaic nor the ,christian          
dispensation have we any revelation of  
the existence of such a being1 or  any  
doctrinal solution of the problem       
respecting the origin of evil4 ,let  me 
not1 however1 be supposed to say1 that  
no such beings as ,satan1 the  fallen   
,angels1 and demons1 are named in       
,scripture4 ,i do not pretend to        
fritter all these away into             
personifications and figures of speech4 
,i  have no doubt that some of the      
sacred authors believed in the real     
existence and agency of such beings2 ,i 
have just as little doubt that  others  
did not2 and that the ,hebrew           
conceptions on this subject  underwent a
 regular development in the course of   
their history1 no part  of them having  
any origin in supernatural revelation1  
but the whole  being either the result  

of natural speculation or a gift from   
foreign  tribes4 ,this will be thought  
very shocking by those who1 maintaining 
the  plenary inspiration of the ,bible1 
cannot imagine that it contains any     
traces of the notions and sentiments of 
its various times2 and cannot  think of 
admitting even an incidental allusion   
that is not an infallible  oracle4 ,but 
until it can be shown1 that a person    
inspired is unable to  form an opinion  
of his own2 that he has no ideas from   
education and  position1 no             
prepossessions in common with his age2  
that1 from ,moses to  the ,john of      
,patmos1 every scriptural author is an  
unerring authority1  not merely in faith
 and morals1 but in cosmogony and       
physics1 in geology  and astronomy1 in  
natural history1 physiology1 metaphysics
 and medicine2  we may venture to       
maintain1 on the ground of historical   
evidence1 that  the belief in witchcraft
 and charms1 in angels and devils with  
,chaldee  names1 in demoniacal          

possession and ,satanic inflictions1 may
 be no  result of revelation1 but one of
 the natural traces of time and locality
  with which the ,scriptures abound4    
,there prevails1 however1 great         
misapprehension respecting the ideas of 
the ,scripture writers on these         
subjects2 and especially1 the conception
 of a ,devil is thought to  pervade the 
whole ,bible in one unvarying form4     
,with a view to rectify  this mistake1  
,i will briefly notice the chief        
passages of the ,hebrew and  ,greek     
,scriptures relating to this topic2     
adverting1 in succession1 to  the       
history of the fall2 to the growth of   
the belief both in ,satan and  exorcism2
 and to the temptation of ,christ4      
7#a47 ,it is impossible to conceive of a
 greater outrage upon an author's       
meaning1 than is the common             
representation of the ,fall1 on the     
account  of that event in the ,book of  
,genesis4 ,not a trace1 even of the     
faintest  kind1 does the original       

narrative contain of all that           
theologians tell  us respecting the     
tempter1 the curse1 the recovery4 ,the  
tempter was not  an evil spirit1 but a  
serpent1 to whose natural and           
instinctive cunning1  and not to any    
diabolical instigation1 the seducing    
thought is  attributed3 for 8,the       
serpent10 it is said1 8was more subtle  
than all the  beasts of the field40#edc 
,the writer1 indeed1 had not apparently 
any  idea of such a being as ,satan2    
for1 throughout his five books1 there is
  not a word in allusion to such a      
personage2 though he records1 ,i        
believe1 more temptations1 more trials  
of faith and duty1 which it is  thought 
the office of the evil one to           
administer1 than all the rest of  the   
,scriptures together4 ,it is nothing to 
the purpose to say that1  without       
preternatural possession1 it is absurd  
to suppose that the  serpent could      
speak1 and become an agent in the       
transaction at all2 for1  on any view of

 the passage1 the author ascribes to the
 creature the  power both of speech and 
of walking3 and to imagine that the     
,devil would  betray himself by assuming
 so improbable a vehicle1 and making a  
dumb  reptile talk1 is surely little    
consonant with the character of so      
subtle  a diplomatist4 ,the record      
affirms that1 by way of punishment1 the 
serpent was reduced to the reptile      
state1 and compelled to crawl instead   
of walk2#edd and an author1 whose       
imagination had reconciled itself to    
this conception1 would feel no          
additional improbability in supposing   
the  same occasion to have condemned the
 animal to silence4 ,this has always    
been the interpretation of those ,hebrew
 writers1 who have received the  account
 as literal history4 ,josephus1 a man of
 learning and a priest1  states1 that   
8all animals at that period partook of  
the gift of speech  with man20 that 8the
 serpent lived on familiar terms with   
,adam and his  wife20 and 8from a       

malicious intention of his own1         
persuaded the woman  to taste of the    
tree of knowledge20 that1 in            
consequence1 8,god deprived  the        
creature of speech and of the use of his
 feet40#ede ,if the account  be         
considered as historical1 this is its   
plain meaning2 and the  insertion in it 
of a powerful malignant spirit1 is a    
mere fiction of  later times4#edf       
,nor is the usual description of the    
results of the ,fall1 a less            
extravagant perversion of ,scripture4   
,the necessities of toil to the man1    
the pangs of travail to the woman1 and  
to both a consequent abbreviation  of   
the term of life1 are all the effects of
 which the original speaks1  and to     
which ,josephus refers4#edg ,st4 ,paul  
adds to these the  introduction of      
mortality2 but neither in his writings1 
nor in any more  authoritative place    
than the invention of modern divines1 do
 we find the  least hint of any moral   
corruption entailed by the fall on the  

human  constitution1 or any penal woes  
prepared for our lapsed nature after    
death4 ,throughout the whole subsequent 
,scriptures1 there are only three       
places in which the effects of the first
 transgression are  mentioned3#edh all  
of these are in the epistles of ,paul2  
two1 out of  the three1 are mere passing
 allusions1 not occupying a line2 and in
 the  remaining one1 as well as in the  
others1 natural death alone is said  to 
have passed on the descendants of ,adam2
 8not0 7as ,mr4 ,locke justly  remarks7 
8either actual or imputed sin10 which1  
he says1 8is evidently  contrary to ,st4
 ,paul's design here40#edi ,between the 
guilt of men1 and  the fall of their    
progenitor1 there did not exist the     
slightest  connexion in the ,apostle's  
mind2 they are never once mentioned     
together4  ,when he draws his fearful   
pictures of the depravity of both ,jews 
and  ,gentiles1 he is wholly silent     
respecting the fall1 describing all this
  corruption not as constitutional but  

as actual1 not as the growth of a  foul 
and incapable nature1 but rather as the 
abuse and insult of one  inherently     
noble4#eej ,and when again he speaks of 
the fall and its  issues1 he is silent  
about moral depravity1 and dwells only  
on physical  death4 ,never was there a  
writer more barbarously tortured1 more  
ingeniously forced to speak in a spirit 
which he loved to withstand1  than this 
glorious ,apostle4 ,out of his own      
writings1 by incredible  perversion1 his
 generous conceptions are condemned as  
heresies1 and his  favourite sentiments 
denounced as blasphemies4    8,i will   
put enmity10 says the book of ,genesis1 
8between thee and the  woman1 and       
between thy seed and her seed2 it shall 
bruise thy head1 and  thou shalt bruise 
his heel40#eea ,considered as a         
description of the  mutual hostility and
 injuries of the race of venomous       
reptiles and the  human species1--man   
naturally attacking the head of the     
creature1 and the  animal1 especially   

among the naked feet of oriental climes1
 finding  nothing in man so vulnerable  
as the heel1--a more vivid sentence can 
scarcely be conceived4 ,considered as a 
prophecy of ,christ1 ingenuity  could   
construct nothing more obscure4 ,and1   
accordingly1 it is never once  appealed 
to1 as a prediction1 either by the      
,messiah himself1 or by any  of the ,new
 ,testament writers2 and before the     
,advent1 it had certainly  failed to    
produce the proper effect of prophecy1  
and had not aided in  preparing the     
minds of the ,hebrews for the event4 ,it
 is indeed  acknowledged by 8a strenuous
 advocate for this application of the   
passage10 8that the expressions here    
used do not necessarily imply the  sense
 thus attributed to them2 and that there
 is no appearance of our  first parents'
 having understood them in this sense1  
or that ,god  intended they should so   
understand them40#eeb ,if1 then1 this   
prophetic  signification escaped the    
persons to whom the announcement was    

made1 and  the nation before whose eye  
it lay for ages1 and the ,christ himself
 of  whom it spake1 and the ,evangelists
 and ,apostles who proclaimed him to    
the world1 our doubt of its reality can 
scarcely be deemed  unwarrantable4      
,but it is1 ,i believe1 a misconception 
of the author1 to treat this  passage as
 a piece of history4 ,neither ,moses1   
nor any other scriptural  writer1       
professes to have been miraculously     
instructed in the events of  the        
antediluvian world2 and if they make no 
such pretension themselves1  it is      
altogether gratuitous in us to make it  
for them4 ,the slightest  consideration 
must convince us1 that all natural      
sources of  information respecting so   
primitive a period must have ceased to  
exist1  at least in any reliable form3  
and the earliest portions of the book of
  ,genesis have every characteristic of 
that beautiful mythical  composition1   
which is the first fruit of the literary
 activity of every  simple-hearted      

nation1 and which mingles together in   
one texture1  tradition1 fact1          
speculation1 poetical conception1 and   
moral truth4 ,in  this instance1 the    
writer seems to have been oppressed by  
the feeling1  that human peace and      
tranquillity were disturbed by the      
restless  aspirings and inquisitive     
ambition of the mind4 ,if man could but 
be  content to take the good which ,god 
has spread within his easy reach1 and   
not permit himself to pry into the      
possibilities of having more1 his  life 
might be spent as in a garden of the    
,lord1 in the warmth of sunny  days1 and
 the light sleep of unhaunted nights4   
,but he cannot repress his  insatiable  
curiosity1 his passion for the fruits of
 knowledge and  dignity1 of which       
,providence has given him the idea1 but 
which have been  set beyond his         
permitted reach2 and this thirst of his 
nature he  resolves at all hazards to   
indulge2 this godlike aspiration1       
imprisoned  in a frame to which it is   

unsuited1 chafes against his quiet1 and 
abbreviates his days4 ,hence proceed the
 struggle and the toil of life2  the    
thistle and the thorn which he gathers  
from a soil that might have  yielded    
only flowers2 hence1 children are we all
 of care and sorrow2  hence1 by the     
sweat of the hardy brow we must live1   
and soon fret down  existence into dust2
 not however1 without our victory after 
all2 for we  subjugate the earth1 and   
reign thereon4    ,observe too1 that    
,adam rules the woman2 and the woman has
 a heel upon  the serpent3--the last    
seduced is placed the highest2 and the  
first  corrupter sinks into a reptile4  
,our temptations are beneath us2 and    
having once detected them1 we are to    
rule them ever after4 ,once let the     
knowledge of good and evil be tasted1   
and the primitive equality of  things1  
which put man and beast upon a level1 is
 destroyed2 all beings  fall into the   
ranks of a moral gradation2 and though  
none that have free  will may escape a  

fall1 he that is last to yield shall be 
the first to  reign4    7#b47 ,neither  
then in the original account1 nor in the
 scanty subsequent  notices of the      
transgression in ,eden1 is there any    
disclosure of a  ,satanic existence4    
,let us rapidly follow down the course  
of ,hebrew  literature1 and search in it
 for the first and successive           
indications of  this belief4 ,i have    
stated that the books of ,moses are     
destitute of all  trace of such a       
conception2 nor can any thing at all    
corresponding to  the popular idea of   
the ,devil1 be found in any part of the 
,old  ,testament4 ,the name itself never
 once occurs2 and it would be a great   
mistake to identify the ,satan of the   
,hebrew ,scriptures1 with the ,devil  of
 the ,greek4#eec ,the ,satan of the     
former has a very uncertain             
personality4 ,the name rather denotes an
 office1 which any agent of  ,providence
 might be appointed to fill1 than a     
definite individual being4  ,any person1

 performing the function of an accuser1 
or who prepares  matter for accusation1 
by seducing men into evil1--any one     
acting the  part of an adversary to     
another1--is called ,satan4 ,thus ,david
 is called  ,satan to the               
,philistines2#eed a certain captain     
named ,rezon was ,satan  to ,israel2#eee
 the angel of ,jehovah was ,satan to    
,balaam2#eef nay1 even  ,paul uses this 
singular expression1 8,hymeneus and     
,alexander1 ,i have  delivered to       
,satan0 7for what purpose1 do you       
suppose71 8that they may  be taught not 
to blaspheme40#eeg ,no doubt this idea1 
at first vague  and indefinite1         
gradually became individualized2 and    
that which had been  an appellative1    
passed into a proper name1 yet without  
ever wholly  losing its generic         
character4#eeh ,at the commencement of  
the book of  ,job occurs its most       
distinct and definite use4 ,it is there 
applied1 not  to a fallen ,spirit1 not  
to a repudiated subject of the celestial

 state1  but to an angel near the       
throne1 to a recognized minister of the 
,supreme  ,power1 who appears in the    
courts above among 8the ,sons of ,god40 
,he is  represented as a general        
inspector and public prosecutor of the  
,divine  government over man2 going to  
and fro over the earth1 by heavenly     
commission1 to execute the probationary 
part of the great ,ruler's will1  and   
administer to mankind the severities    
which test their faith4 ,in the  earlier
 ,hebrew writings1 this office is said  
to be filled by no  subordinate         
instrument3 it is ,jehovah himself who  
is represented as  trying his           
servants1--as the personal cause of     
their afflictions1 and  author of their 
temptations4 ,i recently heard the      
following passage from  the first book  
of ,chronicles adduced in proof of the  
agency of ,satan in  seducing men from  
their allegiance to ,god4 8,and ,satan  
stood up against  ,israel1 and provoked 
,david to number ,israel40#eei ,now it  

so happens1  that this same event is    
recorded also in the much more ancient  
books of  ,samuel1 where it is thus     
introduced3 8,and again the anger of the
 ,lord  was kindled against ,israel1 and
 ,,he moved ,david against them to say1 
#8,go1  number ,israel and ,judah4'0#efj
 ,what can more clearly mark the natural
  progress of opinion on this point8 ,as
 the ideas of ,god became more  elevated
 and refined1 it was felt to be scarcely
 compatible with his  perfections to    
seduce his children into violation of   
the duties he  himself required3 and the
 imagination at least1 if not the       
understanding1 was relieved by assigning
 that office1 of hardening the  heart   
and tempting the will1 7which originally
 had been left with  ,jehovah himself17 
to some interposing being1 who might    
separate between  ,god and guilt4       
,when we open the ,apocrypha of the ,old
 ,testament1 we perceive a complete     
change in this class of ideas4 ,even the
 latest written of the canonical  books 

introduce us to several angelic beings1 
unknown to the earlier  ,scriptures1--as
 the ,michael and ,gabriel of ,daniel4  
,but in addition to  these1 we find in  
the ,jewish ,apocrypha1 for the first   
time1 the matured  conception of the    
,prince of evil2#efa who is thenceforth 
represented in  the scarcely consistent 
relations of creature and enemy of the  
,most  ,high3 and it is in this form    
that the notion presents itself to us in
  the ,new ,testament writings4 ,now    
what is the inference from these facts8 
,in the books of the ancient            
dispensation1 this malignant ,spirit    
does not  yet appear3 in the writings of
 the new dispensation1 he is            
mentioned1--not as a novelty of         
revelation1 but as long familiar to the 
mind of every reader4 ,the origin then  
of the belief in his existence1  must be
 sought between the close of the ,hebrew
 inspiration and the  opening of the    
,christian4 ,and what had happened in   
this interval8 ,the  ,jewish people had 

been in long and intimate relation with 
,persia3  connected with it by political
 ties1 and united by the sympathies of  
monotheism4 ,the characteristic features
 of the ,persian religion  were1--its   
doctrine of a ,spirit of ,evil in       
perpetual enmity to the  ,supremely     
,good2--and its representation of a     
heavenly hierarchy1 whose  spirits were 
ranged in ranks of angels and           
archangels1 and received  their separate
 names4 ,these ideas then naturally     
passed into the ,jewish  mind1 with     
little change2 except that the ,evil    
,spirit was reduced to a  somewhat lower
 station1 in obedience to the stern     
,mosaic principle1 of  the absolute     
,monarchy of ,god4#efb ,and as these    
notions became perfectly  engrafted on  
the national faith of ,israel1 the      
founders of ,christianity  were educated
 in them2 and they were permitted to    
appear by incidental  allusion1 and in  
conformity with the general sentiments  
of the country  and the age1 in the     

pages of history and correspondence1    
which the  evangelists and apostles have
 left4 ,nor can ,i perceive1 either how 
it  can be proved1 or why it should be  
desired1 that ,god would annihilate     
from the understanding of his inspired  
servants1 all the harmless ideas1       
foreign to their mission1 which         
constituted the common stock of thought 
at the time1 and gave them points of    
necessary sympathy and intellectual     
contact with the spirit of their        
generation4 ,how slight the sanction    
which they give to some1 at least1 of   
these mythological imaginations1  may be
 estimated by a single fact4 ,the whole 
theory respecting fallen  angels rests  
upon two verses1#efc each in one of the 
most doubtful of  the ,new ,testament   
writings3 indeed the texts can scarcely 
be regarded as  constituting two        
independent authorities2 for the latter 
is little else  than a repetition of the
 former2 occurring in a portion of the  
second  epistle of ,peter1 which1       

strangely enough1 contains1 the         
sentiments and  even the language of a  
large part of the epistle of ,jude4     
,when such  evidence as this is brought 
forward1 as conclusive and infallible1  
,i  would respectfully ask our          
opponents1 whether they seriously       
believe1 on  the authority of the same  
epistle1 that ,michael the archangel    
disputed  with the ,devil about the body
 of ,moses8 and as this is nowhere else 
mentioned1 whether an express and       
personal revelation of the fact was     
imparted to ,st4 ,jude8 ,if so1         
consistency would require them to       
maintain1  that this is one of the      
essential doctrines of the ,gospel3 for 
how much  soever our natural and corrupt
 reason might be tempted to think the   
circumstance trivial1 if true1 it cannot
 really be otherwise than  fundamental1 
if privately and explicitly             
revealed4#efd    ,from the foregoing    
remarks1 the general principles1 in     
conformity with  which ,i would treat   

the question of demoniacal possessions1 
will be so  evident1 that it will be    
unnecessary to enter into any details4  
,the  precise relation to each other of 
the various orders of evil spirits in   
which the ,jews believed1 it is not     
possible to define4 ,it is certain1     
however1 that they made a distinction1  
which our common translation of  the    
,scriptures has improperly obliterated1 
between demons and devils4  ,the former 
were thought to be of only human rank1  
the souls of the  wicked dead3 and it   
was these only that were supposed to    
possess and  afflict the bodies of the  
living4 ,the latter were guilty angels1 
and had  no agency assigned to them on  
earth1 being kept in durance within the 
prisons of the unseen world4 ,there was 
therefore the same difference  between  
demons and devils1 as with us between   
ghosts and fiends4 ,of the  former1     
,beelzebub was considered as the chief2 
of the latter1 ,satan3 and  whether     
these beings were regarded as standing  

in any definite relation  to each other1
 is uncertain2 probably the ,devil1 as  
the ,prince of  darkness1 was believed  
to be the ruler of all the powers of    
evil1  whether human or angelic4 ,unlike
 his incarcerated compeers1 ,satan was  
permitted to be at large1 and to        
practise his arts against mankind3 all  
gentile kingdoms being absolutely his2  
and even the chosen people not          
protected wholly from his malignity1 at 
least until the ,messiah's reign1  which
 was to commence with his dethronement4 
,it may be observed by any  careful     
reader of the gospels1 that the evils of
 which he was held to be  the author1   
are not the same that are ascribed to   
,beelzebub and his  demons4 ,satan1 and 
he only1 was the moral seducer3 and the 
physical  calamities proceeding from him
 were only natural and intelligible     
diseases1 regular enough to fall under  
the cognizance of science4 ,the  demons 
had1 on the contrary1 no concern with   
the conscience2 and  occasioned only the

 irregular and apparently preternatural 
maladies1  which science deserted and   
left to the tender mercies of           
superstition2--of which epilepsy and    
insanity are the most remarkable        
examples4    ,of this system of notions 
the evangelists were doubtless          
possessed4 ,but  that they held them on 
the tenure of unerring inspiration can  
by no  means be shown4 ,on the contrary1
 the natural causes which produced them 
can be so clearly detected in the       
prevalent sentiments of their age and   
country1 that not the slightest pretext 
remains for referring them to  express  
revelation4 ,so far from requiring a    
miracle to excite these  conceptions1 we
 must admit1 that nothing less than a   
miracle could have  excluded them1      
familiar as they had been to the        
national mind from the  time of its     
intercourse with ,persia4 ,had the      
founders of ,christianity  never        
received any extraordinary mission1 they
 would have entertained  the conception 

of demoniacal possession2 and its hold  
upon their  thoughts must therefore be  
regarded as the result of natural       
prepossession1 not of supernatural      
communication4 ,a notion whose human    
origin can be distinctly traced1--which 
was shared by uninspired persons1  and  
existed in the authors of our religion  
in their uninspired  years1--has no     
claim to be considered as a part of     
,christianity1 and is  as open to doubt 
and examination as any other opinion of 
antiquity4 ,to  affirm that1 were it not
 true1 ,god must have blotted it from   
the mind of  his messengers1 is not only
 to overbear evidence with assertion1   
but to  decide dogmatically on the      
obligations of ,deity1 and1 with        
infinite  presumption1 to dictate the   
fit measure of his gifts4 ,till it can  
be  shown1 that inspiration is          
co-extensive with omniscience1 it must  
remain  compatible with error4    ,the  
language of the ,gospels then1          
respecting demoniacs1 is not to be      

regarded as a condescending             
accommodation to popular prejudice2 but 
as a  genuine expression of the writers'
 own state of mind4 ,there is no reason 
to doubt that the prevalent ideas were  
shared by the apostles  themselves4 ,by 
these did they interpret the facts which
 they witnessed3  through the colouring 
of these1 their minds beheld the        
miracles of  ,christ1 and their own3 and
 at the suggestion of these arose the   
language  in which they have recorded   
the ministry of their ,lord4 ,all this  
has not  the smallest effect on the     
truth and soundness of their testimony4 
,they  no doubt reported faithfully that
 which they saw and heard2 only they    
tell us something more1 adding a few    
phrases1 disclosing also what they      
thought4 ,like all witnesses of simple  
mind1 especially when telling  that     
which awakens their wonder and          
affection1 they mix up their  statements
 of phenomena with notions of causation2
 and present us with a  composite       

register of sensible impressions and    
mental interpretations4  ,it should be  
our business1 as we read1 to call up    
before us the scene  described2 to see  
for ourselves the things visible1 and   
hear the things  audible1 of which the  
record speaks2 and we shall find that   
this effort  will usually make a perfect
 and easy separation between the real   
and the  merely ideal1 between the      
permanent fact and the temporary        
explanation4  ,when1 for example1 it is 
said1 that the demons in a man possessed
  spake to ,christ1 of what are we to   
think8 for what voice are we to  listen8
 where are the lips from which the      
utterance flows8--,certainly it  was    
from the organs of the poor lunatic     
himself that the sound must  have       
proceeded3 and modern language would    
describe this fact by saying1  that he  
spake2 and in thus believing we accept  
the whole attestation  of the historian4
    7#c47 ,the same principle must be   
applied to the temptation of ,christ4   

,no  hint whatever is given1 implying   
any visible appearance communing with   
,jesus2 nor need we even suppose any    
audible voice addressing him4#efe  ,the 
,evil ,spirit1 like ,god himself1 was   
held to be invisible1 and  inappreciable
 by any human senses3 and when words are
 attributed to  him1 they represent only
 the dialogue which he is supposed to   
hold with  the silent and tempted heart4
 ,his whole guilty transactions indeed  
belonged1 it was imagined1 to the region
 of the mind2 and his was a  viewless   
and speechless wrestling with conscience
 on its throne4  ,whenever therefore the
 seductive assaults of ,satan are       
recorded1 the  real fact described is   
this2 that internal moral conflicts have
 been  going on1 and deluding thoughts  
have been passing1 like the shadow of a 
dark ,spirit1 across the purer soul4    
,and in such case1 the first and the    
only thing of which our consciousness   
can be aware1 is1 the occurrence  of    
these thoughts4 ,to their antecedent    

source1 our testimony cannot  reach2 and
 whether they are precipitated on us by 
some enemy from  without1 or are of     
spontaneous origin within our own minds1
 is a point  accessible indeed to       
speculation1 but beyond the contact of  
experience4  ,till they enter our       
nature1 and so become a part of our     
personality1  they are nothing and      
nowhere3 and when they enter and we feel
 their  torment1 they are ours and no   
other being's4 ,no one ever sees1 hears1
 or  feels1 the ,devil2 he perceives    
simply the intrusion of sinful ideas1   
and supposes them to be the result of   
diabolic power4 ,he experiences  the    
temptation in reality2 and refers it to 
the tempter in idea4 ,and  were this not
 true of ,christ1 as of ourselves1 it   
would be false to say1  that he 8was    
tempted in all points as we are40 ,the  
temptation of our  ,lord then1 stripped 
of the dress which the historians have  
thrown around  the central facts1 was   
the natural struggle1 by which he       

exchanged the  imperfect1 and local1 and
 ambitious conceptions of the ,messiah1 
which  his cottage training in ,nazareth
 had imparted1--for that pure1 and      
self-sacrificing1 and comprehensive     
interpretation of the office1 which     
broke upon his solitude so awfully4     
,that he learned1 at ,mary's knees1 to  
cherish the common hope of his nation1  
in the form under which it  prevailed   
among the peasantry1 appears as little  
doubtful1 as that he  caught the        
language of his native fields4 ,yet it  
is certain that this  early vision      
passed away2 and that when he himself   
was called to fill  the appointed       
office1 he acted out a conception quite 
opposite to the  dreams imparted to his 
childhood4 ,once he had mused on the    
widening  glory of ,juda2 but he ended  
with announcing the prospect of its     
fall4  ,once he had exulted in the      
dignity and power of the coming         
messenger1  who should break the        
oppression of his people1 and set forth 

anew the  triumph of their ancient      
,providence3 he declared himself at     
length the  meek prophet of penury1 and 
woe and childhood4 ,once he had thought 
of  what ,jerusalem would be1 when the  
temple should be the centre of the      
world's homage1 and multitudes of all   
nations should throng its  pavement1 and
 its incense should rise in the pride of
 freedom1 and its  hymn spring upward on
 the wing of happy melody3 but ere his  
work of life  was finished1 he taught a 
lowlier yet sublimer expectation1 not of
 the  compression of the world into the 
,hebrew worship1--but of the diffusion  
of that worship to cover the world2 and 
revealed that secret shrine in  every   
human heart1 where emotions1 purer than 
incense1 may burn for  ever1 and tones  
sweeter than music be for ever breathed4
 ,this revolution  of sentiment1 this   
conflict1 by which new thoughts of      
inspiration  expelled the old ones      
inherited from education and reputed    
prophecy1  constituted the temptation in

 the wilderness2 nor was it possible    
that  ideas the most divine1 should thus
 burst the shell of custom and          
tradition1 without a convulsion truly   
terrible4 ,it would be easy1 were  it   
not irrelevant1 to show how this hidden 
colloquy between the national           
prepossessions and the personal         
intuitions of our ,lord's mind1 would   
give rise to the separate scenes of     
which the temptation is said to have    
been composed4 ,possibly1 however1 the  
history1 as it stands1 is not the       
record of a single event1 to which a    
fixed date can be assigned in his       
ministry3 more probably1 it gathers into
 one view a series of mental  conflicts1
 distributed over his whole public life2
 the struggles between  the accidental  
and the essential portions of his       
nature2 between the  national and the   
human3 between an historical imagination
 trained amid  the gorgeousness of      
prophecy1 and a heavenly conscience     
dwelling with  the simplicity of ,god2  

between the conventional and the        
spiritual2  between1 in short1 the      
superinduced faith contracted from time 
and  place1 and the inborn faith of a   
soul divine and free4    ,in the        
preceding notices of ,scripture1 no     
sanction is given to the                
interpretations1 if such there be1 which
 resolve ,satan into a  personification1
 treat the temptation as a vision or an 
allegory1 and  identify the demoniac    
phraseology with the common language of 
pathological description4 ,i believe1   
indeed1 that1 wherever the ,devil  and  
his agency are named1 the only real fact
 denoted is1 the  occurrence to some one
 of a moral temptation3 and that1       
wherever demons  are said to have been  
cast out1 the only historical event     
described  is1 the cure of some physical
 or mental disease4 ,but it appears to  
me  absurd to deny1 that the writers    
meant more than this2 to doubt that     
they held the popular theory of such    
facts1 and blended it naturally  with   

their record2 that they were sincerely  
under the influence of the  existing    
system of demonology1 and referred the  
seductions of sin to the  personal      
activity of the malignant ,spirit4      
,nowhere1 however1 do they  pretend to  
set forth these ideas as gifts of       
preternatural revelation1  but simply   
take them up as part of the common media
 of thought belonging  to the age1 and  
use them as the incidental colouring to 
their narrative  of facts4 ,in different
 parts of the ,hebrew ,scriptures1 as we
 have seen1  very different1 and even   
inconsistent notions respecting the     
origin of  evil prevail3 the conception 
of a powerful diabolic agent underwent a
  regular and natural development3 and  
the system of pneumatology apparent  in 
the ,greek ,scriptures is traceable to a
 foreign origin in an  uninspired age4  
,hence we must conclude1 that respecting
 the origin of  evil1 nothing doctrinal 
is specially revealed2 that even in     
,palestine1  the human mind has been    

left to grapple with this great problem 
by its  own natural forces2 and that we 
rise from the page of ,scripture1 as    
from  the speculations of wisdom and    
genius1 with the difficulty yet         
unsolved4    ,by no means1 then1 can we 
attain to any theoretical certainty1 or 
logical consistency of belief1 on this  
great topic4 ,revelation is  silent1 and
 philosophy perplexed2 and the          
controversy between the  ,religion of   
,conscience and the ,religion of the    
,understanding1 is  undecided still4    
,let the framers of systems say what    
they will1 the  thing is deeper than our
 minds1 and what can we know8 ,nothing  
remains1  but to abandon hopelessly the 
speculative point of view1 and treat the
  matter as an object1 not of knowledge1
 but of trust2 to regard it as a        
question to be decided by its bearings  
on duty1 rather than its  materials for 
debate4 ,whenever the means of attaining
 to objective truth  do not exist1 we   
can but rest in those views of things   

which most  entirely accord with our    
best nature4 ,if we cannot tell what is 
true of  ,god1 we yet may judge what is 
fittest for ourselves2 what state of    
mind1  what modes of thought1 prepare us
 best for the work of life2 what mental 
representation of existence most nobly  
sustains those fundamental moral        
convictions1 which it is the end of     
,christianity to fix in our implicit    
faith and constant practice4 ,to this   
arbitration we must submit our  present 
doubts respecting the source of evil2   
and1 while waiting to  reach the        
realities of reason denied us now1      
accept1 as our best truth1  the         
conceptions which are most just to our  
moral nature and relations4    ,,iii4   
,let us then1 for final decision1       
consult the practical spirit of         
,christianity1 and ascertain to what    
view of the origin of sin it awards  the
 preference4 ,is it well1 for the       
consciences and characters of men1  to  
consider ,god1--either directly or      

through his dependant ,satan1--either   
by his general laws1 or by vitiating the
 constitution of our first  parents1--as
 the primary source of moral evil8 or1  
on the contrary1 to  regard it as1 in no
 sense whatever1 willed by the ,supreme 
,mind1 and  absolutely inimical to his  
,providence8 ,are we most in harmony    
with the  characteristic spirit of the  
gospel1 when we call sin his instrument1
 or  when we call it his enemy8 ,for    
myself1 ,i can never sit at the feet of 
,jesus1 and yield up a reverential heart
 to his great lessons1 without  casting 
myself on the persuasion1 that ,god and 
evil are everlasting  foes2 that never1 
and for no end1 did he create it2 that  
his will is  utterly against it1 nor    
ever touches it1 but with annihilating  
force4  ,any other view appears to be   
injurious to the characteristic         
sentiments1  and at variance with the   
distinguishing genius1 of ,christian    
morality4    7#a47 ,christianity is     
distinguished by the profound sentiment 

of  individual responsibility which     
pervades it4 ,all the arbitrary forms1  
and sacerdotal interpositions1 and      
hereditary rights1 through which  other 
systems seek the divine favour1 are     
disowned by it4 ,it is a  religion      
eminently personal2 establishing the    
most intimate and  solitary dealings    
between ,god and every human soul4 ,it  
is a religion  eminently natural2       
eradicating no indigenous affection of  
our mind1  distorting no primitive moral
 sentiment2 but simply consecrating the 
obligations proper to our nature1 and   
taking up with a divine voice the       
whispers1 scarce articulate before1 of  
the conscience within us4 ,in this  deep
 harmony with our inmost consciousness  
of duty1 resides the true  power of our 
religion4 ,it subdues and governs our   
hearts1 as a wise  conqueror rules the  
empire he has won2 not by imposing a    
system of  strange laws1 but by arming  
with higher authority1 and administering
  with more resolute precision1 the laws

 already recognised and revered4        
,this sense of individual               
accountability1--notwithstanding the    
ingenuities  of orthodox divines on the 
one hand1 and necessarian philosophers  
on the  other1--is impaired by all      
reference of the evil that is in us to  
any  source beyond ourselves4 ,to look  
for a remoter cause than our own  guilty
 wills1--to contemplate it as a         
,providential instrument1 whether we    
trace it to ,adam1 to ,satan1 or        
directly to ,god1 bewilders the simple  
perceptions of conscience1 and throws   
doubt on its distinct and solemn        
judgments4 ,the injury may be different 
in character1 according to the          
particular system we adopt3 but any     
theory which provides the  individual   
moral agent with participating causes of
 his guilt1 offends  and weakens some   
one of the feelings essential to the    
consciousness of  responsibility4       
,there is no persuasion1 for example1   
more indispensable to this state of     

mind1 and1 consequently1 no impression  
which ,christianity more  profoundly    
leaves upon the heart1 than that of the 
personal origin and  personal identity  
of sin1--its individual1 incommunicable 
character4 ,our  own secret souls1 and  
that divine gospel which confirms all   
their  sincere decisions1 alike declare 
that my sin cannot be your sin2  that by
 no compact1 even by no miracle1 can any
 exchange of  responsibilities1 or      
transfer of moral qualities1 be         
effected4 ,what  indeed is guilt in its 
very nature1 but a violation of some    
venerated  rule of action1--a           
contravention of our own sentiments of  
equity1 truth1  purity1 or generosity8  
and what is the guilty mind1 but a      
system or  habit of desire1 which       
successfully resists the control of     
reason and  conscience8 ,that mind which
 is the seat of the delinquent          
will1--which  hears the remonstrances of
 right1 and heeds them not1--is the sole
  proprietor of the sin1 deriving it    

from none1 imparting it to none3 its    
dwelling is in his volition2 and unless 
that can cease to be his1 the           
criminality can admit of no alienation4 
,he may have accomplices indeed3  but   
they are so many additional agents1 each
 with his separate amount of  guilt1 and
 not partners among whom his one act of 
free-will is  distributed4 ,the trains  
of thought and emotion1 the adjustment  
of tastes  and affections1 are different
 in every soul3 each has its own moral  
complexion2 each1 its separate moral    
relations2 each1 its distinct           
responsibility in the sight of ,god4 ,in
 no sense is the gift or transfer  of   
character more possible1 than a barter  
of genius1 or an interchange  of        
sensation4 ,god may call new life into  
existence1 and determine what  its      
consciousness shall be3 he may          
annihilate life1 and plunge its  memory 
and experience into nothing3 but to     
shift the feelings and aims  which      
constitute the identity of one being    

into the personality of  another1 is no 
more possible1 than to alter the        
properties of a circle1  or to cancel   
departed time4    ,to trifle in any way 
with this plain and solemn principle1 to
 invent  forms of speech tending to     
conceal it1 to apply to moral good and  
ill1  language which assimilates them to
 physical objects and exchangeable      
property1 implies frivolous and         
irreverent ideas of sin and excellence4 
,the whole weight of this charge        
evidently falls on the scheme1 which    
speaks of human guilt as an hereditary  
entail2 a scheme which shocks and       
confounds our primary notion of right   
and wrong1 and1 by rendering them       
impersonal qualities1 reduces them to   
empty names4 ,no construction can  be   
given to the system1 which does not pass
 this insult on the  conscience4 ,in    
what sense do we share the guilt of our 
progenitor8 ,his  concession to         
temptation did not occur within our     
mind1 or belong in any  way to our      

history4 ,and if1 without participation 
in the act of wrong1  we are to have its
 penalties1--crimes in the planet       
,saturn may be  expected to shower      
curses on the earth2 for why may not    
justice go  astray in space1 as         
reasonably as in time8 ,if nothing more 
be meant1  than that from our first     
parents we inherit a constitution liable
 to  intellectual error and moral       
transgression2--still1 it is evident1   
that1  until this liability takes actual
 effect1 no sin exists1 but only its    
possibility2 and when it takes effect1  
there is just so much guilt and  no     
more1 than might be committed by the    
individual's will3 so that where  there 
is no volition1 as in infancy1 cruelty  
only could inflict  punishment2 and     
where there is pure volition1 as in many
 a good  passage of the foulest life1   
equity itself could not withhold        
approval4    ,in whatever way1 then1 you
 define this hypothesis1 it directly    
denies  the personal character and      

personal identity of sin1 and thus      
enfeebles  the most essential element   
comprehended in the sentiment of        
responsibility4 ,the practical result   
will inevitably be1 a system of  false  
views and fictitious feelings1 with     
respect both to our own  characters1 and
 to those of our fellow-men4 ,that which
 can be  vicariously incurred1 or       
vicariously removed1 cannot be guilt2   
cannot  therefore1 be sincerely felt as 
such2 can awaken no true shame and      
self-reproach1 and draw forth no burning
 tears when we meet the eye of  ,god4   
,it is a shocking mockery to call sorrow
 for an ancestor's sin by  the name of  
penitence1 and to confound the          
perception 7or1 as it is  termed1       
#8application1'7 of ,christ's holiness  
with the personal peace of  conscience3 
the one can be nothing else than moral  
disapprobation1  attended by the sense  
of personal injury2 the other1 moral    
approval1  attended by the sense of     
personal benefit3 and mean and confused 

must be  the sentiments of duty in a    
mind which can mistake these for the    
private  griefs of contrition1 and the  
serenity of a self-forgetful will4 ,only
  counterfeit emotions1 and             
self-judgments half sincere1 can        
consistently  arise from a faith which  
mystifies the primitive ideas of moral  
excellence1 and destroys all distinct   
perception of its nature4 ,it is  always
 with danger that we turn away from the 
natural hand-writing of  ,god upon the  
conscience3 from heedless eyes the      
divine symbols fade  away2 unless1      
indeed1 in some preternatural awakening 
of our sight1 they  blaze forth once    
again1 to tell us that the kingdom of   
true greatness  hath departed from us4  
,let each consider his own life as an   
indivisible  unit of responsibility1 no 
less complete1 no less free1 no less    
invested  with solemn and solitary      
power1 than if he dwelt1 and always had 
dwelt1  in the universe alone with ,god4
 ,there is confided to him1 the sole    

rule  of a vast and immortal world      
within2 whose order can be preserved or 
violated1 whose peace secured or        
sacrificed1 by no foreign influence4 ,we
  cannot1 by ancestral or historical    
relations1 renounce our own  free-will1 
or escape one iota of its awful trusts4 
,no faith which fails  to keep this     
truth distinct and prominent1 no faith  
which shuffles with  the sinner's moral 
identity1 contains the requisites of a  
8doctrine  according to godliness40 ,it 
must pervert1 moreover1 our estimates of
  others' characters1 no less than of   
our own4 ,if guilt can be               
hereditary1--guilt meriting infinite and
 indiscriminate punishment1--it  must be
 universal3 and whether we see it or    
not1 we must believe it to  exist1 with 
no appreciable variation of degree1 in  
every human heart4  ,thus it becomes a  
prime duty to regard every thing in     
life1 except its  wretchedness1 every   
thing in human nature1 except its       
displays of  foulness and of ruin1 as a 

delusion and a cheat4 ,we strongly      
protest  against this miserable distrust
 of our best and truest perceptions4 ,we
  maintain the intelligible and         
appreciable character of all moral      
qualities1 in opposition to all schemes 
which make distinction between  natural 
and theological excellence1 and which   
propose imaginary  standards of right1  
different from those that recommend     
themselves to a  discerning conscience4 
,sin is no mysterious thing1 no physical
 poison1  no taint in the blood1 which  
may lurk venomously within us1 giving no
  symptom1 and exciting no              
consciousness1 of its presence4 ,however
  insidious in its approaches1 and      
subtle in its manifestations1 vigilance 
only is needed to detect it3 its        
stealthiness affords1 indeed1 a sound   
reason for circumspection2 but not for  
superstitious horror at its  possible   
existence1 without discoverable trace1  
in ourselves or others4  ,to look on the
 spectacle of vice1 and not feel        

abhorrence1 indicates a  depraved state 
of sentiment3--to look on the spectacle 
of virtue1 and  believe it sin1 to      
witness all the outward expressions of  
goodness and  suspect interior          
corruption1 to be invited by natural    
emotion to moral  admiration1 and1 by   
theological stimulants1 to galvanise the
 heart into  loathing 7or even 8pity07  
instead1 implies a falsehood of         
conscience no  less malignant4 ,let me  
not be told that1 in thus speaking1 we  
assign too  high a value to mere        
external moralities1 which are but      
treacherous  indications of character1  
and may be the visible fruit of various 
and  dubious motives4 ,we never cease to
 teach1 that no ,epicurean              
respectabilities1 no conformity with    
conventional rules of order1 can        
satisfy the claims1 or afford any of the
 peace of duty1 unless they be  the     
native growth of a perceptive1 devout1  
and loving heart3--that it is  not in   
the hand which executes1 but in the soul

 which devises and  aspires1 in the     
secret will which makes sacrifice of    
self1 in the  conscience which grapples 
with temptations and overmasters fears1 
that  true and immortal virtue dwells2  
since acts are evanescent1 while the    
affections are eternal4 ,but it is      
monstrous to infer from this            
superficial character of outward        
morality1 that there is probably no     
substratum of genuine goodness4 ,nay1 it
 is a mean and degrading  scepticism    
which distrusts1 without assignable     
cause1 the reality of any  of the       
symptoms of excellence2 is tempted by   
theories of divinity to  insinuate that 
they are an empty semblance2 and plies  
its pious  ingenuity to blacken the     
great human heart4 ,he that is pledged  
to make  out a case against mankind at  
large1 must find of difficult attainment
  that charity that 8hopeth all things  
and believeth all things40 ,how  blunted
 must be the delicacy of moral          
perception1 where the gradations  of    

excellence are swept away into the dark 
abyss of universal depravity6  and to   
effect this reduction of all minds to   
the same level1 what  vehement          
distortion1 what wretched sophistries1  
what devotional scandal  and romance1   
must become habitual6 ,how much less    
place for delusion and  insincerity is  
there1 when we maintain a reverential   
faith in the  natural moral sentiments1 
repress no generous admiration1         
disbelieve no  genuine expression of    
disinterestedness and integrity1 and    
instead of  whining over guilt1 dare to 
bless ,god with a manly voice1 for all  
varieties of noble virtue6    ,thus does
 the habit of tracing sin beyond the    
individual will to a  progenitor1 spread
 confusion over the moral perceptions1  
by mystifying  the nature of guilt1 and 
destroying that feeling of its personal 
character and identity which belongs to 
the ,christian sentiment of             
responsibility4    ,by a different and  
directer method the same tendency       

operates1 when we  refer our temptations
 to the agency of the ,devil1 rather    
than to our  descent from ,adam4 ,an    
invisible power1 foreign to ourselves1  
is held  chargeable1 to an undefined    
extent1 with the evil of our own wills2 
and  the conscience can as ill bear the 
present distribution1 as the past       
transmission of its guilt4 ,it is said  
indeed1 that man is not 8less  culpable1
 because ,satan seduces him1 and blinds 
his mind0 since there is  no power on   
earth or hell to compel him to          
transgress2 that he is a  willing       
captive1 and no more to be excused than 
when a human accomplice  entices him to 
crime1 without 7it is admitted7         
relieving him of any  portion of his    
criminality4#eff ,but the cases are     
obviously not  parallel4 ,man stands up 
before his fellow man1 equal with equal2
 his  weapons are fairly measured       
against his danger1 by the great        
,arbiter  himself2 and therefore is he  
summoned to close with his temptations1 

and  condemned as a traitor if he yields
 or flies4 ,and should it ever be       
otherwise1--should the feeble-minded and
 inexperienced be misled by the  cunning
 of the strong-headed and practised     
seducer1 the instinctive  justice of    
mankind mitigates its sentence1 and     
commiserates the fall4  ,with how much  
greater force1 then1 must this          
palliation be felt1 when  the ,tempter  
is admitted to be 8possessed of capacity
 and power immensely  surpassing        
ours10#efg--;a 8master-spirit0 of       
majestic intellect1 with  whom we are as
 an infant in the giant's grasp6 ,with  
such a being1 the  broken energy1 the   
purblind vigilance1 of a fallen man1 can
 hardly be  expected to cope2 at least  
they will be induced1 in so plausible a 
case1  to esteem themselves unfairly    
matched against so exalted a competitor4
  ,while it were earnestly to be desired
 that the wretched conscience  should be
 allowed no evasion1 and for awhile no  
alleviation1 under the  condemning      

sentence of its memory and its          
,god1--this doctrine calls up1          
inevitably and reasonably1 the feeling  
of a divided criminality1 of  which the 
weaker nature has the smaller share4    
,these tendencies1 so far as they have  
been truly stated1 must continue  to    
act1 so long as we trace the evil that  
is in us to any foreign  agent4 ,hence  
it appears impossible to defend the     
doctrine of  ,philosophical             
,necessity1--which presents ,god to us  
as the author of sin  and               
suffering1--from the same charge of     
invading the sense of personal          
responsibility4 ,not that we are for a  
moment to sanction the vulgar  error    
which confounds this scheme1 in its     
theoretical structure and  practical    
effects1 with the system of fatalism2 or
 to imagine1 that an  abdication of all 
free-will1 and a total indifference to  
moral  distinctions1 would be its proper
 and consistent results4 ,though1       
however1 it leaves room for individual  

pursuit1 and motive to individual       
perfection1 one of its chief and most   
vaunted features undoubtedly is1  the   
encouragement which it affords to the   
passive virtues3 and it will  be found1 
,i greatly fear1 that it is their       
passiveness1 more than  their           
virtuousness1 which puts them under the 
protection of this  doctrine4           
,doubtless1 he who can look on all men  
as the instruments of  heaven1 and      
recognize in their mutual injuries and  
crimes the chosen  methods of the       
,divine government1 must learn          
submission to many a  triumph of wrong1 
and consider anger against the          
profligate and  oppressor as            
insubordination against ,god4 ,he who is
 haunted by the  immutability of things1
 and feels himself locked in with the   
universal  mechanism1 will chafe himself
 with no rash spirit of resistance1 nor 
vainly thrust his hand against the      
fly-wheel of nature4 ,he who believes   
that all things are right1 that absolute

 evil does not exist1 that  whatever men
 may be1 and whatever they may do1      
nothing could possibly be  better1 must 
needs discover that his own wishes are  
no criterion of  good1 and look with a  
contented eye over the whole surface of 
the past1  as well as a serene trust on 
the prospect of the future4 ,nor can    
there  be any self-exaggeration in a    
mind conscious of possessing but an     
infinitesimal fraction of the universal 
power1--and even that little  wielded   
and directed by an uncontrollable       
sovereignty1 that turns the  hearts of  
men whithersoever it pleaseth4          
,complacency with every lot1            
resignation to all events1 forbearance  
under injury1 an equal tenderness  for  
all men1 and the lowliest attitude      
before ,god1 are the  unquestionable    
results of this religious philosophy4   
,but all this is  attained by a process 
which1 ,i would submit1 the moralist is 
bound to  regard as illegitimate2--by an
 appeal to external mechanical          

necessity1  rendering any thing but     
these states of mind intellectually     
improper2  not by any considerations of 
duty1 or any perception of their        
intrinsic obligation4 ,the whole        
efficacy of the system is negative1  not
 positive4 ,it prostrates and destroys  
the turbulent elements of our  nature1  
and its quietude is the residue left by 
their exhaustion3 it  crumbles beneath  
us the heights of passion1 and deposits 
us upon a  placid level beneath the     
infinite expanse4 ,its characteristic   
dispositions are reached by the         
sacrifice of the feelings which are     
distinctively moral3--the feelings1 that
 is1 of which right and wrong  acts and 
propensities are the appropriate        
objects2--the feelings of  approbation  
and aversion1 which recognize merit and 
demerit1 and impel  to praise and blame4
 ,the ,necessarian sees1 neither in     
himself nor  others1 any good or ill    
desert to justify such feelings3 he     
regards  natural and moral qualities in 

the same light1--contemplating          
benevolence  as a species of health1 and
 selfishness as akin to disease3 if he  
utters  censure or applause1 it is not  
from an impulse in himself1 but for  an 
effect upon their object4 ,in his love  
to men moral distinctions have  no      
place2 for as their sins justify no     
alienation1 their virtues give no  claim
 to admiration3 he loves them apart from
 the perceptions of                     
conscience1--without                    
veneration1--without praise1--by the    
mere force of the  sympathies which take
 interest in sentient beings as capable 
of  happiness and misery3--loves them1  
may we not say1 because there is no     
cause for hate2 resentment1 impatience1 
disgust1 being out of place  towards    
creatures who are what they were meant  
to be1 nothing remains  but to include  
them in his complacency4 ,nor does the  
humility which  this system inculcates1 
bear the true and ,christian stamp4 ,it 
is not the  irrepressible aspiration    

after moral perfection1 the pursuit of  
an image  in the conscience infinitely  
beautiful and great1 the devoted worship
 of  the holy1 good1 and true1 which    
draw forth tears of contrition for the  
past1 and dwarf the attainments of the  
present1 though reckoning their         
thousand victories2 but it is rather a  
sense of physical and mental            
insignificance1 which annihilates all   
worth except such as we may derive  from
 sharing the regards of ,god3 it is not 
a perception of want of merit  in our   
character1 but a consciousness of       
incapacity for it in our  nature4       
,and who could fairly realize the       
fundamental idea of this scheme1        
without losing all confidence in his own
 moral convictions1 and  constantly     
distrusting his best feelings as        
delusions8 ,for does he not  believe1   
that whatever is brought to pass is     
absolutely right and best1  and that any
 different view of it is an illusion    
incident to our human  point of sight8  

,the optimist casts his eye over the    
past1 and can see no  blot upon the     
retrospect3 yet does it contain         
innumerable things1--woes  and crimes   
the most deplorable1--which1 ere they   
happened1 were repugnant  to his        
worthiest desires1 and to be encountered
 by the most strenuous  resistance of   
duty4 ,is he then to look at these      
objects1 up to the last  moment of the  
present1 as utterly evil2 and from the  
first moment of the  past1 as           
indisputably best8 ,is he to set up a   
two-faced sentiment1  gazing with       
mutable and discriminative expression on
 things approaching1  but with unvaried 
complacency on things departed8 ,is it  
possible1 that  actions and characters  
can change their complexion by mere     
migration in  time8 or was it altogether
 a mistake to think so ill of the       
iniquities  which1 having been summoned 
into existence1 must always have        
appeared  eligible in the view of ,god8 
,these perplexities must perpetually    

arise  to a mind which uses two         
standards of good2 the moral1 which     
approves the right2 and the eventual1   
which reveres the past4 ,the  latter    
incessantly contradicts the former1 and 
insinuates that it is a  blind guide1   
aiming at that which the ,all-wise will 
refuses to achieve4  ,and thus our      
theorist1 in so far as he is true to his
 principles1  would lapse into          
scepticism of his moral judgments2 into 
a hesitating  veneration for the oracles
 of duty2 a suspicion that they may     
inculcate  provisional superstitions1   
rather than eternal truths4 ,it must be 
difficult to unite pious acquiescence in
 the guilt of others1 with              
uncompromising resistance to our own4   
,in short1 the contemplations presented 
by this doctrine do not appear to  be   
favourable to active excellence3 rising 
too far1 and embracing too  much1 they  
quit the contact of this green earth1   
and lose sight of the  interval between 
the quiet vales where virtue walks1 and 

the giddy  heights it may not tread4    
,the soul1 rendered conscious more of   
the  immensity around it1 than of the   
obligations upon it1 lies still1        
without a passion1 without a            
fear1--venturing an approach to the     
benignity more than to the energy of    
,god4 ,perhaps it is the tendency of    
all systems which most amply spread     
forth the ,divine ,infinitude1 to be    
less occupied with the conception of the
 ,divine ,holiness3 perhaps the  mind   
intensely occupied with the idea of one 
solitary ,power1 absorbing  all         
subordinate agencies1 and willing every 
change that renders space or  time      
perceptible1 has all its strongest      
impulses1 both moral and  sympathetic1  
suppressed in the abyss of mystery2 and 
the distinction  between different      
beings and different acts appears1 in so
 vast a view1  too trivial to be worthy 
of deep emotion and resolute volition4  
,certain  it is1 that the oriental      
religions which have encouraged this    

sublimity  of devotion and              
self-annihilation in the ,deity1 have   
not been remarkable  for the formation  
of a sound and vigorous type of moral   
character4  ,indeed we have seen that   
,god himself1 the supreme centre of     
reverence1  no longer remains1 under the
 ,necessarian representation1 a really  
holy  object of thought4 ,if we are to  
admit no possibility of resisting his   
will1 and proclaiming him the ,only     
,cause1 to drown all other powers in    
his immensity1 it becomes impossible to 
feel that he has any paramount  regard  
to moral distinctions3 he cannot share  
our feelings towards human  guilt1 for  
it is his work3 he objects to no amount 
of vice1 provided it  issues in         
enjoyment3 and not one libertine1 or    
traitor1 or murderer1  could his        
purposes have spared4 ,to reconcile us  
to this dreadful  thought1 we are       
reminded of his benevolence1 which will 
bring all things  to a glorious result4 
,but how can we discern any sanctity in 

a  benevolence so indiscriminating in   
its instruments8 ,must all our various  
apprehensions of ,god1 the supremely    
good and supremely fair1 shrink into    
this one1 of ultimate-happiness ,maker1 
by no means fastidious in his           
application of means1 but secure of     
producing the end8 ,must the harmony  of
 the ,divine perfections lapse into this
 dull monotone8 ,it can hardly  be well 
for our conscience to worship a ,being  
whom we could not imitate  without      
guilt3 or1 if it be said1 that we may   
imitate his ultimate aim1  though not   
his intermediate methods1--what is this 
but to admit that our  moral sympathies 
with him must be postponed to the end of
 time8    ,this system1 then1 like      
others which trace sin to causes beyond 
the  individual will1 does not appear to
 foster that deep reverence for moral   
distinctions1 and sense of personal     
responsibility1 which eminently         
characterize practical ,christianity4   
,it is favourable indeed to the  passive

 virtues1 which occupy their due place  
in the morality of the  ,gospel3 but in 
producing them1 appeals to              
considerations discouraging to  the     
active spirit of moral resistance and   
moral aggression4    ,to all this1      
however1 an objector might urge the     
following reply3--8,human  conduct is   
not influenced by such considerations as
 you have supposed4  ,it matters little 
what men may think about the origin of  
their guilt1  if they make no mistake   
about its consequences3 let them only be
 sure  that it will be punished in the  
end1 and they may please themselves with
  speculating about its beginning4      
,every one will fly an inevitable       
suffering1 whether self-incurred or     
induced by foreign causes3 and if he    
clearly sees the penal sentence1 he will
 shun the sin1 just as much when  he    
imagines that others have involved him  
in it1 as when he conceives  that he    
alone has brought it on himself4 ,in    
short1 the will neither is  nor can be  

determined by anything but the prospect 
of pleasure or pain2  and so long as    
consequences of this kind depend on his 
decisions1 a man  will feel himself     
accountable4 ,the sense of              
responsibility can never be  weakened by
 any system which1 like those just      
noticed1 retain the  doctrine of future 
retribution40    ,this statement assumes
 that self-regarding motives1 promises  
of  happiness1 and threats of misery1   
are the sole powers for operating on    
human character4    7#b47 ,in reply1 ,i 
submit as a second distinguishing       
feature of practical  ,christianity1    
that it makes no great1 certainly no    
exclusive1 appeal to  the prudential    
feelings1 as instruments of duty2 treats
 them as  morally incapable of so sacred
 a work2 and relies1 chiefly and        
characteristically1 on affections of the
 heart1 which no motives of  reward and 
punishment can have the smallest        
tendency to excite4    ,the ,gospel1    
indeed1 like all things divine1 is      

unsystematic and unbound  by technical  
distinctions1 and makes no metaphysical 
separation between  the will and the    
affections4 ,it is too profoundly       
adapted to our nature1  not to address  
itself copiously to both4 ,the doctrine 
of retribution  being a solemn truth1   
appears with all its native force in the
 teachings  of ,christ1 and arms many of
 his appeals with a persuasion just and 
terrible4 ,but never was there a        
religion 7containing these motives at   
all7 so frugal in the use of them2 so   
able1 on fit occasions1 to  dispense    
with them3 so rich in those inimitable  
touches of moral beauty1  and tones that
 penetrate the conscience1 and generous 
trust in the  better sympathies1 which  
distinguish a morality of the           
affections4 ,in  ,christ himself1 where 
is there a trace of the obedience of    
pious  self-interest1 computing its     
everlasting gains1 and making out a case
  for compensation1 by submitting to    
infinite wisdom8 ,in his character1     

which is the impersonation of his       
religion1 we surely have a perfect      
image of spontaneous goodness1 unhaunted
 by the idea of personal  enjoyment1    
and1 like that of ,god1 unbidden but by 
the intuitions of  conscience1 and the  
impulses of love4 ,and what teacher less
 divine ever  made such high and bold   
demands on our disinterestedness8 ,to   
lend out  our virtue upon interest1--to 
8love them only who love us0 he         
pronounced  to be the sinners' morality2
 nor was the feeling of duty ever       
reached1  but by those who could 8do    
good1 hoping for nothing again10 except 
that greatest of rewards to a true and  
faithful heart1 to be 8the  children of 
the ,highest0 who 8is kind unto the     
unthankful and the evil40  ,in the view 
of ,jesus1 all dealings between ,god and
 men were not of  bargain1 but of       
affection4 ,we must surrender ourselves 
to him without  terms2 must be ashamed  
to doubt him who feeds the birds of the 
air1 and1  like the lily of the field1  

look up to him with a bright and loving 
eye2  and he1 for our much love1 will   
pity and forgive us4 ,in his own        
ministry1 how much less did our ,lord   
rely for disciples on the cogency  of   
mere proof1 and the inducements of hope 
and fear1 than on the power  of moral   
sympathy1 by which every one that was of
 ,god naturally loved  him and heard his
 words2#efh by which the good shepherd  
knew his sheep1  and they listened to   
his voice1 and followed him2#efi and    
without which  no man could come unto   
him1 for no spirit of the ,father drew  
him4#egj  ,no condition of discipleship 
did ,christ impose1 save that of 8faith 
in  him20 absolute trust in the spirit  
of his mind2 a desire of                
self-abandonment to a love and fidelity 
like his1 without tampering with        
expediency1 or hesitancy in peril1 or   
shrinking from death4    ,there is1     
then1 a wide variance between the genius
 of ,christianity1 and  that philosophy 
which teaches1 that all men must be     

bought over to the  side of goodness and
 of ,god1 by a price suited to their    
particular form  of selfishness and     
appetite for pleasure4 ,our religion is 
remarkable for  the large confidence it 
reposes on the disinterested affections1
 and the  vast proportion of the work of
 life it consigns to them4 ,and in thus 
seeking to subordinate and tranquillize 
the prudential feelings1 ,christ        
manifested how well he knew what was in 
man4 ,he recognized the truth1  which   
all experience declares1 that in these  
emotions is nothing great1  nothing     
loveable1 nothing powerful2 that their  
energy is perpetually  found incapable  
of withstanding the impetuosity of      
passion2 and that all  transcendant     
virtues1 all that brings us to tremble  
or to kneel1 all the  enterprises and   
conflicts which dignify history1 and    
have stamped any  new feature on human  
life1 have had their origin in the      
disinterested  region of the mind2 in   
affections1 unconsciously entranced by  

some  object sanctifying and divine4 ,he
 knew1 for it was his special mission   
to make all men feel1 that it is the    
office of true religion to cleanse  the 
sanctuary of the secret affections1 and 
effect a regeneration of the  heart4    
,and this is a task which no direct     
nisus of the will can  possibly         
accomplish1 and to which1 therefore1 all
 offers of reward and  punishment1      
operating only on the will1 are quite   
inapplicable4 ,the  single function of  
volition is to act2 over the executive  
part of our  nature it is supreme2 over 
the emotional it is powerless2 and all  
the  wrestlings of desire for self-cure 
and self-elevation1 are like the        
struggles of a child to lift himself4   
,he who is anxious to be a              
philanthropist1 is admiring benevolence1
 instead of loving men2 and  whoever is 
labouring to warm his devotion1 yearns  
after piety1 not after  ,god4 ,the mind 
can by no spasmodic bound seize on a new
 height of  emotion1 or change the light

 in which objects appear before its     
view4  ,persuade the judgment1 bribe the
 self-interests1 terrify the            
expectations1 as you will1 you can      
neither dislodge a favourite1 nor       
enthrone a stranger1 in the heart4 ,show
 me a child that flings an  affectionate
 arm around a parent1 and lights up his 
eyes beneath her  face1 and ,i know that
 there have been no lectures there upon 
filial  love2 but that the mother1 being
 loveable1 has of necessity been  loved2
 for to genial minds it is as impossible
 to withhold a pure  affection1 when its
 object is presented1 as for the flower 
to sulk  within the mould1 and clasp    
itself tight within the bud1 when the   
gentle  force of spring invites its     
petals to curl out into the warm light4 
,as  you reverence all good affections  
of our nature1 and desire to awaken     
them1 never call them duties1 though    
they be so2 for so doing1 you  address  
yourself to the will2 and by hard trying
 no attachment ever  entered the heart4 

,never preach on their great            
desirableness and  propriety2 for so    
doing1 you ask audience of the judgment2
 and by way of  the understanding no    
glow of noble passion ever came4 ,never1
 above all1  reckon up their balance of 
good and ill2 for so doing1 you exhort  
self-interest2 and by that soiled way no
 true love will consent to pass4  ,nay1 
never talk of them1 nor even gaze       
curiously at them2 for if they be  of   
any worth and delicacy1 they will be    
instantly looked out of  countenance and
 fly4 ,nothing worthy of human          
veneration will condescend  to be       
embraced1 but for its own sake3 grasp it
 for its excellent  results1--make but  
the faintest offer to use it as a tool1 
and it slips  away at the very          
conception of such insult4 ,the         
functions of a healthy  body go on1 not 
by knowledge of physiology1 but by the  
instinctive  vigour of nature2 and you  
will no more brace the spiritual        
faculties to  noble energy and true     

life1 by study of the uses of every     
feeling1 than  you can train an athlete 
for the race1 by lectures on every      
muscle of  every limb4 ,the mind is not 
voluntarily active in the acquisition of
 any  great idea1 any new inspiration of
 faith2 but passive1 fixed on the       
object which has dawned upon it1 and    
filled it with fresh light4    ,if this 
be true1 and if it be the object of     
practical ,christianity1 not  only to   
direct our hands aright1 but to inspire 
our hearts2 then can its  ends never be 
achieved by the mere force of reward and
 punishment2 then  no system can prove  
its sufficiency1 by showing that it     
retains the  doctrine of retribution1   
and must even be held convicted of moral
  incompetency1 if it trusts the        
conscience mainly to the prudential     
feelings1 without due provision for     
enlisting the co-operation of many a    
disinterested affection4    ,to this    
objection must any scheme be liable1    
which represents the  ,creator as having

 made choice of the instrumentality of  
evil4 ,i freely  admit1 that no one     
urges the personal motives to duty with 
more  closeness and force than the      
,necessarian4 ,maintaining1 with the    
utmost  strictness1 the connexion of    
moral cause and effect1 teaching the    
alliance of happiness with excellence1  
and of misery with vice1 by a law       
inexorable as fate1 he convinces us1    
that every concession to  temptation1   
every relaxation of conscientious       
effort1 is an addition of  wretchedness 
to our future lot2 that when the evil   
volition has once  passed1 no fortuity  
can provide evasion1 nor any mercy give 
us shelter2  that on the decisions of   
our will is suspended whatever can make 
our  everlasting destination blessed4   
,but his doctrine goes on to assure us1 
that it is only to ourselves that our   
sins create any clear increase of       
suffering2 they are a part of the best  
possible system1 designed for the       
general good2 and shown1 by their       

occurrence1 to be clear benefits to  the
 world4 ,no love of our fellow-man1     
then1 can be engaged in behalf of  duty2
 let conscience say what it will1 we    
hold no power1 and incur no  risk1 of   
creating injury to others2 and our      
sympathies with them cannot  reasonably 
determine any moral choice4 ,no love of 
,god can tender help to  our feeble     
virtue3 for he is not 8grieved in our   
sins20 and whether1 in  our conflicts1  
we succumb or conquer1 the issue is     
well-pleasing in his  sight4 ,he appears
 to sustain a relation1 not of concern1 
but of  indifference1 to our choice2 and
 the idea of him1 as spectator of the   
strife1 inspires no courage1 and brings 
no victory4 ,if it be urged1 that  these
 considerations are of too high and     
abstract a kind to influence us  in     
practice1 and that to us our misconduct 
must always appear injurious  to men1   
and offensive to ,god2 what is this but 
to allow the unfitness of  the doctrine 
to our minds1 and to say1 that it is    

harmless1 in  proportion as it remains  
unrealized8 ,it is a poor plea for the  
value of  a system to exclaim1 8,never  
mind its threatened mischiefs1          
conscience is  too strong for them40    
,the point at which the present argument
 rests is  this1 that in so far as the  
doctrine operates1 it dismisses all but 
the prudential feelings from the service
 of duty4    ,our conclusion is evident4
 ,the spirit of practical ,christianity 
gives a  double suffrage against the    
scheme which makes moral evil the       
instrument of ,god2 and bids us regard  
it as his enemy4 ,revelation  allies    
itself with the primitive religion of   
the conscience4    ,to the theoretic    
question1 still urged by our wonder and 
solicitude1  8,but whence this foe80 it 
has been already said1 that no answer   
can be  given4 ,all the ingenuities of  
logic and of language1 leave it a       
mystery  still3 and it is better to     
stand within the darkness in the        
quietude of  faith1 than vainly to      

search for its margin in the            
restlessness of  knowledge4 ,were we    
compelled1 for relief of mind1 to select
 some  definite method of representing  
the case to our apprehensions1 ,i know  
not any simpler or better conception    
than that of the ancient                
,platonists2--that the process of       
creation consisted1 not in the          
origination of matter itself out of     
nothing1 but in the production of  form1
 order1 beauty1 organization1 life1     
sentiency1 out of matter1--in  making it
 the residence of mind1 the receptacle  
of experience1 and the  servitor of     
souls3 that the ,divine hand has        
manifested illimitable  skill1 and the  
,divine love infinite versatility1 in   
the use and  application of the original
 material2 but that1 as it is the       
negative  opposite to his positive      
perfections1 its unsusceptibility of    
life and  spirit has occasioned the     
portion of evil which deforms the       
universe1  and which1 however varied and

 reduced1 and1 in the higher gradations 
of  being1 attenuated to the verge of   
extinction1 cannot be utterly           
annihilated4 ,from the large proportion 
of visible evil1 natural and  moral1    
that is traceable to disorganization and
 its related changes1  this view is     
easily apprehended1 and may indeed be   
detected1 in many  common forms of      
thought and speech4 ,if it be not true1 
no better  substitute for the truth is  
within our reach4 ,it limits the power  
of ,god  no more than the rival scheme3 
for were we to say1 that he became the  
author of evil1 as the unavoidable means
 of ulterior benefits1 we  should admit1
 that only on these terms was the       
contemplated good  producible1 even by  
him whom1 in relation to all our        
measures of force1  we justly call      
,omnipotent4 ,it is impossible to       
escape1 and therefore  better to        
confront1 the idea of a ,,necessity1    
restricting the conditions  within which
 the ,divine goodness operates2--a      

necessity1 mysterious1 but  not         
dreadful2 not great enough to be        
subversive of faith1 nor trivial  enough
 to be reasoned out of sight4 ,i know   
not why our thoughts should  not find a 
residence for this necessity1 rather in 
the materials  awaiting the ,creative   
hand1 than in any immaterial laws1 under
 the  mystic title of 8the ,nature of   
things10 or 7in other words17 any dark  
,fate behind the throne4 ,but in saying 
this1 ,i only propose to state the      
problem in the most salutary form1 and  
by no means to offer a solution3  mere  
pretension to ideas1 where truly we have
 none1 only excludes us  from the       
benefits 7which are many7 of our        
allotted portion of ignorance4  ,i have 
no sympathy with the confident and      
dogmatic spirit1 which  exclaims1 8,let 
the counsel of the ,holy ,one draw nigh1
 that we may know  it20 and would only  
protest against systems that 8call evil 
good1 and  good evil10 that 8put bitter 
for sweet1 and sweet for bitter40       

,sin1 then1 in the sight of ,god and all
 good men1 is to be esteemed an  evil1  
absolutely and everlastingly4 ,we may   
rally the whole power of  our nature    
against it3 for it destroys our personal
 security2 it  irremediably wounds our  
brother2 and it puts us in dreary       
alienation  from our ,father and our    
,judge4 ,we may let loose our aversion  
to all that  offends the conscience1 and
 without metaphysical hesitancy1 visit  
it  with uncompromising hate2 for so    
doing1 we are indignant with no         
instrument of ,deity2 nor do we fall    
into any sentiment at variance with     
his4 ,we may yield1 with entire         
self-precipitation1 to the love of      
whatever things are pure and true and   
good2 never fearing that our  affections
 will become too exclusive for the      
enlightened children of the  ,highest4  
,when we look into the darker chambers  
of our soul1 and discern1  asleep or    
awake1 the powers of selfishness1       
malice1 jealousy1--we see  therein no   

nursery of discipline1 where ,god       
presides to train us  ultimately well2  
but the dreadful dwelling of our        
familiar fiend who  wrestles in apostacy
 with ,god2--the palace of the penal    
furies that at  once tempt and torture  
us1 a place severed by a whole universe 
from  ,heaven2--the inner ,hell of our  
immortal nature1 so plenteous in        
solitary  agonies1 that the addition of 
outward flames populous with tormented  
beings would only refresh us with pity  
for their woes4 ,the fever of  desire1  
the fires of revenge1 the gnawing of    
remorse1 still busy in our  immortality2
 the shame of resuscitated memories2 the
 passionate yearning  after strength    
with the prostrate consciousness of     
weakness2 the  strangeness and          
desolation of empty minds and heated    
appetites carried  to the assemblage of 
the skies1 and gazed on by the pitying  
eye of a  ,divine but alienated         
purity1--,oh6 what flames can burn into 
tenderer  seats of anguish than these8  

,and so far from planning and willing   
the  lapse of any into such guilt and   
suffering1 the ,great ,ruler never      
ceases  to resist to the last1 all such 
delay of his benediction and frustration
  of his desire4 ,he dwells absolutely  
apart from all creative contact with    
the evil which we are bound to abhor3 he
 comes before us as a being             
unambiguously ,holy2 not in any ultimate
 and scarce intelligible way1 but  in   
our plain human sense4 ,his name must be
 reserved as the exclusive  receptacle  
of all the excellence and beauty1 the   
majesty and tenderness1  the purity and 
justice1 of which our minds can gather  
together the  ideas4 ,it is no figure of
 speech1 that there is joy in heaven    
over the  sinner that repenteth3 that   
part at least of heaven that dwells     
below  and hides itself within our      
hearts1 that portion of ,god that       
expresses  itself through the sanctities
 of our nature1 yields to our moral     
restoration not only a ready welcome1   

but a mysterious help4 ,when fear  has  
performed its proper and only function  
on a responsible being1--which  is1 not 
to create holiness1 but to arrest guilt2
 when it has summoned  us1 like the     
prodigal1 to ourselves again2 when it   
has brought the mad  career to halt1 and
 left us weeping1 humbled1 prostrate in 
the dust1  crying1 8,lord1 help us1 we  
perish20--then the ,divine ,spirit dawns
 on the  gloom of our self-abasement1   
and refreshes us with the delicious     
light  of a new and purer love3 instead 
of the vain strivings of an enervated   
will1 the restless beating of mere      
prudence against the iron bars of       
corrupt desire1 the gates of the soul   
are burst silently open by some  angel  
affection1 and we are free6 ,and shall  
we not1 with most devout  allegiance1   
follow our ,divine ,emancipator8 ,the   
great work1 which his  holy energy is   
thus ready to carry on within us1 he may
 be discerned  conducting every where   
without us4 ,on the theatre of the      

universe he is  himself engaged to      
grapple eternally with ,evil1 and hurl  
it from the  higher portion of his      
abode4 ,and so1 he waits1 with his      
inspiring  sympathy1 to hail every      
victory of our free-will3 and by all the
 filial  love we bear him1 by the       
generous fear of estrangement from his  
spirit1  by the hope of growth in his   
similitude1 we are summoned to enter the
  field of moral conflict1--to stir up  
the noble courage of our hearts1 and  in
 the ,lord's own might1 do battle with  
the confederate fiends of guilt  and    
woe4 ,there is not elsewhere a combat so
 glorious1 or a trophy so  divine4      
,,notes4                                
---------------------                   
,a4                  ,origin of the     
,doctrine of ,two ,principles4    ,the  
prominent place which the doctrine of   
two principles occupies in the  later   
theology of the ,persians has procured  
for that people the  reputation of being
 the first to apprehend it2 and for     

,zoroaster the  credit of assigning to  
it its due importance in the religious  
reformation which he accomplished4 ,so  
much doubt1 however1 exists1  respecting
 the age in which ,zoroaster lived1 the 
nature and extent of  the change which  
he introduced1 and even on the question 
whether he  really taught the dualistic 
scheme at all1 that he cannot justly    
deprive  the ,ionian philosophers of a  
claim to originality in their resort to 
it4  ,if either before the ,persian     
conquest of the ,medes1 or in the time  
of  ,darius ,hystaspes1 this doctrine   
had been entrusted to the ,magi1 as     
conservators of the national religion1  
it is difficult to account for  the     
omission of so fundamental a tenet in   
the account which ,herodotus  gives of  
the ,persian theology4 ,the simple      
monotheism which the ,father of         
,history describes1 as seeking the      
mountain top in sacrifice1 and calling  
the whole circle of the heavens         
,god1#ega can scarcely be the same with 

the elaborate system of dualism1        
attributed by ,plutarch to ,zoroaster   
and  the ,magi2#egb and the difference  
between the two accounts throws a  doubt
 on the antiquity of the latter doctrine
 in the ,east4 ,yet1 on the  other hand1
 if we assign to it the most recent date
 of which the case  admits1 we must     
allow that it formed part of the popular
 belief in the  fourth century before   
,christ2 in which case1 it must have    
existed1 at  least in its previous      
philosophical form1 in the fifth4 ,a    
doctrine1  however1 which had not yet   
assumed a mythological character1 or    
drawn to  itself any external           
ceremonial1 might easily escape the     
notice of  ,herodotus4 ,the ,indian     
books1 which contain the same tenet1 are
 thought  by ,friedrich von ,schlegel to
 have borrowed it from ,persia2#egc and 
cannot therefore be adduced in separate 
proof of its high antiquity4 ,on  the   
whole1 there appears to be no evidence  
of its propagation among any  native    

,oriental people1 before the brilliant  
period of art and  philosophy in the    
,greek cities of ,asia ,minor4    ,even 
if it should be chronologically         
incorrect to affirm1 that ,ionian       
speculation 8anticipated0 the oriental  
religions in their theological  and     
philosophical ideas1 there is no        
sufficient reason to deny its           
independence and originality4 ,though   
the ,greek schools did not arise  till  
an opening intercourse with ,egypt and  
the interior of ,asia afforded  to their
 founders the opportunity of borrowing  
from foreign sources1  it does not      
appear that they estimated this         
advantage highly enough to  avail       
themselves of it4 ,only a truly         
indigenous philosophy could have  left  
such distinct traces of a regular and   
progressive development1  beginning with
 the poetical cosmogonies of a purely   
mythological ra1  and growing1 under the
 fostering care of successive teachers1 
into vast  speculative systems1 bearing 

a relation1 continually more obscure and
  questionable1 to the theology which   
gave them birth4 ,adverting to this     
natural process1 ,mr4 ,thirlwall says3  
8,it can excite no surprise that in  a  
period such as we are now reviewing1    
when thought and inquiry were           
stimulated in so many new directions1   
some active minds should have been      
attracted by the secrets of nature1 and 
should have been led to grapple  with   
some of the great questions which the   
contemplation of the visible  universe  
suggests4 ,there can therefore be no    
need of attempting to trace  the impulse
 by which the ,greeks were now carried  
toward such researches1  to a foreign   
origin4 ,but it is an opinion which has 
found many  advocates1 that they were   
indebted to their widening intercourse  
with  other nations1 particularly with  
,egypt1 ,phnicia1 and the interior of   
,asia1 for several of the views and     
doctrines which were fundamental or     
prominent parts of their earlier        

philosophical systems4 ,the result1     
however1 of the maturest investigation1 
seems to show that there is no          
sufficient ground even for this         
conjecture4#egd ,on the other hand1 it  
is clear that the first philosophers    
were not wholly independent of the      
earlier intellectual efforts of their   
own countrymen1 and that1 perhaps       
unconsciously1 they derived the form1 if
 not1 in part at least1 the  substance  
of their speculations1 from the old     
theogonies and  cosmogonies4#ege    ,the
 successive evolutions of the           
,pantheistic principle1 and its final   
renunciation by ,anaxagoras1 are thus   
succinctly described by ,mr4            
,thirlwall3 8,thales evolved his world  
out of a single simple substance1       
7water7 to which he attributed the power
 of passing spontaneously  through the  
various transformations necessary for   
the multiplicity of  natural            
productions4 ,but he does not seem to   
have attempted accurately  to define the

 nature of these transformations4 ,and  
so most of his  successors1 who set out 
from a similar hypothesis1 contented    
themselves  with some vague notions1 or 
phrases1 about the successive expansions
 or  contractions of the original       
substance4 ,but as the contemplation of 
animal life had led ,anaximenes to adopt
 air as the basis of his  system1 a     
later philosopher1 ,diogenes of         
,apollonia1 carried this analogy  a step
 further1 and regarded the universe as  
issuing from an intelligent  principle1 
by which it was at once vivified and    
ordered--a rational1 as  well as        
sensitive soul--still without           
recognizing any distinction between     
matter and mind4 ,much earlier1 however1
 ,anaximander of ,miletus1 who          
flourished not long after ,thales1 and  
is generally considered as his          
immediate disciple1 seems to have been  
struck by the difficulty of  accounting 
for the changes which a simple substance
 must be supposed to  undergo1 in order 

to produce an infinite variety of       
beings4 ,he found it  easier1 in        
conformity with some of the ancient     
cosmogonies1 to conceive  the primitive 
state of the universe as a vast chaos1  
for which he had no  other name than the
 infinite1--containing all the elements 
out of which  the world was to be       
constructed1 by a process of separation 
and  combination1 which1 however1 he    
considered as the result of a motion1   
not impressed on it from without1 but   
inherent in the mass4 ,this  hypothesis1
 which tended to give an entirely new   
direction to the  speculations of the   
school1 seems to have been treated with 
a neglect  which it is difficult to     
explain1 and which has raised a         
suspicion that  some less celebrated    
names may have dropped out of the list  
of the  ,ionian philosophers4 ,but a    
century after ,anaximander1 ,anaxagoras 
of  ,clazomen revived his doctrine with 
some very fanciful additions1 and  one  
very important change4 ,he combined the 

principle of ,anaximander with  that of 
his contemporary ,diogenes1 and         
acknowledged a supreme mind1  distinct  
from the chaos to which it imparted     
motion1 form1 and order4  ,the          
,pantheistic systems of the ,ionian     
school were only independent of  the    
popular creed1 and did not exclude it4  
,the language of ,thales and            
,heraclitus1 who declared that the      
universe was full of gods1 left room    
for all the fictions of the received    
mythology1 and might even add new       
fervour to the superstition of the      
vulgar4 ,but the system of ,anaxagoras  
seems to have been felt to be almost    
irreconcilable with the prevailing      
opinions1 and hence1 as we shall find1  
drew upon him hatred and                
persecution40#egf    ,in confirmation of
 the opinions expressed towards the     
close of this  ,lecture1 ,i cannot      
refrain from subjoining the following   
moral estimate  of the doctrine of two  
principles3 it is from ,f4 von          

,schlegel's  ,treatise1 before alluded  
to1 on the ,language and ,wisdom of the 
,indians4  8,pantheism inevitably       
destroys the distinction between good   
and evil1  however strenuously its      
advocates may contend in words against  
this  reproach2 the doctrine of         
emanation depresses the moral freedom of
 the  will by the idea of an infinite   
degree of innate guilt1 and the belief  
that every being is predestined to crime
 and misery2 the system of two          
principles1 and the warfare between good
 and evil1 holds the middle  place      
between these extremes3 it becomes1     
itself1 a powerful incentive  to a      
similar contest1 and a source of the    
purest morality40#egg                   
,b4                      ,hebrew ,names 
for the ,evil ,spirit4    ,the mere     
fact1 that no proper names for the ,evil
 ,spirit exist in the  ,hebrew language1
 except such as are of ,apocryphal or   
,rabbinical  creation1 is in itself a   
sufficient proof of the late and        

unscriptural  origin of the belief in   
his existence4 ,a glance at an ,english 
concordance will make it evident1 that  
the word 8,devil10 in the singular      
number1 does not occur in our authorized
 translation of the ,hebrew             
,scriptures4 ,it is found in the plural 
in ,lev4 xvii4 #g1 #b ,chron4 xi4 #ae1  
,deut4 xxxii4 #ag1 ,ps4 cvi4 #cg2 and in
 none of these instances can it for  a  
moment be supposed that the original    
word1 if used in the singular1  would   
represent any idea corresponding to the 
popular notion of the  ,devil2 indeed1  
when the ,rabbinical writers needed a   
name for the  expression of this idea1  
they had recourse to other terms than   
those  which are found in the verses    
just cited4 ,in the two latter passages1
  the ,hebrew word is 1 literally1      
mighty beings2 it clearly denotes  false
 gods1 and probably designates them by  
the title applied to them  by their     
votaries2 for the name is evidently not 
contemptuous1 and is  indeed radically  

the same which was applied by the       
,israelites to  ,jehovah1 and receives  
in our version the translation          
,almighty4 ,in the  two former passages1
 the word is 1 literally1 goats1 and    
evidently denotes the heathen deities1  
typified under the form of that  animal2
 especially1 we may suppose1 the        
,egyptian ,pan1 worshipped in the       
,mendesian nome1#egh with rites the most
 abominable4 ,in ,isaiah xiii4 #ba1  the
 common translation renders the same    
word satyrs4    ,several names of evil  
spirits occur in the ,talmudical        
writings3 and  among them are two which 
are appropriated to the ,satanic chief1 
viz41  1 ,samael2 and 1 ,asmodus4 ,the  
latter is the term by which  the evil   
spirit is designated in ,tobit iii4 #h3 
and it would be easy to  show1 by a     
multitude of passages1 that the being to
 whom both these  names were given      
corresponded to the 8,devil0 of modern  
theology1 as far  as correspondence can 
be affirmed to exist between any two    

creations of  the imagination4 ,thus we 
are told1 in words which also show the  
use of  the word ,satan as a generic    
rather than a proper name2 8,the wicked 
angel ,samael is prince of all the      
,satans10       4#egi ,again1 ,jehovah  
is represented as saying to him1 under  
his  title of ,angel of ,death 7 7 8,i  
have made thee ,ruler of the  world10   
774#ehj ,the same supremacy  is         
attributed to this being under his other
 name4 ,thus it is said1 that  when     
,solomon became too much elated by his  
prosperity1 there was sent to  him      
8,asmodus1 the ,prince of evil spirits10
   4#eha ,and  with slight variation of 
phrase he is described as 8the devil    
,asmodus1  the ,prince of ,spirits10    
4 #ehb ,buxtorf  identifies ,samael and 
,asmodus1 on the authority of ,r4       
,elias2 he says1  8,eundem esse         
,asmodum1 qui alio nomine ,rabbinis     
dicitur  ,samael40#ehc ,and ,bertholdt  
again identifies this being with the    
enemy  of the ,gospel described in #b   

,cor4 iv4 #d1 as     2  and in ,john    
xiv4 #cj1 as     3 after quoting these  
phrases1 he says 8,apud ,targumistas et 
,rabbinos occurrit sub nomine           
,samael40#ehd    ,the idea then of which
 we are in search1 is unquestionably of 
frequent  occurrence among the          
,talmudists4 ,in expressing it they have
 recourse to  new names not found in the
 ,canonical writings4 ,surely a strong  
presumption arises1 that the ,hebrew    
,scriptures did not furnish them with   
the means of designating the personage  
about whom they discoursed4             
,c4          ,the parallel ,passages in 
the ,epistles of ,jude and #b ,peter4   
,for the sake of those readers of the   
,english ,scriptures who may not have   
noticed the remarkable similarity       
between the ,epistle of ,jude1 and the  
second chapter of the second ,epistle of
 ,peter1 ,i subjoin a comparison of  the
 two4 ,a reference to the ,greek        
,testament will make it evident1 that   
the parallelism is fairly exhibited in  

our common translation4 ,my  present    
purpose1 at least1 will be sufficiently 
answered by taking the  citations       
thence4                 #b ,peter ii4   
,jude4     #a 444 ,there shall be false 
teachers #d4 ,for there are certain men 
crept   among you1 who privily shall    
bring  in unawares1 who were before of  
old   in damnable heresies1 even denying
  ordained to this condemnation1   the  
,lord that bought them1 and      ungodly
 men1 turning the grace of   bring upon 
themselves swift         our ,god into  
lasciviousness1 and   destruction4      
denying the only ,lord ,god1 and our    
#c4 ,and through covetousness shall     
,lord ,jesus ,christ4   they with       
feigned words make   merchandise of you3
 whose judgment   now of a long time    
lingereth not1   and their damnation    
slumbereth not4     #d4 ,for if ,god    
spared not the angels #f4 ,and the      
angels which kept not   that sinned1 but
 cast them down to  their first estate1 
but left their   hell1 and delivered    

them into       own habitation1 he hath 
reserved in   chains of darkness1 to be 
reserved  everlasting chains under      
darkness   unto judgment3               
unto the judgment of the great day4     
#f4 ,and turning the cities of ,sodom   
#g4 ,even as ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 and  
and ,gomorrah into ashes1 condemned  the
 cities about them in like   them with  
an overthrow1 making them manner1 giving
 themselves over to   an ensample unto  
those that after   fornication1 and     
going after   should live ungodly3      
strange flesh1 are set forth for an     
example1 suffering the vengeance of     
eternal fire4     #aj4 ,but chiefly them
 that walk      #h4 ,likewise also these
 filthy   after the flesh in the lust of
      dreamers defile the flesh1 despise
   uncleanness1 and despise             
dominion1 and speak evil of             
government4 ,presumptuous are they1     
dignities4   self-willed1 they are not  
afraid to   speak evil of dignities4    
#aa4 ,whereas angels1 which are         

#i4 ,yet ,michael the archangel1 when   
greater in power and might1 bring       
contending with the ,devil he   not     
railing accusation against them disputed
 about the body of ,moses1   before the 
,lord4                    durst not     
bring against him a                     
railing accusation1 but said1 ,the      
,lord rebuke thee4     #ab4 ,but these1 
as natural brute     #aj4 ,but these    
speak evil of those   beasts1 made to be
 taken and        things which they know
 not3 but   destroyed1 speak evil of the
 things what they know naturally1 as    
brute   that they understand not2 and   
shall beasts1 in those things they      
utterly perish in their own             
corrupt themselves4   corruption4       
#ac 444 ,spots they are and             
#ab4 ,these are spots in your feasts    
blemishes1 sporting themselves with of  
charity1 when they feast with   their   
own deceivings while they     you1      
feeding themselves without   feast with 
you4                     fear4     #ag4 

,these are wells without water1  #ab4   
,clouds they are without water1   clouds
 that are carried with a      carried   
about of winds2444   tempest2 to whom   
the mist of        #ac4 444 ,wandering  
stars1 to whom is   darkness is reserved
 for ever4      reserved the blackness  
of darkness                             
for ever4     #ah4 ,for when they speak 
great       #af4 ,these are murmurers1  
swelling words of vanity1 they          
complainers1 walking after their        
allure through the lusts of the     own 
lusts2 and their mouth speaketh   flesh1
 through much wantonness1     great     
swelling words1 having men's   those    
that were clean escaped from  persons in
 admiration because of   them who live  
in error4             advantage4        
,very few readers1 it is probable1 will 
rise from the examination of this       
parallelism1 without the persuasion1    
that the writings betraying it  cannot  
be independent productions2 and without 
amazement at the opinion  of ,lardner1  

that 8the similitude of the subject     
might produce10 to such  extent1 8a     
resemblance of style4 ,the design10 he  
continues1 8of ,st4  ,peter and ,st4    
,jude was to condemn some loose and     
erroneous ,christians1  and to caution  
others against them4 ,when speaking of  
the same sort of  persons1 their style  
and figures of speech would have a great
  agreement40#ehe ,lardner appears to   
shrink from attributing to the  inspired
 ,st4 ,jude 7supposing him to be the    
later writer7 either  plagiarism or a   
needless repetition of instruction4#ehf 
,but why should  his inspiration deter  
him from such an act8 ,it rather        
affords1 as  ,michaelis observes1 a     
conclusive reason for ascribing it to   
him4 8,for  the ,holy ,ghost10 this     
author suggests1 8certainly knew1 while 
he was  dictating the ,epistle to ,st4  
,jude1 that an ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter1 
of a  like import1 already existed4 ,and
 if the ,holy ,ghost1 notwithstanding   
this knowledge1 still thought that an   

,epistle of ,st4 ,jude was not          
unnecessary1 why shall we suppose that  
,st4 ,jude himself would have been      
prevented from writing by the same      
knowledge80#ehg ,this argument of the   
learned ,german certainly renders it    
unnecessary to doubt1 with the          
scrupulous ,lardner1 whether ,st4 ,jude 
would copy from a fellow-labourer's     
letter3 but then1 it also renders it    
unnecessary to believe this3 for  with  
the perfect familiarity which the ,holy 
,ghost possessed 78while  dictating07   
with the previous epistle of ,peter1    
there was no occasion  whatever for ,st4
 ,jude to have the knowledge too4       
,indeed so completely  might any degree 
of parallelism be explained in this way1
 that no  conceivable phenomena of      
agreement would furnish the slightest   
proof  that the one writer had seen the 
production of the other4    ,for some   
inscrutable reasons1 however1 all the   
ablest theologians seem  to have        
declined this easy solution1 by appeal  

to the memory of the ,holy  ,ghost2 and 
to have been convinced that some method1
 simply human1 must  be sought1 to      
account for the accordance between these
 two epistles4  ,some have supposed1    
with ,bishop ,sherlock1 that both       
authors drew their  materials from a    
common source1 the imagery and          
phraseology of which  they freely used4 
,but as ,eichhorn has well observed1    
8,bare conjecture is  an insufficient   
support for this supposition2 in the    
absence of all  trace of any document   
giving plausibility to the suggestion1  
by  disclosing a source in common       
relation with the corresponding passages
  of the two epistles40#ehh ,if this    
explanation be untenable1 nothing       
remains but to conclude that one of the 
writers copied from the other2  and     
this1 accordingly1 has been the general 
opinion of theologians4  ,this1 however1
 is the only point on which critics are 
agreed3 for when  the question is       
proposed1 whether ,st4 ,peter or ,st4   

,jude were the  original writer1 it is  
curious to observe the confidence with  
which each  of the two answers may be   
returned1 and the opposite views which  
may be  taken of the considerations     
affecting the decision4 ,in the absence 
of  all external evidence1 the intrinsic
 character of the two compositions  must
 determine our reply3 and the chief     
impression which results from a         
comparison of them is1 that ,st4 ,jude  
has expressed his ideas with more       
succinctness and unity2 ,st4 ,peter with
 more vagueness and amplification4      
,appealing to this circumstance1 ,dr4   
,hug says1 8the critic cannot fail to   
perceive which was the original20 8it is
 evident that the passages of  ,peter   
are periphrases and amplifications20    
8the originality of ,jude is  clear from
 the comparison of both authors1 and    
especially from the  language20 8,peter 
had1 therefore1 the ,epistle of ,jude   
before him1 and in  his own manner      
applied it to his purposes40#ehi        

,michaelis1 however1--who  rejects the  
,epistle of ,jude1 and says that1       
8judging by its contents10  we 8have no 
inducement to believe it a sacred and   
divine work10--ventures  on the         
following confident statements3 8,no    
doubt can be made1 that the  second     
,epistle of ,st4 ,peter was1 in respect 
to the ,epistle of ,st4 ,jude1  the     
original and not the copy30 8with       
respect to the date of this  7,jude's7  
,epistle1 all that ,i am able to assert 
is1 that it was written  after the      
second ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter20 8this  
appears from a  comparison of the two1  
which are so similar to each other both 
in  sentiments and in expressions1 as no
 two epistles could well be1 unless  the
 author of the one had read the epistle 
of the other4 ,it is evident  therefore 
that ,st4 ,jude borrowed from ,st4      
,peter both expressions and  arguments1 
to which he himself has made some few   
additions40#eij    ,after reading these 
positive statements on either side1 we  

are struck  with the justice of the     
following remark of ,eichhorn's3        
referring to the  differences between   
the two epistles in respect to their    
style1 he says3  8,these phenomena admit
 of a twofold explanation4 ,peter might 
be regarded  as the original and ,jude  
as the copy2 inasmuch as1 in the process
 of  revision1 a writing may become more
 perfect in the expression and          
disposition of the ideas3 the           
superfluities will naturally be         
retrenched1 the march of the thoughts   
become quicker1 the diction more        
choice2 the copyist having the matter   
all before him1 and being able to       
direct his attention exclusively to the 
form which it shall assume4 ,but  with  
just as much truth we might turn round  
and say1--,jude was the  original1 whom 
,peter illustrated1 amplified1 and      
paraphrased4 ,in the  process1 the style
 lost its unity1 its compactness1 its   
clear outline3  the paraphrast          
interrupted the succession of thoughts  

with several  foreign ideas2 and the    
exposition of the subject thus became   
more  obscure1 prolix1 and disorderly4  
,who can decide between these two       
possibilities80    ,this acute author   
does not1 however1 consider the problem 
of impossible  solution4 ,the suspense  
in which its difficulty holds us1       
continues1 he  observes1 8only so long  
as we confine ourselves merely to a     
mutual  comparison of the parallel      
passages4 ,if we look at them in their  
relation to the whole of ,st4 ,peter's  
second epistle1 we find a reason  for   
concluding that ,jude is original1      
,peter the copyist4 ,the author of  the 
second chapter of ,peter does not stand1
 as a writer1 on his own  ground3 if he 
did1 his mode of writing would be the   
same as in the  first and third         
chapters1 which1 however1 is not the    
case4 ,it is clear  that we cannot apply
 to ,jude this test of originality1     
derived from  consistency of style2 for 
we possess no other composition of his1 

with  which to compare his epistle4 ,yet
 there is a compactness and unity in    
his writing1 from which its independent 
character may be inferred4  ,whoever is 
content to take up the thoughts of      
others1 yet not without  introducing    
something of his own1 is easily drawn   
aside by accessory  ideas2 by which the 
definite outline of a composition is    
lost4 ,this is  by no means the case in 
the epistle of ,jude40#eia    ,it is    
generally admitted1 then1 that these two
 productions1 as far as  their topics   
coincide1 constitute but one authority3 
and we shall  follow1 ,i think1 the most
 judicious criticism1 if we assign that 
authority1 whatever it may be1 to the   
epistle of ,jude4 ,whence1 then1 did  he
 derive his knowledge of such           
circumstances as those which are        
mentioned in the sixth and ninth verses1
 respecting 8the angels which  kept not 
their first estate10 and 8,michael the  
archangel contending with  the ,devil0  
8about the body of ,moses80 ,there are  

but three supposable  sources2 immediate
 personal inspiration2 the ,hebrew      
,scriptures2 or some  non-canonical and 
unauthoritative work4    ,the first of  
these suppositions ,i do not find to be 
maintained by any  creditable           
theological writer2 and it may be       
dismissed with the  following remarks of
 ,michaelis3--8,the dispute between     
,michael and the  ,devil about the body 
of ,moses1 has by no means the          
appearance of a true  history3 and the  
author of our epistle has not even      
hinted that he knew  it to be true by   
the aid of ,divine inspiration1 or that 
he distinguished  it from other ,jewish 
traditions4 ,on the contrary1 he has    
introduced it  as part of a story1 with 
which his readers were already          
acquainted3 he  does not appear to have 
had any other authority for it1 than    
they  themselves had3 nor does the part 
which he has quoted at all imply1       
either that he himself doubted1 or that 
he wished his readers should  doubt1 of 

the other parts of it40#eib    ,the     
second supposition1 that the writer     
makes no allusion1 on these  points of  
celestial history1 to any thing beyond  
the ,old ,testament1 is  so universally 
regarded as untenable1 that even        
,lardner's great  authority will hardly 
avail to procure it any further         
attention4 ,in what  part of the ,hebrew
 ,scriptures ,st4 ,jude obtained his    
information  respecting the fallen      
angels1 ,lardner1 while deploring a like
 omission  on the part of his           
predecessors1 has neglected to explain4 
,and when1 in  order to connect the     
story of ,michael and the ,devil with   
,zach4 iii4 #a-c1  he is obliged to     
construe 8the body of ,moses10 into the 
,israelitish  people1 it surely becomes 
evident that the consideration of this  
passage never fully engaged his         
incomparable judgment4#eic ,happily1    
,lardner's is a reputation of which     
there is no need to be economical3  and 
even theological opponents cannot apply 

to him the description  which1 with some
 truth and more severity1 they have     
given of ,mr4  ,wakefield1 as a         
8scholar1 who was great among           
,unitarians1 but not among  scholars30--
          8,quem bis terque bonum cum   
risu miror2 et idem        ,indignor1   
quandoque bonus dormitat ,homerus80     
,there remains1 then1 but the third     
supposition1 that ,st4 ,jude derived    
these notices of the supernatural world 
from some apocryphal and  traditional   
work4 ,and we need the less scruple to  
admit this1 as he  himself intimates the
 fact1 in the fourteenth verse1 where he
 refers to  the ,book of ,enoch4 ,this  
work professes to be extant in the      
thiopic  language2 and the copies of it 
contain the passage cited by ,st4 ,jude3
  and whatever doubts may attach to     
,bishop ,lawrance's opinion1 that we    
have it substantially as it was         
originally written shortly before the   
time of ,christ1 the citations from the 
8,book of ,enoch10 by ,syncellus1  and  

the references to it by both ,greek and 
,latin ,fathers1 are too  numerous and  
ancient1 to leave it questionable that  
such a work existed1  and was in use not
 long after the ,christian era1 and     
probably before4  ,hug gives this       
account of it3--8,the ,book of ,enoch1  
in fact1 was full of  ,jewish1          
,theurgical1 and ,magical reveries1 as  
indeed the character of the  person1 to 
whom this writing was ascribed1 required
 it to be4 ,according  to ,eupolemus1 he
 is said to have been the inventor of   
,astrology1 or  rather a scholar of the 
,angels in this science1 who initiated  
him into  the mysteries of it2 for he   
had at one time obtained a mission to   
the  ,angels1 on which occasion he      
probably received their instruction4    
,but it  did not suffice1 that he was   
acquainted with the course of the       
planets1  the position of the ,heavens1 
and their signification2 but he         
likewise1  as the ,jews and other       
,easterns maintained1 learned in        

addition from the  heavenly natures1 the
 art of prognostication1 characters1    
offerings1  purifications1 lustrations1 
and other things of this description1   
which  he imparted to mankind4          
,according to these ideas1 which were   
entertained  of him far and wide among  
,jews1 ,arabians1 and others1 we can    
easily  determine1 to what sort of      
literature his writings must belong4    
,the  remains of it1 which we find in   
the ,church-,fathers also1 do not       
deceive  this expectation40#eid         
,though this is the only ,apocryphal    
production to which ,st4 ,jude refers   
by name1 ,origen informs us1 in a       
passage already cited1 that the         
adventure between ,michael and the      
,devil was taken from a work entitled   
or   4 8,from a comparison of the       
relation in  this book with ,st4 ,jude's
 quotation10 says ,michaelis1 8he was   
thoroughly  persuaded1 that it was the  
book from which ,st4 ,jude quoted4 ,this
 he  asserts without the least          

hesitation3 and in consequence of this  
persuasion1 he himself has quoted the   
,assumption of ,moses1 as a work of     
authority1 in proof of the temptation of
 ,adam and ,eve by the ,devil4 ,but  as 
he has quoted it merely for this        
purpose1 he has given us only an        
imperfect account of what this book     
contained1 relative to the dispute      
about the body of ,moses4 ,one          
circumstance1 however1 he has mentioned1
  which is not found in the epistle of  
,st4 ,jude1 namely1 that ,michael       
reproached the ,devil with having       
possessed the serpent which seduced     
,eve4 ,in what manner this circumstance 
is connected with the dispute  about the
 body of ,moses will appear from the    
following consideration4  ,the ,jews    
imagined the person of ,moses was so    
holy1 that ,god could find  no reason   
for permitting him to die3 and that     
nothing but the sin  committed by ,adam 
and ,eve in paradise1 which brought     
death into the  world1 was the cause why

 ,moses did not live for ever4 ,the same
 notions  they entertained of some other
 very holy persons1 for instance of     
,isai1  who1 they say1 was delivered to 
the angel of death1 merely on account of
  the sins of our first parents1 though 
he himself did not deserve to die4  ,now
 in the dispute between ,michael and the
 ,devil about ,moses1 the ,devil  was   
the accuser1 and demanded the death of  
,moses4 ,michael therefore  replied to  
him1 that he himself was the cause of   
that sin1 which alone  could occasion   
the death of ,moses4 ,how very little   
such notions as these  agree1 either    
with the ,christian theology1 or with   
,moses' own writings1  it is unnecessary
 for me to declare40#eie    ,the direct 
testimony of ,origen should be taken in 
connexion with the  well-known fact1    
that this story of ,michael and the     
,devil is one of the  standing          
traditions of the ,jewish people2 the   
invention of a remote  antiquity2 and   
repeated ever since by a multitude of   

,rabbinical writers4  ,a specimen of the
 legend may be found by the curious in  
the section of  ,michaelis1 from which  
,i have quoted the foregoing passage4   
,with respect  to the reception which we
 must give to such an alleged fact1 the 
same  author observes--8,it lies without
 the circle of human experience2 and    
therefore it cannot be attested by any  
man1 unless he has either divine        
inspiration1 or has intercourse with    
beings of a superior order4             
,consequently1 whoever was the author of
 the apocryphal book1 from which  the   
quotation was made1 his account cannot  
possibly command  assent40#eif ,this    
remark evidently applies1 not only to   
the story of  ,michael1 but to the      
tradition of the ,fallen ,angels2 which1
 there is  every reason to believe1 must
 have been derived from a like          
apocryphal  source2 especially as we    
have the express assurance of           
,tertullian1 that  the ,book of ,enoch  
treated of the nature1 offices1 and fate

 of fallen  ,beings4#eig    ,this       
author1 then1 has unquestionably 8made  
use of ,jewish materials1  which have no
 existence but in apocryphal books10#eih
 and therefore no  claim on our belief4 
8,i know of no other method of          
vindicating the  quotation10 says       
,michaelis1 8than by supposing that ,st4
 ,jude considered  the whole story1 not 
as a real fact1 which either he himself 
believed1  or which he required his     
readers to believe1 but merely as an    
instructive fable1 which served to      
illustrate the doctrine which he        
himself inculcated1 that we ought not to
 speak evil of dignities40#eii  ,hug    
resorts to an explanation of this kind2 
and conceives that ,st4 ,jude  employs  
apocryphal weapons of persuasion1 as    
best adapted to confound  the ,heretics 
whom he assailed4#fjj ,it may be so3 but
 if his  illustrations and examples from
 the supernatural world be thus         
destitute  of intrinsic authority and   
truth1 and we must be heretics before we

 can  feel their force1 what becomes of 
the orthodox doctrine of fallen         
,angels8                                
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,,xi4           
,footnote #edb3      ,see ,note ,a4     
,footnote #edc3      ,genesis iii4 #a4  
,footnote #edd3      ,genesis iii4 #ad1 
#ae4    ,footnote #ede3      ,jos4 ,ant4
 lib4 i4 c4 #a4    ,footnote #edf3      
,the first trace of this fiction        
presents itself in the ,apocryphal book 
of the ,wisdom of ,solomon1 ii4 #bd2    
8,nevertheless1 through envy of the     
,devil1 came death into the world40 ,how
 difficult it appeared1 even to    the  
learned and imaginative ,origen1 to     
establish this interpretation    on any 
sound scriptural authority1 may be seen 
in the fact1 that he    can quote in its
 behalf nothing better than an unknown  
,jewish work in    the ,greek language1 
entitled   4 ,in ,rufinus's version     
of ,origen's 8,principles10 occurs the  
following passage3 8,in ,genesi         

serpens ,evam seduxisse describitur2 de 
quo in ,ascensione ,mysi1 cujus         
libelli meminit in epistol su ,apostolus
 ,judas1 ,michal archangelus    cum     
,diabolo disputans de corpore ,mysi1    
ait1 a ,diabolo inspiratum    serpentem1
 causam exstitisse prvaricationis ,ad et
 ,ev40--,de ,princip4    lib4 iii4 c4   
#b4 ,though the learned ,father does not
 hesitate to cite    this book1 for a   
theological purpose1 he does not inform 
us of the    grounds on which he was    
satisfied to invest it with divine      
authority4    ,footnote #edg3           
,genesis iii4 #af-ai4    ,footnote #edh3
      ,rom4 v4 #ab-bj2 #a ,cor4 xv4 #ba1
 #bb2 #a ,tim4 ii4 #ad4    ,footnote    
#edi3      ,paraphrase on ,romans4 ,note
 on v4 #ab4 ,see also ,whitby in loc41  
to whom    ,mr4 ,locke refers4          
,footnote #eej3      ,see ,rom4 i4 #af2 
ii4 #bi2 and iii4 #i-bc4    ,footnote   
#eea3      ,genesis iii4 #ae4           
,footnote #eeb3      ,dr4 ,t4           
,sherlock's ,six ,discourses on         

,prophecy1 p4 #hj2 as quoted in ,mr4    
,wellbeloved's excellent note on the    
passage4    ,footnote #eec3      ,see   
,note ,b4    ,footnote #eed3      #a    
,samuel xxix4 #d4    ,footnote #eee3    
#a ,kings xi4 #be4    ,footnote #eef3   
,numb4 xxii4 #bb4    ,footnote #eeg3    
#a ,tim4 i4 #bj4    ,footnote #eeh3     
7#a47 adversarius2 in antiquiori        
,hebraismo homo1 ut in #a ,sam4    xxix4
 #d2 #b ,sam4 xix4 #bc2 #a ,reg4 v4 #d2 
xi4 #ad2 xxiii4 #be3 in sequiori1       
post exilium ,babylonicum1 angelus malus
 sive diabolus1 qui '     ,satan        
vocatur1 ,ps4 cix4 #f2 ,zach4 iii4 #a1  
#b2 #a ,chron4 xxi4 #a4    7#b47        
circuitor1 qui civium motus observat2   
secundum quosdam1 ,hiob4    i4 #f1 #h2  
ii4 #a40--;,joh4 ,simonis ,lex4 ,hebr4  
in verb4      ,in ,ps4 cix4 #f1 and     
,zach4 iii4 #a1 #b1 there is1 however1  
no reason to    suppose that the word is
 used as a proper name4 ,the former of  
the two    passages is best rendered1   
8,let an accuser stand at his right     

hand30    and in explanation of the     
latter1 ,archbishop ,newcome cites the  
following note from ,dr4 ,blayney2 8,it 
appears to me most probable1 that    by 
,satan1 or the ,adversary1 is here meant
 the adversaries of the    ,jewish      
nation in a body1 or perhaps some       
leading person among them1    ,sanballat
 for instance1 who strenuously opposed  
the rebuilding of the    temple1 and of 
course the restoration of the service of
 the sanctuary1    and the              
reestablishment of ,joshua in the       
exercise of his sacerdotal              
ministry40--,newcome's ,minor ,prophets1
 in loc4    ,footnote #eei3      #a     
,chron4 xxi4 #a4    ,footnote #efj3     
#b ,sam4 xxiv4 #a4    ,footnote #efa3   
,wisd4 ii4 #bd2 ,tobit iii4 #h4         
,footnote #efb3      ,on entering the   
creed of the ,jews1 this doctrine       
underwent another    change1 of which   
many traces are to be found in all their
 subsequent    writings1 and which      
throws light on several passages of the 

,new    ,testament4 ,it is thus stated  
by ,dr4 ,d4 ,f4 ,strauss3 8,when that   
,satan    who appears in the ,persian   
religion as a wicked being inimical to  
mankind1 passed into the ,jewish faith1 
his character was accommodated    to the
 ,hebrew peculiarity1 which confined to 
the people of ,israel all    that is    
good and worthy of humanity2 and he was 
regarded as at once    the special enemy
 of their nation1 and the ,lord of their
 ,gentile foes4    ,the interests of the
 ,jewish people becoming concentrated in
 the person    of the ,messiah1 it was  
natural that the ,satan should be       
conceived of    as the personal opponent
 of the ,messiah40 8,accordingly10 adds 
this    writer1 8in the ,new ,testament 
the idea of ,jesus as the ,messiah      
everywhere involves that of ,satan as   
the adversary of his person and         
work40b ,we may well object to the      
unqualified generalization    comprised 
in this last remark1 and therefore to   
many of the author's    particular      

applications of it2 and especially we   
must regard as    unsuccessful his      
attempt to destroy the historical       
character of the    narrative of our    
,lord's temptation2 but no judicious    
interpreter will    wholly neglect the  
suggestion which the passage contains4  
,footnote b3      ,das ,leben ,jesu     
kritisch bearbeitet1  #ee4    ,footnote 
#efc3      ,jude #f2 #b ,pet4 ii4 #d4   
,footnote #efd3      ,see ,note ,c4     
,footnote #efe3      ,mr4 ,stowell1 in  
his ,lecture on the ,personality and    
,agency of ,satan    7pp4 #gjc1 #gjd71  
intimates that probably no visible form 
presented    itself to ,jesus3 and      
though strongly1 and as it appears to me
    reasonably1 objecting to the        
interpretation which resolves the whole 
temptation into a vision1 he supposes1  
with more latitude than    consistency  
of explanation1 that the ,devil 8showed0
 to our ,lord all    the kingdoms of the
 world and the glory of them1--not      
really and    objectively1--but by means

 of 8a glowing though scenical          
representation40 ,the ,lecturer does not
 state whether he conceives the         
solicitations of ,satan to have been    
conveyed by the method of real and      
organic talking3 but if1 in the peculiar
 style of this narrative1    the        
,tempter can be described as 8showing0  
things without the    presence of any   
visible objects1 he may be described as 
8saying0    things without the presence 
of any audible sounds4 ,english         
orthodoxy1    in conformity with the    
gross and hard materialism which        
pervades it1    seems to have encouraged
 the idea1 that all preternatural       
communications1 whether diabolic or     
divine1 with the human mind1 must    be 
made by articulate noises or sensible   
images2 that the action of    spirit on 
spirit is inconceivable2 and a          
revelation in silence and    darkness a 
thing impossible4 ,adverting to this    
prejudice1 the    admirable ,barclay    
says1 8,we must not think his0          

7,abraham's7 8faith was    built upon   
his outward senses1 but proceeded from  
the secret    persuasion of ,god's      
spirit in his heart20--8by which many   
times faith    is begotten and          
strengthened without any of these       
outward and visible    helps2 as we may 
observe in many passages of the ,holy   
,scriptures1    where it is only        
mentioned1 #8,and ,god said1' c41 #8,and
 the word of    the ,lord came' unto    
such and such1 #8saying1' c4 ,but if any
 one    should pertinaciously affirm1   
that this did import an outward audible 
voice to the carnal ear1 ,i would gladly
 know1 what other argument    such an   
one could bring1 for this his           
affirmation1 saving his own    simple   
conjecture4 ,it is said indeed1 #8,the  
,spirit witnesseth with our    spirit2' 
but not to our outward ears1 ,rom4 viii4
 #af4 ,and seeing the    ,spirit of ,god
 is within us1 and not without us only1 
it speaks to our    spiritual1 and not  
to our bodily ear4 ,therefore ,i see no 

reason1 where    it's so often said in  
,scripture1 #8,the ,spirit said1'       
#8moved1'    #8hindered1' #8called1'    
such or such a one1 to do or forbear    
such or such a thing1 that any have to  
conclude1 that this was not an    inward
 voice to the ear of the soul1 rather   
than an outward voice to    the bodily  
ear4 ,if any be otherwise minded1 let   
them1 if they can1    produce their     
arguments1 and we may further consider  
of    them40--,barclay's ,apology for   
the true ,christian ,divinity1 ,prop4   
,,ii4    ,footnote #eff3      ,mr4      
,stowell's ,lecture1 p4 #gac4           
,footnote #efg3      ,ibid4 p4 #fie4    
,footnote #efh3      ,john viii4 #db1   
#dg4    ,footnote #efi3      ,john x4   
#ad1 #bg4    ,footnote #egj3      ,john 
vi4 #dd4    ,footnote #ega3          1  
1     1       4 i4 #aca4    ,footnote   
#egb3      ,de ,iside et ,osiride1  #df1
 #dg4    ,footnote #egc3      ,see his  
,treatise1 ber die ,sprache und         
,weisheit der ,indier3 an    abstract of

 which1 with a translation of the       
portions relating to the    dualistic   
system1 will be found in ,dr4           
,prichard's ,analysis of the            
,egyptian ,mythology1 ,book ,,iii4      
,footnote #egd3      ,we allude to      
,ritter 7,geschichte der ,philosophie71 
who 7i4 p4 #aei-agc7    has weighed all 
the arguments which have been alleged in
 behalf of    this opinion with an even 
hand4    ,footnote #ege3                
,thirlwall's ,history of ,greece1 ,vol4 
,,ii4 pp4 #acj1 #aca4    ,footnote #egf3
      ,vol4 ,,ii4 pp4 #acd1 #ace4       
,footnote #egg3      ,dr4 ,prichard's   
,translation4 ,egyp4 ,myth4 pp4 #bdb1   
#bdc4    ,footnote #egh3      ,bochart's
 ,hierozoicon4 ,p4 ,i4 lib4 ii4 p4 #fdj4
 seqq4 ,herod4 ,,ii4 #df4    ,footnote  
#egi3      ,elleh ,haddebarim rabba1    
fol4 #cjb4 #b4 ap4 ,d4 ,l4 ,bertholdt's 
,christologia ,judorum ,jesu            
,apostolorumque tate4  #cf4    ,footnote
 #ehj3      ,vajikra rabba1 fol4 #aea4  
col4 #a4 ap4 ,bertholdt4 loc4 cit4      

,footnote #eha3      ,targum in ,eccles4
 i4 #ab4 ap4 ,joh4 ,buxtorf4 ,lex4      
,chald4 ,talm4  ,rabb4    in v4 4       
,footnote #ehb3      ,aruch ex ,rabboth4
 ap4 ,lightfoot's ,hebr4 and ,talmud4   
,exercitations on    ,matt4 xii4 #bd4   
,see also on ,luke xi4 #ae4    ,footnote
 #ehc3      ,lex4 ,chald4 loc4 cit4     
,footnote #ehd3      ,christologia1 loc4
 cit4    ,footnote #ehe3                
,credibility of the ,gospel ,history4   
,supplement1 ch4 xxi4    ,footnote #ehf3
      8,it seems very unlikely that ,st4
 ,jude should write so similar an       
epistle1 if he had seen ,st4 ,peter's4  
,in that case1 ,st4 ,jude would not     
have thought it needful for him to write
 at all4 ,if he had formed a    design  
of writing1 and had met with an epistle 
of one of the apostles1    very suitable
 to his own thoughts and intentions1 ,i 
think he would    have forborne to      
write40--,cred4 loc4 cit4    ,footnote  
#ehg3      ,michaelis' ,introd4 to the  
,n4 ,t4 ch4 xxix4 sec4 #b4    ,footnote 

#ehh3      ,eichhorn's ,einleitung in   
das neue ,testament1 viii4 #c4          
,footnote #ehi3      ,dr4 ,j4 ,l4 ,hug's
 ,introduction to the ,new ,testament3  
translated by ,dr4    ,wait4 ,sec4 #afi1
 #agj4    ,footnote #eij3      ,marsh's 
,michaelis1 ch4 xxviii4 sec4 #a2 ch4    
xxix4 sec4 #b1 #e4    ,footnote #eia3   
,einleitung in d4 ,n4 ,t4 viii4 #c4     
,footnote #eib3      ,marsh's           
,michaelis1 ch4 xxix4 sec4 #d4          
,footnote #eic3      ,for a sufficient  
refutation of ,lardner's interpretation1
 see the    last-cited section of       
,marsh's ,michaelis4    ,footnote #eid3 
,hug's ,introduction1 sec4 #age4        
,footnote #eie3      ,marsh's           
,michaelis1 ch4 xxix4 sec4 #d4          
,footnote #eif3      ,marsh's ,mich4    
loc4 cit4    ,footnote #eig3      ,de   
habitu mulier4 c4 #c4 ,de ,idolat4 c4   
#d4 et #ae4 ,de cultu fminar4 c4    #aj1
 as cited by ,hug1 sec4 #age4           
,footnote #eih3      ,eichhorn's ,einl4 
viii4 #d4  #bif4    ,footnote #eii3     

loc4 cit4 ,michaelis adds a hint1 which 
may perhaps be as appropriate    in     
,england as in ,germany3 8,to the       
doctrine1 which ,st4 ,jude inculcates   
by this quotation1 that we ought not to 
speak evil of dignities1 not    even of 
the fallen angels1 but that we should   
leave judgment to ,god1 ,i    have no   
objection4 ,and ,i really think1 that   
they transgress the bounds    of        
propriety1 who make it their business1  
either in the pulpit or in    their     
writings1 to represent the devil as an  
object of detestation2    since1        
notwithstanding his fall1 he is still a 
being of a superior    order4 ,this     
reminds me of a certain oriental sect1  
which ,niebuhr met    with in the       
neighbourhood of the river ,zab1 in     
,assyria1 and which1 for    the same    
reason as that which ,i have just       
assigned1 will not suffer    any one to 
speak evil of the devil40    ,footnote  
#fjj3      loc4 cit4                    
----------------------------------------

--------------------------------        
,,lecture ,,xii4                        
,,the ,,christian ,,view ,,of           
,,retribution ,,hereafter4              
,,by ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,giles4      8,,and
 ,,god ,,said ,,to ,,jonah1 ,,doest     
,,thou ,,well ,,to ,,be ,,angry ,,for   
,,the ,,gourd8 ,,and     ,,he ,,said1 ,i
 ,,do ,,well ,,to ,,be ,,angry1 ,,even  
,,unto ,,death4 ,,then ,,said ,,the     
,,lord1     ,,thou ,,hast ,,pity ,,on   
,,the ,,gourd ,,for ,,which ,,thou      
,,hast ,,not ,,laboured1 ,,neither      
,,madest ,,it ,,grow2 ,,which ,,came    
,,up ,,in ,a ,,night ,,and ,,perished   
,,in ,a ,,night4 ,,and     ,,should     
,,not ,i ,,spare ,,nineveh1 ,,that      
,,great ,,city1 ,,wherein ,,are ,,more  
,,than     ,,six ,,score ,,thousand     
,,persons ,,that ,,cannot ,,discern     
,,between ,,their ,,right     ,,hand    
,,and ,,their ,,left80--,jonah iv4 #i1  
#aj1 #aa4      ,pain affects us1 as it  
comes near to us4 ,the war or famine1 or
 any other  calamity that afflicts a    

nation afar off1 is but a vague report  
or a  distant rumour2 it may not pass   
unheard1 but comparatively it is unfelt4
  ,it requires that grief shall touch   
and sting us in our selfishness2 that   
we may know fully and truly what it     
inflicts on others4 ,and it is thus     
that ,god at once rebukes and cures our 
insensibility1 by bringing loss  and    
sorrow home to our own souls3 the       
withered gourd wrung tears from  the    
surly and unamiable prophet3 but the    
prospect of ,nineveh with her  mighty   
population in ashes had nothing with    
which to touch the fountains  of his    
sorrows4    ,admitting as ,i thus do    
that there is much of selfishness in our
 nature1  yet persuaded that there is   
also much of sympathy and mercy in it1  
taking either the character of ,god1 or 
that of man as a criterion1 ,i  have    
long regarded the belief of eternal     
punishment as one of those  moral       
paradoxes which you cannot deny1 and for
 which you cannot account4  ,most of    

human creatures1 so far as they accord  
with their humanity1  shrink from       
inflicting or beholding pain2 and when  
they can inflict it  wantonly1 or behold
 it without compassion1 we can pronounce
 on them no  sentence of deeper         
reprobation than to call them inhuman4  
,we tread not  knowingly on the crawling
 worm2 we hear not insensibly the       
inarticulate  voice of the sick and dumb
 animal3 and yet many of us who would   
not look  unmoved on the last spasms of 
an expiring dog1 can believe that ,god  
regards with ruthless sternness the     
eternal tortures of numberless  eternal 
spirits4 ,we cannot gaze without        
compassion on the tear in the  infant's 
speechless eye1 and yet some of us can  
believe that ,god has  created such     
beings to look up through all eternity  
from hopeless  torture4 ,we cannot think
 on the racks by which tyrant-man has   
tortured  his brother-man--on the       
dungeons in which he has imprisoned him1
 and shut  out from him the sun of      

heaven and the breath of nature1 without
 a  feeling of repugnance and a         
sentiment of indignation1 and yet       
,christians  can believe that ,god1 whom
 they call 8the good1 the merciful10 has
  constructed for his creatures means of
 undying anguish and dungeons of        
boundless darkness1 where the smile of  
hope never gleams1 where the  light of  
mercy never comes4 ,we lament war1 and  
yet1 if orthodox1 we  believe that ,god 
maintains in his dominions regions of   
everlasting  warfare2 we lament the     
madness and abuse of passion1 and yet1  
if  orthodox1 we must believe that ,god 
allows that madness and abuse to be     
eternalized in all their extreme        
malignity4 ,we lament physical and      
mental suffering2 except on the         
visitation of mercy none of us would    
desire to go through the lazar house1   
where despair and anguish lie low       
together1 where the head is heavy and   
the pulse is fevered2 or through  those 
asylums which give refuge to humanity in

 its last calamity1 and  its worst2 and 
yet1 if orthodox1 we can believe that   
,god perpetuates  throughout everlasting
 ages the worst evils of the body1 the  
fiercest  passions1 and the most awful  
madness of the soul4 ,and yet this      
great1  this glorious universe is       
his--is his workmanship--it came not up 
in a  night1 it is not to perish in a   
night--the earth is long to be green1   
and  the heavens are to be bright4      
,throughout the space that has no limit1
  throughout the time that has no end1  
the stars are to shine1 and systems  are
 to move onward in their unmeasured and 
their trackless glory4 ,and  yet1 if    
orthodox1 we must believe there is an   
endless hell whose smoke  of torment    
must ascend for ever against their      
brightness4 ,these1 the  works of ,god's
 hands1 are marred--the majesty of his  
power  defeated--,paradise is made a    
wilderness1 and hell is made populous4  
,if we  think of the world with any     
degree of realising truth1 we shall feel

  this result to be most tremendous1 and
 we shall wonder that ,god with         
infinite power should have created such 
a lovely universe to be defaced2  that  
he should have peopled it with such     
capacities for good1 to be  exercised   
for ever only in the production of evil2
 that he should have  given them immense
 and eternal capacities only to be      
immense and eternal  capacities for     
misery4 ,this1 if true1 is the greatest 
miracle and the  greatest mystery       
unquestionably in the divine government4
    ,this subject committed to my charge
 ,i feel to be truly solemn and awful4  
,next to the idea of a ,god1 that of a  
future state is the most important4     
,the character we ascribe to ,god       
operates on our own1 or is created by   
it2 and so our conceptions of the future
 life reacts on human conduct1  and     
human sentiments4 ,we may see this      
painfully in the mistakes and  abuses   
with which harsh views of the future    
life have clouded the  ,christian       

church1 and poisoned the heart of       
,christendom4 ,these gloomy  sentiments 
from many robbed religion of solace1 and
 the breast of peace4  ,i have seen     
beings maddened and convulsed by visions
 of ,calvinism4 ,i  have heard them long
 for annihilation as a consummation most
  desirable--not in the remorse of sin1 
but in the tortures of                  
superstition4--,i have seen them look   
forward with pleasure to the            
church-yard turf under which they were  
to rest for ever from their  troubles1  
and sleep in peace their 8eternal       
sleep40 ,this sombre belief  has at once
 desolated and darkened earth4 ,faith it
 has turned to a  boundless fear2 the   
dread of the future it makes the        
bitterness of the  present1 and is      
equally the parent of stern             
self-infliction1 or of  remorseless     
intolerance4 ,it was this that in older 
days drove the  ascetic to the desert2  
that made nature and the face of his    
fellow  hateful to him2 that filled his 

ferocious solitude with unearthly       
terrors2 that trained1 instead of a     
saint1 a theological savage3 it was     
this which aroused religious wars2 which
 infused into these wars a  spirit of   
fury2 that demonised humanity2 that made
 a most merciful  nature a stranger to  
mercy3 it was this which brought man in 
nearest  resemblance to that vile and   
wicked being whom his worst and blackest
  passions had formed3 it was this      
belief that tore out the heart of flesh 
and put in its place the heart of       
stone--a heart which no appeal could    
soften1 and which no appeal could move4 
,it was not until there was a  hell     
without hope1 that there was a heart    
without mercy4 ,i believe it to  be     
quite capable of proof1 that no mere    
worldly wickedness has ever  cursed     
mankind with so many sufferings as the  
belief of this doctrine2  that has ever 
heaped on them so many cruelties1 and   
made them agents of  cruelties in       
return4 ,why have wars for religion ever

 been the worst8 ,the  reason is        
obvious3 the soldiers of religion are   
not soldiers of flesh2  the soldiers of 
religion enter into no earthly service2 
they enlist  under the god of battles   
and of vengeance4 ,it is against the    
hated1 and  the vile1 and the accursed1 
and the lost1 they carry destruction2   
they  are but the executioners of the   
righteous decrees of ,god1 and theirs   
are  the championship of piety1 and the 
chivalry of heaven4 ,when the weak      
contend with the weak1 mutual need      
begets mutual mercy3 but when the       
natural ferocity of passion assumes the 
authority of ,god1 and clothes  itself  
with the armour of the skies1 the gulf  
in which all charity is  buried1 is     
broad and unfathomable as that which is 
commonly placed  between heaven and     
hell4 ,this belief was one of the main  
causes of the  most horrible religious  
persecutions4 ,it was not until the     
generous and  gentle sensibility of the 
religious nature was debased by coarse  

picturings of physical tortures and of  
endless miseries1 that the  sacerdotal  
arm became terrible as death1 and the   
sacerdotal spirit was  drenched in wrath
 as dire and unrelenting as that which  
they fashioned  beyond the grave4       
,before priestly and popular            
imaginations ,god became an  awful      
punisher4 ,they created in heaven a     
throne of inexorable judgment1  and from
 that throne the word of fate went forth
 which could but once be  spoken1 and   
cut off hope for ever4 ,they freed      
themselves from human  compunctions1 and
 emulated the stern despotism which they
 preached or  believed4 ,fear is the    
parent of cruelty--and in religion1 as  
in  character1 the slavish spirit is    
ever the most unfeeling4 ,the truth is1 
that whether in idea or in act1         
familiarity with torture stupifies the  
heart and indurates the senses4 ,that   
frequent contemplation of pain  destroys
 sympathy1 and that pain1 when once it  
can be carelessly seen1  can be easily  

inflicted1 are facts which observation  
has placed beyond  the need of argument1
 and experience beyond the reach of     
contradiction4    ,in this ,lecture ,i  
propose two objects3--,first1 to state  
my views on moral  retribution1 which in
 essentials ,i apprehend are those of   
,unitarians in  general3 ,secondly1 to  
examine the arguments which are advanced
 in favour  of eternal torture1 and to  
state my reasons for not believing them4
 ,i  shall try to the utmost of my power
 to condense what ,i have to say1 but   
,i hope for your indulgence in return1  
if on a subject of such compass--on     
which so many volumes have been         
written--there should be some omissions4
  ,the end of this or any other lecture 
can never be to expound an  important   
topic in all its completeness1 so much  
as to suggest and  excite inquiry       
concerning it4    ,i4 ,i shall1 in the  
first place1 enter on the positive      
section of my  lecture2 and on this     
point1 ,i am sorry to say that the      

frequent  re-assertion of mistakes      
regarding our doctrines will put me to  
the  painful necessity of much          
repetition4    #a4--;,i commence with a 
few remarks on the nature of sin4 ,one  
essential  characteristic on which we   
have insisted--and we believe what we   
have  asserted--is1 that sin is a deep  
spiritual injury4 ,the source of it is  
in  the soul2 it is the dark corruption 
of an evil heart4 ,this ,i take to be   
one of the greatest and profoundest     
revelations of ,christ1 one which       
places him infinitely above all other   
moral teachers1 and which makes         
,christianity the highest scheme of     
moral duty4 ,false religions and false  
philosophies have been all at variance  
with this inward sense of duty4  ,they  
have contrived numberless inventions as 
substitutes for it1 or  devised most    
ingenious means to nullify it4          
,priesthoods1 with most  imposing       
authority and mystical influence1 have  
offered all sorts of  spiritual panaceas

 to ease the wounded conscience4        
,ceremonies1 with all  graceful gesture 
and solemn import1 have presented their 
beauty to the  senses1 and their spell  
to the fancies of superstition4         
,sacrifices  without number--from the   
turtle-dove to the hecatomb2 from the   
scape-goat  driven to the desert1 to the
 human being slaughtered to ,god2 from  
the  blood of life swelling round a     
thousand altars of vengeance1 to the    
flowers and the fruits that were heaped 
upon the altars of mercy--all  these    
have been tried to make religion for the
 senses1 to make religion  a flattery   
and delusion3 but all were not          
sufficient2 conscience is  stronger than
 rituals1 and to that conscience1 to    
that spirit of ,god in  the soul of man1
 ,christ came2 to that he was the       
,apostle and to that he  preached4      
,christ went at once into the soul2 he  
pierced the veil of  sophistries and    
deceits by which men are ingenious to   
discover excuses  to cover their        

selfishness and their wrong doings2 he  
went to the seat  of the evil1 and      
struck at once to the root of           
bitterness4 ,others  baptized with      
water1 cleansing merely the outside1 but
 he baptized with  fire and the holy    
spirit1 going to the innermost thoughts 
of the heart  and the veins2--others    
preached on the keeping of feast-days   
and  fast-days1 but he taught of that   
,god who is not the ,lord of times or   
seasons1 but the ,god of life in every  
hour--the ,god of the whole universe  in
 every motion2--others called men to go 
to the temple1 ,christ called  them to  
go into their closets and commune with  
their hearts2--others told  them to wash
 their hands1 ,christ exhorted them     
rather to cleanse their                 
spirits2--others told them to fear men  
who could kill the body1 ,christ  warned
 them not to fear man who could only    
kill the body1 but to fear  ,god who    
could kill the soul as well as the body4
 ,he was truly the  prophet of          

eternity--the preacher for eternity4 ,he
 was truly the preacher  of the         
invisible1 and the herald of it--he     
needed not that any should  testify of  
man1 for he knew what was in man--he    
required no testimony1  for he had the  
knowledge of humanity in his own nature 
deep and true1  but guiltless--and he   
spake out of the fullness of his own    
full heart3 it  was therefore that he   
spake as never man spake3 it was        
therefore that  the common people heard 
him gladly--for his words had power to  
those  thoughts and affections which are
 native to bosoms of all men2 it was    
therefore that he spake with authority1 
and not as the scribes3 for they        
discoursed on the traditions of the     
fathers1 but he appealed to the         
inspirations of ,god--they spake of what
 had been written on tables of  stones1 
but he spoke of what had been written on
 the fleshy tables of  the heart4       
,others made sin to consist in          
resistance to the priest or to  the     

king--but ,christ showed it to be an    
alienation of the soul from ,god1  the  
apostacy of the conscience from its own 
sense of duty4 ,it is that  which is    
within1 he taught1 that defiles the man2
 a man may wash his  hands seven times  
a-day1 but not once cleanse his heart2  
he may often  wash his hands1 and yet   
never in innocency4 ,he showed that     
sepulchres  might be beautified outside1
 and inside be only rottenness and      
corruption4--,his apostles learned of   
him this most profound1 most divine     
philosophy1 and so they preached it to  
the world4 ,to be carnally minded1  says
 ,paul1 is death2 to be spiritually     
minded is life and peace4  ,whatsoever1 
says the same apostle1 a man soweth1    
that shall he also  reap2 he that soweth
 to the flesh1 shall of the flesh reap  
corruption1  but he that soweth to the  
spirit1 shall of the spirit reap        
everlasting  life4 ,lust1 7or evil      
desire17 saith ,saint ,james1 when it   
hath conceived1  bringeth forth sin1 and

 sin1 when it is finished1 bringeth     
forth death4  ,this is the gospel       
doctrine on the inwardness and          
spirituality of sin2  and we preach no  
other gospel1 and we teach no other     
doctrine4 ,a solemn  consequence        
attaches to our view which is also      
powerfully enforced in  the ,new        
,testament scriptures1 but which the    
vicarious scheme tends  directly to     
subvert--,i mean the personal nature of 
transgression4 ,sin we  hold to be no   
transferable quality1 and this was most 
lucidly proved  here by one of my       
brother lecturers4 ,with the sinner     
himself lies the  guilt2 with him who   
contracts it it must lie2 it cannot be  
acquired by  imputation1 nor can it be  
punished by imputation4 ,if one doctrine
 be  more clearly taught in scripture   
than another1 it is this1 that the      
offender shall be answerable only for   
his own sins2 and for these1 as  surely 
as there are a conscience1 a future     
world1 and a ,god1 he must be           

answerable4--,every man1 our ,saviour   
declares1 shall be judged according  to 
his own works4 ,every one of us1 the    
,apostle ,paul asserts1 shall give  an  
account of himself to ,god4 ,but no1    
saith orthodoxy1 you must also be       
answerable for ,adam1 and upon your head
 must be a guilt that darkened  the very
 dawn of creation2 and so upon this     
principle guilt should  descend from    
sire to son2 the later we are in        
existence1 the more  tremendous should  
be this growing mountain of imputation1 
until the last  man should sink under   
the burden of all the crime which had   
been from  the first man to             
himself4--,we are told that ,unitarians 
make light of sin4  ,but1 ,i ask1 what  
does orthodoxy make of justice8 ,and ,i 
further ask1 what  does it make of      
scripture8 ,if there were a judge on    
earth who decided as  orthodoxy decides1
 he would be scouted as a monster3 if   
there were a  code of laws which        
contained such a standard1 the common   

moral sense of  mankind would reject it2
 nay1 there is not a tribe of savages in
 the  habitable world so blind to the   
idea of justice as not to repel the     
dogma of imputed and eternal punishment4
 ,and yet we are gravely told  that ,god
 thus acts1 and that the ,bible thus    
teaches2 we are constantly  rebuked as  
wanting in faith and humility1 because  
we can find no such  principles in      
either providence or the ,bible4 ,the   
plain declaration of  the prophet       
,ezekiel contains the spirit of both4   
8,the soul that sinneth1  it shall die4 
,the son shall not bear the iniquity of 
the father1 neither  shall the father   
bear the iniquity of the son2 the       
righteousness of the  righteous shall be
 upon him1 and the wickedness of the    
wicked shall be  upon him40 ,as         
certainly as we have a moral sense1 as  
surely as we can  discern between right 
and wrong1 we are compelled to          
acknowledge the one  and utterly to     
repudiate the other4 ,give but the      

conscience justice1 let  common sense   
have but the slightest voice in the     
decision1 and you might  as easily      
attempt to gain a man's assent to the   
broadest of  contradictions1 even to the
 admission that a part is equal to the  
whole1  or that two and two are five1 as
 to feel guilty for another man's crime1
  to feel remorse for another man's     
wrong-doing1 to be penitent or humble   
for that in which we had no             
participation1 or to confess the justice
 of  punishment by a sentence which made
 him criminal before his existence4  ,on
 the moral injuries of thus forcing men 
to contradict the first  dictates of    
their nature1 of destroying the         
personality of virtue on the  one side  
by an imputed righteousness1 and the    
personality of sin on the  other by an  
imputed guilt1 ,i intend not here to    
enlarge3 but one evil ,i  will just     
allude to2 ,i mean the wrong it does to 
truth of sentiment4  ,feelings in their 
real existence which are most excellent 

and most  beautiful1 it distorts and    
falsifies4 ,there are no virtues on     
earth that  bring men nearer to heaven  
than humility and repentance4 ,to be    
humble  with a true humility is to be in
 the likeness of ,christ2 to be penitent
  with a true repentance is to be an    
object of rejoicing even to the  angels 
of heaven3 but when we hear it said that
 we are to be of lowly  mind on account 
of inherited corruption1 and penitent   
for imputed sin2  when we try to force  
ourselves into emotions which are not   
native to the  soul1 unconsciously we   
undermine its simplicity and sincerity1 
and  instead of virtues which must be of
 spontaneous growth1 or not exist at    
all1 we have sickly abortions of        
sentiment that are false1 because       
unnatural2 strained efforts that are at 
eternal war with experience2 and        
high-sounding phrases that are as empty 
as echo and as cold as the  frozen      
blast4 ,perversions like these are      
almost worse than vices1 for  vices1    

though they mar the life1 may leave the 
moral judgment its  integrity4 ,where   
there is true conviction there may be   
amendment1 but  when the inward sense is
 itself diseased1 the case is all but   
hopeless4  ,whatever be the evil of sin1
 whatever be its punishment2 whether the
  evil be infinite or limited1 whether  
the punishment be eternal or  temporal1 
let us at least beware of weakening that
 sentiment on which  all morality is    
founded1 the deep sense of personal     
responsibility4  ,unitarian views are   
often described as being unfavourable to
  spirituality2 but if by spirituality  
,i am to understand the inward life  of 
man1 the activity of his mental and     
moral energies1 then ,i think  these    
views eminently spiritual4 ,the spirit  
of man is their great  subject1 and the 
spirit of ,god in the human1 their great
 agency of  salvation4 ,within the soul 
itself they place moral salvation or    
moral  destruction1 and within the soul 
itself they place the elements which    

constitute one or the other1 the sense  
of guilt which makes its hell1  the     
conscious holiness which makes its      
heaven4 ,this inward power of           
conscience is the true distinction of   
spiritual life2 and the righteous       
submission to it in our own hearts1 we  
maintain1 is the faith which  justifies3
 a faith which is an indwelling vitality
 which consists not in  forming         
propositions about ,god and ,christ1 and
 in enforcing them or  submitting to    
them1 but in making ,god and ,christ    
realities in our secret  thoughts2 in   
confidence on the worth of goodness1 in 
allegiance to duty1  and in trust in the
 power and immortality of truth4    #b4 
,next ,i affirm that sin is evil1 and   
that sin is punishable2 and our         
doctrines make not light of the evil1 or
 disguise the awfulness of the          
punishment4 ,sin is evil3 we deny not   
that2 how could we8 ,it is an  eternal  
truth written on the heart and life of  
man1 proved with  unequivocal and gloomy

 evidence in the whole history of the   
world4 ,sin  is evil to the individual2 
evil in the sufferings it prepares for  
him1  and a still greater evil when it  
hardens him beyond suffering4 ,each one 
of us will judge this question for      
himself according to his degree of      
moral sensibility1 and according to the 
circumstances of his moral  history2 but
 whatever be that sensibility1 or       
whatever be that history1  our moments  
of most profound anguish have ever been 
those in which we  have felt the        
shameful consciousness of wrong thoughts
 or wrong actions4  ,not1 it is true1   
when the evil passions or evil deeds    
held their  tyrannical sway over us1 but
 when the spell was gone1 when the      
mind's  eye grew clear1 and the hour of 
reflection came with sorrow1 and the sad
  pale light spread over the            
hand-writing on the wall1 from which    
conscience might shrink but could not   
fail to read4 ,the worst1 the most      
hardened1 the most degraded of human    

creatures1 those whom the world may     
think have bidden farewell to           
conscience1 have moments in the dark    
silence of thought when the sword of    
remorse with all its poisoned  tortures 
sinks into their wounded bosoms4 ,and in
 such hours1 it is not  outward loss1 or
 outward suffering1 but inward agony    
that afflicts them  most2 it is not that
 they have sunk into the dregs of       
poverty2 it is not  that they have been 
reduced to dependence and exposed to    
insult2 it is  not that pride passes    
them with cold and withering scorn2 it  
is not that  pity and hope seem banished
 from their path2 that all appear to    
frown  upon them2 that externally for   
them there is no longer peace on earth  
or  light in heaven--it is1 that the    
brightness and the freshness of their   
own hearts are gone2 that sacred        
affections are a waste2 that            
conscience1 when not silenced into      
apathy1 is enraged into an accuser2     
that their own respect is lost beyond   

recovery1 and no delusion1 however      
self-deceiving1 can again restore it4   
,the heart-consuming grief1 the  wrath  
and tribulation treasured up in a life  
of sin1 the righteous judge  of the     
earth alone can know4 ,and these are all
 the more bitter if that  life had ever 
been blessed with holier associations4  
,there is a courage  which can repel the
 scowl of others2 there is a pride1 a   
madness1 if you  will1 which can despise
 their opinions1 or feel independent of 
their  esteem2 there is a fortitude     
which can endure physical suffering to  
its  last infliction2 but there is      
nothing in time1 in place1 or in        
circumstance1 which can fortify us      
against our own thoughts1 against our   
own feelings1 and especially the        
feelings of the divinity within us1     
that struggle to the last for empire    
over evil2 that come ever and ever  to  
tell us of what we had of good or might 
have had2 that haunt us with  reproach  
and sorrow when we have become traitors 

to our better nature4  ,not to speak of 
conscience with its stinging sense of   
violated  conviction2 not to speak of   
wasted time1 ruined power1 and a wreck  
of  hopes2 to say nothing of alienation 
from ,god1 and the fear of a future     
world1 ,i can conceive of memory        
dwelling on spots1 which once were spots
  of light1 becoming the tormentor of a 
fallen soul1 the vindicator of  duty and
 of ,god2 ,i can conceive of one looking
 back from the bare  desolateness of sin
 to a youth that once had been pure1    
full of joy and  full of virtue1 to     
homes that had been glad with every     
affection that  sweetens life1 to       
sabbaths that had repose for the        
stainless spirit1 and  prayer for       
unpolluted lips2 gazing with breaking   
hearts and weeping eyes  over a part    
marked with vice and misery1 that had   
been a future glorious  with promise2   
all this ,i can conceive in connection  
with even the felon  in his cell1 or    
with some wretch whose cough1 like a    

knell of despair1  awakens the midnight 
silence of the street1 whose latest pang
 is spent  in some hidden retreat of    
filth and sorrow1 of sin and            
loathsomeness4    ,i need not say that  
sin is a great social evil4 ,the fact is
 urged upon  us with too painful a      
pressure1 both from history and         
observation4 ,take  the history of      
governments and nations2 wars and       
bloodshed stain the  record over its    
whole extent4 ,and whence are these1 but
 from the  struggle and rivalry of      
selfish and sinful passions8 ,from      
whence1 says  the apostle ,james1 come  
wars and fightings among you2 come they 
not  hence1 even of your lusts8 ,from   
these we have had the oppression of     
strength against right4 ,from these we  
have had the tyrannies and  cruelties   
with which they surrounded their thrones
 of iron despotism2  with which they    
made the glory of self the affliction of
 millions2 with  which so far as their  
power extended1 they have been the      

scourges and  the curses of mankind4    
,from these we had the hatred one nation
 against  another1 men arrayed against  
each other to hew each other down1 doing
  all iniquities1 when interest or      
ambition called for them1 enslaving one 
another1 and selling one another1       
unmindful of all the claims of          
fraternity in the din of faction1 and   
losing the sense of their common        
humanity in the difference of clime or  
the colour of the skin4 ,take the       
history of laws4 ,i shall not allege    
those of the criminal code which  until 
very recently made even ,christian and  
enlightened countries vast  arenas of   
legalised assassination3 which spread a 
reign of terror over  the face of       
empires1 making the scaffold and the    
gibbet their principal  symbols of      
civilization1 and multiplying to        
enormous extent the very  crimes1 which1
 pretending to punish1 they only        
publicly authorized and  exemplified4 ,i
 speak here more particularly of the    

spirit of partiality1  injustice1       
selfishness1 and rapacity in which much 
of legislation has  been conceived and  
executed3 classes of men turning the    
laws to their  own purposes and leaving 
those unprotected who most required     
protection2  commonly preying most on   
those who least could bear it4 ,except  
where the  general sentiment of human   
right has been too strong for narrow    
passions1 we may see in the long course 
of ages1 principle sacrificed to        
personal interests1 the good of masses  
betrayed or despised1 the poor  scorned1
 the ignorant neglected1 the privileged 
orders hedged about with  all sorts of  
protection1 the classification of crime 
and criminals most  unfairly adjusted1  
the distribution of penalties most      
unrighteously  allotted2 this ,i ascribe
 to selfish and evil passions4 ,once    
more1 take  the history of religion1 and
 you have all the anger of faction made 
more  stern with the rivalry of ,creeds2
 the ambition of earthly dominion more  

aspiring by the addition of spiritual   
rule also2 the powers of this  world    
made more fearful by the powers of the  
world to come2 both the  visible and in 
visible existence subjected to priestly 
empire1 and made  tributary to priestly 
aggrandizement2 the sword of the civil  
magistrate  which had been sharp enough 
with one edge to deal the vengeance of  
man1  receiving another edge from       
ecclesiastical authority1 to vindicate  
the  judgments of ,god4 ,thus we are    
compelled to read history1 and thus in  
all  its departments we are compelled to
 witness the dark traces which sin  has 
left upon its pages4 ,when we turn to   
the world around us1 these  evils are   
not the less glaring4 ,many sufferings1 
no doubt1 are to be  ascribed to our    
natural wants and weakness1 but they    
scarcely deserve to  be called evils1   
when we compare them with those which   
spring from moral  derangements4        
,poverty is not so great an affliction  
as an all-devouring  love for gain2     

sickness is not so great a misfortune as
 an insatiate  desire for pleasure2 and 
the ills of poverty and pain together1  
are not  as fatal as the irritable wish 
for distinction which rules so widely in
  the world1 with its fierce blood of   
turbulent passions4 ,to these there  are
 to be ascribed the worst social        
miseries that grieve the best  hearts1  
and to remove or ameliorate which the   
finest spirits have ever  directed their
 labours4 ,to these we are to ascribe   
the covetousness  which closes the hand 
of bounty1 and shuts up the bowels of   
compassion2  which becomes insensible   
both to justice and mercy2 to these we  
are to  ascribe all forms of sensuality1
 and all the abuses of passion2 to these
  we are to ascribe all vices1 material 
or malignant3 and who1 though he  had   
the capacious mind of an archangel1 can 
count the miseries which in  all shapes 
spread contagion through society8       
,independently of those  evils which no 
human eye can reach1 those which present

 themselves on  the very surface of     
observation are sufficiently extensive  
and fearful2  intemperance1 ignorance1  
grossness1 hatred1 strifes1 with all    
their  gloomy appendages2 of unhappy    
homes2 of loud and laughing and         
blushless  infamy2 of mad               
licentiousness1 and late despair2 of    
lost health1 lost  honesty1 lost reason1
 which respectively close their career  
in the  hospital1 the prison1 or the    
lunatic asylum4    #c4 ,as to evidence1 
then1 for the existence of guilt1 as to 
its extent  and its evil1 ,i think ,i   
can go as far as any ,calvinist4 ,i see 
the fact1  and ,i have no wish to       
disguise it2 it startles1 but it does   
not subvert  my faith4 ,i grant sin to  
be evil--evil in the inward spirit--evil
 on the  outward life--evil to the      
individual--evil to the species--evil in
 this  world--evil in the next4 ,in a   
certain sense1 ,i am not prepared to    
deny  that it leaves injurious          
consequences1 which may be eternal2 that

 the  loss of innocence1 that subversion
 of moral tastes1 may implant habits    
which1 for aught ,i know1 shall be an   
everlasting injury to the soul1 not     
utterly to destroy its happiness1 or    
stop its progression1 but to  deprive it
 of advantages and advancement which a  
purer moral state would  have given it4 
,the evils of sin ,i hold to be         
terrible2 the penalty of  sin ,i hold to
 be inevitable--to be removed by no     
sacrifice1 to be washed  out by no      
expiation--to be escaped only in the    
criminals rising out of  the corruption 
by experience and wisdom1 to a purer    
moral state4 ,the  punishment of sin ,i 
believe to be not only inevitable1 but  
also  enduring1 enduring in proportion  
to indulgence and malignity4 ,thoughts1 
,i admit1 which have wrought themselves 
into the very texture of the            
intellectual nature2 feelings which have
 rooted themselves into the  heart2     
habits that have grown into instinct1   
are not speedily to be  destroyed4      

,moral punishment1 in my idea1 is       
identical with moral  discipline1 and   
moral discipline ,i consider to be such 
an arrangement of  circumstances in the 
providence of ,god as shall lead us to  
self-correction2 such a process of      
spiritual training as leave us the      
consciousness of our own liberty1 but   
yet accomplish ,god's wise ends by      
,god's boundless power4 ,in building1   
then1 the structure of our  character1  
our ,creator works not by miracle1 but  
by experience1 and this  experience may 
be slow and painful4 ,i believe most    
sincerely and  profoundly in a future   
punishment2 not vindictive1 but         
corrective--for  all wise punishment is1
 and must be1 corrective4 ,that the     
dispensations  of ,god are not completed
 in this life1 ,i think all the moral   
aspects of  things here below make most 
manifest1 and all analogies intimate1 if
  ,scripture had not expressly declared1
 that after death there is to be a  more
 distinct exhibition of the divine      

government4 ,that the results of        
character formed in the present life are
 to be carried into the future1  and to 
influence it1 ,i conceive our whole     
nature argues4 ,our existence1  as      
spiritual beings1 is properly connected 
and continuous2 one state               
prognosticates another2 and no two are  
absolutely distinct and separate4  ,our 
spiritual life consists of thought      
united to thought1 and feeling to       
feeling1 one operating on the other1 or 
producing it1 of a mysterious  chain of 
consciousness1 bound from link to link  
by successive memories1  preserving     
unbroken the identity of our existence4 
,manhood is the growth  of our youth1   
and immortality is the growth of our    
manhood2 and the  impressions of        
character pass from one stage to        
another1 along the line  of succession  
and sequence4 ,there are no extremes1   
except to our outward  observation4     
,looking at one stage of life1 and then1
 after a long  interval1 seeing in the  

same person the apparently opposite     
characteristics1 we take those things to
 be antagonists which are bound         
together by the inevitable connexion of 
cause and effect4 ,the dreamer of  youth
 becomes1 perhaps1 the misanthropist of 
age2 the prodigal of youth1  it may be1 
grows into the miser of age2 the        
principle of action may in  each case be
 the same--vanity or self-love2 the     
passion is identical in  principle1 and 
changed only in form1 from a change in  
circumstances4 ,if  we should meet an   
honest rustic in his peaceful fields1   
innocent and  contented2 if we should   
afterwards by accident behold him on a  
scaffold1  it would be to us a seeming  
and terrible incongruity4 ,but why8 ,the
 two  events are in our minds in naked  
contrast3 could we1 however1 pierce the 
,spirit and trace the life of that      
unfortunate--watch it from the first    
intrusive evil thought successively     
dwelt on2 from actions slightly  wrong1 
unceasingly reiterated and darkening    

with every repetition1 until  the last  
deadly volition1 and the last awful     
deed1 we should have an  analysis of sad
 consistency and of profound interest4  
,there is something  sublime in the     
reflection1 that every human creature   
who treads the  earth and breathes the  
air1 has an inward history1 a history   
unread by  every eye but ,god's2 a      
history of solemn import1 that has      
definite  impression on the concerns of 
the universe1 and is to live for ever in
  the annals of eternity4    ,in        
ordinary phraseology1 we speak of our   
existence as if death made a  chasm in  
it2 but temporal and eternal are but    
distinctions of  imagination2 our       
eternal life commences1 and our earthly 
is but the  first stage1 the infancy of 
that awful and endless existence4 ,if ,i
 see  in our nature that which can      
survive change1 ,i see that also in it  
which  can take materials of joy and    
sorrow along with it4 ,the faculties    
that  make our life here must be those  

which shall make that which is to come4 
,memory then will be there1 which is but
 the resurrection of our by-gone        
experience2 and whether for good or     
evil1 it will call up the spirits of    
buried deeds1 and as the life has been1 
will be an angel of heaven or a         
minister of hell2--imagination1 which   
may have been the nurse of piety or  the
 slave of passion1--intellect1 which may
 have had the glow of the  seraph or the
 malice of the demon3 accordingly1 then1
 as these powers  have been properly    
directed or abused1 every instinct of   
our moral  nature tells us must be the  
joy of a righteous soul1 or the agony of
 an  evil heart4 ,what treasure will the
 good man find he has laid up for his   
immortal life1 when the past arises to  
him in the lustre of a new world3  the  
consciousness of good thoughts and good 
actions1 the peace of  assimilation with
 ,god1 and of union with the best of    
men3 the immortal  love of those with   
whom he had companioned in his earthly  

journey1 the  gratitude of many from    
whose eyes he had banished tears1 and   
from whose  bosoms he had plucked out   
despair2 who has been true to the claims
 of  his nature1 and accomplished the   
work of a disciple of ,christ1 and a    
child of ,god1 and a brother of man4 ,on
 the other side1 what are to be  his    
feelings1 who awakens in eternity with  
emotions of isolation and  repulsion1   
condemned in his own conscience1 who now
 discovers he has all  to learn which   
can fit him for the society of noble    
spirits1 whose  expanded faculties flash
 shame and sorrow on his guilty soul1   
and show  him that his whole course was 
folly3 the sensualist1 who stultified   
his  reason and profaned his affections3
 the hypocrite1 that toiled but for  the
 outward1 betrayed his convictions1 and 
was a living and incarnate  lie2 before 
his fellows1 a whited sepulchre2 before 
his ,god1 a corrupted  mass of          
falsehood3 the profane man1 on whose    
lips prayer rarely dwelt1  but to whom  

cursing and bitterness were familiar3   
the persecutor1 who  finds at last that 
he has hated or tormented others for a  
falsehood1 or  a sound3 the man of wild 
ambition1 who1 despising the true glory 
which  comes from ,god1 and consists in 
doing right1 spreads terror around him1 
in pursuing a phantom3 the worldling1   
whose spirit was enslaved to those      
treasures for which he wasted life1 and 
which he has left behind him in  the    
dust4 ,the sense of right and wrong is  
powerful and eternal2 and when  bad men 
resist it1 it may be safely trusted to  
effect its own work1 both  of correction
 and of punishment4    ,,ii4 ,i shall   
here review some of the arguments       
pleaded for the eternal  misery of the  
wicked1 and state briefly the grounds on
 which ,i reject  it4    ,when we       
consider the mild and merciful spirit of
 the ,gospel1--when we  reflect on it as
 a revelation of divine love made       
manifest in the most  perfect form of   
human love1--we are at first sight      

astonished that so  tremendous an idea  
as that of an infinite and eternal hell 
could ever  have been connected with it1
 or so wretched a one as a seclusive1   
and  comparatively all but an unpeopled 
heaven4 ,and truly this could have      
never been1 had the doctrine of immortal
 life been apprehended in the  full     
spirit of ,christianity4 ,but the fact  
of man's immortality made  manifest in  
the ,gospel has not generally been so   
apprehended1 it has had  from the first 
to contend against darkening and        
perverting influences4  ,converts to the
 faith of ,christ brought with them many
 of the prejudices  and errors of their 
former training1 and what in the early  
ages of the  church was the result of   
ignorance1 in later ones became         
sanctified into  the testimony of faith4
 ,those who came from heathen           
superstitions to the  religion of       
,christ1 brought with them minds filled 
with material images2  their worship or 
their age left no means for any others2 

and their  belief in a future existence 
of necessity became shaped by these     
associations4 ,a sacrificial worship    
symbolized their gods of wrath1 and     
what they had attributed to many1 they  
were unable to dissociate from  one2    
physical pains and pleasures            
comprehended their whole notion of      
retribution and reward1 and these their 
,christianity made eternal4 ,their  hell
 and their heaven were therefore        
fashioned from the rude conceptions  of 
their previous superstitions1 and from  
the symbolic language of the  ,gospel   
crudely understood4 ,the everlasting    
hell which thence grew out of  the      
mistakes of the vulgar1 and the         
speculations of the learned1 it was  too
 much the interest of priests to        
maintain1 not to receive the  sanction  
of the church with an earnest and       
zealous promulgation4  ,connected with  
other doctrines1 what immense power was 
thus placed in  the hands of            
ecclesiastics6 ,with what deep and      

gloomy awe it shrouded  the character of
 the priest6 ,once in the place of his  
ministry1 he stood  there not as the    
simple teacher of his brethren1 and his 
equals1 not as  the mere expounder of   
his master's gospel1 but as the         
commisioned  delegate of heaven1        
authorized by ,god to denounce his      
everlasting wrath  on the guilty1 to    
wield the thunder of an eternal         
vengeance4 ,we cannot  estimate the     
power with which such a doctrine would  
invest the  hierarchy1 and we are not   
therefore surprised that it is the last 
which  any orthodox priesthood would be 
willing to resign1--one of those prime  
doctrines1 to deny which has ever been  
stamped as heresy1 from ,origen to      
,servetus4 ,if even in these times1 when
 protestantism and other causes  have   
done so much to take away the reverence 
with which the ministry was  once       
surrounded1 highly-wrought pictures of  
endless misery give men not  deemed to  
have any supernatural authority such    

influence over the minds  of their      
hearers1 such despotism over their      
feelings and their  consciences1 what   
must it have been when superstition bent
 down the  votaries before the church in
 prostrate submission1 when the servants
 of  her altar were regarded as the     
direct messengers of ,god1--as those    
ordained to stand between hell and      
heaven1 with the key of both2 to        
announce glad tidings1 or empty the     
vials of indignation2 to distribute     
,god's grace1 or to proclaim his        
malediction4 ,many causes have been     
assigned for the growth of              
ecclesiastical supremacy1 but this      
doctrine ,i  am persuaded was the       
greatest of all2 the priestly throne1   
which raised  its ambition to the stars1
 was girded around by the lightning and 
tempests of eternal terrors4 ,the       
doctrine of eternal torments derives    
much strength from ecclesiastical       
interest2 and it is further sustained   
by all the logic of theological         

subtlety4 ,many writers on divinity seem
  to find a strange and morbid pleasure 
in describing the tortures of the       
wicked1 both in nature and duration1    
exhausting all analogies to  illustrate 
the incomprehensible2 and all modes of  
thought and expression  to explain the  
infinite4 ,on this doctrine the         
transition from ,romanism  to           
,protestantism has impressed no change4 
,if the ,reformation broke some  bonds  
that enslaved the freedom of religion1  
it removed no cloud which  obscured its 
heaven3 the fierce teachings of         
,augustine were only made  more complete
 and systematic by the still fiercer    
doctrines of ,calvin2  and the dark     
sketch of eternal reprobation drawn in  
its outlines by the  ,carthaginian monk1
 received its last touches from the     
,genevan master3  what in the olden     
church was broached only in the cautious
 reasonings of  the schools1 has in     
,protestantism been made the staple     
materiel of  theological declamation4   

,these doctrines have not only done much
 to obscure men's minds as to the       
condition of the wicked in a future     
state1 but also to mislead them in  an  
equal degree on that of the righteous4  
,this we observe in many of the  popular
 notions of heaven4 ,to millions1 heaven
 seems to be for the soul  what the     
grave is for the body--a place of mere  
repose4 ,if something more  than this1  
an elysium for indolence1 a kind of     
region of complacent  idealism1 where   
the faithful and elect are to enjoy     
ecstacies and  prayer1 musings and      
melodies1 which the coarse struggles of 
earth  forbade1 in which the cares of   
the world left no time to engage2--the  
clear skies and still waters of         
paradise1 the golden harps1 the incense1
  and the music of angels1 to relieve   
from weariness1 strife1 and pain1       
toil-worn and time-worn spirits4 ,nor is
 such view of heaven ungrateful1  tried 
as we are here with sin and tired as we 
are with labour2 but this  must not     

exhaust our thoughts of future bliss4   
,our highest happiness1  even in heaven1
 must consist in highest action3 no     
other happiness can  exist for a moral  
and intellectual being than that which  
calls his  faculties into energy1 and   
supplies both with materials and objects
 on  which to engage them4 ,our ideas in
 general of heaven are too much those   
of negation or contrast4 ,we are here in
 sojourn1 we think only of home  there2 
we are here in conflict1 we think only  
of peace there2 we are  here in labour1 
and there we only picture our rest2 we  
forget that all  these are worth nothing
 but as means to higher purposes1       
unsuitable as  final conditions to      
creatures who bear within them the life 
that is  henceforth to go on with that  
of the ,all-creative ,god4    ,i may    
just observe here1 and it is pleasant to
 be able to do so1 that  the opinion    
against which this ,lecture is directed1
 is an illustration  of the fact that   
tenets die out practically before they  

are renounced  theoretically4 ,it is    
well known to all who hear recent       
orthodox  preaching1 or who read recent 
orthodox works on practical piety1 how  
little compared with former times is the
 space now occupied in them by  ,satan  
and damnation4 ,the imagination is not  
tortured as it once was1  with all      
horrible and hideous representations of 
human suffering1 which  taste and       
devotion alike reject4 ,why1 even in the
 ,lecture of my reverend  and respected 
opponent1 though directly on the        
subject1 all the  repulsive features are
 lost in a most moderate and temporate  
exposition4  ,such errors let alone will
 gradually of themselves expire4    #a4 
,in support of the doctrine of eternal  
torments1 it is in the first  place     
pleaded that ,scripture expressly       
declares it4 ,this conclusion is        
founded principally on the words and    
phrases correspondent to our  8ever10   
8everlasting0 8for ever and ever10 c4   
,that in numerous passages  they imply  

duration without end or limit1 we       
readily admit4 ,it is  needless to point
 them out4 ,we are then told that this  
must be their  invariable meaning1      
except some evident fragility in the    
object to which  they are applied       
implies the contrary4 ,to assert that   
they have the  highest force when       
connected with future punishment1 is to 
assume what  is to be proved2 for the   
nature of the object is the very        
question in  dispute4 ,if we can show   
that the words have not unvarying       
literal  application1 then the subject  
is at least open to discussion2 but if  
it  be asserted they must mean endless  
duration1 because future punishment  is 
in its nature endless1 the point is     
dogmatically decided1 and there  is no  
further possibility of argument4 ,if    
every phrase of ,scripture is  to be    
taken as a rigid definition1 then we are
 to believe that ,christ  held himself  
in his own hands when he said1 8this is 
my body40 ,now the  instances in the    

,bible1 in all parts of it in which     
phrases disputed  between us and our    
opponents indicated limited duration1   
and only that1  are numerous beyond     
counting3#fja--sometimes1 not longer    
than a man's  life1 as when after       
certain conditions of compact1 the slave
 is said to  serve his master for ever4 
,in other cases it is more extended1 but
 still  temporary2 as when the land of  
,judea is called an everlasting         
possession2 the law an everlasting      
covenant2 the nation a people           
established for ever2 the hierarchy an  
everlasting priesthood4 ,as to the      
last1 the writer to the ,hebrews tells  
us1 that 8the priesthood being  changed 
there is made a necessity of change also
 of the law2 for there  is verily a     
disannulling of the commandment going   
before for the  weakness and            
unprofitableness of it40     7the       
principal word in the ,greek original71 
,mr4 ,simpson in his  ,essay on the     
duration of future rewards and          

punishments 7p4 #ag7 asserts1  occurs   
about a hundred times in the ,new       
,testament1 in seventy of which  at     
least it is clearly used for limited    
duration4 ,in the ,septuagint           
translation of the ,old ,testament it is
 even repeated1 and several times  it is
 repeated twice1 and in two instances   
signifies no longer a period  than the  
life of one man only4 8,it is10 says the
 same critic1 8an  observation of the   
utmost importance1 that when 1 or 1 are 
applied to the future punishment of the 
wicked1 they are never joined to  life1 
immortality1 incorruptibility1 but are  
always connected with fire1  or with    
that punishment1 pain1 or second death1 
which is effected by  means of fire4    
,now since fire1 which consumes or      
decomposes other  perishable bodies1 is 
itself of a dissoluble or perishable    
nature1 this  intimates a limitation of 
the period of time40 ,the phrase1       
8everlasting  fire10 is plainly a       
metaphor1 a metaphor which the ,jews    

would be at no  loss to understand3 the 
associations which they derived from the
 fire in  the valley of ,hinnom would   
render it sufficiently intelligible4    
,the phraseology was familiar in the    
,old ,testament4 ,fire unquenchable1    
fire not to be quenched1 is used in many
 places in which it cannot be  literal4 
,thus ,jeremiah 7xvii4 #bg47 threatens  
the ,jews1 in the name of  ,god1 for    
their breach of the sabbath1 8then will 
,i kindle a fire in the  gates 7of      
,jerusalem17 and it shall devour the    
palaces thereof1 and it  shall not be   
quenched40 ,so ,isaiah 7xxxiv4 #i1 c471 
speaking of ,idumea1  8and the streams  
thereof shall be turned into pitch1 and 
the dust  thereof into brimstone1 and   
the land thereof shall become burning   
pitch4  ,it shall not be quenched night 
nor day3 the smoke thereof shall go up  
for ever40--,while on this part of the  
subject1 ,i shall just allude to a      
remark made on ,mr4 ,grundy's view of   
the text in which it is said of the     

wicked that their worm dieth not1 and   
their fire is not quenched4 ,after      
quoting a passage from ,mr4 ,grundy's   
,discourse1 and making some comment  on 
it1 the lecturer went on to assert1 8,in
 a note moreover1 we are  informed that 
the foregoing criticism is founded on   
the assumption of  the passage really   
referring to future punishment1 which1  
however1 the  preacher affirms it does  
not4 ,for1 he adds1 we have before      
shown1 the  worm has been long since    
dead1 and for ages has the fire been    
quenched40  ,the impression which this  
use of ,mr4 ,grundy's language had a    
tendency to  leave1 is one wholly       
foreign to his meaning2 for it would    
seem to imply  that ,mr4 ,grundy        
asserted the extension already of       
retributive penalty in  the future life4
 ,the plain import is1 that our ,lord   
used a metaphor  taken from perishable  
things1 which have1 in fact1            
perished--and thence  it cannot be      
proved that he referred to an eternal   

state of suffering4  ,the allusion1 as  
is well known1 is taken from the close  
of ,isaiah1  where1 of the worshippers  
going to ,jerusalem1 it is said1 they   
shall  look upon the carcases of the men
 that have transgressed1 for their worm 
shall not die1 neither shall their fire 
be quenched4 ,it is plain that  here it 
means not eternity1 and though applied  
by ,christ to future  punishment1 it    
does not follow from the language that  
he means to imply  unending punishment4 
,archbishop ,newcome's language is as   
strong as ,mr4  ,grundy's2 for he also  
says1 8in the valley of ,hinnom1 the    
worm died when  its food failed--and the
 pile on which human sacrifices were    
burnt to  ,moloch was often             
extinguished40 ,to the writer of the    
lectures which have  been referred to1  
we are all deeply indebted for an       
example set us in  times and under      
circumstances of which we can but little
 now estimate  the difficulty2 we owe   
him the tribute of our respect for an   

honest and  fearless advocacy of truth1 
of mental and religious freedom1 at the 
expense of painful and personal         
sacrifices4    ,thus1 while none of     
these passages that ,i have referred to 
prove this  doctrine1 there are many    
scriptures at utter variance with it4   
,god is  again and again called the     
father that created us4 ,we are taught  
that he  is good1 and that his tender   
mercies are over all his works4 ,god is 
love4 ,he will not always chide1 we are 
told1 neither will he keep his  anger   
for ever2 that he will not cast off for 
ever2 that he hath not  shut up his     
tender mercies in anger4 ,finally1      
almost in the close of the  sacred      
volume1 we are informed that there shall
 be no more death1  neither sorrow1     
neither crying1 neither shall they      
suffer any more pain2  for the former   
things are passed away4 ,both these     
cannot be true4 ,it is  a moral         
contradiction to conceive a gracious and
 merciful ,god1 creating  beings with   

immortal life1 and then rendering them  
eternally wretched3  we have but one    
alternative1 either we must renounce our
 faith in these  declarations1 or we    
renounce it in the benevolence of ,god4 
,there are but  two texts1 one in       
,daniel1 and the other in ,matthew1 in  
which there is  any remarkable force4   
,in these it is said that the wicked go 
away into  everlasting punishment1 but  
the righteous into life eternal1 and on 
these two phrases the tremendous        
doctrine is built up4 ,the duration of  
both are urged to be equal1 and we are  
told1 that if we deny eternal           
damnation1 we deny eternal life4 ,no    
such thing4 ,reason1 feeling1 nature1   
justice1 moral sentiment1 the belief of 
a perfect ,god1 and the force of        
scriptural evidence1 coincide with the  
one and are repugnant to the  other4    
,there is not a single proof which can  
be urged in favour of a  future life1   
which is not an irrefutable argument    
against future  perdition4 ,if you      

deduce the ideas from the goodness of   
,god1 from his  truth1 from his wisdom1 
it is essentially subversive of this    
dark dogma4  ,if you deduce the idea    
from the nature of man1 it comes to the 
same  purpose2 if you conclude he is to 
live for ever1 because of his infinite  
and progressive faculties of reason and 
of conscience1 you must by the  same    
argument infer that he is to live to a  
better end than to be cast  eternally   
into hell4 ,if he was worth creation1 he
 is worth preserving2  if he is worth   
preserving1 he is worth being made good 
and happy4 ,if a  great multitude of    
immortals are to endure infinite pain1  
so far as they  are concerned1 the      
existence of a soul and the being of a  
,god are  infinite evils4    ,the spirit
 and the letter of ,scripture is in     
favour of this glorious  doctrine4      
,every ,scripture which proves that ,god
 is good and not  malignant is in favour
 of it2 every ,scripture which proves   
that ,god is a  restorer and not a      

destroyer is in favour of it2 every     
,scripture which  proves that ,god has  
more the desire to pardon than to punish
 proves it4  ,to this effect ,i might   
quote passages to greater extent than   
the whole  of this lecture occupies2 the
 selection must therefore be limited1   
not  by the want of matter but by the   
want of space4 8,god is love3 and he so 
loved the world1 that he gave his only  
begotten son1 that whosoever  believeth 
in him should not perish1 but have      
everlasting life3 for ,god  sent not his
 son into the world to condemn the      
world1 but that the world  through him  
might be saved40#fjb 8,jehovah is full  
of compassion1 slow  to anger and of    
great mercy4 ,jehovah is good to all3   
and his tender  mercies are over all his
 works4 ,all thy works do praise thee1  
,o ,jehovah3  and thy saints shall bless
 thee40 ,we are exhorted to 8taste and  
see that  the ,lord is good40 8,the     
goodness of ,god10 we are told1         
8endureth  continually40 8,the ,lord    

,god10 we are assured1 8is merciful and 
gracious1  long suffering1 and abundant 
in goodness and truth1 keeping mercy for
  thousands1 forgiving iniquity1        
transgression1 and sin40 8,the ,lord    
your  ,god is gracious and merciful1 and
 will not turn away his face from you   
if ye turn to him40 8,the ,lord is      
merciful and gracious2 slow to anger    
and plenteous in mercy3 he hath not     
dealt with us after our sins1 nor       
rewarded us according to our iniquities3
 for as the heaven is high above  the   
earth1 so great is his mercy towards    
them that fear him2 as far as  the east 
is from the west1 so far hath he removed
 our transgressions  from us3 ,like as a
 father pitieth his children1 so hath   
the ,lord  compassion on them that fear 
him3 for he knoweth our frame2 he       
remembereth that we are dust40 ,and from
 our earliest prayer to our dying  hour1
 we are taught in the simplest and      
sublimest of all supplications  to open 
our address to ,god thus2 8,our ,father 

who art in heaven40 ,we read  evermore  
in ,scripture that ,god's is not an     
everlasting anger2 as such  passages as 
the following testify3 8,his anger      
endureth but for a  moment40 8,he will  
not always chide1 neither will he keep  
his anger for  ever40 8,hath ,god       
forgotten to be gracious2 hath he in    
anger shut up his  tender mercies80 8,i 
will not contend for ever1 neither will 
,i be always  wrath3 for the spirit     
should fail before me1 and the souls    
which ,i have  made40 ,correspondent    
with the doctrine of these expressions1 
and with  the spirit of the whole       
,gospel1 is a passage that ,i quote from
 a book  which ,protestants in general  
declare not to be canonical4 8,thou hast
  mercy upon all2 for thou canst do all 
things1 and winkest at the sins of  men1
 because they should amend4 ,for thou   
lovest all things that are1 and         
abhorrest nothing which thou hast made3 
for never wouldst thou have made  any   
thing if thou hadst hated it4 ,and how  

could any thing have endured1  if it had
 not been thy will2 or been preserved1  
if not called by thee8  ,but thou       
sparest thine1 for they are thine1 ,o   
,lord1 thou lover of souls4  ,for thine 
incorruptible spirit is in all things2  
therefore chastenest  thou them1 by     
little and little1 that offend1 and     
warnest them by  putting them in        
remembrance wherein they have offended1 
that leaving  their wickedness1 they may
 believe on thee1 ,o ,lord4 ,for thy    
power is the  beginning of              
righteousness2 and because thou art the 
,lord of all1 it  maketh ,thee to be    
gracious unto all4 ,but thou1 ,o ,god1  
art gracious and  true3 long suffering1 
and in mercy ordering all things3 for if
 we sin1  we are thine1 knowing thy     
power2 but we will not sin1 knowing that
 we  are accounted thine40#fjc    ,once 
more1 whatever theoretical view we may  
happen to hold on the  redemption of man
 by ,christ1 the end and glory of that  
redemption  requires as the only        

consistent consummation1 the ultimate   
happiness and  virtue of mankind4 ,to   
this purport ,i shall adduce one passage
 of  ,scripture and quote a commentary4 
,the passage is ,rom4 v4 #ab-ba1 and the
  commentary is by ,dr4 ,s4 ,smith4 8,as
 by one man sin entered into the  world1
 and death by sin2 and thus death hath  
passed upon all men1  inasmuch as all   
have sinned3 7for until the law sin was 
in the world1  but sin is not imputed1  
where there is no law37 nevertheless    
death  reigned from ,adam to ,moses1    
even over those that had not sinned     
after  the similitude of ,adam's        
transgressions1 who is a figure 7a type7
 of him  that was to come3 7yet the free
 gift likewise is not so1 as was the    
offence3 for if through the offence of  
one1 many have died1 much more  the     
grace of ,god1 and the gift by grace1   
which is by one man1 ,jesus  ,christ1   
hath abounded unto many4 ,neither is the
 gift so1 as it was by  one that sinned2
 for judgment was of one offence to     

condemnation1 but  the free gift is of  
many offences unto justification4 ,for  
if1 by the  offence of one1 death       
reigned by one1 much more those who     
receive the  abounding of grace and of  
the gift of righteousness shall reign in
 life  by one1 even ,jesus ,christ37 so 
then as by the offence of one1 judgment 
came upon all men to condemnation2 so   
likewise by the righteousness of  one   
the free gift hath come upon all men to 
justification of life4 ,for  as by the  
disobedience of one many were made      
sinners1 so likewise1 by  the obedience 
of one1 many shall be made righteous4   
,moreover1 the law  entered that sin    
might abound3 but where sin abounded1   
grace did much  more abound4 ,that as   
sin hath reigned unto death1 even so    
might grace  reign through righteousness
 unto eternal life by ,jesus ,christ1   
our  ,lord40    8,in this passage all   
men are said to have been made mortal by
 the  offence of ,adam1 and here the    
phrase #8all men' must necessarily be   

understood to signify every individual  
of the human race4 ,though the  style of
 the apostle in this passage is         
remarkably intricate and  perplexed1 yet
 his meaning is clear1 and scarcely to  
be misunderstood4  ,he affirms that     
death entered into the world by ,adam1  
and that in  consequence of his offence1
 death passed upon all men1 or all men  
became  mortal4 ,thus many were made    
sinful or mortal by one4 ,in this sense 
,adam  was a type of ,jesus ,christ3 for
 as all mankind became subject to great 
privation or suffering in consequence of
 the offence of one1 namely  ,adam1 so  
the greatest privileges and blessings   
are bestowed on all  mankind in         
consequence of the obedience of one1    
namely1 ,jesus ,christ4  ,but it is only
 in this single circumstance that all   
suffer and all are  benefited by one1   
that there is any analogy between them3 
for in every  other respect there is the
 greatest possible difference between   
,adam and  ,christ4 ,the act entailing  

such important consequences upon the    
whole  human race1 was1 on the part of  
,adam1 an act of transgression1 on the  
part of ,christ an act of obedience4    
,and there is a still further  disparity
 between them2 for the calamities       
resulting from the act of  transgression
 were the legal punishment of the       
offence2 but the  blessings accruing    
from the act of obedience were not such 
as could be  claimed by law1 but were   
the free1 unpurchased unmerited gift of 
,god4  ,and the consequences of the act 
of transgression and the act of         
obedience may be placed in still more   
striking contrast3 for the act of       
transgression was but one1 and yet      
death1 with all the calamities          
connected with it1 passed upon the whole
 human race2 while the act of  obedience
 provides justification for many        
offences3 nor is this all2 for  the     
blessings procured for all mankind by   
the obedience of ,christ are            
unspeakably greater than the calamities 

brought upon them by the offence  of    
,adam40    8,this is undoubtedly the    
argument of the ,apostle4               
,notwithstanding all  the obscurity and 
perplexity of his language1 whoever     
reads the passage  with attention1 must 
perceive these were the ideas which were
 in his  mind4 ,and in the whole compass
 of ,christian truth1 there is no       
doctrine  more important or more        
glorious than that which is thus        
disclosed4 ,it is  a direct and positive
 declaration1 that the blessings1       
provided by the  obedience of ,christ1  
shall1 in number of persons who partake 
them1 be  co-extensive with the         
calamities produced by the offence of   
,adam1 and in  their magnitude and value
 greatly exceed them4 ,this is          
sufficient2 this  is decisive2 these    
ideas were in the mind of the apostle2  
this is the  doctrine which he plainly  
and indisputably teaches1 and nothing   
more is  necessary4 ,for1 even though it
 should be proved that he illustrates   

his  doctrine by a fanciful allusion to 
what was itself only an allegory2  that 
his reasoning is not in every respect   
complete1 and even1 that he  did not    
himself fully comprehend all the        
glorious consequences of the  sublime   
truth he disclosed1 that truth would be 
neither the less  important nor the less
 certain4 ,the great fact itself1 the   
fact which it  was his object and his   
office to teach1 and in which he could  
not be  mistaken1 was1 that the         
blessings produced by the obedience of  
,christ  shall be as extensive as the   
evils occasioned by the offence of      
,adam2  that all who suffer from the one
 shall partake of the benefits of the   
other1 while these benefits themselves  
shall infinitely exceed and  overbalance
 the calamities entailed on mankind by  
the first  transgression4 ,the          
conclusion is inevitable1 that the whole
 human race  shall ultimately be        
restored to virtue and happiness4 ,by   
one passage of  ,scripture then1 at     

least1 the doctrine which it is the     
object of this  work to establish1 is   
positively and expressly affirmed2 and  
this is  decisive40#fjd    ,to sustain  
this doctrine we hear analogy also      
pleaded4 ,pain1 it is said1  has no     
tendency to correct4 ,this is not true4 
,pain often does  correct--and many are 
led back to virtue by means of a sad    
experience4  ,pain physically and       
morally is the great instrument of      
warning4 ,but  though it were fully     
granted that pure pain were not a       
corrective  agency1 it may1 in          
connection with other influences1 bring 
healing to  the soul4 ,we never see it  
unmixed in this world1 and we have no   
just  ground to conclude it will be so  
in another4 ,how often is it the means  
of drawing forth a mercy and a grace    
from others that softens the stony      
heart of the transgressor4 ,how often1  
when the sinner is laid low--yea1  and  
by the very effect of crimes1 will a    
kind look or word1 an instance  of      

forbearance or forgiveness1 work a      
regeneration on his nature4 ,how  often 
will the son who plagued his parents'   
life1 and whitened their  hair with     
sorrow1 when driven by misery to seek   
again the shelter of a  home1 be        
sweetened into meekness by a mother's   
love1 and be raised again  to dignity by
 a father's generosity4 ,if pain then1  
by making us feel the  goodness of      
others1 will so frequently incite us to 
deserve it1 are we  to conceive that an 
experience1 with clearer knowledge of   
,god's love1  shall be entirely         
ineffectual8 ,it is said1 that men grow 
more hardened  in sin the longer they   
continue in it4 ,i allow it was a       
generous truth3  and yet the thought of 
a moment--the visit of one pure memory1 
may  suffice to change a life of crime4 
,but our argument is1 that men will  not
 continue in sin2 and it will not be    
asserted1 that if reformation is  at all
 possible1 ,god will refuse the means1  
and make crime eternal4 ,it  is further 

stated that the wicked1 by force of     
numbers and society with  each other1   
grow increasingly worse3 it is to be    
proved1 which it is not  and cannot1    
that in a future existence there is any 
such distribution  either local or      
moral4 ,this doctrine is not only       
unfounded in analogy1  but contradicted 
by it--there must be either destruction 
or renovation3  so it is in the natural 
world1 and so it is in the moral4       
,nothing can  sustain continued         
existence in a state of extreme         
disorganization2 a  certain amount of   
consistency and harmony is an essential 
condition of  every being--without this1
 there must be dissolution and          
destruction4 ,sin  being then confusion 
in the soul and in society1 an eternal  
state of  progressive sin is            
inconceivable4 ,pain1 being in like     
manner  disorganization in body or mind1
 an eternity of growing pain is equally 
inconceivable4 ,continued and extreme   
pain therefore must either destroy  its 

subject or destroy itself2 and then on  
this argument alone we  perceive that   
eternal torture is a theological        
figment2 a nonentity and  impossibility4
    ,the belief is further pressed upon 
us on grounds of moral influence4  ,this
 is but an additional argument against  
it1 for it either has no  effect or a   
bad one4 ,it has no effect1 from its    
vagueness and its  incomprehensibleness4
 ,it does not fasten on the moral       
feelings--it sinks  dead by its own     
ponderousness4 ,it has no effect from   
its inconsistency  with human nature2   
there is no affinity between a finite   
being and  boundless torture2 and thence
 from the want of truth there is also a 
want of power4 ,it has no effect1       
because there is an instinctive         
abhorrence in the heart against it2 and 
there is an instinctive justice  which  
repels it2 the imagination reels before 
it--the mind retreats from  it1 and     
finds that it is too odious even to be  
looked at4 ,that it has no  effect may  

be seen to a vast extent3 millions in   
all countries profess  to believe it1   
and among these have been1 and are1 many
 of the most  abandoned that ever       
brought shame upon their nature2 and yet
 a faith in  hell gave them no fear of  
vice4 ,so far as it has influence it is 
of a  bad kind2 because it familiarizes 
the mind with coarse images2 because  it
 breathes into obedience a spirit of    
slavish fear2 because it makes  terror  
an instrument of religion2 because it   
throws darkness on the ways  of         
providence2 because it undermines filial
 confidence in ,god1 and puts  a limit  
either to his power or his love4 ,the   
doctrine of ultimate and  universal     
salvation lowers the sanctions of       
righteousness4 ,but what is  the true   
motive to goodness1 what is the spirit  
of it--that which unites  us most to    
,god8 ,love1 not fear2 not fear of hell2
 and in the sense of  terror not even   
fear of ,god himself4 ,fear is mere     
submission to force1  not the willing   

service of heart-felt appreciation2 the 
crouching of a  slave in outward show to
 the despot whom in his soul he         
thoroughly  detests4 ,now as we cannot  
love by constraint1 what ideas of ,god  
are most  likely to move our affections1
 and consequently produce in us the true
  spirit of obedience8 ,evidently his   
benevolence1 his purity1 his            
disinterested goodness1 his fatherly    
nature--to be drawn to him with the     
cords of our hearts1 we see him in the  
clear light of his moral beauty4  ,it is
 rather paradoxical that these doctrines
 on the power of fear1 the              
righteousness of vindictive punishment1 
and the limits of moral  reformation1   
should be propagated in our times1 when 
all the practical  tendencies of society
 are in contradiction4 ,the influence of
 conviction  and not of force1 the      
influence of mind and not pain1 is the  
growing  spirit of the time1 and a      
faith1 which puts no bound to hope2 for 
the  love of man is a motive deepening  

ever in the great social heart4 ,this   
is the blessing of our day1--it has     
enlightened education1 and softened  the
 rigour of instruction2 it is mingling  
the gentleness of mercy with  the       
austerity of punishment2 it is working  
to restore the criminal and  not to     
destroy1 tempering discipline with      
wisdom1 believing that  corrective      
amelioration is most useful and most    
just2 in the same  believing spirit it  
is sending a vast spiritual agency into 
every realm  of vice3 while thus        
philosophy and philanthropy labour in   
the trust they  shall leave men better  
than they found them1 exploding the     
errors which  had been the greatest     
curses to mankind1 these are the very   
errors which  theology sanctifies1 which
 it is heresy to deny3 whilst a moral   
and  merciful civilization is exerted to
 exalt man1 theology continues to       
deface the image of ,god2 the one       
scattering beauty on mortality1 and the 
other spreading darkness on eternity2   

the one removing pain1 and the  other   
preaching it4    ,the doctrine we oppose
 is further defended on the ground that 
sin is an  infinite offence1 that man is
 therefore an infinite offender2 and    
that  an infinite offender deserves     
unending punishment4 ,the assertion1    
that  man can be an infinite offender1  
is wholly inconsistent with the views   
which the orthodox themselves present of
 man4 ,to be a transgressor in  any     
degree1 implies the possession of a     
noble nature1 much less to be an        
infinite transgressor2 but with the     
miserable and contemptible creature     
which ,calvinism describes as man1 it is
 impossible to associate any idea  that 
is either noble or infinite1 for good or
 for evil4 ,we may assume  another mode 
of reasoning4 ,the obedience of the law 
is righteousness1  the transgression of 
the law is sin4 ,these are correspondent
  definitions4 ,by every rule1          
therefore1 of logical deduction1 if a   
single  act of sin is an infinite evil1 

a single act of obedience is an infinite
  good2 and on the same grounds of      
justice by which one man is doomed to   
an everlasting hell1 the other merits an
 eternal heaven4    ,but to speak of man
 at all as an infinite offender1 is to  
set common  sense at defiance4 ,whence  
can be the infinitude of his offence8   
,not in  its origin1 not in its effects1
 not in its duration3 not in its origin1
  for it is produced in limited         
faculties2 not in its effects1 for the  
errors of a created nature1 counteracted
 by an uncreated omnipotence1  can never
 be infinite1 can never be irremediable2
 not in its duration1  for the life of  
one man1 the lives of all men to the end
 of human  generations1 are but a point 
in the universe and government of ,god4 
,sin  is either a state of mind or a    
state of action2 but whether as one or  
the other1 it must of necessity be      
limited4 ,were the career of man        
extended to that of ,methusalem1 and his
 powers as capacious as his years  were 

many2 were the whole of that existence a
 succession of crime1  uncheered by a   
solitary virtue2 were the energy of the 
mightiest  intellect devoted to contrive
 guilt1 and the efforts of the most     
ingenious sinfulness given to its       
execution2 were every creation of  fancy
 a vision of impurity1 every instinct an
 impulse to cruelty1 every  emotion a   
movement of malignity1 yet even thus    
horrible1 we could not  with truth call 
man an infinite offender4 ,neither in   
desire nor in  action can he be such4   
,not in desire1 for there is no man that
 wishes1  there never has been the man  
that wished1 absolute1 unmingled1       
endless  evil2 not in action1 for there 
is no man1 whatever the malignity of his
  intention1 has unlimited power of     
execution4 ,if sin is an infinite       
offence1 then all sins are equal1 for   
infinity has no degrees2 if  sinners are
 infinite transgressors1 then criminals 
have no distinctions2  transgression has
 no gradations1 and the whole moral     

space is  annihilated between him who   
stands on the very margin of heaven1 and
 him  who is already plunged into hell2 
the same impassable gulf which exists   
between their conditions1 exists also   
between their characters4    ,man is not
 an infinite offender1 nor yet is he an 
incorrigible one4  ,there is nothing in 
his nature or history which justifies   
the  conclusion4 ,there is no point of  
moral baseness so low that we can mark  
it as a hopeless condition4 ,he is not  
immutable2 and as change is  possible1  
changes for the better may be looked    
for1 as well as changes  for the worse4 
,such changes have been2 the painful    
experience of evil  and wrong-doing1    
however slow and vacillating1 always    
drives towards  them2 all observation1  
therefore1 is in favour of our          
expectation4 ,we  look not on the       
deepest1 the deadliest1 and the worst   
instance of human  depravity1 as beyond 
correction1 beyond improvement1 beyond  
the power of  ,almighty ,god2 we look   

upon no ignorance that may not be       
enlightened2  upon no vice that may not 
be removed2 upon no human countenance so
  scarred with the traces of depravity1 
as to leave nothing visible but  the    
hand-writing of reprobation2 ,god forbid
 that we should behold any  human being 
with humanity's capacities1 destined1   
beyond amendment1 to  hopeless          
corruption and to incorrigible misery4  
,i deny not the existence  and the      
delusion of vice4 ,i deny not the abuse 
of the noblest faculties1  or the       
perversion of the best affections1 but  
,i do deny that the human  soul is ever 
so wrecked or lost as to become utterly 
hopeless4 ,the man  of pleasure may turn
 from joy to joy1 and collect nothing   
for his home  but weariness and disgust2
 the man of ambition may sacrifice      
health and  repose1 honour and probity2 
the covetous man may1 during a long     
life1  drudge away days of labour1 and  
toss through nights of care1 to die in  
the possession of what he never enjoyed2

 the indolent and the prodigal  may live
 as if there were no tomorrow2 the      
vicious and profane may  reel on1       
reckless of a future existence and a    
future judgment4 ,we have  all seen     
every human passion making havoc upon   
virtue2 but we have also  seen the      
passions1 carrying with them their own  
sting and their own  punishment1 and in 
that sting and punishment1 to a certain 
extent at  least1 they have contained   
their own amelioration and amendment4   
,that  human beings have been raised    
from their lowest debasement1 that they 
have been emancipated from the worst of 
moral bondage1 that they have  been     
purified from the deepest of pollutions1
 we have many consolatory  evidences4   
,in every nation of earth that now      
enjoys the blessings of  religion1 of   
liberty1 of arts1 of moral and social   
refinement1 we have  proofs1 that by    
gradual and progressive improvement1    
these human beings  may be delivered    
from the very worst estate of ignorance1

 vice1  destitution1 and brutality4 ,for
 what are the nations that we now glory 
to acknowledge1 but instances the most  
undeniable1 that man is not only  an    
imperishable1 but also an improvable    
creature8 ,i have seen beings in  their 
thoughtlessness1 the victims of their   
own vanity1 sink miserable  and         
despairing into the terror which they   
had prepared for themselves3  but must  
,i say1 that they shall never throughout
 eternity discover the  littleness of   
the objects they desired1 nor abstain   
from chasing the  phantoms that misled  
them8 ,i have seen men insanely and     
foolishly toil  for all that makes life 
a trifle1 at the loss of all that makes 
it a  glory2 ,i have read in history1   
and ,i can recal by memory1 the         
experience  of those who spent all they 
had of energy or misused all they had of
  goodness to obtain that which at last 
they felt their torture2 ,i have  seen  
the turbulent nature soften into peace1 
the thoughtless awakened  into wisdom   

and action1 the profane elevated into   
reverence1 the impious  bending to pray1
 the angry subdued into meekness1 the   
proud converted to  the wisdom of       
humility1 the hard-hearted melted to the
 goodness of  mercy4    ,should it be   
said that this argument is too narrow1  
and appeals only to  immediate feeling1 
let us then take a wider sphere1 and try
 the  principle by a larger test4 ,call 
to your attention the varieties of      
mankind1 of their present and past      
condition1 of their present and past    
circumstances4 ,many millions exist on  
the wide surface of the globe1  among   
whom the elements of moral redemption   
have never had operation1 on  whose     
benighted souls a ray of ,christian     
light has never dawned1 hearts  which   
have never felt the bliss of holy       
liberty1 and bosoms that have  never    
burned with heavenly fire4 ,take up a   
map of the world2 cast your  eye over   
its boundaries and divisions1 from pole 
to pole1 and from  meridian to meridian2

 conceive the myriads of rational beings
 who swarm  along that surface2 reflect 
on the wonderful diversities in their   
conditions and their training2 pass over
 the dreary frosts of one  country1 and 
the deadening heat of others2 wherever  
you turn1 humanity  meets you under     
different forms1 and in various         
circumstances--with  habits more or less
 corrupted1 with morals more or less    
pure1 with  religion more or less       
enlightened or absurd2 let me then ask  
any  enlightened thinker1 any one who   
has studied human nature1 whether all   
these are to be arranged under one      
general classification4 ,consider the   
tribes around the arctic1 buried in     
darkness2 pierce into the unexplored    
regions of ,africa2 go over the deserts 
of ,arabia2 walk among the tents  of its
 predatory and pastoral populations2    
traverse ,persia1 ,india1  ,tartary1 the
 islands that dimly gleam through the   
,southern ,ocean1 and  wherever you go1 
mankind are in various moral positions1 

and  consequently under various terms of
 moral probation4 ,shall then that      
all-seeing ,creator1 to whom every heart
 is open1 place all these motley  tribes
 under one system of judgment8 ,it      
cannot be4 ,shall beings born in        
regions of darkness be condemned for    
want of light--beings who had never     
breathed but of impurity1 for not being 
sanctified--beings bred amidst  idols1  
for being idolatrous8 ,taking thus into 
view the populations of  the earth1 we  
have before us an infinity of moral     
conditions2 and yet  the differences are
 not greater between the extremes of    
them than those  we might select in a   
single country or a single city2 than   
those1 in  fact1 which we know to exist4
 ,respecting the terms of probation1 a  
,new  ,zealander is not at a greater    
distance from an ,englishman1 than some 
,englishmen are from others4 ,when we   
think then how many are ignorant and    
suffering by the very necessity of      
destiny1 and by the same fate vicious   

and depraved1 if the passage of a breath
 end all hope of amendment1 our  faith  
must cease in divine justice1 as well as
 divine wisdom1 and our  perplexity be  
turned to despair4    ,we look on man1  
not as a member of a sect1 but as a     
child of ,god2 and  once more1 we ask1  
if he is not an infinite offender1 nor  
yet  incorrigible1 is he not worth the  
correction8 ,if his purity and          
happiness be within the bounds of       
possibility1 if his eternal misery by   
any degree of energy can be averted1 are
 we to believe that a ,god who  has     
infinite benevolence wills him to       
perish2 are we to believe that a  ,god  
who has infinite power will exert none  
of it to save the most  glorious of his 
works from utter destruction8 ,can we   
suppose that ,god1  omnipotent and most 
wise1 would reverse eternally such      
capacities for  goodness and happiness1 
and instead of training them to be      
instruments  of boundless utility1 would
 condemn them to be agents of eternal   

evil8  ,will not ,god rather choose to  
sow the field of everlasting life with  
seeds of holiness and bliss1 than to    
scathe it to a ruin and a  wilderness8  
,i would not strip the future of its    
awe2 no terror can be  equal to the     
truth2 it is the most solemn            
anticipation that can ever  come upon   
the mind1 and ,i maintain that nothing  
the most fearing  imagination conceived 
in its wildest apprehensions ever       
equalled the  reality3 but1 for ,god's  
universe and for ,god's creatures1 there
 is  always hope2 in ,god's power and   
wisdom there are limitless means1 and at
  last there will be universal peace and
 universal emancipation4 ,if  creatures 
are not ultimately and universally      
happy1 it must be either  from the want 
of ability in ,god1 or the want of      
inclination2 and this  difficulty       
pressing itself on the mind of a        
powerful and pious orthodox  writer1 he 
chose1 in accounting for the loss of    
souls1 to suppose that  theologians had 

mistaken in their theories the nature of
 divine  omnipotence2 that love and     
power have distinct offices2 but if he  
were  to circumscribe either attribute  
in ,god1 it would be power and not love4
  ,on the ground of an eternal          
perdition1 such attribute as a moral    
omnipotence can truly be ascribed to    
,god4 ,the able writer to whom ,i have  
alluded has seen to the bottom of the   
difficulty1 and believing as he  does   
most sincerely in eternal suffering1    
believing also as he does with  equal   
sincerity in the infinite love of ,god1 
he is compelled so far as  the human    
will is concerned to circumscribe the   
sphere and action of  divine            
omnipotence1 or rather to deny it       
altogether4 8,the truth is10 he  says1  
8that the only rational conclusion we   
can arrive at in the matter1  is that in
 the nature of things no such attribute 
can exist4 ,and until  the cloud1 which 
its supposed existence throws on every  
procedure of  divine providence1 is     

dissipated1 we must either not think at 
all1 or  think amiss on that subject in 
comparison of which all other subjects  
are unimportant1 namely the character of
 ,god3 ,i know that many may1 at  first 
sight1 be startled at the assertion1    
that the power of ,god can in  any sense
 be limited4 ,in this1 as in various    
instances1 they will object  to the same
 truth as a distinct proposition1 which 
they will freely  assume and take for   
granted in all their reasonings4 ,these 
very persons  will speak of ,providence 
as devising means and moving by gradual 
advancement to the accomplishment of an 
end4 ,if asked1 why not decree  the end 
without the means8 they answer1 because 
it could not be  attained1 at least so  
well1 without them4 ,if then1 the term  
could not1  be at all admitted1 7and how
 freely is this term applied to ,god in 
,scripture67 no such thing as           
unrestricted omnipotence exists4 ,it is 
not  that there is any limit in ,god4   
,god forbid that ,i should dare to say  

so4  ,it is1 that power in its own      
nature is limited4 ,it can act only on  
possibilities4444 ,even power itself is 
but a vague and unintelligible  notion1 
unless displayed to us as triumphing    
over difficulties1 and  rising superior 
to obstacles4 ,a sweeping omnipotence1  
which could by one  sovereign act of    
will1 decree that in the nature of      
things neither  impediment nor          
resistance should exist1 leaves no field
 even for power  itself to act on4      
,omnipotence such as this1 at least     
supplies no  materials for man to       
comprehend or adore4 ,no3 we are        
constructed  otherwise4 ,our faculties  
are so framed as to correspond with the 
truth  and reality of things4 ,the power
 that fills the soul with wonder and    
with praise is that which the ,scripture
 of truth exhibits3 that power in  which
 ,god arises that his enemies may be    
scattered2 that omnipotence by  which he
 produces good out of evil1 and subdues 
the most unyielding  substances and     

stubborn elements into himself4 ,but    
still more1 as it  respects the wisdom  
of ,god1 is it necessary to dismiss the 
notion of an  absolute omnipotence      
before the former attribute can shine   
forth in its  true glory4 ,for surely1  
according to our conceptions1 it would  
be more  wise to arrive at once1 if that
 were possible1 at all that means1 and  
contrivances1 and processes can         
accomplish1 than to prefer elaborate and
  circuitous courses1 merely for the    
sake of going round about to do what    
could be done as well in the twinkling  
of an eye4 ,and yet in what does  the   
divine wisdom as apprehensible by us    
consist8 ,what are the views and        
discoveries which lead us1 with the     
apostle1 to exclaim1 #8,oh1 the depths  
of the riches both of the wisdom and    
knowledge of ,god8' ,is it not in  those
 very procedures which if unbounded     
power existed would be folly  and not   
wisdom1 that all the treasures of the   
infinite mind are  manifested8 in       

adapting means to ends1 in pursuing the 
path of light  amidst surrounding       
darkness1 in harmonizing discordant     
principles1 and  bringing order out of  
confusion80    ,after a few other       
remarks1 the author proceeds to maintain
 his position  by the testimony of      
,scripture4--8,to quote ,scripture10 he 
observes1 8as  fully as ,i might upon   
this subject1 would be1 in a measure1 to
  transcribe the ,bible4 ,i shall       
content myself with producing three     
passages1 which1 though not of the      
directer kind1 bear1 ,i think1          
irresistibly on the point4 ,the first is
 ,ezek4 xxxiii4 #aa4 #8,as ,i live1     
saith the ,lord ,god1 ,i have no        
pleasure in the death of the wicked2 but
  that the wicked turn from his way and 
live3 turn ye1 turn ye1 from all  your  
evil ways2 for why will ye die1 ,o house
 of ,israel8' ,the second is  ,isa4 v4  
#c1 #d4 #8,and now1 ,o inhabitants of   
,jerusalem1 and men of ,judah1  judge1  
,i pray you1 betwixt me and my vineyard4

 ,what could have been done  more to my 
vineyard1 that ,i have not done in it8  
,wherefore1 when ,i  looked that it     
should bring forth grapes1 brought it   
forth wild grapes4'  ,the last which ,i 
shall quote is ,matt4 xxiii4 #cg1 #ch4  
#8,o ,jerusalem1  ,jerusalem1 thou that 
killest the prophets and stonest them   
that are sent  unto thee1 how often     
would ,i have gathered thy children     
together1 even  as a hen gathereth her  
chickens under her wings1 and ye would  
not6  ,behold1 your house is left unto  
you desolate4'0 8,is this1 then1 ,i     
would  ask any fair and candid person1  
who looks as if the ,all-gracious being 
who employs it1 had any relief or remedy
 in reserve for those who  wilfully     
reject the mercies he has freely offered
 them8 ,are these like  the expressions 
of one who could bestow salvation in any
 other way1 or  any other terms8 ,do    
they not resemble rather the tender     
complaints and  anxious warnings of a   
parent who had done all he could do1 and

 proposed  all that he had to propose1  
to rescue his child from ruin1 and who  
must  at last1 with agonizing           
reluctance1 give up that child1 if he   
would  still pursue those courses whose 
end is inevitable destruction8 ,and if  
such be the characters in which ,god has
 been pleased to reveal himself2  if    
such be the words which he has actually 
spoken1 are we to be wise  above what is
 written8 ,is it honouring ,god to say  
he uses a language to  work upon our    
feelings1 which language is in reality a
 misrepresentation  of the truth2 a     
misrepresentation1 nevertheless1 so ill 
contrived1 that1  after all1 it does not
 deceive us8 ,or is it exalting his     
great name1 to  magnify the mere natural
 attribute of his power1 above those    
moral  attributes in which consist at   
once his essence and his glory8 ,no4 ,if
 it  be indeed reverence to ,god1 to    
dismiss him altogether from our minds1  
then all such considerations are set at 
rest for ever4 ,but if it be our  duty1 

not only to think of him1 but to bear   
him in all our thoughts1  then in all   
around us we see this truth inscribed1  
that there is a limit  in power or a    
limit in love4 ,in which shall we place 
it8--,in power8 ,then  we place it not  
in ,god1 but in his lowest              
attribute4--,in love8 ,then  indeed we  
place the limit in ,god himself--#8,god 
is love4'0#fje    ,the reasoning of this
 passage is most cogent1 the dilemma is 
inevitable4  ,if there be eternal sin   
and eternal perdition2 if there be not  
ultimate  and universal regeneration1   
limit there must be in love or in power3
 but  holding as we do the doctrine of  
progressive discipline1 we place limit  
in neither1 and we glorify both4        
,strange it is1 that while thus         
magnifying ,god in the highest of his   
attributes1 in the harmony and          
perfection of his nature1 while thus    
trusting him with the faith of          
children1 notwithstanding many things in
 his providence mysterious and          

inexplicable1 in despite of the sin and 
misery that surround us1 filling  the   
human mind and human destiny with       
painful and perplexing problems1  we    
believe him to be all-powerful as he is 
all-good2 yet in thus  believing we are 
set down by ,trinitarians as rebels     
against heaven1 and  blasphemers of our 
,creator4 ,if reverence to ,god demand  
us to believe  that the smoke of eternal
 torment from the depths of an          
unfathomable  hell is an incense well   
pleasing in his sight1 or an evil which 
he must  endure but has no power to     
remove1 then that is an honour we do not
 and  we cannot give3 that is not the   
,god we worship2 that is not the ,god we
  can love3 and if to believe in ,god be
 to think him such as ,calvin and       
others have pictured him1 then at once  
take not only the name of  ,christians  
from us1 but in addition stigmatize us  
with that of atheists4    ,,iii4 ,to    
limit the power of ,god in order to     
justify his love1 is the  struggle of a 

humane and benignant nature against a   
dark and stern  theology2 but writers in
 orthodox divinity1 whom it would be too
 tedious  to catalogue1 have not        
scrupled to go the whole length along   
the line of  fearful consequences to    
which their system led them4 ,they have 
not  hesitated to plead for the eternity
 of hell's torments the glory of  ,god2 
strange idea indeed of the glory of     
,god1 to contemplate him as the  author 
of everlasting pain and everlasting sin4
 ,we think that every  attribute of     
,god1 in every manifestation1 is        
directly against this  doctrine4 ,his   
omniscience is against it4 ,he must have
 known from all  eternity the destiny of
 the lost3 and with this knowledge1 on  
the  orthodox theory1 he made creatures 
with the direct foresight of their      
everlasting misery and everlasting      
destruction4 ,his omnipotence is        
against it4 ,i have shown by the long   
extract ,i have before quoted1 that  the
 profound and consistent theological    

reasoner who believes in eternal        
perdition cannot believe in a moral     
omnipotence4 ,an all-powerful being     
must be either infinitely malignant or  
infinitely benevolent4 ,if ,god  were   
the one1 he could find delight only in  
the suffering of his  creatures2 and he 
wills not to relieve them1 because he   
does not will  them to be happy4 ,but   
this idea is utterly repugnant to the   
first  principles of religion4 ,if ,god 
be1 as we believe he is1 the other1 he  
can have no motive to make his children1
 the work of his own hands1  endlessly  
wretched2 and having the power1 he has  
also the will to redeem  them4 ,a       
progressive universe is1 therefore1 the 
only true solution to  ,god's           
providence1 and ,god's prescience4      
,divine justice1 it is said1  demands   
it4 ,what1 then1 is divine justice8 ,is 
this divine justice  identical with     
vengeance8 ,is it divine justice1 to    
make the everlasting  torture of a      
race--for the saved are but the         

gleanings--a sacrifice to  boundless    
self-glorification8 ,is it divine       
justice to array all the  force of      
infinite attributes against a limited1 a
 weak1 and erring  creature8 ,is it     
divine justice to meet the offence of   
ephemeral  mortality with the agony of  
deathless torture and of resistless     
wrath8  ,if this be divine justice1 we  
have reason to rejoice that it is not   
human justice4 ,such justice is but     
naked malignity2 and this view of  it is
 the more firmly established when we    
further consider that1 by the  orthodox 
theology1 all is the result of a        
foregone conclusion1 the last  term of a
 dark progression1 the execution of a   
cause uttered in the  black womb of     
eternity1 for which the wretches are    
prepared by the  inheritance of a       
corrupt nature in a corrupt world1 and  
lest all natural  causes should be      
insufficient1 by an exposure to the     
unseen snares of a  ,satan profound in  
cunning1 mighty in malice1 and1 by      

himself and his  agents1 all but        
omnipotent and omnipresent4 ,this       
argument from divine  justice is urged  
so frequently and earnestly1 that ,i    
shall here  transcribe a few remarks    
from a writer who has treated the       
subject with  equal force of logic and  
fervour of eloquence4 8,justice and     
goodness10  he observes1 8are the same4 
,justice requires no more punishment for
 sin  than goodness3 goodness requires  
the same as justice1 but the manner in  
which benevolence manifests itself under
 the form of goodness and of  justice is
 different1 and1 therefore1 requires a  
different appellation4  ,a person who   
forgives an offence upon repentance and 
reformation is  good3 this is one       
modification of goodness1 which1 by way 
of eminence1  is often called goodness  
itself1 or more strictly mercy3 the     
person who  visits an offence which is  
neither repented of1 nor amended with a 
proper degree of pain1 is also good3    
this is another modification of         

goodness to which the term justice is   
applied4 ,mercy and justice1  therefore1
 do not differ from each other in their 
nature1 since they  equally arise from  
benevolence1 and they differ in aspect  
only according  to the moral condition  
of the being with regard to whom they   
are  exemplified4 ,this account of      
divine justice explains1 in the most    
satisfactory manner1 the principle on   
which ,deity rewards and punishes       
mankind4 ,did men never violate the laws
 of rectitude1 he would make them       
invariably and completely happy4 ,but   
there is no person who is free from     
fault3 the moral state of every         
individual is1 in some respect or at    
some period1 such as it ought not to be4
 ,every bad disposition1 and  every     
improper habit1 must be rectified before
 happiness can be enjoyed4  ,it is      
necessary1 therefore1 that the moral    
governor of the world should  vary his  
conduct according to the character of   
the person whom he has to  treat2 that  

he should visit the good with favour1   
and manifest his  disapprobation of the 
wicked2 for1 if he were to make         
happiness  compatible with sin1 it could
 not be corrected4 ,the effect of pain  
is to  make us dislike and avoid that   
which causes it4 ,it is for this reason 
pain is annexed to sin4 ,sin is an evil 
which it is necessary to remove2  pain  
is employed as the instrument of its    
destruction2 and that  principle by     
which ,deity has established this       
constitution of things1 by  which he so 
regulates events as invariably to secure
 the ultimate reward  of goodness1 and  
the punishment of wickedness1 is        
distinguished by the  term justice4444  
,were it necessary to add any thing more
 to show that  divine justice is not    
inconsistent with the attribute of      
goodness1 but a  part of it1 the        
consideration of the design of its      
inflictions would  afford further       
evidence of this truth4 ,every violation
 of the law of ,god  involves the       

transgressor1 sooner or later1 in       
suffering2 and of this  constitution of 
things1 by which pain is inseparably    
connected with  deviation from          
rectitude1 the ,supreme ,being is the   
author4 ,why did he  appoint it8 ,why   
did he so dispose the whole tendency of 
his moral  government as to ensure this 
consequence8 ,why does he1 who is a     
being of  unerring wisdom and infinite  
benevolence1 never suffer any offence   
which  is unrepented of to escape       
punishment8 ,since his very nature is   
love1  and since he created all his     
intelligent offspring in order to make  
them  happy1 it can be no gratification 
to him to involve them in suffering4    
,their groans can be no music to his    
ear4 ,if he afflict them1 it must be1   
not for his own gratification1 but for  
their benefit4444 ,viewing then  the    
attribute of justice1 which has been    
supposed to require the endless  misery 
of the greater part of the human race1  
as that very principle  which is        

designed to prevent this terrible       
consequence1 7a man7 feels  himself     
capable of relying with implicit        
confidence on the decisions of  the     
judge1 both with regard to himself and  
all mankind4 ,he is satisfied  that he  
will treat even the most criminal with  
perfect equity2 that he  will place them
 in circumstances the best adapted to   
their unhappy  condition2 that his      
discipline will ultimately accomplish   
its end1 and  extirpate sin and misery  
from the creation40#fjf ,if the doctrine
 of  eternal torment be contradictory to
 ,god's justice1 much more is it to  his
 wisdom3 for surely it is not wise to   
create only to destroy2--to  perpetuate 
endless moral conflict--not only to     
destroy and confuse1 but  to destroy and
 confuse the best and noblest of his    
works--to inflict  undying anguish on   
capacities suited for undying happiness1
 to ruin  every faculty and to blast    
every hope4 ,nor is the doctrine less   
opposed  to his holiness than to his    

wisdom4 ,improved ideas on the          
philosophy of  our spiritual nature1 and
 on the real purport of moral           
retribution1 with  the penalties of sin1
 imply the continuance of sin4 ,a       
material hell or a  material heaven by  
the thinking portion of all sects is in 
general  exploded4 ,sin carries with it 
and creates its own punishments3 if sin 
then be eternal and progressive in its  
sufferings1 it must also be  eternal and
 progressive in its existence and its   
evils4 ,hell is not  merely a region of 
unutterable horror1 where wretches      
writhe in eternal  torture1 but also a  
region of boundless sin1 of malignant   
wickedness1 of  hopeless corruption1 of 
vilest affections1 of basest passions4  
,what  shall we then say of an infinite 
holiness1 enlightened by infinite       
wisdom1 armed with infinite power1      
allowing this condition to exist8 ,if   
the doctrine of eternal torment be true1
 no such attribute as divine  mercy can 
have being3 if this doctrine be true1 a 

,god of goodness is a  fiction of       
imagination1 the creation of a          
brain-sick enthusiasm1 the  dream of    
amiable but unfounded hopes4 ,it is of  
no purpose to qualify in  these things3 
there is no room in the same universe   
for a good ,god and  an eternal hell3 if
 this doctrine be true1 the past is a   
wreck1 and the  future a curse4 ,to such
 a condition of existence annihilation  
were a  preferable alternative4 ,it were
 better the brain should at once moulder
  with the thoughtless sod1 than be     
tortured with the wilderings of         
everlasting contradictions2 it were     
better the affections should perish     
with the last earthly sigh than throb   
through an eternity of agonized or      
selfish existence4 ,on the orthodox     
supposition1 either man must lose his   
identity and go to heaven without       
remembering whom he knew and loved in   
life1 or he must lose his sympathy1     
become apostate to all his better       
feelings1 and see without pain or pity  

many given over to despair with  whom on
 earth he walked in dearest friendship4 
,instead of the big tear  which would   
have burst from his eye in the years of 
mortality at the  thought even of a     
partial separation2 instead of the      
affectionate and  instinctive anguish   
which would have torn his breast1 as he 
saw the last  vision in the sun1 and the
 last flutter in the breeze of the sail 
which  was wafting his friend to another
 clime2 he must approve the sentence1   
nay1 some maintain1 he must see its     
execution with triumph1 which may       
consign his nearest and dearest to      
endless damnation4--,if the belief      
could be habitually and practically     
realized1 that human souls were  every  
minute over the wide earth dropping into
 hell1 that amongst the  sighs of death 
with which the world is filled1 the     
greater number are  the knells of       
infinite perdition1 that the graves on  
which the mourners  weep1 which to us   
all1 at one time or other1 make earth a 

vale of tears1  are so many monuments of
 irreparable wreck1 the silent witnesses
 of  ,god's anger and man's despair2 if 
any one1 ,i repeat1 could constantly1   
and in very truth1 believe that souls   
were thus quitting the present  scene1  
souls with enlarged capacities1 but     
enlarged for eternal sorrow1  and ever  
smile again1 he might wear the form of  
his species1 but he  should have the    
heart of a fiend4 ,faith in such a      
doctrine should kill  at once the life  
of joy2 every sound should be funereal1 
brightness or  beauty there should be   
none4 ,each of us1 like ,job1 should    
curse the day  of his birth1 but with a 
more terrible earnestness2 the          
exclamation of  ,jeremiah would be in   
every mouth an appropriate utterance1   
8,oh that my  head were waters1 and my  
eyes were fountains of tears60 ,is there
 the  human being that could feel joy in
 the midst of an hospital1 could laugh  
in a city of the plague1 while death    
went from couch to couch1 while  mirth  

was banished from each hearth1 and the  
grass of desolation growing  in the     
streets8 ,but how much more should all  
delight be banished from  the soul1 if  
in the ,creator's universe there be a   
dark and measureless  region1 filled    
with hideous abominations and unexpiring
 torments6 ,if  thus it be1 let there1  
,i repeat1 be no look of happiness1 let 
there be  no voice of sweetness2 let    
garment of praise be changed for the    
spirit  of heaviness2 let all heads be  
bent in grief1 and all eyes dim with    
weeping1 in lamentation for the sorrows 
of the universe4 ,but be it not         
so--leave us at least a gleam of light  
from heaven4          8,cease every joy 
to glimmer o'er my mind1        ,but    
leave1 oh6 leave1 the light of hope     
behind40    ,oh no6 ,god has no pleasure
 in the death of a sinner1 no glory in  
the  pain or punishment of his          
creatures3 it is the progress towards   
universal blessedness1 and its final    
consummation1 that truly shows  forth   

the glory of ,god1 and manifests the    
grandeur of his name and  nature--more  
sweetly than the earth1 more            
majestically than the heavens4  ,it     
shows forth his justice3 he punishes1   
terribly1 it may be1 but not  cruelly or
 hopelessly2 he punishes1 but he amends2
 he chastises1 but he  purifies4 ,it    
shows forth his wisdom3 for universal   
holiness and  universal happiness are   
the mightiest objects which infinite    
wisdom  could select1 the highest       
purposes in which infinite wisdom could 
be  manifested3 ,it shows forth his     
power1 not in a blasting malediction1   
but  in a creative and all-dispensing   
love2 not in the thunder of             
destruction1 but in the hand of a       
,father full of gifts and full of       
blessings3--subduing evil1 distributing 
happiness1 drawing out of  apparent     
confusion order and harmony1 more fair  
and beautiful than the  worlds he has   
called out of darkness2 8moving upon the
 face of many a  stormy wave1 and       

blending into calm what seemed only the 
chaos of  contending elements40    ,it  
is marvellous that we can think         
seriously on existence or on            
providence1 that we can reflect on human
 nature or survey human life1  without  
feeling the need as well as the truth of
 the doctrine of the  full mercy of     
,god1 and of his universally benignant  
designs for all his  children4 ,true1   
creation is fair1 and much of existence 
is happy2 but  still there are evils and
 miseries which ever perplex us for     
solution4  ,if the view of ,god's       
government which we receive1 does not   
solve all the  difficulties1 at the very
 least it softens them2 if there are    
inscrutable things in the providence of 
,god which it cannot explain1  there are
 atrocities ascribed by other systems to
 this character which  it does not      
involve4 ,we may mourn over the wrongs1 
sufferings1 and sins1  which exist with 
fatal abundance in our present state2 we
 may wonder and  think why they exist at

 all2 but to what an extent of          
perplexity and  pain are we driven1 if  
we are to believe that all these evils  
are to be  for ever1 and to have no     
remedy4 ,when ,i see those who bear want
 and  sorrow through many and heavy     
years1 ,i rejoice that there is at last 
a  home and refuge for them in their    
father's kingdom where they who were    
poor shall be made rich2 where those who
 mourned shall be comforted3  when ,i   
hear the sigh of pain1 when ,i behold   
the power of death2 when ,i  know1 as   
all must1 in how many human dwellings   
grief sits lonely on the  hearth1 ,i am 
saved from a fearful and dangerous      
distrust by the belief1  that in times  
to come1 and in regions which we know   
not of1 there is a  balm for every grief
 and a remedy for every sin4 ,none are  
unaware of the  physical and the moral  
evils that hang over and around this    
existence2  and both from the felt      
experience of our own hearts1 and the   
recorded  experience of many others1 we 

can judge the infinite complexity of    
moral  struggle1 the subtleties of sin1 
and the miserable consequences of evil  
doings2 and we cannot think that a good1
 a holy1 a just1 and merciful  ,god can 
ordain such a state to be perpetual and 
eternal4 ,we know1  moreover1 how many  
are in the thick darkness of barbarism1 
each having  within a universe of       
infinite and improvable capacities2 we  
know what  millions are in the dens of  
indigence1 of crime1 and ignorance1 for 
whom  earth is barren and life a        
burthen3 and in what thought are we to  
take  comfort1 in what sentiment are we 
to find hope1 if we believe not there   
is a ,god who does not forget his orphan
 children in their worst estate2  that  
as here they have received their evil   
things1 there is a heaven  where they   
have their good8 ,and when we observe in
 this life so much of  antagonist       
passions2 so much war and strife2 so    
much of bitter and  hopeless alienation1
 our tired spirits wish for a retreat of

 peace2 and  with the ,psalmist we long 
for the wings of a dove that we might   
flee  away and be at rest2 for a calm   
sky after a heated atmosphere2 for a    
union of heart and charity which no     
mistakes could again divide4 ,we have   
no need to fear that our high           
aspirations for the future shall make us
  proud or presumptuous2 for we have all
 enough in our present lot to keep  us  
humble4 ,when we look within1 we find a 
melancholy strife between our  nobler   
and our higher existence1 which we can  
never entirely overcome3  when we cast  
our gaze over the face of the world1 and
 the inequalities  of life1 and there in
 the strong-holds of sin and selfishness
 see so  many causes of wickedness and  
pain1 which the most believing and the  
most hoping can never hope entirely to  
overcome2 when we regard our  feeble    
powers and our short existence2 our     
desires ever growing and  wants ever    
deepening1 and our passions ever        
craving2 when we think of  the knowledge

 we longed for1 and could not have1 the 
visions we dreamed  of that never came1 
the good we resolved on and never did1  
the felicity  we sought and never found1
 the wishes that were as empty as the   
echo in  the desert1 the ideas1 the     
plans1 the aspirations1 and the purposes
 that  vainly struggled for life1 but   
found in our breasts their prison and   
their grave2 we shall be in no danger of
 thinking of ourselves more  highly than
 we ought to think4    ,blessed and     
beautiful doctrine is this1 of universal
 redemption and  restoration1 which     
pours such a radiance over our groping  
obscurity1  which gives our troubled    
hearts such peace1 which softens grief  
and  glorifies affection1 which corrects
 the perverse and dignifies the  lowly1 
which nourishes whatever in our nature  
is great or god-like1  renders religion 
transcendent and lovely1 and opens      
before the rejoicing  eye of faith the  
grandeur of a renovated and an          
emancipated universe4                   

------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,,xii4          
,footnote #fja3      ,see ,ex4 xxi4     
#a-f4 ,eccles4 i4 #d4 #a ,cor4 viii4    
#ac4 ,gen4 xvii4 #h1 #ac1 #ai4    ,numb4
 xxv4 #ac4    ,footnote #fjb3      #a   
,john iv4 #af2 ,john iii4 #af1 #ag4     
,footnote #fjc3      ,ps4 xcv4 #h1 #i1  
#aj2 ,ps4 xxxiv4 #h2 ,ps4 lii4 #a2      
,exod4 xxxiv4 #f1 #g2 #b    ,chron4 xxx4
 #i2 ,ps4 ciii4 #h1 c42 ,matt4 vi4 #i2  
,ps4 xxx4 #e2 ,ps4 ciii4 #i2    ,ps4    
lxxxvii4 #g2 ,isa4 lxvii4 #af2 ,wisdom  
of ,solomon1 xi4 #bc-bf4    ,footnote   
#fjd3      ,dr4 ,southwood ,smith on the
 ,divine ,government4    ,footnote #fje3
      ,essays1 c41 by the ,rev4 ,henry  
,woodward3 ,essay xv4 ,on the ,nature of
    the ,divine ,omnipotence4           
,footnote #fjf3      ,illustrations of  
the ,divine ,government1 by ,t4         
,southwood ,smith4                      
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,lecture ,,xiii4                       

,,christianity ,,without ,,priest1 ,,and
 ,,without ,,ritual4                    
,,by ,,rev4 ,,james ,,martineau4        
8,,to ,,whom ,,coming1 ,,as ,,unto ,a   
,,living ,,stone1 ,,disallowed ,,indeed 
,,of ,,men1 ,,but     ,,chosen ,,of     
,,god1 ,,and ,,precious2 ,,ye ,,also1   
,,as ,,lively ,,stones1 ,,are ,,built   
,,up     ,a ,,spiritual ,,house1 ,a     
,,holy ,,priesthood1 ,,to ,,offer ,,up  
,,spiritual     ,,sacrifices1           
,,acceptable ,,to ,,god ,,by ,,jesus    
,,christ40--#a ,peter ii4 #d1 #e4       
,the formation of human society1 and the
 institution of priesthood1 must  be    
referred to the same causes and the same
 date4 ,the earliest  communities of the
 world appear to have had their origin  
and their  cement1 not in any gregarious
 instinct1 nor in mere social           
affections1  much less in any prudential
 regard to the advantages of            
co-operation1  but in a binding         
religious sentiment1 submitting to the  
same guidance1  and expressing itself in

 the same worship4 ,as no tie can be    
more strong1  so is none more primitive1
 than this agreement respecting what is 
holy  and divine4 ,in simple and        
patriarchal ages indeed1 when the       
feelings of  veneration had not been set
 aside by analysis into a little corner 
of  the character1 but spread themselves
 over the whole of life1 and mixed  it  
up with daily wonder1 this bond         
comprised all the forces that can       
suppress the selfish and disorganizing  
passions1 and compact a multitude  of   
men together4 ,it was not1 as at        
present1 to have simply the same        
opinions 7things of quite modern growth1
 the brood of scepticism72 but  to have 
the same ,fathers1 the same ,tradition1 
the same ,speech1 the same  ,land1 the  
same ,foes1 the same ,priest1 the same  
,god4 ,nothing did man  fear1 or trust1 
or love1 or desire1 that did not belong1
 by some  affinity1 to his faith4 ,nor  
had he any book to keep the precious    
deposit  for him2 and if he had1 he     

would never have thought of so frail a  
vehicle for so great a treasure4 ,it was
 more natural to put it into  structures
 hollowed in the fast mountain1 or built
 of transplanted rocks  which only a    
giant age could stir2 and to tenant     
these with mighty  hierarchies1 who     
should guard their sanctity1 and1 by an 
undying memory1  make their mysteries   
eternal4 ,hence1 the first humanizer of 
men was  their worship2 the first       
leaders of nations1 the sacerdotal      
caste2 the  first triumph of art1 the   
colossal temple2 the first effort to    
preserve  an idea1 produced a record of 
something sacred2 and the first         
civilization was1 as the last will be1  
the birth of religion4    ,the primitive
 aim of worship undoubtedly was1 to act 
upon the sentiments  of ,god2 at first1 
by such natural and intelligible means1 
as produce  favourable impressions on   
the mind of a fellow man2--by presents  
and  persuasion1 and whatever is        
expressive of grateful and reverential  

affections4 ,abel1 the first shepherd1  
offered the produce of his flock2       
,cain1 the first farmer1 the fruits of  
his land2 and while devotion was  so    
simple in its modes1 every one would be 
his own pontiff1 and have his  own      
altar4 ,but soon1 the parent would      
inevitably officiate for his  family2   
the patriarch1 for his tribe4 ,with the 
natural forms dictated by  present      
feelings1 traditional methods would     
mingle their contributions  from the    
past2 postures and times1 gestures and  
localities1 once  indifferent1 would    
become consecrated by venerable habit2  
and so long as  their origin was        
unforgotten1 they would add to the      
significance1 while  they lessened the  
simplicity of worship4 ,custom1 however1
 being the  growth of time1 tends to a  
tyrannous and bewildering complexity3   
forms1  originally natural1 then        
symbolical1 end in being arbitrary2     
suggestive  of nothing1 except to the   
initiated2 yet1 if connected with       

religion1 so  sanctified by the         
association1 that it appears sacrilege  
to desist from  their employment2 and   
when their meaning is lost1 they assume 
their  place1 not among empty           
gesticulations1 but among the mystical  
signs by  which earth communes with     
heaven4 ,the vivid picture-writing of   
the early  worship1 filled with living  
attitudes1 and sketched in the freshest 
colours of emotion1 explained itself to 
every eye1 and was open to every  hand4 
,to this succeeded a piety1 which       
expressed itself in symbolical  figures1
 veiling it utterly from strangers1 but 
intelligible and  impressive still to   
the soul of national tradition4 ,this1  
however1  passed again into a language  
of arbitrary characters1 in which the   
herd  of men saw sacredness without     
meaning2 and the use of which must be   
consigned to a class separated for its  
study4 ,hence the origin of the  priest 
and his profession2 the conservator of a
 worship no longer  natural1 but        

legendary and mystical2 skilful enactor 
of rites that spake  with silent        
gesticulation to the heavens2           
interpreter of the wants of  men into   
the divine language of the gods4 ,not   
till the powers above had  ceased to    
hold familiar converse with the earth1  
and in their distance  had become deaf  
and dumb to the common tongue of men1   
did the mediating  priest arise2--needed
 then to conduct the finger-speech of   
ceremony1  whereby the desire of the    
creature took shape before the eye of   
the  ,creator4    ,observe then the true
 idea of ,,priest and ,,ritual4 ,the    
,priest is the  representative of men   
before ,god2 commissioned on behalf of  
human nature  to intercede with the     
divine4 ,he bears a message upwards1    
from earth  to heaven2 his people being 
below1 his influence above4 ,he takes   
the  fears of the weak1 and the cries of
 the perishing1 and sets them with      
availing supplication before him that is
 able to help4 ,he takes the sins  and  

remorse of the guilty1 and leaves them  
with expiating tribute at the  feet of  
the averted ,deity4 ,he guards the      
avenues that lead from the  mortal to   
the immortal1 and without his           
interposition the creature is  cut off  
from his ,creator4 ,without his         
mediation1 no transaction between  them 
can take place1 and the spirit of a man 
must live as an outlaw from  the world  
invisible and holy4 ,there are means of 
propitiation which he  alone has        
authority to employ2 powers of          
persuasion conceded to no  other2 a     
mystic access to the springs of divine  
benignity1 by outward  rites which his  
manipulation must consecrate1 or forms  
of speech which  his lips must          
recommend4 ,these ceremonies are the    
implements of his  office1 and the      
sources of his power2 the magic by which
 he is thought  to gain admission to the
 will above1 and really wins rule over  
human  counsels below4 ,as they are     
supposed to change the relation of ,god 

to  man1 not by visible or natural      
operation1 not 7for example7 by         
suggestion of new thoughts1 and         
excitement of new dispositions in the   
worshipper1 but by secret and mysterious
 agency1 they are simply  spells of a   
dignified order4 ,were we then to speak 
with severe  exactitude1 we should say1 
a ,ritual is a system of consecrated    
charms2  and the ,priest1 the great     
magician who dispenses them4    ,so long
 as any idea is retained1 of mystically 
efficacious rites1  consigned solely and
 authoritatively to certain hands1 this 
definition  cannot be escaped4 ,the     
ceremonies may have rational instruction
 and  natural worship appended to them2 
and these additional elements may give  
them a title to true respect4 ,the order
 of men appointed to administer  them1  
may have other offices and nobler duties
 to perform1 rendering  them1 if        
faithful1 worthy of a just and          
reverential attachment4 ,but in  so far 
as1 by an exclusive and unnatural       

efficacy1 they bring about a  changed   
relation between ,god and man1 the      
,ritual is an incantation1 and  the     
,priest is an enchanter4    ,to this    
sacerdotal devotion1 there necessarily  
attach certain  characteristic          
sentiments1 both moral and religious1   
which give it a  distinctive influence  
on human character1 and adapt it to     
particular  stages of civilization4 ,it 
clearly severs the worshippers by one   
remove  from ,god4 ,he is a ,being1     
external to them1 distant from them1    
personally  unapproachable by them2     
their thought must travel to reach the  
,almighty2 they must look afar for the  
,most ,holy2 they dwell themselves      
within the finite1 and must ask a       
foreign introduction to the ,infinite4  
,he is not with them as a private guide1
 but in the remoter watch-towers  of    
creation1 as the public inspector of    
their life2 not present for  perpetual  
communion1 but to be visited in absence 
by stated messages of  form and prayer4 

,and that ,god dwells in this cold and  
royal separation1  induces the feeling  
that man is too mean to touch him2 that 
a  consecrated intervention is required1
 in order to part ,deity from the       
defiling contact of humanity4 ,why else 
am ,i restricted from unlimited         
personal access to my ,creator1 and     
driven to another in my transactions    
with him8 ,and so1 in this system1 our  
nature appears in contrast1 not in      
alliance1 with the divine1 and those    
views of it are favoured which make  the
 opposition strong2 its puny dimensions1
 its swift decadence1 its  poor         
self-flatteries1 its degenerate virtues1
 its giant guilt1 become  familiar to   
the thought and lips2 and life1 cut off 
from sympathy with  the godlike1 falls  
towards the level of melancholy1 or the 
sink of  epicurism1 or the abjectness of
 vicarious reliance on the priest4      
,worship1 too1 must have for its chief  
aim1 to throw off the load of ill2  to  
rid the mind of sin and shame1 and the  

lot of hardship and sorrow2  for        
principally to these disburthening      
offices do priests and rituals  profess 
themselves adapted3--and who1 indeed1   
could pour forth the  privacy of love1  
and peace1 and trust1 through the       
cumbrousness of  ceremonies1 and the    
pompousness of a sacred officer8 ,the   
piety of such a  religion is thus a     
refuge for the weakness1 not an         
outpouring of the  strength of the soul3
 it takes away the incubus of darkness1 
without  shedding the light of heaven2  
lifts off the nightmare horrors of earth
  and hell1 without opening the vision  
of angels and of ,god4 ,nay1 for the    
spiritual bonds which connect men with  
the ,father above1 it substitutes       
material ties1 a genealogy of sacred    
fires1 a succession of hallowed         
buildings1 or of priests having         
consecration by pedigree or by manual   
transmission2 so that qualities         
belonging to the soul alone1 are likened
  to forces mechanical or chemical2     

sanctity becomes a physical property3   
divine acceptance comes by bodily       
catenation2 regeneration is degraded    
into a species of electric shock1 which 
one only method of experiment1  and the 
links of but one conductor1 can convey4 
,and1 in fine1 a priestly  system ever  
abjures all aim at any higher           
perfection2 boasts of being  immutable  
and unimprovable2 encourages no         
ambition1 breathes no desire4  ,it holds
 the appointed methods of influencing   
heaven1 on which none may  presume to   
innovate2 and its functions are ever the
 same1 to employ and  preserve the      
ancient forms and legendary spells      
committed to its trust4  ,hence all its 
veneration is antiquarian1 not          
sympathetic or prospective2  it turns   
its back upon the living1 and looks     
straight into departed  ages1 bowing the
 head and bending the knee2 as if all   
objects of love  and devotion were      
there1 not here2 in history1 not in     
life2 as if its  ,god were dead1 or     

otherwise imprisoned in the ,past1 and  
had bequeathed  to its keeping such     
relics as might yield a perpetual       
benediction4 ,thus  does the            
administration of religion1 in          
proportion as it possesses a  sacerdotal
 character1 involve a distant ,deity1 a 
mean humanity1 a  servile worship1 a    
physical sanctity1 and a retrospective  
reverence4    ,let no one1 however1     
imagine1 that there is no other idea or 
administration of religion than this2   
that the priest is the only person      
among men1 to whom it is given to stand 
between heaven and earth4 ,even  the    
,hebrew ,scriptures introduce us to     
another class of quite different  order2
 to whom1 indeed1 those ,scriptures owe 
their own truth and power1  and         
perpetuity of beauty2 ,i mean the       
,,prophets2 whom we shall very          
imperfectly understand1 if we suppose   
them mere historians1 for whom ,god  had
 turned time round the other way1 so    
that they spoke of things future  as if 

past1 and grew so dizzy in their use of 
tenses1 as greatly to  incommode learned
 grammarians2 or if we treat their      
writings as  scrap-books of ,providence1
 with miscellaneous contributions from  
various  parts of duration1 sketches    
taken indifferently from any point of   
view  within eternity1 and put together 
at random and without mark1 on  adjacent
 pages1 for theological memories to     
identify2 first1 a picture  of an       
,assyrian battle1 next1 a holy family2  
now of the captives sitting  by         
,euphrates1 then1 of ,paul preaching to 
the ,gentiles2 here1 a flight of        
devouring locusts1 and there1 the escape
 of the ,christians from the            
destruction of ,jerusalem2 a portrait of
 ,hezekiah1 and a view of ,calvary2  a  
march through the desert1 and ,john the 
,baptist by the ,jordan2 the day  of    
,pentecost1 and the ,french ,revolution2
 ,nebuchadnezzar and ,mahomet2          
,caligula and the ,pope1--following each
 other with picturesque neglect of      

every relation of time and place4 ,no1  
the ,prophet and his work always  indeed
 belong to the future2 but far otherwise
 than thus4 ,meanwhile1 let  us notice  
how1 in ,israel1 as elsewhere1 he takes 
his natural station  above the priest4  
,it was ,moses the prophet who even made
 ,aaron the  priest4 ,and who cares now 
for the sacerdotal books of the ,old    
,testament1  compared with the rest8    
,who1 having the strains of ,david1     
would pore  over ,leviticus1 or would   
weary himself with ,chronicles1 when he 
might  catch the inspiration of ,isaiah6
 ,it was no priest that wrote1 8,thou   
desirest not sacrifice1 else would ,i   
give it2 thou delightest not in  burnt  
offering3 the sacrifices of ,god are a  
broken spirit2 a broken and  a contrite 
heart1 ,o ,god1 thou wilt not           
despise40#fjg ,it was no  pontifical    
spirit that exclaimed1 8,bring no more  
vain oblations2 incense  is an          
abomination to me2 the new moons and    
sabbaths1 the calling of  assemblies1 ,i

 cannot away with2 it is iniquity1 even 
the solemn meeting3  your new moons and 
your appointed feasts my soul hateth2   
they are a  trouble unto me3 ,i am weary
 to bear them40 8,wash you1 make you    
clean40#fjh ,whatever1 in these         
venerable scriptures1 awes us by its    
grandeur1 and pierces us by its truth1  
comes of the prophets1 not the  priests2
 and from that part of their writings   
too1 in which they are not  concerned   
with historical prediction1 but with    
some utterance deeper and  greater4 ,i  
do not deny them this gift of occasional
 intellectual  foresight of events4 ,and
 doubtless it was an honour1 to be      
permitted to  speak thus to a portion of
 the future1 and of local occurrences   
unrevealed to seers less privileged4    
,but it is a glory far higher1 to  speak
 that which belongs to all time1 and    
finds its interpretation in  every      
place2 to penetrate to the everlasting  
realities of things2 to  disclose1 not  
when this or that man will appear1 but  

how and wherefore  all men appear and   
quickly disappear2 to make it felt1 not 
in what nook  of duration such an       
incident will happen1 but from what     
all-embracing  eternity the images of   
history emerge and are swallowed up4 ,in
 this  highest faculty1 the ,hebrew     
seers belong to a class1 scattered over 
every nation and every period2 which    
,providence keeps ever extant for  human
 good1 and especially to furnish an     
administration of religion  quite       
anti-sacerdotal4 ,this class we must    
proceed to characterize4    ,the        
,prophet is the representative of ,god  
before men1 commissioned from  the      
,divine nature to sanctify the human4   
,he bears a message downwards1  from    
heaven to earth2 his inspirer being     
above1 his influence below4 ,he  takes  
of the holiness of ,god1 enters with it 
into the souls of men1 and  heals       
therewith the wounds1 and purifies the  
taint1 of sin4 ,he is  charged with the 
peace of ,god1 and gives from it rest to

 the weariness1  and solace to the      
griefs of men4 ,instead of carrying the 
foulness of  life to be cleansed in     
,heaven1 he brings the purity of ,heaven
 to make  life divine4 ,instead of      
interposing himself and his mediation   
between  humanity and ,deity1 he        
destroys the whole distance between     
them2 and  only fulfils his mission1    
when he brings the finite mind and the  
infinite into immediate and thrilling   
contact1 and leaves the creature        
consciously alone with the ,creator4 ,he
 is one to whom the primitive and       
everlasting relations between ,god and  
man have revealed themselves1  stripped 
of every disguise1 and bared of all that
 is conventional2 who  is possessed by  
their simplicity1 mastered by their     
solemnity2 who has  found the secret of 
meeting the ,holy ,spirit within1 rather
 than without2  and knows1 but cannot   
tell1 how in the strife of genuine duty1
 or in  moments of true meditation1 the 
divine immensity and love have touched  

and filled his naked soul2 and taught   
him by what fathomless ,godhead he  is  
folded round1 and on what adamantine    
manhood he must take his stand4  ,so far
 from separating others from the        
heavenly communion vouchsafed to        
himself1 he necessarily believes that   
all may have the same godlike           
consciousness2 burns to impart it to    
them2 and by the vivid light of his  own
 faith1 speedily creates it in those who
 feel his influence2 drawing  out and   
freshening the faded colours of the     
divine image in their souls1  till they 
too become visibly the seers and the    
sons of ,god4 ,his  instruments1 like   
the objects of his mission1 are human2  
not mysteries1  and mummeries1 and such 
arbitrary things1 by which others may   
pretend to  be talking with the skies2  
but the natural language which          
interprets  itself at once to every     
genuine man1 and goes direct to the     
living point  of every heart4 ,an       
earnest speech1 a brave and holy life1  

truth of  sympathy1 severity of         
conscience1 freshness and loftiness of  
faith1--these natural sanctities are his
 implements of power3 and if  heaven be 
pleased to add any other gifts1 still   
are they weapons  all1--not the mere    
tinsel of tradition and custom1--but    
forged in the  inner workshop of our    
nature1 where the fire glows beneath the
 breath of  ,god1 framing things of     
etherial temper4 ,thus armed1 he lays   
undoubting  siege to the world's        
conscience2 tears down every outwork of 
pretence2  forces its strongholds of    
delusion2 humbles the vanities at its   
centre1  and proclaims it the citadel of
 ,god4 ,the true prophet of every age is
 no  believer in the temple1 but in the 
temple's ,deity2 trusts1 not rites and  
institutions1 but the heart and soul    
that fill or ought to fill them2 if     
they speak the truth1 no one so reveres 
them2 if a lie1 they meet with  no      
contempt like his4 ,he sees no          
indestructible sanctuary but the mind   

itself1 wherein the ,divine ,spirit ever
 loves to dwell2 and whence it  will be 
sure to go forth and build such outward 
temple as may suit the  season of       
,providence4 ,he is conscious that there
 is no devotion like  that which comes  
spontaneously from the secret places of 
our humanity1  no orisons so true as    
those which rise from the common        
platform of our  life4 ,he desires only 
to throw himself in faith on the natural
 piety of  the heart4 ,give him but     
that2 and he will find for man an       
everlasting  worship1 and raise for ,god
 a cathedral worthy of his infinitude4  
,it is evident that one thoroughly      
possessed with this spirit could never  
be1 and could never make1 a priest3 nor 
frame a ritual for priests  already     
made4 ,he is destitute of the ideas1 out
 of which alone these  things can be    
created4 ,his mission is in the opposite
 direction3 he  interprets and reveals  
,god to men1 instead of interceding for 
men with  ,god4 ,in this office         

sacerdotal rites have no function and no
 place4 ,i do  not say that he must     
necessarily disapprove and abjure them1 
or deny  that he may directly sanction  
them4 ,if he does however1 it is not in 
his  capacity of prophet1 but in        
conformity with feelings which his      
proper  office has left untouched4 ,his 
tendency will be against ceremonialism3 
and on his age and position will depend 
the extent to which this  tendency takes
 effect4 ,usually1 he will construct    
nothing ritual1 will  destroy much1 and 
leave behind great and growing ideas1   
destructive of  much more4 ,but ere we  
quit our general conception of a        
prophet1 let us  notice some            
characteristic sentiments1 moral and    
religious1 which  naturally connect     
themselves with his faith2 comparing    
them with those  which belong to the    
sacerdotal influence4    ,in this faith1
 ,god is separated by nothing from his  
worshippers4 ,he is  not simply in      
contact with them1 but truly in the     

interior of their  nature3 so that they 
may not only meet him in the outward    
providences of  life1 but bear his      
spirit with them1 when they go to toil  
and conflict1  and find it still1 when  
they sit alone to think and pray4 ,he is
 not the  far observer1 but the very    
present help1 of the faithful will4 ,no 
structure made with hands1 nay1 not even
 his own architecture of the  heaven of 
heavens1 contains and confines his      
presence3 were there any  dark recess   
whence these were hid1 the blessed      
access would be without  hindrance      
still2 and the soul would discern him   
near as its own  identity4 ,no mean and 
ignoble conception can be entertained of
 a mind1  which is thus the residence of
 ,deity2--the shrine of the ,infinite   
must  have somewhat that is infinite    
itself4 ,thus1 in this system1 does our 
nature appear in alliance with the      
,divine1 not in contrast with it2       
inspired with a portion of its holiness1
 and free to help forward the  best     

issues of its ,providence4 ,human life1 
blessed by this spirit1  becomes a      
miniature of the work of the great      
,ruler3 its  responsibilities1 its      
difficulties1 its temptations1 become   
dignified as  the glorious theatre      
whereon we strive1 by and with the good 
,spirit of  ,god1 for the mastery over  
evil4 ,worship1 issuing from a nature   
and  existence thus consecrated1 is not 
the casting off of guilt and terror1    
but the glad unburthening of love1 and  
trust1 and aspiration1 the simple       
speaking forth1 as duty is the acting   
forth1 of the divine within us2  not the
 prostration of the slave1 but the      
embrace of the child2 not the  plaint of
 the abject1 but the anthem of the free4
 ,is it not private1  individual8 ,and  
may it not by silence say what it will1 
and intimate the  precise thing1 and    
that only1 which is at heart8--whence   
there grows  insensibly that firm root  
of excellence1 truth with one's own     
self4 ,the  priestly fancy of an        

hereditary or lineal sacredness can have
 no place  here4 ,the soul and ,god     
stand directly related1 mind with mind1 
spirit  with spirit3 from our moral     
fidelity to this relation1 from the     
jealousy  with which we guard it from   
insult or neglect1 does the only        
sanctity  arise2 and herein there is    
none to help us1 or give a vicarious    
consecration4 ,and finally1 the spirit  
of ,god's true prophet is earnestly     
prospective2 more filled with the       
conception of what the ,creator will    
make his world1 than of what he has     
already made it3 detecting great        
capacities1 it glows with great hopes2  
knowing that ,god lives1 and will  live1
 it turns from the past1 venerable as   
that may be1 and reverences  rather the 
promise of the present1 and the glories 
of the future4 ,it  esteems nothing     
unimproveable1 is replete with vast     
desires2 and amid  the shadows and      
across the wilds of existence chases1   
not vainly1 a  bright image of          

perfection4 ,the golden age1 which      
priests with their  tradition put into  
the past1 the prophet1 with his faith   
and truth1  transfers into the future3  
and while the former pines and muses1   
the  latter toils and prays4 ,thus does 
the administration of religion1 in      
proportion as it partakes of the        
prophetic or anti-sacerdotal character1 
involve the ideas of an interior ,deity1
 a noble humanity1 a loving  worship1 an
 individual holiness1 and a prospective 
veneration4    ,we have found1 then1 two
 opposite views of religion2 that of the
 ,priest  with his ,ritual2 and that of 
the ,prophet with his ,faith4 ,i propose
 to  show that the ,church of ,england1 
in its doctrine of sacraments1          
coincides with the former of these1 and 
sanctions all its objectionable         
sentiments3 and that ,christianity1 in  
every relation1 even with respect  to   
its reputed rites1 coincides with the   
latter4    ,the general conformity of   
the ,church of ,england with the ritual 

conception of religion1 will not be     
denied by her own members4 ,their       
denial will be limited to one point3    
they will protest that her formulas  of 
doctrine do not ascribe a charmed       
efficacy1 or any operation upon  ,god1  
to the two sacraments4 ,to avoid verbal 
disputes1 let us consider  what we are  
to understand by a spell or charm4 ,the 
name1 ,i apprehend1  denotes any        
material object or outward act1 the     
possession or use of  which is thought  
to confer safety or blessing1 not by    
natural operation1  but by occult       
virtues1 inherent in it1 or mystical    
effects appended to  it4 ,a mere        
commemorative sign1 therefore1 is not a 
charm1 nor need there  be any           
superstition in its employment3 it      
simply stands for certain  ideas and    
memories in our minds2 re-excites and   
freshens them1 not  otherwise than      
speech audibly records them1 except that
 it summons them  before us by sight and
 touch1 instead of sound4 ,the effect1  

whatever it  may be1 is purely natural1 
by sequence of thought on thought1 till 
the  complexion of the mind is changed1 
and haply suffused with a noble glow4   
,but in truth it is not fit to speak of 
commemorations1 as things having        
efficacy at all2 as desirable           
observances1 under whose action we      
should  put ourselves1 in order to get  
up certain good dispositions in the     
heart4 ,as soon as we see them          
acquiesced in1 with this dutiful        
submission to a kind of spiritual       
operation1 we may be sure they are      
already empty and dead4 ,an expedient   
commemoration1 deliberately  maintained 
on utilitarian principles1 for the sake 
of warming cold  affections by          
artificial heat1 is one of the foolish  
conceptions of this  mechanical and     
sceptical age4 ,it is quite true1 that  
such influence is  found to belong to   
rites of remembrance2 but only so long  
as it is not  privately looked into1 or 
greedily contemplated by the staring eye

 of  prudence1 but simply and           
unconsciously received4 ,no2            
commemorations must  be the spontaneous 
fruit and outburst of a love already    
kindled in the  soul1 not the factitious
 contrivance for forcing it into        
existence4 ,they  are not the lighted   
match applied to the fuel on an altar   
cold3 but the  shapes in which the      
living flame aspires1 or the fretted    
lights thrown  by that central love on  
the dark temple-walls of this material  
life4    ,it is not pretended that the  
sacraments are mere commemorative rites4
  ,and nothing1 ,i submit1 remains1 but 
that they should be pronounced  charms4 
,it is of little purpose to urge1 in    
denial of this1 that the  ,church       
insists upon the necessity of faith on  
the part of the recipient1  without     
which no benefit1 but rather peril1 will
 accrue4 ,this only  limits the use of  
the charm to a certain class1 and       
establishes a  pre-requisite to its     
proper efficacy4 ,it simply conjoins the

 outward  form with a certain state of  
mind1 and gives to each of these a      
participation in the effect4 ,if the    
faith be insufficient without the       
ceremony1 then some efficacy is due to  
the rite3 and this1 being  neither the  
natural operation of the material       
elements1 nor a simple  suggestion of   
ideas and feelings to the mind1 but     
mystical and  preternatural1 is no other
 than a charmed efficacy4    ,nor will  
the statement1 that the effect is not   
upon ,god1 but upon man1  bear          
examination4 ,it is very true1 that the 
ultimate benefit of these  rites is a   
result reputed to fall upon the         
worshipper2--regeneration1 in  the case 
of baptism2 participation in the        
atonement1 in the case of the  ,lord's  
,supper4 ,but by what steps do these    
blessings descend8 ,not by  those of    
visible or perceived causation2 but     
through an express and  extraordinary   
volition of ,god1 induced by the        
ceremonial form1 or taking  occasion    

from it4 ,the sacerdotal economy1       
therefore1 is so arranged1  that        
whenever the priest dispenses the water 
at the font1 the ,holy  ,spirit follows1
 as in instantaneous compliance with a  
suggestion3 and  whenever he spreads his
 hands over the elements at the         
communion1 ,god  immediately establishes
 a preternatural relation1 not          
subsisting the  moment before1 between  
the substances on the table and the     
souls of the  faithful communicants3 so 
that every partaker receives1 either    
directly  or through supernatural       
increase of faith1 some new share in the
 merits  of the cross4 ,whatever        
subtleties of language then may be      
employed1 it  is evidently conceived    
that the first consequence of these     
forms takes  place in heaven2 and that  
on this depends whatever benediction    
they may  bring3 nor can a plain        
understanding frame any other idea of   
them than  this2 first1 they act        
upwards1 and suggest something to the   

mind of ,god2  who then sends down an   
influence on the mind of the believer4  
,from this  conception no figures of    
speech1 no ingenious analogies1 can     
deliver us4  ,do you call the sacraments
 8pledges of grace80 ,a pledge means a  
promise3  and how a voluntary act of    
ours1 or the priest's1 can be a promise 
made  to us by the ,divine ,being1 it is
 not easy to understand4 ,do you call   
them 8seals of ,god's covenant10--the   
instrument by which he engages to  make 
over its blessings to the ,christian1   
like the signature and  completion of a 
deed conveying an estate8 ,it still     
perplexes us to think  of a service of  
our own as an assurance received by us  
from ,heaven4 ,and  one would imagine   
that the ,divine promise1 once given1   
were enough1  without this incessant    
binding by periodical legalities4 ,if it
 be said1  8the renewal of the          
obligation is needful for us1 and not   
for him20 then  call the rites at once  
and simply1 our service of              

self-dedication1 the  solemn memorial of
 our vows4 ,and in spite of all         
metaphors1 the question  recurs2 does   
the covenant stand without these seals1 
or are they  essential to give          
possession of the privileges conveyed8  
,are they1 by  means preternatural1     
procurers of salvation8 ,have they a    
mystical action  towards this end8 ,if  
so1 we return to the same point2 they   
have a  charmed efficacy on the human   
soul4    ,in order to establish this1   
nothing more is requisite than a brief  
reference to the language of the        
,articles and ,liturgical services of   
the  ,church respecting ,baptism and the
 ,communion4    ,baptism is regarded1   
throughout the ,book of ,common ,prayer1
 as the  instrument of regeneration3 not
 simply as its sign1 of which the actual
  descent of the ,holy ,spirit is       
independent2 but as itself and          
essentially  the means or indispensable 
occasion of the washing away of sin4    
,that  this is regarded as a mystical   

and magical1 not a natural and spiritual
  effect1 is evident from the alleged   
fact of its occurrence in infants1  to  
whom the rite can suggest nothing1 and  
on whom1 in the course of  nature1 it   
can leave no impression4 ,yet is it     
declared of the infant1  after the use  
of the water1 8,seeing now1 dearly      
beloved brethren1 that  this child is   
regenerate10 c43 at the commencement of 
the service its  aim is said to be that 
,god may 8grant to this child that thing
 which by  nature he cannot             
have10--8would wash him and sanctify him
 with the ,holy  ,ghost10 that he may be
 8delivered from ,god's wrath40         
,nothing1 indeed1 is  so striking in    
this office of the national church1 as  
its audacious  trifling with solemn     
names1 denoting qualities of the soul   
and will2 the  ascription of spiritual  
and moral attributes1 not only to the   
child in  whom they can yet have no     
development1 but even to material       
substances2  the frivolity with which   

engagements with ,god are made by       
deputy1 and  without the consent or even
 existence of the engaging will4 ,water 
is  said to possess sanctity1 for 8the  
mystical washing away of sin40          
,infants1 destitute of any idea of duty 
or obligation to be resisted or  obeyed1
 are said to obtain 8remission of their 
sins20--to 8renounce the  devil and all 
his works1 the vain pomp and glory of   
the world30  8steadfastly to believe0 in
 the ,apostles' creed1 and to be        
desirous of  8baptism into this faith40 
,belief1 desire1 resolve1 are acts of   
some  one's mind3 the language of this  
service attributes them to the          
personality of the infant 7,i renounce1 
,i believe1 ,i desire72 yet  there they 
cannot possibly exist4 ,if they are to  
be understood as  affirmed by the       
godfathers and godmothers of themselves1
 the case is not  improved3 for how can 
one person's state of faith and         
conscience be made  the condition of the
 regeneration of another8 ,what         

intelligible meaning  can be attached to
 these phrases of sanctity applied to an
 age not  responsible8 ,in what sense1  
and by what indication1 are these       
children  holier than others8 ,and with 
what reason1 if all this be             
,christianity1  can we blame the ,pope  
for sprinkling holy water on the horses8
 ,the  service appears little better    
than a profane sacerdotal jugglery1 by  
which material things are impregnated   
with divine virtues1 moral and          
spiritual qualities of the mind are     
sported with1 the holy spirit of ,god   
is turned into a physical mystery1 and  
the solemnity of personal               
responsibility is insulted4    ,that a  
superstitious value is attributed to the
 details of the baptismal  form1 in the 
,church of ,england1 appears from       
certain parts of the  service for the   
private ministration of the rite4 ,if a 
child has been  baptized by any other   
lawful minister than the minister of the
 parish1  strict inquiries are to be    

instituted by the latter respecting the 
correctness with which the ceremony has 
been performed3 and should the          
prescribed rules have been neglected1   
the baptism is invalid1 and must  be    
repeated4 ,yet great solicitude is      
manifested1 lest danger should be       
incurred by an unnecessary repetition of
 the sacrament3 to guard against  which1
 the minister is to give the following  
conditional invitation to  the ,holy    
,spirit2 saying1 in his address to the  
child1 8,if thou art not  already       
baptized1 ,i baptize thee10 c4 ,it is   
worthy of remark1 that the  ,church     
mentions as one of the essentials of the
 service1 the omission  of which        
necessitates its repetition1 the use of 
the formula1 8,in the  name of the      
,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the    
,holy ,ghost40 ,by this  rule1 every one
 of the apostolic baptisms recorded in  
,scripture must be  pronounced invalid2 
and the ,church of ,england1 were it    
possible1 would  perform them again3 for

 in no instance does it appear that the 
apostles  employed either this or even  
any equivalent form of words4    ,that  
this sacrament is regarded as an        
indispensable channel of grace1  and    
positively necessary to salvation1 is   
clear from the provision of a  short and
 private form1 to be used in cases of   
extreme danger4 ,the  prayers1 and      
faith1 and obedience1 and patient love1 
of parents and  friends1--the dedication
 and heartfelt surrender of their child 
to ,god1  the profound application of   
their anxieties and grief to their      
conscience and inward life1--all this1  
we are told1 will be of no avail1       
without the water and the priest4       
,archbishop ,laud says1 8,that ,baptism 
is  necessary to the salvation of       
infants 7in the ordinary way of the     
church1 without binding ,god to the use 
and means of that sacrament1 to  which  
he hath bound us7 is expressed in ,st4  
,john iii4 #8,except a man be  born of  
water1' c4 ,so1 no baptism1 no entrance2

 nor can infants creep  in1 any other   
ordinary way40#fji ,bishop ,bramhall    
says1 8,wilful neglect  of baptism we   
acknowledge to be a damnable sin2 and1  
without repentance  and ,god's          
extraordinary mercy1 to exclude a man   
from all hope of  salvation4 ,but yet1  
if such a person1 before his death1     
shall repent and  deplore his neglect of
 the means of grace1 from his heart1 and
 desire  with all his soul to be        
baptized1 but is debarred from it       
invincibly1 we  do not1 we dare not1    
pass sentence of condemnation upon him2 
not yet the  ,roman ,catholics          
themselves4 ,the question then is1      
whether the want of  baptism1 upon      
invincible necessity1 do evermore       
infallibly exclude from  heaven40#faj   
,singular struggle here1 between the    
merciless ritual of  the priest1 and the
 relenting spirit of the man6    ,the   
office of ,communion contains even      
stronger marks of the same  sacerdotal  
superstitions3 and notwithstanding the  

,protestant horror  entertained of the  
mass1 approaches it so nearly1 that no  
ingenuity can  exhibit them in contrast4
 ,near doctrines1 however1 like near    
neighbours1  are known to quarrel most4 
,the idea of a physical sanctity1       
residing in solid and liquid            
substances1 is encouraged by this       
service4 ,the priest consecrates the    
elements1 by laying his hand upon all   
the bread1 and upon every flagon        
containing the wine about to be         
dispensed4 ,if an additional quantity is
  required1 this too must be consecrated
 before its distribution4 ,and the      
sacredness thus imparted is represented 
as surviving the celebration of  the    
,supper1 and residing in the substances 
as a permanent quality3 for  in the     
disposal of the bread and wine that may 
remain at the close of  the sacramental 
feast1 a distinction is made between the
 consecrated and  the unconsecrated     
portion of the elements2 the former is  
not permitted  to quit the altar1 but is

 to be reverently consumed by the priest
 and  the communicants2 the latter is   
given to the curate4 ,what the          
particular  change may be1 which the    
prayer and manipulation of the minister 
are  thought to induce1 it is by no     
means easy to determine2 nor would the  
discovery1 perhaps1 reward our pains4   
,it is certainly conceived1 that  they  
cease to be any longer mere bread and   
wine1 and that with them  thenceforth   
co-exist1 really and substantially1 the 
body and blood of  ,christ4 ,respecting 
this ,real ,presence with the elements1 
there is no  dispute between the ,romish
 and the ,english church2 both          
unequivocally  maintain it3 and the only
 question is1 respecting the ,real      
,absence of  the original and culinary  
bread and wine3 the ,roman ,catholic    
believing  that these substantially     
vanish1 and are replaced by the body and
 blood  of ,christ2 the ,english        
,protestant conceiving that they remain1
 but are  united with the latter4 ,the  

,lutheran1 no less than the ,british    
,reformed  church1 has clung tenaciously
 to the doctrine of the real presence in
  the ,eucharist4 ,luther himself       
declares1 8,i would rather retain with  
the  ,romanists1 only the body and      
blood1 than adopt1 with the ,swiss1 the 
bread and wine1 without the real body   
and blood of ,christ40 ,the  catechism  
of our church affirms1 that 8the body   
and blood of ,christ are  verily and    
indeed taken and received by the        
faithful in the ,lord's  ,supper40 ,and 
this was not intended to be figuratively
 understood1 of the  spiritual use and  
appropriation to which the faith and    
piety of the  receiver would mentally   
convert the elements3 for although here 
the body  of ,christ is only said to be 
8taken0 7making it the act of the       
communicant71 yet one of the ,articles  
speaks of it as 8given0 7making  it the 
act of the officiating priest71 and     
implying the real presence  before      
participation4 ,however anxious indeed  

the clergy of the  8,evangelical0 school
 may be to disguise the fact1 it cannot 
be doubted  that their church has always
 maintained a supernatural change in the
  elements themselves1 as well as in the
 mind of the receiver4 ,cosin1  ,bishop 
of ,durham1 says1 8,we own the union    
between the body and blood of  ,christ1 
and the elements1 whose use and office  
we hold to be changed  from what it was 
before30 8we confess the necessity of a 
supernatural  and heavenly change1 and  
that the signs cannot become sacraments 
but by  the infinite power of ,god40#faa
    ,in consistency with this           
preparatory change1 a charmed efficacy  
is  attributed to the subsequent        
participation in the elements4 ,even the
  body of the communicant is said to be 
under their influence3 8,grant us  to   
eat the flesh of thy dear ,son1 and     
drink his blood1 that our sinful  bodies
 may be made clean through his body1 and
 our souls washed  through his most     
precious blood30 and the unworthy       

recipients are said  8to provoke ,god to
 plague them with divers diseases and   
sundry kinds of  death40 ,lest the      
worshipper1 by presenting himself in an 
unqualified  state1 should 8do nothing  
else than increase his damnation10 the  
unquiet  conscience is directed to      
resort to the priest1 and receive the   
benefit  of absolution before           
communicating4 ,can we deny to the      
,oxford divines  the merit 7whatever it 
may be7 of consistency with the theology
 of their  church1 when they applaud and
 recommend1 as they do1 the             
administration  of the eucharist to     
infants1 and to persons dying and       
insensible8  ,indeed1 it is difficult to
 discover1 why infant ,communion should 
be  thought more irrational than infant 
,baptism4 ,if1 as ,i have endeavoured   
to show1 the primary action of these    
ceremonies is conceived to be on  ,god1 
not on the mind of their object1 why    
should not the ,divine blessing  be     
induced upon the young and the          

unconscious1 as well as on the mature   
and capable soul8 ,and were any further 
evidence required1 than ,i have         
hitherto adduced1 to show on whom the   
,communion is conceived to  operate in  
the first instance1 it would surely be  
afforded by this  clause in the         
,service2 by not partaking1 8,consider  
how great an injury  ye do unto ,god60  
,the only thing wanted to complete this 
sacerdotal system1 is to obtain  for a  
certain class of men the corporate      
possession1 and exclusive               
administration1 of these essential and  
holy mysteries4 ,this our ,church       
accomplishes by its doctrine of         
,apostolical ,succession2 claiming for  
its  ministers a lineal official descent
 from the ,apostles1 which invests      
them1 and them alone within this realm1 
with divine authority to  pronounce     
absolution or excommunication1 and to   
administer the  ,sacraments4 ,they are  
thus the sole guardians of the channels 
of the  ,divine ,spirit and its grace1  

and interpose themselves between a      
nation  and its ,god4 8,receive the     
,holy ,ghost10 says the ,service for    
,ordination  of ,priests1 8for the      
office and work of a priest in the      
,church of ,god1  now committed unto    
thee by the imposition of hands4 ,whose 
sins thou dost  forgive1 they are       
forgiven2 and whose sins thou dost      
retain1 they are  retained40 8,they     
only10 says the present ,bishop of      
,exeter1 8can claim to  rule over the   
,lord's household1 whom he has himself  
placed over it2 they  only are able to  
minister the means of grace1--above all1
 to present the  great commemorative    
sacrifice1--whom ,christ has appointed1 
and whom he  has in all generations     
appointed in unbroken succession from   
those1 and  through those1 whom he first
 ordained4 #8,ambassadors from ,christ' 
must1  by the very force of the term1   
receive credentials from ,christ3       
#8stewards of the mysteries of ,god'    
must be entrusted with those  mysteries 

by him4 ,remind your people1 that in the
 ,church only is the  promise of        
forgiveness of sins2 and though1 to all 
who truly repent1 and  sincerely        
believe1 ,christ mercifully grants      
forgiveness2 yet he has1 in  an especial
 manner1 empowered his ministers to     
declare and pronounce to  his people the
 absolution and remission of their sins3
 #8whosesoever sins  ye remit1 they are 
remitted unto them2 and whosesoever sins
 ye retain1  they are retained4' ,this  
was the awful authority given to his    
first  ministers1 and in them1 and      
through them1 to all their successors4  
,this  is the awful authority we have   
received1 and that we must never be     
ashamed nor afraid to tell the people   
that we have received4    8,having shown
 to the people your commission1 show to 
them how our own  ,church has framed its
 services in accordance with that       
commission4 ,show  this to them not only
 in the ,ordinal1 but also in the       
,collects1 in the  ,communion ,service1 

in the ,office of the ,visitation of the
 ,sick2 show it1  especially1 in that   
which continually presents itself to    
their notice1  but is commonly little   
regarded by them2 show it in the very   
commencement of ,morning and ,evening   
,prayer1 and make them understand the   
full blessedness of that service1 in    
which the ,church thus calls on them  to
 join4 ,let them see that there the     
minister authoritatively pronounces     
,god's pardon and absolution to all them
 that truly repent1 and  unfeignedly    
believe ,christ's holy gospel2 that he  
does this1 even as the  ,apostles did1  
with the authority and by the           
appointment of our ,lord  himself1 who1 
in commissioning his ,apostles1 gave    
this to be the  never-failing assurance 
of his co-operation in their ministry1  
#8,lo1 ,i am  with you always1 even unto
 the end of the world2' a promise which1
 of  its very nature1 was not to be     
fulfilled to the persons of those whom  
he  addressed1 but to their office1 to  

their successors therefore in that      
office1 #8even unto the end of the      
world4' ,lastly1 remind and warn them   
of the awful sanction with which our    
,lord accompanied his mission1 even  of 
the second order of the ministers whom  
he appointed2 #8,he that heareth  you1  
heareth me2 and he that despiseth you1  
despiseth me2 and he that  despiseth me1
 despiseth him that sent me4'0 ,that    
this high dignity may  be clearly       
understood to belong in this country    
only to the ,church of  ,england1 the   
,bishop proposes the question1 8,what1  
then1 becomes of those  who are not1 or 
continue not1 members of that 7visible7 
,church80 and  replies to it by saying1 
that though he 8judges not them that are
  without10 yet 8he who wilfully and in 
despite of due warning1 or through      
recklessness and worldly-mindedness1    
sets at nought its ordinances1 and      
despises its ministers1 has no right to 
promise to himself any share in  the    
grace which they are appointed to       

convey40#fab 8,why10 says one of  the   
,oxford divines1 who here undeniably    
speaks the genuine doctrine of  his     
,church1 8,why should we talk so much of
 an ,establishment1 and so  little of an
 ,,apostolic ,,succession8 ,why should  
we not seriously endeavour  to impress  
our people with this plain truth1 that  
by separating  themselves from our      
communion1 they separate themselves not 
only from a  decent1 orderly1 useful    
society1 but from ,,the ,,only ,,church 
,,in ,,this ,,realm  ,,which ,,has ,a   
,,right ,,to ,,be ,,quite ,,sure ,,that 
,,she ,,has ,,the ,,lord',s ,,body ,,to 
,,give  ,,to ,,his ,,people80#fac    ,of
 course this ,divine authority has been 
received through the ,church of  ,rome1 
so abominable in the eyes of all        
,evangelical clergymen2 and  through    
many an unworthy link in the unbroken   
chain4 ,the ,holy ,spirit1 it  is       
acknowledged1 has passed through many1  
on whom1 apparently1 it was  not pleased
 to rest2 and the right to forgive sins 

been conferred by  those who seemed     
themselves to need forgiveness4 ,a      
writer in the ,oxford  ,tracts observes1
 8,nor even though we may admit that    
many of those who  formed the connecting
 links of this holy chain were          
themselves unworthy  of the high charge 
reposed in them1 can this furnish us    
with any solid  ground for doubting or  
denying their power to exercise that    
legitimate  authority with which they   
were duly invested1 of transmitting the 
sacred  gift to worthier followers40#fad
    ,in its doctrine of ,sacraments1    
then1 and in that of ,ecclesiastical    
authority and succession1 the ,church of
 ,england is thoroughly imbued  with the
 sacerdotal character4 ,it doubtless    
contains far better elements  and nobler
 conceptions than those which it has    
been my duty to exhibit  now2 and       
solemnly insists on faith of heart1 and 
truth of conscience1  and ,christian    
devotedness of life1 as well as on the  
observance of its  ritual2 with the     

external it unites the internal         
condition of  sanctification4 ,but      
insisting on the theory of a mystic     
efficacy in the  ,christian rites1 it   
necessarily fails to reconcile these    
with each  other3 and hence the opposite
 parties within its pale2 the one       
magnifying faith and personal           
spirituality1 the other exalting the    
sacraments and ecclesiastical communion4
 ,they represent respectively the  two  
constituent and clashing powers1 which  
met at the formation of the  ,english   
,church1 and of which it effected the   
mere compromise1 not the                
reconciliation2 ,i mean1 the            
priestliness of ,rome1 and the prophetic
  spirit of the ,reformers4 ,never1     
since apostolic days1 did heaven bless  
us with truer prophet than ,martin      
,luther4 ,it was his mission 7no modern 
man had ever greater17 to substitute the
 idea of personal faith for  that of    
sacerdotal reliance4 ,and gloriously1   
with bravery and truth of  soul amid a  

thousand hindrances1 did he achieve it4 
,but though1 ever  since1 the priests   
have been down1 and faith has been up1  
yet did the  hierarchy unavoidably      
remain1 and insisted that something     
should be  made of it1 and at least some
 colourable terms proposed4 ,hence1     
every  reformed ,church exhibits a      
coalition between the new and the old   
ideas3  and combined views of religion1 
which must ultimately prove incompatible
  with each other2 the formal with the  
spiritual2 the idea of worship as a     
means of propitiating ,god1 with the    
conception of it as an expression of    
love in man2 the notion of ,church      
authority with that of individual       
freedom2 the admission of a licence to  
think1 with a prohibition of  thinking  
wrong4 ,in our national ,church1 the old
 spirit was ascendant  over the new1    
though long forced into quiescence by   
the temper of modern  times4 ,now it is 
attempting to re-assert its power1 not  
without  strenuous resistance4 ,indeed1 

the present age seems destined to end   
the  compromise between the two         
principles1 from the union of which     
,protestantism assumed its established  
forms4 ,the truce seems everywhere      
breaking up3 a general disintegration of
 churches is visible2 tradition  is     
ransacking the past for claims and      
dignities1 and canvassing present       
timidity for fresh authority1 to        
withstand the wild forces born at the   
,reformation1 and hurrying us fast into 
an unknown future4    ,let us now turn  
to the primitive ,christianity2 which1  
,i submit1 is  throughout wholly        
anti-sacerdotal4    ,surely it must be  
admitted that the general spirit of our 
,lord's  personal life and ministry was 
that of the ,prophet1 not of the        
,priest2  tending directly to the       
disparagement of whatever priesthood    
existed in  his country1 without visibly
 preparing the substitution of anything 
at  all analogous to it4 ,the sacerdotal
 order felt it so2 and with the         

infallible instinct of                  
self-preservation1 they watched1 they   
hated1 they  seized1 they murdered him4 
,the priest in every age has a natural  
antipathy to the prophet1 dreads him as 
kings dread revolution1 and is  the     
first to detect his existence4 ,the     
solemn moment and the gracious  words1  
of ,christ's first preaching in         
,nazareth1 struck with fate the  temple 
in ,jerusalem4 ,to the old men of the   
village1 to the neighbours  who knew his
 childhood1 and companions who had      
shared its rambles and  its sports1 he  
said1 with the quiet flush of           
inspiration2 8,the ,spirit of  the ,lord
 is upon me1 because he hath anointed me
 to preach the gospel to  the poor3 he  
hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted1 
to preach  deliverance to the captives1 
and recovering of sight to the blind2 to
  set at liberty them that are bruised1 
to preach the acceptable year of  the   
,lord40#fae ,the ,spirit of the ,lord in
 ,galilee6 speaking with the  peasantry1

 dwelling in villages1 and wandering    
loose and where it  listeth among the   
hills6 ,this would never do1 thought the
 white-robed  ,levites of the ,holy     
,city2 it would be as a train of        
wild-fire in the  ,temple4 ,and were    
they not right8 ,when it was revealed   
that sanctity is  no thing of place and 
time1 that a way is open from earth to  
heaven1  from every field or mountain   
trod by human feet1 and through every   
roof  that shelters a human head2 that  
amid the crowd and crush of life1 each  
soul is in personal solitude with ,god1 
and by speech or silence 7be they  but  
true and loving7 may tell its cares and 
find its peace2 that a  divine          
allegiance might cost nothing1 but the  
strife of a dutiful will  and the       
patience of a filial heart2 how could   
any priesthood hope to  stand8 ,see how 
,jesus himself1 when the ,temple was    
close at hand1 and the  sunshine dressed
 it in its splendour1 yet withdrew his  
prayers to the  midnight of ,mount      

,olivet1 ,he entered those courts to    
teach1 rather than  to worship2 and when
 there1 he is felt to take no           
consecration1 but to  give it2 to bring 
with him the living spirit of ,god1 and 
spread it  throughout all the place4    
,when evening closes his teachings1 and 
he  returns late over the ,mount to     
,bethany1 did he not feel that there was
  more of ,god in the night-breeze on   
his brow1 and the heaven above him1  and
 the sad love within him1 than in the   
place called 8,holy0 which he  had left8
 ,and when he had knocked at the gate of
 ,lazarus the risen and  become his     
guest2 when1 after the labours of the   
day1 he unburthened his  spirit to the  
affections of that family1 and spake of 
things divine to  the sisters listening 
at his feet2 did they not feel1 as they 
retired at  length1 that the whole house
 was full of ,god1 and that there is no 
sanctuary like the shrine1 not made with
 hands1 within us all8 ,in  childhood1  
he had once preferred the temple and its

 teachings to his  parents' home3 now1  
to his deeper experience1 the temple has
 lost its  truth2 while the cottage and 
the walks of ,nazareth1 the daily voices
 and  constant duties of this life1 seem
 covered with the purest consecration4  
,true1 he vindicated the sanctity of the
 temple1 when he heard within its       
enclosure the hum of traffic and the    
chink of gain1 and would not have  the  
house of prayer turned into a place of  
merchandise3 because in this  there was 
imposture and a lie1 and ,mammon and the
 ,lord must ever dwell  apart4 ,in      
nothing must there be mockery and       
falsehood2 and while the  temple stands1
 it must be a temple true4    ,our      
,lord's whole ministry then 7to which we
 may add that of his  apostles7 was     
conceived in a spirit quite opposite to 
that of  priesthood4 ,a missionary life1
 without fixed locality1 without form1  
without rites2 with teaching free1      
occasional and various1 with  sympathies
 ever with the people1 and a strain of  

speech never marked by  invective1      
except against the ruling sacerdotal    
influence2--all these  characters       
proclaim him1 purely and emphatically1  
the ,prophet of the  ,lord4 ,it deserves
 notice that1 unless as the name of his 
enemies1 the  word 8,,priest0 77 never  
occurs in either the historical or      
epistolary writings of the ,new         
,testament1 except in the ,epistle to   
the  ,hebrews4 ,and there its           
application is not a little remarkable4 
,it is  applied to ,christ alone3 it is 
declared to belong to him1 only after   
his  ascension3 it is said that1 while  
on earth1 he neither was1 nor could  be1
 a priest3 and if it is admitted that he
 holds the office in heaven1  this is   
only to satisfy the demand of the       
,hebrew ,christians for some  sacerdotal
 ideas in their religion1 and to        
reconcile them to having no  priest on  
earth4 ,the writer acknowledges one     
great pontiff in the world  above1 that 
the whole race may be superseded in the 

world below2 and  banishes priesthood   
into invisibility1 that men may never   
see its shadow  more4 ,all the terms of 
office which are given to the first     
preachers of  the gospel and            
superintendents of churches--as ,deacon1
 ,elder or  ,presbyter1 ,overseer or    
,bishop1 are ,lay-terms1 belonging      
previously1  not to ecclesiastical1 but 
to civil life2 an indication1 surely1   
that no  analogy was thought to exist   
between the ,apostolic and the          
,sacerdotal  relations4#faf ,i shall1 no
 doubt1 be reminded of the words1 in    
which  our ,lord is supposed to have    
given their commission to his first     
representatives2 8,whatsoever ye bind on
 earth shall be bound in heaven2  and   
whatsoever ye loose on earth shall be   
loosed in heaven20#fag and  shall be    
asked whether this does not convey to   
them and their successors  an official  
authority to forgive sins1 and dispense 
the decrees of the  unseen world4 ,i    
reply briefly3    #ast1 ,that the power 

here granted does not relate to the     
dispensations of  the future life1 but  
solely to what would be termed1 in      
modern language1  the allotment of      
church-membership4 ,the previous verse  
proves this1  furnishing as it does a   
particular case of the general authority
 here  assigned4 ,it directs the        
apostles under what circumstances they  
are to  remove an offender from a       
,christian society1 and treat him as an 
unconverted man1 as a heathen man and a 
publican4 ,having given them  their     
rule1 he freely trusts the application  
of it to them3 and being  about to      
retire ere long1 from personal          
intervention in the affairs of  his     
kingdom1 he assures them that their     
decisions shall be his1 and that  he may
 be considered as adopting in heaven    
their determinations upon  earth4 ,he   
simply 8consigns to his apostles        
discretionary power to direct  the      
affairs of his church1 and superintend  
the diffusion of the glad  tidings3 they

 may bind and loose1 that is1 open and  
shut the door of  admission to their    
community1 as their judgment may        
determine2 employing  or rejecting      
applicants for the missionary office2   
dissociating from  their assemblies     
obstinate delinquents2 receiving with   
openness1 or  dismissing with suspicion1
 each candidate for instruction1        
according to  their estimate of his     
qualifications and motives40    #bndly1 
,it is to be observed1 that there is no 
appearance of any one  being in the     
contemplation of our ,lord1 beyond the  
persons immediately  addressed4 ,not a  
word is said of any official successor  
or any distant  age4 ,no indication is  
afforded1 that any idea of futurity was 
present to  the mind of ,jesus3 and a   
title of perpetual office1 an instrument
  creating and endowing an endless      
priesthood1 ought1 it will be admitted1 
to be somewhat more explicit than this4 
,but where the power has been           
successfully claimed1 the title is      

seldom difficult to prove4    ,the      
alleged ,,ritual of ,christianity1      
consisting of the sacraments of         
,baptism and the ,communion1 will be    
found no less destitute of sanction     
from the ,scriptures4 ,the former we    
shall see reason to regard as simply  an
 initiatory form1 applicable only to    
,christian converts1 and limited        
therefore to adults2 the latter as      
purely a commemoration3 neither         
therefore having any sacramental or     
mystical efficacy4    ,for baptism it is
 impossible to establish any            
supernatural origin4 ,it is  admitted to
 have existed before the ,christian ra2 
and to have been  employed by the ,jews 
on the admission of proselytes to their 
religion4  ,it is certain that it is not
 an enjoined rite in the ,mosaic        
dispensation2 and though prevalent      
before the period of the ,new           
,testament1 is nowhere enforced or      
recognised in the writings of the ,old4 
,it arose therefore in the interval     

between the only two systems which      
,christians acknowledged to be          
supernatural3 and must be considered as 
of  natural and human origin1 invested1 
thus far1 with no higher authority  than
 its own appropriateness may confer4    
,there seem to have been two  modes of  
construing the symbol3 the one founded  
on the cleansing effect  of the water on
 the person of the baptized himself2 the
 other1 on the  appearance of his       
immersion 7which was complete7 to the   
eye of a  spectator4 ,the former was an 
image of the ,heathen convert's         
purification  from a foul idolatry2 and 
his transition to a stainless condition 
under  a divine and justifying law4 ,the
 latter represented him1 when he        
vanished in the stream1 as interred to  
this world1 sunk utterly from its       
sight2 and when he re-appeared1 as      
emerging or born again to a better      
state2 the 8old man0 was 8buried in     
baptism10 and when he 8rose again10  he 
had altogether 8become new40#fah ,the   

ceremony then was appropriately  used in
 any case of transition from a depressed
 and corrupt state of  existence to a   
hopeful and blessed one2 from a false or
 imperfect  religion to one true and    
heavenly4    ,but it will be said1      
whatever the origin of ,baptism1 it was 
employed and  sanctioned by our ,lord1  
who commissioned his apostles to go and 
baptize  all nations4 ,true2 but is     
there no difference between the adoption
 of a  practice already extant1--of a   
practice which was as much the mere     
institutional dress of the apostles'    
nation1 as the sandals whose dust  they 
were to shake off against the faithless1
 were the customary  clothing of the    
apostles' feet1--and the authoritative  
appointment of a  ,sacrament8 ,they were
 going forth to make converts3 and why  
should they  not have recourse to the   
form familiarly associated with the act8
  ,familiar association recommended its 
adoption in that age and clime2 and  the
 absence of such association elsewhere  

and in other times may be  thought to   
justify its disuse4 ,at all events1 a   
ceremony thus taken up  must be presumed
 to retain its acquired sense and its   
established extent  of application3 and 
if so1 baptism must be strictly limited 
to the  admission of proselytes from    
other faiths4 ,this accords with the    
known  practice of the apostles1 who    
cannot be shown to have baptized any but
  those whom they had personally1 or by 
their missionaries1 persuaded to  become
 ,christians4 ,not a single case of the 
use of the rite with  children can be   
adduced from ,scripture3 and the only   
argument by which  such employment of it
 is ever justified is this2 that a      
household is  said to have been         
baptized1 and all nations were to       
receive the offer  of it2 and that the  
household may1 the nations must1 have   
contained  children4 ,it is evident that
 such reasoning could never have been   
propounded1 unless the practice had     
existed first1 and the defence had  been

 found afterwards4    ,with the system  
of infant baptism1 vanish almost all the
 ideas which the  prevalent theology has
 put into the rite2 and it becomes as   
intelligible  and expressive to one who 
believes in the good capacities of human
  nature1 as to those who esteem it     
originally depraved4 #8,how unmeaning1' 
say our orthodox opponents1 #8is this   
ceremony in ,unitarian hands2  denying1 
as they do1 the doctrines which it      
represents6 of what  regeneration can   
they possibly suppose it the symbol1 if 
not of the  washing away of that        
hereditary sin1 which they refuse to    
acknowledge8  for when the infant is    
brought to the font1 he can as yet have 
no other  guilt than this4' ,i reply2   
the objection has no force except       
against the  use of infant baptism in   
our churches1--which ,i am not anxious  
to  defend3 but of course those         
,unitarians who employ it1 conceive it  
to be  the token1 not of any sentiments 
which they reject1 but of truths and    

feelings which they hold dear4 ,for     
myself1 ,i believe1 with our  opponents1
 that the doctrine of original sin and  
the practice of  infant baptism do      
belong to each other1 and must stand or 
fall  together3 and therefore deem it a 
fact very significant of the apostles'  
theology1 that no infant can be shown   
ever to have been 8brought to the  font0
 by these first true missionaries of    
,christianity4 ,and as to the  new-birth
 which baptism 7i4e4 recent and genuine 
discipleship to  ,jesus7 may give to the
 maturely-convinced ,christian1 he must 
have a  great deal to learn1 not only of
 the ,hebrew conceptions and language in
  relation to the ,messiah1 but of the  
spirituality of the gospel1 and of  the 
fresh creations of character which it   
calls up1 who can be much  puzzled about
 its meaning4    ,in ,christian baptism1
 then1 we have no sacrament with mystic 
power2 but  an initiatory form1 possibly
 of consuetudinary obligation only2 but 
if  enjoined1 applicable exclusively to 

proselytes1 and misemployed in the  case
 of infants2 a sign of conversion1 not a
 means of salvation2  confided to no    
sacerdotal order1 but open to every man 
fitted to give it  an appropriate use4  
,i turn to the ,lord's ,supper2 with    
design to show1 what it is not1 and     
what it is4 ,it is not a mystery1 or a  
sacrament1 any more than it is an       
expiatory sacrifice4 ,to persuade us    
that it has a ritual character1 we  are 
first assured that it is clearly the    
successor in the ,gospel to the         
,passover under the ,law4 ,well1--even  
if it were so1 it would still be  simply
 commemorative1 and without any other   
efficacy than a festival1  filled with  
great remembrances1 and inspired with   
religious joy4 ,such  was the ,paschal  
,feast in ,jerusalem2--the annual       
gathering of families and  kindred1 a   
sacred carnival under the spring sky and
 in sight of unreaped  fields1 when the 
memory was recalled of national         
deliverance1 and the  tale was told of  

traditional glories1 and the thoughts   
brought back of  bondage reversed1 of   
the desert pilgrimage ended1 of the     
promised land  possessed4 ,the ,jewish  
festival was no more than this2 unless1 
with  ,archbishop ,magee and others1 we 
erroneously conceive it to be a proper  
sacrifice4#fai ,so that those who would 
interpret the ,lord's ,supper by  the   
,passover have their choice between two 
views3 that it is a simple              
commemoration2 or that it is an         
expiatory sacrifice3 in the former case1
  they quit the ,church of ,england2 in 
the latter1 they fall into the  ,church 
of ,rome4    ,but1 in truth1 there is no
 propriety in applying the name         
#8,christian  passover' to the          
,communion4 ,the notion rests entirely  
on this  circumstance2 that the first   
three ,evangelists describe the last    
,supper  as the ,paschal ,supper4 ,but  
the institutional part of that meal was 
over before the cup was distributed1 and
 the repetition of the act  enjoined4   

,nor is there the slightest trace1      
either in the subsequent  scriptures1 or
 in the earliest history of the ,church1
 that the ,communion  was thought to    
bear relation to the passover4 ,the     
time1 the frequency1  the mode1 of the  
two were altogether different4 ,indeed1 
when we observe  that not one of these  
particulars is prescribed and determined
 by our  ,lord at all1 when we notice   
the slight and transient manner in which
 he  drops his wish that they would 8do 
this in remembrance of0 him1 when we    
compare these features of the account   
with the elaborate precision of  ,moses 
respecting hours1 and materials1 and    
dates1 and places1 and modes  in the    
establishment of the ,hebrew festivals1 
it is scarcely possible to  avoid the   
impression1 that we are reading         
narrative1 not law2 an  utterance of    
personal affection1 rather than the     
legislative enactment  of an everlasting
 institution4#fbj ,however this may be1 
no importance  can be attached to the   

reported coincidence in the time of that
 meal  with the day of passover3 for the
 apostle ,john1 who gives by far the    
fullest account of what happened at that
 table 7yet never mentions the          
institution of the supper71 states that 
this was not the paschal meal at  all1  
which did not occur1 he says1 till the  
following day of  crucifixion4#fba      
#8,but1' it will be said1 #8the gospels 
are not the only parts of  ,scripture1  
whence the nature of the eucharist may  
be learned4 ,language  is employed by   
,st4 ,paul in reference to it1 which    
cannot be understood  of a mere         
memorial1 and implies that awful        
consequences hung on the  worthy or     
unworthy participation in the rite4     
,does he not even say1 that  a man may  
8eat and drink damnation to himself1 not
 discerning the ,lord's  body80'    ,the
 passage whence these words are cited   
certainly throws great light on  the    
institution of which we treat3 but there
 must be a total disregard  to the whole

 context and the general course of the  
apostle's reasoning  before it can be   
made to yield any argument for the      
mystical character  of the rite4#fbb ,it
 would appear that the ,corinthian      
church was in the  habit of celebrating 
the ,lord's ,supper in a way which1 even
 if it had  never been disgraced by any 
indecorum1 must have struck a modern    
,christian with wonder at its           
singularity4 ,the members met together  
in  one room or church1 each bringing   
his own supper1 of such quantity and    
quality as his opulence or poverty might
 allow4 ,to this the apostle does  not  
object1 but apparently considers it a   
part of the established  arrangement4   
,but these ,christians were divided into
 factions1 and had  not learned the true
 uniting spirit of their faith3 nor do  
they seem to  have acquired that        
sobriety of habit and sanctity of mind1 
which their  profession ought to have   
induced4 ,when they entered the place of
  meeting1 they broke up into groups and

 parties1 class apart from class1  and  
rich deserting poor3 each set began its 
separate meal1 some  indulging in luxury
 and excess1 others with scarce the     
means of keeping  the commemoration at  
all2 and1 infamous to tell1 the blessed 
supper of  the ,lord was sunk into a    
tavern meal4 ,so gross and habitual had 
the  abuse become1 that the excesses had
 affected the health and life of  these 
guilty and unworthy partakers4 ,they had
 made no distinction  between the       
,communion and an ordinary repast1 had  
lost all perception of  the memorial    
significance of their meeting1 had not  
discriminated or  8discerned the ,lord's
 body30 and so they had eaten and drunk 
judgment  7improperly rendered          
8damnation0 in the ,english ,version7 to
  themselves2 and many were weak and    
sickly among them1 and many even  slept4
 ,well would it be1 if they would look  
on this as a chastening of  the ,lord3  
in which case they might take warning1  
and escape being cast  out of the       

church1 and driven to take their chance 
with the unbelieving  and heathen world4
 8,when we are judged1 we are chastened 
of the ,lord1  that we should not be    
condemned with the world40    ,in order 
to remedy all this corruption1 ,st4     
,paul reminds them1 that to  eat and    
drink under the same roof1 in the       
church1 does not constitute  proper     
,communion3 that1 to this end1 they must
 not break up into  sections1 and retain
 their property in the food1 but all    
participate  seriously together4 ,he    
directs that an absolute separation     
shall be made  between the occasions for
 satisfying hunger and thirst1 and those
 for  observing this commemorative rite1
 discriminating carefully the memorial  
of the ,lord's body from every thing    
else4 ,he refers them all to the        
original model of the institution1 the  
parting meal of ,christ1 before  his    
betrayal2 and by this example1 as a     
criterion1 he would have every  man     
examine himself1 and after that pattern 

eat of the bread and drink  of the cup4 
,hence it appears1    ,that the unworthy
 partaker was the riotous ,corinthian1  
who made no  distinction between the    
sacred ,communion and a vulgar meal3    
,that the judgment or damnation which   
such brought on themselves1 was         
sickliness1 weakness1 and premature but 
natural death3    ,that the             
self-examination which the apostle      
recommends to the  communicant is1 a    
comparison of his mode of keeping the   
rite1 with the  original model of the   
,last ,supper3    ,that in the          
,corinthian ,church there was no        
,priest1 or officiating  dispenser of   
the elements3 and that ,st4 ,paul did   
not contemplate or  recommend the       
appointment of any such person4    ,the 
,lord's ,supper1 then1 ,i conclude1 was 
and is a simple commemoration4  ,am ,i  
asked1 #8of what8 ,why1 according to    
,unitarian views1 the death on  the     
cross merits the memorial1 more than the
 remaining features of our  ,lord's     

history1--more even than the death of   
many a noble martyr1 who has  sealed his
 testimony to truth by like             
self-sacrifice8' ,the answer will  be   
found at length in the ,lecture on the  
,atonement1 where the ,scriptural       
conceptions of ,christ's death are      
expounded in detail4 ,meanwhile1 it is  
sufficient to recal an idea1 which has  
more than once been thrown out  during  
this course3 that if ,jesus had taken up
 his ,messianic power  without death1 he
 would have remained a ,hebrew1 and been
 limited to the  people amid whom he was
 born4 ,he quitted his mortal           
personality1 he left  this fleshly      
tabernacle of existence1 and became     
immortal1 that his  nationality might be
 destroyed1 and all men drawn in as     
subjects of his  reign4 ,it was the     
cross that opened to the nations the    
blessed ways of  life1 and put us all in
 relations not of law1 but of love1 to  
him and  ,god4 ,hence the memorial of   
his death celebrates the universality   

and  spirituality of the gospel2        
declares the brotherhood of men1 the    
fatherhood of providence1 the personal  
affinity of every soul with ,god4  ,that
 is no empty rite1 which overflows with 
these conceptions4    ,christianity1    
then1 ,i maintain1 is without ,priest1  
and without ,ritual4  ,it altogether    
coalesces with the prophetic idea of    
religion1 and  repudiates the           
sacerdotal4 ,christ himself was         
transcendently ,,the  ,,prophet4 ,he    
brought down ,god to this our life1 and 
left his spirit amid  its scenes4 ,the  
,apostles were prophets2 they carried   
that spirit abroad1  revealing          
everywhere to men the sanctity of their 
nature1 and the  proximity of their     
heaven4 ,nor am ,i even unwilling to    
admit an ,apostolic  succession1 never  
yet extinct1 and never more to be       
extinguished4 ,but  then it is by no    
means a rectilinear regiment of         
incessant priests2 but  a broken1       
scattered1 yet glorious race of         

prophets2 the genealogy of  great and   
,christian souls1 through whom the      
primitive conceptions of  ,jesus have   
propagated themselves from age to age2  
mind producing mind1  courage giving    
birth to courage1 truth developing      
truth1 and love ever  nurturing love1 so
 long as one good and noble spirit shall
 act upon  another4 ,luther surely was  
the child of ,paul3 and what a noble    
offspring  has risen to manhood from    
,luther's soul2 whom to enumerate1 were 
to tell  the best triumphs of the modern
 world4 ,these are ,christ's true       
ambassadors2 and never did he mean any  
follower of his to be called a  priest4 
,he has his genuine messenger1 wherever1
 in the ,church or in the  world1 there 
toils any one of the real prophets of   
our race2 any one who  can create the   
good and great in other souls1 whether  
by truth of word  or deed1 by the       
inspiration of genuine speech1 or the   
better power of a  life merciful and    
holy4                      99       99  

99       99       99    ,and here1 my   
friends1 with my subject might my       
,lecture close2 were it  not that we are
 assembled now to terminate this        
controversy3 and that a  few remarks in 
reference to its whole course and spirit
 seem to be  required4    ,that the     
recent aggression upon the principles of
 ,unitarian  ,christianity1 was prompted
 by no unworthy motive1 individual or   
political1 but by a zeal1 ,christian so 
far as its spirit is  disinterested1 and
 unchristian only so far as it is       
exclusive1 has never  been doubted or   
denied by my brother ministers or       
myself4 ,that much  personal            
consideration and courtesy have been    
evinced towards us during  the          
controversy1 it is so grateful to us to 
acknowledge1 that we must  only regret  
the theological obstructions in the way 
of that mutual  knowledge1 which softens
 the prejudices1 and corrects the errors
 of the  closet4 ,from such errors1 the 
lot of our fallible nature1 we are      

deeply  aware that we cannot be exempt1 
and profoundly wish that1 by others' aid
  or by our own1 we could discover them4
 ,meanwhile1 we do not feel that  our   
opponents have been successful in the   
offer which they have made1 of  help    
towards this end4 ,they are too little  
acquainted with our history  and        
character1 and have far too great a     
horror of us1 to succeed in a  design1  
demanding rather the benevolence of     
sympathy and trust1 than  that of       
antipathy and fear4 ,hence have arisen  
certain complaints and  charges against 
our system and its tendencies1 which1   
having been  reiterated again and again 
in the ,christ ,church ,lectures1 and   
scarcely  noticed in our own1 claim a   
concluding observation or two now4      
#a4 ,we are said to be infidels in      
disguise1 and our system to be drifting 
fast towards utter unbelief4 ,at all    
events1 it is said we make great        
advances that way4    ,it is by no means
 unusual to dismiss this charge on a    

whirlwind of  declamation1 designed to  
send it and the infidel to the greatest 
possible distance4 ,my friend who       
delivered the first ,lecture1 noticed it
  in a far different spirit2 and in a   
discussion where truth and wisdom  had  
any chance1 his reply would have        
prevented any recurrence to the         
statement4 ,let me try to imitate him in
 the testimony which ,i desire to  add  
upon this point4    ,every one1 ,i      
presume1 who disbelieves any thing1 is1 
with respect to  that thing1 an infidel4
 ,departure from any prevalent and      
established  ideas1 is inevitably an    
approach to infidelity2 the extent of   
the  departure1 not the reasonableness  
or propriety of it1 is the sole  measure
 of the nearness of that approach2      
which1 however wise and sober1  when    
estimated by a true and independent     
criterion1 will appear1 to  persons     
strongly possessed by the ascendant     
notions1 nothing less than  alarming1   
amazing1 awful4 ,in short1 the average  

popular creed of the  day1 is the mental
 standard1 from which the stadia are    
measured off  towards that invisible1   
remote1 nay1 even imaginary place1      
lodged  somewhere within chaos1 called  
utter unbelief4 ,christianity at first  
was  blank infidelity3 and disciples1   
being of course the atheists of their   
day1 were thought a fit prey for the    
wild beasts of the amphitheatre4  ,every
 rejection of tradition1 again1 is      
unbelief with respect to it2 and  to    
those who hold its authority1 it is the 
denial of an essential4 ,it is  too     
evident to need proof1 that the average 
popular belief cannot be  assumed1 by   
any considerate person1 as a standard of
 truth4 ,to make it  an objection       
against any class of men1 that they     
depart from it1 is to  prove no error   
against them2 and no one1 who is not    
willing to call in  the passions of the 
multitude in suffrage on the            
controversies of the  few1 will         
condescend to enforce the charge4       

,but only observe how1 in the present   
instance1 the matter stands4 ,in the    
popular religion we discern1 mixed up   
together1 two constituent  portions2    
certain peculiar doctrines which        
characterize the common  orthodoxy2 and 
certain universal ,christian truths     
remaining1 when  these are subtracted4  
,the infidel throws away both of these2 
we throw  away the former only3 and thus
 far1 no doubt1 we partially agree with 
him4 ,but on what grounds do we         
severally justify this rejection8 ,in   
answer to this question1 compare the    
views1 with respect both to the         
authority and to the interpretation of  
,scripture1 held by the three  parties1 
the ,trinitarian1 the ,unbeliever1 the  
,unitarian4 ,the ,unbeliever  does not  
usually find fault with the orthodox    
interpretation of the  ,bible1 but      
allows it to pass1 as probably the real 
meaning of the book1  only he altogether
 denies the divine character and        
authority of the  whole religion2 he    

therefore agrees with the ,trinitarian  
respecting  interpretation1 disagrees   
with him respecting authority4 ,the     
,unitarian1 again1 admits the divine    
character of ,christianity1 but         
understands it differently from the     
,trinitarian2 he therefore reverses  the
 former case1 agrees with the orthodox  
on the authority1  disagrees respecting 
interpretation4 ,it follows1 that with  
the  unbeliever he agrees in neither1   
and is therefore further from him  than 
his ,trinitarian accuser4    ,i have    
given this explanation1 from regard     
simply to logical truth4 ,i  have no    
desire to join in the outcry against    
even the deliberate  unbeliever in the  
,gospel1 as if he must necessarily be a 
fiend4  ,profoundly loving and trusting 
,christianity myself1 ,i yet feel       
indignant  at the persecution which     
theology1 policy1 and law inflict on the
 many  who1 with undeniable exercise of 
conscientiousness and patience of       
research1 are yet unable to satisfy     

themselves respecting its evidence4     
,the very word #8infidel1' implying not 
simply an intellectual judgment1  but   
bad moral qualities1 conveys an         
unmerited insult1 and ought to be       
repudiated by every generous disputant4 
,the more deeply we trust               
,christianity1 the more should we       
protest against its being defended by a 
body-guard of passions1 willing to do   
for it precisely the services  which    
they might equally render to the        
vulgarest imposture4    #b4 ,we were    
recently accused1 amid acknowledgments  
of our honesty1 with  want of anxiety   
about spiritual truth3 and the following
 justification  of the charge was       
offered3 8,the ,word of ,god has        
informed us1 that they  who seek the    
truth shall find it2 that they who ask  
for holy wisdom  shall receive it2 but  
it must be a really anxious inquiry--a  
heart-felt  desire for the blessing4    
#8,if thou seekest her as silver1 and   
searchest  for her as for hid treasures2

 then shalt thou understand the fear of 
the  ,lord1 and find the knowledge of   
,god4'#fbc ,such promises are           
express1--they cannot be broken1--,god  
will give the blessing to the  sincere1 
anxious inquirer4 ,but the two qualities
 must go together4 ,a  man may be       
sincere in his ignorance and spiritual  
torpor2 but let the  full desire for    
,god's favour1 his pardoning mercy1 and 
his enlightening  grace spring up in the
 heart1 and we may rest assured that the
 desire  will soon be accomplished4     
,admitting1 then1 the sincerity of      
,unitarians1  we doubt their anxiety1   
for we are well persuaded from ,god's   
promises1  that if they possessed both1 
they would be delivered from their      
miserable system1 and be brought to the 
knowledge of the truth40#fbd    ,the    
praise of our 8sincerity10 conveyed in  
these bland sentences1 we  are anxious  
to decline3 not that we undervalue the  
quality3 but because  we find1 on near  
inspection1 that it has all been emptied

 out of the  word before its            
presentation1 and the term comes to us  
hollow and  worthless4 ,it affords a    
specimen of the mode in which alone our 
opponents appear able to give any credit
 to heretics3 many phrases of           
approbation they freely apply to us2 but
 they take care to draw off the  whole  
meaning first4 ,we must reject these    
8,greek presents30 and we are  concerned
 that any ,christian divine can so      
torture and desecrate the  names of     
virtue1 as to make them instruments of  
disparagement and  injury4 ,this play   
with words1 which every conscience      
should hold sacred1  and every lip      
pronounce with reverence1--this careless
 and unmeaning  application of them in  
discourse1--indicates a loose adhesion  
to the mind  of the ideas denoted by    
them1 which we regard with unfeigned    
astonishment and grief4 ,what1 let me   
ask1 can be the 8sincerity0 of an       
inquirer1 who is not 8anxious0 about the
 truth8 ,how can he be  8sincerely0     

persuaded that he sees1 who voluntarily 
shuts his eyes8  ,unless this word is to
 be degraded into a synonyme for        
indolence and  self-complacency1 no     
professed seeker of truth must have the 
praise of  sincerity1 who does not      
abandon all worship of his own state of 
mind as  already perfect1 who is not    
ready to listen to every calm doubt as  
to  the voice of heaven1--to undertake  
with gratitude the labour of reaching   
new knowledge1--to maintain his faith   
and his profession in scrupulous        
accordance with his perception of       
evidence2 and1 at any moment of         
awakening1 to spring from his most      
brilliant dreams into ,god's own        
morning light1 with a matin hymn upon   
his lips for his new-birth from         
darkness and from sleep4 ,the           
earnestness implied in this state of    
mind  is perhaps not precisely the same1
 as that with which our ,trinitarian    
opponents seem to be familiar4 ,the     
8anxiety0 which they appear to feel  for

 themselves is1 to keep their existing  
state of belief3 the 8anxiety0  which   
they feel for us is1 that we should have
 it4 ,we are to hold  ourselves ready   
for a change2 they are not to be        
expected to desire it4  ,if a doubt of  
our opinions should occur to us1 we are 
to foster it  carefully1 and follow it  
out as a beckoning of the ,holy ,spirit3
 if a  doubt of their sentiments should 
occur to them1 they are to crush it  on 
the spot1 as a reptile-thought sent of  
,satan to tempt them4 8,our  aim10 says 
the concluding ,lecturer again1 8has    
been to beget a deep  spirit of         
inquiry30#fbe and so has ours1 ,i would 
reply3 only you and we  have severally  
prosecuted this aim in different ways4  
,we have personally  listened1 and      
personally inquired1 and earnestly      
recommended all whom  our influence     
could reach1 to do the same3 and few    
indeed will be the  ,unitarian libraries
 containing one of these series of      
lectures1 that  will not exhibit the    

other by its side4 ,you have entered    
this  controversy1 evidently strange to 
our literature and history2 and any     
deficiency in such reading before1 has  
not been compensated by anxiety  to     
listen now4 ,your people have been      
warned against us1 and are taught  to   
regard the study of our publications as 
blasphemy at second-hand3 and  were they
 really so simple as to act upon your   
avowed wish 8to beget a  deep spirit of 
inquiry10 and plunge into the           
investigation of ,unitarian  authors1   
and judge for themselves of ,unitarian  
worship1 they would  speedily hear the  
word of recal1 and discover that they   
were practically  disappointing the     
whole object of this controversy4       
,having said thus much respecting the   
unmeaning use of language in the        
,lecturer's disparaging estimate of     
,unitarian 8anxiety10 we may  profitably
 direct a moment's attention to the     
reasoning which it  involves4 ,it       
presents us with the standing fallacy of

 intolerance1 which  is sufficiently    
rebuked by being simply exhibited4 ,our 
opponents reason  thus3                 
,god will not permit the really anxious 
fatally to err3              ,the       
,unitarians do fatally err3             
,therefore1 ,the ,unitarians are not    
really anxious4    ,now it is clear that
 we must conceive our opponents to be no
 less  mistaken than they suppose us to 
be4 ,they are as far from us1 as we from
  them2 and from either point1 taken as 
a standard1 the measure of error  must  
be the same4 ,moreover1 we cannot but   
eagerly assent to the  principle of the 
,lecturer's first premiss1 that ,god    
will never let the  truly anxious       
fatally miss their way4 ,so that there  
is nothing1 in the  nature of the case1 
to prevent our turning this same        
syllogism1 with a  change in the names  
of the parties1 against our opponents4  
,yet we should  shrink1 with severe     
self-reproach1 from drawing any such    
unfavourable  conclusion respecting     

them1 as they deduce of us4             
,accordingly1 we manage  our reasoning  
thus3                ,god will not      
permit the really anxious fatally to    
err3              ,the ,trinitarians    
show themselves to be really anxious3   
,therefore1 ,the ,trinitarians do not   
fatally err4    ,our opponents are more 
sure that their judgment is in the      
right1 than  that their neighbours'     
conscience is in earnest4 ,they         
sacrifice other  men's characters to    
their own self-confidence3 we would     
rather distrust  our self-confidence1   
and rely on the visible signs of a good 
and careful  mind4 ,we honour other     
men's hearts1 rather than our own heads4
 ,how can  it be just1 to make the      
agreement between an opponent's opinion 
and our  own1 the criterion of his      
proper conduct of the inquiry8 ,every   
man feels  the injury1 the moment the   
rule is turned against himself3 and     
every  good man should be ashamed to    
direct it against his brother4    #c4   

,our reverend opponents affect to have  
laboured under a great  disadvantage1   
from the absence of any recognized      
standard of ,unitarian  belief4 #8,we   
give you1' they say1 #8our ,articles and
 ,creeds1 which we  unanimously         
undertake to defend1 and which expose a 
definite object to  all heretical       
attacks4 ,in return1 you can furnish us 
with no authorised  exposition of your  
system2 but leave us to gather our      
knowledge of it  from individual        
writers1 for whose opinions you refuse  
to be  responsible1 and whose           
reasonings1 when refuted by us1 you can 
conveniently disown4'    ,plausible as  
this complaint may appear1 ,i venture to
 affirm1 that it is  vastly easier to   
ascertain the common belief of          
,unitarians1 than that of  the members  
of the ,established ,church3 and for    
this plain reason1 that  with us there  
really is such a thing as a common      
faith1 though defined  in no confession2
 in the ,anglican ,church there is not1 

though articles  and creeds profess it4 
,the characteristic tenets of ,unitarian
  ,christianity are so simple and       
unambiguous1 that little scope exists   
for  variety in their interpretation3 to
 the propositions expressing them all   
their professors attach distinct and the
 same ideas2--so far1 at least1  as such
 accordance is possible in relation to  
subjects inaccessible both  to          
demonstration and to experience4 ,but   
the ,trinitarian hypothesis1  venturing 
with presumptuous analysis far into the 
,divine psychology1  presents us with   
ideas confessedly inapprehensible2      
propounded in  language which1 if used  
in its ordinary sense1 is               
self-contradictory1  and if not1 is     
unmeaning1 and ready in its emptiness to
 be filled by any  arbitrary            
interpretation2--and actually understood
 so variously by those  who subscribe to
 them1 that the ,calvinist and the      
,arminian1 the  ,tritheist and the      
,sabellian1 unite to praise them4       

,indeed1 in the  history of the ,english
 ,church1 so visible is the sweep of the
 centre of  orthodoxy over the whole    
space from the confines of ,romanism to 
the  verge of ,unitarianism1 that our   
ecclesiastical chronology is measured by
  its oscillations4 ,our respected      
opponents know full well1 that it is not
  necessary to search beyond the clergy 
of this town1 or even beyond the        
morning and afternoon preaching in one  
and the same church1 in order to        
encounter greater contrasts in theology1
 than could be found in a whole  library
 of ,unitarian divinity4 ,what mockery  
then to refer us to these  articles as  
expositions of clerical belief1 when the
 moment we pass  beyond the words1 and  
address ourselves to the sense1 every   
shade of  contrariety appears3 and no   
one definite conception can be adopted  
of  such a doctrine as that of the      
,trinity1 without some church expositor 
or  other starting up to rebuke it as a 
misrepresentation6 ,how poor the  pride 

of uniformity1 which contents itself    
with lip-service to the  symbol1 in the 
midst of heart-burnings about the       
reality6    ,in order to test the force 
of the objection to which ,i am         
referring1 let  us advert1 in detail1 to
 the topics which exhibit the ,unitarian
 and  ,trinitarian theology in most     
direct opposition4 ,it will appear that 
the  advantage of unity lies1 in this   
instance1 on the side of heresy2 and    
that if multiformity be a prime         
characteristic of error1 there is a wide
  difference between orthodoxy and      
truth4 ,there are four great subjects   
comprised in the controversy between the
 church and ourselves3 the  nature of   
,god2 of ,christ2 of sin2 of punishment4
 ,on these several points  7which1      
considered as involving on our part     
denials of previous ideas1  may be      
regarded as containing the negative     
elements of our belief7 all  our modern 
writers1 without material variation or  
exception1 maintain  the following      

doctrines3              ,,unitarian     
,,doctrines1 opposed to ,,church        
,,doctrines4      7#a47 ,the ,personal  
,unity of ,god4   7#a47 ,the ,trinity in
 ,unity4      7#b47 ,the ,simplicity of 
,nature in  7#b47 ,two distinct ,natures
 in         ,christ4                    
,christ4      7#c47 ,the ,personal      
,origin and      7#c47 ,the             
,transferable ,nature and               
,identity of ,sin4                      
,vicarious ,removal of ,sin4      7#d47 
,the ,finite ,duration of       7#d47   
,the ,eternity of ,hell         ,future 
,suffering4                 ,torments4  
,now no one at all familiar with        
polemical literature can deny1 that the 
modes and ambiguities of doctrine       
comprised in this ,trinitarian list1    
are more numerous than can be detected  
in the parallel 8heresies40 ,i am       
willing indeed to admit an exception in 
respect to the last of the  topics1 and 
to allow that the belief in the finite  
duration of future  punishment has      

opposed itself1 in two forms1 to the    
single doctrine of  everlasting         
torments4 ,but when the systems are     
compared at their other  corresponding  
points1 the boast of orthodox uniformity
 instantly  vanishes4 ,since the        
primitive jealousy between the ,jewish  
and ,gentile  ,christianity1 the rivalry
 between the 8,monarchy0 and the        
8,economy10 the  believers in the       
personal ,unity of ,god1 though often   
severed by ages  from each other1 have  
held that majestic truth in one unvaried
 form4  ,never was there an idea so     
often lost and recovered1 yet so        
absolutely  unchanged3 a sublime1 but   
occasional visitant of the human mind1  
assuring us of the perpetual oneness of 
our own nature1 as well as the  ,divine4
 ,we can point to no unbroken continuity
 of our great doctrine3  and if we      
could1 we should appeal with no         
confidence to the evidence of  so       
dubious a phenomenon2 for if a system of
 ideas once gains possession  of        

society1 and attracts to itself         
complicated interests and feelings1     
many causes may suffice to ensure its   
indefinite preservation4 ,but we  can   
point to a greater phenomenon2 to the   
long and repeated extinction  of our    
favourite belief1 to its submersion     
beneath a dark and restless  fanaticism2
 and its invariable resurrection1 like a
 necessary intuition  of the soul1 in   
times of purer light1 with its features 
still the same2  stamped with           
imperishable identity of truth1 and1    
like him to whom it  refers1 without    
variableness or shadow of a turning4    
,meanwhile1 who will  undertake to      
enumerate and define the succession of  
,trinities by which  this doctrine has  
been bewildered and banished8 ,passing  
by the  ,aristotelian1 the ,platonic1   
the ,ciceronian1 the ,cartesian         
,trinity1--quitting the stormy disputes1
 and contradictory decisions of  the    
early councils1 shall we find among even
 the modern fathers of our  national    

church1 any approach to unanimity8 ,am  
,i to be content with the  doctrine of  
,bishop ,bull1 and subordinate the ,son 
to the ,father as the  sole fountain of 
divinity8 ,or must ,i rise to the       
,tritheism of ,waterland  and ,sherlock8
 or1 accepting the famous decision of   
the ,university of  ,oxford1 descend    
with ,archbishop ,whately1 to the modal 
,trinity of ,south  and ,wallis8 ,are we
 to understand the phrase1 three        
persons1 to mean  three beings united by
 8perichoresis10 three 8mutual          
inexistences10  three 8modes10 three    
8differences10 three 8contemplations10  
or three  8somewhats20 or1 being told   
that this is but a vain prying into a   
mystery1 shall we be satisfied to leave 
the phrase without idea at all8  ,it is 
to the last degree astonishing to hear  
from ,trinitarian divines1  the praises 
of uniformity of belief2 seeing that it 
is one of the chief  labours of         
ecclesiastical history to record the    
incessant effort1 vain  to the present  

day1 to give some stability of meaning  
to the fundamental  doctrines of their  
faith4    ,the same remark applies1 with
 little modification1 to the opposite   
views  respecting the person of the     
,saviour4 ,it is true that ,unitarians1 
agreed  respecting the singleness of    
nature in ,christ1 differ respecting the
  natural rank of that nature1 whether  
his soul were human or angelic4  ,but1  
for this solitary variety among these   
heretics1 how many doctrines  of the    
,logos and the ,incarnation does        
orthodox literature contain8 ,can  any  
one affirm1 that when the council of    
,ephesus had arbitrated between  the    
,eutychian doctrine of absorption1 and  
the ,nestorian doctrine of  separation1 
all doubt and ambiguity was removed by  
the magic phrase  8,hypostatic union80  
,since the monophysite contest was at   
its height1 has  the ,virgin ,mary been 
left in undisputed possession of her    
title as  8,mother of ,god80 ,has the   
,eternal ,generation of the ,son        

encountered no  orthodox suspicions1 and
 the ,indwelling scheme received no     
orthodox  support8 ,and if we ask these 
questions3 8,what respectively happened 
to  the two natures on the cross8 what  
has become of ,christ's human soul  now8
 is it separate from the ,godhead like  
any other immortal spirit1 or  is it    
added to the ,deity1 so as to introduce 
into his nature a new and  fourth       
element80 shall we receive from the many
 voices of the church but  one accordant
 answer8 ,nay1 do the authors of this   
controversy suppose  that1 during its   
short continuance1 they have been able  
to maintain  their unanimity8 ,if they  
do1 ,i believe that any reader who      
thinks it  worth while to register the  
varieties of error1 would be able to    
undeceive them4 ,if the diversities of  
doctrine cannot easily and often  be    
shown to amount to palpable             
inconsistencies1 this must be ascribed1 
,i  believe1 to the mystic and technical
 phraseology1 the substitute rather     

than the expression for precise         
ideas1--which has become the vernacular 
dialect of orthodox divinity4 ,the      
jargon of theology affords a field too  
barren1 to bear so vigorous a weed as an
 undisputed contradiction4    ,it is    
needless to dwell on the numerous forms 
under which the doctrine  of atonement  
has been held by those who subscribe the
 articles of our  national church3 while
 its ,unitarian opponents have taken    
their fixed  station on the personal    
character and untransferable nature of  
sin4 ,one  writer tells us that only the
 human nature perished on the cross2    
another that ,god himself expired3 some 
say1 that ,christ suffered no more      
intensely1 but only more                
8meritoriously10 than many a martyr2    
others1  that he endured the whole      
quantity of torment due to the wicked   
whom he  redeemed3 some1 that it is the 
spotlessness of his manhood that is     
imputed to believers2 others1 that it is
 the holiness of his ,deity4 ,from  the 

high doctrine of satisfaction to the    
very verge of ,unitarian heresy1  every 
variety of interpretation has been given
 to the language of the  established    
formularies respecting ,christian       
redemption4 ,nor is it yet  determined  
whether1 in the lottery of opinion1 the 
name of ,owen1 ,sykes1  or ,magee1 shall
 be drawn for the prize of orthodoxy4   
,and if from those parts of our belief1 
to which the accidents of their         
historical origin have given a negative 
character1 we turn to those  which are  
positive1 not the slightest reason will 
appear for charging  them with          
uncertainty and fluctuation4 ,all       
,unitarian writers maintain  the ,moral 
,perfection and ,fatherly ,providence of
 the ,infinite ,ruler2 the  ,messiahship
 of ,jesus ,christ1 in whose person and 
spirit there is a  ,revelation of ,god  
and a ,sanctification for ,man2 the     
,responsibility and  ,retributive       
,immortality of men2 and the need of a  
pure and devout heart  of ,faith1 as the

 source of all outward goodness and     
inward communion  with ,god4 ,these     
great and self-luminous points1 bound   
together by  natural affinity1          
constitute the fixed centre of our      
religion4 ,and on  subjects beyond this 
centre1 we have no wider divergences    
than are found  among those who attach  
themselves to an opposite system4 ,for  
example1  the relations between         
,scripture and ,reason1 as evidences and
 guides in  questions of doctrine1 are  
not more unsettled among us1 than are   
the  relations between ,scripture and   
,tradition in the ,church4 ,nor is the  
perpetual authority of the 8,christian  
rites0 so much in debate among our      
ministers1 as the efficacy of the       
,sacraments among the clergy4 ,in truth1
  our diversities of sentiment affect   
far less what we believe1 than the      
question why we believe it4 ,different  
modes of reasoning1 and  different      
results of interpretation1 are no doubt 
to be found among our  several authors4 

,we all make our appeal to the records  
of ,christianity3  but we have voted no 
particular commentator into the seat of 
authority4  ,and is not this equally    
true of our opponents' church8 ,their   
articles  and creeds furnish no textual 
expositions of ,scripture1 but only     
results  and deductions from its study4 
,and so variously have these results    
been  elicited from the sacred writings1
 that scarcely a text can be adduced  in
 defence of the ,trinitarian scheme1    
which some witness unexceptionably      
orthodox may not be summoned to prove   
inapplicable4 ,in fine1 we have no      
greater variety of critical and         
exegetical opinion than the divines from
  whom we dissent3 while the system of  
,christianity in which our  ,scriptural 
labours have issued1 has its leading    
characteristics better  determined and  
more apprehensible1 than the scheme     
which the articles  and creeds have     
vainly laboured to define4    ,the      
refusal to embody our sentiments in any 

authoritative formula  appears to strike
 observers as a whimsical exception to  
the general  practice of churches4 ,the 
peculiarity has had its origin in       
hereditary  and historical associations3
 but it has its defence in the noblest  
principles of religious freedom and     
,christian communion4 ,at present1 it   
must suffice to say1 that our ,societies
 are dedicated1 not to  theological     
opinions1 but to religious worship3 that
 they have  maintained the unity of the 
spirit1 without insisting on any unity  
of  doctrine3 that ,christian liberty1  
love1 and piety are their essentials  in
 perpetuity1 but their ,unitarianism an 
accident of a few or many               
generations2--which has arisen1 and     
might vanish1 without the loss of  their
 identity4 ,we believe in the mutability
 of religious systems1 but  the         
imperishable character of the religious 
affections2--in the  progressiveness of 
opinion within1 as well as without1 the 
limits of  ,christianity4 ,our          

forefathers cherished the same          
conviction3 and so1 not  having been    
born intellectual bondsmen1 we desire to
 leave our  successors free4 ,convinced 
that uniformity of doctrine can never   
prevail1 we seek to attain its only     
good1--peace on earth and communion     
with heaven1--without it4 ,we aim to    
make a true ,christendom1--a            
commonwealth of the faithful1--by the   
binding force1 not of  ecclesiastical   
creeds1 but of spiritual wants1 and     
,christian sympathies3  and indulge the 
vision of a ,church that 8in the latter 
days shall  arise10 like 8the mountain  
of the ,lord10 bearing on its ascent the
  blossoms of thought proper to every   
intellectual clime1 and withal          
massively rooted in the deep places of  
our humanity1 and gladly rising  to meet
 the sunshine from on high4    ,and now1
 friends and brethren1 let us say a glad
 farewell to the  fretfulness of        
controversy1 and retreat again1 with    
thanksgiving1 into  the interior of our 

own venerated truth4 ,having come forth1
 at the  severer call of duty1 to do    
battle for it1 with such force as ,god  
vouchsafes to the sincere1 let us go in 
to live and worship beneath its         
shelter4 ,they tell you1 it is not the  
true faith4 ,perhaps not3 but then1  you
 think it so2 and that is enough to make
 your duty clear1 and to draw  from it1 
as from nothing else1 the very peace of 
,god4 ,may be1 we are on  our way to    
something better1 unexistent and unseen 
as yet2 which may  penetrate our souls  
with nobler affection1 and give a fresh 
spontaneity  of love to ,god and all    
immortal things4 ,perhaps there cannot  
be the  truest life of faith1 except in 
scattered individuals1 till this age of 
conflicting doubt and dogmatism shall   
have passed away4 ,dark and leaden      
clouds of materialism hide the heaven   
from us3 red gleams of fanaticism       
pierce through1 vainly striving to      
reveal it2 and not till the weight is   
heaved from off the air1 and the        

thunders roll down the horizon1 will    
the serene light of ,god flow upon us1  
and the blue infinite embrace us  again4
 ,meanwhile1 we must reverently love the
 faith we have3 to quit it  for one that
 we have not1 were to lose the breath of
 life1 and die4                         
,,note4                                 
---------------------                   
,the ,jewish ,passover not a proper     
,sacrifice4    ,in an essay on 8the one 
great end of the life and death of      
,christ10 ,dr4  ,priestley makes the    
following observations on the words     
7occurring in #a  ,cor4 v4 #g17         
8,christ1 our passover1 is sacrificed   
for us30 8,this  allusion to the paschal
 lamb makes it also probable1 that the  
death of  ,christ is called a sacrifice 
only by way of figure1 because these two
  7viz41 sacrifice and the paschal lamb7
 are quite different and  inconsistent  
ideas4 ,the paschal lamb is never so    
much as termed a  sacrifice in the ,old 
,testament1 except once1 ,exodus xii4   

#bg1 where it is  called #8the sacrifice
 of the ,lord's passover4' ,however1 it 
could only  be called a sacrifice in    
this place1 in some secondary and       
partial  sense1 and not in the proper   
and primary sense of the word2 for there
  was no priest employed upon the       
occasion1 no altar made use of1 no      
burning1 nor any part offered to the    
,lord2 all which circumstances were     
essential to every proper sacrifice4    
,the blood indeed was sprinkled upon    
the door-posts1 but this was originally 
nothing more than a token to the        
destroying angel to pass by that house2 
for there is no propitiation or         
atonement said to be made by it3 and the
 paschal lamb is very far from  having  
been ever called a sin-offering1 or said
 to be killed on  account of sin40#fbf  
,every reader1 ,i apprehend1 understands
 this description of the manner of      
celebrating the passover1 to refer to   
the particular 8occasion0 spoken  of 8in
 this place0 7,exod4 xii4 #bg74 #8,the  

writer of this verse1' argues  ,dr4     
,priestley1 #8could not use the word    
sacrifice in its strictest  sense2 for  
his own narrative of the very           
celebration to which it is  applied1    
describes it as destitute of all the    
essentials of a proper  sacrifice4' ,the
 allusion to the blood sprinkled upon   
the door-posts1 as  8a token to the     
destroying angel to pass by that house10
 immediately  connects ,dr4 ,priestley's
 assertions with the ,egyptian passover4
 ,by  cutting out this allusion1 and    
otherwise breaking up the passage in    
quotation1 ,archbishop ,magee has       
contrived to conceal its character as an
  historical description of a single    
occasion1 and to give it the air of a   
general account of the ,jewish paschal  
ceremony in all ages4 ,having           
accomplished this1 and obtained for     
himself the liberty of travelling  for a
 reply over the whole ,hebrew history   
and traditions1 he says2 8,now  in      
answer to these several assertions1 ,i  

am obliged to state the direct          
contradiction of each2 for1 #ast1 the   
passage in ,exodus xii4 #bg1 is not  the
 only one1 in which the paschal lamb is 
termed 1 a sacrifice1 it  being         
expressly so called in no less than four
 passages in ,deuteronomy  7xvi4 #b1 #d1
 #e1 #f71 and also in ,exodus xxxv4 #be1
 and its parallel passage  xxiii4       
#ah4--b4 ,a priest was employed4--#c4   
,an altar was made use of4--#d4  ,there 
was a burning1 and a part offered to the
 ,lord3 the inwards being  burnt upon   
the altar1 and the blood poured out at  
the foot  thereof40#fbg ,the last three 
of these 8direct contradictions0        
establish nothing but this ,prelate's   
habit 7not adopted1 we may presume1     
without urgent necessity7 of            
misrepresenting his opponents in order  
to  confute them3 for it is quite       
needless to observe that1 in the        
,egyptian  passover1 of which alone ,dr4
 ,priestley speaks1 there was neither   
priest1  altar1 nor burning3 and though 

the ,archbishop should be able to detect
  all these elements in a festival of   
,king ,josiah's time1 he will have      
proved no error against the passage     
which he criticises4 ,in his first      
contradiction1 he would have gained an  
advantage over his opponent1 had  not   
his eagerness induced him to strain his 
evidence too far4 ,a more  modest       
disputant would have thought it         
sufficient to reckon three  successive  
verses 7,deut4 xvi4 #d1 #e1 #f7 in which
 the same phrase is  simply repeated1 as
 a single instead of a triple authority3
 the  other citation from the same      
passage is not to the point1 as will    
presently be shown3 and in one of the   
verses quoted from ,exodus 7xxiii4  #ah7
 the word  does not occur at all in     
relation to the passover4 ,so  that ,dr4
 ,priestley having discovered two       
passages too few1 the ,prelate  makes   
compensation by discovering two passages
 too many4    ,having said thus much in 
reference to ,archbishop ,magee's       

fairness to his  opponent1 ,i will add a
 few strictures on the reasonings by    
which he  supports his general position1
 that the passover was a proper         
sacrifice4  ,he adduces two arguments   
from words1 and three from facts4 #a4   
,the  word 1 sacrifice1 is applied to   
the passover4--#b4 ,the word 1  ,corban1
 a sacred offering1 is applied to       
it4--#c4 ,the slaying of the  lamb took 
place at the tabernacle or temple4--#d4 
,the blood was offered at  the foot of  
the altar4--#e4 ,the fat and entrails   
were burnt as an offering  on the altar 
fire4    7#a47 ,it has been already     
stated1 that ,archbishop ,magee has     
improperly  adduced two passages1 as    
applying the word sacrifice to the      
passover4 ,the first of these is ,exod4 
xxiii4 #ah1 where it is said3 8,thou    
shalt not offer the blood of my         
sacrifice with leavened bread2 neither  
shall the fat of my sacrifice remain    
till morning40 ,the second clause  here 
undoubtedly refers to the paschal lamb3 

but the term 8sacrifice0  occurring in  
it is not the proper translation of the 
original2 nor is  the ,hebrew word the  
same that is correctly so rendered in   
the first  clause4 ,the phrases being   
not the same1 but discriminated1 in the 
two  parts of the verse1 the less reason
 exists for supposing that both  allude 
to the passover4 ,more probably1 the    
reference in the former is to  the      
sacrifices appropriate to the feast of  
unleavened bread1 which  being          
contiguous to the passover in time1 is  
naturally conjoined with it  in the     
precepts of this verse4    ,the second  
irrelevant passage is ,deut4 xvi4 #b3   
8,thou shalt therefore  sacrifice the   
passover unto the ,lord thy ,god1 of the
 flock and of the  herd40 ,since the    
paschal lamb could not be taken 8from   
the herd10 it  is evident that the word 
8passover10 is used here in a wider     
sense1#fbh to denote the joint eight    
days' festival1 including that of       
unleavened bread1 when heifers were     

offered 8from the herd40 ,this  more    
comprehensive meaning of the term is    
frequent1 not merely with  ,josephus and
 the later ,jewish writers1 but in the  
,hebrew ,scriptures  themselves2 and    
renders inconclusive most of the        
arguments by which the  passover is made
 to assume the appearance of a proper   
sacrifice4 ,an  example occurs in the   
very next verse3 8,seven days thou shalt
 eat  unleavened bread therewith10 that 
is1 with the passover2 and in #b        
,chron4 xxxv4 #i3 8,conaniah also 7and  
other persons7 gave unto the priests    
for the passover offerings1 #b1fjj small
 cattle1 and #cjj oxen40    ,in the     
remaining places1 however1 this feast is
 undoubtedly called a  sacrifice4 ,but  
then it is clear that the ,hebrew word  
is used with a  latitude1 which renders 
it impossible to draw from it any       
inference as  to the character of the   
ceremony to which it is applied4 ,it    
denotes  slaying of animals for food1   
without any necessary reference to a    

sacred use4#fbi ,thus1 #a ,sam4 xxviii4 
#bd4 8,and the woman had a fat calf  in 
the house2 and she hasted and killed    
it10 7sacrificed it1 72  also #a ,kings1
 xix4 #ba4 8,and he took a yoke of oxen1
 and slew them  771 and boiled their    
flesh with the instruments of the oxen1 
and  gave unto the people1 and they did 
eat40 ,and the substantive occurs thus  
in ,prov4 xvii4 #a4 8,better is a dry   
morsel1 and quietness therewith1 than  a
 house full of sacrifices 7evidently    
meats1--the luxury of animal  food7 with
 strife40    7#b47 ,the passover is     
called 1 ,corban1 a sacred offering1 in 
,numb4 ix4 #g1 #ac4 ,certain men who had
 been defiled by performing funeral     
rites1 present themselves to ,moses1 and
 say1 8,wherefore are we kept  back1    
that we may not offer the offering of   
the ,lord in his appointed  season among
 the children of ,israel80 ,and then    
follows the law which  ,moses takes     
occasion from this incident to announce2
 that persons  disqualified by absence  

on a journey1 or by uncleanness1 from   
joining in  the celebration at the      
appointed time1 may observe it at the   
corresponding period of the next month4 
,such disqualifications1 if  existing at
 all1 would have excluded from the whole
 eight days'  festival1 including the   
feast of unleavened bread1 and held the 
parties  away till the following month2 
8the offering of the ,lord10 therefore1 
which they were kept back from          
presenting1 comprised all the sacrifices
  proper to the 8season20 and the word  
8offering0 is comprehensively  applied  
to the whole set1 from its particular   
propriety in reference to  the most     
numerous portion of them1 the sacrifices
 at the feast of  unleavened bread4 ,the
 paschal lamb1 by itself1 is never1 ,i  
believe1  designated by this term4      
,in treating of the actual details of   
the paschal ceremony1 it is  necessary  
to distinguish between those which were 
of legal obligation1  and those which   
were merely consuetudinary or           

occasional4 ,nothing can  justly be     
pronounced an essential of the          
celebration1 which is not  enjoined in  
the statutes appointing it2 and should  
other customs present  themselves in the
 historical instances of the            
commemoration which we  possess1 they   
cannot be received as authoritative     
illustrations of its  intended          
character1 but as accessaries appended  
by convenience1  tradition1 or          
sacerdotal influence4#fcj ,with this    
remark ,i proceed to  the next argument4
    7#c47 ,the slaying of the paschal   
lamb is said to have been restricted to 
the tabernacle or temple4    ,the only  
passage from the law1 adduced to prove  
this1 is ,deut4 xvi4 #b1  #e1 #f1 where 
it is said1 8,thou mayest not sacrifice 
the passover within  any of thy gates1  
which the ,lord thy ,god giveth thee2   
but at the place  which the ,lord thy   
,god shall choose to place his name in1 
there shalt  thou sacrifice the passover
 at even40 ,the reader might naturally  

suppose  that ,jerusalem was here       
denoted by the phrase1 8the place which 
the  ,lord thy ,god shall choose10 in   
contradistinction from the provincial   
cities described as 8any of thy gates20 
but ,archbishop ,magee sets aside  this 
interpretation1 by referring us to this 
very same expression in  ,deut4 xii4 #e1
 #f1 #aa1 #ad1 where it evidently means 
the tabernacle or  temple1 not the city2
 for a multitude of rites are there     
enumerated1 to  be performed1 8in the   
place that the ,lord shall choose10     
which could be  celebrated only at the  
sanctuary4 ,it so happens1 however1 that
 in this  enumeration1 the ,passover is 
precisely the one thing which is not    
mentioned2 from which we might fairly   
infer1 that it was not among the        
ceremonies limited to the sanctuary2 and
 further1 that in addition to  the vague
 description of place common to both    
passages1 there occurs  exclusively in  
the latter1 the additional one1 8there  
shall ye eat1  ,,before ,,the ,,lord    

,,your ,,god10 which is well known to be
 the usual mode of  designating the     
tabernacle4 ,and that in the            
passover-law1 the locality  intended was
 the city1 and not the sanctuary1 is    
evident from a verse  which ,archbishop 
,magee has not thought it necessary to  
quote1 though it  is the immediate      
sequel of his citation2 8and thou shalt 
roast and eat  it 7the paschal lamb7 in 
the place which the ,lord thy ,god shall
  choose40 ,whatever doubt may exist    
about the slaying1 the roasting and     
eating could not take place at the      
tabernacle4    ,the law1 then1 nowhere  
prescribes the slaying of the paschal   
lamb at the  sanctuary4 ,but neither    
does it forbid this2 and therefore we   
are not  surprised that the act should  
take place there1 on any particular     
occasion rendering such arrangement     
obviously convenient2 or as a  general  
practice1 in concession to any strong   
interests tending to draw  it thither4  
,when1 therefore1 a long period of      

idolatry and political  confusion had   
obliterated from the minds of the       
,israelites the very  memory of their   
religious rites2 when new modes of      
worship had become  habitual1 and the   
annual festival had grown strange2 when1
 to induce  them to come up to the      
passover at all1 their monarch was      
obliged to  provide for them the whole  
number of their victims1 and the        
officiating  ,levites needed to study   
again the appointed ceremonies of the   
season2 it  is no wonder that king      
,josiah thought it expedient to collect 
8the whole  congregation0 at the temple1
 and there to let them witness the form 
of  slaying1 by well-trained hands1 and 
receive instruction how to complete  the
 celebration of their feast4 ,such was  
the solemn passover described  in #b    
,chron4 xxxv4 and that in the reign of  
,hezekiah1 mentioned in the  thirtieth  
chapter of the same book2 the           
circumstances of both which were  too   
peculiar to afford evidence of a general

 practice1 much less of a  legal        
essential4    ,that in later times it   
was the custom to slay the paschal lambs
 in the  ,temple courts1 there can be no
 doubt4 ,the system of ecclesiastical   
police1 and the operation of sacerdotal 
interests created the practice4  ,it was
 the business of the priests to see to  
the execution of the  festival-law2 to  
ascertain who incurred the penalty due  
to neglect of  the prescribed rite3 to  
register the numbers of those who       
observed it2  and to take care that     
neither too many nor too few should     
partake at the  same table4 ,all this   
required that the heads of families     
should present  themselves1 and report  
their intended arrangements to the      
authorities at  the temple4 ,the priests
 moreover1 being the judges of the      
qualifications  of the animals for the  
paschal table1 availed themselves of    
this power1  to become graziers and     
provision-dealers4 ,as the lambs must be
 presented  for their inspection1 and   

were liable to be turned back if        
pronounced  imperfect1 it became more   
convenient to buy the victim at once at 
the  ,temple courts3 and on the spot    
where the purchase was made1 the slaying
  would naturally follow4 ,lightfoot1   
speaking of the law which originally    
required the lamb to be chosen four days
 before it was killed1 says1 8,it  is   
not to be doubted but every one in after
 times took up their own  lambs as they 
did in ,egypt1 but it is somewhat       
doubtful whether they did  it in the    
same manner4 ,it is exceedingly         
probable1 that as the priests  took up  
the lambs for the daily sacrifice four  
days before they were to  be offered1 as
 we have observed elsewhere2 so also    
that they provided  lambs for the people
 at the passover1 taking them up in the 
market four  days before1 and picking   
and culling out those that were fit1 and
  agreeable to the command4 ,for whereas
 the law was so punctual that they      
should be without blemish1 and their    

traditions had summed up so large  a sum
 of blemishes1 as that they reckon      
seventy-three1 it could not be  but the 
law and their traditions which they     
prized above the law should  be         
endlessly broken1 if every one took up  
his own lamb in the market at           
,jerusalem at adventure4 ,the priests   
had brought a market of sheep and  oxen 
against such times as these into the    
temple1 7for if it had not  been their  
doing1 they must not have come there17  
where they having  before-hand picked   
out in the market such lambs and        
bullocks as were fit  for sacrifice or  
passover1 they sold them in the temple  
at a dearer  rate1 and so served the    
people's turn and their own profit3 for 
which1  amongst other of their          
hucksteries1 our ,saviour saith1 they   
had made  the house of prayer a den of  
thieves40#fca    7#d47 ,the blood is    
said to have been poured out as an      
offering at the  foot of the altar4     
,the only legal evidence adduced to     

prove this1 will be found in the        
parallel passages1 ,exod4 xxiii4 #ah1   
and xxxiv4 #be4 8,thou shalt not offer  
the blood of my sacrifice with leaven40 
,i have already shown that this  command
 probably refers1 not to the paschal    
lamb1 but to the sacrifices  at the     
feast of unleavened bread4 ,there is    
therefore no evidence1  throughout the  
law1 in favour of the alleged           
regulation4 ,yet in cases of  undoubted 
sacrifice1 ,moses is usually very       
explicit in his directions  respecting  
the sprinkling of the blood upon the    
altar3 as may be seen  from ,lev4 i4 #e1
 #aa1 #ae2 iii4 #b1 #h1 #ac2 iv4 #e-g1  
#af-ah2 vii4 #b4    ,the only historical
 evidence adduced from ,scripture on the
 point  before us1 is from the accounts 
of ,hezekiah's and ,josiah's solemn     
passovers before mentioned2 #b ,chron4  
xxx4 #ae1 #af2 xxxv4 #aa4 ,in both      
these instances1 it is merely said1 that
 the priests 8sprinkled 7or  poured out7
 the blood10 receiving it from the hands

 of the ,levites1 who  were employed1   
for reasons already assigned1 to slay   
the lambs on these  two occasions1      
instead of the heads of families1 on    
whom that office  properly devolved4    
,the altar is not named3 but as the     
blood must be  disposed of somewhere1   
and as there was a drain for that       
purpose at  the foot of the altar1 no   
doubt it was there that the priests     
sprinkled  or poured it away4 ,the act  
was simply an act of cleanliness1--in   
plain  speech1 a resort to the          
sink1--from which theology can extract  
nothing  profitable4 ,the priests were  
the parties to perform the office       
because  no other persons could approach
 the altar under penalty of death4 ,in  
later times1 when the sacerdotal        
influence had made the temple the scene 
of the paschal slaughter1 each head of a
 family killed his own lamb in  the     
court3 the blood1 received in a basin1  
was handed to the first of a  row of    
priests reaching to the foot of the     

altar1 where it was poured  away at the 
usual place4#fcb ,in this there is      
nothing of the nature of  an offering or
 proper sacrifice4    7#e47 ,but it is  
said that the fat and entrails were     
placed on the altar  fire and burned4   
,archbishop ,magee says1 that this 8may 
be collected from the accounts  given of
 the ceremony of the passover in the    
passages already referred  to40#fcc ,it 
requires perhaps that able              
controversialist's peculiar mode  of    
8managing passages0 7to use a favourite 
phrase of his own7 to elicit  this from 
the authorities named2 at least1 ,i am  
unable1 after careful  examination of   
them1 to conjecture what he means4 ,the 
passages however  are before my readers1
 and ,i must leave the assertion to     
their judgment4  ,meanwhile1 ,i must    
conclude1 that there is absolutely no   
trace in  ,scripture of such a practice 
as is here pronounced to be one of the  
essentials of the passover4    ,i am    
aware that there is ,talmudical         

authority for considering this          
8burning0 as a part of the process      
connected1 in later times1 with the     
killing of the paschal lamb4#fcd ,it was
 probably one of the  modifications of  
the rite1 introduced by the priests on  
its transference  from the private homes
 of the people to the temple4 ,the      
original law  required1 that the lamb   
should be roasted whole1 not even the   
entrails  being removed2 it also        
enjoined1 that whatever was left should 
be  immediately burned with fire1 and   
every trace of it destroyed before      
morning4#fce ,this private burning was  
clearly no religious and  sacrificial   
act1 though1 perhaps1 a provision       
against any superstitious  use of the   
remnants3 and it is easy to perceive1   
that the parts thus  destroyed would be 
the same1 which subsequently it was the 
custom of the  priests to consume on the
 altar fire4 ,when the killing became a 
collective act1 and the temple the scene
 of it1 doubtless both people  and      

priests thought it more cleanly and     
agreeable to burn the parts  which were 
sure to be left1 before hand on the     
public fire1 than  afterwards on the    
hearths of their private dwellings3 and 
it would  require a very illiberal      
interpreter to pronounce this a         
violation of  the original law1 the     
spirit of which it certainly observed4  
,this view1  which treats the burning on
 the altar as simply a mode of          
consumption1  substituted for the       
destruction of the same worthless parts 
at home1 is  less insulting to the      
,jewish religion than the opinion which 
discerns  here an act of worship4 ,the  
,jews were certainly a very coarse      
people1  and offered many disagreeable  
things to ,god3 but really1 such a gift 
as  this is without any parallel4 ,they 
always1--in obedience to their          
law1--presented something valuable      
7sometimes the whole animal1  sometimes 
the breast and right shoulder71 either  
to ,jehovah on the  altar1 or to his    

ministers the priests3#fcf and the pious
 ,jew would  have indignantly resented  
the idea of quitting the temple courts  
with  the whole value of his sacrifice  
on his shoulder1 and only the refuse    
remaining in the sanctuary4    ,by law1 
then1 there was nothing of the paschal  
lamb burned on the altar3  and by custom
 there was no part offered to ,jehovah  
or given to the  priests3 and without   
these characteristics1 there is no      
proper  sacrifice4    ,archbishop ,magee
 admits1 that the ceremony of laying the
 hand on the  head of the victim1 which 
was observed in the undoubted           
sacrifices1 did  not take place in the  
rite under consideration3 and he notices
 the  statement of ,philo1 that the     
animal was slain1 not by the priest1 but
 by  the individual presenting it4#fcg  
,he considers ,philo to have been       
mistaken1 however1 in his assertion that
 this immolation by private hand  was   
peculiar to the passover2 and cites the 
language of ,lev4 i4 #d1 #e2  iii4 #b2  

iv4 #bd1 to show that the burnt         
offering1 the peace-offering1 the       
sin-offering1 might all be slain by the 
offerer4 ,certainly these  passages     
appear to leave such permission open to 
the ,israelitish  worshipper3 but it    
seems more likely that the sacrifices   
here enumerated  were intended to be    
made by the hands of the priest3 nor    
would it be  easy to reconcile the      
liberty of private sacrifice with the   
sacerdotal  duties and privileges       
defined in ,num4 xviii4 #a-g4 ,as to the
 actual  practice1 it cannot be         
reasonably doubted that ,philo was      
correct3 and  his expressions seem to   
imply that1 in the paschal rite1 the    
priest  might be altogether dispensed   
with1 and his intervention required for 
no  religious act4 ,he says3 8,on the   
fourteenth day of this month1 at the    
coming of the full moon1 is celebrated  
the public festival of the  passover1   
called in the ,chaldee language the     
,pascha3 when1 instead of  the private  

citizen presenting his victim at the    
altar to be slain by  the priest1 the   
whole nation officiates in sacred       
things1 every one in  turn bringing and 
immolating his own victim with his own  
hands4 ,the  whole people is festive and
 joyous1 every one being entitled to the
  dignity of priesthood40#fch ,he uses  
similar expressions in his treatise  on 
the decalogue3 ,the festival1 8which the
 ,hebrews in their language  call the   
,pascha10 is a time 8when each and all  
of them slay their  victim1 without     
waiting for the services of their       
priests3 the law1 on  an appointed day  
of every year1 conceding to the whole   
people the  sacerdotal functions1 to the
 extent of permitting them to officiate 
for  themselves at a sacrifice40#fci    
,this language evidently implies1 that  
every essential part of the passover    
rites1 every act necessary to           
constitute and complete its character as
 a religious celebration1 was  performed
 by private hand3 so that the auxiliary 

operations of the  priests1--the pouring
 out of the blood and burning the       
inwards1--must be  regarded as          
non-essentials and accessaries2 menial  
contributions to the  main act2 and in  
the performance of which1 therefore1 the
 usual law1  forbidding to the          
non-official ,jew all approach to the   
altar1 came into  effect again4 ,had the
 paschal celebration required1 as an    
indispensable  ingredient in it1 any    
transactions at the altar1 the private  
,israelite1  being temporarily invested 
with whatever sacerdotal privileges were
  needful for the rite1 would have gone 
himself to make his offering4  ,philo   
indeed obviously conceived of the       
subsequent part of the ceremony1  in    
which the temple and the priest had no  
share1--the domestic meal which  took   
place in the several homes of the       
people1--as its peculiarly sacred       
element3 8,each house10 he says1 8at    
that time put on the form and  sanctity 
of a temple1 the victim that has been   

slain being made ready  for a suitable  
meal40#fdj ,fond as this writer is of   
types1 it is  impossible to express the 
retrospective and commemorative         
character of  the passover more         
emphatically than in his words3        1
  4#fda    ,in one passage of his note  
on the ,passover1 ,archbishop ,magee    
appears to  admit that the paschal lamb 
was not a 8sacrifice for sin10 and      
affirms  that he 8would not dispute with
 ,dr4 ,priestley any conclusion he might
  draw from so productive a             
premiss40#fdb ,yet1 a few pages further 
on1 he  quotes with apparent approbation
 the arguments by which ,cudworth sought
  to prove the rite to be an expiatory  
sacrifice4#fdc ,i cannot pretend  to    
reconcile these two portions of his     
,essay4 ,but if the passover cannot  be 
shown to be an expiatory sacrifice1 ,i  
do not see what the advocates  of the   
doctrine of atonement gain by proving it
 a sacrifice at all4 ,if  the paschal   
lamb was not a sin-offering1 to what    

class did it belong8  ,it must have been
 either of the eucharistic kind1 or else
 unique and  simply commemorative2 and  
so far as the death of ,christ was      
analogous to  any such offering1 it was 
destitute of expiatory efficacy3 and    
either  was an expression of            
thanksgiving1 7which seems absurd7 or1  
like the  blood of the lamb sprinkled on
 the lintel1 a mere sign of some        
deliverance which it was not            
instrumental in effecting1 but which1   
simultaneously perhaps1 yet             
independently occurred4 ,those1         
therefore1  who are disposed to strain  
the resemblance between the passover and
 the  cross1 must either maintain the   
expiatory nature of the ,jewish right1  
or admit the ,lord's ,supper to be1 not 
even the celebration of a real          
deliverance1 but the mere commemoration 
of a sign4    ,,postscript4    ,in the  
notes to the ,sixth ,lecture of this    
series 7p4 #hi-ib17 ,i have  adduced an 
example of ,archbishop ,magee's         

misrepresentation of ,mr4  ,belsham1 and
 stated that the ,prelate had quoted his
 opponent falsely4 ,in  comparing the   
two authors1 ,i employed the latest     
editions of both their  works2 not being
 able to procure a copy of the first    
edition of the ,calm  ,enquiry1 which   
has been out of print for twenty-two    
years4 ,at the same  time1 ,i thought it
 only just to insert the following note3
 8,there is a  possibility1 which ,i    
think it right to suggest1 of a         
difference between  the two editions of 
,mr4 ,b4's work2 as1 however1 the       
accusation is still  found in the newest
 edition of the ,archbishop's book1 ,i  
conclude that  this is not the case4    
,indeed1 even if the ,prelate's         
quotation had been  verbally true1 it   
would in spirit have been no less false2
 for1 at  all events1 ,mr4 ,b4 cites the
 ,vulgate1 to give evidence as to the   
text1  not the translation2 and had he  
used the word renders1 it would only    
have been because the term naturally    

occurs when a ,,version is adduced to   
determine a ,,reading40    ,i have since
 obtained a copy of the first edition of
 the ,calm ,enquiry2  and ,i hasten to  
acknowledge that the ,archbishop's      
quotation is  8verbally true10 as far as
 it goes4 ,but ,i regret to say that    
this  makes only a formal difference in 
his favour2 for by stopping short in    
his citation1 he accomplished the very  
same object1 of leaving an  absolutely  
false impression1 which ,i had supposed 
him to have effected1  in this as in    
other instances1 by direct falsification
 of his author4 ,he  wishes to make it  
appear1 that ,mr4 ,belsham 7purposely   
mistranslating for  the occasion17      
appeals to a certain verse in the       
,vulgate in evidence1  not of a         
,,reading1 but of a ,,rendering2 and so 
he cites these words from  the ,calm    
,enquiry3 8,the ,vulgate renders the    
text1 the first man was of  the earth1  
earthy2 the second man was from heaven1 
heavenly20 but he  leaves out the very  

next words1 in which the point intended 
to be  proved by this testimony of the  
,vulgate is cited1 8,this is not        
improbably the ,,true ,,reading40       
,doubtless it was one of ,mr4 ,belsham's
  incuri that he did not attend to his  
italics in his first edition3  but the  
charge of intentional mistranslation is 
simply injurious2 except  indeed1 that  
it is also absurd1 seeing that ,mr4     
,belsham has put the  ,latin of his     
mistranslated passage at the bottom of  
the page2--a policy  which this         
heresiarch could scarcely have thought  
safe1 unless he had  taken his          
,unitarian readers to be either more    
8dishonest critics10 or  more 8defective
 scholars10 than even our learned       
opponents are prepared  to think them4  
------------------------------------    
,footnotes for ,lecture ,,xiii4         
,footnote #fjg3      ,ps4 li4 #af1 #ag4 
,footnote #fjh3      ,is4 i4 #ac1 #ad1  
#af4    ,footnote #fji3      ,conference
 with ,fisher1  #ae2 quoted in ,tracts  

for the ,times1 ,no4 #gf4    ,catena    
,patrum1 ,no4 ,,ii4 p4 #ah4    ,footnote
 #faj3      ,of ,persons dying without  
,baptism1 p4 #igi2 quoted in loc4 cit4  
pp4    #ai1 #bj4    ,footnote #faa3     
,history of ,popish ,transubstantiation1
 ch4 #d2 printed in the ,tracts for     
the ,times1 ,no4 #bg1 pp4 #ad1 #ae4     
,footnote #fab3      ,bishop of         
,exeter's charge1 delivered at his      
,triennial ,visitation in    ,august1   
,september1 and ,october1 #ahcf1 p4     
#dd-dg4    ,footnote #fac3      ,tracts 
for the ,times1 ,no4 #d1 p4 #e4         
,footnote #fad3      ,ibid4 ,no4 #e1 pp4
 #i1 #aj4    ,footnote #fae3      ,luke 
iv4 #ah1 #ai4    ,footnote #faf3        
,archbishop ,whately1 speaking of the   
word  and its meaning1    says2 8,this  
is an office assigned to none under the 
gospel-scheme1    except the ,,one great
 ,high ,priest1 of whom the ,jewish     
,priests were    types40c ,of the       
8gospel-scheme10 this is quite true2 of 
the    ,church-of-,england scheme1 it is

 not4 ,there lies before me ,duport's   
,greek version of the ,prayer-,book and 
,offices of the ,anglican ,church3      
and turning to the ,communion ,service1 
,i find the officiating    clergyman    
called  throughout4 ,the absence of this
 word from    the records of the        
primitive ,gospel1 and its presence in  
the    ,prayer-,book1 is perfectly      
expressive of the difference in the     
spirit    of the two systems2--the      
difference between the ,church with1 and
    the 8,christianity without ,priest40
    ,footnote c3      ,elements of      
,logic4 ,appendix3 ,note on the word    
8,priest40    ,footnote #fag3           
,matt4 xviii4 #ah4    ,footnote #fah3   
,see ,rom4 vi4 #b-d4 8,how shall we1    
that are dead to sin1 live any longer   
therein8 ,know ye not1 that so many of  
us as were baptized into ,jesus         
,christ were baptized into his death8   
,therefore we are buried with him    by 
baptism into death2 that1 like as       
,christ was raised up from the    dead  

by the glory of the ,father1 even so we 
also should walk in    newness of life40
 ,mr4 ,locke observes of 8,st4 ,paul's  
argument10 that it    8is to show into  
what state of life we ought to be raised
 out of    baptism1 in similitude and   
conformity to that state of life ,christ
 was    raised into from the grave40    
,see also ,col4 ii4 #ab4 8,ye are 444   
buried    with him in baptism1 wherein  
also ye are risen with him through the  
faith of the operation of ,god1 who hath
 raised him from the dead40 ,the        
force of the image clearly depends on   
the sinking and rising in the    water4 
,footnote #fai3      ,see ,note4        
,footnote #fbj3      ,compare ,matt4    
xxvi4 #bf-bh2 ,mark xiv4 #bb-bd2 ,luke  
xxii4 #ai1 #bj1 with    ,exod4 xii4     
#c-aa1 #ad1 #bd-bg1 #dc-di2 ,lev4 xxiii4
 #e2 ,num4 ix4 #aj-ad2    xxviii4 #af2  
,deut4 xvi4 #a1 #d-g4    ,footnote #fba3
      ,compare ,matt4 xxvi4 #ag-ba2     
,mark xiv4 #ab-ag2 ,luke xxii4 #g-ag1   
with ,john    xiii4 #a1 seqq42 xviii4   

#bh2 xix4 #ad1 #ca1 #db4 ,see also #bnd 
,lecture1 pp4    #ch1 #ci4    ,footnote 
#fbb3      ,see #a ,cor4 xi4 #ag-cd4    
,footnote #fbc3      ,prov4 ii4 #d4     
,footnote #fbd3      ,mr4 ,dalton's     
,lecture on the ,eternity of ,future    
,rewards and    ,punishments1 p4 #gfj4  
,footnote #fbe3      ,mr4 ,dalton's     
,lecture1 p4 #gfj4    ,footnote #fbf3   
,theological ,repository1 vol4 i4 p4    
#bae1 and ,priestley's ,works1 by       
,rutt1 vol4 vii4 pp4 #bdc1 #bdd4        
,footnote #fbg3      ,magee on the      
,atonement1 vol4 i4 pp4 #bia1 #bib1 #eth
 edit4    ,footnote #fbh3      ,this is 
admitted by a learned writer1 with whose
 work on sacrifices    ,archbishop      
,magee was familiar1 and who had        
anticipated most of his    arguments on 
the subject of the passover3 8,cum ad   
,paschale sacrificium    etiam pecudes  
ex armento lectas in sacris literis     
imperatas legimus1    non designatur    
illa victima1 qu  proprie appellatur1   
sed alia    qudam sacrificia eidem      

victim adjungenda40--,outram de         
,sacrificiis1    lib4 i4 ch4 xiii4  #aj4
    ,footnote #fbi3      ,simonis       
describes the verb  as meaning 7#a47 in 
genere mactavit2    7#b47 in specie     
mactavit ad sacrificandum2 and the noun1
 as proprie    mactatio2 metonym4 7#a47 
caro mactatorum animalium2 7#b47        
sacrificium4--,lex4 ,hebr4 et ,chald4   
,ed4 ,eichhorn1 in v4    ,footnote #fcj3
      ,the following passages constitute
 the whole passover-law3 ,exod4 xii4    
#c-aa1 #ad1 #bd-bg1 #dc-di4 ,lev4 xxiii4
 #e4 ,num4 ix4 #aj-ad2 xxviii4 #af4     
,deut4 xvi4 #a1 #d-g4 ,we have here the 
original statutes provided for the      
perpetual regulation of the rite3 and in
 any discussion respecting its          
character1 the appeal should be to these
 alone4 ,the advocates for its          
sacrificial nature must be aware that   
this rule would destroy their    whole  
case4      ,i subjoin a list of the     
passages relating to the feast of       
unleavened    bread3 ,exod4 xii4 #ae-bj2

 xiii4 #f-aj2 xxiii4 #ah1 first clause2 
xxxiv4    #be1 first clause4 ,lev4      
xxiii4 #f-ad4 ,num4 xxviii4 #ag-be4     
,deut4 xvi4    #b-d1 #h4    ,footnote   
#fca3      ,lightfoot's ,temple         
,service1 ch4 xii4 ,introd4    ,footnote
 #fcb3      ,see ,lightfoot's ,temple   
,service1 ch4 xii4 sec4 #e4 8,the       
,mishna says3    ,mactat ,israelita1    
excipit sanguinem sacerdos40--,the      
,treatise    ,pesachim1 in ,surenhus4   
ii4 #aec4    ,footnote #fcc3      ,p4   
#bid4    ,footnote #fcd3      ,see      
,lightfoot's ,temple ,service1 xii4 #e1 
and the ,treatise ,pesachim1    ,surenh4
 ii4 #ace4    ,footnote #fce3           
,exod4 xii4 #i1 #aj4 ,the phrase 8the   
purtenance thereof10 in the common      
version1 means 8the entrails thereof10 4
    ,footnote #fcf3      ,see ,lev4 i4  
#i1 #ac1 #ag2 vi4 #ae-ah1 #bf1 #bi2 vii4
 #c1 #f-aj1 #ad1 #ae1 #cj-cf4           
,footnote #fcg3      ,pp4 #bie1 #bif4   
,footnote #fch3      ,de vit ,mosis1 p4 
#fhf4 ,e4    ,footnote #fci3      ,de   

decalogo1 p4 #gff4 ,d4    ,footnote     
#fdj3      ,de sept4 et fest4 p4 #aaij4 
,b4    ,footnote #fda3      loc4 cit4   
,after the remarks which have been made 
on the word  as    an epithet of the    
passover1 it is hardly necessary to     
notice the    application to the same   
rite of the word  by ,philo and         
,josephus4    ,it must be clear to any  
one who will open ,trommius or ,biel at 
the    word1 that it will not bear the  
stress laid upon it by ,archbishop      
,magee4 ,no one denies that the paschal 
lamb was slain and eaten1 in            
observance of a religious celebration1  
in obedience to a religious    law1 and 
in expression of religious feeling2 and 
this surely is enough    to attract to  
it the word 4 ,in itself1 however1 the  
term1    according to ,biel1 does not   
necessarily denote even so much as this4
    ,he defines it hostia1 sacrificium1 
etiam epulum ac profana    manducatio3  
and he exemplifies this latter meaning  
by reference to    ,judg4 vi4 #ah4      

,biel's ,thesaurus1 ,ed4 ,schleusner in 
v4    ,footnote #fdb3      ,p4 #bib4    
,footnote #fdc3      ,pp4 #bih1 #bii4   
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,index ,,of ,,texts4                   
,,explained ,,or ,,referred ,,to ,,in   
,,lectures ,,ii4 ,v4 ,,vi4 ,,xi4 ,,xiii4
                             ,lect4     
,page4    ,genesis4          ii4 #ag    
,,vi4    #ag        iii4 #a             
,,xi4    #af        -- #ad-ai           
--     #ag        -- #ae                
--     #ai        xviii4 #a1 #b         
,v4     #ah        -- #bb               
--     --        xix4 #aj            -- 
--        -- #ae               --     --
      ,exodus4          xii4 #c-aa      
,,xiii4   #ce - #ei        -- #ad       
--     -- - #ei        -- #ae-bj        
--     #ei        -- #ba-bg             
--     #ce1 #ei        -- #bg           
--     #ee        -- #dc-di             
--     #ce1 #ei        xiii4 #f-aj      
--     #ei        xxiii4 #ah          --

     #ef1 #eg1 #ei1 #fa        xxx4 #aj 
,,vi4    #eh        xxxiv4 #be          
,,xiii4  #ef1 #ei1 #fa      ,leviticus4 
i4 #e               ,,xiii4  #fa        
-- #i                --     #fc         
-- #aa               --     #fa         
-- #ac               --     #fc         
-- #ae               --     #fa         
-- #ag               --     #fc         
iii4 #b             --     #fa        --
 #h                --     --        --  
#ac               --     --        iv4  
#e-g            --     --        --     
#af-ah            --     --        v4   
#aa-ai           ,,vi4    #eg        vi4
 #ae-ah          ,,xiii4  #fc        -- 
#bf               --     --        --   
#bi               --     --        vii4 
#b             --     #fa        -- #c  
--     #fc        -- #f-aj              
--     --        -- #ad1 #ae            
--     --        -- #cj-cf            --
     --        xii4 #a-h           ,,vi4
    #eg        xiv4               --    
--        xvi4               --     #eh 

xx4 #be1 #bf         --     #eg         
xxiii4 #e           ,,xiii4  #ce1 #ei   
-- #f-ad             --     #ei         
-- #bf-cb            --     #eh         
,numbers4          vi4 #i-ab            
,,vi4    #eg        ix4 #g              
,,xiii4  #eh        -- #aj-ad           
--     #ce1 #ei        -- #ac           
--     #eh        xiv4 #ai1 #bj         
,,vi4    #bc        xviii4 #a-g         
,,xiii4  #fd        xix4 #aa-bj         
,,vi4    #eg        xxii4 #bb           
,,xi4    #ba        xxviii4 #a-f        
,,xiii4  #ei        -- #ag-be           
--     --        xxix4 #g-aa            
,,vi4    #eh      ,deuteronomy4         
xii4 #e1 #f          ,,xiii4  #ei       
-- #aa               --     --        --
 #ad               --     --        xvi4
 #a             --     #ce1 #ei         
xvi4 #b             ,,xiii4   #ef1 #eg1 
#ei        -- #d-g              --      
#ce1 #ei        -- #e1 #f             --
      #ei        -- #h                --
      --        xxix4 #a-f              

,,vi4     iii        -- #b-f            
,v4      #ah      ,judges4          vi4 
#ah             ,,xiii4   #fe      #a   
,samuel4          xxviii4 #bd           
,,xiii4    #eh        xxix4 #d          
,,xi4    #ba      #b ,samuel4           
xxiv4 #a            ,,xi 4    #bb       
#a ,kings4          xi4 #be             
,,xi4    #ba        xviii4 #ba          
,v4     #gg        xix4 #ba             
,,xiii4  #eh      #b ,kings4            
xv4 #bi             ,v4     #bh         
xix4 #ba            --     #fg      #a  
,chronicles4          v4 #bf            
,v4    #bh        xxi4 #a               
,,xi4    #bb      #b ,chronicles4       
xxx4               ,,xiii4  #fj         
-- #ae1 #af           --     #fa        
xxxv4              --     #fj        -- 
#i                --     #eg        --  
#aa               --     #fa      ,job4 
i4 #f-ab            ,,xi4    #bb        
ii4 #a-g            --     --           
,psalms4          xiv4               ,v4
     #cg        li4 #af1 #ag            

,,vi4    #be        -- --               
,,xiii4  #i        cxix4 #f             
,,xi4    #bb      ,proverbs4            
viii4 #bb           ,v4     #gc         
-- #cj               --     --          
xvii4 #a            ,,xiii4  #eh        
,isaiah4          i4 #ac1 #ad           
,,xiii4  #aj        i4 #af              
,,xiii4  #aj        -- #af-ah           
,,vi4    #be        v4 #ah-bj           
,,xi4    #c        vii4 #ad-af          
,v4     #be        -- --                
--     #ff        viii4 #bc           --
     #fh        -- --                   
,,ix4    #d        viii4 #h             
,v4     #fg        -- #ah               
--     --        ix4 #e1 #f           --
     #bh        -- #f                -- 
#fh        xxiii4 #ab          --       
#fg      ,jeremiah4          xiv4 #ag   
,v4     #bg        xxxi4 #d             
--     #ff        -- #ac                
--     #fg      ,lamentations4          
i4 #ae              ,v4     #fg         
,ezekiel4          xxxiii4 #ad-af       

,,vi4    #be      ,amos4          v4 #b 
,v4     #bg      ,jonah4          iii4  
#e-aj          ,,vi4    #bc1 #bd        
iv4 #aj1 #aa         --     #bd         
,micah4          iv4 #h1 #i             
,v4     #bg      ,zachariah4            
iii4 #a1 #b          ,,xi4    #bb       
,matthew4          i4 #bc               
,v4     #bd        ii4 #ae              
,,ii4    #ee        -- #bc              
--     --        -- --                  
,v4     #fh        iv4 #a-aa            
,,xi4    #bg        -- #ab-bb           
,,ii4    #cf        xii4 #c             
--     #bi        xiii4 #eh           --
     #be        xv4 #bd                 
,,vi4    #cf        xviii4 #ah          
,,xiii4  #cj        xix4 #af-ba         
,,vi4    #be        xxvi4 #ag-ba        
,,xiii4  #ce        -- #bf-bh           
--     --        xxvi4 #bh              
,,vi4     #dj        -- #fi seqq4       
,,ii4     #cg        xxvii4 #cb         
--      --        -- #cg                
--      --        -- #dd                

--      --        xxviii4 #ai           
,v4      #ej        -- --               
,,vi4     iv      ,mark4          i4    
#ab1 #ac          ,,xi4     #bg         
-- #af-bj            ,,ii4     #cf      
x4 #de              ,,vi4     #dj       
xiii4 #cb           ,v4      #ej        
xiv4 #ab-ag         ,,xiii4   #ce       
-- #bb-bd            --      --         
xv4 #bf             ,,ii4     #cg       
-- #cb               --      --         
,luke4          i4 #b                   
,,ii4     #bh        -- #ae             
--      --        iv4 #a-ac             
,,xi4     #bg        -- #ah1 #ai        
,,xiii4   #bh        v4 #aj1 #aa        
,,ii4     #cf        vii4 #dg           
,,vi4     #cj        x4 #ag             
,,ii4     #bf        xxii4 #g-ag        
,,xiii4   #ce        -- #ai1 #bj        
--      --        -- #ef-fb             
,,ii4     #cg        xxiii4 #bf         
--      --        -- #ch                
--      --        -- #ci-dc             
--      --      ,john4          i4 #a-ad

            ,v4      #bh1 #fi        -- 
#ab               ,,vi4     #ga         
-- #bi               --      #dj        
-- #ce-ea            ,,ii4     #cf      
iii4 #ac            ,v4      #ea        
iv4 #bc1 #bd         --      #dh        
-- #dh               ,,ii4     #be      
v4 #ai              ,v4      #di        
-- #bi1 #cj           --      #ec       
-- #cj               --      #di        
-- #cf               --      --         
vi4 #dd             ,,ii4      #h       
-- --                ,,xi4     #dg      
vi4 #eg             ,v4      #di        
-- #fb               --      #ea        
vii4 #ag            ,,ii4      #i       
viii4 #db           ,,xi4     #df       
-- #dg               --      --         
x4 #ad              --      #dg         
-- #af1 #ag           ,,vi4     #cf     
-- #ah               ,v4      #eb       
-- #bg               ,,ii4      #i      
-- --                ,,xi4     #dg      
x4 #bi              ,v4      #di        
-- #cb               ,,ii4     #be      

-- #cg               --       #i1 #be   
xii4 #bc1 #bd        ,,vi4     #ce      
-- #cb               --      --         
xiii4 #a seqq4      ,,xiii4   #ce       
xiv4 #aj            ,v4      #di        
-- #af1 #ag           ,,ii4     #cj     
-- #bc               --       #g        
-- #bf               --      #cj        
xvii4 #c            ,v4      #dg        
-- #e                --      #ea        
xviii4 #ae-be       ,,ii4     #cg       
-- #bh               ,,xiii4   #ce      
-- #cg               ,,ii4      #i1 #be 
xix4 #ad            ,,xiii4   #ce       
-- #ag               ,,ii4     #cg      
-- #ai               --      --         
-- #ca               ,,xiii4   #ce      
-- #ce               ,,ii4     #bh      
-- #db               ,,xiii4   #ce      
xxi4 #bd            ,,ii4     #bh       
,acts4          ii4 #a-d                
,,ii4     #bg1 #bh        -- #bd        
,,vi4     #bg        -- #cb             
,v4      #eb        iii4 #ae            
,,vi4     #bg        -- #ai-ba          

,v4      #ci        iv4 #b              
,,vi4     #bg        -- #aj             
--      --        -- #ab                
--      #gj        v4 #cj               
--      #bg        vi4 #a-d             
,,ii4     #bh        x4 #cd-dd          
,,vi4     #bf        xiii4 #cj          
,,vi4     #bh        -- #cj-cd          
,v4      #dj        -- #cc-cg           
--      #ci        xiv4 #ae             
--      #dd        xvii4 #ah            
,,vi4     #bh        -- #ca             
,v4      #dj1 #ec        -- --          
,,vi4     #bh        xx4 #bh            
--      #dj1 #hd        xxi4 #bj        
,,ii4     #eb        xxiv4 #ba          
,,vi4     #bg        xxvi4 #f-h         
,v4      #ci        -- #bf              
,,ii4      #f      ,romans4          i4 
#d4              ,v4      #dj        -- 
#f                ,,xi4     #ah         
ii4 #be             ,,vi4     #di       
-- #bi               ,,xi4     #ah      
iii4 #i-bc          --      --        --
 #bb-bf            ,,vi4     #de        

-- #be               --      #bh        
iv4 #bd1 #be         --      --         
v4 #f               --      #cg         
-- #aj               --      #ch        
-- #aa               --      --         
-- #ab-bj            ,,xi4     #ah      
vi4 #b-d            ,,xiii4   #cb       
vii4 #a-d           ,,vi4     #cg       
viii4 #f            ,v4      #de        
-- #ai               --      --         
-- #bc               --      --         
-- #cd               ,,vi4     #bh      
ix4 #d              ,,vi4     #ch       
-- #bb1 #bc           --      #ea       
x4 #i               --      #bh         
xiii4 #aa1 #ab       ,v4      #dj       
#a ,corinthians4          v4 #g         
,,vi4     #dd        -- --              
,,xiii4   #ee        vii4 #bi           
--      #ea        viii4 #e1 #f         
,v4       #d        -- #f               
--      #dg        x4 #aa               
--      #ci        xi4 #c               
--      #gg        xi4 #ag-cd           
,,xiii4   #cf        xii4 #h-aj         

,,ii4     #bh        xiv4 #d1 #e        
--      --        -- #ac                
--      --        -- #ai                
--      --        -- #bc                
--      --        xv4 #ba1 #bb          
,,xi4     #ah        -- #bd             
,v4      #de        -- #dg              
,,vi4     #hi        -- --              
,,xiii4   #ff        -- #ea             
,v4      #de      #b ,corinthians4      
iii4 #ag            ,v4      #gg        
v4 #ae-ah           ,,vi4     #cf       
-- #ag               ,v4      #dd       
-- #ba               ,,vi4     #dc      
viii4 #i            ,v4      #da        
,galatians4          i4 #a              
,v4      #eb        ii4 #ae             
,,vi4     #cg        iii4 #ac           
--      #ej        -- #bd               
,,ii4      #d        iv4 #dg            
,,vi4     #ch      ,ephesians4          
i4 #c-e             ,,vi4     #ch       
-- #g                --      --         
-- #aj               --      --         
-- #bj-bc            ,v4      #dc       

ii4 #aa-ah          ,,vi4     #ci       
iii4 #ai            ,v4      #dd        
iv4 #ac             ,,vi4     #ga       
v4 #af              --      #ea         
,philippians4          ii4 #e-h         
,v4      #da        -- #f               
--      #gh        -- #i-aa             
--      #dc        -- #aj               
--      #de        iii4 #ae             
,,vi4     #ga        iv4 #e             
,v4      #ci        -- --               
,,vi4     #ea      ,colossians4         
i4 #ae-ai           ,v4      #dd        
-- #ai               ,,vi4     #ch      
ii4 #ab             ,,xiii4   #cb       
-- #ac               ,,vi4     #ch      
iii4 #c             --      --          
iv4 #e              --      #ea      #a 
,thessalonians4          iv4 #ad        
,v4      #de        -- #ag              
--      --        v4 #aj              --
      --      #b ,thessalonians4        
i4 #g-aj            ,,vi4     #ej       
-- #i                ,v4      #de       
ii4 #b              --      #ci      #a 

,timothy4          i4 #bj               
,,xi4     #ba        ii4 #a-h           
,,vi4     #dj        -- #ad             
,,xi4     #ah        iii4 #af           
,v4      #ce        iv4 #a              
--      #ci      #b ,timothy4           
ii4 #ab             ,v4      #de        
iii4 #af            ,,ii4     #ca       
,titus4          ii4 #ab1 #ac           
,v4      #ci      ,hebrews4          i4 
#a-i             ,v4      #cf        -- 
#c                --      #dj        -- 
#e                --      --        --  
#f                --      #de        ii4
 #e              --      #ci        --  
#ag               ,,vi4     #ec         
vii4 #af            --      #ei         
-- #ag               --      #fa        
-- #bd-bh            --      --         
-- #be               --      #fj        
viii4 #a            --      #ei         
-- #b1 #c             --      --        
-- #e                --      --         
ix4 #a              ,,vi4     #ei       
-- #g                --      #fj        

-- #h                --      #fa        
-- #ab               --      #fj        
-- #ac1 #ad           --      #fb       
ix4 #ae             ,,vi4     #fj       
-- #bc1 #bd           --      #ei       
-- #be-bg            --      #fj        
x4 #c1 #d            --      --         
-- #ab-ad            --      --         
-- #af               --      #fc        
-- #ai1 #bj           --      --        
-- #bd               --      --         
xii4 #bh            ,v4      #de        
,james4          v4 #c               ,v4
      #ci        -- #g1 #h              
--      --        -- #h                 
--      #ea      #a ,peter4          i4 
#e               ,v4      #de        -- 
#ah1 #ai           ,,vi4     #da        
ii4 #d1 #e           ,,xiii4    #c      
-- #bc-be            ,,vi4     #da      
iii4 #ag            --      #db         
-- #bj-bb            --      #ea        
-- #bj               ,v4      #ci       
iv4 #c              ,,vi4     #db       
-- #g                --      #ea      #b

 ,peter4          i4 #ba                
,,ii4     #ca        ii4 #a-ah          
,,xi4     #fc1 #fd        -- #d         
,,xi4     #bd        -- #e              
,,vi4     #ea        iii4 #i            
,v4      #dj        -- --               
,,vi4     #ea        -- #ac             
,v4      #ci      #a ,john4          i4 
#g               ,,vi4     #dg        --
 #h                --      #dh          
ii4 #a1 #b           --      --         
-- #ah               --      #ea        
iii4 #d             ,v4      #gg        
-- #af               ,,vi4     #dh      
iv4 #b              --      #dg         
-- #i1 #aj            --      #dh       
v4 #f               ,v4      #gg        
-- #bj               --      #da        
v4 #ba              ,,vi4     #dh       
#b ,john4          #g                   
,v4      #da      ,jude4          #d-af 
,,xi4     #fc1 #fd        #f            
--      #bd      ,revelations4          
v4 #i1 #aj           ,,vi4     #dj      
,transcriber's ,notes4    ,obvious      

typographical errors were silently      
corrected4    ,unusual or older         
spellings were retained4 ,many of the   
substitutions  shown were made after    
researching other later editions or the 
cited  quotations4    ,each lecture has 
its own page numbers which do not show4 
,links above do  work in the html       
version4    ,the following changes were 
made3        'allcreated' to 'all       
created' in page #ch of the             
,correspondence4      '' 7a typo7 to '' 
in ,footnote #aaf in ,lec4 #b and       
similar corrections in the next few     
footnotes4      '' corrected to ' on p4 
#cj of ,lec4 #c4      'comformably' to  
'conformably' in ,appendix1  p4 #dd of  
,lec4 #c4      'even' to 'every' on p4  
#ag of ,lecture #d4      'is link' to   
'is to link' on p4 #cd of ,lecture #e4  
' ' to ' '1 footnote on page #ce of     
lecture #e1 to         agree with other 
copies of ,ignatius's work4      ' 1 not
 ' ' to '' 1 not ' '1 footnote on page  
#cg of         lecture #e4              

'prinpalities' to 'principalities'1 p4  
#dd1 ,lec4 #e4      'docrine' to        
'doctrine'1 p4 #ei1 in ,notes to ,lec4  
#e4      'incompatability' to           
'incompatibility'1 p4 #fj1 ,notes to    
,lec4 #e4      ''  to ''1 #crd footnote 
on p4 #gc1 ,notes to ,lec4 #e4          
period to colon to agree with both      
lower-case theta and punct4 in          
several editions of ,philo in #crd      
footnote on p4 #gc to ,notes to         
,lec4 #e4      '' to ''1 p4 #gd1 ,notes 
to ,lec4 #e4      '' to '''1 p4 #ge1    
,notes to ,lec4 #e4      '#b ,tim4 ii4  
xii' to '#b ,tim4 ii4 #ab' ,footnote    
#bcd of ,lec4 #e4      'that guilt is be
 estimated' to 'that guilt be estimated'
 on p4 #bj         of ,lec4 #f4         
'justifying faith in' to 'justifying    
faith is' on p4 #bh of ,lecture         
#f4      deletion of duplicate #8the' on
 p4 #ed of ,lec4 #f4      'scructure' to
 'structure'1 p4 #ei of ,lec4 #f4       
'sacifice' to 'sacrifice'1 p4 #fa of    
lecture #f4      'or' to 'for' and      

'aditional' to 'additional' in last     
footnote on         page #fa of lecture 
#f4      ',archishop's' to              
',archbishop's' on page #hi in ,notes to
 lecture #f4      'hear' to 'here' on p4
 #ag of lecture #h4      insertion of 0 
after 'theology' on p4 #ci of lecture   
#h4      'commuications' to             
'communications' on p4 #eb of lecture   
#i4      ' is is said'1 to ' it is      
said1' on p4 #e of ,lecture #aj4        
'adamat' to 'adamant' on p4 #h of       
,lecture #aj4      ',laies' to ',laics' 
on page #ci of ,lecture #aj4            
',apotles' to ',apostles' on p4 #dj of  
lecture #aj4      'othodox' to          
'orthodox' on p4 #da of lecture #aj4    
'frustate' to 'frustrate' on p4 #e of   
lecture #aa4      'origin of of evil' to
 'origin of evil' on p4 #cb of lecture  
#aa4      comma between 'feeling' and   
'that man' on page #g of lecture #ac was
         deleted4      ,the open and    
close quotes were rendered as printed on
 page #fa of         lecture #f even    

though they are not balanced4