Liturgy in all, and that of real devotion in those of Unitarians, made them quite offensive to persons accustomed to the Church service, I strongly feared I should be obliged to follow Milton's example, and abstain from public worship. Wishing, however, to satisfy myself by personal observation, I went, soon after my arrival in this town of Liverpool, to one of the Unitarian chapels. The effect which the service produced upon me was recorded in my private journal as soon as I returned to my lodgings; but the passage is too long to be inserted here. Suffice it to declare, as I do in the most solemn manner, that I never enjoyed a more devout and sublime impression than I received there. My almost constantly repeated attendance has not weakened the effect of the truly sublime Unitarian worship with which I have become acquainted. I have since attended divine worship in another chapel of the same denomination; and the original impression has been confirmed. Sunday, which owing to the constant struggle of my mind at church, and the frequent internal rejection of passages in the Liturgy, was formerly to me a day of pain and suffering, is now one of enjoyment. The admirable combination of beautiful hymns, with prayers no less beautiful, and a sermon, in which I have hitherto never failed to find instruction and support to my religious feelings, all contribute to make me enjoy the service of the Lord's Day. I must add, that I have never joined congregations in which attention and devotion were more visible in all, including the numerous charity children who attend the service. It is a great misfortune that the spirit of Orthodoxy stands like "a great gulph fixed" between Churchmen and Unitarians. Could impartial good men "come and see," though they might remain attached to their opinions, they would be certainly delivered from a multitude of most uncharitable prejudices. I conclude by protesting against the supposition, that the following little work is intended as a defence of Unitarianism. In it I certainly make use of my Unitarian views for argument and illustration; but I do that incidentally, and almost exclusively, in the last Letter. Unitarianism is not in want of any new defence; nor would I waste my time in entering upon a question through which every one may find his way, provided he chooses to examine candidly what is already within the reach of every one I shall not, therefore, consider myself bound to answer any Anti-Unitarian observations which may be directed against me. I do not fear that my declining a controversy, for which my constant ill health particularly unfits me, may injure the cause of Unitarianism. I beg leave to refer any champion of Orthodoxy, who may be inclined to stand in defence of the Athanasian doctrine, to try what he can do against the works already in existence. I particularly refer controversial divines to "A VINDICATION OF UNITARIANISM, and SEQUEL," by the Rev. James Yates; and to the recent work of Professor Norton, of Cambridge, U. S., entitled "A STATEMENT OF REASONS FOR NOT BELIEVING THE DOCTRINES OF TRINITARIANS CONCERNING THE NATURE OF GOD AND THE PERSON OF CHRIST." Liverpool, June 20, 1835. J. B. W. CONTENTS. LETTER I. A HISTORY of the Inquisition worse than useless if not preceded by Some latent error in the usual phrase Christian truth.. .... True meaning of the word Heresy, as used among Christians.. Question on which the necessary existence of some degree of interference, like that claimed by the Papal Inquisition, or the absence of that claim, depends.. 5, 6, note Protestantism, on the basis of Orthodoxy, untenable .... ...... Unanswerable arguments of the unbelievers against that Protestantism Proofs that such was not Christ's and Apostles' meaning of faith.... Union of Christians not dependent on unity of abstract doctrines.... 6 78 9 10 11 12 ib. 12, 13 13, 14 15 16 ...... Natural sources of error connected with the only essential condition of ib. Paul's notion of Heresy: exposition of part of 1st Cor. iii.. 17 17 What must men agree upon to be Christians... What kind of men are excluded by St. Paul and St. John..... Acceptance of Christ as supreme religious guide, the original condition of Christian communion.... LETTER II. Theological writers who do not follow the scholastic phraseology, in constant danger of being misunderstood..... 21 Passions which disturb the judgment of the generality of people attached to some theological system... 2253 Main argument of Letter I collectively stated Essential difference between such a call and one made upon the under- Unadulterated Christianity in perfect harmony with the nature of our 28, 29 30, 31 Duty of veracity, 32-Christians should not deceive each other as to the results of their respective perceptions of the sense of the Scriptures, 33-Advantages which Christianity would derive from a general faithfulness to the duty of veracity, 33, 34. Unjustifiable methods of perpetuating certain interpretations of Scrip- ture The established orthodoxies of the Christian world prevent our knowing Orthodoxy has placed the world in a worse condition for peace and 34, 35 Necessity of keeping in mind what has been proved, that Heresy, in the usual sense of the word, cannot exist unless there exists a .... Difficulty of uprooting errors arising from misapplied texts of Scrip- ..... ture The sense of passages relating to speculative subjects cannot be obvious Erroneous notions inculcated in early life make them less obvious than The 3d chapter of 2d Epistle to the Corinthians explained.... 50, 51, 52 The Scriptures were not appointed to be the rule of that pretended The Scriptures addressed to reason as it resides in man .... Page 54, 55, 56 58, 59 Scriptural signification of the word Heresy...... Early causes of the misapplication of that word.. Christianity taken up by speculatists as a basis for their theories..... 64, 65 St. Paul's rivals belonged to the class of Judeo-philosophical speculatists 66 Proof of the former assertion in the character of Apollos .... ..... 66, 67 Utility of abstract doctrines, for the purpose of maintaining the self- ....... A specimen of the early sources of speculative corruptions..... 68, 69 Some of the subsequent speculations, comparatively, not less absurd The Gospel, without Orthodoxy, what?.. Power which Christian teachers derive from the supposed necessity of The notion of saving Orthodoxy necessarily intolerant ..... Historical traces of early toleration among Christians.. 74, 75, 76 70 Why most languages want a word to express the virtuous feeling of which pride, in the common sense of that word, is an excess..... Pride of reason absurdly supposed to be a rebellion of reason against 84 |