ing on your ministrations.' We see not, in short, why Unitarianism does not, and in a long continued state of quietude we have no doubt it would, die-of its own inherent emptiness. We wonder not therefore at all at the painful result of Mr. Damon's labors, in the place of his recent settlement. It is just the result which he might have expected; just the result which has taken place in many other Unitarian congregations; and just the result which he will realize again (for we understand he is re-settled) unless he change his style of preaching, and, in fact, his religion, and inculcate truths which will arouse his own soul, and the souls of others, and which the Lord of the vineyard will own and honor, as the means of spiritual and eternal good.

6. A Declaration of the Yearly Meeting of Friends, held in Philadelphia, respecting the proceedings of those who have lately separated from the Society; and also shewing the contrast between their doctrines, and those held by Friends. New York, Samuel Wood & Sons, 1828. pp. 32.

An Epistle and Testimony from the Yearly Meeting of Friends, held in New-York, by adjournment, from the twenty sixth of the fifth month, to the second of the sixth month, inclusive, 1828. New York, Mahlon Day. pp. 24.

It may not be known to all our readers, that a separation, growing out of radical differences in sentiment, has recently taken place among the Friends or Quakers, particularly those of Pennsylvania and New York. The seceding party are the followers of one Elias Hicks, a zealous Unitarian, Universalist, and, as we say, Infidel. In honor of him, his followers have sometimes been denominated Hicksites. The pamphlets before us are published by the yearly Meetings of Friends in Pennsylvania and New York-that is to say, by the opposers of the Hicksites; and contain an account of the rise and progress of this heresy, and of the sentiments and practices of Hicks and his followers. We should not have noticed these pamphlets at all, but for the fact, that the Unitarians of Boston and the vicinity claim close affinity with Hicks, and even speak of him and his party as their brethren. The Christian Register for Jan. 13, 1827, professes to "respect and wish success to the principles of Christian liberality, embraced by Mr. Hicks and his friends," although it disapproves of some of their proceedings. And in the Christian Register for July 12, 1828, it is said expressly, "We greet the friends of Elias Hicks as our friends and BROTHERS." leading Unitarians in this region "wish success to the principles" of the Hicksites, and " greet them as their friends and brothers," it may be of some consequence to our readers to know more than perhaps they do at present, respecting the principles and practices of this new denomination. And in regard to these subjects, the pamphlets before us furnish all needful or desirable information. From them we learn,

If

1. That Hicks denies the miraculous conception of our Lord, and believes him to have been the literal son of Joseph. In an argument on this subject, he says, "Spirit cannot beget à material body; be

a

cause the thing begotten must be of the same nature with its father. Spirit cannot beget anything but spirit; it cannot beget flesh and blood. No, my friends, it is impossible." And again; "I examined the accounts given by the four Evangelists, and according to my best judgment, there is considerable more evidence for his being the son of Joseph, than otherwise." Phil. Pam. p. 21.

2. Hicks denies the perfection of our Lord, from the fact of his being tempted. How could he be tempted, if he had been fixed in a state of perfection, in which he could not turn aside? Can you suppose that such a being could be tempted? No, not any more than God Almighty could be tempted. Perfection is perfection, and cannot be tempted. It is impossible." Ibid. p. 22.

3. It is believed by Hicks and his followers, that Jesus became a Christian, and needed salvation, like other men; and, indeed, that all the truly good are in some sense his equals. "The same power, that made him a Christian, must make us Christians; and the same power, that saved him, must save us."-"See how we came up into an equality with him."—" Here now he was put upon a level," &c.— "God has been as willing to reveal his will to every creature, as he was to our first parents, to Moses and the prophets, or to Jesus Christ and his apostles. He never can set ANY OF THese above us ; because, if he did, he would be partial."-When Christ was brought to trial before his enemies, he "saw no alternative; for if he gave up his testimony to save his natural life, he could not be SAVED with God's salvation." Ibid. pp. 6, 22.

4. Hicks and his followers virtually reject the Holy Scriptures, and, as we have already said, are to be regarded as Infidels. They speak of the Scriptures as "not necessary, and perhaps not suited, to any other people than they to whom they were written."—"The parables of Jesus have no tendency to turn men about to truth, and lead them on in it."-The "letter" of Scripture is "a thing without any life at all; a dead monument ;" "it is all a shadow."—"The book we read in says, 'Search the Scriptures;' but this is INCORRECT; we must all see it is INCORRECT."-"Let us attend to spiritual reflections, and not be looking to the Scriptures."-" In vain does any man quote the Scriptures as authority for his opinions; for if they have not been immediately revealed to his own mind by the Holy Spirit, they deserve no better, as it respects him, than speculations.""The revelations made to the Israelites are true, when viewed as in connexion with, and as having relation to, their spiritual condition; but to any other state, they are not true; therefore, such revelations, abstractedly taken, ARE NOT TRUE IN THEMSELVES NOT THE TRUTH OF GOD." Ibid. pp. 17, 18.

ARE

We make no apology for denominating those who can preach, and write, and publish, in language such as this, Infidels. They are Infidels; and the manner in which they have been exposed and treated by the Meetings of Friends in Philadelphia and New York, is greatly to the credit of the latter. Yet these are the men whom our Unitarian neighbors "greet," as their "friends and BROTHERS," and to whose "principles of Christian liberality" they wISH SUCCESS"!!! Let the Christian public pause here-and ponder.

But it is said, We care nothing about the "wild notions" of Hicks and his followers. We "greet" them only as "the asserters and defenders of Christian liberty."-Liberty, we ask, to do what? To deny the Lord that bought them! To deny the truth of the Holy Scriptures, and pour contempt upon the Oracles of God'! Liberty, too, to disturb the religious meetings and worship of the Friends, (as it is admitted on all hands they have done) by noise, and tumult, and menace, and violence! Liberty to "hiss," and "stamp," and "drum with their canes," and "cry out," in regard to those who oppose them, "Down with them-Down with them-Out with them-Out with them"!! This is the "liberty" which the followers of Hicks have not only asserted, but actually taken. And is it for this that they are to be greeted as friends and brothers" ?-But we have done. We have felt under obligations to bring this subject before the public. We leave every one to make his own reflections. Unitarians are welcome to all the credit, and to all the disgrace, which may result from their courted alliance with the followers of Elias Hicks.

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7. Gospel Luminary. Published under the Patronage of the General Christian Conference. D. Millard and S. Clough, Editors." Vol. I. New Series.

This is a semi-monthly paper, published by the direction, and "under the patronage, of the general Christ-ian Conference." It is their authorized organ of communication with the public.

Those who have read the various publications of Unitarians, for several of the last years, need not be informed how much interest and fraternal regard have from time to time been expressed, in behalf of the Christ-ians. The Executive Committee of the American Unitarian Association, in their First Annual Report, speaking of the Christ-ians, say, "From members of that body," we have received expressions of fraternal regard." They "maintain many similar views of Christian doctrine" with us, and "have the same great work at heart." And the Christian Register for Oct. 6, 1827, says, "There is much cause to rejoice in the spread and increasing influence of this denomination of Christians. We bid them Godspeed."

It is chiefly on account of the connexion, which Unitarians have invited and claimed with the Christ-ians, that we have been induced to examine the file of papers, the title of which has been given, with a view to learn the present opinions and practices of this religious denomination. These papers do not, indeed, contain the creed of the Christ-ians, for they pretend not to have a creed; but they express the views of leading and prominent individuals. They give an account of such sentiments and practices as are current, in the connexion. From them we learn,

1. That the Christ-ians, as a body, believe that " true ministers of Christ are inwardly moved by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel." No. vii. This inward moving of the Holy Spirit is explained to mean a sensible call, which the individual receiving it, cannot misunderstand.

2. The Christ-ians suppose, that females are sometimes called in this way, as well as males; and the names of several females are given, who are "laborers," at present, within the bounds of "the New York Eastern Christ-ian Conference." No. xiv.

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3. They believe, that teachers, called in the manner above described, can teach infallibly," in the same sense that the apostles could. The apostles could err, and so can teachers now, when not under the special guidance of the Spirit; but it appears from the account, that regularly called Christ-ian ministers are as infallible as the apostles. No. viii.

4. The Christ-ians believe, that regularly called ministers in their connexion, have the power of working miracles; and indeed, that miracles are frequently wrought by their means. On this head we give the following quotation:

"Since the revival commenced, in the beginning of this century, there have been, under the preaching of the Gospel, many miraculous displays of supernatural power, on congregations and individuals. We have seen hundreds struck down, and lay under the great power of God, unable to move hand or foot, and, to all human appearance, breathless, for several hours, and then rise, praising God, and speaking with a wisdom and power, of which they were no more capable the day before, than the most illiterate man is capable of delivering a well ordered discourse on Astronomy."

The jerks is a great miracle. I have seen people jerked, by an invisible power, with such velocity, that if it had been done by any external force, it would have killed them in a minute; and still they received no injury."

"Besides all this, there have been, in the bounds of my acquaintance, many miraculous cures performed, in answer to prayer. I have been acquainted with several of the people who were healed; and some of these cures I have seen myself. I as firmly believe that elder David Haggard had the gift of healing, as that the apostles had. He has fallen asleep; but there are many alive who saw him perform cures; and what I saw myself puts the matter beyond doubt with me." No. xiii.

5. The Christ-ians further believe, that Thomas Muncer or Munzer, the companion of Stubner and Storck, who pretended to act under "a divine impulse," to be favored with "visions and revelations," and to "work miracles;" but who, failing by these means to accomplish his purpose, undertook to effect it by the sword, and fell before the Elector of Saxony in 1525—they believe that this same Thomas Munzer was the greatest and wisest of all the Reformers. "Munzer," say they, was the man, who placed the doctrine of the Reformation on its true ground, and proper basis." Nos. xiii. and xiv. Unitarians in this region have long stood in shuddering fear and terror of being tainted with fanaticism. It has been their principal objection to revivals of religion, that revivals often lead to fanaticism. And the New Lebanon Convention has been rung through all their little world, as disclosing the dangers and evils of fanaticism. And yet these same Unitarians claim a "fraternal" alliance with the Christ-ians-asserting that they "maintain many similar views of Christian doctrine," and "have the same great work at heart," rejoicing in their success, and "bidding them Godspeed"-all of whom are advocates and promoters of revivals, in those very forms which Unitarians so incessantly deprecate, and some of whom are undoubtedly among the greatest fanatics of the age! They claim a "fraternal" alliance with those who believe, among other things,

in an inward sensible call to the work of the ministry-in female preaching that regularly called ministers "can teach infallibly”that they can and do "work miracles”—and that the notorious German fanatics of the sixteenth century were the greatest and wisest of all the reformers!

The cry of fanaticism, so long resounded from the Unitarian pulpits and presses, may hereafter lose, with many, somewhat of its piercing energy and thrilling effect.

SELECTION.

MEMOIR OF THE REV. ROBERT HALL, M. A.

THERE are few living men, in whom our religious public feel more deeply interested, than in Robert Hall; and perhaps no one of equal eminence, with the incidents of whose life they are so generally unacquainted. We make no apology, therefore, for presenting to our readers the following apparently authentic Memoir, taken from a late English Magazine.

The subject of this biographical sketch is the son of the Rev. Robert Hall, one of the most excellent and esteemed ministers of the communion known by the name of Particular Baptists, to distinguish them, as the appellative imports, from another class denominated General Baptists.

The elder Mr. Hall was for many years pastor of a congregation at Armsby, in the county of Leicester; and a leading man in the Northamptonshire Association, being venerated by all who knew him, for his piety and wisdom; and he had the satisfaction of witnessing, in the dawning mind of his son, who was born in August, 1764, the promising gifts of grace and genius. Such, indeed, was the precociousness of intellect displayed by this extraordinary youth, that at the age of nine, he perfectly comprehended the reasoning contained in the profoundly argumentative treatises of Jonathan Edwards on the "Will," and "Affections." At this time he was placed in the academy of the late, eccentric, but ingenious and pious Mr. John Ryland, of Northampton. From thence, he was removed to the institution established at Bristol for the education of young persons destined to the ministry among the Particular Baptists. Dr. Caleb Evans, who at that time presided over the academy, and officiated as pastor of the respectable congregation adjoining, in Broadmead, was a man of extensive learning, fervent piety, captivating eloquence, and of the most liberal sentiments. Between the tutor and the pupil there immediately commenced a mutual attachment, which increased every day, till it soon became evident that the latter was already marked as the intended successor of the principal, both in the church and the school.

At the age of seventeen, Mr. Hall proceeded, on an exhibition, to King's College, Aberdeen, where he formed an intimacy with his fellow student, Mr. (now Sir James) Mackintosh; who, though one year younger than himself, and intended for the medical profession,