"tells little indeed in its favour."-And so do I, most stoutly. I make as little account of the support of earthly governments to any system of doctrines, as furnishing either evidence or presumption of their truth, as Mr. Yates can possibly do: and, having never made any reference whatever to such authority, I make him welcome to take back his concession, and even (of so little value do I esteem it) to place it, if he can, to the credit of Unitarianism.

"During the four first ages," adds he, "we have the "most abundant evidence that Unitarianism was the only ac"knowledged form of Christianity."-And then, on the credit of this assertion, supported by the flimsy evidence aforesaid, he sets the trump of fame to his lips, and sounds a eulogy of Unitarians, triumphantly proclaiming the obligations of the whole Christian world to their purity, and faithfulness, and zeal,-which, under this false name, is a just and eloquent tribute to the memory of apostles, and primitive Christians, and early martyrs. To them let the reader apply it, with a thankful and admiring heart:

“To Unitarians, then, we are indebted for the preserva ❝tion of the gospel, when its very existence was threatened "by the fiercest persecution. They were Unitarians, who "not only adorned Christianity by their lives, but defend"ed it by their deaths. Without their efforts and sacrifices, "the Scriptures would have been destroyed, the gospel lost. "In short, to them, under God, we owe almost all the re

ligion and virtue, which now exists in the world.-I "humbly conceive," adds the enraptured panegyrist, (and his claim on behalf of his party is not certainly extravagant, if all this be true) "I humbly conceive, that these facts "should produce, in Christians of every sect, some respect for "Unitarianism."-" These facts!" "Aye," but, "there's the

"rub." If these were facts, Unitarians would be entitled to a great deal more than "some respect." If “ Christians "of every sect" were convinced that these were "facts," they would be "Christians of every sect" no longer: their respect for Unitarianism would be such, that they would become Unitarians themselves. But, unfortunately, they have more than their doubts about "these facts," and are disposed to think, that Mr. Yates and his friends would require to make out their point a little better, before they venture to claim for Unitarians all the purity of gospel light, all the beauty of primitive holiness, all the mighty results of early zeal, and all the crowns of triumphant martyrdom. If such was the character of Unitarianism of old—“ Oh! how fallen, "how changed!" Let "Christians of every sect" be on their guard: and let them take home to themselves, with the necessary alterations, the appropriate admonition addressed by Mr. Yates to "the Unitarians of modern times"-" inciting them to emulate all the great and amiable virtues "of these first members of their sect, to guard against a se"cond corruption of their principles, and to maintain, with "zeal, sincerity, and mutual affection, that great cause, in "which so many thousands of their primitive brethren ex'pired."

66

Within these few years, the Unitarians have attempted to make an inroad on the educational prejudices and errors of Scotland; and they have been very active in prosecuting their object. They have instituted " the Scotch Unitarian Chris"tian Association;" of which the fourth Anniversary has lately (in the beginning of last month, May 1816,) been held in this city. Its objects, briefly stated, are, the preservation of correspondence and union amongst Unitarian Societies; the pecuniary assistance of such Societies as may require it,

for the support of public worship; the maintenance of Unitarian missionaries; and the circulation of Unitarian tracts.Were we to take their own accounts of the success which has attended their exertions, we should certainly think it had been very considerable. The readers of their annual Reports, however, had better make a little inquiry before they admit into their minds, as facts, those conceptions of the numbers and the prospects of the party, which they are carefully framed to produce. Either the writers of them are adepts in that species of quackery, which puffs off the extensive reception experienced by its nostrums, for the encouragement of others to come forward and buy;—or else, they have very thoroughly learned the Scripture lesson," not to despise the day of "small things.”—In the Report of the third annual meeting held at Edinburgh in May 1815, we are informed, inter alia, that "delegates were present from Glasgow, Paisley, Car"luke, Dundee, Crieff, Dunfermline, &c." and that, “be"sides congregations having been established at Glasgow,

Edinburgh, Carluke, Paisley, and Dundee, there were 66 many friends to the cause at Aberdeen, Arbroath, Black"ford, Crieff, Dalry, Falkirk, Galashiels, Greenock, Ha"milton, Jedburgh, Kilwinning, Kirkaldy, Lanark, Mel"rose, Newburgh, Perth, Port-Glasgow, Saltcoats, Tilli"coultry, &c. &c. The letters from these places were then "read. The accounts from most of them were very en"couraging, and gave additional motives to the friends of "the Institution to proceed in the good work they had be

" gun.”

This is, no doubt, a somewhat formidable list; and when a person reads of delegates, and congregations, and very encouraging accounts, he is apt to be not a little startled. If any reader, however, in guessing at the amount of meaning con

veyed by such words, shall be disposed to conjecture, respecting any one of the places enumerated,-" peradventure "there may be fifty found there," he may come down to forty, and thence, perhaps, to thirty, before he reaches the highest number; and when he has descended to twenty, and to ten, he will not have arrived at the lowest. One of the towns mentioned as having a delegate present, was left, I have been informed, empty of its Unitarianism, when the said delegate took his departure to attend the meeting. Invited for this purpose to Edinburgh, he complied with the invitation, and appeared there as the representative of himself!-and gave withal, it may be presumed, a "very encouraging account" of the progress of Unitarianism in the place where he had got and given his commission of delegation.—In another of these towns, there has been discovered a solitary old woman professing Unitarian principles, who is not acquainted with any "of that way" in the place, besides herself. In more places than one, although they have made several attempts to gain a footing, their success has been so very small, that inquirers after them have hardly been able to discover their existence; from which, (as it is not, in general, their nature, to "blush unseen,") we may, I presume, infer, that in such places they are not at least in sufficient numbers to keep one another in countenance.In several of these stations I have heard of three, in one of five or six, in another of from eight to twelve, in another of seventeen, in another of twenty; the largest number of which I have heard in any place is between twenty and thirty, and even this only in one instance; and some of the persons included in the number, hardly avowed Unitarians, but only "tanquam suspecti."-The inquiries which have produced such re. sults, have been made at the most considerable of the places enumerated, which it is, perhaps, more than justice to take as a

standard for the rest. Double, if you please, the amount in every one of them; and still, surely, there must be some little quackery, in puffing them off as "very encouraging accounts."

I do not mention these things, because I think there is no ground for apprehension, or because I am disposed to contemn and set at nought their efforts. No one who knows his own heart, and who believes the Bible account of human nature, will feel confidence in saying, respecting any error whatever, in any given circumstances, that there is no danger of its making progress." No human voice," Mr. Yates rejoices, "can say, Halt! to the march of intellect." But alas! this is true of its retrograde, as well as of its advancing, march! "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, "but the end thereof are the ways of death." A man may "call evil good, and good evil, may put bitter for sweet, and "sweet for bitter, may put darkness for light, and light for "darkness." The very "light that is in him may be dark"ness." He may turn his back on the confines of truth, and make hasty and haughty strides into the regions of error, exulting in the confidence that "no human voice can

say, Halt!" to his progress.-There is not, perhaps, a single point of error, to which there is not some corresponding point in the variety of human corruption;-some principle or passion to which it presents a tempting gratification. One of the great leading tendencies of the Unitarian system is, the exaltation of man. It flatters the conscious dignity of his nature, by treating as "an old-wives'-fable" the doctrine of original depravity. It flatters his pride of intellect, by making Reason the arbitress of the dictates of Revelation. It flatters his pride of self-righteousness, by assuring him, that his own virtue is to procure his acceptance with God. By denying the deity and atonement of Christ, it releases