in opposition to him or to his fulness, considered as in himself, or without us; nor can any measure or degree of light received from Christ, be properly called the fulness of Christ, or Christ as in fulness, nor exclude him from being our complete Saviour; and where the least degree or measure of this light and life of Christ within, is sincerely waited in, followed and obeyed, there is a blessed increase of light and grace known and felt as the path of the just, it shines more and more, until the perfect day; and thereby growing in grace, and in the knowledge of God and of our Lord and Saviour, hath been and is truly experienced." Prov. iv. 18; 2 Pet. iii.

18.

Eleventh. "Wherefore we say, that whatever Christ then did, both living and dying, was of great benefit to the salvation of all that have believed, and now do, and that hereafter shall believe in him unto justification and acceptance with God. But the way to come to that faith is to receive and obey the manifestation of his divine light and grace in the conscience, and which leads men to believe and value, and not to disown or undervalue Christ as the common sacrifice and mediator; for we do affirm, that to follow this holy light in the conscience, and to turn our minds and bring all our deeds and thoughts to it, is the readiest, nay the only right way, to have true living and sanctifying faith in Christ, as he appeared in the flesh, and to discover the Lord's body, coming and sufferings aright, and to receive any real benefit by him, as our only sacrifice and mediator, according to the beloved disciple's emphatical testimony, If we walk in the light, as he (God) is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."" 1 Cor. xi. 29; 1 John i. 7.

Twelfth. "By the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ without us, we, truly repenting and believing, are through the mercy of God justified from the imputation of sins and transgressions that are past, as though they had never been committed. And by the mighty work of Christ within us, the power, nature and habits of sin are destroyed; that as sin once reigned unto death, even so now, grace reign

eth through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. iii. 25, iv. 8, v. 20, 21. "Signed on behalf of the Meeting,

"JONATHAN EVANS, Clerk." In transcribing this singular production for your Journal, I have taken the liberty to mark such passages for insertion in italics, as appear to require the particular attention of a certain, and I trust an increasing class of your readers, carefully noting with inverted commas every text which was so distinguished in my MS. I was desirous of comparing it with a printed copy, particularly on account of the exceptionable manner in which the far greater part of the texts quoted are mixed up with the assertions, notions and confessions of the faith of its compilers, as if their opinions and doctrines were of equal authority with those of the sacred writers; but I have not succeeded in obtaining the sight of a single copy of the large edition which was printed. Such an intermixture of the doctrines which Christ and his apostles taught, with their own apprehensions concerning revealed truth, distinguishable as they easily are by the well-informed scriptural Christian, is not to treat the Divine Oracles with becoming respect and due veneration; though such a practice may induce the simple but honest inquirer to mistake the hay and the stubble of man's invention for the foundation which Christ hath laid. To others, who more justly appreciate the true character of the sacred records, such doings will rather evince the great extent of the self-delusion of its authors. Yet I do not, after their example, account it "a delusion of the Devil."

The 1st, 4th, and the six last Articles of this symbol of their faith, exhibit each of them one or more examples of this improper practice, the true character of which in each case, will be apparent on examination. Trusting the memorable rejection of this intended imposition on the Yearly Meeting of Friends, held at Philadelphia in 1823, will, wherever it is known, have a tendency to prevent any similar attempt being successful among them, on this or on that side the Atlantic, I am, &c.

BEREUS.

SIR,

I'B

Islington, June 14, 1824.

pay

N my Obituary of the late Rev. B. Marten, of the General Baptist Unitarian Chapel, Dover (XVIII. 670), I mentioned that in his last letter to ine, he communicated a plan for ing off the remaining debt of the Chapel. That plan I beg leave to lay before you with brevity. The debt incurred is 920., the Chapel having cost 2000 guineas, being one of the neatest and most commodious for public worship in the kingdom.

Some friends (unconnected with the Society) being on a visit at Dover, seeing the exertions which the congregation had made and were still making; and, aware that so heavy a debt would operate as a serious impediment to the cause of Unitarian Christianity at that place, suggested the following plan, and kindly offered to contribute to it. It was, therefore, laid before the GENERAL ASSEMBLY, held in London 1822, and met their unanimous approbation.

1. That one hundred persons subscribe One Guinea each, annually, for

three years.

2. That the same be placed out on compound interest, as shall come to hand, until it shall accumulate to the sum of 5551.

3. That with the addition of Mr. Squier's legacy of 250%., the sum of 1207. only of the debt will remain.

4. That this sum of 1201. may be realized, in a few years, by the sale of the vaults under the Chapel; and thus the whole debt will be liquidated. My motive for communicating at this time to your readers these particulars is, that the names of upwards of forty subscribers will appear on the Wrapper of this Month's Repository, hoping that it may incite others to follow their example in the completion of this good work. The plan is an excellent one, suggested by three respectable individuals, the Rev. B. Marten, the Rev. W. Moon, and Mr. Bradley, all of whom are now laid low in the dust. It may be successfully imitated by Unitarian friends, who may be similarly circumstanced, in other parts of the country.

J. EVANS.

It might be convenient for several friends to unite in making up the Guinea, and to which there can be no possible objection.

Society for the Relief of the Necessi tous Widows and Children of Protestant Dissenting Ministers of the Three Denominations.

THEN a minister of the gospel,

WH

who has devoted a long and laborious life, with acceptance and usefulness, for the promotion of the cause of religion, is removed by death, his name should be had in grateful remembrance, and his widow and children should inherit a portion of that affectionate esteem which in his life-time he enjoyed.

This was the feeling entertained by our pious Nonconformist forefathers nearly a century ago; and, in order to give it full effect, and carry it out into lively and continued operation, they laid the foundation of this charity, which was instituted in the year 1733, for the Relief of the Families of such Ministers of the Presbyterian, Independent and Baptist Denominations, as at the time of their death stood accepted and approved by the body of ministers of their own denomination, and who died so poor as not to leave their widows and children a sufficient subsistence.

At the first, the annual sum given to the English widows was only five pounds, and to the Welsh widows three pounds each; but from the liberality with which the Society was supported, the Managers had the pleasure of increasing the exhibitions, from time to time, until the year 1811, when they distributed fifteen pounds to the English, and eleven pounds to the Welsh widows. They have since, though with great reluctance, been obliged to reduce them to fourteen and ten pounds respectively.

The Managers meet on the first Tuesday in every month, from the month of October to the month of May, both inclusive, to receive, and examine, and relieve such cases as shall be presented to them from the widows of either of the three denominations; and such is the spirit of harmony which has prevailed, that they are not aware of any instance in which a preference has been given to one denomination over the other.

Besides these annual donations, in urgent cases, the Managers frequently make a grant of ten pounds to apprentice out an orphan child of a deceased minister, by which means the immediate object is provided for,

and the necessitous widow relieved from the expense of its maintenance. The number of recipients at present upon the books, is two hundred and twelve; and to discharge the exhibitions for the present year would require the sum of two thousand, seven hundred and fifty pounds; whereas the annual income upon which the Managers can with certainty calculate, does not exceed the sum of two thousand pounds, or thereabouts, leaving a deficiency of seven hundred and fifty pounds.

The subscribers have been reduced therefore to a dilemma, either point of which has been pregnant with difficulty.

To curtail the annual exhibitions which the poor widows were accustomed to receive, and to which they were probably looking at the end of the year for discharging the little debts they had necessarily contracted in the course of it, was distressing in the extreme; but to proceed in granting exhibitions so much beyond the income of the charity, appeared not only unjust, but highly imprudent, and a course which, if persisted in without a reinforcement of its funds, would, in a very short period, annihi late the Society.

As the lesser evil, it has been concluded, to vote the accustomed exhibitions for the present year, and to make an urgent appeal to the body of Dissenters at large, for their benevo lent aid, relying, (in humble dependence upon Divine Providence,) that they will afford seasonable and adequate assistance.

It has at the same time been thought expedient, in order to prevent the widows relying with too much confidence upon a continuance of the same supply, to accompany the exhibition with a communication, that, unless an immediate and very considerable increase should be made to the income of the Society, a reduction must take place in the future exhibitions.

The subscribers have also felt it their duty (though they have done it with great regret) to adopt the fol lowing Resolution, viz.

"That so long as the exhibitions to the widows already admitted upon their list of recipients, shall exceed the income of the Institution, the Managers cannot, with any propriety,

admit new casès." However painful such a circumstance must necessarily prove, it can only be avoided by a very considerable augmentation of their income, or until the number of the present recipients be reduced.

The Managers are apprehensive that this Institution is not so extensively known as its excellence and utility deserve; they have, therefore, resolved to make the nature, design and present state of it as public as possible; which, they trust, will prove sufficient to insure its success with the religious public, and especially with Protestant Dissenters.

It appears to the Managers, that, under existing circumstances, it has become their duty, not only to appeal to their Dissenting friends for assistance, but to suggest how such assistance may be afforded; and it has occurred to them, that if their respected brethren in the ministry, in and near the Metropolis, (and, indeed, throughout the kingdom at large, where it could be conveniently done,) would make one public collection in the course of the present year, such a circumstance would, without doubt, be productive of incalculable benefit; besides which, if their respected friends among the laity, who are in easy (and they are happy to say that not a few are in opulent) circumstances, would kindly become annual subscribers to the Institution, a vast increase would, without difficulty, be made to its funds. And, although One Guinea per annum seems a sum so small as to be scarcely capable of effecting any permanent benefit; yet, let it be remembered, that if every Dissenter, in and near the Metropolis, who can afford it, were to adopt this suggestion, a fund would be raised not only competent to meet the exigency, but sufficient to place the Society almost beyond the possibility of future difficulty.

The Managers are fully aware that the Divine blessing alone can insure success; that "the silver and the gold are the Lord's," and "the hearts of all are in his hands." This cause is pre-eminently the cause of God;concerning this we have his own gracious declaration, "A Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation;" and he has graciously condescended to relieve the minds of his dying ser

than these plain simple facts, to shew that Unitarians do "hold other belief of the Deity than what is professed by Deists and Mahometans"? And when such assertions have been a thousand times refuted in this same way, I ask them, what they must think of the man who still blindly and pertinaciously adheres to them? I ask them, if this is not "zeal without knowledge"? And if such a want of knowledge be "entitled to compassion," I ask them, if it is not such as "has no claim to privilege"? Further, Unitarians believe in all the miracles of Christ, his death, resurrection and ascension; they believe in him as the Mediator and Redeemer; and through faith in him and repentance unto newness of life, they humbly look to the promise of salvation. If after all this, a man will not believe that there is any distinction between Deists and Unitarians, then would he not believe though one should rise from the dead. Moreover, Unitarians hold themselves bound to work out their own salvation by the divine precepts of the gospel, and among these precepts they specially hold to the one which stands pre-eminent amongst the good, Do UNTO OTHERS AS YE

WOULD THAT THEY SHOULD DO UNTO

YOU. And in no case whatsoever do they think this heavenly command more binding, more awfully incumbent upon their observance, than in all cases of dissent on religious opinions. But how is the Trinitarian to abide by this precept, following the dictates of the Bishop? How would the Trinitarian like to be forced before the altar of the Unitarian, there to be bound in his dearest interests by a form of worship awfully repugnant to his understanding, and there to have a tribute levied upon him for the support of doctrines which he conscientiously believed to be highly injurious to the cause of Christianity? God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, are supplicated in the marrige ceremony; the doxologies are to the same purport; the service is essentially Trinitarian; it sanctions the ceremony and is binding upon the parties as such. But it is enough that the Unitarian is forced before a strange altar.

Limits preclude my now offering more as testimony on the part of the Unitarian; nor need I: the Bishop

places a two-edged sword in the hand of his opponent, and I now take up his own opinions and arguments as they bear against himself in his opposition to the Bill in question. "The obnoxious terms are the express words of the New Testament, and are retained by the Unitarians in their translation; and incredible as the inconsistency may appear, they are the very words of their own baptismal office: whatever meaning therefore they may be accustomed to attach to the words in one service, they may equally retain in the other." Not to dwell upon the diametrically opposed meaning put by the respective parties upon the words alluded to, and which as to the point is every thing; nor to ask why Unitarians baptize their children in these words of the gospel, if they are "not Christians :" Ï proceed to observe that thus in a sacred ceremony we see two wholly opposed doctrines licensed, the one under an equivocation, and each doctrine held by the opposite party to be greatly hostile to Christianity; two adverse meanings ascending before the most High, from one and the same altar, when that altar is specially dedicated to the support of one of them only! I ask if this can be Christian integrity! if it partakes of that singleness of heart which above all things is of so great price before the Almighty? Here we see a bishop not only forcing the man who is "not a Christian” before the national altar, but absolutely pointing out to him the adoption of a measure derogatory to its sanctity, bending its rights to the acceptance of the "infidel and heretic," and licensing him in his own meaning, when he at the same time verily believes, that upon that very meaning, he will be condemned to perish everlastingly! I ask if this is humane, is it Christianity, can it be righteousness? Having heretofore taken an opportunity of expressing my surprise at the doctrines which the Bishop adheres to, and particularly at the vehemence with which he upholds them; it is now under no less a degree of surprise that I find myself necessitated to differ from him as to the nature of Christian integrity. I feel a selfsatisfaction in thus washing my hands of any willing assent to his Lordship's contrivance upon the present occasion; and should it be permanently adopted,