a creed, than by deeds of simple justice to our fellowbeings."

Israel had occasion to notice repeatedly that this clergyman proved himself "the highest style of man," in his gracious attention to all who applied to him for any office of kindness in his power; and this, without reference to name or caste. Letters were frequently received by him from entire strangers, upon items of business, which had little claim upon his notice; but these were invariably answered in the utmost courtesy. In this, he truly resembled his divine Master and Exemplar-nothing was too small, no one too obscure, to escape his gentlest consideration. The measure in which he meted out to his fellow-beings, returned to him again a hundred fold.

When Israel had watched the working of this system of life, he exclaimed to himself: "How different is this man from others whom I have known-who reckon him a heretic to be set beyond the pale of their slightest recognition, as a true Christian? I shall listen to his teachings from my heart as well as my head."

On the following Sabbath this clergyman preached one of his characteristic, elaborate, and great sermons. His text was: "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." (1 Cor. 2: 11.)

The spirit of man and the spirit of God were discussed with a metaphysical acuteness and logical profundity worthy of any of the authors quoted, as Kant, Sir William Hamilton, Berkely, Hartley, Horne,

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Tooke, Descartes, Feder, Garve, Fichte, Krug, Schulze, Malebranche, Helvetius, and the like. This brought Israel to a state of mental lucidity, as though he had been contemplating the ephod and teraphim," made by the man Micah. The world around him seemed toned down to a reductio ad absurdum, while the Hartleian "vibrations and vibratiuncles in the medullary substance of the brain," with the "nihilism," "empiricism," and the kindred "isms" wound him up to exploding fragments of transcendental synthetics.

He was in a state of vapor like Bonnot de Condillac's theory of la faculté de sentir. This is no uncommon condition of minds in churches. He saw men as trees walking through the majestical illustrations of the preacher. The stronger his efforts to hold upon the argument the more weary he became; and all thoughts of notes were out of the question, as indeed, were all thoughts of anything rational or connected. He fell asleep.

The minister beheld him, and the words of Whately darted through his mind: “I cannot but think that the generality of sermons seem to presuppose a degree of religious knowledge in the hearers greater than many of them would be found on examination to possess. “I have made a mistake,” he reflected.

Israel knew not whether he was, in or out of the body, till he began to be recalled by the sight and sound of the exchange of civilities on all sides of him. Of these civilities one thing impressed him- the ladies of the clergyman's family were very cordial to all whom they met not only to those who appeared "congenial" and upon a similar "social plane," but

to those less favored by fortune. He mentioned this afterward to a friend, who said to him: "Those ladies, descendants of colonial governors, state representatives, judges, and other eminent men, and at present connected with some of the leading families of the land, know no other way than to be gracious to all the members of their father's parish. They are not of that degenerate and insignificant order of new people, who affect airs and make petty distinctions. Besides, their religion teaches them to follow the example of their Master as well as to profess faith in Him."

CHAPTER II.

CONVERSATION.

WHEN Israel had listened to the teachings of the Unitarian clergyman until deeply interested, the following conversation occurred between them:

Israel. "Your views of Regeneration, which, I suppose are similar to, or the same as, those of the Universalists, are not quite clear to my recognition."

Clergyman. "Not accepting the dogma of the total depravity of mankind, we believe (and I draw from our standard authorities,) that man has, by nature, a divine principle within him, which, coming from God, will return to Him. This divinity in man can never be totally extinguished; no power in heaven or earth can annul the holy relationship existing between the Creator and Creature. We believe that the creature requires a transformation of heart, a regeneration from the natural into the higher spiritual life, and that this will eventually take place, here or hereafter, before the consummating event of union with the Creator. The divine union which is effected between the reconciled heart and God, in this life, constitutes the most excellent Christian character. He who truly lives in God, is truly regenerated.

"There are, however, degrees in the regeneration.

We do not attempt to estimate how many of these degrees it shall take to complete the standard of excellence. Here let me read to you a sentence from one of our standard writers,* which expresses my idea: 'Unitarians do not feel at liberty to define or restrict the mode of the divine operation in this spiritual, any more than in the natural birth. Recognizing as of indispensable necessity the hand of God in both, they know and acknowledge that "the wind bloweth where it listeth," and, consequently, that now a child of God may be raised and trained under the gentle care of a Christian mother's hourly love, and now may be brought forth amid the throes and pangs of the terror and distress of a conscience smitten by sudden calamity, or by the truthful words of a mighty "man of God." * * Regeneration, in their opinion, is not coercion, nor supercession, but a stage in moral growth,

a

*

process of spiritual development, a revival of dormant energies, a renewal of suspended life. Regeneration has its perfect work in salvation. Salvation is not only freedom from sin, but it is the perfection of virtue in other words, it is humanity instructed, enriched, refined, and elevated to its highest pitch, in virtue of the power, and after the model of Christ.'

I. "Your views comport more nearly with the work of God in Nature."

C. "We do not encourage belief in that regenerating process which is said to take place in one point of time, and in an equally defined point, lapses into a

Rev. Dr. Beard.