JAMES MUNROE AND CO. HAVE JUST PUBLISHED, Ware's Life of the Saviour, stereotype edition. Lowth's Isaiah, from the tenth English edition, carefully corrected and revised. Stewart's Philosophy of the Human Mind. 8vo. 2d ed. Briggs's Sermon at the Installation of Rev. A. B. Muzzey. Wood's Discourse, on Gospel-Truths. Two Discourses delivered before the First Parish in Cambridge; one, upon leaving the Old Meeting House, and the other, at the Dedication of the New. By William Newell, Pastor of the First Church in Cambridge. Sunday-School and Parish Libraries will be promptly furnished, to order, on the most liberal terms. Orders for any work published either in this country or in Europe will be attended to without delay. The establishment of an hourly communication with the city, by coaches and baggage-wagons, enables us to assure distant customers of the execution of all orders transmitted by mail, with about the same despatch as can be had in Boston. 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Gentlemen to whom subscription-papers were sent are respectfully re- quested to collect and forward to the publishers, James Munroe & Co., Cambridge, Mass., the amount due from the several subscribers whose names they have sent us. It is particularly requested of our subscribers to make their payments in Massachusetts' or United States' Bank Notes; since the discount on all other bills involves a considerable It is intended to notice all the books and pamphlets which may be received, so far as they fall within the plan of this work. It is, therefore, respectfully requested of Views of Christian Truth, Piety, and Morality, selected from the Writings of Dr. Priestley, with an Introductory Notice of his Life and Character. By Rev. THE UNITARIAN. VOL. I. OCTOBER 1, 1834. No. 10. Names. AMONG those who maintain the strict personal Unity of God, there are many varieties of designation. The terms Unitarian, Liberal Christian, Socinian, Arian, Humanitarian, Christian, Bible-Christian, Hicksite, Congregationalist and Independent, have been applied either to distinct portions, or to the general mass of those who reject the doctrine of the Trinity. It may be regarded as a matter of little importance that there should be these varieties of name; and could we be so confident in our own wisdom as to be certain that mere words would never assume among us a consequence which does not belong to them, we need trouble ourselves little about the matter. This confidence however we cannot have, when we contemplate the history of opinions in past times, or when we look at the present condition of the Christian world. When names have long been worn, they are valued, they are fought for, and even when differences of opinion have ceased to exist, differences of name will produce or keep alive a spirit of dissension. The remarks which follow may show, that it is possible other evils, still more serious, may result from the adoption, on our part, of a wrong name, or even the application of the right name in a wrong manner. We may briefly dismiss from consideration the name Socinian. If it was ever the proper designation of a party, it is so no longer, since the distinguishing doctrine of Socinus, -the duty of praying to Christ,-has not been maintained among modern defenders of the divine personal unity. We have other strong reasons against this designation. It is borrowed from a human leader, and therefore not suitable for any who remember the precept of Christ to call no man master upon earth. It tends besides to give the impression that our distinguishing tenet was never maintained till the days of Socinus; an impresssion utterly incorrect, as every opponent must allow, who has ever heard of Arius and the council of Nice. And lastly, the very attempt to force this name upon us, as a term of obloquy, was a sufficient reason for the resistance made on the part of our predecessors to its imposition. The term Liberal Christian has been adopted by many, and among them by some of the most respected of our brethren. There are others, however, to whose views this designation could never be reconciled. To them it sometimes grates harshly on the ear, as too assuming; at other times it seems too near akin to the unenviable titles of Rationalist, Latitudinarian, and Free-thinker. In what sense do we call ourselves liberal? The meaning of " munificent" is of course excluded. Do we then, by this term claim to be charitable in our judgment of others? If we are so, it is well; but would it not be desirable that the world should discover the fact for themselves, without our announcing it? The meaning intended must be, that our sentiments are such as correspond with, and spring from, elevated and enlarged views of God and his creation. We undoubtedly think that this is the case ;-unhappily our opponents are of a different opinion. Why then should we adopt a name, our right to which can never be admitted by any except our own party? Those who differ from us sometimes call themselves evangelical; and no doubt they are as firmly persuaded that such is the character of their doctrines, as we are that our sentiments are liberal. Is not the adoption of such titles on either side, in bad taste, to say the least? It appears that the only appropriate application of the term liberal, would be to that great section of the church, whose aim is to investigate and improve; a party which, excluding the Catholics and the high Calvinists, would embrace most other denominations of the Christian world. If the term Liberal Christian be objectionable, as the name of a sect, because it claims too much, the term Christian, if assumed without explanation, would be still more so. This designation has been adopted by thousands of our breth |