in expectation of being rewarded, or in dread of the Devil, in the
next world.
A gentleman would be juft, if there was no written
laws human or divine, except thofe that are written on his heart by
the finger of his Creator. In every climate, under every fyftem of
religion, he is the fame. He kneels before the univerfal throne of
God, in gratitude for the bleffings he has received, and in humble
folicitation for his future protection. He venerates the piety of
good men of all religions. He disturbs not the religion of his
country, because the agitation of fpeculative opinions, produces
greater evils than the errors it is intended to remove. He reitrains
his paffions, becaufe they cannot be indulged without injuring his
neighbour or himself. He gives no offence, because he does not
chufe to be offended. He contracts no debts which he is not cer
tain that he can discharge, because he is honeft upon principle.
He never utters a falfehood, because it is cowardly, and infinitey
beneath the dignity of a Gentleman. He bribes no man for hs
vote, because he will not make a villain. He measures all offence
by the intention; but he refents with the fpirit of a gentlemat
every palpable infult; becaufe, in the prefent humour of the world
it is the only means of preferving good manners, and of fecuring
to himself that refpect, which, as a juft man and gentleman, hi

deferves.'

Whatever appearance of negligence there may be in the compofition of thefe letters, they nevertheless abound with marks of good fenfe and knowlege of the world; and there are few 'young men who may not obtain information, and reap advantage, from perufing them. We are forry to add, that thefe letters are the author's laft work; Dr. Berkenhout having, fince the appearance of this publication, paid the last debt

ART. III. An Efay on Bigotry, Religious Innovation, and Infidelity,
as refpectively fupported by Doctors Burke, Priestley, and l'oul-
min, in a Letter to John Mitford, Efq. By Falkland. 8vo.
PP. 55.
1s. 6d. Stalker.
1791.

WITH

WITH found and folid argument, though in affected phrafe, this writer fupports the caufe of religious toleration; or, as it has been better called, the univerfal right of confcience: which is, indeed, the cause of truth, virtue, and Chriftianity: -but fenfible and liberal as he is, on the whole, yet we think him, at times, inconfiftent with himfelf, and at variance with his own principles.

When he fays, that if a man who adopts the charitable opinion of Pelagius, and who grants a poffibility of falvation. to the moral heathen or unbaptifed innocent, were to withhold his own infant from the font of regeneration, he should hardly think it warrantable; because he might thereby fcan

dalize,

dalize, or give offence to his neighbours;' he furely does not argue in favour of toleration. If any perfons took offence at the conduct of fuch a man, who believed baptifm to be no effential part of Christianity, but rather a corruption of it, and who alfo imagined that if he could, by his own practice, contribute to eradicate this corruption, he should render Chriftianity more efficacious in promoting virtue among mankind, it would furely be their behaviour, and not his, that would be unwarrantable.

When, again, he fays that Dr. Prieftley may be allowed, without the charge of prefumption, to refine on the fubtleties of Socinus, Crellius, and other Racovian teachers, for his own private instruction or entertainment;' he allows no more liberty tan what the moft intolerant inquifitor in the world must albw, because no inquifitor whatever can control a man's priate thoughts:-but when he afks whether it was vanity, or conviction of their abfolute neceffity for the falvation of mankind, hat first induced the Doctor to fpread, with fuch industry, opinions that excite religious acrimony in his country, and fubject his profelytes to fo many political difadvantages,'-he afks a question that looks with no friendly afpect on the cause of toleration; and when he fuppofes, that the apostle of Socinus will not be able to answer before the unerring Searcher of Hearts, for having ftirred up unneceflary, and unprofitable diffentions in the Chriftian world,'-his fuppofition favours ftrongly, indeed, of intolerance.

From Dr. Priestley's writings, and from all that we have ever read and heard from other Socinians, it does not appear that any of them-of the modern Socinians at least-believe or maintain, that their tenets are abfolutely neceffary for falvation. If this were their creed, we fhould not fcruple to call them bigots:-but, to the best of our obfervation, they all appear firmly and fincerely (if we may allow the fame credit to their profeffions as to thofe of other Chriftians,) to believe that their opinions are highly favourable to virtue and true religion; and that therefore they do fervice to mankind by labouring to fpread and propagate them, by every moral and peaceable method. Indeed, with fuch convictions, we know not how they, or any other denomination of Chriftians, could acquit themfelves to their own confciences, if they were quietly to fit down, and were indolently, not to fay criminally, to ftifle within their own minds what they deem to be beneficial truth. It is a maxim with us, that the public are under obligations to every man, of every party, who lays before them, and even preffes. on them, whatever he holds to be useful, true, and important; 6 provided

provided he does it with temper and charity toward those who differ from him.

As to any acrimony, or diffention, which Socinian tenets may excite, we cannot but obferve that an English Archbifhop entertained very different notions on the fubject. He was of opinion, that, of all the writers on religious controverfy, the Socinians conducted themfelves with the greateft temper, moderation, and prudence; and on this account, though he was not of their perfuafion, he, like a true friend to toleration, recommended them as models to all parties and fects whatso

If their opponents are acrimonious, the guilt and the blame must rest with fuch opponents. A Socinian, perfuaded of the truth and importance of his creed, might justify himself by the example of Chrift and his apoftles, for propagating it by every fair and difpaffionate argument in his power, regardless of the heat and acrimony of his opponents. That gracious teacher, and his first followers, perfevered calmly, but refolutely, to make difciples, though they knew that the immediate confequence would not be peace, but a fword. We hope, however, that in these days, no fword, either public or private, will be raised against any clafs of Chriftians, nor even heathens, who teach their tenets, however erroneous, with the temper, fpirit, and conviction of truth. That the age in which we live is not wholly undifgraced by religious bigotry, we know from recent incidents even in our own country: but yet we hope that the bleffed Sun of Chriftianity has not been fhining for nearly eighteen hundred years, fo much in vain, as that any confiderable part of Chriftendom should still be enveloped in fuch grofs darkness, as not to fee that whatever doctrines may be true, heat and acrimony are unquestionably falfe; and that how much foever a man may believe, he cannot poffibly, without laying afide all bitterness, wrath, and evil fpeaking, be a legitimate disciple of Jefus.

Still, afks this advocate for toleration, why fhould a man be fo eager and zealous to promote the metaphyfical fubtleties of Socinus? Do Unitarians, even under the ftimulus of a novel creed, discharge the focial and relative duties of life with more charity and fidelity than the Trinitarian?'

Surely this writer is ftrangely mistaken, when he charges Socinianifm with metaphyfical fubtlety, in oppofition to Trinitarianifm. If any one doctrine be plainer than another, (we are not now speaking of the truth of doctrines,) it is moft certainly that which teaches, that the great Founder of the

Tillotfon, fee his 44th fermon, page 420, in the first volume of his works, edit. 1752, in folio.

Chriftian

Chriftian religion was a human Being, like ourselves! On the contrary, if any doctrine be more fubtle, metaphyfical, and abstruse, than another, it is no lefs certain that it must be the doctrine which teaches, that there are "three perfons in one nature, and two natures in one perfon," and all those other arcana which Lord Bacon calls the characteristics of a believing 'Chriflian*.

Respecting the moral conduct of Unitarians, it is but just and fair to obferve, that we have heard it afferted, again and again, by thofe who were no Unitarians, that this herefy, as they termed it, would never have made such progrefs, if it were not for the good and upright lives of its profeffors. Whether the fact be really fo, we do not prefume to determine. If it be, we must confider it as of great weight in the Unitarian fcale, as long as we continue to revere the principles and maxims of a Mafter, whom we are confident we fhall love and reverence to the latest moment of our lives. That beft of Mafters, when he wished to point out the fureft criterion for diftinguishing the falfe prophets, or teachers, from the true, faid: "By their fruits ye fhall know them."

That Unitarians fhould confider their fyftem as peculiarly favourable to moral virtue, is natural enough. Experience certainly evinces, that the more men believe, the more apt they are to make a merit of their belief; and as the human heart, which we are told is deceitful above all things, is ingenious in finding excufes for its own depravity, and fertile in expedients to lighten the task of duty, men are ever prone to delude themselves with the idea that one species of merit may atone for defects of another species, or may at least render other merit lefs neceffary. Hence it has not been unusual to eke out a scanty practice, by an ample faith; in other words, to lengthen the creed, and to fhorten the commandments.

All church hiftory fhews, that credere firmiter et peccare fortiter, is no very rare nor uncommon affociation:-but the Unitarian fcheme, by excluding all myftery, and rationally judging of Chriftianity by the rules of plain common fenfe, appears to leave nothing but moral virtue for its dependance. An Unitarian Chriftian muft fee, at once, that if he is not a moral Chriftian, he is no Chriftian. After all, however, though the rationality and moral tendency of any doctrine may be a high prefumption in its favour, these are not alone a fufficient proof of its truth. Whoever would know what Chrifti

*The reader may fee Lord Bacon's characteristics of this defcription of Chriftians, in our Review for May laft, p. 74.

anity really is, has only one courfe to take; "Search the Scriptures."

The writer before us condemns, as unadvifable, the afperfion of any man's fettled faith.' We cordially agree with him :-but it does not appear, when he afperfes Dr. Toulmin as a country leach,' that he would agree with us in treating the moral and inquifitive unbeliever with the fame refpect, with which we would treat the Chriftian fectary. Neither does he appear to agree with himfelf, as an advocate for toleration, when, notwithstanding he allows the fame Dr. Toulmin to be innocent in his moral practice, and of fuch natural benignity, or under the influence of fuch a virtuous education, that he would not act inhumanly or difhonourably for any confideration;' he, nevertheless, uncharitably and intolerantly condemns him to pain and fuffering in a future world.

These few obfervations we have been induced to make, not with a view of defending the tenets of any fect, nor for the fake of one party, but for the purpose of ferving all parties. The circumftances and complexion of the times, marked with fome ftains which, though we trust the difpofition is only local and confined, do no honour to those who, in the darkness of their ignorance, were the perpetrators, nor to thofe, who, in the weakness or the wickedness of their empty fears, their narrow jealoufies, and their inflammatory alarms, either real or affumed, were the fomentors, of a difgraceful outrage-these circumftances feem to indicate, that the principles of univerfal toleration are not fo thoroughly understood, nor fo widely fpread, as they ought to be among all who bear the name of Chriftians; "whom," (we adopt the words of an ornament to the epifcopal bench*,)" would to God we could conciliate (we fay not to any opinion of ours, for that might be conftrued an arrogant expectation, but) to a charitable temper of mind towards thofe who differ from them, and to a difpaffionate confideration of the subjects concerning which they differ." Pear.

ART. IV. The Teft of England; or, a Differtation on Human Authority, in a Divine Religion. A Poem in Six Books. 8vo. 1791.

pp. 266. 5s. Boards. Johnson.

W

HAT will not this prolific fubject produce! We fhould almost as foon have expected to have feen an edition of Mrs. Glafs's Cookery done into verfe, as a long poem on the

See the excellent Confiderations on the Expediency of revifing the Liturgy and Articles of the Church of England; Review, vol. ii. p. 401. of the New Series.

Teft