was printed; I therefore take the liberty of sending one I have lately met with for the Christian Reformer.

"Manners, translated from the French of Les Mœurs, wherein the Principles of Morality or Social Duties, viz. Piety, Wisdom, Prudence, Fortitude, Justice, Temperance, Love, Friendship, Humanity, &c., &c., are described in all their branches; the Obligations of them shewn to consist in our Nature, and the Enlargement of them strongly enforced. Printed for W. Johnston, St. Paul's Churchyard. 1749." From this work, Part II., p. 8, I extract the following passage:

God, without doubt, chastises like a father, and his chastisements, in all probability, are only the means of reforming us this I even venture to say in respect to future punishments, unless they be eternal, which reason tells me they are not. I cannot believe that, like a vindictive mortal, he pours his wrath even on his guilty creatures, merely for the barbarous pleasure of seeing them suffer. If he punishes them, 'tis to reclaim them from sin by the rience of the evils that necessarily attend it; but conceive, I cannot, that a just and good God is capable of punishing through a spirit of vengeance, and much less that his vengeance is eternal."

expe

JOHN PLOMLEY.

DR. JOHNSON'S VINDICATION OF SIR THOMAS BROWNE

FROM THE CHARGE OF INFIDELITY.

To magnify the number of unbelievers is surely not good policy on the part of sincere Christians: to accuse of unbelief those that profess faith in Christianity is not consistent with common equity, not to mention evangelical charity. Yet it is one of the arts of controversy to refuse the Christian name to such as differ from the majority in their interpretation of the Sacred Writings. The cruel bigotry is still prevalent amongst certain religionists of more than ordinary pretensions. Attempt to prove to them from the Bible the erroneousness of some favourite notion, and they will retort that you do not believe the Bible, because you do not take it in their sense. Vain are all the sacrifices you may make for Christian truth, vain are all your efforts to defend Christianity against unbelievers ; you do not hold certain articles and creeds; and though you refuse then simply because you cannot find them in

the Scriptures, and because you find the contrary there, your dissent from the many is accounted proof sufficient that you are inwardly an infidel. Can any thing be more monstrous? Candour, common sense, honesty, where are ye?

This anti-christian practice of misrepresenting a dissentient as an unbeliever, is well exposed in the following passage, forming the conclusion of Dr. S. Johnson's Life of Sir Thomas Browne. We quote from the Life prefixed to the 2nd edition of Sir T. Browne's posthumous work, entitled "Christian Morals," 1756, 12mo.

"There remains yet an objection against the writings of Browne, more formidable than the animadversions of criticism. There are passages from which some have taken occasion to rank him among Deists and others among Atheists. It would be difficult to guess how any such conclusion should be formed, had not experience shewn that there are two sorts of men willing to enlarge the catalogue of infidels.

"It has been long observed, that an Atheist has no just reason for endeavouring conversions; and yet none harass those minds which they can influence with more importunity of solicitation to adopt their opinions. In proportion as they doubt the truth of their own doctrines, they are desirous to gain the attestation of another understanding, and industriously labour to win a proselyte, and eagerly catch at the slightest pretence to dignify their sect with a celebrated name.*

"The others become friends to infidelity only by unskilful hostility: men of rigid orthodoxy, cautious conversation, and religious asperity. Among these, it is too 'frequently the practice to make in their heat concessions to Atheism or Deism, which their most confident advocates had never dared to claim or to hope. A sally of levity, an idle paradox, an indecent jest, an unseasonable objection, are sufficient, in the opinion of these men, to efface a name from the lists of Christianity, to exclude a soul from ever

"Therefore no heretics desire to spread
Their wild opinions like these epicures.
For so their stagg'ring thoughts are computed,
And other men's assent their doubt assures.

DAVIES."

lasting life. Such men are so watchful to censure, that they have seldom much care to look for favourable interpretations of ambiguities, to set the general tenor of life against single failures, or to know how soon any slip of inadvertency has been expiated by sorrow and retractation; but let fly their fulminations, without mercy or prudence, against slight offences or casual temerities, against crimes never committed, or immediately repented.

"The Infidel knows well what he is doing. He is endeavouring to supply, by authority, the deficiency of his arguments; and to make his cause less invidious by shew. ing numbers on his side: he will, therefore, not change his conduct till he reforms his principles. But the zealot should recollect that he is labouring, by this frequency of excommunication, against his own cause, and voluntarily adding strength to the enemies of truth. It must always be the condition of a great part of mankind, to reject and embrace tenets upon the authority of those whom they think wiser than themselves; and, therefore, the addition of every name to infidelity in some degree invalidates that argument upon which the religion of multitudes is necessarily founded.

"Men may differ from each other in many religious opinions, and yet all may retain the essentials of Christianity; men may sometimes eagerly dispute, and yet not differ much from one another: the rigorous persecutors of error should, therefore, enlighten their zeal with knowledge, and temper their orthodoxy with charity; that charity, without which orthodoxy is vain; charity that thinketh no evil,' but hopeth all things,' and 'endureth all things.'

"Whether Browne has been numbered among the contemners of religion, by the fury of its friends, or the artifice of its enemies, it is no difficult task to replace him among the most zealous professors of Christianity. He may, perhaps, in the ardour of his imagination, have hazarded an expression which a mind intent upon faults may interpret into, heresy, if considered apart from the rest of his discourse; but a phrase is not to be opposed to volumes: there is scarcely a writer to be found whose profession was not divinity, that has so frequently testified his belief of the Sacred Writings, has appealed to them with such unlimited submission, or mentioned them with such unvaried

reverence.

"It is, indeed, somewhat wonderful, that he should be placed without the pale of Christianity, who declares, that ' he assumes the honourable style of a Christian,' not because it is the religion of his country,' but because, having in his riper years and confirmed judgment seen and examined all, he finds himself obliged, by the principles of grace, and the law of his own reason, to embrace no other name but this:' who, to specify his persuasion yet more, tells us, that he is of the Reformed religion; of the same belief our Saviour taught, the apostles disseminated, the fathers authorized, and the martyrs confirmed:' who, though' paradoxical in philosophy, loves in divinity to keep the beaten road;' and pleases himself, that he has no taint of heresy, schism, or error:' to whom, where the Scripture is silent, the church is a text; where that speaks, 'tis but a comment;' and who uses not the dictates of his own reason, but where there is a joint silence of both :' who blesses himself that he lived not in the days of miracles, when faith had been thrust upon him; but enjoys that greater blessing pronounced to all that believe and saw not.' He cannot surely be charged with a defect of faith, who believes that our Saviour was dead, and buried, and rose again, and desires to see him in his glory: and who affirms, that this is not much to believe;' that, as we have reason, we owe this faith unto history;' and that, they only had the advantage of a bold and noble faith who lived before his coming; and, upon obscure prophecies and mystical types, could raise a belief.' Nor can contempt of the positive and ritual parts of religion be imputed to him who doubts whether a good man would refuse a poisoned eucharist, and who would violate his own arm rather than a church.'

"The opinions of every man must be learned from himself: concerning his practice, it is safest to trust the evidence of others. Where these testimonies concur, no higher degree of historical certainty can be obtained; and they apparently concur to prove, that Browne was A ZEALOUS ADHERENT TO THE FAITH OF CHRIST, that HE LIVED IN OBEDIENCE TO HIS LAWS, AND DIED IN CONFIDENCE OF HIS MERCY."

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE PROMOTION OF UNITARIANISM.

SIR,

Kendal, September 4, 1828.

IF Unitarian Christianity be what Christ and his apostles taught, and if it be immediately connected with the best interests of man that it should be universally received, it is certainly the duty of all Unitarians to do all that they can in their respective situations to promulgate it among mankind. The union of God and of his Christ in love to man is the foundation of our faith and hope, and when we hear the Saviour fervently praying that the disciples may be all one, as He and his Father are one," we have the greatest inducements to imitate the divine example. I was led to these reflections from reading an extract from a letter entitled " Hints to Unitarians,” in the last number of the Christian Reformer. With the general remarks there made I perfectly agree; but I could wish that the attention of Unitarians was drawn to some plan that might be calculated to secure a more general unity of co-operation amongst them. The times are favourable; circumstances have occurred, and are occurring, that are preparing the soil for the incorruptible seed of the word; and if Unitarians are only united in zeal and love in sowing the good seed, an abundant harvest may soon be expected. The plan that I propose for the consideration of Unitarians in general is the following:

The British and Foreign Unitarian Association to be the fountain from which all our exertions are to flow; that this fountain receive increased supplies by the following means: that annual meetings be holden in every Unitarian congregation in the kingdom; that two ministers of zeal and talents be appointed by the Association to attend these meetings, in a certain district, and two others in another, &c., whose reasonable expenses must be paid; that the intention of the appointment of these ministers be, to appeal to the liberality of our more opulent brethren on behalf of the object of the Association, and to promote the establishment of Fellowship Funds in congregations where they have not begun; that the amount of all Fellowship Funds be sent to the Association, with the amounts of the collections made at the annual meetings.

If this plan, or something like it, be adopted, it will be a means of promoting zeal, love and personal religion in