THE

Christian Reformer.

No. CXLI.]

SEPTEMBER.

[Vol. XII.

Letters from the Rev. R. Wright, to the Unitarians in the

North-east District.

LETTER VI.

Trowbridge, September 5, 1826.

MY CHRISTIAN Brethren,

In this letter I shall attempt to answer the question, "If Unbelievers remain in some of our congregations, what is to be done to prevent the inroads of scepticism and unbelief among us?" It is presumed this may be done more effectually in connexion with the liberal, than with the illiberal treatment of Unbelievers. Illiberal treatment, while it contributes nothing towards their conviction, will tend to irritate and disaffect them to Christianity and its professors, and to rouse them from inactivity and silence to more direct and open opposition to the gospel; it will be natural for them to repel what they deem unjust.censure and ill treatment, by endeavouring to convince others that they have strong grounds for their doubts and unbelief; and your treatment of them will gain them the more attention, and give force and currency to their observations and arguments with many persons. Besides, their being treated with illiberality will create a sympathy with them and a prejudice in their favour, among those whose minds revolt at whatever seems uncharitable, and especially among the young, who are most in danger of being misled by them. If, on the contrary, you act towards them in the manner I have recommended in a preceding letter, it will have a tendency to conciliate their attention to what they hear in favour of Christianity; and, if they be not convinced, to render them the more passive, and restrain them in their opposition to the gospel: it will prevent sympathy and prejudice from being created in their favour, and their having opportunity of saying, that you feel it necessary to resort to other weapons than those of evidence and fair argument in support of your religion. It is easy to perceive which of these courses will be the most creditable to yourselves, and the most honourable to

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the truth which you profess. I have witnessed the injuri ous effects of the former, and the good consequences of the latter course; which certainly is most in unison with the Christian character and with the spirit of our holy religion.

To prevent as far as possible, the inroads of scepticism and unbelief among you, and especially among your young people, is certainly of the utmost importance; and I will point out the methods which I conceive best for you to adopt for this purpose.

1. Use all possible means to be well acquainted with the grounds and evidences of what you believe and profess, that you may continue firmly established in the faith and hope of the gospel. It is not enough that you have already examined those grounds and evidences; it is necessary for you to have them in remembrance, to keep them steadily in view, that you may not be soon shaken in your minds. It will be found that the generality of those who have gone over to the ranks of Unbelievers, never seriously and closely examined the grounds and evidences of Christianity, but had merely taken its truth for granted without much thought and consideration; hence, it is not to be wondered that, when plausible objections to divine revelation are urged upon them, they are turned from the faith. Let what you profess be the result of serious and close thought and examination, and of inward conviction : if this be the case with the bulk of those who belong to your churches, unbelief will not make any fatal inroads among you. In particular, the rising generation among you should be well-instructed in the evidences and leading principles of Christianity, that they may grow up not merely nominal Christians, but rational and practical believers. If they be not instructed in the grounds and principles of the religion they are taught to profess, whether you have Unbelievers in your congregations or not, they will be likely to fall in the way of such persons, and to be carried off from their Christian profession.

2. As the objections and arguments of Unbelievers derive most of their bearing and force from the corruptions of Christianity, you must carefully distinguish Christianity from its corruptions, and continue to maintain and profess it in its purity. Against pure and primitive Christianity ► the shafts of Infidelity will fall pointless; but if the errors and corruptions which have been sanctioned with its venerable name be retained, though there should be no Unbe

liever in your camp, the shafts of Infidelity would enter it and take effect. Christianity is no further invulnerable than it is pure and undefiled.

3. Avoid desultory controversy, and the keeping up of a kind of continual running fight with Unbelievers. In such desultory controversy, it is seldom that any thing is properly explained, or any premises accurately stated and led out to their just conclusions. Some stroke of wit, or smart repartee, may be remembered, but not what will lead on to conviction. Though you should not decline controversy when it can be attended to in a serious and candid manner, yet you ought not to attempt to force it upon those who differ from you, nor ever engage in it when you have reason to think it will not be conducted in a serious, dispassionate manner. If you keep up a kind of constant skirmish with such Sceptics and Unbelievers as remain in your churches, it will be likely to produce bad effects; it will be likely to interrupt the free exercise of the kindly feelings and affections, and to lead on to strife and vain jangling. The avoiding of frequent controversy with such persons will be more likely to conciliate their attention and prepare them to receive conviction, while they see you illustrate Christianity by your spirit and conduct, than merely disputing with them, and it will be likely to prevent any injurious effects which might arise from their continuing with you.

4. That you may be fortified against the inroads of scepticism and unbelief, consider, and keep constantly in view, the value and practical importance of Christianity, and what you would lose by relinquishing it, for which unbelief could make no compensation. If Christianity be enter tained as merely a theory of opinions or an outward form, without regarding it as perfectly suited to our nature and condition as mortal, dying creatures and as sinners, as containing a provision for our moral and spiritual wants, and as necessary for our improvement and happiness, it may be relinquished for a different theory, and what is regarded as matter of form may be given up as useless; but if Christianity be regarded as our life, if its vitality be perceived and felt, if it be found a daily source of moral strength and of joy and consolation, and if the immortal hope it inspires glows in our breasts, it will be impossible for unbelief to offer us an equivalent which can induce us to relinquish what appears to us of such inestimable value

and vital importance. Always keep in mind that, if you give up Christianity, you relinquish the hope of eternal life, the authoritative declarations of the mercy and for giveness of God, the most powerful motives to a virtuous and benevolent life, and the best ground of support and comfort under all the trials and afflictions of this mortal state. And for what do you make so great a sacrifice? For perpetual doubts-to wander in the cheerless regions of Înfi delity! There is not a truly rational sentiment main. tained by Unbelievers that Christianity does not own and support by stronger proofs. It is impossible you should gain any thing by becoming Unbelievers, but your loss will be incalculably great. To fortify your young people against scepticism and unbelief, not only acquaint them with the grounds and evidences of Christianity, but shew them its suitableness to man; and teach them its practical value and importance; it is not necessary to lead them into the controversy with Unbelievers: to bring them to the knowledge of Christianity as a vital and practical religion, and to perceive and feel its inestimable value, will do more towards making and preserving them real Christians, than their exploring all the thorny mazes of controversy, however good a clew they might have to guide them.

5. It is essentially necessary, if you have Unbelievers in your churches, that the style of preaching and manner of conducting the public services be not altered in the least on their account. To diminish the truly Christian character of the public discourses, or of any part of the service, to please them, would be highly improper, and the minister who should do this would shew himself an unfaithful servant of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, to depart from the ordinary mode of preaching and conducting the services designed to meet the moral and spiritual wants of the hearers at large, that all may have food for their souls and be instructed and edified, in order to bring forward the controversy with Deists, would also be wrong, and be likely to do harm. To seem to single out any individuals in a congregation and preach only to them, or with a view to their particular notions, may justly be taken as matter of offence, and is likely to irritate and do harm. A controversial mode of preaching should seldom be adopted, and it requires no little judgment and prudence to conduct it in such a manner as will be to edification. It is by the plain preaching of the gospel in its purity and simplicity,

with animation, in a persuasive and affectionate manner, pursuing every subject to its practical influence and uses, and conducting every part of the service in a truly spiritual and evangelical manner, that the inroads of scepticism and unbelief will be likely to be prevented, the churches be edified, and the cause carried on with success among you.

6. Though much depends on the labours of your minis ters in public and private, much also depends on your to-operating with them, and unless you all do your part, their labours will be likely to fail, at least of the full success which might attend them. To guard against the inroads of scepticism and unbelief it is necessary for you to cultivate and, to the utmost of your power, promote deep seriousness in all religious matters, and a devotional spirit and practice.

If persons learn to jest about religion and the Sacred Scriptures, it shews them forgetful of their high importance, and the ridicule and witticisms of Unbelievers may make them captives. Without associating gloom with religion, its infinite importance ought to command seriousness whenever we think or speak of it. If a spirit of devotion be not cultivated and cherished, and devotional exercises attended to as the means of preserving it among you, you will be in danger of becoming speculative and formal, of losing the savour and vital influence of Christianity, and in such a state of mind you will be ill prepared to withstand the insidious attacks of Infidelity. If you carefully examine you will find, that those who, in your district, have become Unbelievers, are either persons who never shewed much seriousness in religion, who never appeared to have cultivated a devotional spirit, or to pay much regard to devotional exercises; or those who learned to talk of religion with some degree of levity, lost the devotional spirit they once cherished, became negligent of religious duties, and, after thus losing their seriousness and piety, became sceptical and unbelieving. Where personal and family religion have been continued with true seriousness, and a spirit of genuine piety has been carefully cherished, it will be found that scepticism and unbelief have not made inroads. In those places and families where there has been the least seriousness, where the spirit and practice of Christian devotion have been most neglected, you will find scepticism and unbelief have made the most progress. I thus point out the evil in order to