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Religious Denominations in Europe.-From an estimate recently published it appears that there are in Europe,

Roman Catholics,

Greek Church, more than

English Church,
Presbyterians,
English Dissenters.

112,878,428.

40,000,000

6,500,000

2,300,000

3,000,000

Old South Church in Portsmouth, N. H.-The Old South Church in Portsmouth, N. H. formerly occupied by Rev. Dr Parker's society, has been opened, and provision made for the support of regular worship, with every prospect of the establishment of another Unitarian Society in that place-The pulpit will be supplied at present by a gentleman from the school at Cambridge.

New Meeting House in Walpole, N. H.-The new meeting house lately erected in Walpole, N. H. was dedicated to the service of Almighty God on Wednesday, Feb. 20th-Sermon by Rev. Mr Sullivan of Keene, N. H.

Christian Neighbor.—Proposals are issued by Mr William E. P. Rogers, for publishing at Gloucester, Ms., a weekly Newspaper, to be entitled the Christian Neighbor-to be edited by Samuel Worcester

[In selecting this title, the editor has been guided by what he proposes for his motto,-THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF. His design is, to publish a newspaper devoted to practical religion. The public are already supplied with those which teach whatever relates to the outworks of religion,-to forms and modes of faith and worship. Many think that there is a powerful and increasing disposition among the teachers and lovers of virtue in the present age, to inquire for the right way of living; and to estimate religious opinions by their practical tendency and results. While so many are deeply interested in maintaining the peculiar tenets of the several religious sects, it has been thought that at least one paper may be supported, which teaches merely the ART OF LIVING A CHRISTIAN LIFE.]

Number of Ministers in New England.-The Quarterly Journal of the American Education Society contains a tabular view of the number of ministers of all denominations in New England, as given in the Registers of the several states for 1827. The number, as in the Registers, is 1684. The actual number of stated ministers

in New England, of all denominations, is supposed to be not far from 1800. The population of New England is probably 1,800,000. This would give one minister to every 1000 souls. In the year 1750, there was in New England, one liberally educated minister to every 628 souls.

American Bible Class Society.-About a year and a half since, overtures were made by the Pastoral Association of Evangelical Ministers in Massachusetts, to the American Sunday School Union, which led to the appointment of a Provisional Committee on Bible Classes, consisting of gentlemen from different denominations. This committee, after corresponding extensively with pastors of churches, and taking other measures to ascertain the public sentiment, unanimously resolved, that it was expedient to form a national institution for promoting Bible Classes.

Such an institution was accordingly organized on the 13th ult., in Philadelphia. The constitution contains ten articles, but it will be sufficient to quote the first

Art. 1. This Society shall be called the "American B'ble Class Society." Its objects shall be to collect and disseminate knowledge concerning Bible Classes, where they exist, how they are conducted, and what advantages have resulted from them; to devise and execute measures, not interfering with the government and doctrine of the churches, or the appropriate province of their pastors, to promote the organization and prosperity of Bible Classes among all denominations throughout the land, and to correspond and cooperate with any kir Ired institution which may be formed in any other part of the world.

Religious Magazines in the United States.

Name of the work.

Episcopal Register,

Where printed. Middlebury, Vt.

Quarterly Journal of the American Education Society. Andover. Ms.

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Magazine of the Reformed Dutch Church,

Christian Advocate,

American Sunday School Magazine,

N. Brunswick, N. J.
Philadelphia, Pa.

United Brethren's Missionary Intelligencer and
Religious Miscellany,

Religious Magazine, or Spirit of the Foreign
Theol. Journals and Reviews,

Magazine of the German Reformed Church,
Evangelical Lutheran Intelligencer,
Theological Repertory and Churchman's guide,
African Repository and Colonial Journal,
Literary and Evangelical Magazine,
Religious Examiner,

Liberal Preacher,

Unitarian,

American Evangelist,

Christian Visitant,

Unitarian Advocate,

do.

do.

do. Carlisle, Pa.

- Frederick, Md.
Washington city.
do.

- Richmond, Va.
Cadiz, Ohio.
Keene, N. H.
New York.

Boston, Ms.

do.

do.

do.

New Jerusalem Magazine,

Religious Newspapers in the United States.-Their number is 37; and nearly 3,000,000 of printed sheets are supposed to be issued annually.

Church at Lechmere Point.-Mr Warren Burton, from the Theological School at Cambridge, having accepted the invitation to become pastor of the Third Congregational Society in Cambridge, situated at Lechmere Point, will be ordained on the 12th instantSermon by Rev. Mr Greenwood of this city-The pews on the floor of the new church just erected for this society were offered at auction, and the principal part of them met with a ready sale.—On those sold a premium of between five and six hundred dollars was obtained.

Ordination.-Rev. Samuel Presbury was ordained as Pastor of the Society in Northfield on Connecticut river, the 27th of February.

The communications of A. and E. P. B. are received, and will be inserted in another number.

THE

UNITARIAN ADVOCATE.

VOL. I.

APRIL, 1828.

No. IV.

ERROR IN EVERY SYSTEM IS TRUTH DISTORTED.

THEOLOGIANS have said much of the proportion or analogy of faith, i. e. as they mean, of a great and well proportioned system of truth, into an arrangement and harmony with which all doubtful speculation should be brought. For this good sort of theory, yet bad principle of investigation, they commonly adduce the text, "whether prophesying, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith."

I reject the explanation, indeed, but I wish to bring forward a similar sentiment, though not for a similar purpose. For although it would be a bad method of investigation, to take a creed or a system, and to resolve our doubts by it, yet it is undoubtedly correct to say, that there is a proportion or system in truth,-there is a congruity and harmony of its parts, there is a structure which will be unfolded to our eye, when we have dissipated the darkness of our ignorance-when the rubbish is removed, and the mists are scattered, to which doubt and prejudice may be too faithfully likened. Indeed, truth often consists not so much in the exact definition of one idea, as in the judicious balancing of several; and

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we shall attain to truth, not so well by gazing on the magnificent front of its edifice, not so well by marking one luminous spot or sightly aspect, as by taking into our view the whole structure.

Now, I think, that much of error arises from viewing too exclusively these luminous spots and sightly aspects, and majestic disclosures of certain parts-in other words, error arises from partial views of truth. It consists in departing from the proportion of truth, not in raising an entirely new fabric, on an entirely new foundation. And if we would seek for truth, therefore, we may expect to find it not in what is absolutely new and original—(this is apt to be the fault of an eager, speculative, and innovating age)-but we may expect to find truth mixed with error-to find it disfigured with human imaginations and overborne with human inventions-to find it in the ruins of systems that have passed away, or in the broken fragments of systems that are now sinking down to be dust and rubbish for other centuries. This method of pursuing truth, too, is recommended not only for being the true method, but because it cultivates habits both of discrimination and charity. I wish therefore to apply this method and the observations with which I have introduced it, to some consideration of christian sects— doctrines-and practical sentiments.

I. The sects into which christendom is divided, have, most of them, arisen out of this very failure of which I have been speaking, to keep the proportion of the faith. They have not only much important truth among them severally, but their peculiarities have generally resulted from regard to some one truth which they have pushed to excess and to error. There are those, I am aware, who

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