thousands and millions to perish for lack of that word of life which he might, and will not extend to them." The preacher next gives a view of what he considers the actual blessings of Christianity. The view given so nearly coincides with that of a living* heathen, that I will present it in the words of the latter. In his letter to Dr. Ware of Cambridge, he says: "There is one question at the concluding part of your letter, (to wit, "whether it be desirable that the inhabitants of India should be converted to Christianity; in what degree desirable, and for what reasons ?") which I pause to answer, as I am led to believe from reason, what is set forth in scripture, that "in every nation, he that feareth God and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him,' "in whatever form of worship he may have been taught to glorify God. Nevertheless I presume to think, that Christianity, if properly inculcated, has a greater tendency to improve the moral, social and political state of mankind than any other known religious system." This, "I presume to think," is the opinion of Unitarians in general; and in this opinion, Christians, Unitarians, Infidels, and enlightend Hindoos, all agree. But are these all the actual blessings of Christianity? Are they even a principal part of them? I have no disposition to speak lightly of the temporal benefits of our religion. I value them as highly as any man living. But if Christ and his apostles considered these as the grand, indeed the only, recommendation of the system which they promulgated, it is a little remarkable that they did not oftener allude to them. They evidently deemed them unworthy of notice, when compared with the "great salvation" which the gospel revealed. The burden of their lives, was, repent, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. * Rammohun Roy. They declared to all men, Jews and Gentiles, that there was salvation in no other way. The importance of this message was so great in the view of Paul, that he "determined to know nothing else." Had he embraced " Christianity in the frigid zone;" had he been a Unitarian in his views and feelings; he would, no doubt, soon after his conversion, have gone directly to Rome; and without avowing himself either a Jew, Christian, or Pagan, would have asked the learned Senators of that day, whether they did not think it desirable, that a religious system, having "a greater tendency to improve the moral, social and political state of mankind," than the one they then enjoyed, should be introduced among them. But Paul had an object as much above this, as heaven is higher than the earth. His object was to spread the gospel, without which he believed both Jew and Gentile, learned and unlearned, would be lost forever. And this should be the object of all the friends of missions at the present day. A second circumstance" says the preacher, "which has acted with no feeble power upon Unitarians, in withholding their sympathy from the cause of foreign missions, is, the very injudicious manner in which we think those missions have been, and are conducted. Of course we are all in an er ror. They are the people, and wisdom will die with them. The friends of missions ever since the days of Paul have, without doubt, been teaching false doctrines, and acting on false principles. But Unitarians will soon set things right. To be sure, they have never waded the snows of Greenland nor encountered the sirocs of Africa, in attempts to convert the poor natives, but then they are seriously thinking of it. Their theory is beautiful-just look at it. "Instead of sending out missionaries to preach Creator. They are doubtless sincere in their worship, and what more does God require of them? The metaphysical topics of "sin," and "redemption by the blood of Christ," are altogether too subtile and evanescent for common minds, and bad better be dropped entirely. If our missionaries should go out with views and feelings like these, what might they not accomplish? How soon should we witness the meridian glories of the millennium. of original sin, of a triune God, of God's decrees, of election and reprobation, and of redemption by the blood of Christ,-doctrines, the terms of which are unintelligible to an uneducated heathen; instead of sending out missionaries, for the immediate purpose of preaching christianity even in its simplest elements;" they would sendmasters of natural philosophy in all its branches;" men, at the same time well versed in the "science of metaphysics;" "deep- As so little success has heretoly read in history;" fore attended the labours of the practical men," and "christians without any American Board, I would suggest to of the narrowness of bigotry." them the expediency of adopt"Let these men," say they, "being the plan here proposed, and resent to be companions, and friends, quest their missionaries to be a litand teachers, among enlightened tle more accommodating. Mahommedans and heathens, and impart to those who are capable of receiving it, a knowledge of the history and of the philosophy, which are received in the Christian world." This is the way by which the proud heart of man is to be humbled, and brought into subjection to the gospel of Christ. Why, if you tell the heathens they are sinners, you will offend them, and then all your labor will be lost. Besides, it is questionable whether they are sinners. All that can be necessary, I presume, is to show them what a clever thing christianity is, and they will embrace it at once. If by adopting the christian name they will be likely to incur any reproach from their unbelieving brethren, why then let them be called heathens still; the name is nothing. "Rhubarb is rhubarb call it what you will." I like the doctrine of accommodation. We are all children of one great family, and it will not do to be rigidly attached to any particular religion. The heathen are right in the main; and if they are disposed to worship idols occasionally, there certainly can be no harm in it. This, you know, is only their way of worshipping the Vol. VI. No. 9. 60 en I would moreover recommend to the missionaries themselves to turn their attention exclusively to lightened Hindoos, Mahommedans” and Savages; they alone are capable of appreciating the blessings of the gospel, and therefore the only persons likely to embrace it. The salvation of these literary idolaters is in truth an object of some importance but who will think of attempting to enlighten the soul of a poor wretch that belongs to the thirty-first class of the Shoodru tribe? and since he is already "safe as to a future world," it would be very cruel to make inroads upon his superstition. Better leave him to enjoy the shadow of his own vine and fig tree, unmolested either by a knowledge of himself, or of any thing else. Me dulcis saturet quies, When I look forward to no very distant period, and see the poor, innocent, idolatrous Hindu, throwing by his Shaster and his Vedant, and spending his wearisome days and nights, in conning over the immortal pages of Hume, Gibbon, Swift, Priestley and Belsham, I am filled with emotions of inexpressible "Christdelight. Then shall we see tians without any of the narrowness of bigotry." The two next reasons assigned for the neglect of Foreign Missions, (to wit," The paramount claims of Domestic Missions,' and "The struggle for the liberty of inquiry,") I pass over. The last reason for not obeying the command of our Saviour, to preach the gospel to every creature, the preacher puts into the mouth of an adversary. "It is said," he observes, "that the evil is to be sought in the very nature and character of our religious sentiments.” Unitarians. Our exertions have been withheld from the cause of Foreign Missions, by a belief that "the heathen are safe, as far as respects a future world, even while unenlightened by Christianity. Paul. As many as have sinned without law, (i. e. without the revealed law,) shall also perish without law. Unitarians. We think the heathen do not sin without the revealed law, and therefore will not perish. Paul. The invisible things of him (i. e. God,) from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they (i. e. the heathen,) are without excuse: Unitarians. But the heathen need no excuse. They live according to the light which they have had opportunity of receiving. They are sinless, and therefore, car and will go to heaven without an cuse. ex Paul.-Let me proceed. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, and to birds, and to four footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up to uncleanness, Unitarians. This might have been true of the heathen in your day; but we think more charitably of the heathen now living. They evidently conduct as well, according to the light which they have, as we christians do, and we confess we cannot see how it is consistent with the goodness of God, to give them up to uncleanness, with their present characters. Paul. But we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, there is none that doeth good, no, not one. There is none that seeketh after God. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Unitarians. This, we presume, is one of your hyperboles; or one of the "things" which, as Peter says, are hard to be understood." But, proceed, and give us a more complete view of your sentiments. Paul. And even as they, (i. e. the heathen,) did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness; full of envy, murder, malignity, haters of God, despiteful, proud, disobedient to parents, without understanding, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful. Who knowing the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Unitarians -Well, we are willing to acknowledge, that the heathen do many things which are very improper, and even sinful. But we have been withheld from exertion in their behalf, by "the very injudicious manner in which we think Trinitarian missions have been and are conducted;" and we consider this as one good ground of excuse. Christ.-Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; and he . world, and in "a more excellent An Advocate for "the Review of New Publications. A Dis- must ever Nature of the Atonement. A Sermon on the Atonement, preach- excite the deepest interest in a community awake to the importance of a pure and practical faith. A subject which embraces so many and so momentous topics, the fallen condition of man, the of a ruined prospects world, the character of the mediator, the honour of God,-interests vast as the universe, and lasting as eternity-can never be discussed without awakening the liveliest emotion in the mind of a christian public. We were not surprised, therefore, at the general excitement produced by recent publications on We the atonement. were even glad to witness it, so far as it evinced a pious and commendable solicitude for preserving christianity pure from the corruptions of its friends, and safe from the attacks of its enemies. But it was deeply painful to see the public mind agitaTHE doctrine of the atonement ted with the apprehension that the fountain which has had the reputation of being heathful is becoming impure, and that suspicion is attaching itself to men who have done so much to check the progress of heresy. We have known the Seminary at Andover too long and too well to believe this suspicion to be just. We have been acquainted with its professors; we have read their publications; we know the general course of instruction in that School of the Prophets :" and we feel no hesitation in avowing our firm conviction that the system of doctrines taught there coincides substantially with "the faith once delivered to the saints." Our personal acquaintance with the author of the sermon which has awakened so many prejudices and fears, leaves us no room to doubt the general correctness of his opinions. And it was the united opinion of those who heard it, that it was a very simple and lucid exhibition of those views which had been so ably defended in the Eastern controversy with Unitarians, and which they had supposed to be adopted by all who embraced the opinions advanced by Magee, West, and the writers of the "Selections on the Atonement." We must confess too, that we read it ourselves without detecting its heresy; and after perusing it repeatedly, and with the assistance of numerous reviews, we are still unable to perceive that it differs essentially from the standard works to which we have alluded. How then can we account for so gross a misconception of Dr. Murdock's opinions? Such a question is very proper; and we are sure a satisfactory answer can be given. The artful, insidious policy of its enemies has of late done much to bring the Seminary at Andover into suspicion. When it was first established, their attacks were open and decided, but after they found its Professors able to cope successfully with them on the arena of public discussion, they changed their mode of warfare and endeavoured to diminish its influence by destroying the confidence of its friends in the purity of its faith. InSinuations have been thrown out, that some of the Professors at Andover were in fact Unitarians, and on the eve of publicly espousing the Unitarian cause. When Dr. Murdock's sermon came before the public, Unitarians anticipated the orthodox in expressing their opinion of its merits. It was mentioned in a tone of triumph, as deviating widely from the evangelical system; the public were congratulated on the rapid approximation of the Seminary at Andover to Unitarian views; and the enemies of our faith seemed with pleasure to watch and fan the kindling flame of controversy between the zealous orthodoxy of the South, and the learned orthodoxy of the North." The editors of Unitarian papers would have us believe that they felt themselves quite orthodox by the side of Dr. M., and that his sermon needed only to be pruned of its ultra-Socinian excrescences to become a very useful publication to be put in circulation by the "Unitarian Tract Society of Baltimore." Now, we ask what must have been the probable effect of insinuations so false and insidious? We leave those who have suffered from popularity with Unitarians to answer this question for themselves; while to others we will only state the fact that in some instances these insinuations have thrown such a suspiciousness over the sermon, as to change the favourable opinion which had been formed of its merits. Another cause which has tended to create dissatisfaction with the sermon of Dr. M. is, that it discusses only a part of the great subject of the atonement. Its title is general, and the public, expecting a developement of the whole subject, were disappointed in finding it imperfect. The author designed to examine only the manner in which the atone |