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more honest, and the man, contemptible in the eyes of those with whom he deals, and in the estimation of the law. of God, is embraced as a brother; there is in this conduct partiality, and as such injustice: and while one is shut out from the means of improvement, another is encouraged in the abuse of them.

II. Without assuming a power which no man can possess, it is impossible to ascertain whether any person proposing himself to take the Lord's supper, ought to be rejected. If I rightly understand what is expressed by partaking in this ordinance, it is this; that we believe in the christian religion.

But if this be the sentiment which the act expresses, canany minister or deacon, penetrate the heart of the person engaging in devotion, to discover whether he is indeed devout? True, his conduct hitherto, has not been consistent with this sentiment, but in the present instance it is perfectly so. If he should relapse again and again, every instance of sincere penitence, and every honest attempt at reformation should be encouraged and it is impossible to say that when he comes to engage in this duty he is not sincere, and that this is not an honest effort to bind himself to obedience, to virtue.

III. Such limitations upon the view which the Unitarian takes of religious ordinances would be quite useless. Amongst those who consider the receiving the supper as conferring a title to future bliss, or amongst those who consider it in connection with the self-justifying doctrine of election, the depraved man may endeavour by this act to ease his consei ence, and to satisfy himself in the ways of vice, when this. act of receiving the ordinance is represented as of such efficacy or when it is connected with the delivery of a doctrine so well calculated to encourage evil courses. But what inducement could such a man have to enter those places where the devout servants of the one true God are, without any. mutual flattery, or specious and false promises, obeying Jesus, because they believe in his mission, and where the minister represents, and the people believe this, as only a small part of that obedience which he must pay, who expects the Christian's reward? He who is not sincere and virtuous in a degree, will have no motive to enter: it would therefore be superfluous to use any coercive means to keep him out from your assemblies. IV. Such limitations cannot be exercised without encouraging the love of censure. Christians are not under an obligation to be spies upon the conduct of each other, but rigid examiners of their own. They are forbidden to condemn and judge others, as they would avoid severe judgment them

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selves. But all who have overcome a propensity to severity, in this respect have obtained, and they know experimentally they have not easily obtained, a great victory over themselves. Instead of answering the important end of promoting the virtue of their character by their union, Christians increase the difficulties in the way of acquiring virtuous dispositious, when they render interference in the religious concerns of others necessary; they thus give scope to the indulgence of a spirit, which all, notwithstanding the prohibitions of Jesus, are too prone to indulge.

V. We have no clear example, nor any precept in scripture to encourage such restrictions. On the contrary, as we have stated, Jesus forbad his disciples to undertake to be judges of others, and he himself permitted Judas to sit in fellowship with the rest of the disciples when he instituted the ordinance. The precepts which the apostle Paul gives, respecting this subject, relate not to the general conduct of individuals, but to their behaviour in the meetings that were held for religious purposes. If the apostles exercised any authority in this respect, it was only in connection with the display of that extraordinary power accompanying them, and therefore, as those circumstances in the present day have no parallel, their conduct cannot be deemed, in those few instances, any precedent.

In those societies where unhappily speculation about doctrines is indulged to the neglect of the more important and practical influence of religion much may be done by a faithful discharge of the duties incumbent on the minister, much also may be done by the zcal of those whose habits of intimacy warrant the liberty of admonishing and reproving; but let no exigency induce us to sacrifice that liberty which is amongst the most valuable blessings of christianity, nor let us vainly strive to anticipate the determinations which will soon be impartially made, by him who judgeth the heart, and who will administer righteous judgment.

P.

ON PSALMODY IN UNITARIAN CONGREGATIONS.

SIR,

To the Editor of the Monthly Repository.

I was pleased to see the Letter on the state of Psalmody, among the Unitarians which appeared in the Repository for November*. I hope it will be the means of turning the

* Vol. I. p. 569

attention of congregations in general, to a subject which is among us rather too much neglected. This is the more reprehensible, as it is the only part of the service, in which the congregation can join, and the more extraordinary, since there is no part of public worship more truly delightful. I see by your Correspondent's Letter, that he is a resident in London, and I suppose he forms his opinion of the state of Psalmody among the Unitarians in general, from what he hears there. I hope, and I believe, that Psalmody is better understood, and better practised in our country congregations, than it is in London-worse it cannot be, since by the practice which W. A. alludes to, of the clerk's singing entirely alone, not only is the effect of the psalm as a composition entirely ruined, from the absence of the other parts which are necessary to complete the harmony, but the very end and design of the practice is essentially subverted, namely, its sociality.

Since then, it must be universally admitted, that some reformation is wanted, any suggestions which may tend to general improvement, may not perhaps be unacceptable, more especially if they are derived from actual experience and observation. I have, in common with W. A. some degree of contempt for "select societies of singers exhibited in a front gallery," and I equally dislike with him to hear an organist flourishing and descanting between every verse of a tune. The former I have generally found rather desirous of excluding than of inviting their auditors to join with them, by selecting tunes which contain some miserable attempt at a fugue; this frequently occasions such a complicated repetition and involution of the words, as

must effectu

ally prevent any person's assisting who is not equally scientific with themselves, and must succeed in rendering the psalm, perhaps in itself beautiful, perfectly ludicrous. An organist, where he is permitted to interlude between verse, will be desirous of shewing the dexterity of his finger, or the extent of his learning; he will be attempting to untwist the chains that tye

The hidden soul of harmony,

every

and will not be easily persuaded to confine himself to the grave and serious style of good church music. Yet ought we not on this account to preclude those who are competent to assist in the performance of a psalm tune from niting in one pew, where each can take the part best suit

ed to his own voice, and where they can give a solemnity and an effect to psalmody, which cannot be obtained if the same persons are scattered up and down in different parts of the building. Neither would I wholly condemn the use of so sublime an instrument as the organ, an instrument peculiarly and completely adapted to add to the solemnity and dignity of psalmody. It is always wrong to argue against the use of a thing because it sometimes happens to be abused. But as experience is the best, and indeed the only rule by which to regulate our practice, and as an ounce of it is worth a ton of theory, I shall take the liberty to state to W. A. the mode of conducting psalmody at the chapel, where I have for many years had the pleasure of attending and of assisting, under the hope that what has been long practised there with success, may be tried with equal effect in other places. In the first place, those gentlemen of the congregation, who are capable of assisting in the band, have always made it their duty to attend there, in order not only to give the aid of their voices, but to regulate the proper selection and appropriation of the tunes, for on this, as I have before shewn, the effect of this part of public worship almost entirely depends. The utility of such a practice I have found to be very great; it serves to give regularity and solemnity to the performance, and effectually prevents any of the abuses I have before mentioned. A few of the children of the congregation are regularly taught to sing; they are thus early inspired with a love of psalmody, and a constant succession of singers is, by this means, supplied. The band is assisted by an organ, on which the tunes are performed in the most simple manner, and the custom of playing interludes between the verses, is not admitted. This method of conducting the psalmody, has been practised for many years with success. The congregation are not excluded, but on the contrary invited to join, and the band is in so respectable a state, as to afford the most powerful assistance at the performance of sacred Oratorios, for the benefit of the public charities of the city. I cannot here forbear mentioning that whenever any of the Dissenting endowments or charities, have needed the contributions of the Norwich Unitarian congregation, their band has received the aid of the choir from the Cathedral, to assist in the performance of any Charity Hymn or Anthem, which assistance has always been given in the most liberal and friendly manner. I hope I shall be pardoned for mentioning a circumstance, which

proves that the bigotry and intolerance of the Church towards us, is certainly not increasing, but I should hope rather dying away.

If you think these observations worthy of insertion in the Repository, they are much at your service: at the same time permit me to say, that I shall with pleasure see any further remarks, which may have a tendency to improve the state of psalmody among the Unitarians. I remain, Sir,

Your Constant Reader,

Norwich, Dec. 10, 1806.

J. R.

UNITARIAN ACADEMY AT YORK.

To the Editor of the Monthly Repository.
SIR,

I BEG leave to correct a mistake, into which your worthy correspondent "Neocomensis" has fallen, in his admirable letter, (Vol. II. p. 117.) respecting the Unitarian Academy at York-speaking of the support that Institution receives from Manchester, Liverpool, &c. he says, "that the opulent towns of Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, and Norwich, do not furnish a single guinea in the way of Miscellaneous Subscription." Of the three last mentioned towns, I am sorry to say this assertion is too true. But with respect to Nottingham, I refer your correspondent to the Report published in Feb. 1806, where he will find the name of one gentleman at Nottingham, an annual subscriber of three guineas. I can further inform your correspondent, that the Unitarians of Nottingham did subscribe cighteen guineas not many months since, to assist a young man to spend some time at York for further improvement, who had been educated at the Independent Academy, at Hoxton, and had preached to a society of Calvinists in Nottingham, but who, from an attentive perusal of the scriptures, and a serious examination, of the sentiments in which he was educated, thought proper to renounce the gloomy system of Calvinism, and to embrace the more rational and scriptural views of Unitarianism. Now I am persuaded your correspondent will allow, that the opulent town of Nottingham, has furnished some assistance to the Institution at York: more, I am inclined to believe it will do in a short time. It is hardly necessary to observe, that to support a student at the Academy, or to enable the Trustees to do it, is in fact the same thing.

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