that is lovely and venerable in moral excellence. Calvinism represents the Deity as ordaining all things for his own glory; Unitarianism discerns in the great object of creation the diffusion of happiness and good. The latter recognizes to its fullest extent the justice of the Deity and unhesitatingly affirms that he will be just to his creatures; the former sees no other justice in God but that by which he is bound to respect himself. The one is a system of hope; the other of despair. In what we have said of Calvinism, we have simply expressed our own views and convictions. We have spoken of it as a system, and have been commenting on a work,-let it be remembered, formed two centuries ago. We have said nothing to the prejudice of those who now adopt it as their standard of faith. They, as we, profess to be governed by the pure truth of Christianity; and hence the many proofs that Calvinists have given of unquestionable goodness. They are good in spite of Calvinism. But we are unfeignedly sorry that such a system should still be so closely interwoven in the mind of any man, with the purifying, consoling and elevating doctrines of Christ. Meadville, Pa. J. Q. DAY. NEW YORK THEOLOGICAL REVIEW. The last number of this periodical contains an article upon the Sermons preached in New York after the great fire in that city. This article speaks of the Sermons preached by Messrs. Dewey and Ware, without a single sneer or contemptuous comment, direct or indirect. We like to notice every sign of increasing liberality among those who differ from us and therefore mention this. We rather think it the first time that an Unitarian work has been mentioned in a Calvinistic review without some condemnatory remark. We feel really grateful for this liberality, though it is almost like satire to express satisfaction at not being abused. But we do not mean to be satarical, we are actually thankful for this negative favor. However, every rose must have its thorn, and as the great Spenser has told us that an ounce of sweet is worth a pound of sour, we were prepared to take our dose of vinegar with equanimity. It was well we were, for presently in a Review of Abbot's Young Christian and Corner Stone we found it gravely urged against those books that they were liked by Unitarians. The Reviewer seems to be one of those who think it the right way of converting a man to your opinion, to dis please and offend him. While speaking of this Review, we should like to ask whe ther its Editor, Mr. L. Woods, jr. has ever apologized for his shameful calumny upon Dr. Priestley, noticed by us in No. 6? We hope, for his sake, that he has; though we have not met with any such apology. We respect that young man, and believed when he was brought to see the baseness of such a slander, his conscience and heart would lead him to retract it. In turning over, not long ago, a copy of Hahn's "Lehrbuch des Christl Glaubenis," we were surprised to find the whole passage in which Priestly is accused of Atheism. This makes the matter worse. It was bad enough for a foreigner to make such an assertion, yet ignorance might be his excuse. But for an American Theologian to translate it into English is inexcusable. In addition to the testimony of Robert Hall and Dr. Parr, given in our sixth number, we recommend the following extracts to the attention of Mr. Woods-one from Sir James McIntosh, the other from Coleridge, whom it is now the fashion of many orthodox people to admire. "Chillingworth was called an infidel by the zealots of his age, because he was moderate, candid, and rational; in the same manner that imposters, clad in the disguise of bigots, now call Priestly worse than an Atheist."-Review of Gibbon, "Lo! Priestley there, Patriot, and Saint, and Sage. S. T. COLERIDGE, 1794.-Ed, UNITARIANISM IS GOING DOWN. So say Messrs. Reed and Matheson. By the kindness of a friend we have received a sermon preached by the Rev. Aaron Bancroft, D. D. at the termination of fifty years of his ministry, in the town of Worcester, State of Mass. From it we extract the following facts. "Calvinism was the predominant faith through this section of the Commonwealth when my residence in Worcester commenced. Several ministers in this vicinity then thought fa vorable of liberal doctrines, but they expressed their opinions in qualified language, and with a single exception, the system of Calvin was not openly attacked from the pulpit. Mr. Rogers, of Leominster, preached pointedly against election, for which his people brought a charge of heresy against him, and he was expelled from the pulpit. At the commencement of my ministry, the question respecting the Divine Unity was not agitated; if individuals, clergymen or laymen, among us had this faith, they had it to themselves before God. The religious condition of this county at the commencement of my ministry has already been stated. Twenty-one societies decidedly Unitarian are now established; and not an inconsiderable number of these are among the most numerous in the county. We have two associations of Unitarian min isters." May the next fifty years witness a similar "going down" of Unitarianism in every State of the Union.-Ed. THE LINWOODS, &c. By the Author of Hope Leslie, &c. No one, we think, who has read "Home," by the same author, can help regretting that she has written the Linwoods. Not that there is any thing very objectionable in this work, but because it is, comparatively, flat and powerless. Others may be differently affected, but we have just risen from a perusal of this tale, without any very vivid impression left on our mind, and only a recollection of a good many imperfectly sketched characters, some of which are unnatural, and others common-place novel-style. She introduces several great men, Washington, Putnam, Lafayette, Clinton, &c. without making us at all more acquainted with them than we may be from any abridgement of history. Her Hero, Eliot Lee, intended to be a beau ideal, is an honest patriot, a good man, whom we esteem, but not very real, and certainly a bad love-maker. Herbert Linwood, intended to be very love-able, excites too little esteem to be admired, and is, notwithstanding, the talk about natural affection, very unfeeling in his sudden forgetfulness of his unhappy Bessie. However, we ought not to condemn so decidedly without more elaborate analysis, for which we have no room. The moral of the book is uniformly good, and some very good lessons well taught. The book, therefore, will certainly do no harm, and probably some good. The faults are chiefly in the execution, and although probability is often violated, good results are in some manner always brought about; good principles are maintained "though the blank verse halts for it" This could not be otherwise from Miss Sedgwick. But her "Home" is so much more! so exquisite, so finished a picture! so unambitious, too. She is in her sphere there, and it is a better sphere than camps and ball-rooms afford. The perfect description of what a religious home ought to be, will excite many to imitation. The author of such a book must possess a superior mind and a truly lovely character. W. G. E. TO READERS. The readers of the Messenger will share our grief, when they perceive that it has become necessary to pass it into the hands of a new Editor. Let us offer our fervent intercessions that the accomplished and able friend who has been called by the dispensation of Providence to wander through a southern clime in pursuit of health, may be restored to us with added powers of usefulness, and that all the works which knew him may know him yet again. Nine numbers of our Magazine are now before the public, and have been generally received with favor. The present appears a fit occasion for stating anew the subjects to which this work is devoted. That we have a distinct object we would by no means deny. We make no professions of neutrality or indifference. We are not devoting our strength and wearing out our hearts, to entertain our readers for a passing hour. We wish to insert no article, on any topic, which does not strike deeper than the surface. We write neither for money nor literary reputation, nor for the love of writing. Did we not believe our little work an instrument in the hands of God, for diffusing sound opinions, and scattering liberal principles in Religion, Morals, Philosophy-we would throw our pens away, and this should be the final number. We devote this work to the establishment of certain principles, which we think needed in the Church of Christ. It is given, 1. First to UNDERSTANDING. Our motto is, "In understanding, be men." We find the condition of the church not unlike that described in the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amos-ch. xxix. 11, 12. "The vision of all has become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed; and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I am not learned." The clergy refuse to reason on religious truth, declaring it to be mysterious and sealed to human compre hension. The laity equally refuse, declaring that they leave all these matters to the clergy; they are not learned. But to thought, to understanding, to the action of the free intellect and unshackled mind, we would unfold the pages of God's revelation; believing that He is light, and that in Him is no darkness at all. 2. That this may be done, we contend in the second place, for FREEDOM. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." We would have the intellect freed from all outward bondage, and only bound by the deepest sentiment of responsibility to God, and reverence for Truth. Therefore we oppose all creeds which are not confined to the language of scripture, and every influence which can trammel the mind. 3. We devote our pages in the third place to setting forth the power of Love. The manifestation of love is the essence and power of Christianity. A perception of the love of Christ is the condition and beginning of true repentance. A faith and unshaken trust in this love is the element of the religious life. Evil is to be overcome by good, hatred by love, ingratitude by renewed kindness, rebellion by mercy and forgiveness, and the long suffering of God is to bring men to repentance. Herein, we believe, lies all the genuine power of the gospel, and not in denunciation; not in the display of wrath and vengeance, not in the excitement of terror, anguish, and horror. We would have men fear sin and its consequences; we do not make void the law; but we would have them prey with Jeremiah, O Lord grant that we be not afraid of THEE. 4. The last great principle for which we labor is that Religion should be considered a LIFE. Not prayers, not sabbaths, not sacrifices, make up religion; but a life consecrated to God. The religion which does not show itself in the market, the shop, the family meeting, the festive entertainment, as well as in the church, is no religion. Here is a principle not enough understood. We desire to show, therefore, that religion can pervade every thing, and ought to do so. In this Magazine, therefore, we treat of many topics, literary, scientific, philosophic, economical-but we would speak of all in a religious spirit. We would contemplate all in a religious light-from |