He has

the dross which remains. The Son of God has made known the conditions, upon which we may expect the mercy and forgiveness of God will be exercised towards us. He has taught us the part we have to act. given us rules, and supplied us with motives. He has revealed the will and the laws of his Father in heaven. If we are in carnest, and persevere to the end in faith, obedience, and righteousness, we shall not lose the reward of our well doing. If we neglect these things, our hopes will prove shadowy and illusive.

We trust Mr. Campbell's book is calculated to do good where it shall circulate. His views appear to us scriptural, and his language is temperate and plain. There is more looseness of style, than we can approve, and the errors of the press are numerous. We presume the author's duties and avocations might justly be urged as some apology. Mr. Campbell preaches, we understand, to a congregation of unitarians in Pittsburgh, in addition to the arduous labours of a school.

Fifth Letter to the Rev. Dr. Miller. On the Moral Tendency of Unitarian Preaching.

SIR,

My last letter was chiefly devoted to a consideration of the doctrines of Depravity and Regeneration, and their comparative moral tendency, as they are understood by unitarians and calvinists. I come now to the other particulars, by which you characterize unitarian preaching.

You say it teaches, that the various exercises of mind, supposed by some to be essential to piety, are mere

dreams of enthusiasm. This is so vague a charge, that it hardly admits of a formal reply. You have made no attempt either to explain your meaning, or prove the fact. What you would have your readers understand by "the various exercises of mind," which you mention, they are left to conjecture. To meet such a statement, it were irrelevant and useless to produce argument.

Unitarians believe piety to be a rational and operative principle, founded on a knowledge of God, of his will, and of his requirements. The piety, which they preach and strive to cultivate, is various in its character and objects. It is a devout and impressive sense of the majesty, goodness, mercy, and holiness of God. It fills the mind with serious meditations on the divine perfections, and the divine laws, and not only rules in the understanding, but penetrates the heart and kindles the affections. The pious mind will feel grateful for the blessings it receives, and find its liveliest joy in pouring out thanksgivings and praises to the author of all good. Especially will it glorify his name for the way of salvation, which he has granted through his Son Jesus Christ. It will always have an impressive conviction of the unceasing presence of God, and be humbled with a sense of its own dependence and weakness. Unitarians think it also an essential part of piety, that they should strive to imitate the example of the Saviour in all things. While they love God, they desire to love his rational creatures, to treat them as brethren, respect their sincere professions, refrain from judging them harshly, or denying them the rights and hopes of christians. They believe charity a very important branch of piety. The man, who is ready to listen to the whispers of malevolence, raise the voice of detraction, or hurl the weapons of denunciation, gives no convincing testimo

ny in their view, that the pride of his own heart is subdued, or that he has the temper of the Gospel. In few words, unitarians preach a piety, which is intended to engage the heart, soul, and strength in a sincere love and service of God, which shall restrain all the unhallowed desires and wayward inclinations, which shall make men acquainted with the deceitfulness and vanity of their own hearts, and clothe them with a deep humility, sorrow for their sins, and unfeigned repentance -which shall open the channels of benevolence, and kind feelings towards their fellow men, direct their steps in the ways of Christ, raise their minds and conversation to heaven, and prepare them for the future good pleasure and holy service of God.

It is an evil report to say, that unitarians are averse to any "exercises of the mind," which embrace these objects. Whatever ministers to true holiness in others, they joyfully commend, and would desire to imitate; and I deny that they are ever accustomed to attribute any thing to enthusiasm, which is obviously connected with a pure intention and a holy life. When we see persons fond of trumpeting to the world the extraordinary merits of their own piety, eager to scatter in the ears of the multitude the raptures of their indescribable exercises, loud in proclaiming themselves the peculiar favourites of heaven, clamorous in revealing the ecstacies with which their hearts are daily and hourly visited, and busy in drawing lines of distinction between themselves and others, whom, in the excess of their christian charity, they assign to lower ranks in religious faith, attainments, and purity, however sincere and ardent they may be in their endeavours,-whenever we see such persons, experience has taught us, that we ought to be prepared for more of spiritual pride and self com

placency, than of unfeigned piety, true holiness, or the heavenly spirit of the meek and lowly Jesus. We are unwilling to allow, that we have been heedless observers, and we frankly confess, that we have seen no persons more barren in the genuine fruits of religion, than those who make the loudest professions, talk the most of secret and invisible communications, and weary the world with endless details and incidents with which no one has any concern but their own souls and their God. We have never discovered, that the dispositions of such persons have borne any uncommon marks of conformity to the will of God, that they were ready to make any extraordinary sacrifices in the divine service, or were more abstracted than others of humbler preten sions from the absorbing interests of the world. Show us the holy man of God, whose life is the transcript of his mind, and you will point to one, who communes with himself, who is an humble, silent worshipper, content to let the warmth of his zeal be felt through the medium of his good affections, and his religious impressions be seen in the tenor and unvarying rectitude of his life.

You next charge unitarians with preaching, that the strictness and seclusion from fashionable amusements, such as the theatre, the ballroom, and the cardtable, which some inculcate, are uncommanded austerities, and being "righteous overmuch." This charge, though more definite, is as groundless as the one just considered. I acknowledge that our preachers do not often so far forget themselves, or the sacred places in which they stand, as to preach about theatres, cardtables, and ballrooms. It is hoped and presumed, that few of them are so insensible of the solemnity of the occasion, and of the nature of their religion, as to profane the holy Sabbath of God in his sanctuary by going into the haunts

of dissipation, idleness, and vice to find topics, and select images, for the religious instruction and edification of a christian audience. These are not the things with which they wish to make their hearers familiar. No. They think it important to impress the words of Christ and his apostles, the doctrines and rules of the Gospel, the duties and expectations of christians. They preach against vice, and, the dominion of sin, and not against theatres, ballrooms, or card tables. They proclaim the laws of God as they are revealed in his word, the necessity of obedience to these laws, and the judgments that await the impenitent. Vice is a taint of the mind, from which it is not to be freed by referring to particular acts. Enlighten the conscience, make plain the duties. and impress the obligations of religion, and you will gain a hold on the mind, which will serve as an anchor of safety in all times of doubt and peril. By this process you will make men see and confess their sins, and hasten to escape from their debasing thraldom. They will avoid wickedness, because they perceive its evil nature and tendency. There is no reason why we should attempt to particularize at the present day, more than our Saviour and his apostles of old. I know not that our preachers can follow a better model; and the specimens, which you have selected and charged them with overlooking, are the last from which it could be hoped any aids would be gained to devotion, seriousness, or virtue.

Your charge goes farther, and accuses unitarians not merely of neglecting to preach on these things, but of holding them up as "uncommanded austerities, and being righteous overmuch." Nothing can be more unfair, I will say, indeed, unfounded, than this insinuation. If it were an innocent mistake, it might be passed over,