ON THE PROGRESS OF UNITARIANISM IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Coningsby, Nov. 24, 1829.

THE friends of Unitarianism owe "The Watchman" their thanks for his vigilance and fidelity, his endeavours to check bigotry and abate uncharitableness, and his zeal for rational and vital Christianity. If his reports of the night sometimes bring into view the defects of Unitarians, as well as those of other parties of Christians, and place in a strong light the evils which exist among us, it is to be hoped this will be taken in good part, as a proof of his faithfulness in his office as our "Watchman," and of his deep concern for the interests of that holy cause, which ought to be dearer to us all than even life itself; if we are wounded by his reproof, let us remember we feel the faithful wounds of a friend. His exposure of our defects should not offend, but lead us to a close examination of ourselves, to a strict scrutiny of our ways, and cause deep "searchings of heart;" that we may be led to correct what is wrong, and be roused to every possible exertion to do justice to the best and holiest of causes.

Though the Watchman's report gives me much pain, it produces no despondency, it abates not my sanguine hopes of the continued progress, the final and not very remote triumph of the Unitarian cause over all opposition. I can never despair of the success of what I firmly believe to be the cause of God and truth, to be designed to regenerate the world, and which sacred prophecy assures us shall universally triumph. I trust, that the probing of our wounds, the full exposure of existing evils, will excite us to seek a remedy, help forward the cure, and promote our attaining to a higher state of intellectual and moral health. What I have seen of Unitarians and of the progress of Unitarianism, during the last thirty years, authorizes the conclusion, that the friends of the cause may and will be excited to far greater exertions than have yet been made, and that we may confidently look for more abundant success than has yet been obtained.

What I fear is, lest the Watchman's statement should discourage and dishearten those who need and deserve to be cheered and encouraged, and lead them through despondency to relax their exertions, thinking they would be in vain; though, I am sure, the producing any such effect was most remote from his intention in writing, and that he would greatly lament it. Fearing lest this should be the case, and to check the exultation of our opponents, I take up my pen, not to controvert the justness of his remarks, (though I may notice a mistake or two which he has unintentionally made,) but to shew, that if the state of the Unitarian cause in Great Britain, thirty or forty years since, be taken into view, and the causes of existing defects and failures be fully examined, it will be found, that amidst all our difficulties and dis-couragements, we have no reason to despond; that Unitarianism has made considerable progress during that period, and that we have much to encourage our zealous and persevering exertions.

Though we are not to bound our prospects of the future by the past, nor to estimate what may be done by what has already been effected; yet, if a retrospect of what has been done be taken, it will be found that the exertions already made have not been on the whole unsuccessful, that as much success has been obtained as, considering the previous circumstances, the state of things in which we have had to act, and the prevalent views and feelings of religious parties, could reasonably be expected. Some disappointments, failures, and reverses, must always be expected; it is in the

ordinary course of things for them to occur; and they should not dispirit s, but render our zeal the more ardent. For obvious reasons we must not look for the same rapid success as attends the exertions of other religious denominations, for we have a world of rooted prejudices to encounter which they have not, and while they lead men by their feelings and passions, aided by a host of prepossessions, we can lead them no farther than we can gain their understandings by the convictions of truth. Our converts must be more slowly made than theirs, as the light and influence of the gospel must be carried through their understandings to their hearts; besides, among various classes of people worldly interests and connexions often operate powerfully against our making and securing of converts. Still, if we cannot avoid disappointments and failures, we should be determined that, though we cannot command success in every instance, we will so act as to deserve it, and that the failure shall not be through our neglect, or our injudicious proceedings. It is conceived that whatever failures may have attended some of our efforts, enough has been done, and sufficient success obtained, to encourage us to make still greater and more generally extended exertions in the cause of rational and vital Christianity, with a well-founded prospect of their being crowned with success. Let the various talents, means and resources of the friends of Unitarianism be brought properly into action for its promotion, and it is presumed the triumphs of our opposers in any quarter will be short, and the success of the glorious cause extensive and permanent.

We ought to thank the Watchman for having so ably advocated the missionary spirit and missionary labours. Facts might be alleged as substantial proofs of important effects being already produced by that spirit and by Unitarian missions: new congregations have been raised, some old ones revived, and the imperishable seed of the pure word of life widely scattered in various districts. To me it is extremely painful to hear of the failure of any of our missionary plans, or of the unsuccessfulness of the labours of any of our missionaries; the more so because I am too old to labour in the missionary field on an extended scale, as formerly: but I am very anxious that we should not suffer such disappointments and failures to damp our spirits or diminish our labours; rather let them kindle up our zeal afresh, and call into action all our energy. There are still living those who can well remember when the missionary spirit first began to breathe in the Unitarian body, and when Unitarian missions and missionaries had no existence. When symptoms of their being brought into being appeared, they were regarded by many as altogether visionary. When the Unitarian Fund was first instituted, not a little alarm was excited lest its operations should dishonour and degrade the Unitarian cause. It was not merely coldness and indifference that the active friends of the cause had then to contend with; they had prejudices opposed to them which, though they might arise from feelings which they could not help respecting, were injurious prejudices, and placed obstacles in the way of their success. The plan of Unitarian missionaries was deemed by many an utopian one. It was said, "You may raise a fund, but where will you find persons to act as missionaries? Could you find missionaries, where would you send them? Where would you find a field for their exertions ?" Since that time an important change has taken place among Unitarians in their views and feelings respecting these matters. The missionary spirit bath considerably increased and extended, though some parts of the body may unhappily be still insensible of its vivifying influence. Missionaries have been found, and fields for them to cultivate too extensive for their utmost exertions. The greatest difficulty has been to procure the pecu

niary means necessary to enable them to extend their labours to the greatest advantage, and to secure the fruit of them, by enabling their converts among the poor to procure suitable places to meet in regularly, and to defray the expenses unavoidably incurred by keeping up public worship and the ministry of the word, and, which is of much importance in new congregations, to support Sunday-schools and libraries among them. Whatever recent failures we may have to lament, it cannot be denied that missionaries and missions have done much for the promotion of the Unitarian cause in Great Britain : they have been instrumental in raising new congregations in different parts of the island; they have contributed something towards the revival and improvement of the cause in some old congregations; they have introduced Unitarianism, and given it a footing in some districts where it before had no place. One important point through their means is decided by the evidence of facts, i. e. that Unitarianism is capable of becoming the religion of the poor and unlearned, and that the tenets we hold are not unfitted for proselytism even among them; for some of our new congregations consist of the and unlearned. The low state some of them are in, owing to pecupoor niary circumstances, and their appeals to their richer friends for assistance, furnish proof of this.

After all, it may be hoped that the recent failure of some of our missionary plans may be more in appearance than in reality. Though some things which were attempted have been relinquished, and some disappointments have been experienced, it by no means follows that the labours of the missionaries have been in vain: the seed of the word which they have scattered, and which is incorruptible, may in some instances have fallen on good ground, and though the effects are not yet visible to us, it may be taking root, and may spring up and bring forth fruit. I have known instances in which occasional labours in preaching, conversation, and the distribution of tracts, have produced important effects, of which the person who laboured had no knowledge until a considerable time afterwards; and prior to his being informed of such unexpected fruit of his labours, he might conclude, for any thing that appeared to the contrary, that he had in such instances laboured in vain. We should labour in season and out of season, and never be weary of well-doing, knowing that in due time we shall reap if we faint not. Let us keep in view the maxim, that no good effort well directed shall be ultimately lost, and that whether our exertions be successful or not, so far as they proceed from right motives, God will not let them go unrewarded.

What the Watchman states respecting the West of England can relate only to the lower parts of Somersetshire and the adjoining parts of Dorsetshire; if meant of the West of England at large, it is altogether a misstatement; for the missionary spirit was active, and two missionary associations were instituted in the West, before the late Mr. Wawne stirred in the business; and, so far as I know, the one formed at Exeter for Devonshire and Cornwall still exists, and its not having done more may be fully accounted for without leaving the zeal of its members and friends in the least questionable.

The novelty of popular plans among Unitarians, and the extravagancies and absurdities connected with them, and discovered in the manner of conducting them, among some religious parties, may account for the fears and apprehensions, as to their adoption, of some of our respectable congregations, and of well-educated and polite people; though a considerable number of this class, and some of our best congregations, have never, that I know of, shewn themselves opposed to such plans, but have given them their

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countenance and support. It would be natural enough for those who judged of such plans only from what they had seen or heard of the extravagancies and absurdities attending them among other parties, and who did not consider how very differently they would be conducted and work in the hands of Unitarians, to withhold from them their countenance and support.

That many of the opulent friends of Unitarianism have given so little support and countenance to some of our institutions and popular measures, ought, perhaps, to excite our regret more than our wonder, when we take into view all circumstances. The important inquiry is, by what means we can soonest remove their objections, increase their zeal, and bring them to co-operate with us, which appears to be highly desirable. If I may judge from the manner in which I was generally received, and the countenance and support given me, while I acted as a missionary, which I ever remember with pleasure and gratitude, I must say, that many of our genteel congregations and more opulent friends did not shew themselves alien from the missionary spirit, or averse to missionary exertions. It strikes me, that if

their attention can be engaged to our plans, objects, and modes of proceeding, so as to form just views of them, we shall have more of their countenance and support. Surely it is desirable that every conciliatory method should be adopted, that we should do every thing in our power to convince them of the importance and suitableness of our plans and measures to the times and circumstances in which we live, and by our judicious and prudent conduct and proceedings, to remove their fears and apprehensions of our going into any thing extravagant or absurd, or that would in any degree disbonour the worthy cause we seek to promote. In adopting this course we shall not err, even if we fail of attaining the end we propose; and if our pursuing this course will not bring those to act with us who at present withhold their countenance and support, it is certain that a contrary conduct cannot effect it.

Pecuniary exertions in support of public institutions among Unitarians are comparatively a novel thing. Until the last few years, they had scarcely a public institution to support; they had no congregations among the poor to need their assistance; no new chapels were erected, except by wealthy people who required no help from others; and many of them becoming Unitarians in places where there were endowments, they have had the habit to acquire of subscribing to religious objects. This was certainly the case with many; and hence we may account for their having not yet acquired the habit of making the same pecuniary exertions as those do with whom the habit either grew up from childhood, or who acquired it so soon as they became Dissenters. Though this does not justify the want of liberal exertion, it accounts for its existence; and when the matter is properly stated and explained, and they have taken it fully into consideration, there is good ground to hope, from the known liberality of many of them, that they will not come behind any other class of Dissenters in pecuniary exertions. However it may be with some congregations, there certainly are others who, in proportion to their ability, are liberal in their exertions for the support of their ministers and of the cause. The calls upon the Unitarian public for pecuniary assistance, during the last few years, have been many, and some of them have been met in the most liberal manner, of which instances might be given. However we may lament the course things have taken at Calcutta, the failure cannot be ascribed to want of zeal in the Unitarians in Great Britain. From what they have already done, considering how little they had

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been accustomed to be called upon for pecuniary contributions in aid of the cause of religion, let us cherish the hope, that, now the necessity for greater exertions is pointed out and so powerfully urged by our Watchman, the liberality of wealthy Unitarians will more abundantly appear, and that they will prove that their aid was withholden only because they were not aware that it was essentially needed.

That

The decay of some of our old congregations is no proof of the decline of Unitarianism, for they had either sunk to their present low state, or the causes of their decay had too far prevailed to be counteracted, before they became Unitarian. So far as any of them have revived from their apparent decline, or in a manner have been raised from the dead-and there have been instances of such cases-it has been by the introduction of Unitarianism among them as the doctrine of the gospel, as a vital and practical religion. After all that has been said of the causes of the decline of the Presbyterian, not Unitarian, and old General Baptist churches, it appears to me that the leading and most powerful cause has been the want of true evangelical preaching with talent and zeal; and that without such preaching our decayed congregations cannot be revived, nor long avoid extinction; and that without such preaching none of our churches can long prosper. many of our new congregations should be pressed with difficulties which retard the progress of the cause among them, is what might be expected; yet their very existence is an undeniable proof that Unitarianism has been making progress in this country of late years. Our new congregations should study to preserve themselves from difficulties, by, from their commencement, avoiding all expensive plans, meeting in any convenient room, and, if they cannot have a minister supported among them, assembling regularly to conduct divine worship in the best manner they can, and do all in their power to edify one another and promote the cause, and procure what assistance they can from either local preachers or neighbouring ministers: also, from the first, they should begin to establish a fund by weekly contributions, however small, for the support of the cause among them. Their own steady exertions will in time do much, and be likely to procure them more readily the assistance of wealthy Unitarians.

That any of our public institutions should languish for want of pecuniary support is to be much lamented; but, as there are ample latent resources among Unitarians, and many of them have shewn much liberality in various instances, let us cherish the hope, that when this want shall be generally known, the more opulent part of our community will remove it by their liberal contributions, and not subject themselves to the disgrace of allowing the cause of rational and liberal Christianity to suffer by their neglect, while their neighbours contribute so largely to the support of an unintelligible and illiberal system of religion; and, in particular, that they will remember that whatever they possess God hath given them, and that they must hereafter give an account to him of the use they have made of it. Considering how destitute we formerly were of public institutions, we have reason to rejoice that they now exist in many districts, which is a proof of the progress made by Unitarianism.

The Monthly Repository is of great importance to the Unitarian cause. It may be regarded as a missionary which goes into some circles where other missionaries cannot enter. Surely the learned and educated part of the Unitarian public, to say nothing of other classes, cannot suffer such a work to die, or, with their knowledge, to even languish, for want of support. All