the most unbounded liberty ought to be granted to every individual to understand and explain the doctrine of the scriptures according to his own particular views, it has long been divided into a number of parties, differing on various subjects not immediately affecting the leading doctrines of the Divine Unity.-Though the ancient Arians appear never to have adopted this appellation, yet most of their successors of the present day assert, that they have a just claim to the title, because, they say, that they pay divine adoration to the' one God and Father only, and not to Jesus Christ, or to the Holy Ghost. If this be admitted, it will appear that the Unitarian doctrine is of very ancient date. Indeed, they profess to derive their faith solely from the sacred scriptures of the Old and New Testament.

Soon after the Nicene Council, when the Christian world had wearied itself with religious wars and disputes concerning doctrines and government, and the papal power had, apparently, converted the kingdom of Christ into a kingdom of this world, the subjects of religious controversy ceased, in a great degree, to agitate the minds of men, until the memorable period of the reformation. Then again did the flame, which had been long smothering, burst out; and the great and leading maxim, of the right of private judgment in matters of religion, on which the Reformation was founded, once more give liberty to the powers of the human understanding. How far those powers were exerted against many of the doctrines of the Church of Rome, I have already described in the articles protestant and reformation. Though Luther and his adherents had done much towards effecting a complete reformation in religion, it was thought by many persons, of great learning and piety, that much still remained to be cleared away, before the religion of Jesus Christ could again assume its native lustre and purity. Among the number of those who were of this opinion, was a learned and eminent physician of Spain, commonly called Michael Servetus. This gentleman, conceiving that the ideas generally maintained concerning the Trinity, and some other popular doctrines, were false and dangerous, discovered and propagated what he conceived to be a more rational theory; the leading features of which related to the doctrine of the Trinity, which he flatly denied; at least in the manner in which it was then commonly understood. On this subject, he published his famous book, entitled "De Trinitarians Eroribus;" with which, as Ecolampadius, writing to Bucer, observes, the reformers at Berne were very much offended. At the same time he remarks, that the churches would be very ill spoken of, unless their divines would make it their business to " Cry it down." "We know not," he continued, "how that beast (Serve

tus come to creep in among us; he wrests all passages of scripture to prove that the Son is not co-eternal and consubstantial with the Father, and that the man Christ is the Son of God." Now it was, that the fears of Melancthon began to be realized. In a letter to Joachim Cameraper, this reformer thus expresses himself: "You know that I was always afraid, that these disputes about the Trinity would break out sometime or other. Good God! what tragedies will this question produce among posterity: whether the Logos be a substance or a person." To alleviate, in some measure, these fears, this meek reformer wrote a letter to the popish Senate at Venice, beseeching them to use their utmost endeavours to prevent the spread of the errors contained in Servetus' book.

It was, however, reserved for the zeal of Calvin, to convince the religious world, that the reformers, with all their zeal against popery, had not learned to shake off a spirit of fiery persecution against those whom they account heretics. Not content with calling Servetus "the proudest knave of the Spanish nation; a villainous, obscure, barking dog; a blockhead and a beast," this furious bigot, with all the abominable cant with which the genius of his religious creed could amply supply him, caused the unhappy Servetus to be burnt at the stake as a heretic, after having harassed him in every possible way, that the most determined villainy and artful hypocricy could suggest. Thus died the first Unitarian martyr after the reformation: and thus was he treated by one of the principal reformers! It is probably from the books of Michael Servetus, that Lælius Socinus, and many other Italians, first imbibed their anti-trinitarian opinions. From the papers of Lælius Socinus, his nephew Faustus Socinus was afterwards led to the study of theology. He, however, improved on the system of his uncle, and was the cause of the Unitarian doctrine spreading itself over a great part of Europe. In Poland, in particular, this sect made astonishing progress. By them was published the famous Racovian Catechism; and the writings of the Polones Fratres, in six large folio volumes, entitled "Bibliotheca Fratrum; are replete with learning and great biblical knowledge. The leading doctrines maintained by the Polonian Brethren are as follow: That the Holy Scriptures are to be understood and explained in such a manner as that their doctrines shall be strictly agreeable to the true principles of reason. In consequence of this leading point in their theology, they maintain that God, who is infinitely more perfect than man, though of a similar nature in some respects, exerted an act of that power by which he governs all things; in consequence of which, an extraordinary person was born of the Virgin Mary. That person

was Jesus Christ, whom God first translated to heaven by that portion of his divine power called the Holy Ghost.

Socinus and some of his followers entertained this notion of Christ having been, in some unknown time of his life, taken up personally into heaven, and sent down again to the earth, by which they solved these expressions concerning him: "No man hath ascended to the heavens but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven.” (John iii. 13.) Thus, Moses, who was the type of Christ before the promulgation of the law, ascended to God on Mount Sinai. So, Christ, before she entered on the office assigned him by the Father, was in consequence of the divine council and agency, translated into heaven, that he might see the things that he had to announce to the world in the name of God himself. Being thus fully instructed in the knowledge of his councils and designs, he sent him again into this sublunary world, to promulgate to mankind a new rule of life, more excellent than that under which they had formerly lived, to propagate divine truth by his ministry, and confirm it by his death. That those who obey the voice of this divine teacher, (and this obedience is in the power of every one whose will and inclination lead that way,) shall one day be clothed with new bodies, and inhabit eternally those blessed regions where God himself immediately resides. Such, on the contrary, as are disobedient and rebellious, shall undergo most terrible and exquisite torments, which shall be succeeded by annihilation, or the total extinction of their being.

Faustus Socinus supposed, that in condescension to human weakness, in order that mankind might have one of their own brethren more upon a level with them, to whom they might have recourse in their straits and necessities, Almighty God, for his eminent virtues, had conferred upon Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary, some years after he was born, a high divine power, lordship, and dominion, for the government of the christian world only; and had qualified him to hear and answer the prayers of his folłowers, in such matters as related to the cause of the gospel.The chief foundation on which Socinus founded the opinion of Christ being an object of religious worship, was the declarations in the scriptures concerning the kingdom and power bestowed upon him.

The interpretation which he put on those passages, which speak of angels and heavenly powers being put under him, wor shiped him, his having a knowledge of the secret thoughts of men imparted to him, and the like; which, with some presumed instances of the fact, of prayer being actually made to him, he maintained to be a sufficient though indirect signification of the

divine will, that men should invoke Christ by prayer. But con stantly acknowledged that there was no express precept for making him an object of religious worship.

Socinus allowed that the title of true God might be given to Christ; though all he meant by it was, that he had a real divine power and dominion bestowed upon him, to qualify him to take care of the concerns of the Christians, and to hear and answer their prayers, though he was originally nothing more than a human creature. There were some among the early Socinians, who disapproved and rejected the worship paid to Christ, as being without any foundation in the Holy Scriptures, the only rule of Christian faith and worship. This is a general outline of the doctrine of the Socinians.

The Unitarians of the present day are principally divided into Arians and Humanitarians, or believers in the simple humanity of Christ. For an account of the first of these two classes sec the article Arians.

The summary doctrines held by modern Unitarians, are as follow. The capital article in the religious system of this denomination, is, that Christ was a mere man. But they consider him as the great instrument in the hands of God, of reversing all the effects of the fall; as the object of all the prophecies from Moses to his own time; as the great bond of union to virtuous and good men, who, as Christians, make one body in a peculiar sense; as having communication with God, and speaking and acting from God, in such a manner as no other man ever did; and therefore, having the form of God, and being the son of God, in a manner peculiar to himself; as the means of spreading divine and saving knowledge to all the world of mankind; as, under God, the head of all things to his church; and as the lord of life, having power and authority from God to raise the dead, and judge the world at the last day.

They suppose that the great object of the whole scheme of revelation was, to teach men how to live here so as to be happy hereafter; that the particular doctrines that they taught, as having a connection with this great object, are those of the unity of God, his universal presence and inspection, his placability to repenting sinners, and the certainty of a life of retribution after death.

They suppose, that to be a christian, implies nothing more than the belief that Christ and his apostles, as well as all preceding prophets, were commissioned by God to teach what they declare they received from him; the most important article of which, is the doctrine of a resurrection to immortal life. This denomination of Christians argue against the divinity and pre-existence

of Christ, in the following manner:-the scriptures, they say, contain the clearest and most express declarations that there is but one God, without ever mentioning any exception in favour of a Trinity, or guarding us against being led into a mistake by such general and unlimited expressions. Exod. xx. 3: "Thou shalt have no other God but me." Deut. vi. 4; Mark xii. 20; I. Cor. viii. 6; Ephes. iv. 5. It is the uniform language of the sacred books of the Old Testament, that one God, without any assistant, either equal or subordinate to himself, made the world and all things in it; and that this one God continues to direct all the affairs of men. The first book of Moses begins with reciting all the visible parts of the universe as the work and appointment of God. In the ancient prophetic accounts which preceded the birth of Christ, he is spoken of as a man, as a human creature, highly favoured of God, and gifted with extraordinary powers from him, and nothing more.

He was foretold, Gen. xxii. 8, to be "of the seed of Abraham.” Deut. xviii. "A prophet like unto Moses." Psal. cxxvii. 11, "of the family of David," &c. As a man, as a prophet, though, of the highest order, the Jews constantly and uniformly looked for their Messiah. Christ never claimed any honour nor respect on his own account, nor as due to himself as a person only inferior to the most high God; but such as belonged only to a prophet, an extraordinary messenger of God; to listen to the message and truths which he received from him. He, in the most decisive terms, declares the Lord God to be one person; and simply, exclusively of all others, to be the sole object of worship. He always prayed to the one God as his God and Father. He always spoke of himself as receiving his doctrine and power from him; and again and again disclaimed having any power of his own. John v. 19: "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you the Son can do nothing of himself." John xiv. 10: "The words which I spake unto you, I speak not of my-self; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” He directed men to worship the Father; and never let slip the least intimation that himself, or any other person whosoever, was the object of worship. (See Luke xi. 1, 2; Mat. iv. 10.) He says in John xvi. 23, "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you."

Christ, they say, cannot be that God to whom prayer is to be offered, because he is high priest of that God, to make intercession for us. (Acts vii. 25.) And if Christ be not the object of praver, he cannot be either God, or the maker and governor of the world under God. The apostles, to the latest period of their