know, that we suffer in goodly company. Jesus himself was termed a wine-bibber, having his name cast out as a reproach. The very designation by which his followers have from the earliest ages been known-Christians, was, there is reason to believe, given to his early disciples by their implacable enemies, as a term of obloquy. If the pure and holy Master could not escape the calumnious tongue, hardly could his servants expect to meet with honourable treatment. And, accordingly, we find that even the singular piety-the peaceful and unresisting demeanour and the eminent excellence of the early Christians, did not prevent them being stigmatised as Atheists, and charged with the most odious crimes, and accused of every misfortune that befel the Roman empire. And soon, alas! did Christians even begin to turn their hands one against another, and the tongues which had been employed in blessing God, were shamefully perverted to malign men. The cry of heresy was early raised in the Church, and the name of heretic made to express the extreme of mental perversion and moral depravity. But in the midst of this harsh and unseemly language, the diligent inquirer will find, that those who were anathematised as heretics, were often the better men, and often possessed of extraordinary excellence both of mind and heart. Even the list of opprobrious epithets that were thrown, at the time of the Reformation, on Luther and his noble coadjutors, would occupy a score of pages, and startle our readers with the wonder, that those who thought themselves holy men, fighting in a holy cause, could use such and so many unholy weapons. Since that time, the virulence of the majority of those who profess the Christian name, has been turned against the believers in the pure Gospel of Christ. Other bodies, it is true, have come in for a portion of opprobrium; but Unitarians have been made to drink the full cup of the Christian world's indignation. Under the term Arian, or Socinian, or New Light, or Deniers of the Lord that bought them, they have been thought and spoken of by the multitude, as comprising in their characters the errors of the Sadducees of old, with those of the Deists of the present day. Any one of these terms excites, in the minds of the multitude, images of fear, aversion, and horror. Whatever is perverse in mind, or proud in heart-all wilful blindness (if there be such a thing), and all reckless indifference to Scripture,

is implied in the ill-understood and abusive term Socinianism.

Against that name, we Unitarian Christians appeal to the tribunal of public opinion. We do so, because, whatever the term may have implied originally, it is now a term of reproach. It has been greatly and shamefully perverted-age after age made to gather round it offensive and opprobrious notions. Its original meaning, the heads of parties have caused it to lose, and to take another made gradually by themselves, in order to discredit sentiments which they found it difficult to refute. We, therefore, disclaim the name. We know that we deserve it not, and we are the best judges of what our opinions and feelings are. We disown it, as an honest man would the designation rogue. That regard to character, which exists the strongest in the purest bosoms, induces us to disown it. It does not describe—it blackens and vituperates us; it is a caricature, not a portrait. We therefore reject it. And where is the honest man, that would, after this explicit disclaimer, venture to fix it on us? Will the public allow any one so to do? Would they allow Britons to be stigmatised as cowards-or the ministers of Christ, as wolves in sheep's clothing? Would they not teach the presumptuous detractor, in these instances, a severe and bitter lesson? Why, then, should they be less tender of our rights? Why should they-nay, will they -allow our motives to be traduced, our system to be travestied, and our character to be blackened?

We disown the term Socinian, from a regard to what we owe to truth. The sentiments which we hold, we have drawn, by diligent inquiry, from the holy Scriptures. Sustained diligence and humble prayer, used in the research, warrant us in believing, that we are not seriously wrong. We have, therefore, a duty to perform. A woe is upon us, if we spread not the Gospel; and to spread it, we must see that our sentiments and reasonings are fairly and fully appreciated. But this they cannot be, whilst obloquy attaches to the name by which we are known of We therefore disown the name Socinian. We are bound so to do; otherwise we impede, by negligence, the progress of what is to us truth, and what we believe is the truth of the Gospel. Further; the obloquy of the name Socinian attaches not merely to our sentiments, but to our principles also. And the most cherished of these,

men.

are, unlimited free inquiry, unrestricted religious liberty, and deference for the Scriptures exclusively. If these principles direct us not in the right way to truth, sure we are, that truth will never be possessed of man. So that, the name we disown, tends to check the prevalence of the very means by which we and others, if in error, may be liberated therefrom. Yes; the cry of Socinianism, is a cry against free inquiry-a cry against religious liberty→ a cry against the authority of Scripture; and therefore we disown the name. We disown it, because convinced that its prevalence must, by impeding the progress of sound principles, not only diminish our own comfort and welfare, but retard the coming of human happiness, and perpetuate the reign of ignorance, bigotry, and oppression.

It is no little curious, and may serve to show the spirit of those who oppose us, that misnomers of the most opposite meaning are applied to Unitarians. Now we are termed Socinians, that is, taking the proper meaning of the word, worshippers of Christ-and now Deists, that is, deniers of Christ. How those who deny Christ, can be said at the same time to worship him, requires for its explanation as much ingenuity, as the alleged junction in his person of the Divine and human qualities. Both cases are, in fact, inexplicable; and a rightly disposed mind, observing the spirit which led to the giving of names so entirely incompatible, will be prompt to conclude, that neither the one nor the other correctly describes our faith, our principles, or our practice.

If our readers are desirous of seeing other considerations on this subject, they are referred to a small pamphlet lately published, by an excellent and useful Unitarian minister.* Those who think not with us, we invite to peruse its pages, that they may be led to act justly towards their fellow Christians; and those who are of us, we invite to circulate it, especially in orthodox circles. The points insisted on by the writer, are briefly the following:

The Unitarian maintains, that religious worship is due only to the "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." He adheres to the plain and literal meaning of such passages of Scripture as the following:

* Unitarians not Socinians: by the Rev. E. Kell. Price 2d. Hunter, London.

"Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”—Matt. iv. 10.

"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord."Deut. vi. 4. Mark xii. 29.

"The true worshippers shall worship the Father."— John iv. 23.

A Socinian, on the contrary, in addition to the worship of the supreme God, pays religious adoration to Jesus Christ.

In the lifetime of Socinus, so great was the acknowledged difference, that Socinus caused an eminent Unitarian to be imprisoned, on account of his being a Unitarian, and was afterwards rejected from the communion of the Unitarian churches.

The Unitarian acknowledges no head or master but Christ; how, then, can he be a follower of Socinus, and how can he adopt his name?

The Unitarian is emphatically the friend of religious liberty; but Socinus was a persecutor.

We iterate our appeal to the justice of the community. All we ask, is, in the language of Job-"Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know [and man acknowledge] mine integrity." And to Unitarians we say, in the emphatic language of Peter, "But, and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye; and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be always ready to give an answer to every one that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear-having a good conscience, that whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ." G. C. S.

Extracts from a Memoir [by himself] of the late Rev. James Scott of Cradley.*

[AMONG the "Miscellaneous Papers" of Mr. Scott, the following memorandum was found:

"I have thoughts (Deo volente) when time and leisure

* Sermons and Occasional Services. By the late Rev. James Scott; with a Memoir of the Author's life, written by himself. Stourbridge; Printed and Sold by Heming. Sold in London by Baldwin, &c. 1829. 8vo. 272. pp.

permit, to transcribe and correct about twelve select sermons, and a few religious services, with a view to be printed all in one volume, and a copy of the book to be given to every family belonging to the societies of Stourbridge, Cradley, and the Lye Waste."

So intent was this highly valuable man on doing good, and for this purpose, on leaving a permanent memorial of his earnest, affectionate desire of the improvement, and the best interests of the members of the Societies with whom he was connected as a minister!

In conformity with the design which Mr. Scott had signified, and in part executed, the Editor of the volume before me, has distributed copies of the "Sermons and Occasional Services;" prefixing to them a "Memoir, which possesses the advantage of having been drawn up by the author himself, and from which I shall transcribe a few passages, for the gratification and benefit of the readers of the Christian Pioneer.-N.]

Recollections of an academical life." On the 28th of August, 1784, J. S. went to the Academy at Daventry, over which the Rev. Thomas Belsham presided, as theological tutor, with reputation and success.

"The mathematical and classical departments were filled by the Rev. William Broadbent, who, in 1790, settled as pastor of the congregation at Warrington, and the Rev. Eliezer Cogan, who afterwards exercised his ministry at Cheshunt; both of whom were men of great respectability.

"Dr. Doddridge's lectures were read in this seminary, to which Mr. Belsham made considerable additions, and composed a new series upon biblical criticism, and controverted points of theology.

"His method of treating upon these subjects was fair and excellent. His plan was, to cite, in their proper order, all the passages of Scripture that related to the subject under consideration, and to introduce the most valuable criticisms of learned men of different religious sentiments, upon each passage. Thus, great care was taken to investigate the genuine meaning of Scripture, the different opinions of the most eminent commentators were known, and no bias was left upon the mind of the student, in favour of any particular system, but he was led to form his own judgment, by a careful examination