persons. What is the opinion of the Society of Friends, upon this subject, it is difficult to ascertain, as they are cautious in committing themselves upon the question. Whatever may have been the opinions of their founder, Fox, or of their eminent leaders, Penn and Barclay, recent circumstances, such as the occurrences in Ireland, the expulsion of Hannah Barnard, and the disownment of Mr. Rathbone, and Mr. Fox, appear to put a decided negative upon their being Unitarians. I am willing to acknowledge, that such of the writings of Swedenborg, as had fallen under my observation, appeared rather the reveries of mysticism than the deliberate conclusions of a sane mind. I am willing to confess that I did not give to those, who had embraced the same opinions, that degree of credit for cool deliberate investigation, and solidity of judgment, which is their due.

To you, then, who call yourselves members of the New Jerusalem Church, I am induced to devote a few pages of this 'work, trusting that they will receive your 'attentive consideration. Believe me this

address is made with no unfriendly view. Far otherwise. To a considerable distance, we proceed together, on our christian journey, we are clothed in the. same armour, we wield the same weapons, arrange ourselves. under the same banner, fight in the same glorious cause. Whenever, therefore, we feel it our duty to separate, let us, at least, part friends,, The reasons which have induced me to. address this Supplement to you may be thus briefly stated.

The honour paid to these Lectures by the regular attendance of several of your ministers, at a time when an attempt was made by some, both publicly and privately to stifle enquiry and excite a general odium;*

津

I feel no inclination to enter into particulars. If there are any, who, either in established or non-conformist pulpits, or in private conversations, have endeavoured to expose to per sonal obloquy, by abusive epithets, or to prejudice friends and connections, or to inflame the minds of those in the immediate vicinity of residence ;-may reflection teach them the littleness of the motives which instigated their conduct, the anti-christian spirit, by which they were actuated.—Thanks be to God, the British mind is becoming too enlightened to listen to mere insinuations. The age of enquiry is arrived; men will think, nor any longer take for gospel the ipse dixit of a priest.

the friendly overtures which have been personally made; the pains which have been taken to disseminate your principles, whilst the attention of the town and neighbourhood has been considerably turned to theological subjects; the large and increasing number of Christians of your denomination in this vicinity; the stand which you have made against the doctrine of three Persons in one God.t

es.

Hail! ye friends and promoters of the Sunday Schools! Hail! ye patrons of the systems for the daily education of the children of the poor; whether Lancasterian or Bellian; tablished or dissenting! Hail ye eloquent advocates for the Society for the distribution of the oracles of God! Macti virtute estote ! God speed ye! With your right hand you supply the sponge, which shall easily wash out characters, which, with your left, you may endeavour to trace. Every testament you distribute, nay, every line you enable these children to read, unlocks their understandings and enables them to explore the secrets of the prison-house, so that the thunder of your anethemas, like that of Salmoneus, is soon found to be only "sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal."

The following quotations are made from a work of Swedenborg which has recently been extensively circulated.

"It is believed at this day in all Christian churches, that God the Creator of the Universe, begot a Son from eternity, and that this Son descended and assumed the humanity, for the purpose of redeeming and saving mankind. But this is a great error, and is overturned by its own absurdity, if it be

But the principal reason is, the pamphlet published by the worthy Rector of St. John's; as this pamphlet has been supposed by several amongst you to contain a refutation of what has been advanced in the Lectures, and as some of my own friends have requested my opinion upon several of the passages adduced from the Old Testament.

In this Essay, I therefore propose to myself the following objects:

I. To shew the points on which we jointly differ from other Christians, and agree with each other.

II. To mark the spot where we sepa

only considered that God is One, and that it is a more than fabulous imposition on reason to suppose, that one God should beget any Son from eternity; and further, that God the Fa ther, together with the Son and the Holy Ghost, each whereof singly and by himself is God, form but one God.'

"Such men, however, as walk in the shadows of darkness, from a persuasion in their minds of the birth of another God from eternity, and of his descent, and of his redeeming labours; such, I say, close their eyes against the light of those divine expressions, and in that state consider how they may apply and pervert them to the confirmation of their own falses.”

These are, I think, as strong expressions as will be found in almost any Unitarian work; and you will observe, that, in the first paragraph, the appeal is made to reason.

rate, and present you with some observations on the ground of that separation.

3. To offer some remarks upon the ar-. guments in the pamphlet above referred to. And

4. To request your serious attention to a few questions upon the points at issue between us.

As I know not whether you admit all the articles of Emanuel Swedenborg into your creed, but understand, that you allow the recent publications of the Rev. Mr. Clowes, and the Rev. Mr. Hindmarsh to contain your sentiments, from these publications I shall select them.*

I. Let us then just view the points on which we jointly differ from other Christians, and mutually agree.

1st, We mutually pay religious adoration to one Being only. For who does not in an instant perceive," instant perceive," says Mr. Hindmarsh, (p. 5.) as if by a certain instinct of our nature, or rather a silent

66

* Mr. Clowes's Pamphlet is entitled, "The Divine Person and Character of Jesus Christ Defended, &c. in Letters to a Friend." Mr. Hindmarsh's, "Reflections on the Unitarian and Trinitarian Doctrines, &c."