the answer is pretty obvious. Till of late years only one system, and one book of religious instruction, was received among Dissenters; and this was the Assembly's Catechism: and those ministers who began to inquire and think for themselves, beginning to dislike the principles of that catechism, while the people remained attached to them, had no means of freeing themselves from the embarrassment of this situation, but by neglecting this part of their duty altogether. At this day, ministers are happily more at liberty to choose their own modes of instruction; and, in this favourable situation, I trust they will soon generally revert to the laudable customs of our ancestors at home, and that of Protestants abroad.

Some may object to these lectures, and this exposition of the Scriptures, as innovations, what they have not been used to. But I trust I am speaking to persons who will not object to any innovation that promises to be an improvement. Besides, the things that I now recommend, and wish to introduce, are, in fact, no innovations; being only the revival of ancient customs, such as I well remember to have been practised in the place which I attended while I was young; where the minister both catechised, and likewise expounded the Scriptures whenever he read them. This, indeed, is the only method of making intelligent Christians, and bringing persons well acquainted with the Scriptures, which are the source of all religious knowledge.†

It may be said, that the business of catechising falls within the proper department of the parent. No doubt it does, and so does the instruction of his servants, and every other moral duty whatever. But in all this he finds his account in public instruction, both with respect to himself and every branch of his family; and the business of catechising will be carried to much more advantage, when both the parent and the minister take their part in it. Besides, at this day there are but too many parents who, having been neglected with respect to this article of instruction themselves, give but little attention to it in their own families; and in this case it is

* See supra, pp. 50, 51.

↑ See supra, p. 6; Vol. I. Memoir, 19, 157. Those who adopt Dr. Priestley's opinion, which his own practice, after he had "introduced the custom" at Birmingham, uniformly justified, must regret that a contrary practice is so frequent in Christian assemblies; where detached portions of the Bible are read by the minister without the accompaniment of any exposition. This subject appears peculiarly to deserve the very serious consideration of Unitarians, who expect the general abandonment of popular errors, ouly from an increasing attention, among the people, to the phraseology and connexion of the Scriptures.

certainly better that some provision be made for doing it by the minister, than that it should be neglected altogether.

So far am I from wishing to supersede the instruction of the parent by these catechetical lectures, that this additional help will be in a manner necessary, and always useful, to the children, in assisting them to perform the little tasks that may be occassionally given them; and the attention to this business, on the part of the parent, or some of the elder branches of the family, will be found to be of great use to themselves, by leading them to look back to those things which they had formerly, and perhaps but imperfectly, learned. This is a very considerable advantage, which cannot fail to accrue, in an indirect manner, from the plan of instruction that I have proposed. But I cannot in this place explain the particulars.

Lastly, some that are disposed to cavil may say, I take this opportunity of communicating my own peculiar principles; and no doubt I shall do it, as far as I find my pupils capable of understanding them. Whatever I think to be true and important myself, I shall always think it my duty to impart to others. But I shall never fail to lay greater stress upon Christianity itself, in any form, than upon my own peculiar ideas concerning it; and the great duties of the Christian life, which are of infinitely more importance than any speculative opinions, are the same on all our schemes.

As an article of theory, I certainly lay considerable stress on certain opinions concerning God, and his moral government, concerning the person of Christ, and some particular doctrines of revelation. I consider God as one being, and one person, and Christ as a prophet, mighty in word and in deed, or a man inspired of God, who taught the will of God, whom God raised from the dead, and who will come again to raise all the dead, and judge the world. I also believe there is no other judgment, or future state, prior to this, which is emphatically called the great day; and I shall take every opportunity of insisting upon these important doctrines. But the article with respect to which all Christians agree, and ever have agreed, is of infinitely more moment than all the rest, viz. that there is a life after this, and that in this future life all men will receive according to their character and actions here. This is the one great truth of revelation. It is what man could never have discovered by the light of nature; and it was in order to give the highest degree of credibility to this one truth, viz. the doctrine of a resur

rection from the dead, that the divine missions of Christ and of the apostles were provided. Life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel. To remind you of this greatest of all truths, and of the moral duties which a regard to this truth tends to enforce, is the great business of every Christian minister. Every thing else that he teaches, or does, is subservient to this. For this reason, our great object is to inculcate that deep reverence for God, that pure benevolence to man, and that command of our private appetites and passions, which give a dignity to the human character, and constitute our only preparation for that future state, which the gospel holds out to us.

Since every person who ever called himself a Christian, holds this great article of Christian faith, I receive him as a brother, in whatever light he may consider me; believing that if we equally cultivate the spirit, and equally attend to the duties of Christianity, our common Saviour, and that God, whose servant our Saviour was, will regard us with equal favour.

I call myself an Unitarian, hitherto more usually called a Socinian; but I do not believe I shall have any advantage hereafter over the Arain, or the Trinitarian, who shall equally feel and act as becomes a Christian. Members of the Church of England, and also of that of Rome, holding, as I do, the great doctrine above-mentioned, as taught by Christ, I consider as brother Christians, though they may not acknowledge me in that light. I protest against the corruptions and abuses which I believe those churches have introduced into Christianity, and are supporting in it; conceiving that the belief, and, in some degree, even the moral influence of Christianity is obstructed by that means. But if they be sincere in their belief, I have no prejudice against their persons. I am willing to believe that they honestly follow the light that God has given them, which is all I can pretend to do; and if I imagine that I know more than they, I certainly ought to do more, distinguishing myself by my zeal in the cause of the gospel, in proportion as I conceive that I hold it in greater purity.

There are more particulars relating to the good estate of Christian societies, that I shall some time or other take the liberty of laying before you; but I wish that, in the first place, you would well consider what I have recommended at present, as being of much more importance than any of the rest. All that your ministers can do is to advise. You are to judge, and also to assist in the execution.

J

Let us, then, my Christian brethren, while the connexion that is now begun, and which, like every thing else here below, is of uncertain duration, shall continue, give mutual assistance to each other. We have, I trust, but one common object, as we have certainly but one common interest; and we are all accountable to that great Being, who fixes the bounds of our habitation, and whose providence orders all events, for the faithful discharge of our proper duty, in every relation of life. It will be my part, having given more attention to the various articles of Christian knowledge than you can have had an opportunity of doing, to impart to you whatever I deem to be useful and important. It is yours to attend, and to judge with candour, to embrace the truth whenever you perceive its evidence, and to exercise forbearance towards myself, as well as towards all other Christians, whenever you see reason to withhold your assent.

But our greatest duties relate not to speculation, but to practice. We are all to be hearers of the word; but the great article of all is, to be doers of the work assigned us by God to do. When our Lord shall return, and take an account of his servants, the inquiry that he will make will not be what we thought concerning his person, or any other subject of speculation, but whether we shall have obeyed his commands, and especially whether we shall have fulfilled the great duty of Christian love, which includes that of candour and forbearance towards our erring brethren.

Your late excellent pastor and myself held several opinions very materially different from each other; yet, I think I may flatter myself so far as to say, that few men ever entertained a more sincere esteem for each other; because we had alike the strongest sense of the insignificance of the greatest articles of speculation compared to the smallest articles of Christian practice. All that we, my brethren, can wish, is to follow his steps, in order to have a happy meeting with him, and such as he was, hereafter; and I have hardly an idea of a state of greater happiness for lovers of truth, and lovers of virtue, of our race, than frequent intercourse with such persons as he was, whose character I had an opportunity of enlarging upon the last time that I spake from this place. As the vicious never fail to corrupt one another by their society, so the virtuous continually improve each other; and we must not forget that the most perfect of our race are still imperfect characters, though capable of infinite improvement; and that the farther we are advanced towards perfection on

this side the grave, the greater advantage we shall set out with, in that which commences beyond it.

vours.

To this great end let us, my brethren, bend all our endeaThe whole of this life is but a temporary and probationary state, the proper business of which is our preparation for a future and permanent one; and Christian societies, with a provision for public instruction, are only one means of assisting us in this preparation, by providing that men be admonished of their duty, and taught how to derive the proper advantage from every incident in life, respecting ourselves or others. When this great end shall be accomplished; when, by this and every other proper means, we shall be built up in the holy faith whereof we make profession, and especially when we shall have edified one another in love, then will the faithful pastor, and the well-instructed and improved hearers, be prepared to meet the great Shepherd of the whole flock, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

The Duty of Forgiveness of Injuries :

A

DISCOURSE

INTENDED TO BE DELIVERED SOON AFTER

THE RIOTS IN BIRMINGHAM.

[Birmingham, 1791.]

PREFACE.

Ir is necessary to inform the reader, that the following Discourse was composed in order to be delivered by myself, presently after the riots in Birmingham, having at that time no idea of there being any difficulty in my re-establishment in that place. I supposed that the violence of a mob being transient, the friends of the Establishment who had any influence in the place, would be ashamed and mortified at such proceedings in favour of a church of which they were members; and, consequently, that effectual care would not