other than the common popular sense in which they were accustomed to take each of their own gods by himself as one, or one undivided person, in the Unitarian sense. And unless the heathen were accustomed to view each of their own false gods as a Trinity, it is impossible they could otherwise, from all that the Bible says to them on the subject, conceive to themselves the notion of the true God being a Trinity, without giving way to a new imagination, alike unheard of in the Bible and their own system. No child or unprejudiced person, in reading the Scriptures by himself, ever imagines God to be one in any other than the common or numerical or Unitarian sense. When he reads in his Bible “that there is but one God and Father of all," he never dreams of his heavenly Father being a Trinity, any more than his earthly father. He never thinks of his heavenly Father any otherwise than as a Unitarian, till he has been taught his mistake by some book, or creed, or advocate of Trinitarianism. Never, till then, does he find out his mistake, however often, or however carefully he may read his Bible. He may find many things there to puzzle him, but never does that theory occur to him withont suggestion from some foreign quarter. Indeed it were most unlikely, if not morally impossible, that a doctrine which took centuries of subtle speculation and discussion among learned theologians and casuists to bring it to its present state of perfection, should be stumbled upon in a lifetime's reading of the Bible alone by plain illiterate people that had never heard of such speculation. The hard, perplexing, unscriptural terms which their doctrine so much requires for explaining it, put it far enough beyond the reach of common people to think of from the bare words of scripture, and, apart from all other considerations, go very far indeed to satisfy my own mind, that as their doctrine cannot be expressed in scripture language, so it is destitute alike of scripture foundation. It must be allowed upon all hands, that the Bible says nothing about mystery or Trinity in the unity of God; and where, then, is the right of man to foist in mystery and Trinity where God has said nothing of either; and then to condemn his fellow man who cannot fall down and

worship the idol of his imagination? In a word, while Trinitarians will have God to be a Trinity, a three-one God, the Scriptures never speak of such a thing, but always represent God simply as one, without the least mention of three,* or any number but ONE. We therefore hold fast the Scripture number, and determinately reject all attempts to add to it, or to make God a being number but one. "To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things." "There is one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all." "There is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus."

of any

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Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God." This was the answer of Christ himself to the young man that asked him, "Good master, what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" The common system to evade the plain obvious meaning of this passage, is obliged to have recourse to an exposition, such as no unprejudiced person would think of, and which involves in it the following most shocking consequence, viz. that though the Saviour is said to have beheld and loved this young inquirer after eternal life, yet, from some cause or other, he wilfully concealed from him the only means of obtaining it; first, by disingenuously disclaiming his own true character and deity, keeping the man ignorant of what he essentially needed to know in order to life; and, secondly, by deceiving the man with a false answer to his question," If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments,"-this being, according to our opponents, a false and impossible way of obtaining life since the fall of Adam. Now, sooner than attribute in any shape, or under any pretence, such monstrous duplicity to the faithful and true Witness, who certainly had the words of eternal life, I will throw all creeds and confesssions of men overboard at once, and leave them to sink or swim as they may, and will cleave to my Bible alone as the creed of my youth, that first taught me to think of my heavenly Father as one, and one only of absolute, eternal, and fearless goodness; and that the

* The text of 1 John, v. 7, about “three that bear record in heaven,” is spurious, and has been unanswerably proved to be so.

sure way of entering into eternal life, is to keep his commandments, whose commandments are not grievous, but whose yoke is easy, and his burden light. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." T. G.

ELLON, August 28. 1841.

"PEOPLE'S EDITION" OF CHANNING.

To the Editor of the Christian Pioneer.

MY DEAR SIR,-I have lately been urging upon our brethren in this part of the empire, the importance and the practicability of publishing Channing's complete works, at such a price as to place them within the reach of the poorest of our people.

A respectable printer has informed me, that if threefourths of the impression were subscribed for, he could issue an edition of three thousand for Three Shillings per copy to ministers ordering directly from himself.

I have guaranteed, for my people and myself, to take one hundred copies. If twenty other congregations or ministers do the same, our desire is fulfilled.

I cannot find words to express my sense of the importance of this project, but earnestly recommend it to the attention of my brother ministers, and my personal friends in Scotland; from any of whom I shall be happy to receive a statement of the number of copies of which they can guarantee the sale.

I am, my dear Sir, your friend and brother,

ROBERT E. B. MACLELLAN.

BRIDPORT, 10th March 1842.

MONTHLY RECORD.

APRIL 1. 1842.

BIRMINGHAM UNITARIAN DOMESTIC MISSIONS SOCIETY. -The second anniversary sermons in aid of the funds of this interesting and important institution, were delivered on Sunday, Feb. 13, by the Rev. Samuel Martin of Trowbridge, in the morning, at the Old Meeting-house, and, in the evening, at the New Unitarian Chapel, Newhall Hill; the use of these places of worship having been kindly granted for the purpose. The morning's discourse was founded on the words of the Psalmist, "No man cared for my soul," and was an earnest and deeply affecting appeal on behalf of neglected and suffering humanity. The preacher, after describing the want and wretchedness to be found in the miserable dwellings of the poor in large towns, and the almost total darkness of the understanding which too generally prevailed among that destitute portion of our brethren-enforced, in eloquent and touching language, the duty of professing Christians to aid, according to their means and abilities, in ameliorating the condition of those who are pressed down by evil circumstances, surrounded by evil examples, and subject to none but evil influences; who are outcasts from the pale of Christian hopes and Christian privileges, and for whose souls no man hath cared. The collections after the services amounted to £38:11:2, being about £8 more than at the last anni

versary.

On Tuesday evening, Feb. 15, the annual general meeting of subscribers and friends to the institution, was held in the Old Meeting Upper School-room, when, from the increased interest felt in the operations of the Society, it was found necessary to enlarge the room, by removing a partition inclosing the extensive school library; about 200 persons were by this means comfortably seated at tea, after which the number was considerably augmented. The social repast having been concluded, and a hymn sung, Thomas Eyre Lee, Esq., President, was called to the chair, and after having briefly addressed the meeting, and expressed the pleasure he felt in again meeting the friends of the Society, and his satisfaction at the increased usefulness and prosperity of the institution, concluded by calling on Mr Earl, one of the secretaries, to read the report of the committee for the past year, which gave a full, and, so far as possible, a detailed account of the proceedings of the Society, and afforded great satisfaction to the meeting. James Russell, Esq., after a neat and appropriate speech, moved the

adoption of the report, which was seconded by G. S. Kenrick, Esq. of Vartigg, Pontypool, who, in a speech of great beauty and good feeling, advocated the cause of the poor, and showed the necessity and usefulness of Domestic Missions, as a powerful means of effecting the moral elevation of the people. The cordial thanks of the meeting having been voted to the Rev. Samuel Martin "for the beautiful and appropriate discourses delivered on Sunday last, and for his earnest and efficient advocacy of the claims of this institution," that gentleman delighted his audience with a deeply interesting address, and concluded with a powerful exhortation to perseverance in well-doing. In the course of the evening, the Rev. Thomas Bowring delivered his annual address to the friends of the institution, in which the necessity of a Mission to the poor, and the great benefit arising to our poorer brethren from its various operations, were clearly and ably set forth.

The Rev. Hugh Hutton, and Wm. M'Kean; Mr Martin, Mr Worsey, Mr Alderman Weston, Mr Gittins, Mr Earl, Mr Ridge, Mr Fiddian, Mr Brooke Smith, and others, also addressed the meeting, which was more numerously attended than any previous one, and the evidence of the increasing usefulness and prosperity of the Society was hailed with delight by all present. During the evening, some gratifying instances were related of individuals who at first declined supporting the institution, but whose candour having led them to " come and see," and whose observations having worked in their minds a conviction of the utility, and consequently of the value of the institution, have now become its staunch supporters; indeed not only have "the hopes and wishes of its founders" been realised, and the Society become "a bond of union to the members of our different congregations," but members of other denominations are now found among the annual subscribers. The income of the "General Fund," during the past year, amounted to £222: 9:03, shewing an increase of about £60 on that of the previous year. The " Relief Fund" also exhibited an increase, but is still altogether inadequate to the wants of the suffering poor in this populous town, many of whom are literally "dying by inches" from want of proper and sufficient food.

BRIXTON UNITARIAN CHAPEL.-At a special General Meeting of the congregation of the Brixton Unitarian Chapel, held on 6th March 1842, to consider of a letter of resignation addressed to the Treasurer, by Mr Linwood, their minister,

It was proposed by Mr H. P. Buckler, seconded by Dr Longstaff, and carried unanimously,