habits and functions as christian examiners and ready advocates of Unitarianism, have interested us so much in the theological parts of this work, that we have failed in doing complete justice to the rest. Before concluding, therefore, we would be careful to say, that we remember no traveller, who, with the leading exception on which we have already dwelt, exhibits greater fairness of mind than Mr Wheaton, or more clearness and purity of style, or neater criticisms on the fine arts, particularly architecture, or a more judicious choice of topics, or such liveliness of description, setting the reader down at once amidst the scenes portrayed--or such natural and heartfelt expressions of piety, mingled often with touches of a delicate pathos. Whoever has occasion to fill a day or two with good light reading, may not be better entertained than by our author's record of the conversation and anecdotes at the table of Chief Justice Park; his interview with Cunningham, of Velvet Cushion fame; his visits to Cambridge and Oxford, and particularly his accounts of several of the Professors and Lectures, not forgetting the Union Society;' his interview with Campbell, the South African missionary; his attendance at the meetings of various religious societies, with descriptions of the speakers and speeches; the sojourn at Aldenham Abbey; the peep at the breakfast (or luncheon?) of all England's judges; the conversation at Mr Wilberforce's; the criticisms on several orators in both Houses of Parliament, especially the debate in the House of Lords on the Unitarian Marriage Bill, which, we rejoice to acknowledge, is here reported with a laudable impartiality; the Royal Society; Mackintosh; Davy; visit to Bath; the covetable day at Miss Hannah More's Barley Wood; Cemetery of Pere La Chaise; York Cathedral; Edinburgh; the Highlands, with the Lady of the Lake in hand; the voyage home, surpassed by few other voyages, in hair-breadth escapes and moving accidents; not to speak of many less considerable scenes and adventures. All this is shaded, as we can perceive, by no faults of composition worth mentioning, unless we may except the constant changes rung on the pertinacious demands of waiters, and the exorbitant charges of landlords. The reader is sometimes balanced between pity for

"The broad compliment to the beauty of the lady, transgresses, we fear, the limits of our canons; but we leave the author to settle this point elsewhere.

the distresses, and a smile at the naïveté manifested on this subject by the traveller. Nor can we comprehend his apparent soreness about it, except on the supposition which makes it honorable to him, and which we believe to be wellfounded, that he was travelling for the benefit and at the expense of an infant literary institution at home. However that. may be, we take the liberty of advising him to expunge from his next edition all or most of his complaints on this point, and to be satisfied with his excellent reflections relating to it at the conclusion of the twentysixth chapter.

We shall not quarrel with several minor opinions and prejudices, on which we are at variance with the author, such as that justice is more respected for being administered in a gown, bands and wig, than in an ordinary dress;-that the Christian Observer is the most popular and useful religious publication in the world, and the almost actionable assertion, that Mr Brougham is totally unprincipled, which we no more believe than we do the kindred doctrine of total depravity, and which Mr Wheaton would probably never have believed himself, had not his intercourse lain chiefly among the offended subjects of Mr Brougham's parliamentary visitations. Such notions as the above, we suppose, are but idols of the cave in which the author's mental habits have been trained, and if false, can be corrected only by more extended views of men and things.

In his travels from Paris to London, Mr Wheaton fell in with a gentleman, whom, in a style of courtesy not universal among Episcopalians, he denominates an English Unitarian clergyman; and again, his 'clerical companion.' This language, connected with the mutual interest they seemed to take in the objects of curiosity along their route, would imply, that their intercourse with each other was maintained on quite friendly terms. Doubtless they beguiled the tedium of some of their long stages by discussions, involving the very points on which we have in this article been frankly expressing our sentiments. And though we may have defended the tenets of Liberal Christianity much less successfully than our brother of the parentcountry, yet we will not yield to him in the cordiality and good humor, with which we bid adieu to our pleasant fellow traveller, notwithstanding the sharp controversies that have stirred us on the way.

ART. HV.-An Account of the Rise and Progress of the Unitarian Doctrine, in the Societies at Rochdale, Newchurch in Rossendale, and other Places, formerly in Connexion with the late Rev. Joseph Cooke. In Ten Letters to a Friend. By JOHN ASHWORTH. Second Edition. Newchurch, 1829. 8vo. pp. 80.

We rarely meet with a publication so interesting as this. It contains the history of the process by which a numerous body of Methodists in the North of England passed from the faith and discipline of John Wesley to the simple doctrines of Unitarian belief. It is a memorable and instructive example of simple, uneducated men, being led by the study of the English bible alone, without any help from abroad, and without knowing that there was such a thing as Unitarianism in the world, to the adoption of those views which we hold as the actual truth of Christ. It shows the power of truth to make its way into minds which honorably open themselves to it, in spite of the hindrances of an imperfect text and faulty translation. It affords singular encouragement to the friends of free inquiry and liberal doctrine. And we do not know that our pages could be better occupied, than in spreading the information respecting this humble body of brethren, and asking for them the sympathy of the christian community on this side the

water.

It is the design of the book before us, as stated in the first letter, to give a detailed account of the rise and progress of this inquiry after truth, with the manner and order in which the several doctrines of reputed orthodoxy came to be questioned by them, the arguments and trains of thought which induced them successively to reject them.' In this detail it will be impossible for us to follow the author. Those who would enter on so curious a study, must consult the publication itself. We can only give an outline.

The history begins with the preaching of the Rev. Joseph Cooke, a highly gifted minister in the Methodist connexion. No small part of its interest lies in his life and character. He became a travelling preacher at the age of nineteen or twenty, and was soon one of the most popular in the body. 'Perhaps,' says the writer,' there never was a preacher in this country so universally admired and beloved as he was whilst in the Meth

odist connexion. His abilities for preaching and ministerial usefulness, were not of the common kind; and he had almost always the pleasure and honor of addressing uncommonly large congregations.'

Mr Cooke's estrangement from this denomination was the first step in this remarkable history, and requires, therefore, to be distinctly related. He had observed, in the course of his travels, that the manner in which the doctrines of justification by faith, and the witness of the Spirit were taught, led to injurious consequences. He found some, who talked as though they thought religion consisted principally in raptures and impressions, and who made their own imaginations and feelings rather than the word of God, the criterion of religious truths; while others, because they could not attain to these raptures, were driven to dejection and despondency.' Being desirous to remedy these evils, he preached a sermon on each of the abovementioned doctrines, in which he attempted so to state them as to avoid the consequences he disapproved, but, as far as appears, without intending to contradict the teaching of Wesley on these points. These explanations, however, gave dissatisfaction, and caused his expulsion from the connexion in August, 1806. He gives some account of this affair, in the following passage.

As several of the preachers (for reasons best known to themselves) heartily deprecated any debate in the Conference upon their system of doctrines, a committee was appointed, to converse with me on the subject. I met the committee in the evening; and there I learnt, that one point in which I was supposed to have erred, was, as to the time, and evidence of a man's justification, or, when a man may be said to be justified. I was supposed to have taught, that in whatever moment a sinner returns to God, according to the requisitions of the gospel, God accepts that sinner, or his wrath no longer abides upon him; or in other words, that the sinner is justified: and that, whether he has any comfortable persuasion of it in his own mind or not.— I acknowledged the truth of this supposition, and declared my present belief of what I had so taught. This was reported to the Conference the next morning, when I confirmed the truth of the report, and declared my readiness to prove what I had taught from the writings of Messrs Wesley and Fletcher. It was then moved, that if I thought myself able to do that, I ought to be heard. But this motion was over-ruled by the President observing, “I might be able perhaps to quote a few insu

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lated passages." This prevented any appeal or discussion from taking place. And nothing now remained, but to pass sentence upon me. It was however moved, that my sentence should be deferred another day, that I (not the Conference) might farther consider the subject. To this I replied, that if the Conference were resolved to condemn my sermons, I had no reason to think that another day, or week, would make any change in my opinions, and therefore desired that the matter might be brought to a conclusion. I was then desired to withdraw, while the Conference deliberated upon the subject. And on being recalled, I was informed, that "I could not be considered a member of that body, while I retained my present sentiments. .” ’—pp. 8, 9.

This event, of course, produced no small excitement amongst those who knew and loved the expelled minister. In Rossendale, the first impressions were wholly adverse to his cause. Almost all the Methodists were dissatisfied with the doctrine which he advanced. But they could assign no reason for their dissatisfaction, as we learn from our author who was one of them, except the very common one, by which incipient inquiry is so often stifled, and the door shut in the face of truth ;— that it was new to them, and what they had not been accustomed to hear from their preachers, and therefore must be wrong.' One of them, however, undertook to converse on the subject with Mr Cooke, and was thence induced to resolve, that he would find out, if possible, which of the two, the Methodists or Mr C., was right.'

For this purpose he got Mr Wesley's Sermons, the Minutes of the Conference, and the writings of Mr Fletcher. These he examined with attention, and soon found that they were inconsistent with themselves, and both agreed, and disagreed, with what Mr Cooke had taught, and for which he was expelled. This he showed to a few friends, who were all eager to know the truth respecting these things. They, therefore, joined their efforts together, in examining these writings again, on the subject in dispute. In one place they found Mr Wesley asking, “Is justifying faith a sense of pardon?" And answering, And answering, "It is denied." This they conceived agreed with Mr Cooke. In another place, "Is justifying faith a divine assurance, that Christ loved me and gave himself for me?" The answer to this is, "We believe it is." This was opposed to what Mr Cooke taught. But then it was also opposed to what Mr Wesley had said. Still perplexed