entirely misinterpreted, as to be charged with real failings, witis which, in truth, our character holds not communion-and this is very hard to be borne. In the first case, they only transform, by a wretched criterion, our virtues into defects; in the second, they attribute defects to us which are foreign to our nature. It is no wonder, indeed, that misapprehensions should arise, when they often flow, so naturally, both from a want of penetration in others, and a want of prudence in ourselves; but still we cannot but feel greatly hurt by imputations so serious, though they may be for the most part unintended. The same redress however, which has already been mentioned, lies open here. To attempt our self-justification by words would sometimes be of more harm to us than service; because the liberty which we had taken in supposing the existence of injustice might be resented, and then, too, the motive might be suspected which urged us to speak in our own defence. But let our actions speak for us. Let us prove by marks, whose authenticity cannot be doubted, that we have been mistaken and wronged, and we shall find that the impressions which had been so unfortunately made will be gradually worn away. If we have been thought to be mean, to be vain, to be haughty, to be selfish, let us unaffectedly show, in instance after instance, our generosity, our humility, and our disinterestedness, and our character will be vindicated, and the causes of its misapprehension explained and thus one party will be justified without suspicion, and the other convinced without offence.

We have said that the ignorance which judges falsely of our conduct may be silenced by our continuing to act well. We will now proceed to show that the ignorance or injustice which abuses our sentiments and opinions, may be silenced in the same way.

They who think themselves to be in the right, think, of course, that all who differ from them are in the wrong. And they who are afraid that the authority of their own opinions is declining, are naturally predisposed to think evil, and speak evil, of any which may oppose them. Harsh and hasty conclusions are in this manner formed, asserted, and proclaimed, and experience alone will show whether they are authorized, or unwarrantable. The importance of religion, its power over the mind and heart, its intimate connexion with the happiness and hopes and ends of our being, make it in a peculiar manner a subject of jealousy between those who differ upon any point which it embraces, or seems to embrace. It appears to be a pity that the very causes which render religion so infinitely valuable, should in this way tend to diminish its influence--but so it is-and they who are sensible of its value, and are yet unable to distinguish between what is essential and what is not, are very apt to lose a great portion of the first by their vain contentions about the last. It is an inevitable consequence of this ignorant zeal and blind anxiety, that all doctrines which are new, or but partially known, should wear an aspect of unreal terror in the eyes of him whose views of religion are tutored and confined, who sees it only as he has been taught to see it, and whose knowledge of it has been gathered chiefly from the catechism which he repeated at school, and the doctrinal sermons of his own clergyman. Such an one will endeavour to communicate his panic to the world, and make it believe that the sentiments, by which his own prejudices have been attacked and frightened, are marching forward to wage a cruel war on the happiness, order and peace of society, to open the flood-gates of innovation and outrage, to break down every venerable and beloved institution human and divine, and ruthlessly and impiously to tear from their bosoms the hopes of men, and from God himself his honour and throne. For a time he may be attended to. The alarm will spread. Many will be terrified, and some will pre

tend to be hurt. Hard words will be used, and nick-names will be applied. There will be much bitterness, much contention, and something, mayhap, of persecution. But this cannot last long. When the terrible effects which have been predicted are seen not to take place, the prediction will be disregarded, the prophet will be silenced, and the accused will be left in peace. It was so with the first christians, when they were charged with immoral and seditious opinions and designs, and proved by their regular, harmless, submissive deportment that the charge was false. And it has been so, in later times, with many a christian sect which has been slandered, shunned and persecuted, till its innocence was made manifest, and the world repented of its injustice.

By no sect in christendom, perhaps, has this power of welldoing been proved so fully as by the quakers, for they had not only to contend against the prejudice created by novelty of doctrine, but that which was caused by an offensive, and certainly frivolous peculiarity, in dress, speech and manners. On their first appearance they were reviled, ridiculed, imprisoned, stripped, stoned, and their persecution is a dark blot in the history of New, as well as of Old-England. But their good conduct and peaceableness has produced an entire change in their favour, and they are now regarded as among our most respectable, useful and virtuous citizens. If a spice of the old feeling toward them yet remains, and their name is still something of a

bye-word, it is in consequence of the singularities already alluded to; it is because they insist on wearing broad-brimmed hats, saying thou and thee where other people would say you, and keeping themselves in a great measure distinct from the rest of society. Now these things are in themselves parts of conduct, and as they will always appear strange and somewhat ludicrous in the eyes of the many, will naturally be a drawback on the whole effect of their general conduct. This is an instance of their own misjudgment, and the blame of it is on themselves, for a smile cannot surely be severely condemned which is occasioned by seeing a man refuse to pull off his hat in company, with as much pertinacity as he would to part with his integrity, or a woman place as much stress on wearing a slate coloured bonnet as on clothing herself with the garments of meekness and modesty. All opposition however, and all ill feeling, which was originally occasioned by the novelty of their doctrine, and its apprehended consequences, has completely died away, the general impression in their favour is very strong, and any exceptions which may exist are caused by their resistance to some of the common and long established and innocent customs and demands of society. Their case may be considered, therefore, as a remarkably strong one, and as showing, in a most striking manner, how powerful is the argument of well-doing.

It may be here stated, that it is not meant to assert that good conduct is a complete proof of sound doctrine. All experience would at once contradict such an assertion. The moral conduct of three differing sects may be equally correct, and yet it is evident that the doctrine of but one of these sects can be the true one. Thought is as various as feature, as voice, as form, as disposition, and it is fully as absurd to talk of uniformity in that as in those. Not only do sects divide on generally known, and frequently defined points, but the individuals who compose any one of these sects, no matter which, differ from each other on many subjects of perhaps equal importance, though less commonly brought forward. It is vain therefore to say even that any one sect possesses the entire truth, when it is notorious that the component parts of every one are more or less at variance. No argument can prove the existence of what has never taken place, and probably never will. All that can be expected, and all that can be reasonably desired, from the argument of well-doing in connexion with religious opinions is, that it should contradict any misrepresentation of their tendency, do away bad impressions, conquer all feelings of mistrust, suspicion and fear, produce confidence and good neighbourhood, and place any sect on fair and equal ground with its adversaries. When this ground is obtained, let it dispute, exhort, and argue, as it can, and the world will be sure to hear it, and hear it favourably. If it has reason and scripture on its side it will grow and prevail. Local causes may for a time impede its progress, but it must increase; and, if its views are eminently rational and scriptural, it must ultimately take the lead, or there is no force in truth.

Although, therefore, well doing will not prove that nonsense is sense, and imagination is reality, it will do what is much better; it will prove that the heart is right, and that the intentions are laudable. No aphorism is more universally acknowledged, and acted upon, in the world, than that a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Let disputants and preachers of a certain class write and talk as they please about good works, they lie at the foundation, at the very foundation, of all that is beloved and respected and regarded and confided in. Is proof demanded? I can bring it to the very point in question. I say that the opprobrium of bad morals is the worst and the most alarming which can possibly be cast on any denomination, and that all denominations unequivocally manifest that the praise of virtue is the best which can be bestowed or desired. What manner is that of describing any doctrine which is best calculated to inspire dislike and dread? Surely it would be to say that the doctrine produced, in those who professed it, a looseness of behaviour, and a disregard of the divine laws; to say, in short, that its tendency was immoral. And till such a character could be shown to be undeserved, the aversion produced would be extreme and unconquerable. On the other hand, let it be well known that the behaviour of a particular sect is blameless, and its morals remarkably pure, and what would be the answer of a plain, unfettered man to one who should dissuade him from hearing, or having any intercourse with, its members. Their conduct is quite as good as our own, and, it may be, better. Their opinions cannot be so terrible, while their actions are so commendable. I will certainly hear with patience and candour what they have to say. And the answer would be just and manly. Every person of observation must see that this is the universal course; and this course shows so plainly the fundamental importance of conduct, that it is blindness to question it.

We Unitarians have had quite our share of obloquy, reproach, and persecution-in times past, of persecution to the death, but those times are gone, and we do not wish to recall, or to think of them. We have been, and we still are accused, of dishonouring God, of robbing the Saviour of his glory, and of leading men astray, by deceitful doctrines, into the paths of error

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and darkness. These are sweeping and indefinite charges, but,, as far as they can be made out, we hesitate not to say that our lives, that our well-doing, have answered them all. We desire not to lay claim to any extraordinary holiness, we dare not deny our share of frailty, unworthiness and sin, but we can boldly affirm that accusations of this nature have as little application to us as to any community of christians whatever, and to repel them, we can appeal, with as much confidence as any, to our conduct, and to heaven. Do we dishonour thee, O God, can we dishonour thee, by listening with veneration to thy word, by keeping thy commandments, by obeying thy laws, by walking in thy ways, by receiving thy gifts with gratitude, by suffering thy Phastisements with resignation, and by knowing no comparison between thy glorious name, and any other name, in heaven or in earth!-Do we rob the Saviour of his glory, by hailing him, with joy and thankfulness, as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world; by laying his precepts to our hearts, and by looking continually to that bright and eternal world which he has revealed, and to which he has ascended? If, indeed, to manifest the influence of his doctrines and laws on our tempers and lives be to rob him of his glory, then we know not what glory to give, or what service to render. And how can they be said to lead men into dangerous error, who are constantly inculcating on them sentiments like these, who beseech them, as they love their own souls, to raise their thoughts and views from the objects and pursuits of sense and time, and fix them on higher and worthier things, and on another and an endless world, who exhort them, as they love and fear God, to accept his offers, and perform his requirements, to deal justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before him? As to our doctrines, let them be examined. They are plain, and intelligible, and worthy of God. We fear not the scrutiny; we invite it. In the mean time, let us never forget, let us continually impress on ourselves, and on each other, the exceeding value of unexceptionable conduct, of purity of intention, and holiness of life. Virtue, in a religious community, as in an individual, is indispensable, and all-powerful. It is an argument which is universally felt and understood, and one which will be finally victorious. We trust that it is an argument which we shall always be able to offer. If any views of religion are calculated to furnish it, they are our own. They are every thing which is animating, ennobling, and purifying, and will, we doubt not, continue to produce their natural fruits of good feeling and virtue, while there is any feeling in the heart, or virtue in the world.