popularity of Unitarianism in the early ages; as well as to support the credit of other authorities which he chose to dispute. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Wright conspire to rob him entirely even of those "simplices" and "idiota," whatever they were, whom Tertullian certainly speaks of, as the " major pars credentium;" though the same has certainly been hinted at before, I do not remember to have seen it placed in so strong a point of view.

It seems, that so far from being Unitarians, they must have held and believed the doctrine of the full divinity of Christ: in fact, they were only Monarchists, diffident in regard to the economy, but so assured of the proper Deity of Christ, as on this very account to confound the persons, even of the Father and the Son; which, as Tertullian contends, must imply some personal distinction. Mr. B. would have done better to answer Mr. Wright, than Mr. Horsley, inasmuch as Dr. Priestley's credit is more at stake upon these points, (as Mr. Wright himself tells him,) than in regard to the Church at Elia. It is the answer to Mr. Horsley, however, which has come to my hands, almost wet from the press, while engaged on this Introduction, that has induced me to speak of Mr. Belsham as an opponent who will not meet me on fair and honorable and equal terms.

I am the last man in the world to call ill names, or to stop any person's mouth merely because he thinks differently from myself; and I know that I have credit for this among Dissenters in general. I have not now indeed individually, or rather perhaps

I should

I should say, singly, any cause of complaint against Mr. B. If he think me a fool for differing from him, I cannot help it; but as I do not know that he has said so, I have no such cause of resentment. If he esteem me comparatively with himself, unlearned, dull, and ignorant, I am bound to bear it and forgive it; but I will contend with no man, who is for cutting matters short by insulting the honourable calling to which I belong, and who has the audacity much more than to insinuate, as an express reason for his contempt of our arguments, that we are all knaves upon principle, and liars by profession. And what is our offence? merely that, not having his eyes, and his intellects, we cannot see and understand just as he does; but preach, and defend against him, certain doctrines, not more dear and precious to the members of the Established Church than to very many other denominations of respectable Christians, who hold separate meetings, and never, except on great occasions of charity, publicly communicate with us.

That I may not appear to be angry without a cause, I confidently refer my readers (that is, every truly honourable reader, by no means excepting Mr. Belsham's own friends) to pp. 2, 4, 5, and 100, of Mr. Belsham's most illiberal insinuations against us in his reply to the Reverend Heneage Horsley. No affectation of tenderness for the "situation of the established clergy," at the conclusion of such a pamphlet, can ever do away the foul slander and imputation he has cast on us all, of "necessarily holding the TRUTH in aversion and abhorrence!"

Before

Before I conclude an Introduction, which the circumstance above has alone rendered irksome and unpleasant to me, I feel that I ought to mention, that I consider myself much obliged to many friends, (and to some correspondents, indeed, to whom I have not the honour of being known), for their suggestions in regard to a new and better arrangement of my original Remarks. In the present edition, this has been in part attempted; but living far from the press, and for other reasons upon which I need not dwell, I have found it absolutely impracticable to accomplish all I wished to do towards carrying their proposals into execution. To remedy, however, the principal inconveniences complained of, as far as possible, I have been careful to provide such Indexes of Texts and particular passages, as may, I hope, be a considerable

assistance.

As I concluded my first Introduction with a quotation from the venerable Hooker, most truly expressive of the real feelings of my heart, I shall borrow, for a conclusion to my present Introduction, a passage from a contemporary writer, which will as amply and completely express the only object I have in view, in all works of this nature. "Others may think themselves right as well as we; but the only way to talk to the purpose is, to examine the evidence in any controversy; to consider not who says he is right, but who proves it." See Barwick's last Appendix to his Treatise on the Church, second Edit. p. 246.

INTRODUCTION

TO THE

FIRST EDITION.

I

AM very ready to confess, that I send this Book into the world with extreme reluctance and concern. Controversy is far from being the delight of my heart: but I know not how I could with credit refrain from the publication of the present work. Friends have been led to expect it of me in consequence of a hasty notice which I gave long ago of my intentions to come forward, and adversaries have attacked me, before they heard what I have to say. My Remarks upon the Improved Version, formerly announced, may, it seems, be or not be, published. Those against whom they might be supposed to be directed, refer to them already, as a Work that may or may not be extant. They care not about them. I verily believe they do not; and perhaps I am no antagonist whom they need to fear, however good the cause may be, that I may presume to advocate; but I mean to be honest and sincere, and of all the

use I can be, to my fellow Christians; therefore, whatever I at any time happen to know, the disclosure of which may appear to me to be of any public importance, assuredly the world shall know also, as far as my means extend.

In the month of May, 1809, the Improved Version first came into my possession. I had perused but little of it, before I found much to object to, and yet nothing but what appeared to me easy to answer. In some haste, I authorised the Editors of the British Critic to announce to the public, that I was preparing Remarks on the New Version for the Press. This notice was accordingly given, among their other articles of Literary Intelligence in the Review for June, 1809. I did not then foresee, what has happened since, that it would so soon engage the attention of other Critics more able and eminent than myself, or that they would go so largely into the subject. It was not till after I had announced the publication of my own Remarks, that I had an opportunity of seeing what appeared upon the subject in the Quarterly and Eclectic Reviews, and other periodical works. I felt that the necessity for my own interference was in a great degree superseded, and that much of what I was prepared to say had already been better said by others. This naturally excited in my mind many doubts as to the expediency of a separate publication, and I did not hesitate to transmit all that I had then written to the Editors of the British Critic, partly intending to adopt no other