of prosperity in the society. A series of valuable essays upon important theological subjects has been publishing in Meadville, and they promise to exert a very good influence in that vicinity.

From Meadville I passed to Pittsburgh, which is at the confluence of the rivers which form the Ohio. Several years since a society of Unitarians was gathered in that city, and under the care of Rev. Mr Campbell, it was much prospered. They erected a neat and convenient house for public worship, and were fast coming apparently into a very good condition, when Mr Campbell sickened, and his death soon followed. Since that time they have not been regularly and well supplied with preaching; much interest, however, has been felt in the good cause by some eminently worthy men; and last autumn efforts were made, which procured for them expectation of regular preaching for a year. They are now supplied, and we hope and trust that they will increase in numbers, and that they will hereafter be able to provide themselves, at all times, with such instruction as they may, desire.

When travelling in New York, and farther west, one will hear occasionally the term Unitarian, and will meet with individuals who claim to be of that sect. It is not often, however, that persons are found who are acquainted with our opinions. The world has been told by the orthodox, most falsely told, that we are deists and infidels. And the falsehood has been believed by multitudes. So much so, that we presume that some deists and infidels may call themselves Unitarians under the erroneous belief, that they agree in

faith with the Unitarian Christians of New-England. This being the case, there exists a prejudice against whatever bears this slandered name. Prepossessions against our faith cause vast numbers to refuse to listen to such statements as would remove their erroneous opinions in regard to our belief. Misrepresentation has exerted such an influence, that there is much difficulty in making people willing to hear the truth. Our progress in disabusing them of the errors to which I now allude, will depend on our exertions. We should omit no opportunity to make our opinions known as extensively as we can. And encouragement to do so is given us by the fact, that thousands of our conscientious opposers will find, when correctly informed, that they are themselves holding nearly or quite the same faith with that of ourselves, from whom they now turn as propagators of pernicious doctrines. Nearly every person who conversed with me, observed, after receiving a summary statement of our views, that he had been misinformed concerning our faith.

Once I thought differently, but having passed through the country, I now think it proper for the Unitarian clergyman who travels westward, to be constantly seeking opportunities to express his religious belief, and to preach wherever he can find twenty or even ten persons who are desirous of listening to him. Much good will result from an explicit statement of our opinions, and from a correct exhibition of the differences between our faith and that of those who are called orthodox. Seeds of truth may thus be

sown in hope that at no very distant day they will yield an harvest which we shall rejoice to behold.

Both infidelity and fanaticism are fearfully prevalent in the state of New-York, and in all parts of the country in which I became acquainted, west of the Alleghany mountains. Of the cause of this I shall speak in my next letter. This I close with the remark, that wherever my observation has extended, people are in urgent want of the elevating and sanctifying influences of pure Christianity; and that we should be doing all that is in our power for the propagation of the truths of the gospel.

June. 1831.

Respectfully,

A. Z.

GENERAL TENOR OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

A view of the General Tenor of the New Testament regarding the nature and dignity of Jesus Christ; including a collection of the various passages in the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles, which relate to that subject. By Joanna Baillie. London, 1831. p. 146.

Miss Baillie has hitherto been known as an author in other departments than those of theology. She has written successfully on the Passions; and her 'metrical legends' and her Miscellaneous Plays have been read by many with satisfaction. We are happy to find that in her advancing years, other and more important subjects are occupying her pen. That they

have long engaged her attention and hold their due place in her heart, is evident from the seriousness, modesty and candor, with which she has approached the subject of this, her latest, and to us most interesting work. It proposes to present a view of the instructions of the New Testament in relation to the nature, offices, and dignity of Jesus Christ. And as this is a subject purely of revelation, and all correct opinions concerning it must be drawn from the New Testament, she has very properly waived all hypotheses or specutions of her own, and simply presented, in the order of the books, the various passages which seem, either expressly or indirectly, to relate to Christ. Having briefly, though not, we should say, with entire accuracy, stated the three prominent divisions among christians— viz. of those, who hold to the strict deity of Christ and to his equality with the Father; of those, who, denying his Deity, maintain not only his pre-existence, but his pre-eminent glory and exaltation above all created beings; and of those, thirdly, who regard him as the great missioned Prophet of God, chosen from among men, and sent into the world to reveal his will to them, to set them an example of perfect virtue, and to testify the truth of his mission by the sacrifice of his life-she justly remarks, that in proportion to the importance of a doctrine, it is required, that the whole scriptural passages regarding it, should be given to the consideration of the sincere Christian; and that since there is no other way of arriving to clear and satisfactory conclusions, the tediousness of the task will not prevent him, if he be really sincere, from undertaking it, and going through it thoroughly.'

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Miss Baillie designs her work for the unlearned reader; and admitting, what in general certainly is true, that the simplest and most obvious meaning of the words, when not inconsistent with the general scope of the context, is the real meaning of any passage of the gospels or epistles, she justly infers, that good intentions and a clear common understanding are the best qualifications for such an undertaking.

Of course, there is nothing peculiar in the design or execution of such a work. Several similar selections have been made by valuable theological writers, desirous of forming for themselves, or helping their readers to form scriptural views of these interesting, and long disputed points. The most complete, and perhaps most satisfactory of any, that has appeared, at least as far as our knowledge extends, is that of the learned Dr Samuel Clarke, who, in his celebrated work, 'The Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity,' has collected no fewer than twelve hundred and fifty one texts, all bearing upon this subject. To his work, therefore, the impartiality as well as fulness of which has been generally commended, the professional student will be most likely to repair, as, next to the New Testament itself, the most copious store-house of scripture authority. In Belsham's 'Calm Inquiry into the scripture doctrine concerning the person of Christ,' in Carpenter's View of Unitarianism,' and in Yates' able Vindication' of it, may be found, either quoted or referred to, if not all, yet certainly the most prominent texts. But for the common reader, whose leisure does not allow of a complete investigation, the simplicity, brevity, and evident fairness of Miss Baillie's work will render it a very useful help.