anticipate from this connexion the happiest results, not merely to those immediately concerned in it, but also to the great interests of rational religion throughout the neighbouring region. 6 Church in Purchase Street, Boston. This church, which is built of granite, was dedicated to the purposes of Unitarian worship and instruction on Thursday, Aug. 24th. The clergymen who officiated, were all of Boston, and there were in their services an appropriateness and a simplicity such as we have seldom witnessed. The introductory, dedicatory, and concluding prayers were offered by Rev. Messrs Barrett, Parkman, and Greenwood; Rev. Mr Pierpont read selections from scripture, and Rev. Mr Gannett preached a sermon. The sermon is the only part of the exercises open to criticism, and that, in its general character, was precisely to our minds; a frank, manly, forthright, and powerful exhibition and defence of what the preacher believed to be the truth, without ambiguity, with no accommodation to the popular phraseology, but all clear, undisguised, and in open day. The text was in Galatians, iv. 18. It is good to be zealously affected always, in a good thing;' and the discourse was a vindication of Unitarian Christianity from a charge, which none bring against it but such as either do not, or will not know what are its doctrines ;-we mean the charge of being a cold and merely speculative system, a system incapable of kindling zeal, that begins and ends in the head, that never can touch the heart, engage the affections, or animate to great exertions, or support in trial or in death. If such be its real character, the preacher admitted, as he could not but admit, the consequence its enemies would draw from it, that it is utterly without support in reason or in scripture. But Christianity certainly takes hold of our best affections, is adapted to warm the heart, makes men active and zealous, and to Unitarians, Unitarianism is Christianity, the doctrines of Unitarianism are doctrines of Christianity, and, if Unitarianism is chargeable with coldness, so, with them, is the religion of Jesus. The preacher then examined the most important of our religious opinions with reference to the accusation brought against them. He spoke of the views we entertain of God; of His relations to us as our Creator, and Father, and our final Judge, and of our relation to Him as children, and as sinners. Upon all these points, our doctrines were shown to be peculiarly adapted to call forth deep religious emotion, to excite ardent religious feelings. We wish we could recall the language in which was noticed that most undeserved of all reproaches, that we make but a light matter of sin. It was an eloquent and a triumphant refutation of the calumny, and we know not how any one who heard it can in conscience hereafter repeat it. Unitarian views of the Saviour were next adverted to, and it was contended that Unitarianism alone gives him a distinct and visible place in the affections; that the Orthodox cannot exactly tell how to consider him, and therefore can have only a mysterious and inexplicable regard for him; and that Unitarians alone do in reality exalt him. Again, we are charged with undervaluing our religion, as well as with degrading our Saviour. We do not indeed regard the knowledge of our religion as essential to the salvation of every individual; but we do regard it as of the first importance to our progress in virtue and in knowledge, and hold that they who are without it, are under incalculable disadvantages. Three points were then mentioned, in which Unitarianism is distinguished from other forms of Christianity. 1. It makes salvation, though a free gift, depend wholly on our own exertions, which is not Orthodox. 2. It carries religion into all the relations and circumstances of life, demanding for it an absolute and uncompromising control over every part of the character, which again is not Orthodox. 3. It connects every sin and every event with eternal consequences, which is not Universalism. These are doctrines which bear upon every part of the constitution, and tax its strength to the utmost. On the whole, it appeared that if Unitarianism does not make men zealous, it is not the fault of the system, but owing to its not being intelligibly represented and thoroughly believed. It is much more spiritual, tender, and solemn than Orthodoxy, and therefore ought to be less liable to this charge. That it has made better men, there is no need of contending. But the preacher appealed to history, and challenged any one to produce from any denomination, more of zealous and able defenders of our common faith, or better or sincerer or more fervent Christians than can be found in the ranks of Unitarianism. We are ashamed of this apology for an abstract of Mr Gannett's admirable discourse; it is so meager. Nor are we sure that we have not sometimes given our own views for his. But we have said nothing we do not believe, and as the sermon will doubtless be printed, we hope every one who can, will judge for himself, what and how good are its contents. We will only add that the proprietors of the church in Purchase Street, have engaged the services of a gentleman of acknowledged abilities as preacher, and that there is good prospect of a large and respectable congregation being gathered within its walls. Dedication of Divinity Hall, Cambridge. This fine building for the use of the Theological School, was on Tuesday, August 29th, solemnly dedicated to the purposes for which it was erected. Dr Channing's discourse was worthy of himself and of the occa sion. At this late hour we can only name the topics he so ably and eloquently unfolded. The object proposed was to answer two questions; To what end is this institution established? How may it be accomplished? The end was declared to be, to train up powerful, energetic, and efficient ministers of Jesus Christ. Knowledge is not the highest qualification of a minister. It is in vain to give him weapons of heavenly temper, unless his arm be nerved to wield them. Power is therefore the crown of all his accomplishments, and to impart it is the great end of a theological institution. The Christian minister is to act upon intelligent and free beings, and to do it efficiently demands all his energies. The effects he is to produce are piety, righteousness, virtue. He is to quicken not only the intellect, but the conscience; not only to impart knowledge, but to enforce obligation. He is to sway the affections; to exhibit the loveliness of Christianity, as well as its truth and obligation; to rouse to self-conflict and a war with temptation, and, finally, to awaken the soul to a consciousness of its immortality. But how is all this to be effected? What are the springs of ministerial energy? What is the great work of a theological institution? To impart power of thought and utterance, and to encourage free inquiry, without which it is a prison to the intellect and a nuisance to the church; to inspire the love of truth, which is the best defence against the perils of free inquiry; devotional sentiment and feeling, which will quicken the intellect and open new fountains of thought; faith, not a mere speculative belief, but a confidence in the great issues of Christianity; a spirit of enterprise, if not of innovation; and, which is the chief source of power, the spirit of self-sacrifice, the spirit of martyrdom. discourse concluded with urging both upon the Orthodox and upon Unitarians, the call there is for a revolution in the present modes of administering Christianity; a call from society, and a call from the church. The services, begun in the meetinghouse, were completed in the chapel of the Hall. May the results of the day be as happy as the day itself was glorious. TO READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS. An article on the Trinity is again reluctantly deferred. We wish C's Hymns were as faultless in execution, as in devotional sentiment. THE Christian Examiner. VOL. III.] September and October, 1826. [No. V. Miscellany. IS RAMMOHUN ROY A CHRISTIAN? OR, IN OTHER WORDS, IS HE A BELIEVER IN THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF OUR LORD? THIS is a question, which is often proposed to those who are the avowed friends of a Unitarian Mission to India; and it is thought to have an important bearing upon the question of the expediency of such a mission, and of the patronage which should be extended to it. I will therefore state some of the evidence, on which it is believed that he is a Christian. This evidence may not satisfy his Trinitarian opponents, who refuse the name of Christian to their Unitarian brethren. But it will go far to solve the doubts of any who are themselves Unitarians, but who, with all the interest which they profess to feel in the attainment and diffusion of religious truth, have not read the 'Appeals' of this great and good man, for the cause of simple and uncorrupted Christianity. 6 I confine myself, then, in replying to the question which is at the head of this paper, to Rammohun Roy's, First, Second, and Final Appeal to the Christian Public, in Reply to the Observations of Dr Marshman of Serampore,' and in vindication of his publication of "The Precepts of Jesus, the Guide to Peace and Happiness, extracted from the Books of the New Testament, ascribed to the four Evangelists.' The testimony which I shall adduce, will therefore be that alone of Rammohun Roy himself. Nor will I refer either to his own private correspondence, or to other private letters from Calcutta; for in no private communication which has been received from him here, has he expressed himself more 46 VOL. II.NO. V. unequivocally, nor have any of his friends in India, it is believed, been more explicit upon this subject, than he has himself been, in the publications to which I have referred, and which were issued from the press in the very city in which he resides, and where he is surrounded by his idolatrous countrymen. If this testimony shall be thought by any to be partial, or defective, I will only say, that I shall be very glad if they can bring better evidence, that they are themselves believers in the divine authority of our Lord. A word or two may be necessary for some readers, in regard to the publication of The Precepts of Jesus, the Guide to Peace and Happiness; and to the circumstances which led Rammohun Roy to publish his three 'Appeals.' It was in the beginning of the year 1820, that 'The Precepts of Jesus, &c, with Translations into the Sungskrit and Bengalee,' were printed at the Baptist Mission press, in Calcutta. Of the design of this pamphlet, and of his reasons for confining himself in these extracts, to the preceptive parts of the records of the evangelists, let him speak for himself. The paragraph which follows, is from the Introduction' to 'The Precepts of Jesus.' Voluminous works, written by learned men of particular sects, for the purpose of establishing the truth, consistency, rationality, and priority of their own peculiar doctrines, contain such a variety of arguments, that I cannot hope to be able to adduce here any new reasonings of sufficient novelty and force to attract the notice of my readers. Besides, in matters of religion particularly, men in general, through prejudice and partiality to the opinions which they once form, pay little or no attention to opposite sentiments, (however reasonable they may be,) and often turn a deaf ear to what is most consistent with the laws of nature, and conformable to the dictates of human reason and divine revelation. At the same time, to those who are not biassed by prejudice, and who are, by the grace of God, open to conviction, a simple enumeration and statement of the respective tenets of different sects may be a sufficient guide to direct their inquiries in ascertaining which of them is most consistent with the sacred traditions, and most acceptable to common sense.-For these reasons I decline entering into any discussion on those points, and confine my attention at present to the task of laying before my fellow-creatures the words of Christ, with a translation from the English into Sungskrit and the language of Bengal. I feel persuaded that by separating from the other matters con |