third and concluding part of the sixth edition of Turner's Chemistry. Part Third.

The Autobiography of Archibald Hamilton Rowan, Esq., with Additions and Illustratious by W. Hamilton Drummond, D. D. 8vo. London.

The Life and Times of Saint Cyprian. By the Rev. George Ayliffe Poole, M. A. 8vo. London.

Die Lehre vom christlichen Kultus, nach den Grundsätzen der evangelischen Kirche in wissenschaftlichen Zusammenhange dargestellt von Karl Wilhelm Vetter. Berlin. 8vo.

Wilhelm Heinse's sämmtliche Schriften. von Heinrich Laube. Zehn Bände. Leipzig.

Herausgegeben

Grundsätze des Kirchenrechts der Katholischen und evangelischen Religionsparthei in Deutschland von Karl Freidrich Eich

horn.

Daub's philosophische und theologische Vorlesungen, herausgegeben von Ph. Marheineke und Th. W. Dittenberger. Vierter Baud. System der theologischen Moral. Erster Theil.

The reputation of Daub, unlike that of most German theologians, appears to be increasing since his death. He was a scholar of almost universal accomplishments, a deep and subtle thinker, especially on subjects connected with the philosophy of religion, and a singularly just and candid inquirer on problems of speculative science; but his style is so shaded with the obscurity which few of Hegel's followers have escaped, that his works can hardly command a general interest, even in his own country. They form a curious study, however, and one not altogether without attractions to the theologian.

Die Kirchenverfassung nach Lehre und Recht der Protestantten. Von Dr. Freid. Tul. Stahl.

Lebensnachrichten über G. B. Niebühr aus Briefen desselben und aus Errinnerungen einiger seiner nächsten Freunde. Drei Bäude. Hamburg: Perthes.

This is a complete and very satisfactory biography of the cel ebrated historian. Its interest is much enhanced by the addition of a copious selection from his correspondence.

Franz Passow's Leben und Briefe. Eingeleitet von Dr. Ludwig Wachler. Breslaw.

Passow is worthy to be mentioned in company with Voss and Jacobs, as one of the most distinguished classical scholars of whom German literature can boast. His labors in Greek lexicography give him a conspicuous place in the history of philology. His personal character presents great attractions for the contemplation of the literary man; and we rejoice that he has found a biographer to do justice to his memory, with so much truth and beauty as characterize the present work.

THE DIAL.

VOL. I.

APRIL, 1841.

No. IV.

THE UNITARIAN MOVEMENT IN NEW ENGLAND.

THE Unitarian movement in New England has a deeper signification for the philosopher and historian, than is brought out in the controversial works of those engaged in it. quite likely, too, that there is a deeper one than those in the midst of the dust, and smoke, and tumult of the contest, whether friends or foes, can discover for themselves, or even see when it is pointed out by others. It will be well for us, therefore, to retire, if we can, for a while from the. scene of contention and turmoil, to some eminence from which we may view the field, unbiassed by personal feelings and interests, not only to see how goes the day, but also to see more clearly what the nature and object of the contest really are. This we now propose to do. We call the movement in the church, the Unitarian movement, because it is now known by that name, and because a better does not readily occur to us, rather than because we like it.

As it is probable that the results, to which we shall arrive, will not be satisfactory to the Unitarians in every particular, we wish to bespeak their good will, by showing that we fully appreciate their labors and motives, and the necessity there was that something should have been done. We are not, however, satisfied with the solution of the Unitarian movement that is now common; namely, that certain noble and manly souls, feeling the oppression and tyranny of the prevalent form of church-government and discipline, and gifted with a keener insight and a more sensitive con

science than their contemporaries, seeing absurdity in their doctrines, deadness in their faith, and hollowness in their worship, and whatever other ill effects there might be of the prevalent theology and church-discipline, did, like brave men and true Christians, take their stand for liberty of conscience and freedom of inquiry; that, therefore, their preaching was necessarily controversial, occupied with tearing down Calvinism, rather than with building up any new system; that now, when this kind of preaching has done its work, and ceases to be interesting, there must, of course, be a temporary still-stand, in appearance at least, while this sect, having done its work as a reforming, is becoming a conservative one; and that in a fitting time, even now at hand, they will put forth and systematize the positive part of their faith, and be recognised in Christendom as a communion, whose position and views are well defined and generally known and respected. This solution of the phenomenon is plausible, and as true and philosophical perhaps, as any popular one that can be given. But there are some among us who desire something more than a popular solution. For such it is that we write, and with what degree of success, we humbly submit it to their judgment to decide.

We, however, agree with this popular solution in the main, so far as it goes. It describes only the surface. We would look into the nature of the deadness, corruption, and abuses of the church from which the Unitarians dissented. We would also look into the nature of the change they would bring us. The freedom for inquiring minds, and the liberty for the conscience, for which they so manfully and successfully contended, -are jewels beyond all price, are the condition of all progress, are the very atmosphere in which souls do grow; and while they labored for an end, which was felt by every living soul to be indispensable to its life, they had a strong hold on the heart of the community, and might calculate upon almost any degree of success. But these, indispensable as they are, are but the means to an ulterior end. They are the air we breathe, and therefore necessary; but they are not the food that we can live upon, nor the work to occupy our hearts and hands. When the Unitarians have secured these preparatory conditions, they must furnish the bread of life, or the souls that

While,

have stood by them in their contest will famish off. then, we acknowledge what they have done, and look to them for a revival of Christianity, and a more full development of the Christian idea than can be effected by any other existing sect, which does not come upon the Unitarian platform of freedom for every inquiring mind, and liberty to conscience to decide for itself, in all cases, upon truth and duty, principles and measures; let us also be faithful to them, and point out their imperfections, the obstacles that oppose their progress, and the rocks and shoals that endanger their course.

Every system of theology grows out of and is shaped by the philosophical system of those by whom it is first digested and scientifically taught. For our present purpose, we shall divide all systems of philosophy into two classes, those that recognise innate ideas, and those that do not; and shall endeavor to show, in the course of our article, that there are but three distinct systems of theology founded upon the idea of one God, namely, Pantheism, Trinitarianism, and Unitarianism; the first two growing out of the philosophy that recognises innate ideas, and the last out of that which does not. Leaving Pantheism for the present out of view, the great question upon which the other two systems split, the point upon which individuals and sects turn in deciding upon the views they will adopt, is native depravity; and, therefore, we will in this article, for convenience' sake, call all those systems that hold to depravity, by the general name Trinitarian, and those that do not hold to depravity, and the dogmas generally and logically connected with it, Unitarian. On the side of the Trinitarians, there is greater logical consistency and completeness of system than there is on the other. The only thing that essentially modifies the Trinitarian systems, and furnishes a good ground for a subdivision, is the view they take of the freedom of the will,-or the answer they would give to the question, whether man, in his unregenerate state, is able of himself to will or desire to be born of the Spirit and become holy. Edwards and Hopkins, for instance, answer the question in the negative. The Methodists and Lutherans, we believe, answer it in the affirmative. The doctrine of infant damnation, and a few others that might be named, we do not consider as either included in or excluded by the Trinitarian theory.

We would remark here, that by Trinitarianism in this article we mean exclusively the Trinitarian theology, without any reference to the form of church-government with which it may happen to be connected, or the degree of liberty which the different churches may allow their members, or the charity they may have for those who do not belong to them. Hence we include Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Orthodox Congregationalists, and Roman Catholics. So too, by Unitarianism we mean the Unitarian theology exclusively; for we can see no necessary or logical connexion between this theology, and that liberty of conscience, that freedom of inquiry, and that liberality of the construction put upon Christianity, which have characterized the Unitarians in our age, and which have done more, in our estimation, than the peculiarities of their theology, to give them that degree of success with which their efforts have been attended. We must request the reader to bear especially in mind that we speak of the different systems in the abstract, rather than as they have appeared in any of their particular manifestations. We by no means intend that the Orthodox of our New England in this nineteenth century, shall pocket all the good things that we shall say of Trinitarianism; much less would we have the Unitarians suppose that we think that all the hard things we are compelled in truth to say of their system, are applicable to them. They are better than their system, and, therefore, we have a hope of them; while the Orthodox are worse than theirs, and this, if anything, would lead us to despair of them.

Unitarianism has made its appearance frequently in the Churchin Paul of Samosata, Arius, Pelagius, the Waldenses, Socinus, and the Polish Unitarians: and in England some of her brightest ornaments and best scholars are now acknowledged to have been Unitarians. Under Constantine it well nigh gained the ascendency, and in the succeeding reigns it was for several years the predominant faith. But the general, and perhaps we may say the uniform, voice of the Church has been against it. Of course we would not so far beg the question as to include the Apostolic Age in our assertion. So far, then, as the Church of Christ is our authority in interpreting the religion of Christ, that authority is against Unitarianism.