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    mon standard of faith , that moment doubts and surmisings commence . No one suspects that any member of the Presbytery of Antrim , or of the Independent Church , does not hold the opinions which he professes ; - but could as niuch be said for the Catholic Church , the

    Church of England , the Church of Scotland , or our own Church ? It was upou this principle that the celebrated Bishop Shipley advocated , in the House of Lords , the repeal of the disgraceful statute which made it felony to impugn the doctrine of the Trinity . " I am not , * ' said he , " afraid of those tender consciences

    which scruple subscription , or lead men to profess a scanty creed , for I am convinced they believe what they profess ; but 1 do much fear those men that have an Extensive faith—who believe every thing , and subscribe every thing . " There never was more practical wisdom , nor a greater knowledge of human nature , displayed in the same number of words ; and I can assure you , that it is thus many of tnte intelligent laity , just now , think of the ministers and licentiates of this Church .

    When you professed less , you got credit for more . ' But a still greater evil has arisen from your past proceedings , and must be increased by your present measures — 1 mean , that the preaching of the gospel has , very generally , been diverted from its legitimate channel . Controversy , controversy , interminable controversy , is

    the order of the day ! Ministers , to remove suspicions from the minds of their people , and to gratify the prevailing taste , are constantly dwelling upon " debatable land , * ' whilst probationers have no hope of success unless they shew themselves powerful in " the strife of words . " Even in our own assembly , what has been spoken of since we met—but opinions !

    Not a word about practice ; not a syllable about correcting each others * vices and follies , or reforming the morals of our flocks . This is very different from the conduct of " the Great Preacher of Righteousness •" . very different from the course prescribed by the orthodox Apostle Paul to his > on Titus , when he Bent

    him forth as a Messenger of Grace . He did not exhort him to decry morality , or merely preach it occasionally as a sort of decent adjunct to abstruse doctrinal harangues . No ; he enjoined him to make virtue the sum and substance of his preaching : "These things I will that you affirm constantly , that they which believe in Qod might be careful to main ** Cain good works ; for these , things are

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    good and profitable unto men . " No doubt he preached as every minister ought to do , " Jesus Christ and him crucified , " as the foundation of the sinner ' s hope , and the ground-work of the Christian ' s holiness ; but he never forgot the end of all preaching , —the restoriug

    of the sinner " from dead works . " How different is the prevailing system of public instruction in these latter days 1 And how awful is the responsibility of those who turn the attention of the multitude from the duties of life to the controversies of men !

    In answer to all these arguments , for a milder , a more rational , and a more Christian course of procedure , we are told , " that a great ferment exists amongst the people , and that something must be done to allay it . " Very true ; a great ferment does exist . The prophetic words of our Saviour , who foresaw that the evil passions of men would

    pervert the benevolent object of his mission , are fully verified— " I come not to send peace upon earth , but a sword . " Were that ancient philosopher alive , who , in the commencement of the gospel dispensation , exclaimed , " Behold how these Christians love one another ! ° he might now , with equal propriety , ejaculate , " Behold how these Christians hate one another ! " But whatever

    ferment exists , we are not to blame . You kindled the conflagration , and you are bound to extinguish it , without molestation' or injury to us . ' We have broken no compact ; we have never interfered with your opinions ; we have raised no unjust clamour against you . The

    existing evils are of your own creation , and you have no right to make us the victims to appease the wrath which you yourselves have excited . The condition of our hapless country is deplorable ; the statgof oiir own church is distressing ; but my friends and myself are guiltless of these calamities . Let those

    answer for them who produced them ; " we have neither lot nor part in the matter . "

    How strange it is , that the favoured work of God upon earth is that being in all nature which seems least to answer the design' of its creation ! I was never more forcibly impressed with this melancholy fact , than upon the evening of Monday last , when travelling over the beautiful district of country between Dungiven and this place . The glorious sun cast his golden mantle over the mountains , and the valleys reposed in shade 5 the song of cheerfulness ascended

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    654 Intelligence . —Synod of Ulster .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Sept. 2, 1828, page 654, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2564/page/70/