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    better thing . Still , it is natural to a person of a serious turn of mind to wish that he might rightly understand and entirely believe every important article of doctrine professed by the church of which he is a member : it was decidedly the case with me . I had been in the habit of reading the Holy Scriptures the greater part of my life , and I seldom opened the book without meeting some passages which appeared to me to be directly opposed to the doctrine of the Trinity , in the way in which that doctrine is set forth in the

    Athanasian and Nicene Creeds . This was a cause of grief to me for many years . / eagerly read every book I could meet with written in defence of these creeds , and most scrupulously shunned the writings of those who controverted them . In the course of my researches I sometimes met with arguments managed with such address and ability as macje a strong impression on my mind in favour of the doctrine ; but on my return to the Bible these impressions were instantly effaced . For one text or expression from , which the doctrine could in uny possible way be inferred , I met with ten which , in my humble judgment , pointedly and unequivocally denied it . I was at length informed that the Rev . Mr . Jones , of Nayland , had published a work which set the matter

    at rest ; that he bad incontrovertibly proved the doctrine to be scriptural . I immediately procured his ' Catholic Doctrine of a Trinity , * and read it with attention . It did not appear to me to be by any means satisfactory : I could not but suspect that he dealt unfairly with the Holy Scriptures . I resolved to take the first convenient opportunity of setting about a minute examination of every text he had quoted , and every argument he had advanced . I foresaw that this would be a laborious task , requiring much time , and as far as possible an abstraction from every other pursuit . Many years passed over

    before I found a fit opportunity for the undertaking : it was not till the winter of 1825 , when confined by ill-health , that I commenced my task . I considered the matter to be of so much importance to my own peace of mind , that for more than two years it was principally , I may almost say exclusively , the subject of my meditations , and the object of my inquiry . I made the Scriptures nay guide , and wholly unassisted ( excepting' only by the comments of writers deemed orthodox ) I laboured through the work . No one can hesitate to give Mr . Jones the credit of sincerity and good intentions ; yet I cannot but think he has injured rather than supported his cause . This appeared to

    me so obviously the case , that when I had gone through his work I doubted if it were proper to give my Confessions in the form of a review of it ; for it might be said that the doctrine must not be condemned because it had been injudiciously stated and weakly defended by Mr . Jones . But on further consideration , as the book has strangely obtained a considerable degree of celebrity , and , moreover , as it afforded me the opportunity of bringing forward a powerful body of scriptural evidence , I thought it might as well remain in that form . That the sentiments of an individual , who has no pretensions to

    the character of a man of learning , will be considered only contemptible by writers esteemed orthodox , may be fully expected at the present time ; yet / confidently predict that before half a century passes over , the doctrine stated in these pages will be generally , if not unanimously , confessed throughout the kingdom . It may fairly be asked , upon what grounds I hazard so bold a prediction ? In the first place , a surprising expansion of the human intellect within the last thirty years ( especially in our own country ) has been noticed by every discerning person . Men are beginning to emancipate their minds from the trammels imposed upon them by great names , ana are disposed to compare authorities , and to judge for themselves . Secondly , though we have

    frequent proof of great depravity and impiety among the very ignorant classes , Christianity is more seriously and more generally inquired into by the better informed part than it has hitherto been ; we may , therefore , hope for a rapid progress in true Christian knowledge . Thirdly , the Greek language is now more generally studied than it had been in former times . This is very important ; for it has been admitted by many orthodox divines , that our present translation of the New Testament ( though probably the best extant ) is incor-

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    26 Confessions of a Member of the Church of England .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Jan. 2, 1831, page 26, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2593/page/26/