world,1 their Socinian neighbours were utterly indifferent to the claims of the Pagan world. While, according to Dr. Pierce, one of themselves, their settled ministers had, in the course of the years 1812-1846, decreased from 138 to 124, those of orthodox opinions had in the same period increased from 197 to 417. A writer who quotes these statistics remarks that Unitarianism had made little progress in the other States,that its professors show little interest in propagating their faith,—and that during the years to which Dr. Pierce refers, evangelical Christianity had given existence to the Home and Foreign Bible and Tract Societies, and had covered the entire West with churches, academies, and schools, while Unitarianism had maintained a kind of dying life almost exclusively within a single State.2 The want of diffusive and moral power in the creed as held in this country, was fully exposed by Hall and Fuller, till its friends, probably provoked by such strictures, and constrained by surrounding example, were led to make some feeble attempts to extend their views. Altogether it appears that Unitarianism is a parasitic plant which, having no hold of the soil, has struck its roots into other plants, and thence derives its scanty nourishment and feeble growth. Where would have been its fruits, such as they are, if it had not been for the trees of life and their healthful atmosphere, from which it has received aliment and support? Nor is the Protestantism which steers a middle course between the Socinian and Evangelical schemes fitted to make much head against social evils. We refer to the creed intended by Sir James Mackintosh, when he represents those who preached works, or the mere regulation of outward acts, as having comparatively failed to make a favourable impression on public morals.3 This creed has been fully tried in Protestant countries on the Continent as well as in England and Scotland, for both abroad and at home there have been predominant classes who have avowed and defended it, notwithstanding that they have subscribed another and a better. And we have only to look to the extensive symbolizing of continental Protestantism with Romanism or with infidelity, and to the utter inefficacy of High Churchism in England and of 1 Quarterly Review, vol. xciv. p. 91. 2 Christian Times, Jan. 27, 1854. S Moderatism in Scotland to leaven our people, not to mention foreigners, with Christian principle and character, to be convinced that "the pure religion" which the best interests of society demand has yet to be named. That" pure religion" is principally to be found where the doctrines of the Reformation are in good faith embraced, as they are by numbers on the Continent, by the evangelical clergy and people of the established churches of England and Scotland, by far the greater proportion of the dissenters in both countries, and by the great body of the people in the United States, to whom might be added our Protestant missionaries to a man. It is by the men of these views that all our great institutions for the circulation of the Scriptures, for christianizing the heathen, and for the religious instruction of the neglected of all classes at home, have been originated and are sustained. In almost every scheme for promoting the temporal good of society, it is men of these views that take the lead and the labour. And it is persons of this class who fully maintaining and carrying out the principles, most largely experience the blessings of the Sabbatic rest as these principles and blessings are thus associated: "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."1 1 Isa. lviii. 13, 14. DIVINE ORIGIN AND AUTHORITY OF THE SABBATH. CHAPTER I. PROOFS FROM ITS ADAPTATIONS AND ADVANTAGES THAT THE SABBATH IS OF DIVINE ORIGIN. "If this counsel or work be of man, it will come to nought; but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it."-GAMALIEL FROM the principles and facts set forth in the immediately preceding part of this volume, it appears that a weekly holy day cannot be dispensed with, if health, intelligence, religion, virtue, and happiness be of importance to mankind. There are some, however, who accord to the institution no slight measure of the credit due to it as an instrument of good, without yielding up their minds to the faith of its Divine authority. Such persons, it seems to us, neglect to follow out the light of evidence to its legitimate conclusions, and thus subject themselves to the imputation of inconsistency. Let us, following that light, attempt to show, that the considerations which evince the excellence and utility of the weekly rest, concur with other things in attesting that it is the contrivance, appointment, and charge of Heaven. The Sabbath must have been the suggestion of infinite benevolence. Human beings are naturally selfish, but the selfish think only of themselves, and are neither inventive nor ready, neither exuberant nor painstaking, with expedients for relieving the misery or promoting the happiness of others. Many, indeed, of the race have become truly benevolent, but we have no evidence that they acquired the character in any other way than through |