understood. Men throw out their opinions rashly, reserving to themselves the liberty of correcting them, if they are wrong; if you would know for what doctrines they hold themselves responsible, you must look to their last publication. It deserves praise, we are told, for one to confess himself to have been in error. It does, without doubt; as it also deserves praise for one to repent of a crime and to make reparation; but a wise and good man, as he will avoid committing crimes, so according to his ability, he will avoid promulgating errors on important, or unimportant, subjects. Another loose notion is, that there should be no discouragement, by the expression of moral disapprobation, to the promulgation of any doctrine, whatever may be its character, or whatever may be the moral or intellectual qualifications of the teacher; for that this would be putting a check upon freedom of discussion. The doctrine may be confuted, it is said, if it is erroneous. But it should be recollected that many errors are in alliance with men's passions, vices, and follies, and that, when plausibly affirmed, they may be readily admitted by those who will not listen to, or perhaps could not comprehend, a series of explanations and arguments. It should likewise be recollected, that a writer careless of facts, bold in his assertions, and confused and illogical in his conceptions, may commit more errors in a page than an able man can confute in twenty; that these errors may be gross; that one conversant with the subject may regard the task of exposing them as unworthy of him; and that it is hard to condemn such as are capable of informing others to the poor employment of rooting out errors, the growth of which is encouraged by those who assign them the task. But it is only necessary to attend to the general principle, that dependent as we all are upon the information and the opinions of others, no one has a right to assume the office of our instructer, who has not labored to qualify himself morally and intellectually for its proper porformance.' - pp. 60-62.

A. P. P.

ART. VII.- A History of the First Church and Parish in Dedham, in three Discourses, delivered on occasion of the completion, Nov. 18, 1838, of the second Century since the gathering of said Church. By ALVAN LAMSON, D. D., Pastor of the First Church in Dedham. 1839. pp. 104.

We have read these discourses with great satisfaction. The author has exhibited with fidelity and skill and (what in such details is scarcely less essential) a true interest in his workthe History of a Church, of which for now nearly twenty-one years he has been the Pastor. Even the stranger, regarding only the beauty of that fair village of Dedham, might not be indifferent to its annals. But they whose birth, or early associations are there, or whose taste for ancient records disposes, will not fail of a lively pleasure in tracing the history of a community from the day that thirty families first assembled to worship God, "under one of the large trees, which then shaded the plain," through a chequered course of two hundred years to its present prosperity. There will be found indeed some more than common attractions in a spot, where not only "the rude fore-fathers of the hamlet sleep," but the ancestors of some of our eminent men toiled; the village where Dwight and Dexter and Fisher Ames had their abode, and where, too, in individuals, less known to public fame but dear to personal friendship, have been witnessed some of the choicest virtues of private life, a strict but cheerful piety, and an overflowing hospitality.

"The place was fortunate," says Dr. Lamson, "in its first inhabitants. They had a difficult task to execute, but they proved themselves fully equal to its accomplishment. Their toils and cares were important; but many of them humble ones, and they could hardly have been cheered by a foresight of one half their beautiful results." "It is fit, that we should hold such men in remembrance; that we should report their praises; that we should not suffer oblivion to creep over their names. It is fit, that we should pause to brush away the dust, which in the lapse of time is silently gathering over the record of their merits.”

To this filial work the writer of these Discourses has contributed his part. It appears, that, if the place was fortunate in its first inhabitants, they were not less fortunate in their first

Pastor. The Rev. John Allin, who came with the founders, and had been a preacher before he quitted England, was early established as their minister, and by a prudent and faithful service of thirty-three years, " by his singular candor and amenity of spirit, not less than by his ingenuity and learning," by his wisdom and gentleness in controversy, in which he reluctantly engaged but always with success, and by the respect his character inspired, he must have essentially contributed to the prosperity of the infant settlement.*

Of his successor, Mr. Adams, † we can only notice that a Fast-Sermon, which he published, affords an example, among multitudes that might be quoted from the Mathers and others, of the common passion with all generations, to lament the degeneracy of the times. In this Discourse he draws a most melancholy picture of the sins and miseries of the day; among which are not those only, that might be expected in such a catalogue, coldness, and deadness, and worldliness of spirit, but "dissentions in churches, jealousies, and slanders, with other evils, which we should least have suspected in the frugal, selfdenying days of our fathers. We have borne,' says he, too high a sail. There hath been an affectation of gallantry unbecoming our condition; too great delicacy of living; and family government is in a great measure lost in New England.' This now was in 1678, not sixty years after the land

*In adverting to Mr. Allin's domestic history, our author notices an incident, pertaining to one of his marriages, not to be omitted in the annals of those primitive times. "For his second wife he married the widow of Governor Thomas Dudley, a little more than three months after the Governor's death, Mr. Allin's first wife, Margaret, having been dead a little more than six months. The lady, who was the mother of Governor Joseph Dudley, must have possessed some attractions of mind, or person, or both," for Mr. Allin was her third husband; and notwithstanding the apparent suddenness of the union (for which, as we learn from oral testimony, she had full authority from a former example of the Governor) they were pleasant in their lives, and in death they were not divided. "His beloved wife, Katherine," as Mr. Allin calls her in his records," died three days after him, and both were buried in the same grave."-Discourse I. p. 27.

Previously to the coming of Mr. Adams, the people had invited Mr. Nicolet, a stranger from Maryland, to preach, and soon after to settle. "He consented, but said he must first go with his wife to Salem for a child and some things,' which they had left there." No objection was made to so reasonable a request. He went; but the result was, he never returned, preferring Salem to Dedham ; and after a stormy ministry of three or four years he left Salem also.

ing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. So true is it, that, in every age, the times that are, have always been complained of as worse than the times that have been.

Of the virtues ascribed to our Fathers, respect for the insti-. tutions of religion, and zeal to maintain the ministry, have been most frequently celebrated. Yet those virtues had sometimes to contend with antagonist principles; for it appears, that in Dedham during the ministry of Mr. Belcher, which closed in 1723, though he was highly esteemed and his death greatly lamented, "there was some shortness in the coming in of the money for the Pastor." "The amount necessary was not paid without many and growing murmurs; and they were compelled at length to resort to compulsory methods, that of voluntary contribution having proved quite ineffectual." - Discourse II. pp. 42, 43.

But whatever deficiency of liberality in regard to pecuniary affairs may be ascribed to the people of Mr. Belcher's times, we pass with pleasure to a signal instance of liberality in another form, and at a later day, which is well worthy of being commemorated. Towards the close of Mr. Haven's ministry, viz., in 1793, the Church unanimously adopted the following as "their Form of Christian Union and Covenant Engagements.' It is a model worthy of imitation; and for the enlightened and catholic and truly Christian spirit, which conceived and accepted it, it does honor to any people. We can hardly imagine that a church united by a covenant like this could have acquiesced even for a day in the exclusive system of faith and fellowship, which under another ministry was for a season urged upon them.

"We profess our belief in the Christian Religion. We unite ourselves together for the purpose of obeying the precepts and honoring the institutions of the religion we profess. We covenant and agree with each other, to live together as a band of Christian brethren, to give and receive counsel and reproof, with meekness and candor, to submit with a Christian temper to the discipline, which the Gospel authorizes the church to administer; and diligently to seek after the will of God, and carefully endeavor to obey all his commands."

"Such," says Dr. Lamson," was the noble example of liberality exhibited by this church more than forty-five years ago,- exhibited without opposition or controversy, when men's understandings were calm, and they could bring to the discussion of the subject unembarrassed minds and an unfettered judgment. The fact shows the

prevailing state of sentiment and feeling in this society, at the time, as far removed from exclusiveness, as liberal and catholic, as the most strenuous advocate for rational views and freedom of thought and expression could desire.".

Our limits constrain us to omit much that is worthy of notice in these Discourses. The author touches with delicacy and forbearance upon the topics connected with the ministry of his immediate predecessor and the commencement of his own. He adverts in conclusion with eloquence and just sensibility to the changes, which time has made, and to the generations that have passed away. We rejoice, that a ministry already extended beyond the narrowing term of these days remains; and we hope that in the simple principles of their "Confession of faith" and the peace, that now unites them, the people "of the First Church of Dedham" may long have rest and be edified.

F. P.

NOTE TO THE ARTICLE ON THE LIVERPOOL CONTROVERSY, IN THE NUMBER for SeptEMBER.

In noticing this controversy in our last number, we closed our remarks abruptly in the hope of receiving some more of the Sermons. We have since received six, as follows.

"The Proper Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, proved from the Prophetic Scriptures." Isaiah xlv. 20-23.—By Rev. J. H. Stewart. He deems his doctrine "so manifest, that it is difficult to conceive how it can for a moment remain unacknowledged." He regrets that the Unitarians so understood Mr. Byrth's original invitation, as to insist upon being heard in their own defence. He lays stress upon the words "Proper Deity," as distinguished from "Divinity," or "super-angelic nature." He goes over the well-trodden ground of this subject, attempting "to show that the offices, the promised Saviour was to execute, make it absolutely necessary that he should be perfect God, as well as perfect man." Then he resorts "to the Prophecies, which in the plainest terms declare his glory." "Let all the Unitarian teachers now living, assemble together, and try to bring out from the unmutilated Word of God that imaginary Being whom they profess to worship, and they will find it a harder task than all their united wit can perform." As far as