examine it, with the kindred doctrines of Transubstantiation and Consubstantiation. We cannot in the mean time conceal our surprise that any one who pretends to real learning, and professes a sincere reverence for the records of inspiration should have employ ed in support of it an argument so little consistent with either. Athanasian Creed. We will commence our account of this confession of faith, with a few notices of its history. In the first place, it is pretty evident that it was not composed by the 'bishop, whose name it bears. The principal reasons on which the learned found this conclusion are these. It is not contained, nor even alluded to, in any of the genuine works of Athanasius. is not mentioned by any of the writers who immediately succeeded him. It was not appealed to, in the controversies between the It Eastern and Western Churches, in the seventh and ninth centuries. It was not cited till about the year 800, nor received into the church till about the year 1000, although Athanasius died as early as the year 373. The learned Fabricius is of opinion that it was composed in Latin long after the fifth century, and subsequently translated into Greek. It is probable therefore, that it was not in existence till some centuries after the death of Athanasius; and that it received his name, on account of his having been, thoughout his life, the staunch champion of the doctrine of the Trinity. by a great majority of the Chris- a The Episcopal Church of Ame rica, at a Convention from seven of the States, held in Philadelphia, in the year 1785, had the wisdom to exclude this confession from their Prayer-book; and notwithstanding the exhortation of the archbishops of Canterbury and York, to receive it again into the service, they persisted in its exclusion. We will now copy entire, this celebrated Creed from the English Book of Common-Prayer; without entertaining the least fear that any of our readers will be converted by it. "The Creed of St. Athanasius. "Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholick Faith. Which Faith, except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. "And the Catholick Faith is this; that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the substance. there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. For "But the Godhead of the Fa ther, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the glory equal. the majesty co-eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The The Athanasian Creed is either Father uncreate, the Son unauthorized or allowed by the create, and the Holy Ghost unGreek Church, the Roman CaThe Father incompretholic Church, and the Establlsh-hensible, the Son incomprehened Church of England; that is, sible, and the Holy Ghost incom create. "Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation, that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of the substance of his mother, born in the prehensible. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal; and yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal. As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated; but one uncreated, and one incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty; and yet there are not three Almigh-world. Perfect God and perfect ties, but one Almighty. "So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God; and yet they are not three Gods, but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord; and yet not three Lords, but one Lord. "For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every person by himself to be God and Lord; so are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say, There be three Gods or three Lords. "The Father is made of none; neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created but begot ten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons, one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. "And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other; none is greater or less than another; but the whole three Persons are co-eternal together, and co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. "He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity. man; of a reasonable soul, and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father, as touching his manhood. Who although he be God, and man, yet he is not two, but one Christ; one; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of the manhood into God; one altogether; not by confusion of substance, but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ. "Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies; and shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. "This is the Catholick Faith; which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved." There! that is the Athanasian Creed a long, antithetical, damnatory chapter of contradictions and absurdities, laid down as an infallible exposition of the 1 Gospel of peace, pardon, and love. It has been remarked of it, that in its primary principles, it consists of two parts, of doctrines, and of curses; the former of which are not intelligible, and the latter are. "If it were the reverse," says Dr. Jortin, "it would have been more for the credit of the writer." For our own parts, we read these same curses with the excited, and not unpleasant emotions, with which we should read a high flight of imaginative poetry. Not that we invariably peruse them with this feeling; for we are filled with sorrow and indignation, when we revert to those dark times, in which an ecclesiastical curse was no matter of poetry, but a very serious thing; and we thank God, that although we are not even now in the full light, yet the palpable darkness of those ages has past away. When unoccupied by such reflections, however, we cannot help being amused with the highhanded and daring confidence of what are called the "damnatory clauses" of this composition. Let us just look back to the second clause. "Which Faith," that is, the string of mysticisms which follows, cept every one do keep whole, and undefiled," what will be the consequence ?-Why, WITHOUT DOUBT he shall perish everlastingly." We call that, the sublime of theological impudence. 66 ex "If it were considered concerning Athanasius' Creed," says Jeremy Taylor, in his Liberty of Prophesying,' "how many people understand it not, how contrary to natural reason it seems, how little the Scripture says of those curiosities of explication, and how tradition was not elear for the article itself, much less for those forms and minutes, it had not been amiss if the final judgment had been left to Jesus Christ; and indeed to me it seems very hard to put uncharitableness into the creed, and so to make it become as an article of faith."-Unitarian Miscellany. Letter from President Adams. The following letter was written by John Adams, the successor to Washington in the Presidency of the United States, and was addressed to Dr. Bancroft of Worcester in Massachussets, the author of the sermons which it so highly eulogizes. The Library of the Unitarian Society in Calcutta contains a copy of these sermons. The letter, from the distinguished character and varied experience of the writer, will, we think, prove interesting to our readers.-ED. "Quincy, Jan. 21, 1823. "DEAR SIR, "I thank you for your kind letter of the 30th December, and above all for the gift of a precious volume. It is a chain of diamonds set in links of gold. I have never read or heard a volume of sermons better calculated or adapted to the age and country in which it was written. How different from the sermons I heard and read in the town of Worcester, from the year 1755 to 1758. As my destiny in life has been somewhat uncommon, I must beg pardon for indulging in a little egotism. I may say, I was born and bred in the centre of theological and ecclesiastical controversy. A sermon of Mr. Bryant, minister of the parish, who lived on the spot now a part of the farm on which I live, occasioned the could have done in the best days of my strength. "The most afflictive circumstances that I have witnessed in the lot of humanity, are the narrow views, the unsocial humors, the fastidious scorn, and repulsive temper of all denominations, excepting one. "I cannot conclude this letter without adding an anecdote. One of the zealous mendicants for the contributions to the funds of Missionary Societies, called on a gentleman in Haverhill, and requested his charity. The gentleman declined subscribing, but added, that there are in and about the town of, nine Clergymen, ministers of nine Con gregations, not one of whom lives on terms of civility with any other, will admit none other into his pulpit, nor be permitted to go into the pulpit of any other. Now if you will raise a fund to convert these nine Clergymen to Christianity, I will contribute as much as any other man.-I am, with great esteem, your friend, JOHN ADAMS." controversy between him and Mr. Miles, Mr. Porter, Mr. Bass, and many others; it broke out like the eruption of a volcano, and blazed with portentous aspect for many years. The death of Dr. Miller, the Episcopal minister of this town, produced the controversy between Dr. Mayhew and Mr. Apthorp, who were both so connected with this town, that they might almost be considered inhabitants of it. I may say, that my eyes opened upon books of controversy between the parties of Mr. Buckminster, and Mr. | Miller; I became acquainted with Dyer, Doolittle, and Baldwin, three notable disputants. Mr. M'Carty, though a Calvinist, was not a bigot; but the town of Worcester was a scene of dispute all the time I was there. When I left, I entered into a scene of other disputations at the bar, and not long afterwards, disputations of another kind, in politics. In later times I have lived with Atheists, Deists, Sceptics; with Cardinals, Archbishops, Monks, Friars of the Roman Catholic persuasion; with Archbishops, Bishops, Deans and Priests of RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE the Church of England; with Farmer, Price, Priestley, Kippis, Rees, Derring, and Jebb; with the English and Scottish clergy in Holland, and especially with Dr. Maclean, at the Hague. I have conversed freely with most of the sects in America, and have not been wholly inattentive to the writings and reasonings of all these denominations of Christians and philosophers;-you may well suppose, then, that I have had controversy enough; but after all, I declare to you, that your twentynine sermons have expressed the result of all my reading, experience, and reflection, in a manner more satisfactory to me than I The King and the Athanasian It appears that the Athanasian Creed was not read or sung in His Majesty's presence, in the Palace Chapel, on Christmas-day (1822). It must be imagined that the omission was intentional, and if so, as the King is the head of the Church, we hope it may be regarded as a prelude to the expulsion of that, to use the mildest term, uncharitable Creed from our usual Church service.-Brighton Chronicle. It is curious, and we are assured of the fact on authority on which we can rely, that the Atha nasian Creed, which is specially appointed by the rubric to be read on Christmas-day, was omitted on that day at the Chapel Royal at Brighton; His Majesty was present on the occasion, aud took the sacrament. A Sunday paper alluded to this circumstance, and supposed that it was the effect of a mere mistake of the mini ter, Dr. Pearson. We find some difficulty in assenting to this explanation, as the Athanasian Creed is not read by the ministèr, but sung where, as in the Chapel Royal, choral service is performed. A dignitary of the Church declared of the Creed in question, 'Would that the Church were well rid of it! We do not know whether this is intended to be a step towards the accomplishment of this wish.-Globe and Traveller. The writer was present (the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing!) at the Chapel Royal, on Easter-Sunday of the last year, (one of the Athanasian days,) when, also, the Saint and his creed were forgotten.-Christian Reformer. Unitarian Fund Anniversary. The Annual Meeting of the Unitarian Fund was held on Wednesday the 21st May 1823, at the Chapel in Parliament Court. The devotional services were conducted by the Rev. G. Kenrick, Rev. S. C. Fripp, and Rev. J. Fullagar. The Sermon was preached by the Rev. H. Acton, of Walthamstow. The preacher's text1 Thess. ii. 13, from which he discoursed with much ability on the grounds of faith and the excellence and power of truth. The Sermon, will, we hope, be laid Archbishop Tillotson.-ED. before the public, according to the strongly expressed wish of the company at the dinner. After divine service, the Subscribers proceeded to the business of the Society, Mr. James Young in the Chair. The case of William Roberts excited much discussion, and it was finally resolved, that £100 should be annually devoted to the support of the mission at Madras. As this was probably the last time, when the Society would meet in the Chapel at Parliament Court, it was unanimously resolved to present £50 towards the erection of Mr. Fox's new Chapel in Finsbury, as an expression of the gratitude of the Society for the support uniformly rendered to their cause by the Parliament Court Congregation. At the annual dinner at the London Tavern, there were about 280 gentlemen present, Mr. J. T. RUTT in the Chair, who presided with his well-known ability. The Meeting was enlivened by the presence of the Secretary, Mr. Fox, who is so far restored to health as to be able to resume his public and official duties. His speech, on his health being given, was abundant in humour and strikingly eloquent. In the course of the evening several gentlemen addressed the company: Mr. Acton, Mr. Hornby, (the Deputy Treasurer, who acted for the Treasurer, Mr. Christie, unavoidably absent,) Mr. G. Wood, (of Manchester,) Messrs. Hill and Talfourd, (baristers,) Mr. Wright We lament that we and others. have no minute of any speech but Mr. Wright's, of which the following is, we believe, an accurate report: "I rise, Sir, to thank you and this Society, for the very kind and too flattering notice you have ta |