even venture to listen to heretics, unless they make humble submission. It is true that all these bodies have a few points in common, particularly the doctrine of the Trinity, but then the points of difference are also very numerous, so that amongst the number of infallible churches, differing from each other, as to what is requisite for salvation, they must of necessity inquire what claims these several bodies have, that they may select, or rather whether any body of men can have any claim whatsoever to consider themselves as the infallible directors of others. To assist in such inquiry, another series of cheap Tracts (though from the want of sufficient sale, or sufficient contributors to bear the loss, less cheap,) was commenced in October 1839, and continued monthly till the present volume was completed. The suspension of the publication for a time, (for we hope it will be only a suspension,) was evidently occasioned by want of encouragement, and the twelve published, though they may still be had separately, are now collected in the volume before us. The object of publishing them is to counteract the other Tracts, by asserting and defending religious and Christian liberty. The editors, whosoever they be, have had recourse to some of the best Tracts of a former period, in doing which they follow the example of the other Editors, and like them they do not exclude themselves from the use of new matter when supplied with it. The volume published, however, only contains one original Tract, the eleventh of the series. Two of the Tracts are from the pen of JOHN MILTON, the first and the tenth, and certainly they are productions which cannot be too extensively circulated, going, as they do, to the foundation of religious liberty, and establishing that foundation upon a solid rock. But it may be objected,-Is not this claiming infallibility for Milton or for ourselves? No-for it is not any doctrine, or set of doctrines, which is thus said to be established, but the fact, that there is no infallible church in existence, that nothing is infallible but what God has expressly revealed, and that no man or body of men, no pope, council, or assembly, has any right to judge or condemn the opinions of others, in understanding that revelation.

Who with another's eye can read ?
Or worship by another's creed ?
Trusting thy grace, we form our own,
And bow to thy commands alone.

SCOTT.

The volume, and each of the Tracts separately, has this sentence of Milton, as a motto on the title-page :- "Books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potencie of life in

them, to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are : nay, they do preserve as in a viol the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them. Many a man lives a burden to the earth; but a good book is the precious lifeblood of a master-spirit imbalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life." Such precious life-blood is "The Treatise of Civil Power in Ecclesiastical Causes, showing that it is not lawful for any power on earth to compel in matters of religion." Those who are themselves the slaves of the authority of councils, assemblies, synods, all composed of fallible men, bring it as a charge against Unitarians, that they are fond of quoting and resting on the opinions of distinguished men, claiming Milton and Locke and Newton in favour of their opinions; but when it can be fairly done, are not the opinions of each of these master-spirits, whose greatness even those most adverse to them, cannot deny are not, we say, the opinions of Milton or Locke or Newton, if we must have recourse to authority, deserving of more attention than those of any assembly of divines that ever met since the time of the Apostles, howsoever they may deceive themselves or others with notions of their infallibility? We would not take even Milton as our guide and director, but we would much rather take him than the Council of Nice or Trent, or than the Convocation of the Church of England, if we must renounce the Scriptures as our authority, and the Lord Jesus as the only head of his church. And it is only in this way that great names are produced as authority by Unitarians.

This first tract was addressed by Milton to the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England, and is printed from the edition of 1659. It commences with asserting that there have been two things "ever found working much mischief to the church of God, and the advancement of truth, force on the one side restraining, and hire on the other side corrupting the teachers thereof." To the former of these he confines himself in the present tract, and promises that his argument "shall be drawn from the Scripture only, and therein from true fundamental principles of the Gospel to all knowing Christians undeniable." The matters of religion, with which he argues that no civil power should interfere, are explained to be "such things as belong chiefly to the knowledge and service of God, and are either above the reach and light of nature without revelation from above, and therefore liable to be variously understood by human reason; or such things as are enjoined or forbidden by divine precept, which else by the light of reason would seem indifferent to be done or not done; and so likewise must needs appear to every man as the precept is understood. Whence,"

says he, "I here mean by conscience or religion, that full persuasion whereby we are assured that our belief and practice, as far as we are able to apprehend and probably make appear, is according to the will of God and his holy Spirit within us, which we ought to follow much rather than any law of man, as not only his word every where bids us, but the very dictate of reason tells us, Acts iv. 19: Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you, more than unto God, judge ye. That for belief or practice in religion according to this conscientious persuasion, no man ought to be punished or molested by any outward force on earth whatsoever, I distrust not, through God's implored assistance to make plain by these following arguments." Having thus stated his object, he argues in support of it, from the general principles of Protestantism, inferring that those who condemn the Papists are more guilty when they themselves believe only as the state believes. "It is the general consent," says he, "of all sound Protestant writers, that neither traditions, councils nor canons of any visible church, much less edicts of any magistrate or civil session, but the Scripture only, can be the final judge or rule in matters of religion, and that only in the conscience of every Christian to himself." In proving this by various arguments and quotations from Scripture, answering objections and explaining difficulties, the treatise is taken up, and the whole is so connected that it is not easy to make extracts, but it is hoped that many knowing the subject, and considering the character of the Author, will read and judge for themselves. We think there are parts which would not have been written by Milton had he lived in these days, but it would have been unwise in any Editor to have attempted to mutilate or change even a single word. There is annexed an extract from a later work of Milton, "A Treatise of true religion, heresy, schism, toleration, &c.," printed in the year before his death, 1673. Part of this extract, respecting heresy, has been often referred to, and we shall not repeat it now, but we consider it as deserving a place in the memory of every Christian, as a guide for his conduct towards those who differ from him. There are also two sonnets, bearing on the same subject, addressed to the Lord General Cromwell and Sir H. Vane. Another Tract, entitled "Areopagitica, a speech of Mr. John Milton for the liberty of unlicensed printing, to the Parliament of England," is the tenth of the Series. Our press is at present so free that the republication of this may appear unnecessary. When it was spoken, a license had been deemed necessary before a work could be printed, and we are in great measure indebted to it for our present freedom. Still as the

Editors justly observe," the only security for this and all our liberties consists in the public mind being impregnated with the manly and generous sentiments which Milton inculcated for a time in vain, upon our English Areopagites." True it is that we live in times when there are many who would gladly abridge our liberty, and if the churches should succeed in their effort to get power into their hands, we shall feel that though our lives and even property might be spared, yet that some Sir Andrew Agnew or Sir Robert Inglis may think he is serving God, by introducing a law to forbid Unitarians to assemble for religious worship, or at least to print any work attacking the Trinity or any other doctrine received by the ruling party. A tribunal of justice may be influenced to take away our property, Houses of Parliament may be influenced to pass such laws, as well as Corporations to reject dissenters, as we have seen in Edinburgh, however respectable, merely because they are not with the ruling party. As observed in the preface to this little volume," the battle of religious and Christian liberty (for the liberty is twofold) has yet to be fought," and it is only by inculcating again and again the doctrine of these Tracts, that it can be fought successfully. It is not for Unitarianism, or any other ism, but for the right of every man to form his own judgment on every religious subject, without being injured in his property or civil rights either by Acts of Parliament, as in former times, or by the influence of clerical or sectarian bigotry.

"When did ever our Blessed Saviour, who held all power in heaven and earth, and could command legions of angels, where or when did he, in the midst of dangers, opposition and abuses, ever oppress or punish even his unbelieving and implacable enemies? When did ever Paul, who had the power and assistance of the Holy Ghost, and the power and assistance of miracles, where and when did ever he show any resentment to his bitterest foes among the Jews, or his most idolatrous gainsayers among the Gentiles ?"

Yet both might have done so on the same plea of saving souls, had not the spirit of the Gospel been different from the spirit of the high-priests and their followers in all ages. The extract preceding the last sentence is from the second tract, "The Craftsmen, a Sermon, by Thomas Gordon, Esq.," Author of the Independent Whig, Cordial for Low Spirits, &c., and also the Translator of Sallust and Tacitus. The name of Gordon may not be familiar, like that of Milton, but though not to be compared with the latter, he was well known a century ago. He was by birth a Scotchman, and came to London in the reign of Queen Anne, with a view of supporting himself by literature. He was first a

teacher; but having made himself conspicuous in the Hoadleyan controversy, in which he took the side of religious liberty, Mr. Trenchard, a wealthy Whig member of Parliament, and also a writer, took him to his house, where he lived till Mr. Trenchard's death in 1723. They published in concert Cato's letters, and commenced the Independent Whig, which Mr. Gordon continued alone. Sir R. Walpole rewarded Mr. Gordon's exertions with a place, which he retained during the remainder of his life, which terminated in 1750. The Independent Whig was published weekly, and was so offensive to some of the bishops, that a prosecution was threatened to suppress it. This led to the publication of the Sermon now republished, which was written in the manner of Daniel Burgess, a popular but peculiar preacher of that day, and went through six editions. The greater part of the 19th chapter of the Acts was paraphrased and applied. The opposite conduct of Paul the persecutor and Paul the Christian preacher; the attempt of the sons of Sceva to cast out a demon in imitation of Paul and in the name of Jesus, with the words of the man having the evil spirit, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?" and above all, the conduct of Demetrius and the craftsmen in his employ,-supply matter for cutting remarks on the high church party. Many of these remarks are just enough, and well deserved; but we do not admire the application of wit and sarcasm to such subjects. The concluding passage will, with that already quoted, give a fair specimen of what the reader has to expect, though not by any means amongst the severest pas

sages.

"Let us now view Paul, and see what terrible arms he bears, that are so frightful to the craftsmen. He was a stranger, he was a dissenter, he had no equipage to dazzle people's eyes, no pompous garments to win their reverence, nor wealth to bribe their affections; he sought no popularity by indulging men in their vices or encouraging them in their errors. In short, all the numerous advantages of his adversaries, the priests, were so many obstacles and disadvantages to him, the apostle. To conclude, he had only truth on his side, which rendered him an overmatch for all the priests then in the world. All the privilege, all the advantage which he desired, was a fair hearing. This it seems he had obtained of the town, and it had its effect: here was his crime, and here began the priestly fury, the fiercest, the most brutish of all others. Shameless men! was it not enough that reason and religion were both against you, and that you would neither be proselytes to them yourselves, nor suffer with your wills that others should; but must you likewise be proclaiming their invincible power, and your own imbecility and nakedness, by virulently using direct, undisguised force to stop their mouths? What impudence! what folly! what, you that