with them. This view of the subject addresses at once a man's reason, and conscience, and experience; and works conviction. To awaken horror is a different thing. This may be done by the description of elemental fires, of writhing in eternal flames, of the breath of the Almighty kindling the heated furnace of his wrath. All this may scare the imagination of the sinful man, but it will come nearer to him to tell him that God, instead of inflicting vengeance on him as a vindictive executioner, will, as a pitying Father, leave him to the consequences of his wickedness. It will come nearer, far nearer to him, to point him to the curse of sinful habits, to the anguish of remorse, to that hell whose fires he is already kindling in his own bosom. In fine, the religion that shall affect a man, must not be dressed up in technical phrases, must not propound indiscriminate notions and illiberal dogmas to him, nor strive to encompass him with horrors, from which his sense and reason revolt. It cannot be imposed upon him, but must be wrought in him by his own free, willing, cheerful endeavours.

Thus we have stated some of the speculative and practical grounds of our preference for the system of Unitarianism over the systems of doctrine and instruction that prevail around us. We do not say that every orthodox preacher adopts the mode of instruction which we have represented; but we say, that this is the prevailing style of teaching. We know that there are men of liberal and cultivated minds among orthodox teachers; menTM of kind and catholic feelings, of rational and comprehensive views of religion, and with such men we have

no controversy. That they are nominally trinitarians, is to us a matter comparatively of no consequence. Our chief objections to orthodoxy are practical. We prefer a different kind of instruction, not because it tends to promote vicious indulgence, and to hush the monitions of conscience-God forbid! but because we think the religious teaching that we value, more discriminating, more liberal, more rational, simple, and touching to the heart and conscience; because, too, we regard religion as the grand concern of our being, the great object designed to call forth the free action of our faculties, and to give them their full expansion; because we regard religion as a FRIEND, with whom we would live without distrust, and die without fear, and would confide in, to lead us to the regions of immortality!

Α

No. 8.

DISCOURSE

ON THE

EIVIDENCES OF REVEALED RELIGION.

BY WILLIAM E. CHANNING, D. D.

THIRD EDITION.

PRINTED FOR THE

American Unitarian Association.`

BOSTON,

PRINTED BY ISAAC R. BUTTS AND CO.

Price 5 Cents.

NOTICE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

This Discourse was delivered before the University in Cambridge at the Dudleian Lecture, March 14, 1821. The first edition having for a long time been exhausted, the Executive Committee of the American Unitarian Association have obtained permission of the author to reprint it as one of the tracts. It has been thought best to retain the allusions to the occasion of its delivery, that are found in a few paragraphs.