as I, and other friends of true religion, could wish."-Pref. pp. iii. iv.

These reasons he assigns to be, want of leisure in many, disgust felt by some at injurious insinuations and personalities, and the disheartening, distracting effect of a multiplicity of arguments and various interpretations of passages of Scripture. To obviate these inconveniences, he makes the following judicious and laudable proposal:

"As Christianity is happily not a subject resting on vague metaphysical speculations, but is founded upon the authority of books written in languages which are understood and explained according to known and standing rules, I therefore propose, with a view to the more speedy and certain attainment of religious truth, to establish a monthly periodical publica tion, commencing from the month of April next, to be devoted to Biblical criticism, and to subject Unitarian as well as Trinitarian doctrines to the test of fair argument, if those of the latter persuasion will consent thus to submit the scriptural grounds on which their tenets concerning the Trinity are built.

"For the sake of method and conve

nience, I propose that, beginning with the book of Genesis, and taking all the passages in that portion of Scripture which are thought to countenance the doctrine of the Trinity, we should examine them one by one, and publish our observations upon them; and that next month we proceed in the same manner with the book of Exodus, and so on with all the books of the Old and New Testaments, in their regular order.

"If any one of the Missionary gentlemen, for himself and in behalf of his fellow-labourers, choose to profit by the opportunity thus afforded them of defending and diffusing the doctrines they have undertaken to preach, I request that an essay on the book of Genesis, of the kind above intimated, may be sent me by the middle of the month, and if confined within reasonable limits, not exceeding a dozen or sixteen pages, I hereby engage to cause it to be printed and circulated at my own charge, should the Missionary gentlemen refuse to bestow any part of the funds, intended for the spread of Christianity, towards this object; and also that a reply (not exceeding the same number of pages) to the arguments adduced, shall be published along with it by the beginning of the ensuing month. That this new mode of controversy, by short monthly publications, may be attended with all the advantages which

I, in common with other searchers after truth, expect, and of which it is capable, it will be absolutely necessary that nothing be introduced of a personal nature or calculated to hurt the feelings of individuals-that we avoid all offensive expressions, and such arguments as have no immediate connexion with the subject, and can only serve to retard the progress of discovery; and that we never allow ourselves for a moment to forget that we are engaged in a solemn religious disputation."-Pref. pp. v.—vii.

This is evidently the proposal of a sincere inquirer after truth, who believes that the object which he seeks will be promoted by free discussion. It is, we hope, by this time carried into effect. The energy of Rammohun Roy's mind, his zeal on behalf of pure Christianity, and the means with which Providence has blessed him, are pledges that no measure which he conceives to be serviceable to his countrymen and fellow-creatures will be neglected by him or lightly abandoned. The Missionaries will, we apprehend, excuse themselves from any contribution, literary or pecuniary, to such a work. Rammohun Roy and his associates are not the persons to whom they look for converts. Without them, however, such a periodical publication may be carried on in British India, where, we are informed, there is a large proportion of persons, in both the military and civil service, and amongst the merchants and traders, who are disposed to lend an ear to sound reasoning on behalf of the gospel, and the more so from their conviction that the system of "orthodoxy" imported from Europe is not the religion that will make its way with either Mahometans or Hindoos. Heartily do we wish success to the projected work, from which we shall probably borrow hereafter for the gratification of our readers.

In some remarks introductory_to the "Final Appeal," Rammohun Roy complains with great reason of the treatment he has experienced from the Missionary Magazine. He published the " Precepts of Jesus," he says, to exhibit the pure and elevated morality of the gospel to his countrymen and others, unaccompanied by those mysterious and contradictory doctrines with which the various teachers of Christianity have associated,

and, as he thinks, impaired them. He was hence charged with omitting the only foundation of Christianity, viz. "the doctrines of the Godhead of

Jesus and the Holy Ghost and of the Atonement." This compelled him, he adds, 66 as a professed believer of one God, to deny for the first time publicly those doctrines; and now," he concludes, the Editor "takes occasion to accuse me of presumption in teaching doctrines which he has himself compelled me to avow."-P. 5.

Rammohun Roy expresses some surprise at his antagonist's real or pretended ignorance of his opinions :

"The Editor assigns, as a reason for entering on this controversy, that, after a review of the Precepts of Jesus and the First Appeal,' he felt some doubt whether their author fully believed the deity of Christ,' and consequently headduced a few passages from the Scriptures to confirm this doctrine.' He then adds, that this Second Appeal to the Christian public confirms all that he before only feared. (P. 1.) I could have scarcely credited this assertion of the Reviewer's unacquaintance with my religious opinions, if the allegation had come from any other quarter; for both in my conversation and correspondence with as many Missionary gentlemen, old and young, as I have had the honour to know, I have never hesitated, when required, to offer my sentiments candidly, as to the unscripturality and unreasonableness of the doctrine of the Trinity. On one occasion, particularly when on a visit to one of the Rev. colleagues of the Editor at Serampore, long before the time of these publications, I discussed the subject with that gentleman at his invitation; and then fully manifested my disbelief of this doctrine, taking the liberty of examining successively all the arguments he, from friendly motives, urged upon me in support of it."-Pp. 5, 6.

In our judgment nothing can be more satisfactory than the following confutation of the charge of presumption and vindication of the true method of religious research; the extract is long, but we could not abridge it without injury, and we wish our readers to see a full-length portrait of the Indian Reformer.

"In page 503 the Editor insinuates that vanity has led me to presume that 'freedom from the powerful effects of early religious impressions' has enabled me to discover the truths of Scripture in

"To hold up to ridicule my sugges tions in the Second Appeal to study first the books of the Old Testament unbiassed by ecclesiastic opinions imbibed in early life, and then to study the New Testament, the Rev. Editor states that 'could it be relied on indeed,' my compendious method would deserve notice, with a view to Christian education; as,' on my plan, the most certain way of enabling any one to discover, in a superior manner, the truths and doctrines of Christianity is to leave him till the age of thirty or forty without any religious impression.'-(P. 503.) I do not in the least wonder at his disapprobation of my suggestion; as the Editor, in common with other professors of traditional opinions, is sure of supporters of his favourite doctrine, so long as it is inculcated on the minds of youths, and even infants; who, being once thoroughly impressed with the name of the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity, long before they can think for themselves, must be always inclined, even after their reason has become matured, to interpret the sacred books, even those texts which are evidently inconsistent with this doctrine, in a manner favourable to their prepossessed opinion, whether their study be continued for three, or thirty, or twice thirty years. Could Hindooism continue after the present generation, or bear the studious examination of a single year, if the belief of their idols being endued with animation were not carefully impressed on the young before they come to years of understanding?

"Let me here suggest that, in my humble opinion, no truly liberal and wise parent can ever take advantage of the

unsuspecting and confiding credulity of his children to impress them with an implicit belief in any set of abstruse doctrines, and intolerance of all other opinions, the truth or reasonableness of which they are incapable of estimating. Still less would he urge by threats the dauger of present and eternal punishment for withholding a blind assent to opinions they are unable to comprehend. Parents are bound by every moral tie to give their children such an education as may he sufficient to render them capable of exercising their reason as rational and social beings, and of forming their opinion on religious points without ill-will to wards others, from a thorough investigation of the Scriptures, and of the evidence and arguments adduced by teachers of different persuasions. Judgments thus formed have a real claim to respect from those who have not the means of judging for themselves. But of what consequence is it, in a question of truth or error, to. know how the matter at issue has been considered, even for a hundred generations, by those who have blindly adopted the creed of their fathers? Surely, the unbiassed judgment of a person who has proceeded to the study of the Sacred Scriptures with an anxious desire to dis. cover the truth they contain, even if his researches were to be continued but for a single twelvemonth, ought, as far as authority goes in such matters, to outweigh the opinions of any number who have either not thought at all for themselves, or have studied after prejudice had laid hold of their minds. What fair inquiry respecting the doctrine of the Trinity can be expected from one who has been on the bosom of his mother constantly taught to ask the blessing of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, and to hear the very name of Unitarian with horror? Have the doctrines of the Vedant ever succeeded in suppressing Polytheism amongst the generality of Hindoos brought up with the notion of the godhead of the sun, of fire and of water, and of the separate and independent existence of the allegorical representations of the attributes of God? Were the sublime works written by the learned among the Greeks ever able to shake the early acquired superstitious notions and polytheistical faith of the generality of their countrymen? Nay, even when Christian converts became numerous, did not those who were brought up in the ancient superstition introduce some vestiges of their idolatry into their new persuasion? In fact, nothing can more surely impede the progress of truth than prejudice instilled into minds blank to receive impressions;

and the more unreasonable are the doc trines of a religion, the greater pains are taken by the supporters of them to plant them in the readily susceptible minds of youth.

"The Editor has filled a complete page in proving that, besides early impressed prejudices, there are also other causes of error in judgment-an attempt which might have been dispensed with: for I never limited the sources of mistake in examining religious matters to early impression alone. I attributed only the prevailing errors in Christianity to tradis tional instructions inculcated in childhood, as the language of my. Second Appeal will shew: Having derived my own opinions on this subject entirely from the Scriptures themselves, I may, perhaps, be excused for the confidence with which I maintain them against those of so great a majority, who appeal to the same authority for theirs; inasmuch as I attribute their different views, not to any inferiority of judgment, compared with my own limited ability, but to the powerful effects of early religious impressions; for when these are deep, reason is seldom allowed its natural scope in examining them to the bottom.' (P. 160.) If the Editor doubt the accuracy of this remark, he might soon satisfy himself of its justice, were he to listen to the suggestion offered in the preceding paragraph, with a view to ascertain whether the doctrine of the Trinity rests for its belief on scriptural authorities, or on early religious impressions.

"The Editor mentions, ironically, (in p. 3,) that my success in scriptural studies was such as to prove that the most learned and pious in every age of the church have been so completely mistaken as to transform the pure religion of Jesus into the most horrible idolatry.' In answer to this, I only beg to ask the Rev. Editor to let me know first, what a Protestant, in the fifteenth century, could have answered, if he had been thus ques. tioned by a Roman Catholic: Is your success, in examining the truths of Scripture, such as to prove that the most learned and pious in every age of the church have been so completely mistaken, as to transform the pure religion of Jesus into the most horrible idolatry, by introducing the worship of Mary, the mother of God, and instituting images in churches, as well as by acknowledging the Pope, as the head of the church, vested with the power of forgiving sins? Would not his answer be this, My success is, indeed, so as to prove these doctrines to be unscriptural. As to your inferences they are no more divine than mine, and though I do not doubt the piety and learning of