"Yet the conquerors bring their palms And proclaim, in joyful psalms, Victory through his Cross alone!" To quote the closing remarks of the Editor of his Memoirs, "Mr. Freeston's own language, written, not for the public eye, displays the secret, the fervent pantings of his soul after elevated piety. Let the Christian follow him so far as he followed Christ, and cherish his benevolence to man, his love to God. Let the Christian minister seek after that serious, habitual piety, which distinguished him. And let every follower of the holy Jesus remember that his season for growing in grace is very short, and its conclusion very near. 'The night cometh, in which no man can work.' When that night arrives, happy are they who, like Joseph Freeston, are found waiting for the great Master's call. Blessed is that servant whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching." The celebrated writer, whose sentiments have been already so largely quoted, justly and beautifully observes; "The biography of such as have been eminent for piety has ever been a favourite species of reading with those who possess a devotional spirit. As face answers to face in a glass, so does the heart of man to man. To trace the steps, by which a piety feeble in its rudiments has attained to maturity, to observe the holy acts by which devout habits were strengthened and temptations defeated, to discern the power of truth in purifying and transforming the minds of such as have attained to high degrees of sanctity,-is equally delightful and edifying. To the real Christian, experi mental religion opens a new world replete with objects, emotions, and prospects, of which none but those who are taught of God can form any just or adequate conception: and the joys and sorrows, the elevations and depressions, the dangers and escapes, incident to the spiritual warfare, produce in congenial breasts a lively sympathy." Leaving, however, an occupation, the results of which must have been both refreshing and edifying to the Christian reader; the Compiler will content himself with stating,—what is more to his present purpose,that Mr. Freeston's Memoirs contain various incidental testimonies to the value of his Treatise on Socinianism: a production distinguished, not so much by critical disquisition, as by its popular character; in which the writer, by striking thoughts and strong appeals, deals with Unitarianism principally as it practically affects man's safety and happiness both here and hereafter.* Thus much for individual opinions of this work. The judgment of the Eclectic Review will now be adduced "The standard treatises on the Socinian controversy are unfortunately too high in matter, and too voluminous in extent, to enconnter with effect the cheap and plausible tracts which this party are actively engaged in dispersing. It is not a reference to Bull or Magee that can most effectually defeat those subtile appeals to the popular mind. Their works, however excellent, are too learned and recondite. Our adver * The pamphlet was originally published in 1812: and a second edition of it was soon called for by the Religious Public. The present reprint is from the fourth edition,—the last, it is believed. saries must be met on their own ground; and the best method, perhaps, of exposing the weakness and fallacy of their pretensions to be considered as the only true expositors of the word of God will be found in the publication of a succession of pamphlets recapitulating the evidences of the orthodox doctrines, and proving the uniform failure, as well as the dangerous tendency, of all attempts to shake them. This purpose the present production appears most admirably adapted to answer. It is written with an entire disregard of all the common artifices of composition. It states the points in dispute accurately, and meets them fairly and forcibly. [Here the Reviewers state the different heads into which the Author has divided his subject, and conclude their criticism in the following words ] Each of these positions are separately and distinctly argued, and unanswerably established. The whole composition we warmly recommend. It is fervent without asperity, and firm without dogmatism. Without any affectation of learning or fine writing, it is the genuine effusion of piety and good sense; intelligible to the lowest, and capable of being read with interest and advantage by the wisest."-No. for August, 1812. Thus recommended, it has been deemed advisable to rescue from comparative obscurity this valuable Treatise on one of the greatest questions of Christian Theology. This has been effected by discarding the somewhat transitory character of a pamphlet, in which the former editions of the work appeared, and adopting for the present issue the more permanent form of a book. PREFATORY ADDRESS FROM THE AUTHOR. TO THE HUMBLE AND FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, OF EVERY DENOMINATION. BELOVED BRETHREN; FEELING a deep concern for the interests of our common Christianity, the stability and prosperity of Christian churches, and the glory of Christ; and witnessing repeated attempts of the Socinians to draw off your minds from the pure doctrines of the Gospel, and to proselyte you to opinions which appear to me both erroneous and dangerous; I cannot forbear entering my protest against such pernicious errors, and bearing my testimony to those truths I consider of fundamental importance to the conversion and salvation of my fellow-creatures, as well as to confirm your minds in truth and godliness. How far I shall succeed in this attempt, or whether what is contained in the following pages be calculated to effect the purposes above-mentioned, is not for me to determine. I feel, however, a satisfaction in having, to the best of my ability, made the attempt, and will leave it to the Divine blessing. I think it proper here to state that, by "Socinians," I mean, that body of professing Christians who have assumed to themselves the distinctive appellation of "Unitarians." I have preferred the former term, as most discriminative and just. All Christians believing in the unity of God are, consequently, Unitarians also. It must, however, be acknowledged, that the term Socinian is not perfectly descriptive of this denomination of professors at the present time, as they have carried the practice of philosophizing on Scripture much farther than either Lelius or Faustus Socinus presumed to do, and have renounced some articles of the Racovian creed, and added such new opinions as would probably have filled their minds with surprise, if not with horror. Faustus Socinus, however inconsistent, was the strenuous advocate of paying religious worship to Christ, and opposed Francis Davides, superintendent of the Socinian churches in Transylvania, with such violence, for charging this practice with idolatry, that he was thrown into prison by the Prince of that country, where he ended his days. Modern Socinians have proceeded so far in purging Christianity from error, and in reducing it to the standard of reason, as they presumingly deem it, that one rejects three out of the four Gospels as fabulous; another despises prayer, as nugatory; a third brands public worship with the name of hypocrisy; a fourth opposes the morality of the Sabbath, and even recommends without a blush the pious pleasures of the playhouse on a Sunday; and, at length, a disciple of the same school denies the resurrection and general judgment, which the other had pronounced the only discoveries of rational Christianity!! Is it difficult, after this, to anticipate whither reason will lead them at last? * See Bogue and Bennett's History of the Dissenters, iv. 257. |