Minutes read, and the Appellant having requested a copy of the Minutes made respecting his case, the same is allowed on the present occasion, and the clerk is directed to furnish him with them accordingly." Thus provided, and resolved as it appears to leave no means untried for the establishment of his cause, or the vindication at least of the doctrine he had espoused, Thomas Foster made his final appeal to the Yearly Meeting. YEARLY MEETING, 5th Mo. 18th, 1814. "The Representatives are desired, after having nominated a Clerk and Assistants, to name one Friend of their number from each meeting in Great Britain which is represented in this, for the purpose of forming a Committee on Appeals, and to make Report at our next sitting. "5 Mo. 19th. The following Report was brought in and read, viz.— Committee of Representatives, 4th day Evening. This Committee reports to the Yearly Meeting, that the name of Luke Howard having been struck out of the list of Friends proposed at the last sitting, for the purpose of forming a Committee on Appeals, he being the Representative fixed on [as Respondent] for London and Middlesex Quarterly Meeting, against which Meeting there is an Appeal (a) by Thomas Foster, there was no objection made by the Appellant, or Respondents, to any of the Friends whose names remained on the said list. "This meeting therefore appoints the said Friends a Committee to hear and judge of the Appeal, which has been delivered to the Clerk." The Committee thus constituted was occupied until the 23d in hearing the Appellant, in support of his case, and the Respondents appointed by London Quarterly Meeting, against him. These were Richard Bowman, Luke Howard, John Eliot, Josiah Forster, and William Allen. "YEARLY MEETING, 5th Mo. 23. The following Report of the Committee on the Appeal of Thomas Foster, was brought in and read, viz, : "To the Yearly Meeting: We, your Committee, appointed to hear and judge of the Appeal of Thomas Foster, against the Quarterly Meeting of London and Middlesex, having paid deliberate attention to the case, as laid before us in the respective statements of the Appellant and Respondents, report, that we are unanimously of the judgment that the decision of the said Quarterly Meeting, on the appeal of the said Thomas Foster against the Monthly Meeting of Ratcliff, should be confirmed. 666 Signed at the Back-Chamber, Gracechurch Street, 5th Mo. 23d, 1814. Thomas Beavington, Robert Horsnail, Henry Ecroyd, Thomas Seekings, Edward Bellis, Joel Lean, Jonathan Hutchinson, Isaac Bragg, William Chandler, Joseph Treffry, William Bird, James Petley."' (a) See the Head Appeals, in Book of Extracts, Ed. 1802, for the manner of choosing the Committee, and the ground of this exception. Ed. "5 Mo. 24. The said Thomas Foster, the Appellant, not being satisfied with the judgment of this Meeting's Committee, given in the above Report, and claiming to be heard by the Meeting at large, on the ground of its being an appeal in a matter of faith and principle, (a) the case was opened in the Meeting by reading the Appeal, the Minutes of Ratcliff Monthly Meeting, and of the Quarterly Meeting of London and Middlesex. 5 Mo. 24. Proceeded in the matter of Thomas Foster's appeal, by hearing him in support of it. 5 Mo. 25th. Finished hearing Thomas Foster in support of his appeal. "5 Mo. 26th. The following note was brought in and read, viz. To the Yearly Meeting. Your appellant, Thomas Foster, respectfully informs you, that he shall be in waiting in order to be called in to hear, in the presence of the Respondents, from the Committee of Appeals' by two of their number' appointed and reported to you for that purpose, ⚫ an explanation of the grounds of their decision,' at such time as you may deem most proper, in conformity to the 7th Rule respecting appeals made last year,'" (To be continued.) ART. II.-Reflections on a National Established Ministry, and on the alliance of the Church with the State. Written by Richard How, of Aspley Guys, Bedfordshire, 1769. It is allowed, that, as ministers of Christ, the clergy have no right to legal revenues, but receive them as ministers or servants of the state. Christ's ministers are to teach and practise according to his laws, to obey God rather than men ; and from Him, their Master, to expect their reward. The clergy, as servants of the state, are by contract bound to teach and act as the government directs, from which they obtain their salary: their paymasters have a right to enjoin what doctrines they shall subscribe and preach, and to require what assent and consent they think fit; the clergy are not entitled to model and frame articles, or explain them at their pleasure; but being entered into the service, (which is their own choice, and implies an approbation of the terms,) must strictly adhere to the rules, tenets, forms and ceremonies prescribed: as a servant is not at liberty to dispute, alter or evade his master's commands, but is obliged punctually and literally to obey and fulfil them.— If it be said, here is a collision of duties; and urged, that the Civil magistrate has no rightful power authoritatively to decree in matters of religion, as belonging to a superior tribunal, viz. the divine, and particularly, as a Christian, ought not to substitute his laws instead of, or in opposition to Christ's; that Christ's ministers are on no consideration justified in swearing to, subscribing or teaching what they do not believe, or in using so (a) See the Rule, No. 12, under Appeals in the Supplement (1822) of Book of Extracts, which was the practice in 1802.-Ed. phistical distinctions and hypocritical evasions; neither does it become the Clergy, as servants of government, to prescribe to the State the terms of their service. If their judgments are convinced of their articles being false, and different or contrary doctrines truc, they must either break their engagement to the state, by propagating tenets according to conscience; or else, stifling its dictates, prevaricate against conviction, teach what they disbelieve, and thereby sacrifice their religion to lucrative views and political contracts. (Can such services be beneficial to Christian states?) It follows, that if they cannot, consistently with the character of Christ's ministers, conscientiously comply with the Magistrate's terms, or what the law requires, it is their duty as Christians, and especially as gospel ministers, to free themselves from the yoke, by quitting the service of the State as ecclesiastical dependents; and, renouncing the wages, to confine themselves, in their preaching and conduct, to the laws of their heavenly Master; either by honest industry gaining a livelihood, or receiving their necessary support of the free bounty of those who voluntarily choose or accept them for their teachers. The Magistrate will have no occasion to pay such for inculcating allegiance and social duties, to which their religion will abundantly oblige them; and they, not being shackled by interested human ties, will be at liberty to follow the dictates of conscience; and freely, without reserve, to declare and enforce in belief and practice, what they are persuaded is conformable to the revealed will of Christ. Besides the security of the State will be thereby increased: as exhortations to loyalty and obedience, or subjection to the Civil power, must have a far greater influence, when known to proceed from principle, and as delivered by persons whose sincere aim is the welfare of their hearers, both temporal and eternal, and who, being under no temptation to conceal or disguise their real sentiments, may therefore be certainly concluded to speak from the heart-than when, on the other hand, such exhortations come from persons, who are avowed tools and instruments, hired for that purpose; and who, (as at their engaging in the service they evidently contract to profess their belief of, abide by, recommend and enforce what they neither do nor can believe, and are influenced by the constant hopes of greater preferment, so they) can expect but little regard to be paid to their instructions and admonitions by their hearers: who, convinced of their venality and insincerity in some points, have cause to doubt their sincerity and honesty in others, and to imagine that, did their interest require it, they would be equally ready, if not more so, to adopt, maintain and enforce the contrary. Hereby it appears also, that the requisition of the State is inconsistent with religion; that the Civil powers as magistrates, act contrary to their duty as Christians. For, if the Clergy as ministers of the State lead others, and by their corruption fall themselves into perdition, will their pretending to the character of ministers of Christ deliver either themselves or others? Or, is it not rather an aggravation of their guilt, presumptuously to assume that character, when by entering into another service, and obeying a foreign power in derogation of, and in preference to Christ's, they have deprived themselves of even the shadow of a claim to it: can they serve God and Mammon? Does not this evince the absurdity and impiety of the pretended alliance : between church and state, and prove that government has no right to hire, nor the clergy to be hired; the one to subject the consciences, the other for temporal interest tamely to crouch and basely submit to the yoke. Nor the Magistrate to attempt establishing a religion, and impose its venal teachers on the people; or oblige the laity to contribute at a vast expense to maintain the clergy, for teaching what they do not go to hear, nor acknowledge to be Christian doctrine. And are not the people to be blamed for enduring such unchristian impositions? Since the good and welfare of the governed, (the only true and proper end of government) is not promoted but rather perverted, and the rights of individuals invaded; when besides, however the purposes of evil and corrupt ministers or rulers may sometimes be served, by the power and influence of the clergy, yet the very best rulers can have but small dependence on ecclesiastics, any longer than they continue to gratify, enrich and aggrandize them; nor always even then for experience shows, that many are enemies to the government from whence they derive their maintenance and revenues. Teachers ought therefore to be such only as their hearers choose or approve, for doctrine, discipline and manners; contenting themselves (without seeking a legal maintenance) with free-will offerings: and the exorbitant revenues of the dignified and inferior clergy and their dependents, in lands, houses, tithes, fees, fines, compulsive offerings, surplice dues, commutations of penance, &c. &c. at present not only uselessly but perniciously applied, should be resumed, and partly given up; (a) the other part to be appropriated to the real exigencies of the State, or maintaining the poor: and the order of the clergy, as a State Establishment, be dissolved. By which, the Civil and religious benefit of society would be promoted, tests abrogated, many worthless priests deprived, who would betake themselves to employments for which they were better qualified; and, religion ceasing to be a mask and engine of preferment, scarce any would engage in the ministry (encouragement depending on good behaviour) but persons properly disposed, excited by love to God and their fellow-creatures, not for filthy lucre, but of a willing mind; liberty of conscience, both in preachers and hearers, would be entire, every individual restored to the equal enjoyment of all his Civil rights and privileges, and the State enjoy the benefit of the services of all its capable members, however distinguished by religious opinions: and finally, true religion flourish, and the welfare and happiness of the whole community be most effectually established and secured. Religious National establishments, or alliances between church and state, are convenient in arbitrary, tyrannical governments, and were devised for enslaving men, soul and body. Therefore it is no wonder they are defended by Demarca, a French Archbishop; but were by a gross mistake adopted and introduced at the Reformation, and are still continued (a) The writer does not say to whom; but I presume he must have intended the owners of the property in respect of which the claim is made: and this, in the case of church-rates, and other pretended dues' for services never rendered to the parties, would be no more than right and reasonable. The writer of these free remarks was a member of the Society of Friends. Ed. in limited monarchies and republics, however inconsistent with the freedom of such constitutions, the natural and religious rights of mankind, and contrary to the genuine spirit of Christianity. The divine and legal right to an established maintenance of the clergy, as ministers of Christ, having been sufficiently confuted, their dernier resort is to claim it as ministers of the State; with what propriety and consistency is here considered. These thoughts occurred on perusing the Candid Disquisitions,' Confessional,' 'Dawson's Vindication,' Warburton's Alliance,' taken partly from De Marca, Powell's Defence of Subscriptions' 'Seagrave's True Protestant,' and several other performances lately published. 6 R. H. ART. III.-Remarks on an Improved Version of the NEW TESTAMENT, edited by the Unitarian Book Society, 1808.' Royal 8vo. with Notes. When the case of the Appellant, Thomas Foster, had been disposed of by the Yearly Meeting of Friends, excluding him from membership for having joined in the proceedings of the Unitarian Society, I was induced to go more minutely into the examination of the doctrine of this sect, as exhibited in their version of the New Testament. This version was one of the books to the distribution of which the Appellant had been a party; and from the nature of the changes made in the text, and of the Notes appended to it, the sentiments of the persons with whom he had chosen to co-operate were to be inferred. He had already made us acquainted with his own, sufficiently to determine our judgment in the matter of his appeal. Having gone through the book, comparing the text with the authorized version or common translation, (denoted in my remarks by the letters C. T.) making notes as I proceeded, I found myself at last in possession of a considerable quantity of original matter, bearing partly on the one, partly on the other text. Those of the latter description I have already published in this work. I have now to produce, as a sequel to the report of this case in my Chronological Summary, the exceptions I have to make against the doctrine and sentiments of the Unitarians. In publishing these, I hope to contribute to the end avowed by themselves in their Preface: and that, without endangering the just reputation of the authorised text, capable as it is, in innumerable places, of correction or improvement. I shall divide my matter, to avoid repetitions as relates to the Gospels, into several heads according to the arguments treated, as follows: 1. Authenticity and the Canon. 2. The genealogy of Christ. 3. The miraculous conception. 4. The birth and infancy of Christ; the conference in the temple. 5. The preaching of the Baptist; Ebionite gospel; Temptation in the wilderness. 6. The Sonship of Christ; the atonement and intercession. 7. The Godhead of Christ; the WORD, light, &c. 8. The resurrection— angels and spirits. 9. The doctrine of demoniacal possession. 10. The power of the keys, and presence of Christ with his church. 11. Eternal punishments. 12. Miscellaneous, on the books in order from Acts to the end. The Title of the work is as follows: "The New Testament in an im |