.]$.'-J . L'.: ;;,?,$g&$;3j: ,' P* P* tl THEIR LEAD IN THOUGHT AND WORK LONDON THEOPHILUS LINDSEY THE LINDSEY PRESS 5 ESSEX STREET, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. 2 PREFACE THEUnitarian Teachers whose work is described in following pages are of interest not only for their place in the history of the religious movement known :-&S Unitarian, but also for their place in the history of ' ,g&li.giousthought in England and America. The method of treatment has been adopted after afeful consideration, and tested by the interest it -ir&sed when the material appeared in the form of a ,H, , -se* of leaflets. In each case a brief biography is &ven, followed by selected extracts illustrating the contribution made to thought and work. The writers %i~@onsiblefor the biographical notes and selections are .t&&e:.o the Rev. W. Copeland Bowie, DmDmjof London, for William Ellery Charming; Miss Clephan, of uicester, for Ralph Waldo Emerson; the Rev. J. M. -&gmell, of Lewes, for James Drummond ;the Rev. V. D. B.A., of Bournemouth, for James Martineau, John James Tayler, and John Hamilton Thorn; Mrs. Evelegh, of London, for Charles Beard ; the Rev. A. Hall, MaAmJ B*D*jof Sheffield, for Richard Acland Armstrong and Brooke Herford; the Rev. W. C. Hall, M.A., of Todmorden, for Theodore Parker; Mrs. Alfred Osler, of Birmingham, for Henry William Crosskey; the Rev. A. E. Parry, of Liverpool, for Henry Wadsworth Jdongfellow; the Rev. W. G. Tarran t, B. A., of London, for Joseph Priestley; the Rev. J. H. Weatherall, M.A., of :London, for Stopford Brooke and Theophilus Lindsey. For the portraits recourse has been made to the best sources available; some of these are in the possession of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association, Essex Hall, London : for others acknowledgments -are due for permission courteously given. ESSEXHALL, ESSEXSTREET, Printet1 in Great Britain by LONDON,W.C. 2. Epsorm & Co., Lru,, HULL MAY, 1923. iii CONTENTS PAGE THE~PHILUSLINDSEY (1723-8808) a W I The Centre of his Preaching W W 4 The Bible knows no Trinity S W W 4 Unitarianism no new Invention . 5 Why he left the Church . m W W 6 Veracity and the Prayer Book W a 6 Heretics . W . m m W W W W 7 Conscience's first Thoughts are best W W 8 HOWto spend Sunday . W a m 4 8 JOSEPH PRIESTLEY(I 733-1 804) . a . W 10 Principles and Maxims . m m a 13 Testimonies to Priestley . a 15 WILLIAMELLERY CHANMNG (1780-1842) . 19 Religion . 6 a . a . 21 Freedom a ... • . @ . W 22 Reason . W W . 4 W W 22 Union with God . S m 23 Spiritual Progress W . W . m 23 Unity in Nature . W • W a 24 Dignity of Man . , . m W W W 24 The Immortal Life . a W W W 25 JOHN JAMES TAYLER(I 797-1869) Abiding Life in God • The Call to Higher Things Spiritual Sympathy . The Mind of Christ . W The Inward Light . a The Christian Church True Religion . m PAGE PAGE THEODOREPARKER (1810-1 860) . The Man Education • ,* 37 Soul of . The Lesson of Life . 38 Religion . Liberty 39 God The Ideal and the Real . 40 The Permanence of Christianity Daily Religion • The " Oversoul " • . m 40 . Liberty . Jesus Christ . • . 41 . Jesus our Brother Hope and Faith . • • 42 . The True Christian Church The Church the World needs . J AMES MARTINEAU ( 1 805--1900) m 43 Revelation . a . • 45 ANNA SWANWICK(1813-1899) . 73 Scripture • • 46 International Peace . • 75 Divine Guidance • . 47 Fundamental Truth of Religion . 77 Life Immortal . 48 Enfranchisement of Women 78 TheWayofLife 49 True Education . 79 Rest in the Lord • • 49 Immortality . • • 79 HENRYWILLIAM CROSSKEY (1826-1893) 81 HENRYWADSWORTH LONGFELLOW (1807-1882) 5 I Catholicity . • . • • 84 The Life more than the Creed . • 53 Redemption . • 85 The Divine Creed . .m . 54 Science and Faith . m 86 Character Building • • 55 The Ideal Church . • 87 Immortality . • • • 56 . Facing Death . 88 JOHN HAMILTONTHOM (1808-1894) . 57 CHARLES BEARD(1827-1888) • • 90 The Universal Christ • God our Father . • . 59 . 93 Saints and Heretics • Thespiritof Life . • S 60 . 94 The Way of Obedience ,. 61 The Patience of God 95 The Eternal Quest Conflict with Evil m 62 . 95 The Kingdom of God • 96 The Works of Faith • . 63 The Life to come • The Heavenly Life . • . 64 97 PAGE BROOKEHERFORD (I 830-1903) . Reality of the Unseen . • Unitarian Verities . • • Revealers of God • • • Man's Spiritual Nature . Moral Consciousness m The Perseverance of Sinners Righteousness a Direction . STOPFORDAUGUSTUS BROOSE (1832-1916) 106 Put Thought into Form • • • 108 THEOPHILUS LINDSEY Two Ways • • • • • . 109 The Search for Beauty • • • • • 110 Theophilus Lindsey is an important Casting off . • • • • • • 111 man in the religious history of land, A Faith without Miracle • • m 112 for he is the father of Unitarian Church- JAMES DRUMMOND(1835-1918) . • . • 114 life. The Fatherhood of God • m • 116 He was born at Middlewich on 20th The Great Commandments • • . 117 The Essence of Christianity • • a 118 June, 1723, and was educated at Leeds The Word of God . • • • • • 119 ram mar School, and St. John's Col- Liberal Christianity • • • • • 120 lege, Cambridge. He was ordained in A Prayer • . • • • • . 121 the Church of England, and held various RICHARDACLAND ARMSTRONG (I 843-1905) . 122 charges. God in Nature . • • • • . • 125 he last was at Catterick in York- God Everywhere . • • 125 . shire; and here some earlier-felt diffi- The Basis of Theism . • 126 Moralityand Evil . • • • 127 culties revived in him about the doc- Gospel Interpretation • . • • 128 trines embedded in the Prayer-Book, Jesus • . • • • • • • 128 and particularly about the Trinity. He Humanity and Patriotism • • • 129 became convinced that this doctrine was no part of genuine Christianity. UNITARIAN TEACHERS THEOPHILUS LINDSEY Other Anglicans at this time were feel- scribed for their opinions and deserted ing fettered by the compulsion to use by all others. He disliked controversy, the prayer-~obkas it stood. Lindsey and kept it out of the pulpit. joined with zoo others in a petition- to He wrote several pieces. Best known Parliament for relief. The petitioners is his Apology. It is a lucid accaunt of were refused. This was in 1773. Lind- his reasons for leaving the Church of sey was a poor man, and he was fifty England. years old. But he resigned his living Not all Unitarians did, or do, approve and cast himself on Providence. of Lindsey. They hoped, and some He came to London. A few months still hope, that the English Church later he was able, with the help of might reform itself from within, and friends, to open a chapel in Essex Street, make a home for all the sects. But off the Strand. He ministered there for while reform tarries, piety suffers. It twenty years. He retired in 1793. On is the merit of Lindsey that he saw that 3rd November, 1808, he died. The the significance of a liberal Christianity, Trust of the Cha~elstill survives in of a Modernist Theology, is at the Essex Church, ~ottin~Hill Gate, built prayer-desk. A truer theology is a truer way of praying; a closer grasp of Lindsey's character was a mixture of reality. meekness and moral courage. The Was Lindsey a Christian ? His Chapel kacrifice of his living shows his -bravery. was a Christian Chapel in the sense of So does the opening of his Chapel, for recognizing Jesus as the supreme revela- till 1813 it was a penal offence to be a - - tion of the heart of God. But he be- Unitarian. He was a devoted pastor. lieved it was Christian in a still deeper At Catterick he held a Sunday School, sense, in that its adoration and petitions years before the general movement. In were directed where Jesus directed his; London he visited in prison men pro- to the God and Father of all mankind. UNITARIAN, TEACHERS THEOPHILUS LINDSEY TEACHINGS OF LINDSEY point, whether there be one God or THE CENTRE OF HIS PREACHING Gore, to be settled so as to leave no room for doubt or uncertainty. And in- "I was led continually to point out to deed, an unprejudiced person, of ordin- you that religion lay not in outward ary understanding, that took that book ibrms and ordinances, even of God's in hand, would never apprehend that own appointment, though they be helps - - it was designed to teach him to philo- to it; but in an entire conversion and sophize and make distinctions about devotedness of the heart to God, influ- some unknown essence or substance of encing to sobriety, chastity, brotherly God, and three persons in that essence, love, -kindness, integrity, in all your equally God, and equally to be wor- conversation; to do everything out of a shipped, and yet all three but one God. - sense of duty to God ever present with He would see that there was but One and supporting us in life . and that God." this inward sense of God carried along- with you into vourd daily life and labours, NO NEW would sanctify them all to you, pre- UNITARIANISM INVENTION serve you innocent and holy, sweeten The Unitarian doctrine therefore is the unavoidable toils and cares of the no novelty; namely, that religious wor- -present life, and enable you to resign it ship is to be addressed onlv to the One 9 9 with joy and in peace.. true God, the Father. For it was the doctrine our blessed THE BIBLE KNOWS NO TRINITY Saviour taught and always practised, c' In the Bible, which contains an and his apostles- after him-; and it was authentic. account of the Divine inter- also the universal practice of the posltlons and communications to men, Christian Church, with little or no one would naturally expect the great variation, for the first three centuries." UNITARIAN TEACHERS THEOPHILUS LINDSEY WHY HE LEFT THE CHURCH this rule and example of Holy Scripture- ''It appeared to me a blameable There are also many which are not so, duplicity, that whilst I was praying to particularly in the Litany, which are the one God the Father, the people that immediately directed to Christ, and not heard me were led by the language I to God.