IS^i."] Account of ihe Free 



only, — wlicii, we repeat, these iinpor- 

 tiiut facts arc duly weighed, we, at 

 most, arc far from feeling assured, that 

 the attainment of the languages of 

 ancient Greece and of ancieiit Rome 

 are actually worth the toil and time 

 their cultivation demands, excepting 

 with those to whose particular piofes- 

 sions or pursuits their attainnient is 

 absolutely necessary. This sentiment 

 cannot even be supposed to be dic- 

 tated by any distaste or indiflerencc on 

 our parts to the immutable and im- 

 mortal beauties of the classics ; and 

 tlierelbrc the credit will not be with- 

 held from us, of being intlueneed in 

 the position wc lay down, by our re- 

 gard for the superior advantages, and 

 substantial wcllare and happiness, of 

 the great body of society. Laving and 

 admiring the elegance of ancient lile- 

 rature, « c still place a more exalted 

 value on the cultivation of practical 

 and useful knowledge, convinced that 

 the honour, prosperity, and fi'licity, of 

 a people depend more on their useful 

 than ornamental acquirements; and 

 that the energies of the general mind 

 are never more wisely employed than 

 when directed to cljjects, the pursuit 

 of which includes the exercise of pub- 

 lic virtue, the productive cnlargomejit 

 of the intellect, and the promotion cf 

 the national good. 



The articles with which the remain- 

 der of these pages are occupied, con- 

 sist of— A Paralleln de la Puissance 

 Aiiff/aise el Kusse relativement il V Eu- 

 rope; I'yiimds of Duncan, Flint, and 

 Faux, in the Unitrd States ; Observations 

 tin Vocal Music; Obscrcntions on the 

 Court of Chnncrrji ; Cottu on thx Admi- 

 nistration (if Criminal Justice in Eii"-- 

 land; SirJcjhn Sinclair on the DIeans of 

 arrcslinn- the Progress of National Ca- 

 /amiti/ ; Observations on Periodical Li- 

 terature, and the Edinhnrq;h Review; 

 Observations on Periodical Literature, 

 and the Quarterhj Review ; and Miscel- 

 laneous Notices. 



Tliis completion of the catalogue of 

 the lirst Number of the " Westminster 

 Itcview," together with the cxposie 

 we have given of the subject-mat- 

 ter of its lirst four articles, will 

 enable our readers to form a tolerably 

 correct idea of the character and 

 value of the work. In awarding it 

 our own a[)probation and i)raise, we 

 follow the dictates of our judgment no 

 les.i in respect of the pure and liberal 

 ))rini;iples it advocates, than of the 

 perspicuous, energetic, and masterly, 



thinking Christians. 133 



style inwhicii itexhii)its and examines 

 the tenets of others, and freely and 

 boldly declares and defends its own. 



Fur the Blonthly Blagazine. 

 SOME ACCOUNT of the NEW SECT called 



IREE-THINKING CHRISTIANS. 



TH E G^Whci free-thinking, generally 

 applied to unbelievers, we hero 

 find connected with the jjrofession of a 

 belief in Christianity. The name, to 

 which the body more formally lays 

 claim, is, the Scripture title of the 

 Church of God. In their public noti- 

 fications, indeed, we perceive that they 

 style themselves, "the Church of God, 

 commonhj called rree-tliinking Chris- 

 tians ;" thus making the latter phrase 

 rather a distinctive and explanatory 

 cognomen, adopted, as they say, to 

 note tlie fact, that it was freedom of 

 thousht which led them to Chris- 

 tianity, and continued " in order to 

 distinguisli tliem from the ?mthinking 

 Christians <jf the present day." 



The earlier members of this body 

 are stated to have been attendants 

 upon Mr. Winchester, in his cha|)el in 

 Parliament-court; and, as sucli, advo- 

 cates of the doctrine of the univtu-sal 

 restoration. Under his successor (the 

 lale ]\!r. Vidler, then a Trinitarian), 

 one of the members was first led to 

 deny the doctrine of the Trinity, and 

 then to dispute the propriety of having 

 paid or exclusive teachers, as contrary 

 to the authority of the New Testament- 

 A schism ensued, which led to the se- 

 cession of a small number of indivi- 

 duals, who forxncd the root of that 

 body since c;dled the Tree-thinking 

 Christians. Their first step, as they 

 themselves stale, was to determine, as 

 far as possible, to free themselves from 

 all past prejudices, by resolving on 

 receiving nothing as true in reliffion 

 which they had hitherto believed in; 

 determining, by the aid of reason and 

 the Scripture, and the exercise of 

 freedom of thought, to ascertain what 

 was, and what was not, Christianity. 

 At this time they called themselves 

 '• JTumblc enquirers after truth." Tho 

 result of these enquiries wasevidenced 

 to the public by tlieir commencing to 

 teach as a Christian body, and by the 

 l)ublication of their first work, which 

 was entitled, "'J'hotrue design of tho 

 Church of d'od, and the government 

 thereof, exhibited by a succession of 

 laws, founded on the aiilliority of 

 Jesus Christ and Iiis .Apostles, faith- 

 fully 



