Those holding Arian views became generally known as Unitarians in 1815, which is usually given as the beginning of the Unitarian denomination in America. In 1819 a Unitarian congregation was formed in Baltimore. William Ellery Channing preached the installation sermon, in which he clearly defined the differences between Orthodox and Unitarian doctrines. Many Congregational churches in eastern Massachusetts, including the oldest, that of Plymouth, the church founded by the Pilgrims in 1620, became Unitarian without changing their covenants or names. In the course of the controversy, 120 Congregational churches in New England, founded before the War of the Revolution, went over to the Unitarians. In 1830 there were, in all, 193 churches of the Unitarian faith; in 1865, 340. The present number is 421.

The Unitarians acknowledge no binding creed. They contend for the fullest liberty in belief, and exclude no one from their fellowship for difference in doctrinal views. Unitarianism is declared to be "not a fixed dogmatic statement, but a movement of ever-enlarging faith," welcoming "inquiry, progress, and diversity of individual thought in the unity of spiritual thought." In the denomination are included those who stand upon a simple basis of Theism, and are represented in the Western Unitarian Conference, for example, and those who accept the Messiahship of Jesus Christ. In general terms they believe in God as the All-in-All, " in eternal life as the great hope, in the inspiration of all truth, in man's great possibilities, and in the divineness of sanctified humanity."

The Unitarian churches are Congregational in polity, each congregation being independent in the management of its own affairs. There are societies for the conduct of mis

sionary work, such as the American Unitarian Association, organized in 1825, the Western Unitarian Conference, which attends to the general interests of the societies represented in it, and the Western Unitarian Association, whose object is to "diffuse the knowledge and promote the interests of pure Christianity." There are also conferences, national and state and local. The national conference, which is biennial, declares in its constitution its " allegiance to the gospel of Jesus Christ" and its " desire to secure the largest unity of spirit and the widest practical coöperation" in the cause of Christian faith and work. It confines itself .to recommending to existing Unitarian organizations "such undertaking and methods as it judges to be in the heart of the Unitarian denomination." It is composed of delegates from the churches and representatives of certain Unitarian organizations. The conference provides for a committee of fellowship, for the consideration of applications of persons not graduates of Unitarian schools to enter the Unitarian ministry.

The 421 organizations report 424 edifices, valued at $10,335,100, and with an aggregate seating capacity of 165,090. Of the 67,749 communicants, or, more properly, members, as the Unitarian custom is to admit any one to the communion, a little more than half are in Massachusetts. New York has the second largest number, 4470; California is third, with 3819; and New Hampshire fourth, with 3252. The denomination has organizations in thirty-two States and the District of Columbia. In the Southern States it has scarcely half a dozen churches.

The average value of its church edifices is very high, reaching $24,725; their average seating capacity, 389. There are 55 halls, with accommodations for 10,370.

CHAPTER XLII.

THE UNIVERSALISTS.

THE first regular preacher in America of the distinctive. doctrines of Universalism was Rev. John Murray, a disciple of James Relly, who had gathered a congregation of Universalists in London. The names of a number of ministers of different denominations are included in the list of those who held or published Universalist views before Murray arrived from England in 1770. Among these was Dr. George de Benneville, of Pennsylvania. Mr. Murray preached at various places, settling at Gloucester. Mass., in 1774, and at Boston in 1793. By him and a few others a number of Universalist churches were established. At the close of the eighteenth century there were about a score of Universalist ministers.

The Rev. Hosea Ballou, whose name is honored as the father of Universalism in its present form, became prominent in the movement at the beginning of the present century. His views differed radically from those of Mr. Murray. In a "Treatise on Atonement," published in 1795, he denied the doctrine of the vicarious sacrifice, and insisted that punishment for the sins of mortality is confined to this life. If there were any punishment in the future life it would be, he contended, for sins committed in that life. Some years later he expressed the belief that there is no sin beyond the grave and consequently no punishment. Mr.

Murray had held that Christ himself bore the punishment due the sins of mankind, and therefore there would be no further punishment. Of the early Universalists, Murray had been a Methodist, Winchester and Ballou Baptists.

There being quite a number of Universalists who held, contrary to the views of Mr. Ballou, to a limited future punishment, a division occurred in 1830, and an association was organized in the interests of the doctrine of restoration. This association existed for about eleven years and then became extinct; some of its preachers returning to the Universalist denomination, others becoming Unitarians. The Restorationists held that there would be a future. retribution, but that God would, in his own time, "restore the whole family of mankind to holiness and happiness."

The symbol of the Universalist faith is the Winchester "Profession of Belief," which was adopted in 1803 by the New England Convention, held in Winchester, N. H. It is as follows:

"ARTICLE I. We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments contain a revelation of the character of God, and of the duty, interest, and final destination of mankind.

"ARTICLE 2. We believe that there is one God, whose nature is love, revealed in one Lord Jesus Christ, by one Holy Spirit of Grace, who will finally restore the whole family of mankind to holiness and happiness.

"ARTICLE 3. We believe that holiness and true happiness are inseparably connected, and that believers ought to be careful to maintain order and practice good works; for these things are good and profitable unto men."

This profession of belief has remained unaltered since it was formulated. It is regarded as a sufficient general