Unitarianism

Unitarianism, by W.G. Tarrant

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Title: Unitarianism
Author: W.G. Tarrant
Release Date: February 18, 2004 [EBook #11142]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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UNITARIANISM
W.G. TARRANT

LONDON

1912

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Some Terms explained
THE EARLIER MOVEMENT IN ENGLAND:
i. The Unitarian Martyrs ii. Influences Making for 'Latitude' iii. The
Old Nonconformists iv. The 'Unitarian Tracts' v. The Old Dissent
NEW ENGLAND:
i. Before the 'Great Awakening' ii. The Liberal Reaction
ENGLISH UNITARIANISM RECOGNIZED BY LAW
QUESTIONS OF INHERITANCE
MODERN UNITARIANISM:
i. The Communities ii. Ideas and Tendencies iii. Methods and
Teachings
UNITARIANS AND OTHER RELIGIOUS LIBERALS

INTRODUCTION
In certain quiet nooks of Old England, and, by contrast, in some of the
busiest centres of New England, landmarks of religious history are to
be found which are not to be easily understood by every passer-by. He
is familiar with the ordinary places of worship, at least as features in,
the picture of town or village. Here is the parish church where the
English episcopal order has succeeded to the Roman; yonder is the

more modern dissenting chapel, homely or ornate. But, now and then,
among the non-episcopal buildings we find what is called distinctively
a 'Meeting House,' or more briefly a 'Meeting,' which may perhaps be
styled 'Old,' 'New,' or 'Great'. Its architecture usually corresponds with
the simplicity of its name. Plain almost to ugliness, yet not without
some degree of severe dignity, stand these old barn-like structures of
brick--occasionally of stone; bearing the mellowing touch of time,
surrounded by a little overshadowed graveyard, they often add a
peculiar quaintness and solemnity to the scene. Mrs. Gaskell has
described one such in her novel Ruth, and admirers of her art should
know well that her own grave lies beside the little sanctuary she
pictured so lovingly.
Sometimes, however, the surroundings of the ancient chapel are less
attractive. It stands, it may be, in some poverty-stricken corner or court
of a town or city. Whatever picturesqueness it may have had once has
long since vanished. Unlovely decay, an air of desolation, symptoms of
neglect, present a mournful sight, and one wonders how much longer
the poor relic will remain. Many places of the kind have already been
swept away; others have been renovated, enlarged, and kept more
worthy of their use. Not all the Meeting Houses are of one kind.
Independents, Baptists, and Friends, each possess some of them. Now
and again the notice-board tells us that this is a 'Presbyterian' place of
worship, but a loyal Scot who yearns for an echo of the kirk would be
greatly surprised on finding, as he would if he entered, that the doctrine
and worship there is not Calvinistic in any shape whatever,
but--Unitarian.
A similar surprise awaits the visitor to New England, it may be even a
greater. For if he should tread In the footsteps of the Pilgrim Fathers
and find the 'lineal descendants' of their original places of worship at
Plymouth, Salem, or Boston, he will find Unitarians in possession. So
it is in many of the oldest towns founded by the American colonists of
the seventeenth century. In their centres the parish churches, 'First,'
'Second,' or otherwise, stand forth challenging everybody's attention.
There is no lack of self-assertion here, nothing at all like the shrinking
of the Old English Presbyterian into obscure alleys and corners.

Spacious, well appointed, and secure, these Unitarian parish churches,
in the words of a popular Unitarian poet, 'look the whole world in the
face, and fear not any man.'
The object of the present brief sketch is to show how these landmarks
have come to be where they are, to trace the thoughts and fortunes of
Unitarians from their rise in modern times, to indicate their religious
temper and practical aims, and to exhibit the connections of the
English-speaking Unitarians with some closely approximating groups
in Europe and Asia.
Before entering upon a story which is extremely varied and
comprehensive, one or two important points must be emphasized. In
the first place the reader must bear in mind that the term 'Unitarianism'
is one of popular application. It has not been chosen and imposed as
sect-name by any sect-founder, or by any authoritative assembly. There
has never been a leader or a central council whose decisions on these
matters have been, accepted by Unitarians as final. Even when most
closely organized they have