fundamental doctrines
hitherto held by the Unitarian body by reason of which it has acquired
its standing in the Christian world, and asserts it lineage in the
Christian Church; and, to this end, this convention declares as
essentially belonging to the Unitarian faith: 1st. Belief in the Holy
Scriptures as containing a revelation from God to man--and, as deduced
therefrom, 2d. Belief in one God, the Father; 3d. Belief in one Lord
Jesus Christ, our Saviour, the Son of God, and his specially appointed
Messenger and Representative to our race, gifted with supernatural
power, "approved of God by miracles and signs and wonders which God did
by him," and thus, by divine authority, commanding the devout and
reverential faith of all who claim the Christian name; 4th. Belief in
the Holy Ghost, the Comforter; 5th. Belief in the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the dead, and life everlasting."

These resolutions were at first laid on the table, but afterward
referred to a special committee. The refusal of the Convention to adopt
them indicates very clearly the unwillingness of a large portion of the
Unitarian clergy of the United States to occupy an evangelical
position.[265]

Closely allied to the Unitarians in spirit and in doctrine are the
Universalists, who date the beginning of their strength in the United
States from the arrival of the Rev. John Murray, in 1770. They unite
with the Unitarians in rejecting the triune character of God, and hold
that their view of the divine unity is as old as the giving of the law
on Sinai. The doctrine of the Trinity is nowhere stated in the
Scriptures, for God would then have given us a religion enveloped in
mystery, which procedure he has studiously avoided. The Trinitarian view
entertained by the orthodox is not only a self-contradiction, but would
be a violation of the harmony and order everywhere perceptible in
nature.[266]

Christ is next to God in excellence; he is "God manifest in the flesh;"
that is, God has given him more of his glory than any other creature has
enjoyed. Christ was simply sent by God to do a certain work, and served
only as a delegate when he spoke and acted as one having authority.[267]
The Holy Spirit exerts an influence upon the heart by purely natural
methods. The new birth is therefore merely the result of ordinary means
for human improvement.

The most important article of the Universalist creed is the final
salvation of all men. The goodness of