the Rev. W. Turner , Jun. , MA., Lives of the eminent Unitarians

[110] done the same. At length it was formally resolved, on the motion of Mr. Lavington, ‘(that it is the general sense of this assembly, that there is but one living and true God, and that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are that one God.’ During the discussion, the wildest extravagances of Tritheism were defended; and one of the high party, when the absurdity of his creed was urged upon him, replied, ‘I leave God to reconcile his own contradictions.’

When this business was over, Mr. Matthew Huddy, one of the three recusants, who happened to be the preacher of the day, delivered an admirable sermon, earnestly contending for the right of private judgment, recommending the use of reason in matters of religion, and condemning the spirit of intolerance which had been excited so banefully and so extensively.¹

No immediate steps were taken, either by the Assembly or by others, in consequence of these declarations; but in about two months, Mr. Peirce and his two colleagues were waited on by ‘the thirteen,’ with a requisition to profess their assent to the doctrine of the Trinity, either in the words of the first article of the Church of England, or of the sixth answer in the Assembly's Catechism, or as their own assembly had recently agreed. Mr. Peirce promptly refused; telling them, at the same time, that he could not satisfy his conscience to lay down his ministry himself; but if they would venture to lay him aside, and that would make them easy, he would give them no further trouble. On this, the managers, hesitating