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Untitled Article
began to interrogate me again . I told him I had rather not say any thing more on the subject . He however , professed more moderation , and said , in some respects he had a high opinion of Dr . Priestley , so that he would let religion alone ; yet boasted much of the superlative excellence of the Calvinistic system , as being alone calculated to preserve the mind from falling into that wreck of infidelity so prevalent at that time , I told him Dr . Priestley had certainly a very different opinion of Calvinism , and considered it as very untenable ground against the attack of the common enemy , who had advanced against it in battle array , and in some instances appeared to triumph , and had , with some others , taken his stand upon the
ground pf a more rational and scriptural religion- — -a religion \ vhich has for its object of worship One God the Father , the eternal source of all good ^ who , in his infinite mercy , willeth that all men may be saved , and come to the knowledge of the truth . He asked me whether I believed Dr . Priestley preached the gospel ? I said I believed so , I had heard him . ** Pray , tell me , '' said he , " what the gospel is ? " I answered— In
its general signification , I suppose it to be a revelation of good tidings to all mankind . "— " £ Tow /* said heu ; ' 4 C I will tell you what the gospel is , * ' and then went over what he calkd the grand plan of redemption , where all the energy and wisdom of a heavenly council of divinities were called forth , to save a scanty quantum of a ruined world . I told him I conceited
that gospel was not the result of his own study of the Bible , but one prepared for him , which in present circumstances he must subscribe to . At this he looked on me with seeming astonishment ? when I proceeded and said , that I wished Christians could have unity with each other , though they could not see eye to eye . He scorned the sentiment , and said there was unity in hell . Lancaster appearing in view put a stop to any farther dispute . When the coach stopped at the inn , I was
pleasingly surprised to see a gentleman stand at the door , of the name of Billington , from Philadelphia , a kind friend to me on my first entering that city . It was a rpeeting of reciprocal gladness . I told him I had been rather roughly handled , on the way , by a fellow passenger who could not endure that Dr . Priestley should be called a good man , Mr * Billington
replied , he did not wonder at that : " And yet , said he , " he is a good man , and the more one knows of him , the better he will like him . " This gentleman was a professed Winchesterian , and had attended upon the Doctor ' s ministry at Philadelphia the preceding winter . We staid at Lancaster all night ; and } t so happened ^ , that Mr * Billington , my Calvinistic friend ,
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S 65 Particulars of Dr . Priestley .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Nov. 2, 1806, page 566, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1730/page/6/
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