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Untitled Article
It is then , by this round-about mode that necessarians must suppose prayer > o be heard and an--sweredj ( for we are assured that wlien reasonable and sincere it
is effectual . ); by the Deity : he knows certain things are necessary , or proper for us , but does not immediately bestow them , choosing to influence himself through the medium of our prayers to grant them . The fervent ejaculations for the remission of our sins : the
solemn vows of future amendment : the pious aspirations for the wel - fare and happiness of ourselves and those who are dear to us : the humble strains of praise and adoration : the warm effusions of
gratitude poured from the feeling heart for the blessings it enjoys : all , according to the principles of necessity , are supposed to be diptated to us by the Being to whom they are addressed !
But the most serious objection I have to offer , is the view in whith moral evil is placed by the doctrine of necessity . As far as the cause of it is concerned , it is put upon the same footing as natural evil ; both proceed from the Deky : and as to their effects , the
one . occasioning misery in this world and the other in the next , both are appointed from the foundation of the world for future , eventual good . How then is it possible to look upon an afflicted and a vicious man with different
{ sentiments ? The same Being that makes the one unhappy makes the other wicked ; we must pity both ; if we blame either we cejn - ( Bure tj * e appointments of Provu dence . What we feel for :, a
vicio | i * man , provided we are necesfariau ^ we must feel for oursel ves
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when convinced of having acted wrongly ; though sensible of the consequences of our conduct , we shall endeavour to look beyond them , and try to feel grateful that we are thought worthy to be instruments' in the hands of Provi - dence Jor any purposes , at least to
be consistent with our principles , these ought to be our feelings on such an occasion ^ as much as in those instances referred u > by Dr . Priestley .
That the Deity is the author of ± 1 i sin in exactly the same manner as he is the author of natural evil , cannot be denied upon the necessarian scheme ; but both , it is maintained , are to answer the
wisest ends . When he first created usj he foreknew whether we should be happy or unhappy , viistuoiis or vicioii . s in this ^ liie , and what would be the consequences of our couduct in a future one . Knowing what parts we should
have to act in the theatre of creation 3 when he called us into existence , he of course determined or predestined that we should
perform them * All our actions consequently , whether virtuous or vicious , whether they promote our present happiness or misery , appointed by him . Hovy then can necessarians say that sin in his creatures is displeasing to their Creator ? " He cannot displease himself by his own appointments ; at all events / if necessarians , must conclude that the infliction g f pain and misfortune in this life is in the proportion of its
allotment as displeasing to the Creator as . ttie infliction of misery , the consequence of sin , in a future slate of existence . Scriptare to bQ strife informs us explicitly
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550 Objections to the Doctrine of Necessity .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 2, 1809, page 550, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1741/page/20/
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