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devouring to inquire how &r they admit of a remedy . Among these , I mast join issue with Satmnusj instating , as one of the first , the want of an appropriate name which shall give form and substance to the indefinite ideas of
those fundamental principles on which these societies are now established , namely , the right of exercising private judgment in matters of religion ; the duty of sober examination , and the pri * -
vileges that result from it ; and , above all , the virtual protest they hold out against that domineering sectarian spirit , so contrary to . the spirit of genuine Christianity , which peremptorily denounces external damnation against all who
shall presume to differ from the contradictory dogmas of their own peculiarly narrow creed . Fully aware that these principles , requiring some previous information , appear too vague and
indefinite to attract the attention , or interest the feelings , ' of the ignorant , the busy 3 or the gay , Sabrinus proposes to substitute the appropriate denomination of Unitarian . But against this , Mr . Editor , there appear to me the
following objections : —1 st . That Unitarianism has rather been the consequence of these principles ^ than a necessary part of the
principles themselves . 2 d . That it does not infallibly flow from them , and ifiight therefore be fairly considered as preci p itately ascribing to them a result which remained
to be proved * 3 d . That Unitarianism is by no means the universal sentiment of the congregations proposed tip be so denominated , whatever * nay have been the general conviction of their more enlightened ministers j and lastly ,
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in the ^ th place , that it d « ies not harmonize completel y with the leading principles of their dissent , to distinguish themselves by a name , and to construct their wor ~ ship in such a manner , a& shall effectually prevent all others from
joining who do not perfectly agreg with the majority on a given doc- » trinal subject * Perhaps there is but one congregation in the kingdom that most respectable one in Essex Street , that can be con * sidered as originally united on the sentiments of Unitarianism : and
even in this instance , theieading object of the eminent and excel * lent founder , seems rather to have been ( to adopt his own words in his Apology , p . 193 . ) the
establishment of a form of express sctiptural worship , which must , as he goes on to say , € t be satisfactory to all , and such in which they can cordially unite ;' but having , ii * the same excellent and immortal
work , given his reasons at length for separating from the Establish - ed Church , and which turn prin- » cipally on his scruples respecting the doctrine of the Trim ( y ana go to prove-that it is wholly li ft *
scriptural , it followed of course that the contrary sentiment , that of the strict unity of God , should become the bond . of union in the ; congregation about to be eato ^ blished among his peculiar frieiidt and disciples .
But the question still occurs , If the term Unitarian be not quite correct , what other shall be substituted in its stead ? That of Presbyterian , it is allowed on all
hands , is obsolete and irrelevant ; that of Dissenter simply , too indefinite ; and that of Protestant merely , still less appropriate , hav * . ing been so long u *? d a ? the dta *
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On the Decline qf Presbyterian Congregations . 6 @T
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VQt . IT . 4 S
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1809, page 667, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1743/page/17/
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