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    ^ vapours which gather round the rising sun , and follow it in its course , seldom fail at the close of it , to form a magnificent theatre for its reception , and to invejst with variegated tints and with a

    softened effulgence the luminary which they cannot hide * " ( pp . 34 . 35 . ) This was worthy ot ' the successor of Robert Robinson ; this merits , too , the anger of our Eclectic ^ who can never , I dare say , forget the length to which Mr . Hall here carried * forbearance and

    complaisance' * towards such an archheretic , or forgive the * Sofcinians * the honour of having had such an eulogy pronounced upon their leader ; Th ^ re is * another reason why I feel a strorm conviction that our

    . Eclectic meant ^ to smite Mr * Hal l through the sides of the 4 Sbcinikns ;* which is , that 'Mt . Hall , in the valuable pamphlet before

    quoted , gives a * defihitiari of an Unitarian totally different from that of our Reviewer , and one whicrr allows the appellation of Uriitefcrian to the * Socinian * and

    Conveys nothing reproachful . He says , ( p . 56 ) cc An Unitarian is a person who believes Jesus Christ had no existence till he appeared on our earth , whilst a Trinitarian maintains that lie existed with the

    Father from all eternity . * ' Now this is the very definition of an Unitarian for which Dr . Priestley biioself contended against both the Arians and the Trfaitariatos ; but with this our Eclectic duarfefs , because it is a

    matter-offact statement of a theological opinion , and cannot liIce the bugbear term 4 Sociru ' an , ' ( appropriate to iio English > eqtp be pressed into the service of calumny ; and , objecting to the loss of such a con-

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    venient instrument of Reproach , he very naturally reflects ( as appears to me , ) upon Mr . Hall , who has ^

    in various parts of his reply to * ' the Rev . John Clayton , * " magnanimously protested against { he use mi poisoned weapons in the controversy with the Unitarians *

    My opinion that our Eclectic intended his article to be a disingenuous attack upon both Mr . Mall and the ' Socinians , * is further strengthened by the recollection of many passages glancing at arid reprobating Cowardly

    theological assaults , in the admirable pamphlet' which seems to have made an equally deep impression f tpbn the reviewer and me . Feeling himself condemned in the condemnation passed by Mr . Hall upon such as resort to base polemical artifices , how much in

    character was * it that , whilst he was foaming with rage against c Socinians / he sfooukhhave sprinkled a little of his venom upon that liberal writer ! The following is one passage out of many at which our Eclectic must have maddened z

    u He ( Mr . Clayton , ) gives us a pompous enumeration of the piety , learning and talents . of a large bbdy of his brethren who concur witfe him in a disapprobation Qf the theological afid politi . cal tenets of the Unitarians . The

    weakness of mingling them together has been shown already ; but if these great and eminent men , whom the world never heard of before , possess that zeal fo * their religion , they pretend , let them

    meet their opponents 6 n tfce' open field of controversy , where they may display their talents and prowess to somewhat more advantage than in skulking behind' <• consecrated altar . " ( p , 74 . >

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    16 S Gogtoagog on the curious" * Extract from the "Eclectic Revi * & *

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1812, page 168, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1746/page/32/