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giving * a shock to the whole fabric of Unitarianism . " So sound and scriptural did this honest confession of the real tenets of all Unitarian Christians appear to this " True Churchman , " and so different was it from his preconceived notions concerning their doctrines . Dr . Carpenter ' s replyto this letter was inserted in the paper of Nov . 26 , and his reply to the Rev . Mr . Cleeve ' s first letter in the Western
Luminary of Nov . 29 th , to whom he recommends through the printer the Sandy Foundation Shaken , hy Wrn . Penn , as a " most excellent appeal to scripture and common sense , in favour of ' the unity , mercy and purity of God . ' " He then in reference to Mr . Cleeve ' s accusation above mentioned , asks him , "Doyou , Sir , expect that Unitarians should hold all which in your
judgment i the scriptures teach of Christ ? —We desire to form our faith on the scriptures alone ; hut we cannot read with another person ' s eyes . We compare scripture with scripture ; we are certain that divine revelation cannot be inconsistent with itself ; we do the writers of the New
Testament the justice to believe that they cannot contradict themselves , or their and our revered Lord . In a postscript Dr . C . notices an anonymous personal attack on himself in the paper of Nov . 22 , and shews it to have been entirely groundless . The truly Catholic letter of u Veritas , was inserted in Woolmer ^ s Gazette of Dec .
3 d , most impressively recommending * mutual charity to the disputants , without othcrwise entering into the subjects at issue . Yet this letter is held up in the Western Luminary of Dec . 6 th as " a brilliant specimen of the temper , the reasoning , and the tendency of what is called Unitarianism . " The author is described as assailing
*> all orders of Christians , " and his pertinent allusions to undoubted historical facts , are described as " the qreations of his own mind , ' and for thus unequivocally condemning " , the spirit of persecution whereever it appears , although a member of the established church , as we understand , he is said to have " turned his back on the whole scheme of Bible salvation . "
Mr . Cleeve ' s second letter is inserted in the same paper , in which after imputing 1 either idolatry to his own creed , or blasphemy to the Doctors , which " The True Churchman , " thought was so orthodox it could not be Unitarian , Mr . Cleeve is nevertheless desirous of fixing * upon it the foul stigina of the God denying Apostles , " which he erroneously asserts to
have been its ancient name . " He adds , " Rut the term Unitarianism by no means belongs exclusively to this sect . " For which he asBig'ns this reason , that the iQ first article of the Church of England" affirms that u There is but one living and true God" Having- thus tacitly put in his own claim to the same honourable appellation ,
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he acknowledges the receipt of the Ddct * present of the « Sandy Foundation ShaV en , " and informs us that its author was Quaker , and that at a late meeting « * member was expelled their society" f having " professed Unitarianism . " ' n ° Carpenter having described this work * favour of" the unity , mercy and puritvJr
God , " as " irrefutable , " Mr . Cleeve ^ b " would not any man upon reading this passage and observing the inverted com . mas before and after the words , theunih mercy and purity of God , be led to sup . pose that they were a quotation from Penn ' s pamphlet , and the words of Penn himself ) Yet they are not the words of Peun but of the Editor . If this be not misrepresentation , words have no meaning . "
Dr . Carpenter ' s reply to this letter was inserted in the Western Luminary of Dec 13 th , the editors of which , apparently forgetting- the grounds on which in their paper of Nov . 15 they professed to open their columns to the defence of the Holy Trinity , now say , " We did not seek this
controversy . It began in another paper . Neither did we select or invite the Rev . Mr . Cleeve to become the champion of the church , or of the doctrine in which we were bred . For his competency to the task he has undertaken , that will be determined by the proof . We have letters in which his talents are highly spo&en of . We have others , from persons who , while thev
complain of his want of politeness to Dr . Carpenter , speak of him ( with curious inconsistency ) very coarsely . For the satisfaction of all , we declare frankly and publicly that if Dr . Carpenter throws him on his back , we shall remove him from our arena to make room for a stouter wrestler . *' -At the close of the editor ' s remarks , Dr ,
Carpenter ' s letter follows , in defence oi the three fundamental doctrines—in which all Unitarians agree , whatever their minuter differences , viz . " That the Father is the only tr ^ ie God , that He is the only proper object of religious , worship , and that His free unmerited grace is the sote original source of the salvation which is by
Christ . " After ably vindicating these positions as sound and scriptural , Dr . C . towards the close of his letter shew ;? , that Mr . Cleeve ' s charg-e of " misrepresentation" is entirely unfounded ; Penn haviitg in the Tract , ( p . 43 ) of which Mr . C . acknowledges the receipt , called" the rig hteous God of heaven" to hear him ^ cord '
that in writing the Sandy Foundation Shaken , he " sought nothing- below the defence of his unity , mercy , and pukitv Dr . C . concludes by saying , " I hare now Mr . Editor answered your call . Jj ltl Mr . Cleeve no one can expect me to keep up the controversy : and offering you ul > sincere thanks for the liberal use of y <> columns , I remain , your obliged Lant Cakpjshtis * .
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194 Intelligence . —Unitarian Controversy in the West of England
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1815, page 194, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1758/page/66/
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