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what I -have said , I beg leave to submit the following- illustration . Take an atheist , for instance , — -one who denies the existence of a supreme intelligence and a future life and wliose only law therefore is obedience to his present interests and passions . By what means would you endeavour to effect a change in his views and conduct ?
By instructing him in the duties of a refined m orality ? No . The absurdity of such a mode of p rocedure , in such a case , stares } ou in the face . How then would you proceed ? Why , you would endeavour to Dersuade him of the utter falseness and
entire unreasonableness of his opinions 5 you would endeavour to prove to him that there does exist aa infinitely wise and good God , in whom all live and move and have their being , and that therefore His law should he the rule of our actions .
Without such a change of principles it would l ) efolly to hope fora change of conduct . So , in arguing with the deist you would proceed in the same manner ; you would first convince him that Christ had authority to teach , and then you would' insist upon his authority as of the nature of law . You would sow the Christian seed before
you would expect to gather the . Christian fruit ; you would implant Christian principles before you looked for Christian practice . In like manner , if you wish to destroy fanatical conduct , first destroy
fanatical doctrines ; and even when you have cured the disease , take care and provide an antidote against its return . To a man of proud and pharisaic spirit , because he believes that he is numbered with the
elect , it would be perfectly useless to deal outgeneral observations about the absurdity of his tenets and their supposed immoral tendency : —but prove to him from Scripture that his notions are unwarranted ; convince him from * the law and the testimony" that they are unsound , that they are tot built upon the foundation of Christ and
his apostles , and he will be deprived of his stron g-hold , he will retire confounded and abashed . Now why must the Unitarian klone invert the order of nature , act in direct opposition to common sense , and nolate the clearest rules established upon
uniform experience ? Why must he depart from a line of conduct which in every similar case is universally allowed to be the only wise and rational method of actings ?—out wisdom shall be justified of her child «* n . " Pp . 41—44 .
In the conclusion of the sermon , wbich is all that we can further quote , M ^ Madge has selected and arranged j * noble passage from Milton ' s second b of Church Government ; addmg at the end a few sentences in the Ver y spirit of that prince of writers ; ' He ^ say s Milton , < who hath obtained
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to know any thing" distinctly of God , ftnd his true worship , and what is infallibly good and happy , — -he that hath obtaifted to know this , the only high valuable wisdom , considers lie wand in what manner he shall dispose and employ those sums of knowledge and illumination which God hath sent him . For me , I have determined to lay up as the best treasure and solace of a good old ag * e , if God vouchsafe it me , the honest liberty of free speech , where I shall think it available in so dear
a concernment as the churches good . 13 tit this I foresee , that should the church ,-by blessing * from above on the industry and courage of faithful men , change this her distracted estate into better days without the least furtherance ~*> r contribution of those few talents which God hath lent me , —I foresee what stones I should hear within
myself all my life afteiof discourage and reproach . Thou hadst the diligence , the parts , the language of a man , if a vain subject were to be adorned or beautified ; but when the cause of God and his church was to be pleaded , God listened to hear thy voice among' his zealous servants , but thou wert dumb as a beast 3 from henceforward be that which thine own brutish
silence hath made thee . These and such like lessons as these would I know have been my matins duly and my even-song-. But now by this little diligence mark what a privilege I have gained with good men , to claim my right of lamenting the tribulations of the church , if she should suffer , when others that have ventured nothing for her sake have not the honour to be
admitted mourners . But if she lift up her drooping head and prosper , among those that hare something more than wished her welfare I have my charter aud freehold of rejoicing to me and my heirs . * " If then , my brethren , we have any regard for the honour of God and the dignity of our own nature , —if it would gladden us
to see the heart of a human being made glad , —if we have any confidence in truth , any enjoyment in its prospective achievements , —and if we feel ourselves under any bond of duty to succeeding generations ,- — then let us contribute something of the several talents with which God may have blessed us , to the service of tliat great
cause to-which this Society is consecrated . It calls aloud for the aid or * knowledge , of piety and virtue , of loYe , of fidelity and of zeal . Ail these helps let us put forth if we can 3 but if all be not at our command , let us cheerfully lend that in which lies our appropriate strength . This we can do , and this I will take leave to » add we ought to do : aud when we have done
* Selected and arranged from the preface of Milton ^ s second book of Churchj >* oveinmeiit .
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Review . ' —Madges Sermon . * 443
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1815, page 443, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1762/page/43/
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