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ther . Their peculiarity consists in their additions to the doctrine of the divine unity , mine in rny adhering to this doctrine without additions , and in my believing this doctrine to be of supreme importance .
It is true that I profess other opinions besides that of the Unity of God , but I have none that I esteem of equal importance , for this appears to me to include the benevolence of the Supreme Being and to exclude all those doctrines concerning the person and office of Jesus Christ which
distinguish the bulk of reputed orthodox Christians .
No one term can express all that a man believes . Pastor might call himself an Arian , and yet wo one would know from this that he embraced or rejected the doctrines of satisfaction
for the sins of mankind by the death of Christ , of original sin , of infant baptism , of the divine ordination of bishops , of an intermediate state of existence and of eternal torments . " I
call myself an Arian , he might say , * because I must have some religious distinction , and I choose that which explains my difference from others on the most important and comprehensive subject . ' He might not be shaken in his attachment to the term if
he were told that between the primitive and the modern Arians there is as wide a difference as between the first Arians and Athanasians . His answer might be that custom modifies
and fixes the use of terms , and that in the present day every one understands sufficiently by the appellation in question what he wishes to set forth as his most important religious belief . In some circumstances the words
Christian and Protestant would be justifiable terms of distinction , even in Protestant and Christian countries ; as , for instance , when the persons taking them should suppose that the
principles implied in them were violated , or at least overlooked by the majority of those who were ordinarily known by them . Has Pastor never heard of , or does he object to , the denominations of The Christian "Tract
Society , and The Protestant Society for the Protection of Religious Liberty ? I will here take the liberty to say that I rejoice that Mr James Yates Mbandottfi the term Sooinian ; but I
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doubt the expediency of reviving the use of the word Humanitarian . It j very uncouth and ambiguous . What necessity is there for a name expressly to distinguish our opinion concerning the person of Christ , when we already have one [ Unitarian ] which clearl y points out our disbelief of his Deify >
The few Arians that are left do not hesitate , I believe , to call themselves such—they who call themselves Unitarians only will he generally understood to be not Arians . We may not object to conceding to Arians the name of Unitarians , but they probably will not content themselves with this denomination indicative of their
agreement with us ; they seem to conceive their peculiarity to be Arianism rather than Unitariamsm . In closing this paper , I trust , I need not assure the reader that I feel no ill-will and mean no disrepect towards either Arians or Trinitarians . ROBERT ASPLAND .
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744 On the Term Unitarian .
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Sir , PERCEIVE that Mr . Yateshas I in your last number retracted his opinion respecting the adoption of the term Socinian , as applicable to that class of Christians to which he
belongs ; and having in a former paper quoted with approbation a sentence or two of his on that subject , I beg leave to observe that althaugh he has altered his opinion , yet the reasons he
assigned for it are before the world , and many will probably continue to think with me that they are good and sufficient . I agree with him , however * in a reluctance to apply that name to those who disown it . And
on that account am sorry that no other has been selected by themselves that can be generally admissible . Till this is done I have no doubt but that the term Socinian will continue to be given them by the world at large . Mr . Yates recommends the term
Humanitarian . This does not appear to me so objectionable as that which they commonly use * among themselves ; for although the real humanity of Christ be admitted and believed by all sects , vet there are none besides themselves who consider the Saviour
to have been a mere man , and consequently they are alone in believing him to be possessed only of simpl humanity . The term therefore whicp
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1815, page 744, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1767/page/16/
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