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Gospel' in vvhich it is found , would make no sensible interruption . The most important consideration howevfer is , that it furnishes nothing of doctrine . Though , therefore , a defence of it may be esteemed of some importance , as the credit of the transmitted copies or that earliest and still eminent gospel , which alone gives it , is Concerned , jket > as far as I am aware , it is important for nothing else . "—Pp . 15 , 16 .
A Letter , entitled " Remarks on the Gospel by St . John , " ( pp . 32-3—* 32-3 J , ) abounds with intimations , all of them not obscure , of an heretical leaning . We would try the reader ' s patience by extracts , especially of passages upon the Proem of this Gospel , if the author did not more commonly suggest than solve difficulties ; but there are two paragraphs which we cannot pass over , so important is their testimony in favour of truth and charity , and so energetically do they express the state of a mind revolting
from absurdity and imposition . Mr . Mitford had observed that the disputes of the learned are " evidence that the mysteries , so little unfolded to mail ' s apprehension in the 1 st chapter of St . John's Gospel , were not proposed for man to explain , " and also that the same Evangelist in a part of his narrative soon following reports words of Christ himself ( " Were I to tell you of heavenly things , how should ye believe ? " ) reproving an over-busy curiosity about matters above human capacity , and then says , in a tone of deep religious feeling ,
" Adding , then , to all these considerations that of the history of Creeds , when I am called upon , in the course of our Church-service , after the minister , to declare solemnly before God , my belief of the manner of the production of one portion of his Almighty Being , and the manner also of an occasional complicated existence ( so I understand the expression ) of another portion ,
unaware of anything in holy writ requiring , or , to my mind , sufficiently warrant ing such a declaration , but , on the contrary , Christ ' s admonition already noticed , cautioning against presumption on such subjects , I am led to hope , and even trust , it is excusable for me to hesitate at the awful ceremony .
" But when , moreover , in the creed , styled of St . Athanasius , though unknown by whom composed , or by what authority established in the liturgy of the Roman ehurcii , whence it has been received in ours \ but elssrly not till after the corruption of both Rgnism aiiu Greek churches already wanted the correction of Protestantism , I am farther required to declare my belief of much that I cannot understand , and much that I find myself , to my understanding-, admonished in holy writ , not to be over curious about ; nor so much only , but farther to pronounce all thos 6 accursed of God for ever , who , understanding , or not understanding , cannot so believe , I think it not unbecoming me to own that , not without some horror , I shrink from the tremendous
responsibility . "—Pp . 32-18—32-20 . If our objefct were merely to conciliate the reader ' s esteem of the author , we would stop here ; but as our end is truth , we must make a remark or two upon other parts of the book . Allusion has been already made to Mr . Mitford's strong political partialities . These appear rather oddl y in the ; Observations . He not only speaks superciliously of * f the tyrant multitude" ana " the sovereign populace , ' but even treats with respect the high rulers of the Jewish Church , and the
Pagan authorities who resisted and took vengeance on the , founders of Christianity . Another celebrated 0 reek historian , famous for his unbelief * avows that the religion of Christ appeared to him an innovation , and he was for the old reli gion : our author does not go so far , but he is evidentl y swayed b y the saio , e rev ^ rentiaj feeling towards the " gods on earth . '' fife justifies Cctiaphas in pronouncing sentence upon Jesus ( il . 44—47 ) , absolves
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• v . ... , r Review . —Mitford s Observations en Christianity . 363
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1827, page 363, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1796/page/51/
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