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he might be discharged from-the church militant : " to thfcir conscription , however , lie fcowed . most cheerfully v and though he m jgftf , not . foe a very efficient , he trusted at least that he should prove to be a very honest soldiery while for his own part he claimed no other pay than their approbation . He felt unfeigued pleasure in avowing his firm conviction , not only that Unitarianism was true Christianity , but
that , it was . the only form of worship that could preserve Christianity alive in the world . Some very orthodox persons had lately been extremely active iu propagating a report of his re-conversion from Unitarianism ; but on what grounds such a report had been founded , he was utterly at a loss to know . His personal habits did not incline him to go backwards , and he had observed of those that did take
that course , that thevr heads were apt to be turned and to grow dizzy , in which state they were blind to the things that actually did exist , but contrived to see things that had no existence at all . He was unable to find adequate words to express his gratitude to Providence that he had in early life become a Unitarian . He had been brought up amongst a very
pious class of persons , but still he had found himself uneasy ; he had felt that he wanted something which they were unable to give him . In the morning of his days he had gone out to seek the manna of divine truth , and he had found it among the Unitarians , whom he sincerely believed to be , in the orthodox phrase , the Lord ' s people . He was sure
that they had the spirit of the Lord , because where the spirit of the Lord is , there is liberty . But with what success were the Unitarians carrying on their operations ?• If they were to believe one of the public journals of that morningwith no success at all ; but then it must be , premised , that the reporter of that paper of course understood much more
al > out their matters than they could themselves . So far , however , from the Unitarian cause failing , there never was a time when it stood so high in public estimation ,, and when they had so much reason to be satisfied that their operations were obtaining for them a sure footing in the puhjic favour . But he did not
wonder that the reporters should have b € je ^ ^ o muc , b mistaken , Wtyen they found $ 4 i ( Rculty to get in , when t ; hey found the heat of a meeting oppressive , wjfyen : fV < fl ftt * . W 9 , re 8 e . rvejd . for the ^ . la ^ dies , " an 4 jvben the speeches and Kepprj ;* recorded thousands couY $ rjtied * where . th , e Unjt ftrfau * cpuW Pity TOprd wfltftit . fr WW
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to him h ^ te matter surprise that those who were used to such wholesale proceedings should look down with contempt on a society where their \ whole disbursements would scarcely defray the expenses of a travelling Secretary , in some of the popular societies . But he would have been glad , that those who wrote against them had heard the excellent
sermon which had been preached that morning by his respected friend Mn Kenrick ; for he was convinced that the weight of its arguments , and the force of its representations , would have made a favourable impression on their minds ; and he trusted that no long time would be suffered to elapse before it would appear in print for the public benefit . In
considering the broad question of Unitananism , it appeared wonderful to him that it lived at all , so great was the opposition it had to encounter . All changes , however , were necessarily slow ; but , at the same time , no delusion could last long , and when every man came to be convinced that it was his interest not to be deceived , their cause would triumph : and when he
said that their cause would triumph , he meant not that this or that creed , but that the great principles . on which they were united would triumph . It was not , however , by force that this triumph was to be obtained ; it was by argument and persuasion alone . He was happy to say , that he did not know a single Unitarian who wished his cause to be promoted by any other means ; indeed , he did not see how a Unitarian could be a bigot , or resort to
denunciations against his fellow-christians ; but , if by any chance such an one should rise up , he would be an amusing man indeed , for he would be acting without a motive ; for at the same time that he was a bigot , he would be contending that it was no fault in any individual to stand on his own principles , and to follow wherever the light of truth might lead him . He was unfortunately himself no longer young , and he could remember the time when to be told that there was
a Unitarian in company , would have ex * cited a feeling somewhat akin to disgust ; the real fact was , that they had formerly been outlaws , and had only forced themselves within the pale of civilization by their exertions . By means of Unitarian Associations , the knowledge of Ujiitariauism had been diffused throughout the country , chapels had been established i » different parts , and become numerous , and , Unitarians had , sprung up in Scotland a ^ d Wales , where , till within a very sh < wt time , they had tyeeu looked upon
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544 ! n&Ui ( gtm *** Briti * h tndFomgn UnitttrimdsmktwHi
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1827, page 544, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1798/page/72/
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