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Untitled Article
sin against God ? " Such was part of the language of these petitioners , and the reaiaSuder was * if possible , still more offen * sire . Let them see what particular case was made out by these Dissenters , whom he took to be persons denying the divinity of our Saviour , or if not he hoped the Right Reverend Bench would favour the House with some other definition . They had no objection to baptize their children according to the form of the Established
Church ; they were baptized m the name of the Father , the Son , and the Holy Ghost , and he did not hear that these Dissenters made any objection to this baptismal ceremony . With respect to the marriage ceremony , what was objected to was , he understood , that the husband was called on to say that he married his wife In the name of-the Father , the Son , and the Holy Ghost , and also the mention of the Godhead under the name of the Fa *
ther , the Son , and the Holy Ghost , when the Clergyman , at the end of the cere * mony , prayed the blessing of God upon the man and his wife . The calling upon God to bless them under the terms of the Father , the Son , and the Holy Ghost—( and every minister of the Church of England of common honesty , and integrity , when he said " God bless you , " meant the Godhead in that acceptation of the word which was according to the views
of Christianity held by his Church so constituted )—was what these persons deemed so great a hardship . It was on such grounds , and this address was so great offence to these persons , that their Lordships were called upon to make a law , not for the benefit of all Dissenters of all denomination's , but for this particular class of Dissenters , which , according to all the evidence of history , had been almost deemed the rnoBt offensive of all the sects . In his
opinion , die best security for a religious establishment was a religion of the purest form , with a large and liberal toleration . Such was the spirit of the toleration granted in the Act of the 53 d of the late King ; and he was perfectly ^ ready to admit , that the Act of William and Mary enacted penalties on account of religious opinions which ought never to have been
thought of . But till the repeal of that Act these persons were , under , especial penalties , and yet their Lordships were called on to do for them what they never thought of doing for any others . Why , at any rate , were not all to have the benefit of this provision , if it was to be con * ceded ] to these ? He would proceed , from th « ae observationSy on the jmncipieof the Bill to consider some of it » enactment *
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By the provisions of the Bill now before their Lordships , the Clergy of the Church of England were called upon to publish the banns on the declaration of the parties that they were Dissenters of this description , of which feet there was to be no proof before hand , and no disproof afterwards . The clergyman was to certify
that he had published the banns to a justice of the peace , and the justice of the peace was to appoint some time and place ( at his office or any where else that suited ) where the marriage ceremony , such as it was , was to be performed . Here again arose difficulties , and to avoid them in the Commonwealth
Act , they were pleased to use the words > (( justice , or reputed justice . " In point of fact , when the Noble Lord who held the Great Seal had had as much experience as he ( Lord E . ) had had—and he trusted that he would hold it as long , and longer than he had done , namely , as long as he lived—he would find that cases might
frequently arise where ., in consequence of certain informalities , it was questionable who was ; or . was not a justice of the peace . There were practices which he had put an end to , by which magistrates were made , by what was called " the Cold Seal , " and these were thought to be justices and as good justices as these Unitarians could wish to have and
be married by ,. aud-yet , for all that , were no justices at all . The banns having been , published , the justice of the peace ( if he be a justice ) was to give a certificate that the parties had gone through certain forms before him , and upon this certificate the clergyman was to be called upon to register the marriage . Now , lie would put it to their Lordships , who *
ther a clergyman of the Church of En * gland , was not degraded and dishonoured by being compelled to act as a sort of clerk to a justice of the peace ; and whether even the Lay Magistrate of the Church of England was not also dishonoured , by being concerned in such a transaction . Suppose the clergymanaa must frequently be the case—to be himself a justice of the peace ; was he to go through this species of marriage
ceremony , as . a justice of the peace , which he could not possibly , perform without a gross violation , of his duties a& a conscientious clergyman ? Was it contended that the scruples of those Dissenters who denied . the divinity of our Saviour were to be respected , because they could / not in their consciences allow a clergyman of the Church of England ; to say to them , at ; the end of th $ > marriage ceremony , " God bless yon . in the name of the
Untitled Article
638 iMdlfge ^ e . ' ^^ Umi ^ mMHrdugeBitl :
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1827, page 618, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1799/page/66/
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