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ioniid at page 136 of the Fourth Report . He complimented Mr , Porter for his readiness in giving his evidence ; and expressed his anxiety that the mind of man should be left " free as the wind ;" but regretted that this body should have been wounded through the effects of Mr . Porter ' s evidence . He said he was the
siucere friend of the Belfast institution ; and regretted that it had been wounded through the Arianism of the Synod ; and not by Arianism in itself . "It would appear / ' said he , " that we have Arians in this body , more real than professed ones . In the name of Christ , let us see who are these masked characters , who hide themselves in the waters of
infidelity . ( Hear , hear . ) It had been said , * they were few in number ; ' the * thinking few . ' He trusted they would be few indeed — like some poisonous plants , which , though placed at the distance of a thousand miles from each other , yet withered and destroyed all around them . " Mr . Magill theu inquired for the Arian creed : and compared a High Arian and
a Low" Arian to a high-way and a lowway robber—for they robbed the Son of the Eternal God of his crown of glory . He contrasted the minutes of the Synod of 1824 , with the assertion that Arian principles had been progressive since 1726 ; and proceeded to inquire by what
spiritual freemasonry these Arians knew each other ? For , it appeared , their clerk was their grand master . ( Hear . ) After stating , that unless he were to raise up his voice in the cause of the holy gospel of the Lord Jesus , he could not enjoy the repose of his pillow ; and that this being the first time an Arian had avowed
himself to be such in that assembly , they should view it like the fabled Salamander , and crush it . He made some allusion to the people of India , Africa , and the South Seas , fixing their eyes on the Synod of Ulster , and proceeded to move , that " Mr . Porter , having avowed himself an Ariau before the Commissioners of Irish Education Inquiry , be no longer continued clerk to the body . " The motion was seconded without
comment , by the llev . Mr . Simpson , of Dublin . Mr . R . Dill , Sen ., supported the motion in a speech of considerable length . Dr . Wright , of Annahilt , expressed his sorrow that the motion had been made ; protested against Arian principles ;
eulogised Mr . Porter ' s fidelity as a clerk to that body ; expressed his regret that Mr . Porter had been compelled lo give evidence ; advocated the propriety and honesty of his telling the truth , when he was on his oath , and concluded by moving , " That although this Synod us a body
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highly disapproves of Arianism , yet that Mr . Porter , having always discharged his duties as clerk with ability and fidelity , be continued in his office . " Mr . Henry Montgomery rose , and avowed himself an Arian , and expressed his willingness that any one should take up his avowal , and deal with him as might be deemed right . Until some one had procured a patent of infallibility , he had as good a right to maintain his opinions , as others had to state theirs . Whilst some ministers of that body thought
it right to join the clergy of the Established Church , and were assisting them in their labours of conversion ; and whilst ministers of both sects were constantly urging on their Roman Catholic brethren the right of free inquiry—surely it would be only " common honesty to grant him
what they were ofFering to others . The measures , now proposed , were calculated to lead to absolute Popery in the Presbyterian Church . He spoke with the highest respect of his Roman Catholic brethren , —no one could mistake his meaning , but it was the principle he referred to . He then read from the Synod's code
an extract : — " it is the right and duty of every man to read and examine the Scriptures /* and contended , that even the Jews were invited by Christ aud his apostles to read and examine the Scriptures . We had but one Lord and Master , even Jesus Christ ; and should the Synod of Ulster usurp his place , and deprive them of what Christ freely gave to the unbelievers of his day ? If ever the instructions or example of Christ were to
be regarded , he could see no grounds for the Synod adopting the motion . He spoke of Mr . Porter ' s talents , honesty , purity of heart , and uprightness of life > and asked , what crime he had been guilty of ? " We are not , " said Mr . Montgomery , " charging him with any derelictiou of duty as our Clerk , but we are about to punish him for having , when on his oath before a parliamentary commission , honestly confessed what he believed to be the truth . We are about to
injure a man for his honesty ! Oh , fathers and brethren , is this the conduct of the followers of Christ ? Pause before you so commit yourselves , as preachers of Christian mercy and peace among men . " He felt no persoual anxiety about the issue of the question ; it was for the character of the Synod he was alarmed . He referred to secret measures which had
been adopted against Mr . Porter ; condemned the vulgar and low humour exhibited on this occasion , and asked , would any member of this body use his common servant in this way ?—would he turn him out of doora without an hour ' a
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704 Intelligence . —Synod of Ulster
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Sept. 2, 1827, page 704, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1800/page/72/
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