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tion , although < the principle of it had his entire concurrence . A debate now ensued of considerable length , between the orthodox ministers , relative to the " terms which should be applied in denoting the persons of the
Trinity . Mr . Stewart ( Broughshane ) said , that any word in high Dutch or low Dutch would to him be just as intelligible as the term " essence . " Mr . Elder wished the word " Godhead" introduced . One member wished the term to be " Father , Word , and Spirit ;"
another , " Father , Son , and Spirit ;" another , " Father , Word , and Holy Ghost ; " another , " Father , Son , and
Holy Ghost . " Mr . Montgomery here rose and observed , that surely it was but fair that brethren of humbler capacity should be allowed some licence in deciding on these nice points , when the Calvinistic fathers themselves could not agree about the very epithets which should be applied to the Deity * Mr . Campbell ( Templepatrick ) said , he had reflected with seriousness on the speech he made a few evenings before .
He had been writhing under the lashes he received , and no wonder , for they were laid on with a heavy hand . Since
the delivery of that speech he had been shunned by all his fathers and brethren , as if there were something pestilential about him , and as if whosoever came within the halo must have his mind infected . In vindication of himself , he felt called on to make an exposition of his sentiments . ( Here there was a cry of Order , order ; No creeds , no creeds . Mr . Campbell , being permitted ,
proceeded thus . ) [ Mr . C . went on to give a confession" of his faith , for which we
have not room . He concluded as follows : —] " Let not the thought , then , be entertained for a moment , that I am a Deist or an Infidel , or a denier of the divinity of the Redeemer ; but it is on the momentous subject of the Supreme Deity of Christ that I hesitate ; and I candidly confess that I have not arrived at a satisfactory conclusion on this deep and inscrutable mystery ; nor
can I give my declaration in favour of it , unless I could be convinced of what a gentleman , who has lately published sermons , seems to consider an impossibility , that the Sender is the same as th ^ Sent , or that the Lord , in sending his Angel into the wprld , seut himself ; an < l > tSerejfore , let me not be denominated an Arian , while I demur , till I have better evidence , to subscribe myself a Trinitarian . "
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Mr . Carlh . e again declared his opposition to the framing a test for this body . Mr . Butler was in favour of signatures . Mr . Orr ( Portaferry ) would have no hesitation in putting his signature to the doctrine in the motion , for it was his
belief , and what he taught in his congregation ; but , thrqugh fear of ulterior measures , of which they knew nothing as yet , but of the consequences of which danger should be apprehended , he would prefer that the general declaration of the Synod should pass without the roll being called , and persons * names , voting on opposite sides , being published .
Mr . Cooke rose to defend himself from the charge of the want of candour . Ulterior measures had been spoken of , and dark hints thrown out of consequences which might follow . He would now tell the members all the ulterior measures he had in contemplation , and thus , he hoped , enable those doubting and hesitating persons to make up their minds on the subject of the present
motion . One object was , to prove that he was right in stating that there was a large body of Arians in the Synod ; and , next , to devise some means of saving the congregations placed under those Arians from being contaminated by the baneful disease under which their clergymen laboured . In the course of this procedure he would avail himself of much valuable matter contained
in Mr . Carlile s sermon , who had told them that wolves in sheep ' s cloth * ing had crept into the fold of Christ . Was it not notorious that ministers had long beeu hoodwinking their flocks — men who had crept into that body in false colours ? The laws and regulations of the Synod had not been sufficiently strict to guard against young men getting
into congregations after three or four trial sermons , without any strict scrutiny or pledge of their soundness in the faith . One of his ulterior measures was to guard against this ,. and if any young man should come among them . with a mask on , to take it off him , and to let the world know and see what he really was . If , afterwards , congregations uhould
prefer Ananism , why , in God ' s name Jet them have it ; let them choose Arian preachers to be their shepherds , but let them not join in the work of hoodwinking the people . It was but seven years since a minister of that body heard two elders swear that a certain clergyman was truly orthodox , whom foe . ^( Mr * Cooke ) knew to be an Arian . Whew
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772 Intelligence . —<* 8 vmd of Ulster .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 2, 1827, page 772, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1801/page/60/
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