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strong' replies that he only ; Is a Christian who believes in Christ , and that he only believes in Christ who regards him as * The God-man , ' &c . Mr . Jones rejoins that the titles applied to Christ are not scriptural , nor borne out by Scripture , and that Mr . A / s principle would unchristianize many trinitarians and churchmen . Mr . Armstrong * returns to the chjarge in letter 4 , and expounds in a very original way
his notion of the riglit of private judgment 'It is the right , of every man , and'his duty also , to exercise his reason upon all propositions submitted to him as a moral and intelligent being ; ' but , * side by side with this truth is a most dangerous principle which many too readily adopt , namely , that a man , by the exercise of his reason alone ,- —by the employment of his private judgment alone , *—can arrive at the truth in
religious matters , and ascertain the meaning of the word of God / He then , condemns the liberality which allows that good men may differ widely in opinion . * Before a man ' actions can be good , his principles must be good ; before his principles can be good , they must accord with the doctrines which God teaches ; ' and in spirit , though not in words , he distinctly adds , before they accord with those doctrines they must be stretched or cut short to the standard creed of the Reverend
Nicholas Armstrong . The letter concludes with a volley of texts , commonly cited on behalf of orthodox tenets , in which he seems to expend his whole stock of ammunition . To these three points , viz ., Christian liberaiiCy in matters of opinion , the use of reason , and the real meaning of the texts so often cited in this controversy , Mr . Jones devotes thfe three remaining letters , and he has discussed them very ably and suc * - cessfully . In particular ,: the exposition of the Scripture quotations is
brief , clear , acute , and convincing . The inconsistency of the positions just cited is also well exhibited . * He confounds two things perfectly distinct , the power of unaided reason to discover the truths of revelation , and the power of reason , aided by revelation , to discover ^ all necessary religious truth , or , what is the same thing , the power of man to understand those propositions which God has submitted to hrm in the Scriptures . 4 Reason is not alone and unassisted . '
* If reason cannot interpret the Bible , that holy book is an useless incumbrance . ' * In every instance it is the original revelation that is spoken of as being immediately from heaven , and above the power of reason to reach . A superadded inspiration to understand the reve * lation is not once contemplated . ' Such is the ground which Mr . Jones takes up , and it is unassailable . His logical and scriptural
discussions are well set off by the unreasoning and damnatory assumption of infallibility which characterizes his opponent . We hope that the publication of this controversy in its present form will do much good , and rejoice to find that its immediate and local effect was to cause a considerable accession of subscribers to the Northampton Unitarian Congregation , and a numerous attendance on the lectures then delivering by its able and zealous minister .
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The Miracles of the Irving School shown to be unworthy of serious examination . By the Rev . David Thorn . Longman * 1832 . Me * Thom describes a miracle to be * something Wonderful- *—something « out of the ordinary course of' things—something which , by the surprieing- nature of the eircumstmrces connected with it , is cteservjng " of
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2 CT 6 ^ Hicdt Notice $ .- * -Thedlogy 7 Criticism , and : Morality .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1832, page 206, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1808/page/62/
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