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UNITARIAN CHRONICLE . 183
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and to the spirit- of the Gospel than that which has been raised in opposition to it , then it has nothing to fear from so feeble an adversary . If this new work be of men , it will of itself come to nought , and the result cannot fail to be favourable to the older institution .
As to how Tar the experimenffhas yet succeeded , we have not , we confess , been able to obtain any very precise information . Of distinguished success , however , we are very sure that M . Gaussen and his coadjutors have no ground to boast ; by their own statement ( see Prot . de
Gen ., vol . in . p . 129 ) it appears , that more than a third of their funds has been derived from foreig ners ; and we can safely affirm , that the church , from which the dissentient party has been expelled , has felt no sensible diminution , either of its numbers or of the estimation in which it is held . We like not established churches , as such ; but , we must say that , if there "
be one which deserves to be exempted from the general remark , it is that of Geneva . While other similar institutions are resolutely setting their faces against all change , or admitting only so much as it may be absolutely necessary to concede to the spirit of the age , this is applying itself steadily and in good faith to the work of
amendment . Witness the improvement which it is introducing in its translation of the Bible , in . its catechism , in its sacred music , and other parts of its public worship ; as well as the proposal which has been made in the venerable Company , that the lay members of the Consistory should be a representative , and not a
selfelected body . These circumstances furnish proof positive" to tis that * " the Genevan Church is proceeding on just principles ; &od when we couple with this the liberal spirit , and the pure evangelical zeal , which breathe in the avowed writings of its pastors , we can have no hesitation in saying that it presents high claims to our sympathy and consideration . If it jje not
all that we wish , there is but little with which we have to find fault ; and we are very sure that it deserves the ^ best wishes of every one who would rejoice to see an effectual barrier raised against the efforts of narrowminded bigotry and Calvinistic into-J ^ iH ^ iL ? . Qf the most important cities of continental Europe .
The facts which we noted above , are extracted from the Protestant de Geneve ^ a work which appears on the 1 st and 15 th of every month , and of which two half-yearly volumes are now completed . It is a work which was first called forth by the unfortunate discussions which we have recorded , but which will , we trust , long continue to be useful , when therecollection of these transactions shall have been lost . To those who have any knowledge of the great spirits in the
Genevan Church , the name of Basset ( fits ) , of Choisy , and of Munier , the avowed editors , and of Bouvier , Cellerier , and Clieneviereumong the contributors , will be a sufficient guaranteefor the liberal principles on which ifc is conducted * . We strongly recommend it to the attention of our readers . It is full of the most interesting matter , and is well calculated to promote the spread of religious truth , and to foster a spirit of practical piety both in the town where it is
* To the universality of this remark the following' passage may be considered as forming some exception , though the . author of the discourse professes himself to be alone responsible for the sentiments contained in it . ' Go then , ' says he , < and " walk firm in the faith such as you have learnt it . " Allow not yourselves to be terrified by what man can say , and enter into no discicssiun with any one as to your faith . If you are asked to give an account of what you bdieve , say with Peter , " Jesus is the C limit of God . " ' -7-Vol . ii . p 70 . Now we cannot but think
that this recommendation comes with a bad grace from one who was at the very time making 1 a profession of his own faith ; and believing as we do that evi'iy man ought to be able to give a reason for the faith that is in him , and Unit free discussion , both in public and ia private , is indispensable to the progress of truth , we think that such a recommendation had much better have besa omitted .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 1, 1832, page 183, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1821/page/7/
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