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Untitled Article
Relieves the proper humanity of Jesus Christ , and who regards -and honours him as the greatest of all the prophets of God , but not as the object of religious worship . And they plead not only that this is the primary and proper meaning of the woril ,
but , likewise , that to ascribe to a creature the attributes and works of God , is as real an infringement of the divine unity , as addressing religious worship to him , And to this charge they conceive that the Arian doctrine is liable when it ascribes to
Christ the formation , support , and government of the world . To this view of the subject I entirely accede : and for this reason I have always used , ( and I presume that I am at liberty to use , ) the word Unitarian in the sense in which I have observed it to be used by these learned ^ accurate , and judicious writers ^ .
On the other hand , the Arians , who since the publications of Dr . Price , seem to have abandoned the worship of Jesus Christ , do upon this ground claim the title of Unitarians , though they still continue to believe that Christ is the maker , preserver , and governor of the world , and all things in it ; that is , as I think ,
to every practical purpose , God . But if they chuse to assume the appellation of Unitarian in this novel sense of the word , I ] viiow of no law to prevent them from doing so . The only object tion is , that using an old word in a new signification ^ tends to produce confusion in language . At the same time I must
observe , that it is with an ill grace that these modern Arians com- ? plain of the Unitarians for with-holding that title from them , when they ' themselves by their new-coined definition , are compelled to deny this honourable appellation to Clark , and Whiston , and Chandler , and Benson ; and to all the great and leariTed Arians of the fast centurv .
Before 1 conclude this long epistle , I will just take occasion to observe , that the last century gave birth to a new denomination of Christians called the low Arians , - who believe the simple pre-existence of Christ , but deny that lie has any concern in the formation and government of the world ., or that he was
in ioinicr ages the medium ok divine dispensations to mankind , or that he is the object of religions worship . Now , however unaccountable or unscriptural tins notion may be , it certainly does not infringe the great doctrine of the unitv of God : and such persons may with great propriely , assume the name Oi Unitarians .
After all , it is the public voice , and not the inclination of tlie parties themselves winch must ultimately decide the nieai ) ii )< r of fc ¦ *• * See Theological Repository , Vol .. TV . p . 338 .
Untitled Article
200 JVfv \ Belsham's Strictures on Carpenter's Lectures .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1807, page 200, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2379/page/32/
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