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Untitled Article
I ons of candour and moderation , they would learn , that the Unitarians of the eighteenth century were a set of daring innovators , in religion , ** to whom the novelty of a doctrine was a recommendation to their acceptance , " and who were
" most bold when they were most blind ; " who held doctrines which , " if ^ they were ttue men not only deceived themselves but were deceived by their Maker : " that they professed indeed to believe in Christianity , and some eminent writers among them " published many tracts to prove its divine origin , but it may be questioned whether they did not make as many unbelievers as converts . ** That while they assumed the name of Christians , " thev took no inconsiderable pains to lessen the Author of our religion , " not merely in " his personal dignity , but in his moral excellences , and his qualifications as a teacher sent from God / * and that 6 tf the followers of Mahomet entertain a higher respect and veneration for their supposed prophet , than thes £ disciples of Jesus do for their Lord and Master . " That * ' they so lowered their ideas of inspiration as to allow only
a small part of the scriptures to be inspired of God , and to have left it uncertain where that part is to be . --found ;" That CQ they call in question the genuineness" of large portions of the New Testament , " principally because they contain * ' a narative which they dislike . And that they alleged '' certain vague and general charges of interpolations ; and mistranslations of the scripture ,., the tendency of which was to lessen that value and veneration for them which it- is the duty and interest of every Christian to indulge , " and all
this because they were ^ conscious that the plain and obvious language . of . the sacred writings was not favourable to their system . " My worthy friend may , and no doubt does think this to be a very fair and unexaggerated description of his Unitarian contemporaries ., but I can assure him that the Unitarians themselves will by no means subscribe to the correctness of the representation . And if posterity a thousand years hence should know no more of Unitarians than they would learn train
my friend ' s book , I have no hesitation in saying that they would labour under a gross mi sconce ptipn both of their principles and their character . Let us then make some allowance for that € C ancient heretic" Maroioix , and let us believe , as in all reason and candour we ou ght , that he might have something , more to say for himself and for his principles than liis opponents aiuj revilers have said for him . The worthy author proceeds ( p . 118- ) to draw the following
Untitled Article
Mr . Belsham * * Strictures on Carpenters Lectures . 371
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1807, page 371, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2382/page/31/
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