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the supreme God , and affirms , that Jesus Christ was the sou of Joseph and Mary , born in holy wedlock like any other man . For this doctrine he was cited to appear in an ecclesiastical court by the King ' s procurator-general , and till lately at the instigation , it was supposed , of some private persons . After
the usual delays of these courts , the cause came to the point , when Mr . Stone was either by himself or council to speak in his own defence . He chose the former , and in a speech of two hours defended himself , considering his advanced age , being upwards of seventy years old , in a
firm , noble and dignified manner . The whole of his defence rested upon these two points ; firsc , that he preached the truth as it is in scripture ; secondly , that he preached agreeably to the solemn vow , made in the sight of God , the bishop , clergy , and laity at his
ordination . That he preached the truth agreeably to scripture , he gave sufficient proof by a variety of passages , taken from the old and new testaments ; and there can * not be a doubt , that he preached agreeably to his ordination vow , since that vow pressed on him the obligation to preach in sincerity , whatever appeared to him to be the truth in God's word .
He drew , what appeared to him , a just distinction between the churches of England and Rome ; namely , that while the latter claims infallibility , the former acknowledges the faliibity of councils and churches , and could therefore not mean ta assert infallibility to her articles . He was open to conviction ; and , if any
thing he had uttered , was contrary to God ' s word , he begged to have such error pointed out to him , and he wss ready to revoke it : hut to say that he was wrong , merely because he denied a doctrine , as explained in the articles , was claiming for those articles an
authority , which was derogatory to the words and command of our master Jesus Chmt . Jriis appeal to the situation of his bishop , with one foot in the grave like himseU 9 and who must shortly appear at the great tribunal of the great bishop of the flock , affected the whole audience : and he concluded his oration
with a well turned compliment to his judge , his junior at the same college , ? or his conduct in civil matters , though he disclaimed the propriety of his interference in questions , which required the learning and judgment of grave divines , »» d serioui Christians .
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It was indeed a very affecting scene , A clergyman , upwards of seventy ; year * of age , addressing a court , df which the greater part of the members were very miich his juniors , and had beet *
educated in the same university , nahu ;* ly Oxford . After the defence ; we were naturally curious to hear the reply of the council against him : when tare * doctors attacked it , one with a degree of virulence and acrimony , which the
occasion by no means required , and which the sight of Un ag * ed clergyman , so much his superior in learning an 4 years , might have repressed . But these doctors blinked the sacred part of the question completely . JBvery \^ ord they uttered , would have suited a JicatbeB
temple , and a Roman proconsul * sitting in judgment upon a Christian martyr , or a supposed heretic , standing before the Inquisition . They did not trouble themselves whh the question , whether Mr . Stone had acted , as a true minister of Christ ought to do ; but , whether he had maintained any opinion contrary tQ
the thirty-nine articles . In this thef seenred to have acted wisely s but thgtf brought forward one point , which we were not so well prepared to hear . This was , that the prosecution was not in * stituted by the bishop , nor by any private man or set of men , whos £ organ the prosecutor was ; Jbut the prosecution
was sec on foot , aud carried on py the State , " and the proctor acted for the State , in the same manner as the attorney-general prosecuted in cases of high treason . The prosecution ~ thu $ , wears a very different aspect , and may be considered > as a test of the opinion maintained on sacred subjects by the higher powers , or of a new era in the
history of the church of England , which has hitherto , or at least for upward * of a hundred years , allowed a very great latitude to its ministers . As a proof of this we need only refer to the writing * of Hoadly , Clarke , bishop Law , the present bishops Wai son and J ? rcttyman , and many others .
After the three council had finished their harangues , the judge summed up very concisely the whole of the process , declaring , that . the facts were clearly proved > and that nothing remained for him to do , but to proclaim the sentence of the court : unless the defendant
revoked his errors ; and he gave him \ o tl > at day wee& for the purpose , chargiqg him to appear qn that day , and assuring him , that unless he appeared , an 4 re *
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Stated / Public Affair ** &f 5
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1808, page 275, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2392/page/47/
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