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    them all ; though I would rather the defence of them had been undertaken by an abler hand . But as I have not been convinced by any thing contained in that paper , and as no other writer has yet come forward to answer it in a satisfactory manner , allow me , Sir , to state to you the principal reasons which induce yne still to believe in those theological and philosophical doc - trines , which are now represented as extremely absurd . The attack made by our new opponent is > conducted in a manner totally different from that which we have been accustomed to

    expect from zealous churchmen . Instead of threatening us with eternal perdition if we persist in our heresy , he smiles with contempt at the absurdity of our

    ci ~ eed ; yet informs jis he ? floes not mean to insinuate that a religion which is not entitled to the character of rational > cannot be true / ' Absurdity then , it seems , n > ay fc # perfectly consistent with truth , and the obje ^ jt of this wri - ter is not to shew that our tenets are false , but that they arc . irra ~ tionah Very condescending to pur prejudices and tender of our feelings ! In return for such a

    concession , we would recommend to him a similar principle of conduct m the affairs of the world : 1 mean , that the most foolish and preposterous undertaking will very probably succeed . Why may

    he not act upon this principle in his secular concerns , as well as admit that what is absurd in re * ligiou may notwithstanding be true A ? churchman has stated six important points of doctrine as maintained by jfao . mo $ t eminent

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    Unitarians' and pronounces then * absurd . With his permission , I shall endeavour to repel this charge , only premising that it would be extremely unreasonable

    to expect that every difficulty should be completel y removed . And should I succeed in obviating his objections , or diminishing their force , I shall next attempt briefly to shew the unreasonableness of orthodox Christianity , of Deism and of Atheism . The first of these doctrines is

    44 that the scriptures are full y equal to complete instruction in religion , though not inspired . " To shew the absurdity of this tenet , * ' a churchman" observes that the fir&t followers of Jesus

    ** were rude and ignorant men , ** and that such persons t 4 are very little capable of storing a discourse in their minds , aj ^ d reporting it with precision and accura- ? cy . " But if the memoirs of Christ be worthy o / any degree of credit , they heard the same doctrines so often inculcated ,

    that they could not totaJ ty forget them . They were of such immense importance , and engrossed so much of their attention that they would naturally form the subject of

    their frequent conversations . They would thus mutually refresh each other ' s memory respecting what they had heard ; and if the views entertained by Unitarians be just the doctrines inculcated were so

    fe *\ v and plain , the duties-so reasonable and so evidently conducive to the general welfare of society , that they would easily re « member and ** report them with sufficient precision and accuracy . " Was it likely thai the itnmediu , £ e followers of ivsn % t ») aOy \ &

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    422 JU 7 \ Allchin ^ Answer to the CJiurchman *

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1808, page 422, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2395/page/22/