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Untitled Article
present correspondent , his hopes -will be fully and satisfactorily answered . With sentiments of gratitude to those of your correspondents that are no *
bushfighters ;—with a sincere wish , that all the defenders of truth may openly avow it , not only in the pulpit , but in giving their own signatures to their communications ;—and with an ardent
desirethat the Repository may increase in circulation , as well as useful . nessj I am , Yours , &c .
THOMAS DAVIS . 1 . If Unitarianism ( L e . the doctrine of the proper unity and unrivalled supremacy " of God , and
of the proper or simple humanity of Christ ) is the doctrine of the gospel , is it not therefore to be plainly taught and inculcated from the pulpit ?
2 . Should the above be answered in the affirmative , it is further asked , How long can an Unu tarian minister remain with a
congregation , wittiout making his sentiments known to the same , consistent with a principle of common honesty , not to speak of Christian integrity ?
3 * It may be answered to the last query , that the prejudices , fee . of the audience are to be considered ; and every one is to determine for himself , and to act as his situation or circumstances
require ; and that every discretionary person will divulge the truth gradually , as he sees the people able to bear it , &c . &c . Sec . — Ujxjrti this is grounded my third query . If one degree of prej udiee is a satisfactory reason that a minister should conceal his sentiments for ^ for instance , one year-
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will not six such degrees of prejudice be as good and satisfactory a reason for another to conceal them for six years ? And ? if any one could prove that his
audience possessed such prejudices , that would as well justify him in concealing his opinions through lift } as the prejudices of another audience justified its minister for concealing hisfor one or six ye # rs
what reply could be made ? Qr coi ^ ld he be called timid or insin * cere , more than a person who conceals bis sentiments for only one year ^ because of the above reasons ?
4 ? , What is meant by the phrase , cc speaking the truth by degrees Y * 5 . Is not the practice ot giving a sermon upon particular disputed
points , for instance , once in six or twelve months , a justification of this conclusion , that such persons do not wish to convince their
audience , or to prove that they are not afraid of declaring their sentiments ?^ 6 . Do not those ministers , who seldom or never preach their
peculiar tenets , most plainly acknowledge that they are not of much importance , and that they belong more particularly to useless speculation than beneficial
practice ? 7 . It is generally , at least by many , be ] ieved , that those who exercise great caution in preach *
ing the truth ; to speak more plainly , that those who conceal the greatest part of their belief , are more successful than the open , unrfserved avowers of
Unitarianism . Now , does not matter of fact loudly declare in this manner , that those who conceal their sentiments , after preaching for probably half a century to the samt
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On Preaching Unitarianism . 487
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1810, page 287, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2405/page/15/
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