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Untitled Article
opnilus Lindsey , I £ fifirely , accorded . I had the happiness for many years to profit by his ministry , and to enjoy his friendshi p ^ which I shall e ver consider as a great
privilege and honour . Wishing to promote the cause of genuine Christianity , I joined the Unitarian Book Society , and believe it has dtone much good . So far , therefore * I Jiave withdrawn from the Church established . I find ,
llorwever , that I shall not therefore be acknowledged as a genuine Dissenter by any class of Dissenters uow existing . And if , as has l > een asserted by persons of high authority among them , the proper characteristic of a Dissenter is an
aversion to , and condemnation of , not only the present establishment , but all national establishments of religion , whatever they may be , I freely declare , that I am no Dissenter in this sense of the word . With
the government of the church , I do not think myself , in my private station , called upon or warranted to interfere , nor indeed to have any personal concern with it . My objections lie to the Trinitarian and Calvinistic tenets introduced
into her forms and liturgy : were they removed , I could conscien ^ tioualy return to her communion * For I cannot but regard the objections alleged by the old Puritans as very insufficient to warrant
their separation ; and that , while they laid a great and undue stress upon matters of little moment , they were themselves deeply in-VolVed in error and fanaticism ,
united with a want of charity , and the same disposition to persecute , when in power , which they so loudly complained of in their opponents . It appeared to me necessary to
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say thus mufcfe fry w&y « f intm-< hi £ tiotf . I 116 W pro&edf t& the purpose of my letter , wnich is , to explain tbe reason * that deter
me , thotfgh * £ zealous Uniteerisn ^ from uniting myself to the TJnitarian Fund Society , of which you a ! re so Warm stod : active a prombf ^ r : at frd f trust the ca « n dicr&r
arid impartiality you profess will be evinced by admitting my fetter into the Mtfntbly Repository * It s £ ems t& the that t \ v& sorts of
ministers a * fc requisite itr tire : Chrrsti&n ctiurch , whose province ^ are different ; and fchafe excellence inboth : is Seldom fouftdln the sai » e
person . The first , m ^ n tif sttidy , well versed in the languages in which the scriptures are written ^ and in every thing that may tend to elticidate themv Uptfh their report the unlearned in those languages must depend * la cases where the learned are divided in
their opinions , the unlearned must be doubtful ; when the former generally concur in any interpretation the latter may be more confident . Another class of ministers
is best adapted to convey religious instruction to the multitude \ and may ^ as English scholars onl y ^ be very welHnfbrrnierd ; be Acquainted with the best commentators , and furnished with etfery other requisite for their office * Ndw I can ^ -
nbt fcdnceiv ^ that the plan ddopted by the Uhitariah Fund Sbeiety , of teaching a few persons something of Hebrew and Greek for a short time , Can tend t& any thing fatlt to make thetn isniktei-ers arid
pedants ; full of a conceit of that sort of knowlbdge ^ without the reali ty ; which , afcdftld it fhducfe 1 ^ m to ^ ritier ittt d fctaiteste with ^ ble adversaries , such contests may end in their confu 3 ion > and porhaps
Untitled Article
^ 2 O Objection fd the Unitdri&n Tun&
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1813, page 320, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2428/page/36/
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