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let us bear Mr . Belsham , whose reflections ate entitled to the serious consideration of such ministers as sacrifice to prudence more than to truth ;— - .
" Upon this occasion Mr . Lindsey , by trie advice of Dr . Jehb and his Cambridge friends , but as he soon discovered -without due consideration of the subject , pledged
himself in pretly strong language , not to introduce disputed points into his public discourses . " Far will it be from my purpose , ' says he , " ever to treat of controversial matters from
this place . " But if popular and pernicious errors are not to be combated , and if the plain , simple doctrine of Christianity is not to be taught from the pulpit , it is difficult to say how public attention is to be excited : how the mass of hearers
are to be instructed , and how truth is to make its way . In fact it appears , that where public teachers have confined themselves to mere moral instruction and have either not touched at all upon Christian
doctrine , or have veiled their real opinions under ambiguous language , the consequence has often been , that the teacher , by reading and reflection has become enlightened , while the heater has been left in darkness v J" * - > * Jt \^^^» * V- * ¦ M . M . n ^ + * J P ^ Vs ^ AA J V- * ¦ « - / M U . M . Vld-m l ^ tlV ^ U ^ «
the preacher has reformed his speculative creed , while the headers have retained all the erroneous and unscriptural notions which their pastor has long ago renounced . And as a natural consequence , when
a vacancy has occurred , a successor has not unfrequently been appointed whose system has been directly opposite to that of the person who immediately preceded him . Those who hold sentiments to which they give the pompous name of orthodox or evangelical , never decline to
avow their systems in the most manly and explicit manner . And they do right , while they believe those sentiments to be true and important . -How wn £ > ecomuig then is -it , for those , who l > Q } d a better and a purer faith , to shrink from the public pro-
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fession and defence of it , and to leave the adversary master of the field . It is a silly objection which is ttrged by some weak , or timid , or indolent ^ I will not say interested , persons , that speculative preaching , as they
call it , tends to diminish a serious and pious disposition , and to promote a sectarian spirit . As to the latter part of the objection , let them read Sir George Savile ^ s remark upon the subject of sectaries : and with respect to the former , I confess I could never see how the
increase of knowledge had a tendency to produce deterioration of practice ; and he would be a very injudicious teacher who did not combine practical exhortation with doctrinal instruction .
" Yesterday , " says Mr . Lindsey , in a letter to Dr . Jebb , dated May 23 , " 1 ventured to deviate from the idea which you and my friends with you seemed to entertain as right , of preaching merely practical discourses , and enlarged with much earnestness on John xvii . 3 . I find
it was acceptable to many , and that it was even looked for that I shoulfl sometimes treat upon the great object and principle on which our new church is formed , in order to coiVfirm some that are already come out , and awaken others to come out of
Babylon . But I . expect the greatest effects , by and by , through the nation , from the thunder of your ' s , of Mr . * s , and Mr . ' s apologies , for you can never go out in mute silence , and without bearing your testimonies against her witchcraft and idolatries . " pp . 115—119 .
Amongst Mr . Lindsey ' s earliest hearers ^ are found several distinguished names ; Sir George Savile , Mr . Serjeant Ariair , Mr . DotUon . Sir Barnard Turner- ' Mr .
Leake , atttt Mrs . Rayner . 'Of this lady ! , a nenr relation at tr / e Ddchc ^ s of N \; rthumberl 4 n ( i 4 ^ of Lord "( S wydir , Mr . BelsJ ^^ n ^ s given an interesting sketch aftu ^ ph we cannot pass over i : — ' , i
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Rcbiew . —Belshams Memoirs of Lindsev . 341
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VOL . VIII . 2 Y
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1813, page 341, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2428/page/57/
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