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diator between the Creator and his creatures . He is placed as a champion to resist the encroachment of heresy and infidelity . He warns his flock against innovation and intrepidity of thinking . The adversary is silent before him . With
other men 1 may argue ; but , if I attempt to discuss a subject freely and impartially with him , it is construed a personal , insult . Thus the circumstances of every day tend to confirm in him a dogmatical , imperious , illiberal and intolerant character . " V
I will not make any further rewarks upon these extracts , but leave them to the cool and dispassionate consideration of those sincere minds , who feel an interest in the progressive improvement , the virtue and happiness of all classes of men .
44 am a man ; and nothing is indifferent to me , that concerns the human kind . " " Let us go on to perfection . " - Your ' s , &c . G . G . FORDHAM .
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On the Necessity of preaching a * gainst Political Immoralities * "To give religion her unbridled scope . " COWPER . Sir , It has frequently occurred to
me as a highly interesting and useful subject of enquiry , how far the ministers of religion are justified in so seldom entering upon the discussion of matters connected with politics in their discourses from the pulpit . I am aware that it has become
fashionable to attach a degree of odium to those preachers , who Venture , even by allusion , to meddle with our national affairs : but seeing the influence maintained over private morals by the examples and
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conduct of public life , it appears to me that no apostle of Jesus can be worthy of his calling , who , to avoid that odium , neglects so important apart of his duty . It is not by any means my intention to call in question the
propriety of the zeal manifested , among the sects , to disseminate the peculiar creeds which they severally profess ; on the contrary , 1 am ready to acknowledge , that it is laudable to endeavour to impress others with a conviction of what
we ourselves conceive to be important truths . But , 1 believe , it will now be pretty generally admitted that the differences of Christians are of infinitely less moment
than their agreements ; that the doctrines of transubstantiation , of original sin and of the pre-existence or divinity of Christ , ( doctrines which may for ever continue to be maintained and dis
puted , ) are unworthy to be placed on a level with those simple , yet grand and indisputable principles , which teach us to regulate our passions , to judge our fellow-men
with candour , and on all occasions , " to do unto others as we would that they should do unto us / ' Now , while many preachers devote more than enough of
the time of themselves and their hearers to controversial disputation , I know of none who , according to my judgment , enlarges sufficiently on these principles or ( which I think of still greater importance , ) gives a sufficient latitude to the application of them .
Nor let it be supposed that I wish to see the pulpit used to promote the views of a political party ; far from it ; this would only tend to degrade the institution and , in many oases , to justify what it was erected to con-
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Ofc the Necessity of preaching against Political Immoralities . 379
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1813, page 379, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2429/page/23/
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