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and were to be prefaced by a general review of the contrcveisy from the pen of Mr . Bel ? ham . Some conversation took place upon the propriety of keeping ¦ up the old sets of the tracts and of forming a new set . The members and their friends
afterwards dined together * ^ at the London Tavern ^ Bishopsgate Street , William Smith , Esq . M . P . in the chair ; the company consisting of about eighty persons . After the King , and the Unitarian Society had been given from the chair 3 Mr . Smith rose an 4 said , that he was
about to propose the health of & gentleman , xvhp&e name would be anticipated by the company , who , whether we considered . Jijs public or private character , the qualities of his head or those of bis hearty was entitled to our gratitude and . esteem r he proposed the name of Mr . Belskam * which was
received with peculiar cordiality . Mr . BeJsham thanked the company for such flattering approbation , and expressed himself happy in the consciousness of devoting his life to inquiry after religious truth , and bis joy at haying lived to see the principles which were tbe bond of union
there , pot merely embraced by speculative men in their closets but professed and acted upon by hundreds and thousands . He congratulated the meeting upon the new circumstances under which they now met : / they no longer existed by connivance , but enjoyed flie protection of law and the
countenance of government . T ney were under obligation be , reminded them , to all those that had exerted themselves , or yreve willing to ^ ve exerted themselves , if need had been qn behalf of Unitarians . The recovery of liberty was ho small boon . *? o Kiis
jyjajesty s government thanks were clue fiijr not opposing ; the measure : the great mass , of the country would have been well pleased tbat the Bill should have been thrown out . The greatest obligation of Unitarians , was however , due to the Chairman , who had
distinguished himself on every occasion ^ as t -c friend ^ of peace and lijbiert y ^ and jbad exerted himself most devotedly , uniting the greatest prudence , with toe itrarme ^ t zeau for the attainment of the object , the accomplishment Ot wliicjj wag that day celebrated , fie tiacrefore propi ^ U , The CMiffnaniand
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thanks to him for Ms sirenuottSyidboiieUi ana succesjul exertions in obtaining ffie repeal of the Penal Laws against Unild * rians . Great applause signified ^ tne " sympathy of the < Jompotfy \ u \ t \ k Mi * . Belsfiam id this prtVpr ^ sal . I ^/ r . Siniih expiessV < 5 himself grate - ful for this testiiiadDy of approbation : if he were entitled to thanks it was
rather for the will than the deed , or at least for prudence and discretion in the time and manner of making the application . It was of essential importance not unnecessarily to raise alarms and arouse opposition . He ( the Chairman ) had joined in the support 6 f tlie bill for the relief of Unitarians , proposed more than £ o years ago by Mr . Fox , If tbe battle had been to
be fought again in Parliament , they would all have had to regret the loas of ttiat invaluable adyocate of every thing dear in civil and religious libert y * tl ^ e loss of whom i ndeed they must ever regret . Mr . Fox was the ma ^ , wlien religious liberty was in oanger , to stand forth its giant chatnpioji 5
— ¦ . -si Pergama dextra Defendi possent , etiam hac defensa fuissent . Yet even he faited . fo the change of the times then they owed their success . They had very little more to do than to stand by as spectat 6 rs . l
Mr . Smith then pjr 6 ceeoe ¥ i to ^ op . sicier himself as addreHsifig thfe cotopany not nierely as itFnitariians , but in t he more general character pf Prdt ^ s * tapt Jpfssenters : ancl as Wotl&feAt Dissenters without re ^ aVd tc > thei t
owa peculiar tenets , they , in eanrn ^ teiicy > , must coiisicter ever ^ bar to Irfte prombtvott of truth ta'ken a ^ ray , $ & \ cause of rejoicii ^ . They iieitfeer wished for oppqiiitidn to opinions
fi'ooi the ai-m of the magi > tt ^ te , pot ilesired , thk ' t fstHlitious BT ^ rpijortt tf&t authority kivea to ^ triith . Tjhey Hoped to see jt f . i tlie remainiugrVstra eonscifeuce' removed ; and eV ^ ih Brayed ttiat « nacktes ^ m ^ t 1 S ^ YalcW W f ^ tti sMOh ( alluilitW to tfffiefle 9 ertf } m « i « e against tn ' eir mos ^^ afeMte ^ rWdipl ^ . m& to
^ tte Chairman ilttld ea t ^ c Ul % lately ISroutht ill Htf . vfKi&Ui ^ faVoui ; of Pr ^ BtMj ^ T ^ ie ^ Wj ^ had done them so miichh ' oiibur , Bw , ^ oed be / t ^ re SejatiSfr $ pW $ & * « pon ii * all , by thle Corpo ^ atioh awd Test M ** c ^^ MffixMVi ^
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252 Intelligence . — Unitarian Society .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1814, page 252, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2439/page/52/
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