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to the first principles of Christianity and Protestantism , and to the eternal laws of truth , as well as to every principle of Christian humility and charity . " Pp » iv . v . The following thoughts on " Subscription , " are worthy of serious consideration : tf It is an idea which has forcibly taken possession of his mind , that a subscription to articles of religion which are not believed , as the condition of obtaining any worldly advantage—the subscription to and
repetition of creeds which are so tar from being the actual creed of the subscriber or repeater , that he hiniself is sentenced by them to everlasting perdition—above all , professing" to worship the God of Truth , when the heart is at variance with the lips ,
- —if it be not that specific crime for the commission of which two persons were stricken dead by an apostle , is a species of crime comprehended under that generic character wh ^ ch is laid down by the apostle to excite a suitable horror on this awful
. " If there be any foundation for this apprehension , if moTa . 1 evils of this nature actually exist , as soon as their existence is generally known and adverted to , it is presumed that the integrity of the nation will be as steadily directed to the means of removing them , as the benevolence of the nation was to the means of effecting the abolition of the slave-trade . The causes
are obvious 5 the remedies may be applied with perfect facility , and they cannot , tfrom the nature of things ( foF they are agreeable , to the nature of things which has been obstructed only because they were not applied before ,, they cannot ) be attended with any inconvenience whatever . " Such changes have been produced in men ' s religious opinions by that great innovator Tt 7 ne that , notwithstanding some symptoms of a Retrograde march of mind to the darkest ages , the understanding of a man cannot be moulded into an acquiescence in * the infallibility of thje composers of our articles and liturgy , or of the mfallibilitt ' of Elizabeth and her parliament ,
under whonr they received the sanction of ? l $ w , or of Charts the Second and His parliament , by whom this sanction was- coti " firmed . The absurdity of a similar esta * - blishment in medicine every person wpuld < immediately perceive j and it is presumed that fe ^ jv physicians at present , whatever , * BJ £ h t have bee , n the case ainong jtlji fl an-< Jent Egyptians , would submit to be members of such ail establishment / Institutions
¦ opposed useful in certain circumstances Wt that the utility of sanctioning by law AUipan creeds or ( mman articles io ^ any wumstaHcea *» fusfcnowledged ) may sur ~ ** vt their utility . It is hard to conceive
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that some hundreds of propositions on the most abstruse points of theology , should for centuries constitute the faith of so many thousands as from some motive or other are induced to subscribe what are called the thirty-nine articles . < K An alarming , and a justly to be dreaded effect of this adherence to ancient establish "
ments is , that it will probably lead to attempts to bring down the standard of ? norality to human institutions , instead of endeavouring to raise human institutions to the standard of morality . And if this be not a national corruption of raorals , what is ? " Pp . v . vii .
Dr . Estlin considers , and we think justly , that he only is a Church-man ; 'who believes the Athanasian Creed . < c It would seem to be a question of easy solution , what is it which constitutes a churchman ? Can it be any thing else than a belief in the creeds and articles of the cfturchy manifested by a correspondent conduct ? It is true a man may profess himself a churchman , without this belief .
It is equally true , a man who disbelieves the divine mission of our Saviour , or even an Atheist , may profess himself a Christian . " A churchman , then , is one who em * braces the following creed . ** Whosoever will be saved , before all things it is
necessary that he hold the Catholic faith . Which faith , except every one do . keep whole and undehled , without doubt he shall perish everlastingly / ' A man who believes this may undoubtedly , consistently with re- ; ligious integrity , read it or join in it , and be a member of a church of * which this
forms a constituent part . But nothing appears clearer to the compiler of these forms of prayer , than that the person > vho attends the service of the church without believing this , is by profession a church- ; man , but in principle a dissentejr . 'l P . " us .
The author expresses himself very strongly , I 31 H who will say too strongl y j > oii Dr . Paley ' s celebrated chapter \ txthe Moral Philosophy . * ' The writer of these , remarks wishes .
however , to add one word more on tne subject of religious integrity . It is with the sentimferit . of disapprobation that nei gfclway mtfds Pr . Pale * y ' s Chapter on lAes It is witn' unspeakable pain that hte r ^ sds ffimt on Oaths to observe local Statutes .
It is with horror that- 'he Teatte tfft&tf otaf Subscription to sfrtides of Religion . Kx ^ cellent as-the works of this author - are' in geaeral , it appears to him , that . n \ thoW instances he has surrendered t& £ citadel ^ truth . The united exertions of nieno * religious integrity , from all denomination * of Christians , J * e trusts vt ' \\\ bqo ^ re g 3 Ja : & » Farther ttu * ^ cfvuim ^ atiniC yvrilm iWvM ;
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Dr . Estlin s General Prayer-Book * Q 4 ti
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tOL . XJ , % X
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1816, page 341, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2453/page/33/
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