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    them ancL . tp xiis own family , and strongly Tec ^ rrimeis& ed to ; their' practice the excellent ' itaorality of the gos * - pel . " ( P . ^ 134 . ) ' ¦' •' - ¦ While Mr . ' IDay thus formed a church in his own housf , in which he led the ^ devotionsancfr filled the office of a Christian instructor , the question naturally arises Whether he could

    satisfy himself with * the liturgy as it is stiller established on the credit of the theological wisdom of the sixteenth century . I think he could not , and I ground my opinion on the sentiments which occur in . his political pamphlet published in 1784 , ^ and entitled , The Inters of Miirius . "The three first letters are addressed to * his friend I ) n

    Jebb , in . which the following passages are introduced for the purpose of illustrating some political opinions . At page 3 , he s ^ ea ^ ks of l ( a saving faith , according tof the true orthodox form of Credo qtiia unpossibile . " At page 13 , is the following passage : " I have often tnqueht it a

    wonderful fallacy of some divines to depreciate human reason in order to exal ^ religion : for unless , that religion be imparted by particular inspiration to every individual , > vl > at other metr \ od is there of establishing it , than proofs

    adapted to hisj reascm ? The more therefore x y , oti convince him of the weakness an ^ l fal | it > ijity of that faculty , the more you jnust incline him , were Ive consistent , to < Jouut his power of judging concerning the particular

    evidence you propose /* He adds , p . 15 : 4 € Here is tfce general fallacy both of divines and politicians : both begin by teaching you to distrnst yourself , and address ^ themselves , if I may use the expression * to the hypocondriacism ~ ¦ , . * ' ' . ir . il . -x TCri us ' * - ( T ; of human , nature . When their representations have succeeded to' a certain degree , they give you to

    understand that the onl y pure for all your evils is to adopt their ' own particular system of faith or government . " The ffollowin ^ pas sage , p . £ bntai ™ la ^ Mage > orthy of ail ei ^ i ^ Aen-** ^ m £ % r need n ?\* te . h ( ? 7 congenial to the views ot . tnat . exccllent m > . u . to . 'vvh . om , these letters were

    A A ¦" ' ' A ' ' ' ' * '' ' ' ™ m w faffV . / fj « m $ t $$° * . ° t *> . ?» . «\ M $% ^^ jsp ^ f jii ? ** " - skives , to me reason jpt men and propa-^^ l ^^^ ^^ W ^ W ^ rW « »

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    enjoyments of sense ; they submitted to every ^ insult ; they ' refused the ottered benefits of their friends , and depre ^ cated only by prayers and blessrn ' o-s ' the i ' -Hialice- of thei ^ enemies . But mark the change ^ l ^^ I ^ e instant n

    royal convert has giteri 'the clergy entrance to a court ,-ttiey abjure every principle of their reKgfori . ' Then- we rose sight of a suffering , and begin the Gtk' of a triumphant church . The imrnediate successors ? of fishermen mid

    mechanics consent to be clothed in purple and scarlet , i'to- wallow in all the sensmilities of the * most abafhdoned age * atid countrVyaiid ^ to disgrace the simplicity of the' most spiritual religion , by the-wr ites and ceremonies ot

    the grossest . The power of consulting about the interpretation of tlit ? articles of their religion , whiclt-wasexpressly given . to the whole body , of Christiaus ^ i | 9 ^ in . if ft ^ ihpee ! time , monopolized by the clergy ; and the power of phoosHig their pastors and bishops , a ri g ht ; equally deducible from equity , htslbry reason , and the scriptures , taken from the laity , and shared between the hierarehy and the civil power . " And tjiis system of practice and belief , so grossly adulterafcecL so totally unlike trj e original , is callea Christianity , an ^ ehforeed by ra ^ , and flames and ^ g ibbets ; the . ancient ' supporters of civih and now the weU come ^ aU ^ cilia ^ ies of ecclesiastical power . VVnat n \ ay we suppose would have been the stale of Christianity , at

    the present hour , \ had not the dawng and original gehiuV " of Luther reduced it something nearet to its original principles in the sixteenth century ? What ihay Vire suppose will be its state in the twentieth ^ should no new liiither arise to teich oiir clergy the distance between tWe house of the Lord and the courts o ^ j > nnces , the diftereiice between ' the service of God

    and mammon ?** Mr . Day presently supposes an objector to exclaiai , , y <> are > vritin S upon government ^ nd , ( political liberty , why ' ( then' deviate to the abuses M and corruptions df Chrtstianity ? He ? nsiVers ' , " b ^ cav » 8 » i the ii fetO ry of CntisV ia ^ nity , a > eHect aria T&ordbd tiyf&r c 6 AidW- «^ f < « S tftufe ; 4 * fflfe * j - lustration in the universe ^ C . ^ -wff i * & M IMi ^ fWn . '; * %$ & if 'h « O ttite ftJ # l # l ^* TOSr heawMp / w w €# ¦ ? r ; - '

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    332 Mr . Day ' s Religious Opinions .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1816, page 382, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2454/page/10/