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Cffxly regarcj his fijrst begotten son a $ $ o * rve thing more than mortal . And , if it sirapTy implied the humanity of the Messiah , our orthodox brethren "would maintain their right to the term ; arnl contend that while they worshiped him as Divine , they still delighted to feel with him as human .
We come now to matters of more importance . You proceed , *« If is ijie interest of these men to speak of the Christian religion as comprised in a few plain doctrines , and containing nothing not intelligible at the first hearing to the narrowest capacities- ** And you then proceed after some further observations on the
scantiness of our faith , to inveigh against the supposition of the plainness and simplicity of the gosj > cl . St . P aul , you observe , though he teaches us * * < c that in the religion of Christ there is milk for babes : vet informs
us at the same time , tnat there is meat for strong men ! and , to the like purpose , oue of the Fathers lias observed , that in the New Testament there are shallows where the lamb may ford , and depths where the
elephant must swim . " You eloquently dilate on the great treasures of knowledge and of wisdom which the Scriptures contain—on mighty truths which are to fill and dilate
the understanding—on the riches of Ohrisft which no research can exhaust . £ kiU [ % is exceedingly difficult to comprehend any definite object to > vhich you refer , and still le-s u > discern the path b y which we arj to elinib to the sublimiiies you dimly unfold . " We understand a grandeur in the words but not t )> ' words . "
It seems that you mean to assort that there are truths in the Scriptures which the unlearned canuoi discoversecluded springs of more holy inspiration which the philosopher alone can vt / it . Supposing this tluorv to luue any truth—or rather ihi ^ rhapsody to have any meaning—how can it pospossibly affect the truth or falsehood of the Unitarian creed ? Those
doctrines which the opposer of the Trinity rejects , supposing them to be true , are neither hid from the vulgar iu > r understood b y the learned . A child , who is verseci in his catechism , knows 3 S much respecting tire Trinity as the lijottt . laborious divine . To receive as * P . 5 B .
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mere matters of fajtbj all xh % $ pcrine £ of the Qtiurch of l £ nglan * l aa enlarged understanding is requisite . TJ [ ie humblest of the orthodox who Relieves in the union of two natures in the Saviour ' s person- ^ T-in the vicarious efficacy of hisideajrh—and in the supernatural influences of his spirit—rbecause he tljinks ( he word of txod
asserts them , has just the same portion of knowledge with yourself , respecting these mysteries . Those tvbp have hitherto defended them , have asserted that they were matters which , in this world , at least could not be understood by mortals . They gloried that the ignorant and the wise were ^ in respect of these things , neariv h } the same relative condition . Thev
have rather spoken of them with , a solemn reverence as subjects which the most powerful mind could not grasp nor the acutest understanding explain . They have even he . er > accut-tomed to regard the understanding as too cold and earthlv a power to appreciate them , and have appealed rather for their testimony immef > ia-tejy to the heart and the aflections . For
the evidences of these doctrines they have sometimes condescended to apply to the reason ; but for their he-rghth and depth and measure—r-for all beyond a simple belief in them a > re < - vealcd — they have rather checked than impelled inquiry . In paint of Jact 9 \ here is nothing in orttno ^ qjcy fc& understand which the Unitarian does
not believe . All that we reject consists of objects which , to those who receive them , are materials not of knowledge but of faith and hope , excitements to the believer not to penetrate into the hidden things of God , but , at distance , to love an < $ adore him .
If I rightly understand your accti * - sat ion against Umtarianism , it is , lha . t it excludes those <} octrine , $ of O 4 ir religion which the most profound understandings alone cap conxpr . ehend , or in the fi ^ npHive language } Qu prefer , ' * the dppths where the , ?} xt
phant n \ ust swim / ' And the plain answer I make is that . there ,, is ng $ pftf of the doctrines it <] ei » i-es pf wiiiph the hig hest iutdlect can . undcrstaqd any thing ; lhat ia respect to ( ttif depths you allude to , ^ Vie . ^| ep | i ^ yj # and the launb , are precisely ixv 4 Qf !^ rno condition ; and that eopseqi ^ c ^ tfy the re is ho food for ^ iUp -rational powers
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pk $ Qn Utiierufge * * ^/ Qck an the Un Uqriaris contenn ed in Jin Se con d I < # y Sermon-
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1817, page 214, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2463/page/22/
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