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towards the general interests of the cause ; but what name , then , shall we o-ive it , since the Unitarian church remains in debt , and deficient of ministers , \ # hen its members have the means , with great ease to themselves ,
of providing for both , and it is not done 5—when a body of 50 , 000 Dissenters ( and they have been estimated much higher ) possess no other fund for general purposes than the diminutiveisum of 400 Z . per annum , chiefly
arising from legacies ; and that , with an indolent sort of benevolence , they only give when distress grows clamorous , and then the aid being partial and ineffectual , disheartens both the giver and the receiver ?
Disposed , however , to believe that it is not want of zeal , much less of liberality , but solely of conviction , which retards the application of the remedy , I beg to solicit the attention of Unitarians to the following considerations : ——
The half of 50 , 000 penny-a-week subscriptions , would amount to upwards of 5000 L per annum ; but the half of that sum would render the Unitarian cause flourishing as to its finances , compared with what it is . In a twelvemonth , scarcely a debt
would remain upon any society ; neVv chapels might be erected ; whilst a sum would by degrees accumulate , for the purpose of educating and paying of missionaries , increasing the salaries of ministers ; and societies would no longer feel disheartened , nor contribute
by their debts and poverty , to deter men of unprejudiced minds from joining them , which , I have not a doubt , has happened ; for , to change to an unpopular religion , and be taxed for it too , cannot but create an hesitation , highly favourable to the cause of orthodoxy . If this calculation be deemed too
sanguine , let it be remembered that it supposes but 12 , 000 subscribers ; if deemed admissible , let it prevail upon some of the able Correspondents in the Monthly Repository and Christian
Reformer , to bring the subject frequently into notice and discussion , which , I trust , will not fail to recommend Fellowship Funds to general approbation and adoption . DENARIUS ,
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Society for the Relief of Aged and Infirm Dissenting Ministers , 6 B 7
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Sir , SOME of your readers are already aware that a Society has lately been formed in London , for the Relief of Aged and Infirm Dissenting Ministers belonging to the T / iree Denominations , ( as they are called , )
Presbyterian , Independent and . Baptist * The importance of such a design to a highly deserving and very compassionable class of persons , and to our general interests as Dissenters , cannot , I think , be questioned ; nor can any liberal mind be displeased to see different denominations of our brethren
meeting on a common ground , and , without compromising their own individual opinions in regard either to doctrine or discipline , cordially agreeing to carry into effect a most benevolent object . But as the term Presbyterian has of late become somewhat
ambiguous , and the reason of its adoption , as including Unitarians , may not , at first sight , be apparent to every one , I beg leave to say a very few words on that head . It has happened , that , for a series of years , Dissenters have been recognized by the
government of the country as distributed into the three classes , Presbyterian , Independent and Baptist . And * in point of fact , it is certain , that Unitarian ministers , for instance , such distinguished individuals amongst them as Mr . Belsham and Mr . Aspland ,
belong to the General Body of Dissenting Ministers in London , by ranking themselves under the denomination , Presbyterian : consequently , that term cannot be understood to have any thing in its meaning that is exclusive . If it be asked , why introduce
"Denominations" at all into a charitable institution , I answer , that it is for the purpose of guarding against any misapplication of the funds to improper objects , whether through ignorance or partiality . Each denomination is supposed to be best acquainted with
the claims of its own ministers , and , therefore , it is required that every minister applying for relief , shall be certified to be an approved minister by the class of Dissenters amongst
whom he ranks himself . They are to "be judges of his admissibility amongst their own body ; and , if he be so certified , no questions can be aaked respecting doctrinal opinions , ordmation , or any other point of that kind .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Nov. 2, 1818, page 687, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2482/page/23/
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