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^—r- - ¦ ¦ " *' ? <*" ' >^ Ufficulm 9 ¦ ¦ ' ¦ ~ Silt , ' Oeiobe * 9 , 1820 . ABOUT four years ago a Very particular frieiid of mine proposed a question to me , which , he said , he thought Was not ffenerailv understood thought was nfct generally understood
by professing Christians ; it was—What do you think of Jesus Ghrist ? It struck me as btjing a very extraordinary question ; for as I had been educated in the belief of the Trinity , and h ^ &fevays been in the habit of hearinsr that doctrine inculcated , I did
not enteitain a doubt of its being perfectly coBis ^ mant with scripture and with reason . * At-that' time I was totally unacquainted With every controve ^ al ^ publication on the subject , and 5 1
only reetifteeteda few " texts wtach I quoted to MebJ rind which ( from the prejudice of education ) appeared to me to be tytiite conclusive . My friend told rile" he apprehended I did not
understand the real import of the texts on which F rested iny belief in the gejieraUy-recteived dpiaiofcs ; and strongly recommended me to g ive the subject a candid and impartial investigation , and finding me disposed to do so , he kindly supplied me with two tracts , " Penn ' s Sandy Foundation Shaken , " and " Eiwall ' s Trial /* the perusal of which gave
rise to doubts respecting my former creed , and excited a spirit of inquiry which induced me to adopt every means in my pbtver to form correct ideas of the primitive doctrines of Christianity . By reading a number of works on each side of the question , and by comparing them with the New Testament . I
became perfectly convinced of the Unity , love and mercy of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ * I was particularly interested with Foster ' s Narrative of the proceedings of the Friends
in his case ; and I confess that , in my opinion , the members of that highlyrespectable Society ( as it is frequently called ) h&ve given the world a very poor specimen of that free toleration
which they so much profess to revere . It strikes me that an impartial reader may easily perceive , t from the general tetioir of the works of the early writers <> jp tha *« oi ^ ety , that they were , in the iiriferSlttsV < tf the word , Unitarians ,
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particulary when he sees the numerous and warm controversies in which they were so frequently engaged with persons
Who held the opposite doctrine . Under tliis impression of the genuine principles of the Society , I cannot regard their recent proceedings but as a proof of degeneracy , and as a deviation from those liberal sentiments and that
Christian charity by which I conceive their ancestors were actuated when they wisely concluded not to adopt a creed . I have expressed thfese sentiments to a number of persons in that connexion ,
( for I have an extensive acquaintance with them , ) and have found many of them , and even some who were present at the Yearly Meeting when Mr . Foster ' s excommunication was confirmed ,
totally ignorant of the pdints on which he is said to differ from thg Society . I have invariably endeavoured to impress them with the necessity of becoming acquainted with their own principles , by which alone they would be able to appreciate and defend them , and I have also recommended the perusal of such works as I thought most likely to be of assistance to them in so laudable an engagement . ¦ In many instances I have succeeded far beyond
my expectation $ and it" has been moat gratifying to me to observe with what frankness and seal they have applied themselves to the interesting ana important subject ; and I now know
several persons of talent and influence in the Society , and who are reputed very consistent members , who publicly avow their belief in their primitive Unitarian principles , and who openly express their disapprobation of those
attempts to restrict the exercise of private judgment , which were so strikingly exhibited in the proceedings against Mrs . Barnard and Mr . Foster . I have lately made a tour through the principal laces of landand have
p Eng , no hesitation in saying , that these sentiments and feelings are becoming very general , especially among the younger part of the Society ; and one person told me , he was pretty certain we should hear of no more disownments
on account of Unitarian principlescc short , ** said he , t € if Friends were to continue to disowri persons on those grounds , they would' soon have to disown the majority of their members . ' * But it is not t 0 * he Sdfciety dfJFtfends only that my * observations have been
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Btiiagain I apologize , and leave the ^ 1 ^ r to your better judgment , remtiitiing ydtir constant reader , . . C ^ P * ^ : . vw [' . ni { , 3 .- ¦¦ TE&BLPiS . - !
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1820, page 716, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2495/page/28/
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