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the guidance of a pilot , who steers it to its destined port by means of a chart and compass , , and other instruments of observation , so should every man pursue the course Which a well-informed judgment ,
availing itself of all necessary means for obtaining true wisdom , prescribes ; or such a course as will secure him from clanger , and bring him at last to the attainment of the highest honour and felicity which he can propose to himself . " —III . 199 , 200 .
He then considers the apostle ' s exhortation , 1 st , as a caution against religious indifference ; 2 dly , as a caution against incredulity and obstinacy in error - 3 dly , as the best preservative against inconstancy in the profession
and practice of religion ; 4 thly , as a virtual authority for communicating to others just sentiments of the obli ga ^ tion and utility of religion , wheresoever our own connexions and influence
extend ; 5 thly , as a prohibition of every ojpjfcruction and restraint , to the exeretilF of private judgment ; and Gthly , as a preventative of dissension and discord among Christians , however they may differ from one another in matters of religious opinion .
Throughout this discourse , Dr . Reee maintains those generous principles of religious liberty , which he is wellknown to have uniformly asserted and to have successfully diffused amongst
the Protestant Dissenters , at the head of whom in their corporate character , his years , talents , acquirements and reputation , have long properly placed him . We cannot refrain from one
extract on this vital topic : " The means of conviction should be adapted to the nature of religion , and to the faculties of the human mind . If we recur to any other kind of iniluence but that of persuasion in order to promote a religious faith and profession , and just
sentiments of both , we shall counteract not only the spirit but the express precepts of Christianity . If those who possess the power are disposed to use it in this way , they may succeed in making hypocrites or martyrs ; but they can never produce one genuine convert to the belief and practice of the truth . The injuncet he
lion of the text , Jf ^ ever ?/ man fully persuaded in his own mind , establishes the right of private judgment , independently of all foreign jurisdiction and controul , uiid of all attempts to force conviction , or an external profession of religion , in a manner so clear and su explicit as to need * jo comment . If it be every man ^ duty
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to be fully persuaded in Msown mind , it can never be the prerogative of any one mari or any body of men , by whatever denomination they may be distinguished , or with whatever ecclesiastical or secular
powers they may be invested , to establish and enforce any public standard df religious faith or of religious profession , to which all are bound to conform , and by which , under the awe of worldly and civil penalties , they are expected to regulate either their creed or their mode of
worship . It is to no purpose that the Scripture , which I regard as the only authoritative rule of religious faith and practice , requires me to be fully persuaded in my own mind with regard to all doctrines of importance , and with regard to all positive rites that are in their owu nature indifferent , if any individual or any class of men may say to me with an
authority , which at iny peril I am forbidden to resist , Subscribe to the creed which we have formed , and practise the rites of worship which we enact . Beware lest the persuasion of your own mind deviate in a single article or a single ceremony from the code to which we demand your submission . You may indeed judge for yourself : this we allow because we cannot
prevent it : the empire of the mind is beyond the reach of human authority and law ; but in eveiy public declaration of your judgment , and in every visible expression of your mental persuasion , you must conform to an established standard ,
that is , in * other words , whatever may be your thoughts , your language , your profession , eveiy thing that is visible or audible by which your sentiments may be judged of by others , must be regulated by a common code , from which you are not allowed to differ . Such is the
inconsistency inseparable from almost every civil establishment of religious faith and worship that has ever existed , and the mention of which both the letter and the spirit of the text would not allow me to omit . Happy are we in this country , who enjoy the benefits of a toleration ,
notwithstanding the limitations and disqualifications by which it is restrained ! Happier may we still be under a government that shall extend its protection to our religious privileges without any infringement on our civil rights ! Thus secure and unmolested in the province of religion , let every one of us , with the spirit
of meekness , peace and charity , exercise that liberty with which the Gospel has made us free ; and in all matters of conscience , let every one of us be fully persuaded in his own mind . We may then claim , and , I trust , by the favour of Providence , long enjoy the blessings transmitted to us by our ancestors . May a aen # e
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Review . —Dr . Recs * s Practical Sermons . 641
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Sept. 2, 1821, page 541, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2504/page/37/
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