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worship of the One Only God , the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ , on Sunday , Feb . list . The Scriptures were read , and the devotional parts of the service were conducted hi a peculiarly solemn and impressive manner , by the Bev . Russell Scott , of Portsmouth . The Sermous , both Morning and Evening , were preached by the Rev , W . J . Fox ,
the Minister of the Chapel . The text of the morning discourse was Rom . viii . 9 : ** Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ * he is none of his / ' In illustrating frotft this passage what the spirit of the Christian religion really is , what it has done and is doing for man , the preacher endeavoured to shew that the spirit of Unitari&nism is tne same , and that it is its direct aim and tendency to accomplish , ki a higher and more perfect degree , not only than any other religion , but than any other sect of the same religion , precisely those objects which it is the distinctive character of Christianity to have effected for the human race . Be the opinions and the invectives of the adversaries of this system what they may , it is certain that there is nothing so distinctive of Umtariamsm as this , and that the more it is studied and
understood , and the more it is contrasted with the tendency of other systems , the more evident this truth appears . But if this be a truth , not only does it identify Unitarianism with Christianity , but it identifies it with it in those very points in which Christianity is the glory and the blessing of the world . This , therefore , was a theme truly worthy of the occasion , and it was discussed in an admirable
manner . It was an enlightened , comprehensive and eloquent delineation of what Christianity has done , and is intended to accomplish , and of what under its pure and uncorrupted form it must
and will effect . On some points , particularly on those relating to the office , the ^ authority and the extent of reason , it contained doctrines at which , no doubt , many persons will be startled : but we are much mistaken if a calm and
unprejudiced consideration of them do not terminate in a conviction not of their truth only , but of their vast importance . This discourse , together with the address delivered on laying the first stone of the building on the 22 ud of Mayf 1823 , will be printed . The sermon in the evening was from Acts xvii . 16 . It was the coalmencement of a Course of Lectures to be delivered on the Sunday evenings , on Paul preaching at Athens . This subject is happily adapted both to the occasion and to the genius of the preacher , Havhig commenced with a brilliant description . of what Athens was ,
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it seems to be his main oWjJfe ^ td shew from the character of the as&tience
assembled on Mars Hill , from the opiuions which their philosophy and religiott taught them to consider sacred , from the jttdctrines , as recorded by the historian , vvhtch Paul actually delivered to this auditor ^ , and from those which he omitted to
inculcate or disclose , that his discourse was strictly Unitarian ; that is , that it was his special object to lead the Athenians to conceive of and to worship the Deity as one God in one person . The chapel , both morning and evening , was crowded to excess , and it has been alike filled every subsequent Sunday .
On the following day , many gentlemen of the congregation and their trietids dined together at the London Tavern . There were present 185 , among whondr were many of the most distinguished friends of Unitarian Christianity in London and its vicinitvMrFox Was in
. . the chair . It is not possible in this place to give an account of the many excellent speeches that were delivered . In the pleasure afforded by the accomplishment
of the object which the company was assembled to commemorate , every individual sympathized , and few are the public meetings in which the satisfaction expressed and felt was at once so sincere and so entire . The stewards had
exerted themselves with complete success to secure the comfort of the meeting , and the congregation feel much indebted to the gentlemen , especially to those not members of their society , who obliged them by undertaking : that office . On the opening of the chapel there was collected for the liquidation of its debt , 102 / . 4 s . 6 d . and at the dinner , for the same purpose ,
257 / . 18 s . The erection of a Unitarian Chapel ire the city of London , in a public and convenient situation , which no one residing in the metropolis , or visiting it from the country can have anv difficulty in finding ,
is of considerable importance not to this congregation only , but to the Unitarian cause . The want of such a chapel had long been felt and lamented ; the members of this congregation , notwithstanding manv difficulties and some fears , have
had the spirit to supply it . They have contributed liberally themselves ; they hare been supported liberalJy by many of their London brethren ; arid the result is , that they have already ceased to be anxious about the complete success of
their undertaking . But they have still a heavy debt to discharge , tor the means of liquidating some portion of which : they ioolr , and they look with confidence ; ^ to their country friends . Whenever similar * objects were to be accomplished through *
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Intelligence . —Opening of the Fifi&bury Unitarian Chapel \ South Place * 119
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 2, 1824, page 119, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2521/page/55/
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