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Church of England , he did not see that on that ground the Legislature should refuse them this privilege . If it was an indulgence , it was an indulgence in the shape of a burden , for these individuals only brought upon themselves double trouble aud
expense . He was not , he would confess , prepared to hear from any Noble Lord , in the present enlightened state of the world , that the Unitarians were a sect standing without the pale of society , that it was expedient that marriages should be prohibited amongst them , or solemnized in the manner least calculated to
become binding upon their consciences : and unless they were disposed to argue either that Unitarians were out of the pale of society , or , being within that pale , ? ught not to marry at all , or , doing so ,
to pay the penalty of violated conscience , he could not conceive how the present Bill could be resisted . —The Noble Marquis concluded by moving that the Bill should be read a second time .
The Archbishop of Canterbury . — " I have al ways expressed my self extremely desirous of paying * every respect to the feelings of religious conscience . I believe , my Lords , that the scruples of the Unitarians are so founded on religious faith and conscience ; and seeing that , I conceive them to be entitled to the
consideration of the House ; and thequestion then only arises how the relief can be best afforded . Some little time ago it was proposed to alter the Liturgy of the Church in this respect ; and to this plan I thought it my duty , in common with many others , decidedly to object . If
relief is to be sought only by transferring the grievance ; by removing the scruple from the few to the many ; by altering the religious ordinances of one church to meet the objections of another ; to such a plan I should always object . But this plan was abandoned , aud last session a Bill was submitted of a very different
Character ; and whatever objections applied to it , it certainly was not chargeable with attempting to transfer the grievances from the smaller to the larger portion of the community . That Bill , my Lords , was supported by several , and by me among the rest : it was opposed by others , and those others formed on that
occasion a majority which rejected the Bill . At that time , however , there appeared a disposition on all sides to give the relief desired under some form . My Lords , that relief can only be afforded in one of
two ways ; either by allowing these parties to celebrate marriages in their own places , and according to their own forms , or by submitting the Liturgy of the Church of England to some alterations calculated to remove the objections of
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Unitarian Dissenters . My Lords , to this last plan I objected in the last session ; to it I stiUohject ; and deprecating , as I do , any alteration of our excellent Lituigy , I trust { always shall object to it . 1 was then told that no alteration was intended ; that to be sure some portions of the service were omitted , but that no part of it was submitted to substitution or alteration . But surely it cannot be contended , that as marked and decided an alteration B 3 ay not be effected by omission as by any substitution . Was it not asked , by this omission , to put aside the recognition of one of the most essential articles 6 > f our faith—the doctrine of the Trinity ? If we were , at the request of objectors to our doctrines , to put them away from our service , to present our formularies thus mutilated and unhallowed to their purposes , would not this be to make the Church the handmaid to Dissent ? Such a proposition , my Lords , was not , could
not , and , I trust , never will be listened to . The only plan then , that remains for adoption is that which I have before noticed ; and 1 now come to consider the provisions of this Bill . It is very true , my Lords , that in this BiJl it is proposed to provide for relief of conscience and also for the preservation of civil convenience . The first , undoubtedly , it accomplishes ; the second , I do not think that it does in its preseiu form , and considerable alterations will therefore be necessary in the Committee . The Noble Mover has stated that it was his wish to have introduced a measure comprehending all classes of Dissenters , and supposes that it may be thought
extraordinary that this favour should be granted only to this particular sect . My L «> rds , favour is not the ground on which we are to proceed . Scruple of conscience is the ground on which we are to entertain this Bill as a matter of Justice . If such scruple exists , ( and in the case of the Unitarians I feel that it does exist , ) they
are entitled to relief at our hands . J am aware , my Lords , that this cannot be done , after all our care , without some hazard of civil insecurity ; but scruples of conscience outweigh that hazard ; and ought to do so . The banns will be published in a place to which Unitarians do not resort ; aud the marriage may take place ten miles off ; and there may be hazard in this , no doubt . As to the supposed claim of the general body of Dissenters , it is founded on a different principle . It is not founded as here in conscientious scruple of doctrines , important and essential , but on objections , for the most part fond and fanciful , to our forms and discipline , scanty and inoffensive as they are , " On these grounds , the Arch-
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242 Intelligence \~ Parliamehiary s Unitarians * Marriage Bill
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1824, page 242, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2523/page/50/
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