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than these plain simple facts , to shew that Unitarians do " hold other belief of the Deity than what is professed by Deists and Mahometans" ? And when such assertions have been a
thousand times refuted in this same way , I ask them , what they must think of the man who still blindly and pertinaciously adheres to them ? I ask them , if this is not " zeal without
knowledge" ? And if such a want of knowledge be " entitled to compassion , " I ask them , if it is not such as " lias no claim to privilege" ? Further , Unitarians believe in all the miracles of Christ , his death , resurrection and ascension ; they believe in him as the Mediator and Redeemer : and
through faith m him and repentance unto newness of life , they humbly look to the promise of salvation . If after all this , a man will not believe that there is any distinction between Deists and Unitarians , then would he not believe though one should rise from the dead . Moreover , Unitarians hold themselves bound to work out
their own salvation by the divine precepts of the gospel , and among these precepts they specially hold to the one which stands pre-eminent amongst the good , Do unto others as ye
WOUIiD THAT THEY SHOULD DO UNTO you . And in no case whatsoever do they think this heavenly command more binding , more awfully incumbent upon their observance , than in all cases of dissent on religious opinions . But how is the Trinitarian to
abide by this precept , following the dictates of the Bishop ? How would the Trinitarian like to be forced before the altar of the Unitarian , there to be bound in his dearest interests by a form of worship awfully repugnant to his understanding , and there
to have a tribute levied upon him for the support of doctrines which he conscientiously believed to be highly injurious to the cause of Christianity ? God the Father , God the Son , and God the Holy Ghost , are supplicated in the marrige ceremony ; the doxologies are to the same purport ; the
service is essentially Trinitarian ; it sanctions the ceremony and is binding upon the parties as such . But it is enough that the Unitarian is forced before a strange altar . Limits preclude my now offering more as testimony on the part of the Unitarian ; nor need I : the Bishop
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places a two-edged ^ sword in the hand of his opponent , and I now take up his own opinions and arguments as they bear against himself in his opposition to the Bill in question . i € The obnoxious terms are the express words of the New Testament , and are retained by the Unitarians in their translation , and incredible as the inconsistency may appear , they are the very words of their own
baptismal office : whatever meaning therefore they may be accustomed to attach to the words in one service , they may equally retain in the other . " Not to dwell upon the diametrically opposed meaning put by the respective parties
upon the words alluded to , and which as to the point is every thing $ nor ttf ask why Unitarians baptize their children in these words of the gospel , if they are " not Christians : " I proceed to observe that thus in a sacred ceremony we see two wholly opposed
doctrines licensed , the one under an equivocation , and each doctrine held by the opposite party to be greatly hostile to Christianity ; two adverse meanings ascending before the most High , from one and the same altar , when that altar is specially dedicated to the support of one of them only ! I ask if this can be Christian integrity ! if it partakes of that singleness of heart which above all things is of so great price before the Almighty ? Here we see a bishop not only forcing the man who is " not a Christian" before the national altar , but absolutely pointing out to him the adoption of a measure derogatory to its sanctity , bending its rights to the acceptance of the iC infidel and heretic , " and licensing
him in his own meaning , when he at the same time verily believes , that upon that very meaning , he will be condemned to perish everlastingly I I ask if this is humane , is it Christianity , can it be righteousness ?
Having heretofore taken an opportunity of expressing my surprise at the doctrines which the Bishop adheres to , and particularly at the vehemence with which he upholds them ; it is bow under no less a degree of surprise that 1 find myself necessitated to differ from him as to the nature of Christian integrity . I feel a selfsatisfaction in thus washing my hands of any willing assent to his Lordship ' s contrivance upon the present occasion , ' and should it be permanently adopted ,
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346 Captain Gifford , R . N ., on B p * Burgess ' s late Speech in Parliament .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1824, page 346, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2525/page/26/
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