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cttarge has long been alleged , tferf they deny the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures . Those who originally framed , and those who , like the Archdeacon of Cleveland adopt , the accusation , do themselves little honour ,
either as logicians or theologianiS . What do they mean by the plenary inspiration of the Sacred Volume ? By whom is it possible for such an inspiration to be credited oir proved , in the strict and absolute Sense of the
words ? Is not the inspiration of a writer one thing , arid the inspiration of a legislator , a prophet , an apatite of Jesus Christ , another ? Are we to confound together cases which must ever be mutually and totally distinct ?
In point of fact , too , are they Unitarian Christians ^ who exclusively call in question the hypothesis of this plenary inspiration ? He must be grossly ignorant of the history and the state of theological literature , who knows not that
" In our views on the subject of plenary inspiration , we differ little , if at all , from many illustrious writers , whom' * even Archdeacon VVrangham " would hardly venture to brand as Schismatics and Sciolists ; such as Erasmus , Grotius , Castalio , Le Clerc , and even , among divines of the Church of England , Paley , Powell and Burnet . "—Pp . . 34—43 .
Equally unsuccessful is the venerable dignitary in his next article of accusation . He objects to Unitarian Christians , that they have the convenient resources of conjectural criticism at command : he more than
insinuates thait of these resources they avail themselves wantonly and lightly . His shaft does not reach the objects of his attack , but recoils on the body of men among * whona he ranks . What the Archdeacon of Cleveland and :
many authors of the same classy have said respecting conjectural criticism , involves two questions ; the one , of principle * the second , of fact . Is such criticism universally inadmissible in the arrangement of the sacred text ? 'That is the principle to be previously
settled * Now here Unitarian Christians give no different answer from what has uniformly be ' en given by the most judicious and intelligent Theologians , of all denominations-. They reply , that conjectural criticism , if it be ever used , is to be used only in extreme cases . The next inquiry is ,
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have Unitatiad Chtfetiaffs shewn themselves more partial than the ; inembeTs of other religious com munidtfs to the employment of conjectural criticism ? An inquiry which We scrtiple not to answer in the negative i while , for' the
Correctness of tae repfly , we appeal to every man who h # s any acquaintance with the Theological works of the last and the present century , in this place we shall extrbct a few sentences from the pen of Mr . Wetlbeloved :
< G It is indeed very true , that , in common with other critics , we c have the resources of conjectural criticism at command , * and you will not . deny * that in certain circumstances , and under proper
regulations , these resources may be legitimately employed . If it were not so * would your own Seeker , Newcome and Lowth have applied to them , as they have done in the Old , or Markland and Michaells in the New Testament?—It
must also be granted , not only that we can , but that we do punctuate ; and you surely cannot mean to insinuate that this is an illegitimate aid in the interpretation of ancient writings . Who has more freely , or with greater or better effect , changed the common punctuation of the text of
the New Testament , than your own Markland ? Even Horsley , wlio has censured the conjectures of Newcome , has not disapproved of punctuating , or abstained from it . Are the points also to be deemed Instoired ? Call in question
our judgment , if you please ; but do not deny us the right that all other critics and interpreters of Scripture enjoy . — 4 They can transpose . * In this there is no violation of any canon of criticism ; nor any thing contrary to the practice of the best and most cautious critics .
Newcome and Lowth , and Blayney arid Stock and Michaelis and Griesbach , with man ^ others of the greatest name , have all transposed ; £ nd , by so-doing , have removed many difficulties , and illustrated several obscure passages of Scripture . E > o not make that criminal in us , which in others is at least innocent , 2 if not praiseworthy . "—Pp . 43—45 .
Such is the dignified reproof which the writer of the "Three Letters " administers to the Archcjeacon of Cleveland such the nature of the reasonings winch lie opposes to that " ' work of crimination" of which his
antagonist is so femdw Facts and arguments more convincing Mr . Welllieloved could not have produced . In proportion to the notoriety of those facts , to the clearness and the weight
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4 & Review . ' - * -fFellbeloved * Letters to Archdeacon fFrctftgkam .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Jan. 2, 1825, page 40, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2532/page/40/
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