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all obstacles removed which tended to prevent him from celebrating , in what He considered the most solemn manner , that ceremony which formed the most sacred of all ties Every unnecessary restriction and regulation which affected particular classes of persons in regard to
such an object as marriage , ought surely to be done away without delay ; and on this subject it was their Lordships' duty to give every relief which was consistent with the safety of the state . Only those regulations which appeared to be called for by necessity ought to be maintained . The different regulations adopted in this
and other countries resolved themselves into two kiuds—namely , civil and religious . With regard to the former , in as far as related to matters of police , the object of the bill was to maintain every civil right . The persons for whose benefit it was introduced were ready to submit to any civil regulation on the subject
of marriage which their Lordships might think fit to impose . The religious part of the question , their Lordships would perceive , was totally distinct from the civil ; and all that the bill proposed to do , was to provide against the depreciation of the sacred ceremony of marriage by regulations to which Unitarians could not
conscientiously submit . To make the legality of so solemn a tie as marriage depend upon declaring what the parties did not believe to be the truth , was to invite them to do that which their Lordships , who were sensible of the sacredness of the obligation entered into , must
regard as highly improper . According to the former bill , the marriage ceremony was to be celebrated by the clergy of the Established Church . That mode had , however , been thought
objectionable , and it was therefore provided by the present bill that the ceremony should be carried into effect by the Unitarian ministers in their own congregations . When it w&s considered that the
ceremony of marriage was intended for the benefit of the whole community , it would be proper to perform it , as far as possible , in the same manner for all classes ; but as conscientious scruples about performing rhe ceremony to Unitarians were known to exist in the minds of many ministers of the Church , this mode had been abandoned . In the same way some
° f the ministers of the Established Church had objected to registering the marriages ° f persons who were united by a ceremony inconsistent with the principles of the ^ hurch ; and to obviate this difficulty , the Unitarians also took upon themselves the trouble of registering their own marna Jp 8 . In fact , the bill professed to do , * did nothing more than afford relief ' «> m regulations inconsistent with the
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conscientious scruples of individuals . None of their Lordships would say that the opinions of the persons whom the bill proposed to relieve were not tolerated by law ; and being so , the law ought to protect them , and facilitate to them , the
means of duly forming the most sacred of all the relations o / society . It would , perhaps , be asked , why were the persons for whose benefit the bill was framed so scrupulous ? Some , he was aware , taight make a compromise with conscience , and be able to satisfy themselves of the
propriety of every opinion that was consistent with their temporal interests ; but their Lordships surely would not encourage a species of reasoniug which led to a disregard of the truth of the most solemn declarations . Their Lordships ouglit not to discountenance or despise scruples
which were opposed to a practice inconsistent with morality and religion . Persons ought not to be forced to enter the temple of God with equivocation on their tongues , nor made to subscribe to what they did not believe to he true . Whereever sincere and conscientious scruples
existed , they ought to be met half way . On these grounds , he proposed to their Lordships the second reading of this bill . The Archbishop of Canterbury had voted for thfc bill of last session , and intended to give his support to the present , because its tendency was equally to relieve Unitarians and ministers of the
Established Church . The scruples of the Unitarians he believed to be sincere ; but he was chiefly anxious to remove , by this bill or some other , the difficulties in which ministers of the Church were involved by Unitarian marriages . The bill , he
thought , might be amended ; and for that purpose lie would propose some clauses in the committee . By this or some other measure , he wished to do away with that unhallowed equivocation which , sanctioned by law , now took place at the altar .
The Bishop of Bath and Wells , having stated his sentiments at some length upon this subject when it was before the House last year , would trouble their Lordships with very few observations upon it at present . He felt himself bound , however , to state as briefly as
possible the reasons which impelled him to oppose this bill . His objection lay to the principle of the measure . He did not see on what grounds marriage , according to the rites of the Church of England , was to btt considered a grievauce to the Unitarians . First , what were they called
upon to subscribe ? Merely the parties ' names . He admitted , however , that they were obliged to make a declaration ' * J in the name of the Father , and of the Son , and of the Holy Ghost : " but these very words were used u \ their own printed
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Intelligence . —Parliamentary : Unitarian Marriage BUI . 435
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1825, page 435, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2538/page/51/
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