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f im ^ mum ^ mmm $ ™ ? t >® ety «* most in ^ Wft ^* $ & * &n £ ^ ftrce' of its connexior i ' With relf ^ fo ii . He desired to
i repress tfie importance of religion in order tb ' sedufe tfte etij 6 yrneut of civil apd politreal liberty | * religibti was the stirest feiiiTdatlon Jo liberty , and to her miglit be attiihatecl all tlie ifreedom we
eiljoyed ? and froth would ever flourish together . When a man becafhe religious , hje begun to feel " his own dignity , aud exclaitas ' , I am an intelligent being : arid would he who thus felt himself to be a man &rid a Chri ^ ian , be treated as a
dbg ? No ; he would demand and obtain justice and freedpra . Let justice be done , aud let every one have justice rendered to him I Those were the principles of the gospel , and the principles of civil liberty . 'the Rev . Timoth v East seconded the resolution , which was " carried unanimously .
The Rev * James Bennett , of Hotherhain , in rising to move the second resolution , began by remarking , that if the term " Religious Liberty" be censurable , it must be that it is a pleonasm ; for true religion is always free , and the truest freedom is the most religious .
Where true religion is , we feel the force of that maxim , " If the Sou make you free , then you shall be free indeed . " But while he held religious liberty to be the first blessing which a kind Providence had bestowed on the country , he was cajled upon to express a sentiment that the Established Church of this country was more tolerant than . ' most others es-r tablislied by law , M ^ thought thej bvyed hut little to the Establishment . It was to tjfre ; tru £ knd enlightened patriots in tfye iiigUtditir ^ ihk pi ibe ™ ' gratitude . Was duei v To the CJiiircti they owed none .
^ pi ^\^\\^( i \\ i ^ yihy ^ Y io appear in the fdiindt a fetivuymph befpre that assembly , herbro \^ bbuiid round with myrtlewe ^ e sheittt be interrogated as to whom she ; owed most—she would say , to the Third William , and the four Georges , But while they owed so much to their
princes , were they again to question that bright seraphim , to whom in earlier times she owed the continuance of those blessings , she would instantly reply , —To the persecuted Puritans ; to their tears and totheirblood I owe my establishment in this happy land . But if , oil the other
hand , Persecution should venture to appea , r , should we not say , Haggard fiend , with thy snaky locks and pestilent breath , what hast thou done , but created suffering and woe ? But no ! I should Vathev say , Though I so much detest ihee , yet for some things ' which Uiqii hast unipteiitionally dorie , t could almost rejoice In thee ; ' because by expelling tliosc Puri-
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tms vrm'Sdffywnm& . tniwmfa ta ^ tft §« i ' irfT !^ j ( te ^' - ^* » tf » toi 8 t m fe ! edited wj $ a * lie IiM n& ^ Vtfbr&Umv fr why in so many cdunttle ^ W # ev 1 l ^ worshiped . It niust be th&i th ^ t af ^ ch demoti iias unintentionally dtfite so 'ip ' nchgood . And if ever thefre cotiM fe a fiend
wh 6 m he iiiight be tempted to s&lofe , - it must be him Whom h& s& heartily tl ^ tfest ^ d iff the deiabb persecution . -Bttt Whfatjlfe rejoiced in the ^ trei ^ tli tfaat ' "tfrf&rW&S the demobs , he could dbf bitt r ^ tfeeWbgh how much was due t 0 the RoyiiT H ^ ise of Brunswick ; and they should ctffer constant prayer for the life of th ^ fr Piitice ; nor did he' doubt tl&t those
prayers would avail ; for thdiigh i ^ ivas the maxim of the ChurcTi , N 6 pence too pater , yet be rejoiced that the gate of heaveu was open to their unpaid prayers when they said , " G ^) d save t ^ ie King /' Now it i ^ well known , th ^ t should tie King of England depart from t |* e prescribed forms of tfie Est ^ blisliedl ^ drcii , he would forfeit his crowi * : AiicT feuld
they suppose that ntan ! # ' in ^ 3 e of ^ udi lrietal as to forfeit ah c ^ rt ^ iy for sfti heavenly crown ? They Uetd iio r ^ ht Up impose such a necessity ; and Kepr ^ ye 4 that the time might come wii ^ n tie Kings of England would no longer be liable to have their crowns snatched from
their brow if they bowed to the dictates of their own conscience " , rather tl ^ an to the arbitrary mandates of the hierarchy . Still he felt the most cordM satisfaction in the persuasion , that this country
possessed more liberty . 'than * airy other , with one ^ ldritjfus exception . He could say , "En ^ laftd , with all thy faults I Ibve tHee . " And though he had set his foot ofi another and another stiore , he had still felt that he was hot at liome . His
resolution was , 'Mhat a ^ Protestaht Dissenter ^ they could not submit /* That required sothc Exp lanation . " He had once thought that unresisting subinission was thel duty of Cliristians , but mature consideration had induced him to alter
his opinion . Even our Saviour said , li I have spoken evil , testify against me ; but if well , Why smitest thou me ? " And when Paul had been wrongfully imprisoned , and the magistrates wished' him to go sneaking ' obt of prison , Paul said unto them , " They have beat us openly , uncondemned , being Romans , arid have cast
us into prison , and now do they thrust us out privily ? Nay verily , but let them come themselves and fetch us ' otit . " And there is another kind of resistatiCe vvitlf which the oppressors should be met—by
love , by forgiveness , and most hearty prayers , that they might partake ot the sftiiie spirit with tlieWiseives . I > id he whh ill to the EstiibHshed Church , h « s'hrittfd say , lutevfere nbt ^ fct'thc tii go on
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7 , 00 Proi&mi BV ^^^^^^^ At ^ - ^ - ^ BK-: -Ag ^ rtf ^ iisiti ^ iiUR ^ . Bennett
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Nov. 2, 1825, page 700, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2542/page/60/
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