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iUht vou dcT not'VM tHat S&ylottf . WW ^ ink ' tJistf ybii hikde ^ a gi ^ fet i fri ifc take xtti&h yoii thought it you ^ dtity to join in our devotions , and that you ought to have hesitated before you destroyed our existence as a Christian body . If , however , you have such a
pressing sense of obligation to the God of truth , that your conscience cannot r ^ st , unless from time to time you openly support what in your conscience you believe to be a lie , and unite in religious services which abound in declarations addressed to
the Supreme himself , which you have long thought to be false , at least when you have Obeyed this imperious mbtiU tor , ' Depart in peace . ' Sui ^ Iy you are under no such pressing obligation to stay and manage thfc internal affairs
of our community ; surely it is not your c bounden daty > to trbuble yourself with discussions on pi arts for the promotion of error ; nbr need you give your advice and your vote in thp election of its teachers . If you cannot believe , and must worship , and find our
mode the most convenient , preserve a little decorum in your conduct amongst us . Whether you come to humble yourself before God , it is not for us to decide ; but we should have better evidence on which to judge , if we saw exhibited a little more
modesty in- the sight of men . Your very appearance amongst us is a sufficient injustice , without-your seeking further to identify yourself with our interests , " Experience shews that smch appeals are unproductive of the desired effect .
No sense of his own inconsistency deters the Deist from lifting up his voice in ascriptions of praise to the ( iod of Jesus , the only true God ; no sense of propriety induces hith to leave us to the management of our own concerns ; nor does any regard to justice forbid him to hold out to the
world his profession and ours as one . Expostulation fails : some other remedy must be sought . Our duty to truth and to ourselves demands it of us . It is incumbent on us to say to the Deist in a manner that shall be attended-to , "We are a society of Christians . We have formed ourselves
Wo a society for a certain definite purpose ; totenjoy the privileges and vindicate ^ he truth of the gospel . If
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yiltf tBffik th ^ t -Wb ^ pbfe ^ sM & <* ^ p ^ MS ^ HHl ^ SB / fatd itfiihded upon reveated truth , you must not ,-you cannot , be One of us . By frequenting our worship , you have identified , in the eyes of mankind , a total
rejection of revealed religion with that system of faith which distinguishes us from our brethren , and we are desirous of removing . a stigma which has thus been cast upon us through . ' you . You have been unwelcome in our councils , your presence disturbs
our feelings , and your interference is injurious to our interests ; we have , therefore , to request , that as you are not of us , you will go out from us . To every one who believeth in our
Lord Jesus Christ , we will give the right hand of fellowship . As a mafi / we refuse it not to you . W £ respect you as a member of society ; rest assured that our respect will not be diminished by your becoming consistent . "
If I am asked , whether the course thus Recommended would not render necessary a confession preparatory to a person ' s admission into our body ; it is replied , Certainly , the confession of Christ . Without such a confession
no person can be a member of a Christian church . Let it be decided , then , whether our societies are designed to be Christian expressly and exclusively , and there will be little difficulty as to the propriety of asking every one who wishes to become a member of one of
those societies , whether he is a Christian : If unbelievers may , with impunity , mingle as intimately as they please with our body , there can be no just reason assigned why we should not have our societies consisting of a mixed assemblage of Christian believers , and antichristian Deists , Jews and Mahometans—a curious sort of
Christian church . My chief design in this communication is to ascertain the general-sentiments o £ Unitarians upon the subject , and-if they should be found to
coincide with those here advanced , to induce a discussion which may issue in the adoption of au adequate remedy for what I consider a very great evil . NOAH JONES * - ^ "MSHHRbm ^ " * 4 > '
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On Unbelievers joining Unitarwn Congregations . T 3
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vol . xxi . jl
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 2, 1826, page 73, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2545/page/9/
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