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2 . That our places of public worship are frequented by Unbelievers , who not only join in oar devotions , and listen to our ministers , but take an active part in the concerns of out
churches , and that they are in some cases , the principal pecuniary supporters of our cause , 3 . That there may arise a just suspicion against that professedly Christian society in which these opposites are united .
4 . That at least it is a reproach to the faithful members of such a society to join , without complaint , in public worship with Unbelievers . Lastly . That injury is done to the Unitarian Christian ' s views of the gospel by having Unbelievers amongst them .
To maintain the first portion of the evil requires evidence , which , I trust , would be very difficult to collect , that Infidels are recognized in such a man * ner as to destroy all distinction between them and the Unitarian
Christian . Let it be supposed , however , that such was the case ; would that necessarily prove the faith of the Christian to be unstable or infirm ? No religious sympathy could be justly imputed to the Christian because he received his unbelieving brother in
the affectionate spirit of Jesus ; and the better inference , I submit to you , must be drawn , that the sympathy sprung in the breast of the Infidel , ( whom I would rather call Dissenter , ) and that his presence furnished some
ground for rejoicing that " he was not against us /' 2 . It must be devoutly hoped to be incredible , that Dissenters from Christianity frequent our places of worship , join in our devotions , take part in the
concerns of our churches , and sunconcerns of our churches , and support , by pecuniary aid , the Unitarian cause . For the honour of human nature , if not for Christ ' s religion , such inconsistency cannot be supposed to exist . The worst motives could only be attributed to those who should
thus join in public worship with believers ( as they considered ) in a lie , or in its author being an impostor , or even an enthusiast . For hypocrisy of such a die , a stigma would be wanting . It may not be unjustly assumed , if individuals suspected of a weak and doubting faith mix in our rites or aid our cause , that such persons are strug-
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of tins conduct can any just objection fee made r There is one passage in Mr . Jones' letter to which I still more strongly object ; that in which he refers to Jews- To me it appears a very strong argument in favour of our views of Christianity , and our mode of
worship , that , as a Jewish Rabbi once told me , ours are the only Christian churches which a Jew can attend without committing idolatry . To Unbelievers joining in our worship , for the reasons I have given , I think there is no valid objection . At the same time I feel sure that this is a much
rarer occurrence than Mr . Jones' letter would lead your readers to imagine . With regard to an Unbeliever entering our pulpits , there is only one solitary instance of the circumstance
happening . The individual to whom Mr . Jones alludes , a very amiable and excellent young man , resigned his situation as a minister , in consequence of the doubts he felt of the truth of
Christianity . He has officiated since a few times on pressing emergencies , but it has been with reluctance on his own part ; and the ministers and congregatiflfes in the neighbourhood , on
becoming more fully acquainted with his sentiments , have resolved rather to have their chapels vacant for a Sunday than to ask him again . Now what is there in these circumstances
to justify the emotion and alarm which Mr . Jones appears to feel ? Nothing , in the opinion , at least , of , yours truly , Thomas Crompton Holland .
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Sir , PTTHiE best reply that can be given JL to your correspondent Mr . N . Jones ( p . 72 ) is , in my judgment , to refer him to Mr . Belsham ' excellent Letters to the Bishop of London , in Vindication of the Unitarians from a
charge made against them , not dissimilar to that made by Mr . Jones . However good the motive and laudable the object Mr . J . may have in view , I would , as an individual , respectfully submit a few brief remarks on his communication . —It is the
complaint , 1 st , That the immense gulf between the Christian and Unbeliever is apparently annihilated by the man * ner in which Loth characters are equally acknowledged m Unitarian congregations .
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U&freHMers in Unitarian € Auw ? h $$ * IBJ
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1826, page 157, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2546/page/29/
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