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Untitled Article
inconsistency in the constitution of the Church itself , cleaving * to all established churches that exist in the world , whether Popish or Protestant , only it is more glaring in the tatter than in the former ^— -I mean that of putting two standards into the hands of their members , an infallible and a
fallible one , and requiring them to follow both , and to find the one in all things perfectly consonant with the other . In Popish Churches this inconsistency dues not so much appear , because there no minister is allowed
to interpret the Scripture for himself , but is required to follow the interpretation of the Church , as his absolute and infallible rule . ( See the creed of Pope Pius IV . ) Protestant ( Churches , on the contrary , not only
allow but require him to ^ follow the Scriptures as the only rule of faith and manners , which implies that he is to use all proper means to attain the true sense and right understanding of them . At the same time they let him
know that if he discover any thing in the Scriptures inconsistent with their particular confessions and catechisms , he must either voluntarily resign his living" , or they are entitled to deprive him of it . It was upon this ground that the prosecution before stated was founded . For though it was alleged ,
that the accused had said things contrary to the word of Gody it was evident that the pith of the argument lay in his not having- used the words and phrases which occur upon these subjects in the Confession and Catechisms of this Church , though they are no where to be found in Sacred Scripture . And in such cases the word of
God seems to be introduced only for form's sake . '' There is here a real difficul ty . On the side of human formulas stand ease and worldly interest and safety . On the side of the divine formula , the Scripture , nothing- but conscience . No man can serve two masters . One
of them must be uppermost . Conscience or worldly interest — the Scriptures or the Confession of Faith . But the Church of Scotland , as by law established , binds her ministers to the service of both , acknowledges in words the Scriptures to be supreme , but asserting in deed the supremacy of the Confession , att least over all her own members . The same , per-
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haps , takes place in all other Established Churches throughout Christendom , and it is supposed and hath been affirmed that no Christian Gburcli can be established on any other terms or in any other way . "
The reasonings and illustrations which have now been advanced may prepare us for an unqualified condemnation of the principle of imposing subscription to human articles of faith . The very nature of the thing seems repulsive to those independent and generous feelings of the
uncorrupted heart which * we cannot safely tamper with ; it seems to be evidently contrary to the maxims adopted in every other department of thought and inquiry besides religion ; and here it is so palpably opposed both to the spirit and letter of our great Master ' s instructions , that the wonder is .
how so many ages should have passed away , uud so many excellent and able persons been duped themselves , and attempted to dupe others , by a species of chicanery of the most revolting " description , in the most solemn of all concerns , the formation of our
judgments concerning God , and the means of obtaining his favour . I know not why the truth should be disguised , and bold and fearless language not be employed , in order to expose , as far as our feeble powers and influence will enable us , this prevalent ,
inveterate , but most pernicious species of spiritual fraud . On these two grounds , then , the impolicy and the injustice of requiring subscription to human formularies , I would , in perfect
confidence , rest the merits of this question . For the impolicy of the measure , I content myself with saying in addition , that if in any other department of thought the human mind were fettered by subscription to the
sentiments of predecessors , in the very word ? , too , in which they had expressed their sentiments , it is obvious that either a complete stop would be put to the progress of improvement , and the ideas would stagnate in the brain , without any possibility of their being formed into useful and
practical maxims , or the interest of literature , of medicine , or of jurisprudence , to which this tyrannical influence was applied , would have been deficient in those glories which the free and cultivated mind has earned for itself and
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136 The Non&nfortYutt . No . XXIX-
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1826, page 136, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2546/page/8/
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