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On Unbelievers joining Unitarian Congregations . 413
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where there is distrust or unbelief on certain points ; and is it not possible that tliis imperfect Christian , feeling his way in darkness and sorrow , may be an object of as great , if not greater , approbation in the sight of his Maker , than one who has . faith to remove mountains , and yet has not the spirit of hi * Master ? For , after all , what was the test used by our Saviour , if he is to he quoted as the approver of tests ? Was it not a test of conduct
rather than of opinion ? Is it not expressly said , that without charity all belief is of no avail ? And does he not on all occasions make virtue , integrity and the fruits of religion as unfolded in holiness of heart and life , his criterion ? In short , has he not stated in the most explicit language and upon the most solemn occasion , that the test by which he will decide upon the . happiness or misery of every individual of mankind , will not be whether he believed in certain articles of faith , even though that faith was sufficient to cast out spirits and do many wonderful things , but whether he had clothed the naked , visited those who were sick and in prison , and performed all those duties of humanity which it was the great object of his mission to inculcate I When
he was asked what must be done to gain eternal life , what was his answer ? Was it an injunction to believe in certain doctrines of endeavour to understand certain mysteries ? Was it not simply , " If thou wilt enter into life , keep the commandments" ?* And when the young man pleaded that he had already kept all those things , what was the addition our Saviour required ? " If thou wilt be perfect , go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor , and thou shalt have treasure in heaven : and come and follow me : ' * that is , cultivate benevolent and generous feelings , and copy my example . We are well aware thut it may here be objected to our argument , that there are many passages in Scripture which appear to favour the sufficiency of faith alone ; such as the expression of Paul and ailas , " Believe on the Lord Jesus Uirist and thou shalt be saved ; " f
* Matt . xix . 17 , 20 , 21 . t -Acts Kx \ . 31 . 0
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" That whosoever befieveth in hioi should not perish , but have everlasting lifel He that believeth on him is not condemned , but he that helieveth not is condemned already , because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God . " * We imagine it would be difficult to produce passages that seem more to favour the sufficiency of faith than the foregoing ; yet a very little examination will convince us , that this faith , available to salvation , is by no means a dead faith , or a mere matter of speculative opinion , but a reformatory and living faith , immediately called into action in purifying the heart and the life , and that any abstract , intellectual belief only is far short of the faith required by Jesus Christ . Let us take , for instance , the last-quoted passage , and we shall find it explained so as to favour this construction by the context . The next three verses are , * ' y ind this is the condemnation ^ that light is come into
the world , and men loved darkness rather thau light , because their deeds were evil . For every one that doeth evil hateth the light , neither cometh to the light , lest his deeds should be reproved . But he that doeth truth cometh to the light , that his deeds may be made manifest , that they are wrought in God . "f Is it not here evident that the condemnation alluded to in the first instance , € e because he hath not believed /^ &c , means , because he would not believe on account of the depravity of his
conduct , being well aware that the commandments of Christ and the purity of his lavv would require the instant sacrifice of his favourite sins , and expose them iu all their deformity before him ? This is surely a v ^ ry different sort of unbelief to that which : arises from the peculiar conformation of a person ' s mind , or from his riot being able to perceive the truth . It is an unbelief that justly subjects its possessor to condemnation , because it is voluntarily and obstinately retained against the evidence of clearer light , and intended as the cover ancj excuse of evil deeds .. If passages are thus examined in connexion with the previous and succeeding ones , it will
* Jolm 111 . 16 , 18 . f * b . 19—21 .
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VL - xxi . 3 u
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1826, page 413, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2550/page/33/
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