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Untitled Article
of the intellect . The orthodox were thereby alarmed . Their alarm magnified to them what they actually saw . Hence arose misconceptions , a holy horror , and in many cases pious frauds . They looked at Unitarians , and saw the intellect greatly , they imagined exclusively , in operation , and such a spectacle they deemed entirely alien from the character of Christianity . Their misapprehensions were increased by the fact , that with themselves the intellect was in too many instances all but dormant . The imagination
ruled their hearts ; and religion , with the many , consisted in frames and feelings , in visions and ecstasies . Truth , in , their opinion , was fixed and settled—they had no idea of the pursuit of it—they hardly understood the meaning of the phrase , and could by no means sympathize with the highminded feeling which prompts to and accompanies sincere inquiries . To inquire at all , implied doubt and uncertainty , and the thought even of doubt and uncertainty filled the mind with pain and the heart with fear . Men more dissimilar than the revivers of Unitarianism and the common class
of the orthodox could hardly be imagined . Scarcely had they one feeling in common . The one believed all things—the other nothing , before examination : the one was ever ready to adopt , the other to scrutinize . With the one , the suggestions of reason were the workings of the tempter ; with the other , the dawn of important truths . If the orthodox sought evidence , it was to confirm ; if the Unitarian , it was to probe previous conclusions . Implicit faith was with the first , a duty ; with the second , a sin . No
wonder , then , that the rise and progress of Unitarianism was witnessed by the orthodox with alarm and treated with contumely . The spirit manifested was of itself , independently of the conclusions to which it led , enough to engage them in a holy war against us . Denunciation and warning resounded on every side ; and safety , it was , and it is still , reiterated , could be found only in keeping away from the subtlety of the disputants . But the conclusions also were of a nature to augment the prevailing prejudice . They consisted , for the most part , in a series of negations . It was rather the removal of error than the establishment of truth that the Reformers had to
effect , and the result of their inquiries was , that a number of dogmas were in succession declared to be without foundation . Rejection seemed thdrule , retention the exception , with the Unitarians . Hence arose , in addition to the horror already named , a suspicion that what was retained was retained only in order to preserve appearances . Deists in disguise they were
therefore called , and with Deists they were in the minds of the people , if not identified , yet associated . It so happened that the hostility of feeling entertained against the Reformers , was increased by the circumstance that the dogmas rejected by them were held , by the orthodox , of primary and essential importance . They were not so much parts of Christianity as Christianity itself , and to impeach them was to impeach the truth of God .
These things should all be fairly considered by us in our estimate of the conduct we still experience at the hands of our brethren , and while we make such allowance as either our imperfections or their circumstances may warrant , we should be careful to rectify if possible whatever there is amiss in our spirit and our demeanour . Then , and then only , have we a right to reprimand them for the want of charity , when we have removed the stumblingblocks which occasion their fall . But before we say more on this head , we have to remark , in addition , that many of those who have taken a permanent station in our esteem , have indulged in a latitude of disquisition , and thrown out bints , and hazarded opinions so startling , as to alarm the less bold even of their own communion . To doubt , to question , and without ceremony ,
Untitled Article
The Watchman . 699
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 2, 1829, page 699, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2577/page/27/
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