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not the missiohary Spirit . Very many are hostile td mi ^ dftafy fek ^ rtE 6 Hs and especially the rnore rich and influential . Tlie societies ' tiiat h £ ve been arid are , have struggled % i 6 being , arid $ trtjggle to exists They Bavfe , in some cases , been forttied by k few in opposition id the will of the many ; they have been supported by ^ k few , while the nriany looked on either in apathy or scorn . The propriety of their existence has been gravely
questioned ; the overture for aid to maintain them met with a smile of astonishment ; tvhile almost in every instance those who affect to give the toh ^ to Others , and who tin fortunately have had but too much influence , Mve n 6 t only kept aloof from , but spoken warmly against them . In a word , the current of fashion hais been and still is of an anti-missionary hue . Missionary exertions have been denounced as vulgar , as interfering with the harmony and polish of refined and miscellaneous society . Here , in fact , lies trie great
impediment to all kinds of popular exertion . From whatever cause , the truth is , fashion has been hostile to exertions for the furtherance of our cause ; and fashion in this , as in most other matters , has proved too powerful for principle . In every community , in every sect , each One is trying ' tp rise . To succeed , he must study the mood of those next above him , If he is to be admitted into their society , he must as a condition adopt thfeir principles and habits , and thus the first rank transmits its character to the second , and the second to the third . So it has happened that the ihdiffer -
6 hCe of the rich has descended almost to the poor of our c 6 mmiinity , Snd active efforts for the furtherance of Unitarianism have on all sides mefvviih Obstructions . In these circumstances we have a chief reason of the failure 6 rthe missionary exertions that have been undertaken . They could not five and flourish because the atmosphere in which they were was filled faith hostile elements . General countenance and cooperation were essential
to their prosperity : they too often met with opposition or apathy . Ih the peculiar nature of the case , the advice and supervision of all tlass ^ s # et 6 requisite , especially of those who by their station and opportunities ar £ Well informed ; but the direction of them fell into thfe hands of a few # hose zeal in some instances overpowered their judgment , &nd who ^ b ^ the exifende of those who kept aloof , were led into intemperate' measur ^ , flius cbiilThittiiig , with the best intentions &nd through the want of a direcStiii g smd telkficih g pbv ^ er , a cause which they had most ne&rTy at h £ art . Btifcjif in iariy irTstknck ofr to any degree the management of missionary labbui * shayfe Mleri intb fhctympetent hands , they are to blame whbse apathy occasiotieS a ftferV zeai ^ tind W 1 il 6 se distance robbed the cause of an essential elemerii : of
su ^ &efesi ' ' ' . . ' ' 'l ' \ ' i ' 1 THer 6 ma ^ be some who think that the cause of the failure of pur riii ?^ siBhjirV Iab < yurs is to be fourid in the unfitness for prdselytism of the ten ^ k whi ' cK ^* we h'dlid ' . " " If this opinibii was well founded , a stronger presumption dftfib falsity of Uhitafianism could not be ima g ined . All must ackhowiefl g 4 that Christianity is fitted for proselyting , for m tnis way \ i ^ gained its first li
&nd it& fairest triumphs . If , then , Unitarianism be , as ^ suppdsed ^ tijrit ^^ it is not the truth as it is in Jesus , and the sooner we are fid of it ^ the beitffi Either , therefore , Unitarianism is false , or it is adapted to the' m a ^ itt ^ iflf converts . Biit we have the evidence of facts . Converts have been Jn ^ 4 by missionary effdrts i and in this kingdom . WStriess the earlier labours 8 f Mr . R . Wright . And if we turn to America we find Unitarians ia their cjiwii proper hatne , and especially under the designation of Christians , daily adding to th £ tiuttiBer of those who are saved from th « e dominion of error and the slavery of sin . How , in fact , has Unitarianism been revived and extended
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ArituHiTfsdonxtYkf Spirit . ? 63
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Nov. 2, 1829, page 763, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2578/page/19/
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