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principle * laid down in Scripture . Instead of tending to introduce genuine piety amongst us , I fear they are calculated to propagate -and foster a hollow religion- Look at the -working of your Committee . How can it go on well , when one part of your body may do what another part are competeafc to undo ?— - for I tell you that you have not the power
to prevent Presbyteries from sending out men to preach the gosipel . Are these men accountable to you ? Do you think it likely , that when twenty-six of the most influential members of your body are combined , they will not be able to carry the majority of this House ? Besides , how can you have any hold upon
them , or by what means will you be able to ascertain accurately ,, in what manner they may have discharged their duty ? Their doors are closed against you , and their operations are completely concealed from your inspection . Will the young meu venture to appeal from their decision ? If so , what will be the result ? How will their insulated and individual
testimony—for the young men are examined apart from each other—have any chance whatever of meeting , effectually , the combined and concentrated testimony of your powerful Committee ? The thing is not to be expected ; and when the characters of your young meu shall have been thus stamped by defeat ; and when they will thus have awakened the opposition of such individuals , they may go and preach to the Hindoos , or the
Hottentots if they wiU , but their prospects of succeeding in the miuistry Ut this country are gone for ever . Th * re will exist in tins body two forces likely to operate agaiust each other—and how , then , are we to move on , thus propelled ? There in reason to dread that , instead of -advancing gteadily , the body will become staiioiiary , or more properly retrograde . Hut we have been told that the
Committee is a , Presbytery , and that the members of the one are the members also of the other ; I tell you , Sir , what power i « vested iu this Committee . It has just the same power that his Majesty has over the bench of Bishops . He can call them together , and if they do not adopt Uie course which lie wishes , he may
dismiss them without allowing them to do any thing . Will Kcutteiiieu tell us that this is no power ? Our church is formed upon the model of one described in the Scriptures , and the moment you deviate from your original constitution , you forsake your character , and abandon the original form of your church . Our forefuthera contended and auflcicd , tlint they
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might preserve our form of church government undisturbed ; and what is the course which we now see about to be adopted ? 1 say this is one of the bold , est attempts that ever was made to sap the interests of Presbyterianism . It is
an attempt to overture the sound « ud Christian policy which has hitherto prevailed amongst us , and to impose upon us restrictions destructive of the iuterests of religion . It is ^ aa at tempt of such a character as would be Huoaediately crushed , hut for the fevered state of affairs in
which we are at present situated , " The ostensible object of your Overtures is to put down Arianism ; but let nae tell you , that I consider it to be merely one step of a premeditated course of procedure designed to overturn the constitution of our church , aud to introduce visionary theories , that will be most injurious to our body . If I were
sure that the measure was adopted only as a temporary expedient , I would not be so forward to complain ; but I fear that it will be permanent in Us operation . There is no country in which liberty of conscience has not been fostered ; but I would ask , is religious liberty recognized in this Committee ? On the contrary , does it not rest with the will of a few to
select such individuals as they may deem qualified for preaching the gospel ? h this consistent with our privileges ? Is it consistent wkh Scripture ? I telJ you it is » ot . I may be told that expediency warrants the adoption of the measure . But no considerations whatever , on the ground of expediency , can justify ycfo in goigig beyond certain limitations .
Instead of lodging so much power in the hands of a few individuals , the preferable plan would be to form a code of laws , leaving for error very little ground of latitude . From the worth of these gentlemen 1 am not at all disposed to detract ; but they are nothing more than men , liable the more to error as they possess ample room for abusing their
power . They have cleared themselves from the charges alleged against them ; but after all that has been said , 1 have no doubt whatever that many visionary ideas were broached by tfceui . Knowing this to be the case , the young naen will 4 : oiu € prepared for smJb a course ; they will aot venture to differ from their
grave aud reverend seniors . ' They may be convluted of the error aud impropriety of the proceedings ; but they are subjected to the operation of strong temptations * . In shore , I would leave fancy to her wildest flights , apd deiy her to hit upon any meaiure more likely i 0
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142 InieUigew * . —Synod vf UUier .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 2, 1830, page 142, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2581/page/70/
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