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Untitled Article
what , in the estimation of its members , was Christian truth ; to enter a protest against the errors of the day ; to unite those who held the same principles , and who were scattered up and down in different parts of the country , in one common bond of union ; and to encourage them to hold fast their profession , and to stand by and support one another . "—Pp . 296—298 . This was a good beginning in the application of a principle by which so
much has been , and so much more will yet be , accomplished in the religious world . If ** organized masses" do not afford the best means for the discovery of Truth by the individuals constituting them ; which no one , we suppose , will contend that they do ; they are nevertheless inestimable in the facilities which they provide for the profession of opinions , for exciting attention , for disseminating information , and thus , eventually , for the extension of the Truth which has been previously ascertained .
That error as well as truth may be propagated by such means is certainly not a reason for their being neglected . The advocates for error will employ them whether we do or not . And why should they be left in the sole possession of so powerful a weapon ? Unless its use were unlawful , which it would be no easy task to shew on the ground either of Scripture or expediency , the energy with which they wield it demands of us a proportionate activity , that we may at least do as much for the truth of heaven as others do for human inventions . But in the long run its employment must avail more to the cause of truth than to that of error . It increases the amount of
reading and of thought upon religious topics . The tendency of that which does so must be good . At that time , much more than at present , such an opportunity as that afforded by the Unitarian Society was needed in order to enable individuals to make public profession of their faith . Very few congregations had then adopted the term Unitarian . In many of those to which it is now applied , a considerable proportion of the attendants were only slowly advancing towards Unitarian opinions . In truth , as well as for the sake of peace ; of
peace with one another , to say nothing of the world around them ; they could only be designated Presbyterian or General Baptist Congregations . Many individuals too , whose character and station entitled them to some weight with the community , lived out of reach of even these congregations . The public and social profession of Unitarianism may , as to many of its most important results , be said to have commenced with the Unitarian
Society . It summoned all the separated and solitary witnesses of the truth , throughout the land , to bear their united testimony . It was as the uplifting of a banner in the name of the Lord ; and proudly has it floated since , in sunshine and in storm , in conflict and in triumph . They may be reckoned few in number who gather around it yet ; they are so , compared with the legions of orthodoxy ; but they are a host compared with the little flock which it then assembled .
The scattered situation of Unitarians rendered some such union desirable not less as the public pledge and profession of their faith to others , than as the source of enjoyment , improvement , and mutual encouragement to themselves . None but persons who have lived without the means of intercourse with those who are like-minded with themselves , on the most important matters , can duly appreciate even the comfort and utility which such a degree of fellowship as this may bestow upon isolated individuals . Its meetings replenish with oil the lamp which must be , for the rest of the year , a Light shining in the darkness . And not infrequently has private friendship
Untitled Article
On the Character and Writing * of the Rev . T . Batsharn . 245
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1830, page 245, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2583/page/29/
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