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rnnalem greatly ; " and even " a great company of the priests becoming obedient io the faith" * who could not but have well known the original statement of the sruard * , and thus bore their testimony to its truth .
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On Distressed Unitarians . To the Editor . Sir , Permit me , in the pages of your interesting and valuable publication , to become the advocate of those sufferers , who , from the uniform propriety of their conduct and the peculiar circumstances of their distress , are , in an especial manner , worthy of our assistance .
Since I am myself an Unitarian , and write principally to Unitarians , I shall , at present , plead only for the unfortunate of the same household of faith . That there are , from time to time , worthy members of our community , who , from untoward and inevitable circumstances , are so reduced as to demand the sympathy and assistance not only of their
acquaintances and fellow-townsmen , but more generally of the members of our body in various parts of the kingdom , is a fact attested by the past experience of every Unitarian . And I think it may be affirmed , that , whenever a case of this kind occurs , and is fairly brought before us , and well authenticated , it will be listened to , and will excite in us an anxious desire to relieve the sufferer . There are
amoug the laity , connected with our body , a number of influential , worthy , and liberal men , to whom a brother in distress is still a brother , and , from whom , when his case is made known and authenticated , the worthy sufferer will receive liberal assistance . But many of these persons are actively engaged in
commercial pursuits ; they are called on to contribute towards liberal institutions of various kinds ; they hear the voice of distress in their own neighbourhoods ; and , from their various avocations and the numerous cries for their assistance , they are totally unable , on every
occasion , thoroughly to investigate the claims of the applicant for their assistance and support . Nor , indeed , is it advisable that in every case such investigation should take place . It would be irksome , occasion considerable delay , and frequently require a correspondence with
* Ch . vi . 7 , which compare with Matt , xxviii . 11 .
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persons resident in distant parts of the country . The parties thus addressed might justly complain of inundations of letters , and the inconvenience resulting from this change in their literary pursuits . But the sufferer hitnsel / ! - —he is kept in the midst of his affliction , and in the bitterness of hope deferred , unwilling
to present himself , probably three or four times , before the same parties in the character of a suitor . The persons thus importuned , occupied by other considerations , and anxious , perhaps , respecting the result of important undertakings , are in a state of mind diametrically opposed to that required for the patient hearing of a tale of woe , and for administering to
a mmd distressed . How must this circumstance militate against the worthy , the unobtrusive , and the sensitive ;—the man of refined taste and cultivated mind , who has , by inevitable misfortunes , been reduced in his circumstances ! The bold , the headstrong , and the importunate * would , under such circumstances , feel less , and probably be more likely to succeed . It hence becomes a matter of
importance that some meaus of ready application should be adopted , by w hie hi the deserving may obtain a passport ta the hearts of our people , and the benevolent be secured from imposition and deceit . And here is one instance , amoug a multitude , in which the utility and importance of our ministers are strikingly displayed . They , from their public sjtua ^
tions and the nature of their duties , are especially qualified to judge of the circumstances and deserts of those who ap- » ply to our body for relief . Accordingly , we find that , with their recommendation or with their names , a distressed Unitarian procures easy access to the sympathy of the body . 1 am not about to imply that there is any backwardness in our ministers to assist and recommend the
characters of whom I speak . On the contrary , so far as my own experience goes , I have reason to helieve them extremely liberal , and that in proportion to their incomes they contribute more than the generality of us . But what I complain of is , that they , particularly the most eminent amongst them for piety , talents , and kind-heartedness , suffer themselves to
be worked upon by a tale of distress , not only to contribute of their own substance , but to lend their names to persons of whose characters and circumstances they personally know nothing . The parties thus relieved have , in numerous instances , employed the names thus obtained in a most unwarrantable manner . They have frequently proved impostors , and have
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Miscellaneous Correspondence . 553
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VOL . IV . 2 R
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P .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1830, page 553, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2587/page/49/
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