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concurrence of the Remonstrants themselves ) have insisted on claiming them entirely ; yet , for the sake of peace—to avoid litigation—and because the rights of individuals in congregational property ought not to be affected by their conscientious adherence to their own religious opinions , we are williug to submit all questions affecting those properties to equitable arbitration on the annexed principles .:
—" 1 . That where the majority of proprietors of congregational property , at the time of the separation , adhere to the Synod , we propose that they become exclusive possessors thereof , on condition of paying to the minority their equitable proportion of the same , and vice versd . " 2 . That we leave the mode of
ascertaining this majority , in the several di / ided congregations , to be settled by mutual agreement between the Synodical and Remonstrant Committees . ' Waiving tlieir claim as the church to the entire ecclesiastical property
under their controul , and acting on principles of abstract equity , the Synod ' s Committee , in September last , agreed to restore to Remonstrant congregations their equitabie proportion of different Synodical funds ; and ou the same principles , they now call on Remonstrants to do
equal-handed justice , and restore to those persons who have , in the congregations of Glenarm , Cairncastle , Ballycarry , Templepatrick , Greyabbey , and Narrow-water , adhered to the Synod , their equitable proportion of those congregational properties at present detained exclusively hy Remonstrants . " To the above propositions , the following answer was returned :
" In reference to the preamble of the propositions submitted to the Remonstrants by the General Synod's Committee , on the 20 th July last" h We can by no means admit that * the right to the houses of worship , and other congregational properties in question , was at anv time vested in the
General Synod of Ulster . In their original erection and creation , they were intended , not for the General Synod , but solely for the benefit of the Presbyterian people worshiping in those houses , under their regularly ordained ministers .. " 2 . We regret that the General S y ^ nod ' s Committee should have deemed it
necessary to compare the Remonstrant ministers with those of Bally waiter and Donaghadee—men who ^ ere , degraded for the grossest immoralities , aud q wa-j jority of whose people secjeded with them
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from the Presbyterian communion . ' The case of Tobermore is equally inapplica ^ ble , inasmuch as Mr . Carson , though a respectable character , had , with the por- > tion , of the congregation adhering tohim , entirely renounced Presbyterian ] smg and become Independent .
" 3 . The General Synod ' s Committee farther allege , < that they might have insisted on claiming entirely the properties now in dispute between them and the Remonstrants , * and insinuate , that * for the sate of peace , and to avoid litigation , ' they are disposed to waive certain of their legal rights . In reply , we beg leave to state , that we have not
sought , nor do we seek , any favour at the hands of our Synodicai brethren : we do > not wish them to sacrifice anylegal or equitable claim out of compliment to us . We merely ask apr ^ igpi ^ t ^ " 4 . We rejoice to find- that . the Synod's Committee have amply recognized the great principle always maintained by ourselves , viz . e that the rights of
individuals id congregational property ought not to be affected by their conscientious adherence to their own religious opinions . ' On this mutually admitted principle , we take our stand . JVe-havenever violated any compact , either written or implied , into which we ever entered with the General Synod of Ulster ; nor have we ever sought to invade the property or
privileges of any of our brethren . In faithful adherence to the usages and discipline of the General Synod , we invariably endeavoured to * keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace , ' The General Synod having changed the laws and constitution of the church , by the enactment of new and unprecedented Overtures , which we consider oppressive , both to the ministers and people , and to which we could not conscientiously
submit , we utterly deny that they have any legal or equitable right to inflict a penalty upon us > merely in consequence of their own change of opinions . and conduct . Without adverting at present to the right of the General Syuod , to pass , such enactments , and not desiring to revive unpleasan ^ and unprofitable discussions , we do sincerely trust , that our brethren having forped us to retire frqm amongst them ,, in vindication ctf conscience , they
will not ; attempt to place . us in a worse condition in the separate Association which we have been compelled to form than that in which we would have been placed , had vye continued in connexion with t ^ ejVj Bo ^ y . We have reason to expijcjt , this measure of justice , uot merely
Untitled Article
Intelligence .- ^ -Remonstrant Synod of Ulster . 727
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 2, 1830, page 727, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2589/page/71/
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