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that when my master went into the house of Rimnion to worship there , he leaned on my hand , and I worshiped in the house of Rimmon ; in that I have worshiped in the house of Riramon , the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing . ' * According to this translation , instead of seeking permission to do wrong , Naaman shews the sincerity of his conversion , " not merely by good resolntions for the future , but by humble penitence for the past , " which justifies the blessing of the
Prophet , " Go in peace . " This at first view is satisfactory enough , and some at least of those who have adopted it seem to think they have rendered an important service by the suggestion ; but let us , Sir , consider the context . —An idolater , one of an idolatrous nation , is suddenly convinced by a miraculous cure , that the
God of Elislia is the true God , but unless a further miracle had been wrought upon his mind by divine iuflueuce , he could not so suddenly form just notions of this true Goil , or of the mode of worshiping him ; that he had previously sacrificed , as his countrymen did , to false gods , is not only to be inferred from the circumstances he was in , but is evident from his declaration that he would sacrifice in
future only to Jehovah . And what a notion lie had of Jehovah is evident from his supposing it necessary to carry earth with him from the land of Israel to build his altar , which , by the way , Elisha did not object to as unnecessary . He expresses no regret , no compunction for
his previous idolatrous sacrifices , or for the other crimes he had committed ; but according to the proposed amendment , he implores pardon for the semblance of idolatrous worship in attending on the king his master . Now , Sir , what kind of a conscience must he have had to act
in this manner ? Is it not more consistent with his opinion about the altar , that he was thinking of the future , not of the past , and trying to reconcile his duty to God and Mammon ? Hut , then what shall we say of the Prophet ? Would he countenance such conduct ? There is perhaps too much stress laid upon his parting benediction , which need
not imply approbation , and he might consider it a case in which it would have been casting pearls before swine , if he had attempted to remonstrate . Syria was at the time the great terror of the Israeliles , and the king of Israel had been so alarmed by Naaman ' s application as to have rent his clothes . The cure and partial conversion of this favourite of the king of Syria might contribute to peace between the nations , and Klisha might con-
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sider it better to conciliate than to irri < tate a powerful sovereign . I do not , however , pretend to remove all difficulty , nor do I consider it of much importance ; for we know that under the Gospel dispensation all such compromises are inadmissible . That great Being , who is
alike in all places , who dwelleth not in temples made with hands , and who regardeth not of what clay his altar may be built , requires that his true worshipers should worship him in spirit and in truth , and should abstain even from the appearance of evil .
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Unitarianism at Sid mouth . To the Editor . Sidmouth , Devon , Sir , April 11 / A , 1831 . At the close of a course of Sundayevening lectures , whose design it bad been to inculcate the principles and enforce the practice of genuine Unitarian Christianity , it would be pleasing to
review their progress , even though the expectations of the sanguine had scarcely been answered ; but had throngs * attended them , in contradiction to the predictions of the most zealous , and had they been the sole means ( under Heaven ) of re-establishing a decreasing congregation on its ruins , the task would become doubly gratifying .
Such were the anticipations under which a series was commenced at the Unitarian chapel of this place , in the beginning of the past winter , and such the success which has uuiformly marked their progress . It may indeed be averred that our highly talented aud respected pastor , the Rev . William James , has not scrupled to declare what appears to us to
be " the whole counself God ; ** and if unexpectedly large and atteutive audiences be any satisfaction to an anxious and persevering minister , his labours have , in some degree at least , been reqnited . It deserves remark that the lectures , avowedly doctrinal , have be €% , without exception , more uumerously attended
than those of a different tendency ; thus for ever , in this neighbourhood at least , quashing the charge , "Unitarians preach nothing bat morality . ** On the IOth inst ., the first anniversary of Mr . James ' s residence among ns , he delivered his closing evening address for the season ,
Frequently 400 persons , with many more anxious for accommodations which c uld not be afforded from the a in alines s of the chapel .
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Miscellaneous Correspondence .
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A .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1831, page 349, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2597/page/61/
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