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Untitled Article
acknowledges this in the sixth of her Thirty-nine Articles , however dictatorial the terms in which they are generally couched : * Holy Scripture con-, taineth all things necessary to salvation ; so that whatsoever is not read therein , nor may be proved thereby , is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of faith , or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation / And no person , I should think , who abstains from repeating those parts of her liturgy which are contrary to what appears to him to be the meaning of Scripture , need at any time scruple to join in the public worship which she hath appointed . Do not Christians assemble in the house of God to adore his goodness , and to offer up their tribute of thanksgiving and praise with that increased emotion which arises from social
communion , far more than to make declaration of dogmas ? Are not all assembled there as the dependent creatures of one beneficent and almighty Parent , and as sinners for whose sake a generous Saviour was willing to live and to die ? And what form of words should be allowed to disturb such natural and holy feelings ? He who will not join a religious assemblv , where any
part of the service does not agree with his belief , will find himself often debarred from social worship ; and surely while he joins in the general devotions of those who in particular tenets differ from himself , he may even , while those parts of the service are repeated which he most objects to , though silent , exercise that inward sentiment of brotherly good will and consideration for others , which so well become the followers of Jesus Christ , and receive benefit to his soul . In doing so , while he manfully and honestly avows what his real opinions are , he can never be justly accused of hypocritical conformity . Indeed , by remaining on these terms with the established institution *—an institution containing within itself full power to alter or modify its articles and liturgy , he would more probably contribute hereafter to the freeing a greater number of Christians from professions of belief , appearing to them unwarranted by Scripture , than by separating
from it . So at least it appears to me , though , at the same time , I honour from my heart all those who , contrary to every kind of worldly interest , have separated from it for conscience ' s sake /'—Pp . 133—136 . It is certainly not * necessary in all points of faith to agree with those whom we join in public worship . " If it were , the assembling of a congregation would be a matter of some difficulty . Of those who have thought
for themselves , and thought freely , we should scarcely find even " two or three gathered together . " Considerable diversity of opinion in those who habitually assemble together for divine worship is what , so far from deprecating , we think on many accounts very desirable . It represses dogmatism . It keeps alive the sense of the individual right of judgment , and the exercise of mutual forbearance and charity . It tends to make the devotions , where the congregation has any authority over the manner in which they are
con-• I mention institution in the singular , as the Kirk of Scotland , equally esta-r blisljqd by law , mixes no professions of belief with her public worship .
Untitled Article
Joanna Baftlie on ( he Nature , and Dignity of Christ . 513
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1831, page 513, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2600/page/9/
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