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plies , as a church of- England man said to us % he other cj ^ y * " ^ 4 I sit dow n , when it is read . " «« TJ ? £ n you are got a member of the church of JEngland ; or , if you wish to sjde with it in preference to other sects , you ought to he for . toleration , since you Tgaht toleration
yourself . ** In the discussion proposed by Mr . Wyvill , we wish that alj churches should be examined . Dissenters' meetings , as well as established Churches , require to be taught the first rudiments ¦ o f Chiistianity . JL , ove one'another . The intolerant crucify Christ , * and whatever may be the effect of the discussion
or of future petitions , the true . Christ van can consider the necessity of them , only as sorrowful instances of the ljjttle progress that Christianity h , as made among u ^ . He who studies the scriptures for himself , looks for the dayr when the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdoms of the JLord and his Christ ,
instead of attempting to set . up an authority paramount to that of our Saviour . The sentence of Mr . Stone has excited some sensation among the reflecting part of the community . The bigots and
the worldly-minded are outrageously against him ; but the reflecting clergymen , without , entering into any question on his opinion ^ , view the manner in which he has been treated , with grea , t horror and disgust . They say , that the revival of an obsolete statute , without
the proof of one single person' being condemned in the manner that Mr . Stone has been , is not only a thing unheard of for many years in our country , but would more become an advocate for torture , than the rrjiidne ^ ss pf the church , of England . They say too , that the Statute of Queen Elizabeth , ' was nearer meant to be enforced in the manner in in
which i ^ t has been this instance , to the total exclusion of tfy . c » scriptures : tfor , t ; hat in the discussiopsjjqf her days , her divines referred to the scriptures , and Mr . gtone would hayc been adjudged to act , against the scriptures ,, an , d to reason falsely , before they would -have thought of cond / ciu . ting him . They
cannot see } n the ace of , parliament , the least intimation of a spiritual cp , urt , framed of civilians : only one court is i n deed mentioned ,. t ; he high' commission -court , b , ut that consisted partly of divines arwi partly of eminent statesmen , not o ^ , technical lawyers , They inquire wHat is to be the btate of . cler-
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gymen , if the tie ' w rule were to be acted up tor , aijd upon qvery supposed deviation in a sermon from the , articles , the bishop , instead of exercising his pastoral care and paternal authority , in questioning his . brother , should immediately convent him -into a criminal court .
They say too , acd in thi ^ the true Christian must perfectly agree "with them , that the whole , proceeding is contrary to the discipline , laid . down , by St . Paul ; but thac argument ^ was never discussed in Doctors' Commons . Mr , Stone ' s case is befo / e another civil
doctor , and we Cq e .-ee that the matter w ** JI not easily sad * The great question' js , whether IVTr . Stone is not the truest friend * as he calls himself ,-to the church of Englanjd : for either be is right or he is wrong in his opinions . If he . is right in his ^ opinions , he has properly , and like a true son of the church , called
upon it to revoke its , errors . If he is wrong , he has certainly acted ' in obedience to his yow at ordination : and it becomes a church rto treat an aged presbyter , upwards of seventy years of * age , with some respect at -least , and to shew in what manner the study of JfiTty years has been mis-applied .
In the foreign political world , &p ajn is the great object of attention ., and hopes are entertained in this cpuntry , that insurrection rage $ } n ya ^ ripus . proviflces . The S p ^ iards ace placed in a very strange situation . Peprjvied of botn their kings , wi ^ h -a foreign a , rmy in the heart of t | ieir country ^ h <> w are
they to act f Ail the bonds of union are broken , and for what are they tQ iSght ? They are to fight jfor theip country , it is said , and drive out the French ^ and then settle their gpveriwpent as they please * But is there any reason to expect a better government in the end * if framed by Spaniards rather than Frenchmen ?
TJie men used to the rq . anagemen . t qf their affajirs , * . are chiefly churchmen , and no prospect appears as yet of en ^ largement of mind in any of their pro . ceedings . It is impossible thai the great ma s of th ! e people should He worse oflf under the government of the French ,
than under tfyeir Jate princes and clergy . Thefr ancient spirit feas f > een broken , and we expect them to act with ihat anciejpt spirit . If that , spirit should revive , not only the . French would suffer , but all the supporters of the former tyranny , and Spain would exhibit scenes similar to those in the re-
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State of Fublic Affairs * 341
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vol . in . ' 2 y
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1808, page 341, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2393/page/49/
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