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Political Character of Knglish Dissenters . .. ¦ ' Liberal and enlightened as our English Dissenters are in comparison , they 'Imve been found but too often leaning "towards the Court , where the concerns of their peculiar sects were not in question . The practical lenity of the Test laws
towards them has produced this effect . Although the Crown has no immediate connection with their priesthood , it is very much owing to their directing all their political feelings towards one object , Toleration , and being allowed iu a great measure to attain it . Were the Catholic
emancipated , and his spiritual guide an agent of the government ( supposing always the impossible case of the body having acquiesced in such an arrangement ) , he would probably follow the same direction a-tfso in spiritual concerns . " Edinburgh Review , Dec . 1816 » , No ; LIV . pp . 333 , 4 .
IN this manner a cool Presbyterian of the North estimates the English Dissenters . Jt is difficult to conceive in what way he calculates , since the people of whom he speaks have so little of a political character . They are not ,
like the Roman ^ Catholics , one body , underone head - ' y they are split into innumerable parties , jealous of each other , and except on one occasion , the memorable Siarnouth stir , have never
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been brought to act in concert . Th « Reviewer , probably , lumps the two great bodies of Methodists with the Dissenters , though they have in fact little in common with them except their separating from the Ghurch of England and forming distinct assemblies for religious worship .
The Dissenters in general supported Air . Pitt in his early contest with Mr . Fox , but then Pitt was more than Fox tiie champion of freedom and reform . When Pitt apostatized , the Dissenters withdrew their attachment , and , with the exception of a few money-changers , rallied round the Opposition .
Of late the course of politics has blended and confused parties ; but the Dissenters have given no evidence of a leaning to the court against the people , or of a confidence in administration in opposition to the popular leaders ( if any such may be now spoken of ) in the Two Houses .
Recently , the Ministers of the Three Denominations and the Committee of Deputies have addressed the Prince on his late escape from the populace ; but the ministers at least found that they
were below the standard of loyalty at Carlton House , and both bodies went * up to the Prince in his magisterial and not his personal character . The powers that he are ordained of God : this is their maxim : it was so in the time of
Cromwell , and again in the time of the second Charles Stuart . There are , nevertheless , many amongst the ministers and deputies , who regiet that the late addresses were made under such peculiar circumstances and at such a juncture . These dissidents
allege that the outrage in the Park ; though criminal , was not of so alarming a character as to call for congratulation to the Prince as if he had escaped assassination . There is no proof , they * say , that any injury to the Regent wa * meditated : the bullets are no longer
articles of faith : " the potatoes" indeed , as a worthy magistrate who will be long remembered , observed , * ' speak for themselves , " but they do not speaks treason . There appears to have been no outrage until the soldiery attempted to disperse the people and drive them out ot the Park ; then the missiles of
popular resentment flew about , but w * may still believe , for the honour of ihto people , that they were aimed at the soldiers only , and that the stones Or whatever other substances struck the royal carriage , did so by accident . The
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Unitarian Preachers . —Political Character of English Dissenters . 1 > 3
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^* K , March 3 , 1817-IT happens rather unfortunately " for Mr . >¦ * ( p . 87 ) that on the
cover of your last Number , no less than three sermons by ministers educated at York , are advertised , and another is commended in your Review ; and that of not one of the four their Alma Mater needs to be ashamed , for either justness of thought , correctness or
eloquence . I hope he will think it * f rather fortunate , " that in the course of the current month , he will have had repeated opportunities of witnessing the pulpit performances of another of foer sons , while with a force of
argument , a copiousness of language , and an animation of delivery , I had almost said worthy of his cause , he pleaded for the pure gospel of Jesus Christ . I do not wish to follow Mr . -r through all his references to
particular persons or places , still less to controvert his general position , in which I on the whole agree ; but I think his arguments would have lost none of its force , if some of them at least had been spared . N . C .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1817, page 163, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2462/page/35/
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