A Vindication of Unitarianism; In Reply to the REV. Ralph Wardlaw (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3Ch. II.] REGARD PAID TO THE SCRIPTURES. 13 CHAPTER II. ON THE REGARD PAID TO THE SACRED SCRIPTURES BY UNITARIANS. To some very excellent observations, tending to show the propriety of seeking the Doctrines of the Christian Religion in the Apostolic Epistles as well as in the Historical Books of the New Testament, Dr. Wardlaw subjoins these words; (p. 11, 12) "I earnestly wish my Unitarian friends, (for such I desire to esteem them as fellow-men, although I cannot give them the right hand of fellowship as Christian brethren) to consider this with becoming seriousness, and to beware;?and it is my fervent prayer, that others may be preserved from that fatal delusion, which it is my present object to expose; that they may be saved from treating with unseemly levity the word of the most High God, and may continue to approach it, as they approach to its Divine Author himself, ' with reverence and godly fear.'" This benevolent wish, when I first came to it, filled me with gratitude, and I cordially joined in the spirit of Dr. Wardlaw's prayer, extending it to professed Christians of textit{both the opposed denominations. For I apprehend, that both parties are chargeable with manifesting a culpable disrespect for the Bible, by being too negligent in the study of its pages as well as in the practice of its precepts. But, whilst I confess with sorrow, that Unitarians do not in general apply to the Scriptures with sufficient diligence, humility, and seriousness, yet it is necessary for me to apprise the reader that Dr. Wardlaw's language, where he speaks of their principles and practice upon this subject, is adapted to make a very false impression upon his mind. Dr. Wardlaw not only represents the Unitarians as forcing the Scriptures by racks, and screws, and all the instruments of torture, to speak a l...