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    Untitled Article

    To the Editor of the Monthly Repository .

    Liverpool ^ sin , Jan . 9 , 180 p . I have always been of opinion , that a considerable portion of that

    spirit of free inquiry , both on subjects of a religious and political nature , which has happily characterized the English nation , has been derived from that sect of

    dissenters who are commonly , although improperly , called Presbyterians . Great lumiuaries have indeed occasionally appeared among other descriptions of men , even among dignified prelates ; but these are only rare instances , and

    would probably have had little influence on the current of public opinion , had it not been that the principles which w cre just brought into view by these persons , were

    uniformly and systematically enforced by the Presbyterian dissenters . Bein £ myself a zealous assertor of the right of private judgment , iind of free inquiry on matters of religion , ; it bas been with me a subject of serious concern , to behold the sect so rapidly declining . That the sect of Presbyterians is rapidly declining will scarcely , I presume , be questioned . Many of the smaller congre-

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    gations are entirely deserted , and even in large and populous towns , the meeting-houses are becoming every week less and less frequented . In this place , where every exterior circumstance contributes

    to keep up the interest ; a pastor of great respectability , private . worth , and talents , and what is perhaps more important , of consi - derable affluence , an elegant building furnished with every accommodation that can minister to the

    ease of the luxurious ; exquisite music , vocal and instrumental ; the sanction of many individuals of wealth and consequence ; yet notwithstanding the combination of so many favourable circumstances ,

    even here the seeds of decay may be observed , and if I mistake not , will be found to have taken deep root . As 1 consider the peculiar sentiments of the Presbyterian dissenters to be intimately connected

    with the permanence of their relU gioiib associations , I cannot witness jthis state of things without much regret , and however unequal I may prove to the task , I wish to contribute what lies in my power to the correction of this evil . I propose then to enter upon the

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    On the Decline of Presbyterian Congregations * 32 S

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    ramifications ; warn them of the precip ice on which they totter ; and on the other hand , awaken the love of God in their hearts ; paint his infinite goodness in sending his beloved son to be their guide and pattern , and the glorious destiny which awaits the meanest of them , who will deny themselves , take up the cross ^ and fol - low him .

    If Unitarian ministers would adopt the plan I have bech recommending , I feel confident that themselves and many others will have reason to rejoice in its success : and to know that any one had by this address been induced to make the experiment , would be a high gratification to , Sir , Your constant reader , M . H .

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    ON TIIp DECLINE OF PRESBYTERIAN CONGREGATIONS .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1809, page 323, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1737/page/21/