On this page

• Text (1)

  Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

  • 

    Untitled Article

• Transcript

  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

    Untitled Article

    one of those occasions of friendly intercourse , which took place June 29 , 1718 , Mr . Asty thought fit , in his sermon at Newington , to alarm the people with the danger of pernicious

    errors and damnable heresies creeping in amongst the Dissenters , and particularly referred to errors respecting the doctrine of Christ ' s deity . It is but justice to this gentleman to observe that Mr . Tomkins exonerates

    him from any personal allusions to himself in this discourse . 4 € I must do Mr . Asty this justice , " ( says he , ) ** to acquaint others , that he assured me he had no particular view to me , or suspicion of me , when he brought down that sermon among others to Newington . As he had an

    apprehension of the danger of these errors , and of the spreading of them at this time , he thought it might be seasonable to preach such a sermon any where . " It appears that upon being pressed further , Mr . Asty could not deny that he had some intimation of a suspicion of Mr . Tomkins before he preached his sermon .

    In order to counteract what he considered the mischievous tendency of Mr . A sty ' s discourse , Mr . Tomkins preached to his people the next Lord's-day from John xx . 21—23 , on the Power of Christ to settle the

    Terms of Salvation . In this discourse he gave his reasons at large , why he did not apprehend the orthodox notion concerning the deity of Christ to be a fundamental doctrine of Christianity , ** As I was verily persuaded in mind ( he that

    my owp , " says , ) " a person might dissent from the commonly-received notions in that point of Christian doctrine , and yet not be guilty of damnable heresy j and could not but look upon it as a matter of great importance to the

    peace of Christians , that they do not take upon them to pass censure upon those who differ from them , any further than they have plain warrant from the word of God ; I did think it incumbent upon me to warn our people against being too forward iri their censures . '

    This sermon , as may be supposed , made a great noise , and procured no little obloquy to the preacher * It was then a novel thing for a Dissenting minister to avow Anti-trinitarian opinions from the pulpit ; or which

    Untitled Article

    is much the same thing , to maintain that the belief of the deity of Christ , and his equality with the Father , is not necessary to salvation . For , although Etnlyn , a learned Dissenter , had advocated the Arian hypothesis a few years before , at Dublin , arid Clarke and Whiston had revived the

    controversy in the Church of England , yet the English Dissenters liad been hitherto prfetty free from the suspicion of heresy . At this time , however , a complete revolution took place in the studies and opinions of theologians ; to which the writings of Locke ,

    Clarke and Berkeley , probably very much contributed . The leading divines about London , who , at this time or soon afterwards , contributed to introduce a more liberal system of theology , combined with juster views of the nature of the Supreme Being ,

    were , besides Mr . Tomkins , Lardner , Hunt , Gale , Foster , Chandler , Lowman , Burroughs and Simon Browne . None of these , probably , were very popular as preachers y it was only amongst the studious , therefore , that their system made its way . *

    The uneasiness created in the congregation at Stoke-Newington by the above sermon of Mr . Tomkins , was much greater than , at this time of day , can be well imagined . Even those friends with whom he had been upon terms of greatest intimacy were offended at him , and advised him

    immediately to withdraw . For the purpose of vindicating himself , and clearing the preceding discourse from the misapprehensions that had arisen upon it , he delivered another sermon on the following Sunday ; but , upon that occasion , some thought that he

    made the . matter worse than before . The discontent having become general , Mr . Tomkins was again urged by one of his friends to retire ; which he agreed to do , provided the congregation would give him a certificate of the cause of their dissatisfaction .

    This , however , was refused , but the society transmitted him a message to this effect : * That , whereas many had been offended with his sermon , they thought it necessary , for the

    * Should not an exception be made in favour , at least , of Foster aud Chandler ? Ed .

    Untitled Article

    654 Some Account of the Rev . Martin Totnkins .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Nov. 2, 1819, page 654, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1778/page/2/